Storage time

Our caravan is showing its age.  The harsh sunshine, plus wind and rain, certainly takes its toll on caravans down in the Cote d'Azur.   But this year we noticed that there were many caravans with breathable covers over them.  What a good idea.  And if it extends the life of the caravan, then it is well worth the initial cost.

But first, the very dirty roof had to be washed.  I volunteered, but quickly realised once on the roof it was not going to be an easy task.   The photograph was taken before I started, when I was still clean and dry.  No wonder I was smiling.

I scrubbed and scrubbed, and mopped up the dirty water as I went along so that I did not get water on the annex.  Walter kept me supplied with buckets of clean water.  Before long I was covered in very dirty water.  And worse still I had to sit in the dirty water because it was impossible to keep working on my knees.  The job took three and a half hours.  I was sodden, but the roof was sparkling clean.   A definite gold star for me.

The next job, remove the aerial and two chimneys, as they would eventually tear holes in the cover.  Walter completed the necessary unhooking of flues and aerial wires below, while I pulled the chimmneys and aerial off the roof.  Joint effort there.  Of course the heater cannot be used now, just a warning to family members who use the caravan.  Not that we have used the heater anyway.  The other chimney was for the exhaust fan for the stove, which was fairly useless and will not be missed.

Then Walter went up onto the roof, with his basket of flashing tape, and adhesive.  Plus a foam ball and two metal soap holders, and for what purpose you may wonder.  Clever innovations. Problem solving.  Hope they work. 

A slight diversion with the photograph below.  Photos out of order.  A view of the camping ground, across a sparkling clean roof.

But back to our innovations.  First the foam ball was put on the protrubing pipe, where the aerial was fastened.  The foam ball is now held down with flashing tape.  Nice and soft under the cover.

The holes that were left after the chimneys were removed, are now covered with metal soap holders, well glued down and with flashing tape underneath.    All that is needed is a bar of soap, for decoration.  The soap holders do not have small drainage holes in them, by the way.  We checked that one out first.

The caravan, nearly packed up.  And yes Margaret Kazmierczak, the caravan is a bit like Mary Poppins' bag, when you open it up, everything comes out; an annex, ground cover, two fridges, five chairs, four tables, a camp larder, a plastic drawer unit, plus all the electrical gear for cooking, and not forgetting the coffee machine and foamer of course.  

And now it was time to open the box, which held the new caravan cover.  It had never been released due to the concern that once unleashed we would not be able to get the cover back in again.  But in actual fact we discovered that the cover comes with a bag.  Very useful.  The covers are not small.  But the box has been useful, as a stand for putting all and sundry on.

Now you may wonder about the silver balls on top of a broom and a stick.  Batons for a drum major?  No, they are designed to lift the cover onto the roof of the caravan, without ripping it.  We bought three small sponge balls, one for the pipe on the roof, and one for each stick.  The sponge balls came in packs of three, very convenient.  We covered the balls with tape otherwise the sponge balls would have disappeared into the depths of the gigantic cover.

Another slight diversion.  There was an ants nest under our annex matting, and by the time we lifted it up, they had made two small holes in it, and were busily collecting our baguette crumbs.   Amazing creatures.  And then in the early evening another colony of ants tried to invade and an almighty battle occurred, with the original settlers winning, in the end  Very interesting.

Once we locked the caravan, we began putting on the cover.  Luckily we had already practised by helping to put on Derek and Rose's caravan cover, so were quite confident of success.

 Walter, using the wooden baton, eased the cover over the protruding ball covered pipe.

 Altnough we still managed to get the cover on a bit crooked at first, it was actually quite an easy task and only took 20 minutes.  We were determined to work together co-operatively, and not have a disagreement.  It helped that it was early morning and cool.

The caravan, securely covered, all ready for winter storage.

Only one problem!  Walter left his nearly new covered sandels in the van.  And as it was an English cover on a French van, the zips were on the opposite side of the van, not on the door side.  At that point we decided against taking the cover off, so that he could retrieve his sandels, so now he has to travel home in his rubber flip flops.  He could have very cold feet once he gets closer to home.

A relaxing life

Tomorrow we leave, early in the morning.  Reluctantly, but home beckons, and time to catch up with family and friends.

But just a few photos from our site at Camping Manjastre,  as a reminder of life away from home, in a relaxed setting where the sun shines mostly and it is lovely and warm.  

All the comforts of home, note the coffee machine and milk frother, which I did not immerse in water this time.  I was very careful this year, and we are still enjoying our lattes every morning.  Good wifi too as can be seen from the white  tablet on the table.

Walter enjoying his early evening drink, in the shade of the many trees around our site.   Such a cool camping ground, set amongst the trees on the side of the hillside.

 You may not believe it, but we are both drinking non alcoholic beer. And it is quite delicious too and very refreshing.  The wine, for me, came later.

And not to forget the pool.  Always clear, sparkling, and cold, but so lovely to jump into on a hot day.  And great for an early morning swim, serious and with laps done, as a start to the day.  And such a beautiful setting, with tree clad hills on three sides.  

