Sorry that we haven't written for a while - other than a brief repose at McDonalds, we haven't had access to the internet since we touched down on French soil.
We are having such a lovely time and have been blessed with fantastic weather for the most part. Let me take you on our little sojourn thus far...
12 June: Ferry from Portsmouth to Caen and the first time we had tested out the Renault beast. James informed me that this was the first time he had been on such a large passenger ferry and immediately headed outside to take pictures. For anyone who doesn't know Pete, he's a little accident prone. We hadn't been in the bar for an hour (during the bar quiz) before he managed to spill his seize cent soixante quatre (Kronenburg 1664) all over himself. James Mum and Pete passed the 6 hour crossing in the bar whilst I battled getting Jude to sleep in the ferry cabin. :-)
Disembarking proved interesting - a process which usually takes minutes took almost an hour because a car had broken down and had to be towed before the rest of the cars could move. That was a fun-filled 45 minutes - Jude had been rudely woken from a deep slumber and was made to sit in the car. He doesn't like confined, dark spaces so the low ceilings and bumper to bumper, wing mirror to wing mirror cars proved popular)
We finally arrived at our Caen hotel at about 11pm - Mum and Pete went to the bar for a night cap and Jude, James and I crashed.
13 June: Woke to a sea view and a cranky Jude (who decided to spread blueberry cereal over the nice white hotel sheets). After some French coffee and croissants at the hotel, we drove from Caen to Fontenay sur Vegre (about 45 minutes outside of Le Mans) - I had forgotten how capturing the French countryside is. We drove through many little villages and towns, all sporting cream/grey stone buildings, a patisserie or two, old farm conversions and window flower boxes spilling vivid-coloured wild flowers. There were few locals walking the streets, particularly in their break time, occuring everyday from 12 to 1.30pm when they return home for lunch. We arrived at our gite at 4.30pm - Mum and Pete went grocery shopping and James and I took Jude for a tour of the grounds in the Bjorn - around a communal lake bordered by weeping willows and wild poppies (my favourite flowers)
Later in the eve, James and Pete headed to the Le Mans track to watch some of night qualifying while Mum and I babysat with a French red.
14 June: James visited his first authentic French restaurant to pick up his morning baguette and croissant. He tested out his pigeon French and was elated to emerge with the right baked goods. Late morning we all headed to Evron, a town about 40 minutes drive away, to visit the food markets and taste the local delicacies - galletes (a bit like wholemeal savoury crepes) - James enjoyed the saucisson galette after a pain au chocolat, a butter criossant and some baguette with strawberry jam. While we are at the markets he asked me how to order three nectarines and came back with four. Don't ask.
In the evening, Mum and Pete headed to the last day of qualifying while James and I cranked up the log fire, teased open a nice bottle of red and watched Superman Returns on his laptop as the sun went down.
15 June: Pits day - we all headed to the track to view the cars up close and whilst Mum was scrambling around for a 'Flying Lizzard' poster, James spotted Rowen Atkinson on the way in (aka Mr Bean)
Jude didn't know which way to look - a bit of sensory overload - and loved being amongst the action until he realised how tired he was and then proceded to wail outside the Porsche garage (though not even his cries could be heard over the hustle and bustle of avid fans.)
16 and 17 June: Race days! James was like a kid in a candy store, traversing the track with his sunglasses, headphones tuned into Radio Le Mans and camera. Jude and I hung out at the ACO (Automotive Club L'Ouest) welcome tent (the organisers of the event) most of the time as it was a bit quieter but we also managed to visit the grandstand donning Mum and baby ear protectors. When the first car passed Jude tried to follow it with his eyes and was confused to see it gone in such a flash. He had a fit of the giggles while we were in the grandstand...in fact he usually has a good laughter session for a few minutes everyday at the moment. If he's not bouncing up and down in his bouncer or in our arms, he's eating or sleeping. He's taken a liking to French baby Pear yoghurts and Prune and apple puree (which makes nappy changes interesting) while James introduced Frankfurter and Frite baguettes to Pete - a montrosity of a meal pictured below next to my apple.
Heads turned as Jude passed people in his Le Mans outfit and head gear - so cute! He hated the attention.
Sunday was Pete's birthday (53) and UK Father's Day which should have been marked with some nice cards...but Mum forgot to pack them. And Pete reckoned we packed the entire house! Ha.
18 June: With Le Mans ticked, (and a mechanical hiccup with the Renault - more on that later) we set off for Canault, about 13kms from the Saumur wine region. We'd done some wine tasting before booking our accomodation to ensure we stayed near wine varieties that we liked. Such a tough job. :-) We were welcomed by a beautiful cosy gite, set up on the hill and overlooking the Loire river. It is a great mix of old (original wooden beams inside and stairs and caves gathering moss outside) and new (recently renovated) with the only downside being that Pete, James and I have all hit our heads on the low beams. Pete of course the most.
James has enjoyed a few rides along the French countryside and swallowed a few bugs in the past week. Mostly flat touraine so he's getting a real workout.
Great times and adventures. To be continued...Bon nuit.
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