Lagny Markets

Sunday 20th July: We said 'Au Revoir' to our B&B at Gouvernes and 'Merci Beaucoup' to our wonderful hosts, Daniel and Monique. We explored the busy street markets on the Rue Des Marchés, which proved to be fruitful for a couple of french last minute items. We sat down for baguettes and drinks at a corner café 'La Loco' with good service for our large group of 7 personnes!

Le Verre Luisant

Saturday 19th July: Recommend this café and bar in Paris, which is on the little Rue de la Verrerie. Two large wheat beers can be seen on the table, which were quite good! The waiter spoke some English, which was handy as our French comprehension was rapidly declining, we seem to get what we wanted in the end, good service here with some French humour, a good ending to a fantastic day!

Canterbury Weavers

Wednesday 16th July: We had Dinner at the Weaver's restaurant shown here. It is next to the River Stour, which was used to duck and try to drown suspected witches in mediaeval times. The river is very clean, although in times gone by it was quite dirty. This building was built in the 1500s and was a safe house for fleeing weavers from the continent. We were lucky to find a great B&B right in town, within the walls in the cobbled areas, literally 100m from this location. We had a room on the top floor with a view of the West Tower Gate. We'll come back here again one day for a longer stay!

Big Ben

Monday 14th July: A much cheaper London activity is to simply walk past all the icons of the city. Lunch at the recommended Café in the crypt at St-Martin-in-the-Fields, followed by a leisurely walk from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace, via the Houses of Parliament, was a pleasant way to discover London for ourseleves, and introduce it to our children. We could also audibly keep track of the time with the Big Ben Westminster chimes every 15 minutes. We also experienced the London wildlife in St James' Park, with very tame squirrels, as well as various waterbird species around the ponds.

Venisian Tea Rooms

Saturday 12th July: We had another trip to the Cotswolds shared with our good friends, and lunch upstairs at this typical English tea room, Riverside Café, with a perfect view of Bourton-on-the-water and the crystal clear river Windrush. Very tranquil strolling around what is called the 'Venice of the Cotswolds', and browsing in the many interesting and varied golden shops. The china and sweetshops tempted us in particular.

Castell Conwy

Tuesday 8th July: We enjoyed exploring the castle and the mediaeval walled town at Conwy. The wall almost completely surrounds the town and you can walk on top of most of it for no cost as well. The castle is amazingly good condition for something over 700 years old. This picture was taken at about 5pm, we ate fish and chips on the quay below later on. The views are fantastic from the very top of the towers, but you do need a good head for heights!

Great Orme Tram

Tuesday 8th July: This is a section of the panoramic view we experienced from the cable drawn tram as it climbed to the top of the Great Orme (Pen-y-Gogarth) next to Llandudno town. Its very steep! The oldest attractions seem to last forever, its certainly very popular despite being there since 1902. This is an immense limestone headland rising to 200m above sea level, with remarkable views as far as Snowdonia, well, the clouds allowed us to see Conwy and Anglesey today, anyway. It was windy on top, but pleasant to walk partly back down amongst the grassy heathland. We had a nice tea and lunch on top at the café, taking in the views!

Tate Modern

Thursday 3rd July: Directly across the Thames from St Pauls is an old power station now houses the Tate Modern Art Gallery. To get there is a very pleasant walk across the Millenium Bridge, with views back to the rising cathedral, up and down the Thames and the imposing art gallery building ahead of us! Its a huge gallery with contemporary and art from this century, some is fairly challenging, but compelling to see. We were lucky to miss a torrential downpour as we were seated in the café behind the glass-protected views of the Thames.

Chartres

Friday 27th June: This was the view from our restaurant at Chartres. Its about 9pm at night, and we've just started eating dinner. This was a traditional place, with provincial menu and no english speaking waiters. However, we managed to translate and communicate our choices to get something delicious without too many suprises! It was a warm evening, perfect for outdoor eating!

Chambord Chateau

Friday 27th June: Chambord Chateau is huge! This was once one of the most important chateaux in France. The woodland around the palace is expansive and a very beautiful setting. Today was a hot summer day, very enjoyable for strolling around the balconies and seeing the royal rooms with art and tapestries on the huge walls. Not too much vertigo was felt from the balconies! We also heard a choir from America sing inside! A nice ice cream and tea afterward under the trees at the café with the view of the chateau was also wonderful.

Café Beaux Artes

Mercredi 25eme Juin: Nous avons bu du café et des milk-shakes dans ce café (Des Beaux Artes). La serveuse de café, elle est Française, elle a dit française, mais elle a parlé anglais parfait aussi, avec l'accent américain. Elle mére est Américain. Ce Café est sur la rue Quai Malaquais, en face de la Lourve, est côte de la quartier Saint Germain est la Seine. Nous avons mangé aussi des crêpes, elle etaient délicieux, est elle sont traditionelle à Paris et en France.

Tea On Ile-de-St-Louis

Tuesday 24th June: A pleasant stroll along the Ile-de-St-Louis, on the way to the Notré Dame, where we stopped for Ice Cream, and then some cool drinks at this very nice café right next to the Pont St Louis on the banks of the Seine.