Adventure in Normandie

It was a cool and windy day with pockets of sunshine in Porto. We took the metro across the Luis I bridge and then down to the river level via the cable car.

We went for another port tasting at Ramos Pinto. Most port houses are owned by the British as there was a deal done a few hundred years back to raise some money for Portugal and they sold them off.

We went into the amazingly decorated St Francis church which is UNESCO world heritage listed. There was a lot of gold.

We went on a lovely food and wine walking tour of Porto with a knowledgeable and interesting guide. Porto, and Portugal more widely, has had a really strong mark on history. From explorers discovering the world, trade that brought products all around the world, influences on language and food the Portuguese have had a mark on the world.

Traditionally you add cinnamon to your pastel de nata which I quite liked.

The covered market was amazing and very busy on Saturday. There was fruit and veg but also lovely charcuterie, cheeses, olive oils and more. We tasted some delicious goats, cow and sheep cheese along with a wine called Green Wine which is slightly fizzy. It’s not coloured green but called that as it’s an early picked variety.

The bifana was delicious, the meat is slow cooked in a special sauce which is a little spicy. Apparently, the Portuguese actually influenced the creation of curry from their time establishing Goa in India and invented the vindaloo!

We also tasted some cod fish fried in a batter and a yummy chicken and game bird sausage, with watery rice.

Apparently JK Rowling lived in Porto and was influenced by things she saw in Porto and put them in her books. This fountain looks like the Gryfindor creatures. University students in Porto wear black capes! We even saw some. She also used the little house in the photo below.

The reason behind the tiny house between the churches was to separate them to avoid some law, the story is a little vague. We also walked past a famous bookstore that looks very Harry Potter-esque and inspired JK Rowling. The line was long though so we didn’t get in.

A little flight down to Portugal is giving us an experience of Porto. We had an easy ride in on the metro, especially after some nice young woman gave us two spare metro tickets at the airport! A warm sunny afternoon greeted us as we strolled around.

There are a few hills, so it’s very up and down walking around. It just means we can eat more pastel de nata ( or other pastries)! All the prices seem pretty reasonable.

We poked our head into a few shops to discover some mid season sales! This display was demonstrating the excellent quality of the waterproof material!

The weather continued to be lovely today. We went for a lovely walk amongst the apple orchards and did a bit more gardening. We tried to order some construction wood for the next project but were defeated by poor logistics at the hardware company.

We got a bit creative about creating a fire pit in the garden with some old pavers. Can’t wait to test it out!

After all the work we deserved a treat. 😁

It’s fun to see all the robot lawmowers around. I wouldn’t mind getting one but not sure if it would cope with all the mole hills.

Listening to the news today and it seems like France is expecting a reduction in petrol prices soon with the news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. Although people are complaining that the price went up quickly but is coming down slowly. The war is all over the the news and they are also worried about stagflation and a possible recession. Another common theme with Australia are daily stories about the rise of AI.

When it’s growing season in France things really grow fast. Starting with the grass! We have a public access path alongside the house that leads to the river and the council don’t quite get around to cutting regularly. Which can make things a bit dicey on the ankles given that we also have moles and lumpy mounds of dirt from their mole hills. A holiday at the farmhouse usually starts with some whipper snipper activity.

We popped over to Duclair for the market (Tuesdays) and found some seasonal fruit and veg.

It was another beautiful, sunny day and we saw many beautiful blooms on our walk.

My new apple tree is just starting to grow!

But I might have been too harsh on the rosemary 🤔.

Feeling a little like Odysseus who had a long return journey, we arrived back in France via the scenic route. The war in Iran affected our trip so we had to change to a route via South Africa and London before arriving in Ambourville.

Flying over the Channel there was a period of clear sky and at one point I could see both the English coast behind us and the French coast ahead! Proving just how close the counties are to each other. It also made me think of my grandfather who must have flown similar routes in WWII as he went on bombing raids in his Lancaster. Although I am sure he was not as comfortable as I was in the plane. We flew directly over Dieppe and almost over the farmhouse!

It was a glorious spring day and we decided to make the most of it. Before arriving at the house we stopped off at a chateau.

We walked up the steep hill where the chateau stood on a very high limestone cliff.

