Friday, October 24, 2008
French lessons 21 October 2008
We've been having french lessons twice a week for the last three weeks. Today during our French class, Dominique enquired whether we had tried any French cheeses yet. We said “oh yes, we’ve had gouda, edam, emmamental, mozzarella”. She was laughing and pointed out that none of those cheeses were made in France. We've been buying cheese at the supermarket in France but not French cheese.
Carlipa
Route de Bram, Carlipa
The view looking down our street, the Route de Bram 
The kids in front of our house and carIt’s pitch black here in the morning till well after 8am. We normally wake up about 7.30 and it feels like the middle of the night. Daylight saving ends on the last weekend in October.
Last night the rain woke us in the night tapping on our bedroom window. I said to Andrew “that rain sounds so close, it’s like it’s inside the house” and when he went up to see where the sound was coming from the rain was pouring in through the ceiling in the bathroom. At least it was going into the shower.
Last night the rain woke us in the night tapping on our bedroom window. I said to Andrew “that rain sounds so close, it’s like it’s inside the house” and when he went up to see where the sound was coming from the rain was pouring in through the ceiling in the bathroom. At least it was going into the shower.
Caunes Minervois 19 October 2008
Samuel walking around the Bassin St Denis
Colourful vineyards
We went for a Sunday drive through the little town of Caunes Minervois. Acres and acres of vineyards. The colours of the vines now are beautiful, all red and golden. Then we had to stop by a lake, the Bassin St Denis near Saissac and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the edge of it. It was a blustery, windy day but the sun was shining.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Lac du Lampy - 15 October 2008
Drove up to the Lac du Lampy which is near Saissac in the Montagne Noir. It's beautiful scenery and alot cooler up that way. The lake water level looks low and we were able to walk around the whole lake. It took over an hour with stops along the way to spot yabbies and little fish. Samuel caught a couple of yabbies but they were quite small.
Vide Grenier 12 October 2008
Went to our first vide grenier (which translates to "empty the attic") on the weekend. It was in the little village of St Eulalie. Everybody brings out all their old stuff to try and sell it, similar to a garage sale except the whole town gets involved. I found it fascinating looking at some of the things people had to sell. It's an insight into their private lives in a way.
We scored an all-in-one ski suit for Ella, looked brand new and we paid 8 euros for it. I was very happy. Ski clothes cost a fortune. Samuel scored 20 Pokemon cards for 1 euro and we bought Ella a Bratz doll for 2 euros. So it was a good day.
We scored an all-in-one ski suit for Ella, looked brand new and we paid 8 euros for it. I was very happy. Ski clothes cost a fortune. Samuel scored 20 Pokemon cards for 1 euro and we bought Ella a Bratz doll for 2 euros. So it was a good day.
Samuel and Ella's 7th Birthday 16 October 2008
The kids had a great birthday. They received some lovely presents. It was all extremely exciting getting mail from Australia. I struggled to make a chocolate cake the old fashioned way (without a mixer) and we ended up having the cake at lunchtime because we planned to go to the circus at Bram after school. The kids came home for their 2 hour lunch and the kids across the road came over and we sang happy birthday. Then they ran around with the balloons tucked up into their shirts. In the afternoon the kids had a school excursion to a museum in Carcassonne which they enjoyed despite not understanding a word of it.
Castres - Ice Skating - 8 October 2008
Wednesday, kids’ day off school – we went to find the ice skating area at Castres. Only an hour away. Headed off after lunch. It was crowded with large groups of other kids there but we still had a good time after a few spills. Ella in particular enjoyed the experience. It was good to see because Ella is usually shy of trying out new things before she has confidence. We spent about 2 hours there, it was enough for Andrew and Samuel and I but Ella would still be skating now if we let her.
It was a happy day. MANLY won the grand final. Thank goodness for friends texting the scores to keep Andrew updated.
