Just the two of us

We decided to spend Christmas in London. Being on the other side of the world meant that we would be spending our first Christmas as a married couple on our own, and would be without any family for Christmas for the first time in our lives. It was literally just the two of us in the big city.

We had been in London for four days already, and in those four days we had been run off our feet getting around the city to see the sights. Research told us that London was a very quiet place on Christmas Day, with no shops or attractions open and minimal options for dining.

We thought then that this would be a good opportunity to relax in our hotel and catch up on some much needed rest before we moved on to Paris. This proved to be a good move, as it stormed on Christmas Day.

Our morning saw us fill up on breakfast provided by the hotel, and open the Christmas gifts that we had received via post from our families in Australia. We had set up times to Skype with our families in Queensland, and were happy to hear that Christmas had been just as it should have been back home:

The Hatfield's had enjoyed a hot day in Rockhampton, had lunched with family and had more family over for dinner. They were in high spirits, with plenty of activity happening in the background, and every member of the extended family present dropped by the computer to say hello.

The Wilkings' had swam in the pool, had a surf or a walk on the beach, and enjoyed a relaxing day. They were still in relaxation mode in the air conditioning in the unit they were holidaying in on the Sunshine Coast, and were all smiles to be talking to us.

It was while talking to our families via Skype from the other side of the world that I felt the most homesick I had been for two months. All of sudden it didn't matter that we were in London; all I wanted was to be with our families, complaining about the heat, eating all the fresh and delicious food, going for a swim and just chilling out and enjoying good company.

Instead, we had a nap, followed by some very bad British television, a walk through the quiet streets to find some lunch and dinner, and more bad television. 

It was not the adventurous London Christmas that I was hoping for, but in a strange way it was still a special one, as I was with my husband, and it was just the two of us.

We hope you all had a special Christmas of your own, wherever you were and whoever you were with. Joyeux Noël!

London called...

One of the amazing things about living in the south of France is that there are so many cities that become holiday destinations, which are all just a short flight away. We picked London as the first stop on our two-week holiday, and the city in which we would spend our first Christmas together as a married couple - and the first away from any family.

With so much to see in the big city, we took in as much as we could, and certainly saw the things that were on our 'must-see' list. If I went into detail about them all, I would be writing - and you would be reading - for days. So instead, here is a snapshot of the highlights of our time in London. Enjoy!

Our first stop was the Christmas festivities at Hyde Park. Market stalls lined the path into the Winter Wonderland; a playground of rides, attractions, ice skating, and a German beer garden.

I thought the fence around the front of Buckingham Palace looked more palatial than the building itself, but the size and location of the historic grand Palace was impressive. We were lucky to see it at night with no one else around, and then returned for the Changing of the Guard...with every other tourist in London.

We took a tour of London in a topless double-decker red bus, from which we saw so many landmarks and learnt about the history of many areas of London. It was also on this tour that we went most of the way around the Monopoly board! 

The famous Tower of London was a must-see for us, and didn't disappoint. With tours through the Keep and the Fusilier Museum, and a viewing of the Crown Jewels, there was something to please everyone.

We boarded our pod on the London Eye around 4.30pm, but as it was the shortest day of the year and the sun had set, we saw the bright lights of London from the Eye. It was a pretty experience, albeit unusual for us to be in darkness by mid-afternoon!

The Westminster building was impressive, and one that we spent some time looking at, while the clock of Big Ben stood tall and proud alongside it.

I couldn't go to London without a visit to the Portobello Road Markets in the suburb of Notting Hill, made famous by the film of the same name. It was a pretty street, lined with market stalls selling antiques, and filled with umbrellas!

I could have marvelled at the beautiful old Churches of Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral for hours. 

Some great attractions in London are the National Gallery, Natural History Museum and the British Museum, all containing more history than we could fathom. Housed in such old and impressive buildings, the highlight for me was seeing my favourite Van Gogh, Sunflowers.

I managed to squeeze in a trip to the famous Harrods department store, which has an impressive collection ranging from scarves, to a deli, and even bullet-proof clothing! We also battled the crowds at the traditional Boxing Day sales on Oxford Street, however we didn't last too long...being a seasoned shopper in Brisbane was not nearly enough preparation for this experience!

We enjoyed some traditional British pub meals, and tried the 'famous' British fish and chips, which felt like a little taste of home...all I needed was the sand between my toes and sun beating down on my back.

Our trip to London was exciting and memorable, but was only the first half of our holiday. Next stop: Paris!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I LOVE this time of year.

I love the joy in the air. I love the time spent with family and friends. I love the giving and receiving of thoughtful gifts. I love how Christmas brings people together. I love the traditions that are unique to every family and every culture.

