One Le Petit Hotel staff member unfortunately will not be travelling to France with Martine & Bruce…that being young Kara
Forced absence Friday, May 25 2012
Le Petit Hotel in France 2012 New Zealand, Sumner, Bruce, Martine, Scottish terrier, le petit hotel 12:58 pm
Le Petit Hôtel prend des vacances en France 2012 Friday, May 25 2012
Le Petit Hotel in France 2012 8:18 am
Martine & Bruce are taking a June break in France
Le Petit Hotel & the Irish connection Monday, Sep 27 2010
County Antrim visit, Northern Ireland connection, Cullybackey, family, Hotel, Irish, Le, Northern Ireland, nz, Petit, Portrush, Sands, whitfield 8:14 pm
The green fields of Ireland
The Irish sun shone today Friday…& after a phone call to Portrush…Inspector Whitfield (retired) had enough clues to set the gps to Cullybackey…and go looking….
The “luck of the Irish” must have been with me ….and after a stopping off at a few country houses…the trail was getting decidedly hotter….some people sort of knew of the Sands family – ( my g. grandmother’s family). Some had never heard of them..but the ‘net was tightening as I drove down a narrow country lane towards some houses…knocked on a door…and after a cup of tea with the nice lady…I found myself looking out through her kitchen window at a neighbouring farm house….part of which probably was more than 200 years old. ..the most likely place where my grandmother aged about 2 yrs together with her parents and some close friends would have packed their few belongings and headed off to catch a boat ( The clipper Waikato) to New Zealand….for a totally new beginning…thousands of miles away, and so it would have been..
I thought of how far we all have come in a relatively short space of 100 + years and the life we enjoy as I stepped inside the remaining original thick stone walls…looked at the huge stone hearth tiles..& the old fireplace with swinging wrought iron frame still with some kettle & pot hooks…one can only begin to imagine just how tough life was especially for the women folk of this era. Like so many other Northern Ireland emigrees, the Sands family would have packed up & left with precious little apart from their clothes & a few personal possessions that they could manage between them all.
I will return home to NZ and Le Petit Hotel ….with a somewhat better appreciation of just what my ancestors’ lives were like in Ireland……..tough…unbelieveably tough, and not to mention the Irish weather.
Cullybackey: the connection with Le Petit Hotel Saturday, Sep 25 2010
County Antrim visit, Northern Ireland Ballymena, Belfast, Cullybackey, family, Hotel, Le, Lyttelton, Petit, Sands 2:25 am
My grand mother Annie Kernohan ( nee Sands) emigrated to New Zealand as a very young child with her mother Agnes Sands and other family members. They sailed directly to the port of Lyttelton in the South Island of New Zealand taking just under 100 days, and then travelled to Timaru by train. The family set up home on a small parcel of land just south of Timaru.
They left Ballymena & the Cullybackey townlands in the late 1800′s at a time when poverty was particularly rife and there was very little hope of improvement, in search of a better life with more opportunities.
My visit to N.Ireland, my first, is to obtain a glimpse of the countryside, and make some new contacts that might prove useful as my brother & I delve into our mother’s family ancestral records.
Paris to Belfast, N. Ireland, via easyjet Thursday, Sep 23 2010
County Antrim visit, Northern Ireland B&B, Belfast, CDG, countryside, Easyjet, Hotel, Irish, Le, Marlagh, N.Ireland, Paris, Petit 9:16 pm
Just tried the Irish trick of sending mail without the dotcom!
Clearly this le petit hotel manager is suffering from his holiday….
Strict security at the CDG departure point ….full body search for everyone…shoes xrayed…belt off..etc…etc 
)
But a good clear flight across France until we met the approaching rain over the Irish sea.
Flying in over the Irish countryside, the place is green….real emerald green as they say….mostly white houses with dark grey roofs..
Another Peugeot, a Budget 107 was waiting for bruce…& back to RHD for the Irish roads…no challenge for the gps again…
After a little drama locating the owner of the Marlagh b&B (who was at a choir practice in Belfast! )….a small matter of Irish time being different to Easyjet Paris time….I eventually tumbled into bed about midnight (Irish time 
)
Anyway…I. can report that Irish wifi works even if it means I have to sit outside the bedroom on the 2nd floor landing.