Albi - 5 October 2008
Outside Toulouse-Lautrac Museum
Medieval Festival outside Castres on the way home
Behind Museum 
Near entrance to Cathedral
Massive Cathedral We visited Albi on Sunday. We had planned to do Albi and Castres in one day but Albi had too much on offer. We couldn’t tear ourselves away. We arrived mid morning. It was about 2 hours from Carlipa on the D road. Decided not to waste time trying to find free parking miles from anywhere and paid to park underground 5 minutes from the centre of town. Then it was a 2 minute walk to the massive Cathedral in town which was particularly special as there was a mass on that morning (being Sunday). It was the first time I had ever visited any olden day church which was actually having a service. It was quite moving. We sat for a while with the kids but not too long.
Wandered around the town, bought some postcards and headed towards restaurant area for lunch. Found a reasonable place and enjoyed deux paella, poullet basque and sausiccons grille.
After lunch Andrew took Samuel down to the river and Ella and I went back to the church for another look and then to the Toulouse Lautrac Museum. By about 3pm everyone had had enough and we headed off home.
On the way home we decided to try to find L’Archipel (ice skating arena) for our next trip to Castres and ended up stumbling across this Fete medieval which was amazing. All these people dressed in medieval suits of armour, complete with chain mesh gear, swords and flag bearers. There was women dressed in the long flowing dresses of those days and demonstrations of blacksmithing, writing with quills, embroidery and all these eagles sitting on perches. It was like being on a movie set. Samuel thought it was fantastic – it’s his new thing he’s interested in – he loves all the swords, bows and arrows and fighting.
They had different clans of knights and staged a mock demonstration in the arena. There would have been a few thousand people there. It was a unique experience.
Wandered around the town, bought some postcards and headed towards restaurant area for lunch. Found a reasonable place and enjoyed deux paella, poullet basque and sausiccons grille.
After lunch Andrew took Samuel down to the river and Ella and I went back to the church for another look and then to the Toulouse Lautrac Museum. By about 3pm everyone had had enough and we headed off home.
On the way home we decided to try to find L’Archipel (ice skating arena) for our next trip to Castres and ended up stumbling across this Fete medieval which was amazing. All these people dressed in medieval suits of armour, complete with chain mesh gear, swords and flag bearers. There was women dressed in the long flowing dresses of those days and demonstrations of blacksmithing, writing with quills, embroidery and all these eagles sitting on perches. It was like being on a movie set. Samuel thought it was fantastic – it’s his new thing he’s interested in – he loves all the swords, bows and arrows and fighting.
They had different clans of knights and staged a mock demonstration in the arena. There would have been a few thousand people there. It was a unique experience.
Toulouse - 28 September 2008
Spinning disk in the park
Drove to Toulouse for the weekend. It’s 68 km away and the drive was under an hour on the peage road. Toulouse is a huge bustling city. ¼ of the population are students so there’s heaps of places to eat, drink and be merry.
We booked to go on the Airbus factory tour for Saturday morning. It went for 1.5 hours and was very informative. The airbus company is privately owned and employs 57000 people worldwide in various aspects of its manufacture, 17000 people employed just in Toulouse. It takes them a year to build one plane. They have orders for 220 planes to build, 50 of them for Emirates. We flew on the A380 from Sydney to Singapore and it’s certainly an impressive aircraft.
We went to a ghastly expat bar called “The Frog and Rosbif”. We ordered 2 fruit cocktails for the kids and 2 pints of beer and it cost 20 euros. Even Andrew was shocked. They make their own beer on the premises and it’s a bit more reasonably priced.
We booked to go on the Airbus factory tour for Saturday morning. It went for 1.5 hours and was very informative. The airbus company is privately owned and employs 57000 people worldwide in various aspects of its manufacture, 17000 people employed just in Toulouse. It takes them a year to build one plane. They have orders for 220 planes to build, 50 of them for Emirates. We flew on the A380 from Sydney to Singapore and it’s certainly an impressive aircraft.