Europe is an amazing place to be at Christmas. From November all the way through until January, the towns come alive with lights and markets and Christmas festivities.

The big blue Christmas tree in Limoux
sparkles at night

The frozen fountain in the middle of the
ice skating rink in Carcassonne

Since November, Limoux has been slowly decorated in anticipation of Christmas. Lights have gone up on every light post in town, all over trees down the main street and in the town square, and a big, blue Christmas tree has been put up on the main round-about through town.

As if by tradition, all of these lights were turned on on December 1, and every night since they light up this little town with Christmas joy. The big blue tree, which happens to be just a short stroll from our front door, lights up and sparkles. Boxes wrapped as gifts have appeared under the tree just this week, and the street behind the tree welcomes people to town with an illuminated 'Bienvenue' sign.

Preparations for local festivities have begun in the town square, with an old traditional-style merry-go-round being installed in the centre, surrounded by brightly-lit trees and small wooden chalets that convert to gift stalls. 

Almost every tree along the side of the roads has had colourful ribbons tied on their branches, and a big illuminated '2013' sign hangs prominently on the way into town.

While Limoux's efforts at Christmas cheer are welcoming and charming, they are modest compared to the larger centres.

Carcassonne has installed an ice-skating rink in their town square, complete with a 'frozen fountain' and electric light display. The impressively-sized rink is surrounded by stalls selling mulled wine, hot chocolate, churros and crepes. A few streets over in another open area, a Ferris Wheel provides a backdrop to a carnival-style display, with stall vendors selling Christmas wares from little chalets.

Christmas markets in Toulouse

Christmas markets in Barcelona

Festive lights adorn the streets of
every town, including Barcelona

We also ventured up to Toulouse, and wandered around their markets, which were comprised of unique and often hand-made gifts, with everything from jewellery to beanies and scarves, kids toys, and home-made sweet treats. There were also a number of food and drink outlets serving the crowds of people with mulled wine, hot chocolate (which was pure liquid chocolate - I know, I tried it!), and potato cooked in a variety of ways (filled spud, mash, chips, etc).

Even in Barcelona at the end of November, we walked through the Christmas markets, which were filled with stalls selling small nativity scene characters and all kinds of Christmas tree decorations. Christmas lights hung across every street - big and small - as we walked through the old town.

From what we have seen and experienced here so far, Christmas is more than just a time for family in Europe; it is a real community event, where people of the town celebrate and enjoy each other's company in the most festive ways.

While we won't be sharing Christmas with our families this year, nor will our gift giving and receiving be anything significant, we will certainly experience and thoroughly enjoy the joy in the air, the way that Christmas brings people together, and the unique traditions of this culture.

Joyeux Noël!

Stopped at the border

We experienced a lot during our short adventure in Barcelona, but it was while leaving Spain that we had our most unique and memorable experience. We felt this story was worth sharing...

As we drove toward the final toll point in Spain just south of the French border, we noticed Spanish police officers standing on the side of the toll lane. They let the car in front of us through, so we weren't sure what they were doing.

As Marty paid the toll, I was watching the policeman, who was watching us intently. As we slowly pulled out of the toll, he motioned for us to stop, and starting speaking to us in Spanish. When Marty shook his head and responded with 'English', the policeman simply said 'passport'.

We handed over our passports and as Marty tried to explain that we live in France, the policeman seemed confused with our Australian passports, and told us to pull the car over to the side of the road, out of the toll lanes.

In very broken and almost non-existent English, we were asked for the papers for the car, however didn't have anything that we could produce to say who owned the car and why we were in possession of it. It took some negotiating on Marty's part to explain that he plays rugby in France, and the car belongs to the club. This didn't seem to make an impression, as the policeman motioned for us to get out of the car and stand aside.

So there we were, standing on the side of the motorway in Spain while two police officers went through our bags, through my handbag and even into the small zipped compartments; they went through the boot and spare tyre compartment, through the cab, and under the bonnet; they even shook the doors and tapped along the sides of the car, apparently listening for loose objects and solid areas.

When their search turned up nothing, Marty's explanation that we live in France because he plays rugby there, and that the car belonged to the club, seemed to finally make sense to them, and they let us go.

We got back into the car and drove for some time in silence while we were both contemplating what just happened, before we both laughed about how bizarre it was for us to have our car and belongings thoroughly searched, especially at an international border that we had only crossed once. We are sure that the Spanish police just wanted to give us a memorable send off, and they certainly did that! 

