Nos trois premiers mois

Today marks three months since we landed in France to begin our adventure. The time has gone so quickly, but we have had so many wonderful experiences and made great memories from our time so far.

To mark this date, I thought I would share with you some photos and stories that haven't made it into other blogs for various reasons...

In our first week here we discovered the game of Pétanque being played by men all around town. 

A version of boules, the game is played in dry dirt parks, with this one taking place just behind our house. 

We enjoyed walking past and watching the game, which stopped being played when the weather turned cold and wet.

Left-hand drive on the right side of the road took some getting used to, and still catches us out on occasion.

Going around round-abouts, changing gears with the right hand, and turning on the windscreen wipers instead of the lights all prove a challenge

 (for me anyway)!

I took a quick break from trying to give directions to take this pic of Marty cruising through the streets of Barcelona.

In my quest to try various forms of chocolate throughout Europe, I couldn't resist this amazing chocolate-covered fruit kabab!

It was delicious and warming as we wondered through Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London.

Of all the things at London Tower to get a photo of, I was excited by these old Beefeaters posing for pics with tourists.

They look thrilled, don't they?

Day one in Paris was spent at the Palace of Versailles, and needless to say I wore Marty out with all the walking! 

This was on the train on the way home. 

As I took this pic and had a little chuckle to myself, the French lady sitting next to me laughed too and said her husband can sleep anywhere as well!

This is Marty at work in our kitchenette making a jambon, fromage, tomate and épinard baguette (ham, cheese, tomato and spinach sandwich). 

This has become a staple lunch for Marty here, as he just can't go past the fresh bread we buy daily.

I couldn't believe that Marty managed to find a vending machine!

We were on an afternoon trip to Rennes-le-Château, not far from Limoux. The village is very small, and perched on top of a hill surrounded by mountains and rolling landscape.

Somehow there was a working vending machine tucked around the corner of a building, and Marty found it.

Continuing my quest...this was the most amazing chocolat chaud I have ever had. It was literally like drinking melted chocolate; so thick and delicious.

I found this at the Christmas markets in Toulouse, and have been searching for it, unsuccessfully, ever since.

The first day we saw ice on our car...happened to be a training day for Marty. 

I admit that I felt guilty going back inside our warm house after taking this pic, as Marty went off - covered from head to toe - to training. 

I can only imagine what he is thinking at this moment...

I have been trying to get a pic of Marty in his 'noir et rouge' playing gear for some time, with no luck...

It took a cold and rainy day with a wet and muddy field to get a pic of Marty, with his teammate Phil, in their playing gear.

Unfortunately, they send the whole kit (minus the jersey) home with the players to be washed...so I earned my keep that week too.

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!