We went to a ghastly expat bar called “The Frog and Rosbif”. We ordered 2 fruit cocktails for the kids and 2 pints of beer and it cost 20 euros. Even Andrew was shocked. They make their own beer on the premises and it’s a bit more reasonably priced.
The big blue thing in the photos is a spinning disk in the park which the kids had an absolute ball on. It spins around and you can either be sitting on top of it or hanging on to the edge as it goes around. Ella loves anything wacky like this. It spins around quite quickly and it looked so funny when it first lifted Ella up at speed and whipped her around. Andrew and I were cracking up laughing.
Weather
Obviously the weather is changing now. But it seems to be gradual which is good. It’s pitch black at 7am in the morning. The stars are still in the sky, it's like the middle of the night. It’s cooling down in the afternoon and night. Ella is still refusing to wear enough warm clothes. The two of them walk around barefoot on the stone floor which is cold under foot.
Carte de Sejour
Back to Carcassonne Prefecture today to hand in our medical certificates and the all important letters with the 275 euros worth of stamps on them. One more month and our carte de sejours should be at the Mairie in Carlipa to pick up. Now I’m wondering whether the kids cartes will cost us anything and whether they have to have medicals too.
Sitting at McDonald’s again using the wifii gratuit for an hour. Andrew’s so happy. His emails came through quickly this time. The last time we were here it was so slow, it drove us both crazy.
Sitting at McDonald’s again using the wifii gratuit for an hour. Andrew’s so happy. His emails came through quickly this time. The last time we were here it was so slow, it drove us both crazy.
24 September 2008
No school today. We’re going out somewhere for lunch today. Then down to the river to play for the afternoon. It’s getting a bit cooler at night and in the mornings now but warms up when the sun comes out.
We ended up having lunch at Chez Marie at Fanjeaux – cassoulet yummy but a bad experience for Andrew.
We ended up having lunch at Chez Marie at Fanjeaux – cassoulet yummy but a bad experience for Andrew.
Daily Life
The bank charges $25 for an international transfer from ANZ in Australia to Credit Agricole in France. Then the French bank charges another 35 euros for us to receive our own money in our own account.
We received a text from Orange France to say they were sending a technician to connect our internet on 10 October 2008. Considering that internet has been on at the house before us, we can’t understand whey they need to send a tech. Surely it’s just a matter of flicking a switch.
We can pick up Neuf WIFII but they don’t have casual plans – everything has a package and is for minimum 12 months. Also all the connections are in French so we’ve only worked out most of it by looking at the pictures.
We received a text from Orange France to say they were sending a technician to connect our internet on 10 October 2008. Considering that internet has been on at the house before us, we can’t understand whey they need to send a tech. Surely it’s just a matter of flicking a switch.
We can pick up Neuf WIFII but they don’t have casual plans – everything has a package and is for minimum 12 months. Also all the connections are in French so we’ve only worked out most of it by looking at the pictures.
Carte de Sejour - 24 September 2008
We had to take the kids out of school today to get to Carcassonne in time for our medical/xray appointments. It was all straightforward. Tomorrow we’ll go back to Prefecture and hand our medical certificates in and hopefully our cartes will be at the Mairie to pick up in one month. We didn’t have to pay any more money so that cheered me up a bit.
Montpelier 20 September 2008
Driving to Montpelier took just under 2 hrs from Carlipa. Arrived at lunchtime and had a terrible time finding our hotel, what with the traffic, one ways and kids fighting in the back seat. Eventually we gave up. The kids and I got out of the car and got out on foot to find the hotel. Finally found it (despite having a map). We’d driven past it about 3 times without realising.
Parked the car and went in search of a park to have our lunch. It was a very hot day, it must have been over 30 degrees.
