Into the Snow we Go

Hello All,
I can't remember when we last blogged so am just going to have to ramble on from where I can actually remember. It doesn't help that Dean constantly changes his mind about where we are going next!
After promising my mom's dear Aunt Tate Lou to revisit, we finally headed back to her home in Caromb.We stayed over 2 nights at her house but did sleep in the camper van. She was such a lovely hostess, and once again I had to keep the conversation going as all Dean could say was "Oui" - this said "we", which you will all know translates to "Yes". On the Saturday we visited her son and his wife and met members of their family. Once again, my French language skills were put to the test. No-one in the family speaks English.We were served a lovely meal. Although the boys do not completely enjoy the different foods served, they do enjoy the manner in which a French meal is served. There is ALWAYS a baguette on the table and salad is always served, whnether it be a green salad or various salads such as carrot, or cabbage or beetroot. Then comes the hot part of the meal, the comes the cheese platter, and then comes chocolate pudding with a whipped cream - but it tastes so much better than our cream. AND there is always wine and water at the table. Oh I also forget, before they serve the meal they have an Apperitif. There are no side plates so the French keep their piece of Baguette on the dining room table cloth - rather strange - we always put it on a side plate or our main plate. The boys have said that they would like our meals to be done in this way. Oh yeah right - I need to serve a 3 course meal each night!
On Saturday night we had supper with Tate Lou. She made a lovely soup and of course there were Baguettes on the table. My children promptly began to dunk their bread in the soup. The look on her face was priceless. They do NOT do that in France BUT the next morning, we discover that they do dunk their baguette or toast in their coffee which may I add is often drunk not from a cup but from a bowl.
I was very sad to leave my newly found family but look forward to returning to see them in the future.
Sunday bought a very exciting day ahead where I would visit the house that we are dealing with. I had made a time to visit the lady at 10am. We left Tate Lou a bit late and as a result only got there a bit before 11am to discover that she was not there. I was really irritated, especially since there was not even a note left for me. I left one for the tenant and told her where we were parked. Well 3 hrs later, there was a knock on our window - It wasn't that it had slipped her mind, she had completely forgotten I had even called her to make the appointment!Anyway off we headed to the house and I was given a tour. Oh my goodness! What a state the house is in! Let me give you a quick rundown - It is basically two houses (one with 3 levels and the other with 4 levels) but they are joined by a central cement spiral staircase which winds it's way all the way down. Both sides of the house have a front street entrance but only the house with 3 levels is accessible from behind. It is rather big but lots of work needs to be carried out. At the moment, the current tenant, is only using the house to store her belongings. Her belongings include every possible tool,nut,bolt on earth (belonging to her late husband) as well as some of the most beautiful old furniture that I have seen. To move everything out of the house will take a team of about 20 people about a month I'm sure!
After having taken lots of photographs, we headed back to Marseille.
Jean-Luc (my 5th cousin) had arranged a meeting with the new Notary who will be dealing with the house issue. The meeting was to be at 9am on Monday morning. This was a scary thought. When you enter Marseille it literally swallows you up. We had planned to stay at Gemenos which is about 25 minutes out of Marseille as we knew that there was an Aire to stay at there. Jean-Luc warned us that at the very LEAST we need to leave the Aire at 7am to get to him by 8pm to attend the meeting at 9am. My email to him said that it would be a miracle if we got there on time, and his response to me was "The Family Squire needs to make a miracle ". So we decide to rather find a place closer and we tried to park near the church where we had parked a few weeks before. However there was no place outside the church so that left us looking elsewhere. We eventually found a place very nearby in a Petrol Station. We weren't totally convinced that this was THE place to spend the night in Marseille but on opening our computer and the WIFI icon started flashing at us, we decided, well if we have internet here, then this is where we are staying.
On Monday morning, we woke up rather early, I got dressed, and armed with my file of documents that Jean-Luc had so kindly put together the last time I saw him. Dean dropped me off and he headed back to the same place he had parked the night before and was going to work.
