When Autumn messaged me in February, floating the idea of coming to visit us in the middle of July, we did not think for a minute that we would still be homeless and living in an apart-hotel. But we were. So, unfortunately, her trip ended up with her also needing to get accommodation. She sorted herself an Air BnB which was actually, probably, better than where we were staying as SHE HAD A POOL!
Anyway, she was on a bit of a European tour and we were one wee leg of it, and it was awesome to see her. We hung out, wandered the streets of Pau, went out for dinner and talked nonsense. I can't believe it was a whole year since I saw her last.
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| Autumn's a Literacy Expert and she said William is a child genius. You heard it here first. |
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| Hangin' at Hédas |
The amazing thing about her trip was that it also coincided with the Tour de France actually coming through Pau. And by coming through, I don't just mean the cyclists sped through the town one afternoon; it was an actual Etape Finish and Start. To be honest, I had no real understanding or appreciation of Le Tour until this year and my God, this is an
event. Thousands of people lining the streets to cheer on the riders and a carnival atmosphere in town with promotional events and activities on in town to entertain all the Tour tourists. One of the things that really surprised me was the ability to get up so close to the athletes, especially after they'd finished the stage and were milling around their team buses. I'm already looking forward to next year.
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| On the Start Line. Think he needs to drop a couple of wheels first. |
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| At the 5km marker, the crowds gather in anticipation. |
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| Marcel Kettle, King of the Sprints. Nae wonder with pins like them. |
Pau seemed to be putting on a bit of a show this week. It was also Bastille Day, or le 14 Julliet as the French call it. Cue lots of parading around and showing off your tanks and military prowess. Not at the same level as Kim Jong Un. It gave us another chance to head into town and enjoy the summer, party atmosphere. (Again, I don't think it would be like that in North Korea.) He hooked up with Roxy and went for a few drinks in town after the parade finished. I even managed to squeeze William into his Ergo carrier and he snuggled in for a while to let us finish our gin and tonics! Winning.
With the move in date imminent, this weekend also involved a trip to IKEA. As NZ doesn't have IKEA, this was our first trip to any IKEA in nine years! I was excited, Iain was full of dread. We didn't know how William would go. Its an hour drive to the Biarritz store. The emotions were building as we got closer. It was a full day out, punctuated by lunch, shopping at the G-Star store (amazingly, IKEA Biarritz is part of a big shopping centre and not totally stand alone like the ones in Scotland), and dozing on the way home. And Iain and I didn't even fall out!
After a day stuck indoors at IKEA, we spent Sunday morning exploring the parks and grounds of the chateau. It was glorious! We also managed a very French lunch in the old town after we'd worked an appetite.
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| Communal book drops - all the rage in cultural France. |
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| "Cheers" |
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| Maintain eye contact at all times |
Cheers,
Lorna.
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