So we say our goodbyes, and look forward to next summer.

Gassin

On Wednesday we went to Gassin for lunch.  Well, the trip had a double purpose really as it allowed us to call into Geant, on the St Tropez roundabout, in order to pick up some bits and pieces for our caravan.  

It was a beautiful clear day, a trifle warm, when we set out to drive up over the ridge, on the very twisty road which leads to St Tropez.  This is not our most favourite journey.

Gassin is a small hill top village, with an array of restaurants.  A very pretty little place.

The day was very clear, and the view across to Port Grimaud was magnificant.  St Tropez is behind the hill on the right. 

• 
• We wandered around the narrow little streets, trying to find some shade.

It was very deserted in the village, being lunch time, or perhaps all the residents were out at work.

An old well, with a door for security. The pumping mechanism was at the side of the well.

This is not the most flattering photo of me, as I look grim.  Perhaps it was due to the size of the salad that I was about to eat.  Chevre Chaud or hot goats cheese salad, absolutely delicious but too much for me to eat it all.

The line of restaurants, full of character, and offering excellent food.  Beautiful trees too and lots of shade.

The view from the toilet window on the second floor.  A small room with a view, for sitting and contemplating the world.

We then visited Geant where we could not find what we were looking for, and became frustrated with the general atmosphere, and made a decision that we would not return.  We said that last time.  One never learns.

Then we nervously drove back behind a car, which mostly straddled the centre line of the narrow road.  An Italian car.  We cannot blame the French for this example of bad driving.

But it was lovely to visit Gassin, and eat our delicious food, in a pleasant shady environment, with very attentive staff.  A very worthwhile trip.

Monaco

Yesterday we visited Monaco, which we have been meaning to do for the past fourteen years.  One October we drove along the coast, but the traffic was so heavy we only got as far as Frejus, where we stopped and ate a very pleasant Sunday lunch.

This time we took the motorway, three hours there, with a half an hour stop for coffee, and two and a half hours back home.  An easy drive really.  

Luckily the badge now works in the tolls.  The problem turned out to be an unpaid account, due to the credit card expiry date having gone past its time.  So easily fixed when I went on line.  There was also an €11 fine, for causing problems. We were thankful on this trip because the queues were extremely long at each set of tolls.  Luckily we sped through in the express lane, saving quite a bit of time in the process. 

The drive down from the motorway, was long and very steep.   Not for whimps.  Bumper to bumper traffic too.

We managed to eventually find the entrance to the Monte Carlo carpark, after we had driven around the Monti Carlo Casino, trying very hard not to run over any tourists or smash into an expensive car.

The carpark, like the rest of Monaco, was immaculate.   Shiny floors, no oil stains and with an entrance that would rival any expensive hotel.

In Monaco there were no piles of dog poo, unpainted buildings or urine smells.   Makes a welcome change.

Once out of the carpark we were greeted by the site of the Monti Carlo Casino, built in the late 19th Century, which together with an excellent train connection from Paris, changed the small municipality into a  famous gambling venue.

Although we were hungry from our long drive, we were not tempted to eat lunch at this restaurant beside the casino.

The Hotel de Paris with a silver sports car parked outside.  It was difficult to get a photo of it, due to the number of people posing beside it.

The Opera House, a very ornate building.

Two cruise ships, too large to come into the harbour.  One was the Elizabeth II, and the other a Disney cruise ship.  We wondered if they showed non stop Disney moves on board the Disney ship.

We decided to try and find a reasonably priced restaurant along the foreshore.  But first we needed to go down in one of the many lifts in Monaco.  No need to climb up hills in this country.  We then walked along a very clean and shiny passageway.

A stop for a brief look at the harbour.

We found a restaurant, reasonably priced, and sat downstairs in a cool dining room. No view, but at that point we were looking for some peace and quiet.  Monaco, in August, is bursting its seams with tourists.   We chose the menu of the day, fish for Walter, and thinly sliced raw beef for me.  Both options were delicious although I could have done without the bowl of chips with my dish, as the beef and salad were sufficient.  Service was a little offhand but then the staff were busy.

We continued on around the port, with another old sports car to admire, then up a short flight of steep steps to the level above the street.

And far below us, we could see a swimming area, and wide steps for sunbathing on.  Well that avoids having to deal with sand getting into everything.  But the water looked very deep.  A notice stated that was to be no swimming in stormy weather.

We walked around the walkway, high above the sea on one side and an underground coach park on the other side.  And looking down we saw a very small stoney beach below.

And then in front of our eyes, rising out from  the rocks, was a most impressive building, the Muzee Oceangraphic et Acquarium.  I am not sure of the original function of this building.

So up we went in another lift, for a few floors, and then up in an escalator for yet another two floors, until we came out in the square beside the museum.  We were now in the old part of Monaco.

And just along the street was the St Nicholas Cathedral,  a very grand church but also very simply designed too.

The inside of the Cathedral was again both imposing but simple in its design.  There were cusbions on the pews.  Obviously comfort is important for the citizens of Monaco.  Prince Ranier and Princess Grace's tombs were at tbe back of the church.

