Ten days after arriving in France, we have arrived at our major destination: Quillan. It is a relief to make it this far, after so many days travelling and so many months preparing.
We split the drive south from St Martin le Beau (in the Loire Valley near Paris) over two days. On Saturday we drove half-way to an inn a few km from a town called Collonesque (or something visceral like that), and today drove the rest of the way. Most of the driving was on French A-roads (autoroutes), with speed limits of 130 kph. So we whizzed along pretty quickly, and stopped at motorway services when needed. Thankfully, the weather has improved. We have had clear skies for these two days of long drives. Today’s drive was the best. Being a Sunday, there were hardly any trucks on the roads, and that made it much more pleasant. Continue reading Arrival at Quillan→
When I was a child, trading hours were relatively limited in New Zealand. Sunday trading came in controversially, and many shops used to be closed on Saturdays and Sundays. But things changed and now I’m used to most shops being open most days. Coming to France is like stepping back in time, in terms of trading hours.
It is now a full week since we arrived in France and we are well over any jet lag. Personally, I have never it difficult adjusting my sleep-wake pattern after a shift in longitude, and I suspect many travelers overestimate jet lag. Singapore Airlines landed us in Europe early in the day, very tired from lack of sleep. By the end of that first day, we were exhausted and had no trouble falling asleep and staying asleep for most of the night. Jet lag over.
Ollie at Singapore airportTom at Singapore airport
The arrival at Charles de Gaulle was smooth enough but some things were less smooth than others. Having 13 hours earlier passed through Changi airport, Singapore, I noticed several of the less smooth parts of the arrival that I doubt would be permitted in many places, and certainly not at Singapore. Here are three of those things: Continue reading Welcome to France→
We are going to Singapore for one night on the way back, to the hotel where I learnt to swim. We are also going to Paris, Quillan, & Spain. I can’t wait to go… apart from the school part. It will be the hardest thing ever in my life. But the good thing is, there will be two-week holidays before and after, there will be more holidays in the middle, we will get Wednesdays off, and we get to come home for lunch. it will be awesome.
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Thinking of spending time living in France with your family? Interested in finding out more? I am happy to help with inspiration and ideas. Contact me with your thoughts, questions and suggestions.