Road Trip to Barcelona

After four weeks of games on weekends, Marty had a bye, which meant that we could go site-seeing beyond a day trip. So, we packed our small travel bags, put them in the back of our little European car and took off down the motorway for Spain.

To me Barcelona has always been a city that I knew of and people talked about, but I couldn't have named any attractions or told you what it was known for, other than having a successful football team and hosting an Olympic Games in our lifetime (trust us to know the city's sporting achievements). But, when you're living in the south of France and Barcelona is only a three hour drive south, the city is all of a sudden a must-see.

We were only in Barcelona for a brief but memorable 48 hours, but this was sufficient time for us to learn a thing or two about this amazing city. Here are the top five things we discovered about Barcelona...

The beautiful beach on the Mediterranean

One: Barcelona is a city of contrasts

With a population of just over 1.6 million people, we expected Barcelona to be big. Driving toward the city was like following a maze of highways and overpasses, with suburbs sprawled as far as you could see up to the mountains. But as we came into the centre of the city, the buildings became more condensed and the roads narrowed.

The old city or Gothic Quarter, with early ties to Roman colonisation, sits just a few hundred metres from the buildings constructed as the Olympic Village for the 1992 Games. The journey between the two areas is like a look through time, as buildings of varying age and style were built up.

Then there is the contrast between the city and the stunning Mediterranean beach and harbour that border one side. With original and ancient buildings constructed about one hundred metres back from the water's edge all the way along, the area in between has been put to great use and effectively developed for the enjoyment of locals and tourists alike.

Marty crusing around Barcelona on bike

Two: The best way to see Barcelona is by bicycle

We had discussed taking a touristic bus tour, or hiring Vespas and cruising around the streets, but it didn't take us long to see that the best way to explore Barcelona would be by bicycle. There were ramps and pathways made for bikes going in both directions; there were bike hire shops in the most convenient locations; and everyone was doing it!

We stopped into a bike hire shop and signed up for a bike each for four hours. At a cost of 9Euro each, we thought this was a bargain! We were given a map, and off we went. I have to admit that I hadn't ridden a bike in about 10 years, so the crowded, cobblestone footpaths of Barcelona was a challenging place to get back on a bike!

But the experience was worth it. We were able to ride around any and every part of the city that we wanted. We cruised along the beachfront, along the harbour, through the narrow streets of the old town and on the specially constructed bike pathways in the middle of the major roads.

The Arc de Trimof in Barcelona

We rode up to and through the Arc de Triomf, past Las Ramblas, and through el Gotic. We saw buildings that were hundreds of years old, and buildings that were new and modern. Barcelona on bike was an amazing experience.

Three: Spanish food is better in Spain

In the multicultural country that is Australia, we have all tried some form of Spanish food: various types of tapas, paella, churros, sangria. But to eat and drink these delights in their country of origin is a great experience.

After wandering the small but busy alleyways off the main strip, we came across a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that looked like a great place to get our Spanish on. We ordered up on the tapas and sangria, and enjoyed the most amazing flavours of the croquettes, chorizo, and various cooking styles of potato.

A busy cafe along the footpath

The next night I was determined to try some traditional paella, and I wasn't disappointed. I love the concept of paella, traditionally being a servants' or workers' dish made with varying ingredients; each dish is as different as the cook preparing it. I enjoyed a great big pot of seafood paella, with my only regret being that my stomach wasn't big enough to eat it all! Yum.

Four: A weekend in Barcelona can be as cheap as chips!

While we have come to terms with the exchange rate, and the general cost of things in France, we were pleasantly surprised to find that, while still in Euro, things seemed to be cheaper in Barcelona. I, of course, took full advantage of this, buying up on new jeans and long sleeve tops, scoring two complete outfits for around 50Euro. Food was very well priced, and our accommodation - a modern room in a lovely hotel in a big old building - cost us around 100Euro for two nights.

The one cost that we didn't anticipate was the cost to use a toilet in a shopping centre. With no other 'free' options in sight, we each paid 50Euro cents to use the cleanest, freshest, loveliest public toilets we have ever seen. We didn't complain, and agreed it was money well spent!

And Five: everyone is happy in Barcelona, and why wouldn't they be?

The final thing that we both noticed almost immediately, and for the duration of our stay, was that everyone in Barcelona was so happy and friendly. And why wouldn't they be, with the beautiful city that they live in, amazing food and great outdoor lifestyle?

Everyone that we came in contact with was cheerful; a waitress at a cafe was interested that we were Australian; the man at the bike hire shop chatted to us about living in France; and a street vendor gave me a free (and amazingly delicious) muffin because I bought a pastry from her, and returned later for more!

We were blown away by the hospitality of the city and the people who live there, and were certainly made to feel welcome.