Centre Ville Montpelier is beautiful. The buildings historique are gorgeous. The afternoon was very crowded in Place de la Comedie. We wandered around abit then made our way to the Place Royale du Peyrou where the Arc de Triomphe (1692) and Chateau d’Eau (big round hollow structure with slimy water surrounding it). Beyond this is a huge Aqueduc de St Clement (basically a big wall with arches which must have had water running through them at some point long before our time).
Further around from this we wandered to the Musee Atger where they were having an open day and had people dressed in the dress of the olden days doing short skits which everyone seemed to be enjoying. We, of course, couldn’t work out what was so funny because we didn’t understand what they were saying.
Lovely petite dejeuner (breakfast) at a café in the Place de la Comedie. 4 euros for a coffee or hot chocolate, croissant and tartines du pain, juice and yoghurt. Continental breakfasts can often be a hit and miss affair.
After brekkie we checked out of our hotel (ghastly place but the man running it was nice) and went for a ride on the tram (Tam as they call it). We paid 5.30 euros for a family pass for a day and went for a little trip around the city. Good for the kids because they can’t walk for miles.
Stopped at the beach at Palavas-les-flots on the way home. It was a big stretch of uncrowded sand with only a few people lying around (boobs everywhere and water freezing as usual). Only the kids and Andrew got in for a dip. Samuel was happy looking for sea creatures amongst the rocks. He found a couple of good size crabs which they made a home for in the sand.
Parked the car and went in search of a park to have our lunch. It was a very hot day, it must have been over 30 degrees.
Centre Ville Montpelier is beautiful. The buildings historique are gorgeous. The afternoon was very crowded in Place de la Comedie. We wandered around abit then made our way to the Place Royale du Peyrou where the Arc de Triomphe (1692) and Chateau d’Eau (big round hollow structure with slimy water surrounding it). Beyond this is a huge Aqueduc de St Clement (basically a big wall with arches which must have had water running through them at some point long before our time).
Further around from this we wandered to the Musee Atger where they were having an open day and had people dressed in the dress of the olden days doing short skits which everyone seemed to be enjoying. We, of course, couldn’t work out what was so funny because we didn’t understand what they were saying.
Lovely petite dejeuner (breakfast) at a café in the Place de la Comedie. 4 euros for a coffee or hot chocolate, croissant and tartines du pain, juice and yoghurt. Continental breakfasts can often be a hit and miss affair.
After brekkie we checked out of our hotel (ghastly place but the man running it was nice) and went for a ride on the tram (Tam as they call it). We paid 5.30 euros for a family pass for a day and went for a little trip around the city. Good for the kids because they can’t walk for miles.
Stopped at the beach at Palavas-les-flots on the way home. It was a big stretch of uncrowded sand with only a few people lying around (boobs everywhere and water freezing as usual). Only the kids and Andrew got in for a dip. Samuel was happy looking for sea creatures amongst the rocks. He found a couple of good size crabs which they made a home for in the sand.
Daily Life - TV
The tv is dismal. There are no shows in English. There's no relief from the incessant french. We’re forced to watch French news, French movies and it gets tiresome especially watching news and wanting to know what the hell is going on and not being able to understand a word of it. They’ve got CNN in the house but it mainly covers american news and issues. We like wheel of fortune in French and there’s a dance show the kids and I like called “dance floor” where they have people doing individual dance routines and the audience gets to vote on who’s the best.
Daily Life
Meat is hideously expensive – 26 euros for a roast leg of lamb. There’s lots of offal on offer in the supermarche shelves – tongue, tripe, kidneys, liver etc.
The meat does look like good meat but the price puts me off (al). Cooked chooks are 9 euros which is about $18 in our money. The raw chicken you buy here to cook is really yellow-looking. Looks a bit strange.