We met with the new Notary that morning and now my brain is filled with so many thoughts regarding the house. So many things to now work through. Anyway it was so nice to chat to Jean-Luc again and to see Christine (even though it was just for a few minutes).
We left Jean-Luc at about midday and headed towards Sisteron (another change of plans!), we found an Aire next to a beautiful mountain. What a stunning little town. Dean said he would be quite happy to retire there. The next morning, we walked around for a bit, found some water (which let me tell you is getting harder to come by because the government switches everything off in Winter) and then decided it was time to move on.We moved on to a town called "Gap". Not much to see there, just a fairly large town that has a Carasol. All French towns have a carasol. We parked in an open sand paved parking lot which definitely had a sign that said "No Caravaning or Camping" - but we figured, we don't have a caravan and camping by "south African standards"is pitching a tent and we weren't doing neither. The parking lot was fairly quiet and it gave us an opportunity to run the generator. Oh and a bonus. ONCE AGAIN on opening up the laptop we discover there is an open network, so Dean could do some work.We left the morning after and made our way to Grenoble. It was our intention to stay there but on entering it just discoverd that it is simply another city full of hustle and bustle. We have grown to hate these towns and far prefer the quaint little villages that we pass through. I must say that the drive to Grenoble was absolutely breath-taking. Although it was up and down windy mountain roads, seeing the snow-capped mountains in the distance was awesome! AND scary. I'm cold now - how am I going to feel when we get to the mountains. Driving led us past frost covered trees and grass. We stopped at a petrol station and a guy who parked next to us had a thick layer of ice on the sides of his windscreen. - Gulp!
In order to get the kids out a bit as all they had seen was the inside of the camper van for a few days, we decided to find a park where they could play and I would make supper, we would then tuck them up in their beds and move on.
Finding a park was not too difficult but we were even happier to find water in the park. The kids played a bit, they came in and showered, we ate and we then headed on through the mountains to Chambery.
We battled to find a place to stay in Chambery and drove for quite a while. Eventually just parking in the first available place we could find that was out the centre of the city. This morning when I woke up, I must have lain in bed for about an hour willing my body to get up, but I was just too cold. Although the entire time I lay there I kept on thinking, any minute now BOJ No. 3 (Bundle of Joy) No. 3 - this being Jetan, is going to wake up and say "Make me some tea"- He says this every morning!!! and I dread it! I was so greatful to Jesse this morning when I heard his voice come up and say that he would do it. My first response was - forget the tea - put the heater on - please!!!
We had every intention of walking around Chambery today but I needed to get some washing done. So after spending about 2 hrs parked outside a hotel that had an Orange Signal that we could connect to (unfortunately it's one we pay for), we then searched for the laundromat that we had driven past the night before. We located that quite easily.
While the washing was being done, Jesse decides that we need to walk to the Boulangerie (this is the bakery) to get some more baguettes. I say to him, okay I'll come with you. Well it was 10 minutes of walking and I was absolutely miserable. I only had a thin T-Shirt and my one jacket on and Jeans. I could feel my lips going blue! Needless to say, I refused to do any more walking today.
This afternoon we decided to find more gas because we are running out and all we need is to run out of gas! No gas, means no cooking, no showering and NO HEAT! We found some and we are now driving towards a place called Ugine. This is not meant to be a destination for us but Dean changed his mind today and decided that driving to Annecy which is where we were supposed to go for tomorrow is simply a waste of driving. So now we all sit in the car and head into the unknown. This unknown does not appear to have an Orange wifi hotspot so we may only be able to connect on Monday morning when we finally do get to Annecy.
If you see this blog before Monday, then you know we got lucky and found wifi.
During this weekend, we are braving the very cold weather and going to Charmonix-Mont-Blanc. This is where the snow is. On one hand I want to play in snow but on the other hand I don't think I want to be any more colder than I have been in the last 2 days.
Well watch this space, you'll soon know.
xxx M