The view from our hotel window

Even though we left feeling like we had seen and experienced a lot, at just a three hour drive south, I will keep Barcelona in mind for another weekend trip away.

Limoux: 'notre maison loin de la maison'

Despite all the fun and excitement of the opportunities to travel around France and wider Europe, we are actually living in a very small yet proud town called Limoux. Tucked away in the south, this little town of 10,000 people is 'our home away from home'...

The view of the Aude river to the west of the town

The town of Limoux is in the Aude department, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France. The river Aude runs through the town, which was founded in the 8th century. There isn't a great tourist population here, as the attractions in the town itself are quite limited. Limoux is on a main road though, and is only a 20 minute drive from Carcassonne, and about an hour and a half north of the Pyrenees.

The town of Limoux is known in France for two things: Blanquette and Carnaval.

Blanquette de Limoux is a type of sparkling white wine made only in this area. The story is that the method of making sparkling white wine was actually invented in the Abbey of Saint Hilaire, which is just outside of Limoux, pre-dating the drink that made the region of Champagne famous. Blanquette is served everywhere in Limoux, and is the drink of choice prior to and after a meal, and at any other time of day for that matter. Limouxins are very proud of this drink, which was, fittingly, the first thing we were offered when we arrived in the town.

Carnaval de Limoux is something that we are yet to experience, but have been told (and perhaps warned) about. Carnaval is a three-month festival held from January to March every year, whereby locals, and anyone that wants to join in, dress up with masks that roughly resemble clowns, parade through the Town Square with local bands, and basically work their way through the bars around the Square. This festival occurs three times a day on every Saturday and Sunday throughout the Carnaval period. We aren't quite sure what to expect, but no doubt I will be writing about it in January!

This old Church is hidden
in streets full of apartments

While the town is known to party, it is actually a really pretty little town, where the people are so happy and life seems easy. We have walked pretty much around the entire town; we have found a Church hidden among residential buildings, and another old Church now used as a piano museum. The river is quite pretty; we have spent afternoons just sitting on the water's edge or on the bridge looking at the stunning landscape. The town is surrounded by mountains on one side and vineyards on the other. They say that people only come to Limoux to get to somewhere else, which I guess makes it the perfect place for us to live and explore the area!

Our little slice of French heaven

The house that we live in is more like a 'granny flat' on the property of a bigger house. Most average people in Limoux live in the apartment buildings in and around the town square, with the larger houses being more on the outskirts of the town. But for some reason there is a big house with a large garden one street back from the apartment buildings, about 200m walk from the middle of town, and on one side of their garden is a two-story building, which we are fortunate enough to live in. It seems to be quite new, and is nice and cosy.

Inside is very basic, but somehow it is just what you would imagine a little French house to be like. One wall is completely exposed rock and cement, while the other walls are very thick and solid as well. Downstairs consists of a living area with a heater at one end, and a small kitchenette at the other end, with a sink, stove top, microwave and a small bar fridge.

A set of open wooden stairs lead upstairs, which is all open-plan and has our bed, shower and toilet. The floor is wooden, and a heater keeps the whole area warm. We have our own washing machine and dryer in a little shed connected to the house, which makes us very self-sufficient here.

We are really enjoying living in this small town. We feel as though we are experiencing first-hand the true way of life of France, not just the tourist version. The people here have embraced us both as they are very supportive of the town's football team; they are as equally happy to have us here as we are to be here.

The old bridge crossing the Aude was built in the 11th century,
while the Church on the left, St Martin's, was built in 1263.

Cite de Carcassonne

You know those moments when you are stopped in your tracks, completely awestruck and just speechless? They don't seem to happen very often these days, but on our first adventure in France, Marty and I had one of those moments...

We had only been in the country for five days when I decided that it was time to get out and explore. Marty had played his first game of footy for the Grizzlies on the Sunday (in 4 degree weather) and had commiserated the loss with the team over night. But I wasn't going to let that spoil a beautiful day in the south of France.

The town of Carcassonne is about a 20 minute drive east from Limoux, and we had briefly been through the town's centre when we went to arrange Marty's visa on our second day here. We had heard about how impressive the castle in Carcassonne was; so big and magical, and worth a visit. So, our first tourist adventure would be to the Cite de Carcassonne.

I should point out that Carcassonne is divided into the old medieval Cite de Carcassonne, and the lower city, built outside the fortified walls and across the river, with a population of around 50,000. We were unaware of the difference when we set out on this adventure.

