Pictures of France

I'm feeling flat and fed up today. I don't really know why, but it's not helped by the fact that it's been pouring with rain all day. I thought I might cheer myself up by having a look at some of the pictures we took in France, which seems like months ago now... Then I remembered that I was going to share them with you; so here's a couple to tempt you to the Massif Central - away from all those hot, crowded beaches! In the one on the top left we were at the beginning of a walk to the top of a mountain called Puy du Sancy. In fact we cheated (Paul pleaded blisters) and took the cable car up... I felt like a fraud, even though we'd walked a good few miles in, and was most uncomfortable in such a small space with the obviously overweight, the frail and elderly and the unfit! We told ourselves it would be okay, because we'd be real hikers and walk down. There were stunning 360 degree views from the top (see the picture on the top right) - and flocks of acrobatic swifts swooping all around us. I was surprised to see them there; I hadn't realised they fly so high (well it felt like the top of the world!). Then I began to feel little stings, which grew and grew into needle-like jabs until I was slapping myself in a frenzied self-attack, desperate to get off the summit and out of the clouds of midges. Slowly it dawned on me that the swifts were there for the easy pickings!

The bottom photo was taken on another walk at the other end of the valley. I was speechless when I first saw the Alpine meadows - so many different flowers in one comparatively tiny place; I'd never seen anything like it before. It was just beautiful, so peaceful and unspoilt (unlike the other walk which was covered in ski lifts...). The photo was taken towards the beginning of the walk, but unfortunately the end of the walk wasn't so awe inspiring. We walked for miles to a lake, the Lac du Guery, which appeared to be more like a reservoir. Still, the beach was a pleasant enough place to rest for an hour before we made our way back to the campsite. The campsites in France that we found weren't that brilliant - many of them don't even seem to have grass, so maybe a bit more research will be needed before we go back again, which based on this experience we certainly will!


This final picture is for family and friends and was taken of Kim (who's upside down!) and his cousin Nathan. It was taken just before we left for the holiday. I do have a much better one, but I think it might be a bit inappropriate for the internet... Make of that what you will! (Nathan's mummy can probably guess why!)