Paris to CDG & Easyjet to Belfast Int. Thursday, Sep 23 2010
County Antrim visit, Northern Ireland and Travels in France 2010 and Uncategorized Belfast, CDG, Charles de Gaulle, Easyjet, Ireland, no bags, Parisian, traveller 8:08 pm
Today’s challenge for bruce began with farewelling Martine in the centre of Paris & driving the Peugeot as fast as everyone else towards Charles de Gaulle terminal 2 for the flight to Belfast.
Now this task is just a tad different to a Sumner to Christchurch run….allow for french drivers who appear to think that they are the only ones on the road…allow for the odd red light stuck at a busy intersection….add the odd periferique interchange where too many roads squeeze into one…..all with no lanes…allow for diversions with the signpost pointing exactly opposite to where you should go….apart from that…its just a Sunday drive; -))
I can understand why some gps owners download John Cleese….to give them moral support as they tackle Parisian traffic.
But Belfast is calling….I can hear Irish voices among the Arabs in the departure lounge….not that they’re heading to Ireland I have summised. Sofar the EasyJet experience is trouble free especially for this solo traveller with no baggage.
Moulins to Paris, via the N7 ; a Paris Loft Apartment Tuesday, Sep 21 2010
An Apartment in Paris and Travels in France 2010 apartment, Châtillon-sur-Loire, France, Hotel, Le, Loft, Loire, Moulins, N7, Paris, Petit, Rue Rivoli, Scottish terrier, smartphone 2:18 am
It was Sunday in France when we departed Moulins….and Paris was 350 + kms away…but really just a leisurely drive away on the Route National N7…that is at least until you reach the outskirts of the city.
We took a picnic lunch stop by taking an exit road at about 12.30….& found a very quiet spot adjacent to the Loire river and on a blind backwater canal boat parking area, a place called Châtillon-sur-Loire.
Back on the N7,..few trucks are permitted on french roads on Sundays….and so traffic was light. However..what we had not allowed for was that this particular weekend was one special one when the French Govt allow free public access to all museums….national places of interest…etc across France and when that happens all roads lead to “Rome”…!!…& so when our intrepid travellers eventually hit Paris..every Parisian was either in town or heading there complete with car. It was the typical day when most French cars get a “haircut” ..their sides get brushed (requires a paint job later! ) and many get shortened by the width of their front & rear bumpers. If there’s a space for a mini….a French man is quite capable of getting a Mercedes into it! It’s hard to watch.
Inspite of all the above, & several hours later…about 7pm..bruce eased the luckily undented leased Peugeot into a public parking basement… )..after having parked illegally for a while in a nearby street …while Martine ran our cases into our Japanese styled 2.5m x 2.5m approx., 7th floor, under the roof, Parisian Loft Apartment in the Marais district. I have to report that it took the combined brain power of two Le Petit Hotel managers on their hands & knees to work out how to put together the foldaway bed..the situation not being helped by the last tenants who in probable confused desperation had repacked the bed incorrectly. It was well after midnight when we actually collapsed onto the bed as opposed to the bed collapsing.
The micro loft apartment is located on Rue du Vieille du Temple which runs into Rue Rivoli, & in daylight one could see the Sacre-Coeur Basillica on the horizon over in the Montmartre district and also a glimpse of Tower Eiffel, plus a good view of the neighbouring roof tops & chimney pots.
7th Floor Parisian Loft View
Paris is France & France is Paris. People are drawn to Paris ..stroll the pavements, drink coffee while seated at one of the hundreds of pavement cafes and just watch people. It is the city of fashion for both young & old…fashion ( in clothes, shoes, handbags, scarves etc ) is everywhere…, the place buzzes with life..it’s a vibrant place for all. We even managed to spot a very obedient Scottish Terrier crossing the Rue Rivoli amongst all the traffic.
I mentioned to Martine, it’s easy to observe that the Smartphone is now the new cigarette “must have in the hand”…
Wednesday is Belfast day for Bruce…it will be a culture shock after Paris for sure.
Plan du la Tour to Graveson Saturday, Sep 18 2010
Travels in France 2010 and Uncategorized 1:15 am
More kms. on the leased Peugeot today as we drove all day,
A friendly B & B in an old coaching house, Graveston, Provence
after a late petit dejeuner at Maison d’hote Bergerie…heading to a smallish village called Graveson, not far from Saint Remy Provence.
We did a little of the journey along the coast,but the thought of scores of roundabouts (gps tomtom calls them rotaries!!) ! some only 300m apart , meant a quick decision to take the peage(toll) route and burn up some kms at 130 clicks….even so we only reached Graveson about 6.30pm.
One thing I have noticed in Provence is the lack of birds (the feathered kind! ).