We drove to the town in the morning, and from the moment we parked the car we had our eyes open for the castle. We stood outside some walls that seemed to run between housing buildings and the car park and main road. At the end of the carpark we saw a big rock wall structure, and we got excited. As we approached, we both questioned what this was, as it didn't look very big. Yet, just in case it was the castle, we continued around the wall to find out.

As we rounded a corner that seemed to bring us into what must have been part of a walled city, we saw stairs that entered this great wall. We went in, walked around, and quickly realised this was no castle. It was instead a prayer garden, with statues telling the story of Christ's crucifixion. It was old, but in considerably good shape, and a nice, quiet place; but not the castle we were looking for.

The Church that we came
across in our search.

We left the garden and started to wander down a street, looking for the next sign of a castle. We walked through streets with closed shops, and through the town's square, but there wasn't a lot of action (I had read that some shops close their doors on Mondays as their day off, and we have quickly learnt that nothing happens in France on a Monday!).

We saw another impressive rock structure; one that looked like a tower among housing buildings. When we saw it we thought it looked much more like what we would have expected. As we approached though, Marty was again questioning what it was, as it didn't have the elements that castles of the day would have had. As we stood in front of this great big building, we came to the conclusion that it was a Church. It too was closed, but very impressive to stand in front of.

So, our search continued. We weren't disillusioned though, as we were walking the small, empty streets of the old town of Carcassonne, taking in the sites of the buildings all crowded in. We wandered along in one direction, assuming that we had covered one side of the town, so it had to be on the other. We noticed some French tourists who had a map, and just as we were about to get out our translation book and attempt to talk to them, they asked someone passing by about the 'Chateau', and the local pointed in the direction we were headed. We were on the right track.

As we wandered along a street out into an opening, we looked up and there across the river was the grand Cite de Carcassonne. This was our moment of complete awe; a moment that words cannot describe, but the feeling will be with us forever. There was no mistake about it; that was the castle we had come to see. 

Cite de Carcassonne

We stopped for a few minutes, just trying to comprehend what we were seeing; castles like that only exist in movies or photos in our world, but here is one right before us. Research told us that there is 2,500 years of history around this castle; fortified with double walls all the way around, and surrounded by 52 towers, this was an impressive structure. 

As we walked up toward it, I asked my personal battle historian (Marty) questions about the walls, and why this was the way it was, and why that was built like that. I learnt about the loop-holes in the walls and towers that were designed for archers, and that the towers were built round so that attackers had no corners to hide behind. I was so excited and impressed to see these things firsthand and try to comprehend how advanced the building of the structure was for so long ago.

Marty was equally impressed with what he was seeing. This is one of the most remarkably maintained medieval fortified cities in the world, and we were walking through it. We wandered through the external walls, across a bridge and through the internal city walls. As far as we could see either way there were walls and towers. 

The narrow streets were filled with shops
and tourists

We followed the crowds of people along the cobblestone roads up the slight hill into the city. Old buildings lined the narrow cobblestone paths, and what would have once been houses were now shops with every possible souvenir you could imagine; while it was obviously catering to the tourist market now, it certainly brought the streets to life with action, colour and noise.

There was so much to see; the pubs, cafes, boulangeries, an inviting shop that sold chocolate by the slab! There were people standing at the doors to their shops inviting us inside and offering samples. 

The entrance to the Keep

We continued along the roads, taking in the sights and sounds and just appreciating where we were. We came to another impressive wall that protected the keep on the inside. Going through the gates we were met with a ticket line to visit the keep, which promised to be intact, albeit renovated and restored for tourism purposes. We decided not to visit the inside of the keep this time, instead we stood along the top of the dry moat marveling at bridge over the moat and the tall towers the stood either side of the entrance.

There was still more to see as we left the inner circle walls of the keep. We came across the city's Church, which was again impressive for its size and architecture. 

It really was a stunning building, with so much character and standing so tall among the surrounding buildings.

The Church inside the
Cite de Carcassonne

As we wandered back through the town, I couldn't help but think of what life must have been like back in the day when this was a thriving and secure city. It was an enormous construction perched atop a hill next to the river Aude; a seemingly perfect location. It has seen so many wars and battles, and was spared destruction to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At night the lights that surround the city cast the most amazing perspective on the walls and towers and really seem to bring the history to life.

For our first tourist adventure in France, we were beyond impressed and the bar had been set high. Fortunately for us, the Cite de Carcassonne is just one of the many historical sites to visit in the south of France, and we have eight more months to explore.

Our photos don't do justice to how impressive the Cite de Carcassonne is. Here are some images that will give you an idea of the size of the structure. And for those interested, the Cite de Carcassonne was featured in the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (the Kevin Costner version), as the exterior to Nottingham Castle.