Built in the record time of two years, the Chateau de Gaillard was built by Richard the Lionhart in 1198. He was both King of England and Duke of Normandy and had a bit of an on-and-off friendship with Phillip Auguste, King of France. The chateau or really, fort, has the most amazing view of the river Seine and far beyond.

Shortly after Richard died Philippe Auguste decided he really wanted to have the chateau and he set siege to it. Finally in 1204 he won the castle and then the duchy of Normandy became part of France.

One reason I was interested in this castle is because of the story of Marguerite and Blanche de Bourgogne who were imprisoned here in 1314. I read a history of the early kings of France given to me by my friend Estelle « Les rois maudits » ( The accursed kings) which tells their story. Accused of adultery they were imprisoned even though Marguerite became Queen of France by her marriage and she eventually died at Chateau Gaillard.

We finished the day with a little walk at La Bouille under lots of trees in blossom.

Or in another words, what I ate while in France! I do definitely love French food and so I have to make the most of it when visiting.

I was lucky to have a few days back in Normandie, and it felt like autumn had arrived already. It was drizzly and cool but a nice peaceful pace after the excitement of the last three weeks.

The grapes are ripening just as I have to leave. There is nothing like the taste of grapes fresh off the vine. Even with variable sunshine, they are delicious. Probably not worth a vintage though!

I got to go for a favourite walk along the river and the sun even popped out.

Trying to catch the house under blue skies to update the Airbnb photos.

I got my new front door camera up and running as an extra security measure.

The sunflowers raised their heads to say goodbye. See you next time Normandie ❤️

It has been a great experience to be a volunteer at the Paralympics and I feel very lucky to have been able to have had this opportunity. The volunteers have been the ‘face’ of the organisational side of the Games and the people in green.

I have met a great group of other volunteers who have overwhelmingly had the same attitude of supporting the games and enjoying themselves while doing so!

The official number of volunteers was 45,000! Most of the others are French with a few other nationalities, a Brit, a Finn, a Turk, and me! Many of the French people have come from all over France to take part and the common reason is to be part of the Games. Some were sponsored by their company but many were retired or students or just wanted to Bek involved. Everyone has been so welcoming and friendly and interested in being open and learning. It has been a truly heart warming experience ❤️

It really didn’t matter what everyone does in life, everyone just jumped in to get the job at hand done. We had a team organisation session each morning and worked out who was doing what and importantly, what time was lunch.

I have many new contacts now and while I may not see many of them again, it is a lovely thought to know there are like minded people in every corner of the world.

I do feel very privileged to have witnessed the Paralympics up close. The challenges these people have experienced to get to this level is amazing. They are achieving sporting feats that many of us able- bodied can only dream of. I really think that future Olympics need to find a way to include para sports in with the others. Anyone who has seen a game of wheelchair rugby or basketball can’t help but enjoy it!

I have seen many less able bodied people around Paris this fortnight and simply seeing people around normalises what is different.

I have discussed with friends, the need to make the metro more accessible. As Paris moves to being car free or at least limited (a noble aim), it’s important that public transport is accessible to the elderly, parents with young children and those less able to cope with the many stairs. Currently it is not very accessible at all.

We were given some lovely gifts to thank us for being volunteers and at every game in the stadiums we were given a round of applause. Several times members of the public wanted to take a photo with me!

See you in Brisbane?!

What better way to end the Paralympics than with host nation France winning the blind football gold medal at the Eiffel Tower stadium full of a home crowd!

I got to see most of the bronze medal game between Colombia and Brazil which was won by Brazil. I only got to see parts of the France game but that included the penalty shots and the end. It was a very exciting finish!

We had a lot of VIPs for the gold medal game, not surprisingly and that took a bit to manage. The match was a avery exciting finishing at 1-1.

The penalty shoot out was again exciting and the crowd went wild when France won!

The medal ceremony was wonderful for all the fans and I love to sing the Marseillaise, the French anthem.

We were very lucky after the game to see the French players come out and to get onto the pitch for some photos. We got some great photos but they haven’t all come through yet.

We said goodbye to our team of paid staff who were all very sad. They had all worked both the Olympics and Paralympics and worked very long hours so it will be hard for it to end. We always felt like they after our big commemorations. So much work goes into it, and then it’s all over and you feel a bit low for a while.

Someone had organised a volunteer after party for the last night, so we headed off to Cafe Oz at Châtelet which was packed full of volunteers!