That said….the two intrepid travellers from le petit hotel Christchurch have a knack of bumping into French Scottish terriers. Today we stopped en-route to look at some botanical garden, and by chance drove to the wrong entrance…..& there were a pair of Scotties just waiting for us. Needless to say…we introduced ourselves to the owner and made instant friends with the doggies. For the next two days we’re staying in a 16th century old coaching house, Le Cadran Solaire, Graveston, Provence.
Bruce & Martine...taking a leisurely breakfast 19000 kms or thereabouts from Le Petit Hotel Christchurch
Le Cap d’Agde to Saint Victor , Aveyron. Millau Bridge Saturday, Sep 18 2010
Uncategorized 12:55 am
Yesterday Thursday…saw us on the road again…we bade farewell to Martine’s sisters & brother..and headed towards Millau.
Le Petit Hotel neighbours Bruce & Janine have a share in a canal/house boat….and just by coincidence they had arrived in Montpellier from Paris via the TGV yesterday and after a few texts we located the two of them not long on their boat in Frontignan, which is just a few kms north east of Agde. Much excitement to see familar faces so far from Christchurch. After a leisurely coffee & a bite of cheese on board we headed off on the road in the direction of Millau.
Martine had prearranged a couple of bednights in a tiny village called Saint Victor.. in the heart of Roquefort cheese “country”. However the highlight off our late afternoon arrival in the village was the discovery of the fresco paintings by Nicolai Greschny in the local Eglise de Saint-Victor. Tomorrow we are off to see the spectacular Millau bridge.
Now its time to confess I’m sending this blog note from a Mac do just outside Millau..have viewed the bridge in brilliant sunshine. Tomorrow we head further north, via the Millau bridge, for a night in Moulins before our final run through to Paris on Sunday.
Millau: A bridge among bridges
Glanum & Cape d’ Agde Thursday, Sep 16 2010
Uncategorized 11:15 pm
Yesterday after scoffing my gluten free cruskits coated with copious quantities of apricot jam….my forced version of a terrace petit dejeuner ,we headed off from Graveson (St Remy du Provence) to the ruins of Glanum. Now Roman ruins are just that….but you cannot help being amazed at both their building skills & how far advanced they were….2000 years ago. Situated in a strategic mountain pass, they built the city of Glanum…containing peasant houses & what we would call luxury homes complete with indoor pools & baths. The romans brought their wine making skills to france and one of the premises in the city was a wine smoking facility..which enabled them to store the wine for periods…..much as we do today except we use chemical preservatives.
Water from the local spring was channelled under the main street ( its still there complete with running water )and most homes & buildings would have had a supply of fresh water. The streets also had side channelling to cope with the heavy rain sometimes experienced in the area.
Stone circular wash basins are still in evidence strangely reminisent of current italian styled bathroom fittings!. The original well that would have supplied backup water..is still to be seen. Overall its a humbling site to wander around especially if you can visit it without the hordes of tourists that would be there in peak season. We left the ruins quietly thinking about life in Roman times…..
Back on the road again we headed off in the direction of Montpellier, skirting around and across some of the low lying marshland and tidal land which makes up the area known as the Carmague. Its home to the french wild white horses and also the flocks of pink flamingoes which feed in the shallow water. We passed closeby to the town of Sete..much wrtten about in books…and onto Cape d’Adge.
Last evening we had an evening meal at a restaurant…it also was the occasion of one of Martines sisters birthday…and as the area is renown for its fish restaurants. ..we ended up in a place on a pier,very close to the seafront. Now bruce is not really a fishy person….and as long as the fish is fish if you get my meaning..I can usually cope….however my scottish irish ancestry came out when I desperately looked around my large plate for the pomme de terre
the only sign of a potatoe was a small shrivelled up chip….which certainly presented bruce with the ultimate challenge of how to cut it into minute pieces to make it spin out. And I almost forgot to mention I had to swallow quickly the entree of goose liver which is certainly an aquired taste….
However this morning is bright hot clear blue day in the south of france….& to the west on the far distant horizon I can see my beloved Pyrenees……..sadly not to be visited on this trip.
Historically, cape d’Adge originally was nothing but a low lying swampy mosquito infested area…which more than 30 years ago was seized by developers who created the huge resort town it is today…it having also gained some notoriety from the parallel development of one of Europe’s biggest naturists resorts.
However I can safely report that neither le petit hotel nz operators are of that following….anyway the temperatures back in Christchurch as just a little on the chilly side for such experiments!