I’ve found it hard to look for ingredients that I would usually buy to make recipes. Sometimes it’s easy to recognise what something is by the name being similar but the brands are all different and they’re in French and sometimes you just can’t work it out. However, I am making a concerted effort to try out every single type of chocolate and biscuit and pastry I see in the shops. Particularly that flaky pastry is my fave. The patisseries have the most scrumptious looking cakes and sweets. Although you never know how long they’ve been sitting there. I mean there’s a patisserie on every second street. I find it hard to believe French people eat that much pastry – they would all be fat as houses.
Something else we notice is that everything has chocolate in it. Most of the breakfast cereals have chocolate in them and nutella is a huge seller here. Ordinary muesli is hard to find. Dark chocolate is popular here but none of us likes it.
The meat does look like good meat but the price puts me off (al). Cooked chooks are 9 euros which is about $18 in our money. The raw chicken you buy here to cook is really yellow-looking. Looks a bit strange.
I’ve found it hard to look for ingredients that I would usually buy to make recipes. Sometimes it’s easy to recognise what something is by the name being similar but the brands are all different and they’re in French and sometimes you just can’t work it out. However, I am making a concerted effort to try out every single type of chocolate and biscuit and pastry I see in the shops. Particularly that flaky pastry is my fave. The patisseries have the most scrumptious looking cakes and sweets. Although you never know how long they’ve been sitting there. I mean there’s a patisserie on every second street. I find it hard to believe French people eat that much pastry – they would all be fat as houses.
Something else we notice is that everything has chocolate in it. Most of the breakfast cereals have chocolate in them and nutella is a huge seller here. Ordinary muesli is hard to find. Dark chocolate is popular here but none of us likes it.
Kids views
Samuel asked me “why are we doing all this?” meaning living in France, disrupting our comfortable lives at home in Mount Isa. He said he wishes we could buy our house back and go back home to Mount Isa like before.
A normal day in the life of us
On a school day, we’re up by 7.30 am, have brekkie, go to school at 8.45 am for a 9am start. Kids have school for 3 hours. We walk across the road to get the kids home for lunch at 12 noon. The kids have a 2 hour lunch break then it’s back to school for the afternoon till 5 pm.
On the days when the kids are at school Andrew and I have been busy driving in to Carcassonne (car with a scone) to get things sorted out like phones, internet, car.
On Wednesday’s there’s no school, so we pick a place, pack a picnic lunch and go off on a day trip somewhere. Weekends we also take off on drives around the countryside. Our next trip is Toulouse. We’ll drive over Saturday morning, stay in hotel Saturday night then come back Sunday afternoon.
The church clock tolls 7 minutes before every hour and then every hour, all day and allnight. After a while you don’t notice it any more.
On the days when the kids are at school Andrew and I have been busy driving in to Carcassonne (car with a scone) to get things sorted out like phones, internet, car.
On Wednesday’s there’s no school, so we pick a place, pack a picnic lunch and go off on a day trip somewhere. Weekends we also take off on drives around the countryside. Our next trip is Toulouse. We’ll drive over Saturday morning, stay in hotel Saturday night then come back Sunday afternoon.
The church clock tolls 7 minutes before every hour and then every hour, all day and allnight. After a while you don’t notice it any more.
Life before France
Andrew is missing his football games and keeping up with the scores. Without the internet life is colourless. I can’t believe how much we rely on that computer. We are missing it so much. We can barely function without it.
Our new Renault
Picked up our new car on Monday. Can you believe they didn’t fill the fuel tank up with gazol for us before we drove away. I was absolutely doing my block about it. Andrew as usual was relaxed. I wanted to ring Renault and ask if it was normal practice in France to buy a car and drive away with an empty tank but Andrew reminded me that I couldn’t speak French and how was I going to say all that in French. They wouldn’t know what I was going on about. Nevertheless I am still stewing about it days later. Considering diesel is 1.30 euros a litre (about $2.60 AU) it’s about 50 euros to fill up a tank which is $100 in real money.
Animals in France
We have a huge spider in the house which makes its appearance every now and then. When I first saw it I nearly had a fit, it was as big as my hand but since then it’s disappeared. I think it travels around the tops of the ceiling. Scary for me being arachnophobic.