News from the Med.

ello everyone. Dean here.! Well, I cant remember where I left off with blogging, so this is going to be a bit of a ramble about stuff that you wont neccessarily find the most interesting I'm sure, but hey....tough...ha ha. Here I sit, next to a brilliant fire, in a brilliant fireplace, in a brilliant "summer home" , owned by M's relatives in France....lovely people who seem to have it all together..own business, a few houses, one in the centre of Marseille, where you walk out the building and you're in the middle of wild pedestrians, cars, buses, etc etc... We arent in Marseille now though...we're 3hours out of Marseille, near St Tropez.
Marseille was a real bonus to our overseas trip. I didnt expect it to be, but we were given a car to loan for a few days, so I had some fun driving in French traffic, something you would think would be a nightmare (was for M) but for me, it was fun fun fun! The car we loaned was a really old Renault, but it had some fire under the bonnet and I found I could hit the petrol and speed off down the road, just like a real french driver. In france you cant be a timid driver, or you will cause a traffic jam. If there is a gap in the traffic, you just have to floor the pedal and claim your spot. Really EXHILLARATING! I LOVED IT! I figured the car I had been loaned had dents and scratches, and every other car in Marseille is dented and scratched too ( this is a fact...it is so funny to see). I just figured I was in a big dodgems track :)

The end of our holiday is nearing. About 6 weeks left. It leaves a bit of a bad taste in our mouths, because after 120days on the road, we have gotten used to being in strange towns, sleeping in strange parking lots:) We've gotten used to not knowing what tomorrow will bring, or where we will spend it. We've gotten used to living in a small confined space, 5 individuals, all sharing the same physical few square metres. It's been fun,tiring,inspiring,life-changing,and really cool. 10 years ago we did a similar trip, but that holiday was only 6 weeks in total, so having 6 weeks left of this holiday is not too bad I guess. M and I will be sitting down tonight deciding on whether we should go from St Tropez, to Nice, up through Italy to Lugano in Switzerland, use the Swiss motorways to get back to Annecy in France, make a trip back down to Carpentras to see Tate Lou ( a dear old relative of Marielle's mom, whom we promised we would revisit before leaving France), and then heading up the west coat of France to Calais, Dover, and the UK. Alternatively we might skip Italy, and just make a B-line for the UK, where we have better Internet. I think I feel like doing the Italy trip through Switzerland though...:))) We managed to use swissCom for hotspot Internet connections in Switzerland, and Lugano is an Italian town, but actually Swiss. Secretly we are hoping to hit some serious snow. It is nearing December, and snow should be falling:) Temperatures are falling, even down on the Mediterannean, so making a trip through Italy/Switzerland, and Charmonix/Annecy (the biggest snow centre in France) , is really a little risky, but hey.....you only live once:)

We have been undecided about what to do with our small motorhome once the holiday is over. Option1 = sell it. Option2 = keep it. Option 1 is good if we arent coming back to Europe. Option2 is good if we are, except that the van needs a new toilet fitted. At the moment we have kind of decided on Option2...and planning to come back to Europe in June/July/Aug next year. If any of you want to rent the van before or after those months, it will be sitting in Amsterdam waiting to be picked up from the dealer, who can easily arrange the insurance for you. We can give you all the info you need on where to stay, how to get Internet etc etc. We've learned such a lot. Time to write that book :)

Each country we have visited have been completely different in the way people live. For the past few months I havent actually had a decent conversation with anyone besides Bonjour, Oui, Non, and Gracious! When I walk in after putting in diesel in the van, I approach the cashier with a blank look on my face, and say "Bonjour!" I hand them my credit card and point to the Camper and utter a french number (each pump is numbered). Bugger, I thought to myself once....what is SIXTEEN in french? I had visions of my french teacher back in SA, a disgusted look on his face. Anyway...I point the cashier to the camper, and they utter something in French, take my card, and utter some more french at me...to which I smile and wave my hand , indicating that "Yes I know my SA card needs to me to sign in pen whereas normal people dont need to"...and I wait for them to find a pen, just for me... I sign the slip and smile again, saying Avoir!..while walking out. This has been the extent of my communications with French locals thus far. I did try and be fearless, and walk up to a pancake vendor, but chickened out when I couldnt find a way to say..."please put icecream on the pancake please". There was a crowd, and I wasnt going to stick my head out :) Buying Baquettes is a lot easier...I walked into a shop and pointed at a basket of breadstuffs. The guy looked at me and pointed at the small oval breads. I spread my arms wide and made a funny gesture, and got handed a wierd roll. I bought it. Wasnt a baguette. Havent a clue what it actually is called :)
I made up a cool song which we now sing wholeheartedly when we feel like it. It goes like this..."Put your baquette in a packette...clap you hands..... put your baquette in a packet , clap your hands......put your baqueete in a packet, and dont forget to stack it....put your baqueet in a packet clap your HANDS!!!!!!!!!

