Larressingle 27 July - 3 August

Catherine, Campbell and James arrived from Glasgow on Monday and we were there to meet them before venturing South. With the wildfires around on the coast it was a relief for things to go smoothly. Found our Airbnb easily. A great spot for the week and a chance to explore and enjoy the area. Thank heavens for Aircon and the pool. Top temp on Wednesday was 41 degrees and yes, it was hot! Mike and Alec are here too. Great to have family time together. 

Bordeaux 25-27 July

We took the train from Paris to Bordeaux, experiencing the smoke from the wildfires closer to our destination. Initial exploring was local to our hotel and quite Smokey as the evening progressed. Found a great food hall to dine in, an enjoyable evening.

The next day we’d thought to use hop on again but enjoyed wandering through the city, browsing and eating at gorgeous cafes and markets. Very relaxing. Met lots of lovely locals and navigated our way to picking up the rental car - past sooo many barbers, in fact a whole street.

Paris

Last week we enjoyed a couple of nights with Andrew and Tracy in Paris. Quick flight for a change, then a leisurely wander through Charles de Gaulle airport to our meeting point. A &T had flown from Brisbane so were catching up on a few winks… our uber arrived and into the city we ventured. Staying near the Seine in a well positioned appt. Wandered by the river on day 1 and 3 and enjoyed the Batobus (river hop on hop off transport) on day 2. Saw all the sights we love and ate in outside cafes etc. Enjoyable time reconnecting. Xx

Stockholm 21/22 July

Hard to leave our country paradise yesterday… had a last walk around after breakfast before we headed off to Eva and Henry’s. Eva runs a cropping farm with her sister, while Henry runs a large estate cropping and chickens - 30,000 in each of 6 sheds. Another fab visit. Lunch was in the grounds of their home - chicken and salads followed by strawberries picked yesterday. 

They have three children and Eva has also taken over the travel company run previously by our guide Eva Maria, so she’s a busy girl.

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We followed our farm visit with a bus trip into Stockholm. Good wander around the local streets before dinner at the hotel. In the morning Claudia led us on a very informative trip around the city and then she let us loose (after a ferry ride across the harbour to the old city). Great vistas, lovely lanes and a thorough drenching. 🤭

 Here are a few more pics from our adventures. Off to Paris tomorrow. 

Soderrmanland and around Sunday/ Monday 19/20 July

Large farm, historic restaurant canals and finally to our wonderful stay by the lake,

Then, on Monday, the glass factory really fascinated all of us. We actually had to be dragged away to the next farm. Buffalo farming is a response to keeping the waterways and ponds clean. The burgers for lunch were delicious… Also have sheep and a marketing plan using unsaleable wool has seen all the clip sold in 1kg lots to keep wild animals from eating gardens.