We also have a lot of flies here. We like to leave the doors and windows to get the breeze through and so of course all these big fat flies come in and not just little house flies – we get those enormous loud buzzing flies the size of a small bird which are not pleasant company when trying to prepare food and eat dinner.
We also have a lot of flies here. We like to leave the doors and windows to get the breeze through and so of course all these big fat flies come in and not just little house flies – we get those enormous loud buzzing flies the size of a small bird which are not pleasant company when trying to prepare food and eat dinner.
Life in Carlipa 18 September 2008
It’s an overcast day today and cool and breezy. Last night when we got back from Foix it was blowing a gale so that obviously signals a change in the weather very soon.
We’ve paid 400 euros to the landlord for fuel to run the heating for 2 months. Mark said we won’t need it till the end of October but I’m already cold so our heating might be going on sooner, I’d say.
We’ve paid 400 euros to the landlord for fuel to run the heating for 2 months. Mark said we won’t need it till the end of October but I’m already cold so our heating might be going on sooner, I’d say.
Foix
Walking around the side of the Chateau in Foix
Our Wednesday outing today was to Foix. What a lovely place. We walked up to the chateau which is smack bang in the middle of town. It’s a well preserved/restored castle which used to be home to the Counts of Foix, built in the 10th century. Later in the 16th century it was a prison and you could see where the prisoners had etched their names and messages in the stone walls in their quarters. It was a steep climb up curling narrow stairs which I must admit I have a bit of trouble with. I don’t know how people older than me manage it because at the end I was out of breath.
Foix seemed to have a lot of younger people and students. We also went to Labouiche which is an underground river, the longest river in Europe. The boat we were in had no motor and we were pulled along a series of ropes along the sides of the caves by the tour guide. It lasted over an hour and involved changing boats 3 times for the different levels in the caves. 30 euros admission and at the end (apparently) the tour guide requested tips. I was incensed. After paying the hefty entry price we were now expected to cough up more euros in tips. I don't normally mind tipping if I'm happy with the service but we didn't even get any of the information in english. We're paying the same prices as everyone else but only getting half the experience.
Wouldn't you think in a country like France which "welcomes" 70 million tourists a year and all the economic benefits that must ensue, that they would cater just a fraction more so we could at least understand what we were looking at and the history of it. Mind you, they wouldn't have to go overboard (like at Carcassonne with all that crap they're trying to flog off), just a few simple translations would suffice.
Life in Carlipa
Ahh!! Village life! I hate it! Why did we come here!?!?
There’s nothing to do, nowhere to go that doesn’t involve driving, there’s no shops, no parks, nothing for the kids to do. What was I thinking? The house is on the main road in Carlipa, the Route de Bram and the front door opens right onto the street. It’s a bit scarey when the kids want to play with the kids across the road and they have to be out on the street. Generally there is not much traffic but when the cars come past they’re usually driving pretty quickly.
Moving right along, Nanny and Papa’s parcel arrived this morning with some extra summer clothes and a tube of vegemite. Nanny sent the kids a hello card each. There’s something quite depressing about receiving old clothes in the mail that cost more to send than they’re worth. But we were happy to get mail from home (especially the vegemite). Ella had vegemite sandwiches for dinner.
There’s nothing to do, nowhere to go that doesn’t involve driving, there’s no shops, no parks, nothing for the kids to do. What was I thinking? The house is on the main road in Carlipa, the Route de Bram and the front door opens right onto the street. It’s a bit scarey when the kids want to play with the kids across the road and they have to be out on the street. Generally there is not much traffic but when the cars come past they’re usually driving pretty quickly.