OK, I have now lost the plot of this blog. officially. How to end off...hmmmm..... I guess I should describe my daily chore of finding an Internet connection with which to download all my business mails and send off new responses. In the small french village we are in right now (30mins from St Tropez) I finally found a hotel, situated along a small french coastal road, behind some potholes, and ferns. I let the car idle till the nose reaches the hotel entrance, and switch off, while rolling the van slowly forward, undetected...nearer and nearer the wireless "zone". Aha!, the laptop shows it has found the little wireless signal, to which our lives hand by a thread these days... I quickly enter the login codes and cònnect, and download the hundreds of mails we get, from Viagra salesmen, to Italian watch manufacturers, to a few normal mails sent to us by our SA clients, asking for silly things like why they are receiving Viagra emails. I peer wide-eyed at the hotel, expecting some burly french doorman to walk out at any minute and ask me to move the huge lump of camper from their beautifully landscaped gateway. I quickly tap responses to some mails, and send them off, and disconnect from the network, start the van, and idle off down the hill.....a sigh of relief....all is well with the world. I smile, thinking how wonderful email is...how you wouldnt know if I wrote this blog sitting on the toilet, or parked next to a french beach. Wireless internet is definately the way to go if you want to live and work on the move. Did I mention that M already has a list of things for me to fix on the house when back in SA. TYPICAL WOMAN!

NEWS UPDATE - 18th November.
Instead of travelling towards Nice and Italy, we reversed our steps and travelled back towards Toulon and after some searching, have found a fantastic little beach haven Marina town with a strange name of "Six-Fours Les Plages". AND we have free camper parking behind the tourist office AND free internet parked 20m from a circle outside a French block of flats. This is where we are currently sitting at 9:10pm at night after making a quick dash here when we realised that Marielle had forgotten to follow up on a client query. Such is business on the road!
Tomorrow we hope the weather is good and hope to spend a few days walking around this idealic location.
Toulon - Nimes - Avignon - Carpentras - Grenoble - Chambery - Annecy - Charmonix-Mont-Blanc - Lugano (Switzerland) - Lake Como (Italy) - Basel (North Switzerland) - Stassbourg - Luxembourg ?????? THAT'S OUR NEW PLAN.
:) Dean.


MARIELLE'S UPDATE - 18th November.
I miss my hot bath already!!!!! I want to go back Jean-Luc and Christine's holiday home in La Croix Valmer !!!Dean is just popped outside the van to blow cold smoke rings for Tanner. It's kinda chilly here!