The court rooms, the Palais de Justice , was a small circular building.  I think the people in front were admiring the building rather than waiting for their court appearance.  A very small courthouse, for the number of people living here.

At last the square, Place du Palais, in front of the Palais Princier.   The photograph below was taken looking away from the palace.

The Palais Princier.  The current ruler is Prince Albert II.   Monaco is a principality under the form of a constitutional monarchy.  The monarch wields immense political power.   The House of Grimaldi have ruled Monaco since 1297.   Of course there is much more information about the history of Monaco, but too much for this blog.  Wikipedia is a good point of reference to find out more.

The views from the  square were spectacular as the old town is high up on the cliffs. There were buildings and buildings everywhere, plus harbours and yachts and other large boats of every description.

Monaco is the second smallest and the most densely populated country in the world. The smallest country is Vatican City.

More buildings, and the motorway from Aix en Provence to Genoa runs along the edge of the hills at the back of this photograph.  High up.  And hundreds of tunnels.  We had to pass through 9 tunnels to get to Monaco.

We walked along the small and narrow streets of the old town, which was very peaceful too.

Then we caught a bus  back to the Monte Carlo Casino, and more importantly, our car park.   Monaco is riddled with underground carparks, in order to cater for the thousands and thousands of tourists who drive into the city each day.

We drove around the casino again, just for good luck.  But really it was due to missing the sign which said Nice, via the motorway.  We then drove back up the steep, winding road, where I practised my hill starts, until we reached the motorway and headed home for a light tea.  A truly lovely and interesting day.

A public holiday and two celebrations

The 15th August is a public holiday in France, and as it is a predominately Catholic country, it marks the Assumption of Mary into Heaven,  a major Feast Day of the Catholic church.

But in the south of France it also marks another important day, an annual commemoration day for the liberation of the French from Nazi occupation.

Now we have been coming here for fourteen years, and it was only this year that I realised the fireworks in the evening  of the 15th August were to celebrate the liberation of France rather then to celebrate the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.  And the penny dropped, so as to say, when I visited the war museum at the top of Mt Faron.

I went up in the cable car, which I hated, with Aaron and Raphy, in order to see the museum.   It was very interesting, even though the explanations were in French, but we could understand enough to realise that an important event took place during a few weeks starting on the 15th August, 1944.  And that on the 15th August each year there was a large celebration of this event.

Raphy loved all the guns and machines by the way.  Typical boy, even though he comes from a very pacifist family.

Walter, who likes to read the French newspaper when he buys the baguettes, informed me that as this year was the 70th anniversary, there would be even bigger commemorations.  Francois Hollande was to be present at a memorial service on Mt Faron, and there would be a large service in Le Lavandou, with a march through of soldiers, and in the afternoon an international fleet of warships would pass along the coast, destination either Marseille or Toulon.   Great exitement.

We went to watch the warships pass by, but they were so far away, it was not worth waiting around, especially as we were standing precariously on the breakwater rocks.

There were many people on the rocks, more patient than we were.  The sensible ones sat down.

So we spent the rest of the afternoon watching boules.  Those people who play lawn bowls need to note the dress for men, either a singlet or barechested seems to be the norm here.

There were even more people on the beach,

or walking along the street than normal.  All taking advantage of the public holiday, and as it was a Friday, a long weekend.

But back to the topic of the commemoration of the liberation of the south of France.   The combined forces, US, British, Canadian, Free French and Algerian, landed here on the 15th August, 1944.  It was called Operation Dragoon, and the main purpose was the freeing of the ports of Marseille and Toulon, which were crucial for supplying the growing allied forces in France.

The initial forces came in by parachute and by landing craft, along the coast from Toulon to St Raphael, and came into idyllic and lovely beaches and small fishing ports.   Beaches that we know so well, Cavalaire, St Tropez, St Raphael, Ramatuelle, Rayol.    Of course once on the beaches the troops had then to cross very rugged and inhospitable country, no doubt aided by the local Partisans, who were also involved in the liberation of the country.

Operation Dragoon tends to get overlooked by the rest of the world, due to the landings in Normandy on the 6th June, which is seen to be the main campaign.

But on the 15th August, people living in the south of France, the annual commemoration ceromonies take place in the coastal landing sites and also in the towns and villages where fighting took place.  The French military and Municipal officials lay wreaths in memory of the Allied Forces.  And in principal villages events and re-enactments take place to celebrate the day, and to keep memories of the day alive.

And celebrations were still taking place two days later, in Bormes les Mimosa, where the local collectors of old American vehicles, processed up the hill and parked in front of the town hall.  All very exciting.

The drivers and passengers were dressed in uniforms or the clothes of the 1940s.

This was one big brute of a vehicle.

And so at last I inderstand the double meaning of the 15th August here, in that it celebrates the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, but it also commemorates the liberation of the people from Nazi occupation.

I must also must give recognition to my sources of information, the Daily Mail Online (15th August, 2014), The Local (12th August, 2014), Wikipedia and the museum at Mt Faron.