The Devil lives in Zurich

After leaving the beautiful, peaceful, free internet zone in Luzerne, we
headed towars Zurich at about 11am today with a one hour drive ahead of us.
Here I sit at 6:30pm with utter hatred for this city! We arrived in Zurich
and put in the GPS a Train Station looking for an internet hotspot. We
were told by Swisscom there are LOTS of these in Zurich!The GPS took us to a platform in a Zurich suburb with not even a railway
office on which to fasten a wireless hotspot beacon! So after re-
programming our beloved GPS we headed into the belly of the beast - the
C.B.D. of Zurich in search of a wifi zone. We found one quite easily BUT
no parking as far as the eye can see. Soooo your's truly jumps out the
van, walks down the street holding the laptop in the air trying to get a
signal. I am happy to report that I was successful but only when standing
at the very street corner looking like a cyber hooker!
We then programmed the GPS to find the nearest Tourist Office. You have to
picture the roads in Zurich. They are mostly all one-way, with no lane
markings and tram lines EVERYWHERE! We even ended up on a dual tram
carriageway where cars are disallowed and the people in the back seat of
the tram in front of us all waving madly and pointing us to a small road
where we could escape.
I had mentioned in my previous blog that people in Luzerne looked at us as
if they had never seen a camper van WELL Zurich is not any better and they
openely stare rudely making us mutter obscenities under our breath at these
people.
Finally, at 4:45pm we found the Tourist Info. Let me interrupt right now
and say.... that Jane (our GPS voiceover) says it was 7 minutes to your
destination!!! Dean stopped the van, on a slight widening of a main road
but where we thought it would be okay. I ran into the Tourist Info, stood
in a line, came face to face with a not very motivated lady. She circles
two areas on the map that have free Wifi. Yay I think, although already
knowing what lay ahead in trying to find this wifi hotspot.
I ran out to the van, expecting to see Dean but no Dean in sight. My first
thought was, "how long is it going to be before he gets back to me". I
could do nothing but wait. In my haste to leave the van, I had not put on
a very warm jacket so needless to say I was quite cold!
Thank goodness Dean wasn't too long in coming around. Now here is an
insert from Dean:
M had gone into the Tourist info centre leaving me parked on a busy Swiss
main road. Across from where we were parked, I noticed a McDonalds and
previous experience in Luzerne had shown me the name of the mcDonalds
wireless Network which I found by carefully balancing the laptop in the
passenger seat trying not to make things too obvious as where the van was
parked wasn't the best. I had a flicker on making it look as though I was
ready to pull out into the traffic at a moments notice. I managed to get
to the McDonalds login page which is a simple matter of clicking a button
and having 30 minutes of internet access, just enough for me to download
mail while waiting for Marielle. I clicked the login button the page and
my browser flashed to an error message, meaning I had lost the signal to
their hotspot. The only thing to do was balance the laptop on one hand
while trying to hit the backbutton with the other and pointing it in the
direction over the busy road while screaming at the kids to sit down and
stop rocking the van suspension at such a precarious moment. Something our
3 year old has not yet fully learned to understand.
It was a this crucial balancing act moment, where I felt 2 pairs of eyes
boring into the right hand side of my South African face and with extreme
concentration on my face, I lifted my chin to look outside Marielle's
passenger door window to find the bewildered and astonished facial
expressions of 2 Swiss Policemen peering across the cement barrierinto the
van. Knowing there was hardly any explanation for the balancing act, I
gently placed the laptop on M's seat, waived at them, and sped off -
thinking I wonder if I will ever see my wife again. At least I had Jane's
beautiful voices to listen to as she gently guided me back through the
Swiss traffic. Back to M now...
I was so relieved to see Dean when he came round the corner but he had the
pedestrians very confused. He saw me so promptly slowed down although the
robot was still green for him. The people waiting to cross the pedestrian
crossing were wondering what on earth he was doing.
We then started looking for the two wifi hotspots that the not-so-happy
tourist lady had circled on our map. To cut a very long story short, we
never found them so eventually after hours of driving headed for the same
one we had found before where it was Dean's turn to jump out the van, walk
to the street corner and download his mail leaving me in the van to cook
some supper BUT of course, after about 15 minutes of being parked (for the
very first time since 11am this morning), someone has the cheek to knock on
our van door and tell us to move.!!!
During the entire course of the day, I have moaned and groaned about this
city but Dean has said, all cities are the same, but we will still enjoy
this one when we walk around...
After the very rude person knocked on the door, Dean jumps in the van and
says, WE ARE LEAVING THIS PLACE!!! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!!
We have now bade a very happy farewell to Zurich, have already encountered
major traffic out the city but are finally on a freeway heading towards
Bern where once again Swisscom says "Yes, there are plenty of wireless
networks".If this blog is updated by tomorrow afternoon, then you will know he was
right!
We have nowhere to sleep yet but Jetan has falled asleep and we hope to
find a place soon. I must admit, I can't wait to get back to the U.K.
where everyone speak English and it doesn't cost me R36.00 for about 350g
of mince meat!