Moving right along, Nanny and Papa’s parcel arrived this morning with some extra summer clothes and a tube of vegemite. Nanny sent the kids a hello card each. There’s something quite depressing about receiving old clothes in the mail that cost more to send than they’re worth. But we were happy to get mail from home (especially the vegemite). Ella had vegemite sandwiches for dinner.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Carte de Sejour 16 September 2008
Today we received letters in the mail to have our medicals for the carte de sejour. Nobody mentioned it's going to cost another 275 euros each to finalise the cartes. We have to go to the Tresor Public to pay for stamps (timbres) to the value of 275 euros to stick to the front of the letter to submit to the prefecture.
Mireproix Market 15 September 2008
Andrew and I went to the markets at Mireproix this morning. It was a short drive south of Bram. The markets are in this massive covered medieval hall next to this also massive cathedral.
Also went to the supermarche where I finally found art smocks for the kids. Happy days!
Also went to the supermarche where I finally found art smocks for the kids. Happy days!
Montelieu 14 September 2008
Montelieu today. We were told they had English bookshops here which I am longing for something to read in my own language.
It was a rainy day more suited to staying inside and watching tv but we’ve only got boring CNN on our tv. I don’t like being at home. I’d rather be out hooning around the countryside exploring and enjoying the beautiful scenery.
We’re not kitted up for rainy weather. The kids have raincoats and we’ve got umbrellas but still we managed to get wet with the wind and rain blowing our umbrellas inside out, feet soaking wet.
Montelieu is ancient and pretty even in the rain. The village is built up next to a huge ravine and it’s mountainous country. It has several small bookshops which have books and reference books from the olden days.
It was a rainy day more suited to staying inside and watching tv but we’ve only got boring CNN on our tv. I don’t like being at home. I’d rather be out hooning around the countryside exploring and enjoying the beautiful scenery.
We’re not kitted up for rainy weather. The kids have raincoats and we’ve got umbrellas but still we managed to get wet with the wind and rain blowing our umbrellas inside out, feet soaking wet.
Montelieu is ancient and pretty even in the rain. The village is built up next to a huge ravine and it’s mountainous country. It has several small bookshops which have books and reference books from the olden days.
Revel 13 September 2008
Drove to REVEL markets – they were crowded. We bought pain (bread – pronounced “pun”), tomatoes and fruit for our picnic at the Lac du St Ferreoil where we were heading for lunch.
Revel seems like a biggish town. It’s an odd day. Looks like wanting to rain and quite chilly, then the sun peeks out and you need to take your jumper off. We walked the circumference of the Lac which took about one hour. We needed to work up an appetite for lunch. We brought swimming things but it’s too cold for swimming. I think it was about 12 degrees which isn’t swimming weather.
Samuel found a little yabby which he was thrilled about. Andrew brought the kids’ nets to play with and catch fish in the river.
The next place we move to needs to have at least park and a river if possible so we’ve got something else for the kids to do when we’re not travelling (besides watch tv).
It started raining as we were finishing our picnic so we quickly packed up and raced off to the car. The other people picnicking around us pulled their hoodies up over their heads, opened their umbrellas and just kept eating. It was quite comical. After a couple of minutes it stopped raining so we got out of the car again.
It's beautiful country around Revel and Saissac. We’ve had a couple of drives up here now. It’s heavily forested and lush tropical greenery similar to the country around Mt Tamborine.
Revel seems like a biggish town. It’s an odd day. Looks like wanting to rain and quite chilly, then the sun peeks out and you need to take your jumper off. We walked the circumference of the Lac which took about one hour. We needed to work up an appetite for lunch. We brought swimming things but it’s too cold for swimming. I think it was about 12 degrees which isn’t swimming weather.
Samuel found a little yabby which he was thrilled about. Andrew brought the kids’ nets to play with and catch fish in the river.
The next place we move to needs to have at least park and a river if possible so we’ve got something else for the kids to do when we’re not travelling (besides watch tv).
It started raining as we were finishing our picnic so we quickly packed up and raced off to the car. The other people picnicking around us pulled their hoodies up over their heads, opened their umbrellas and just kept eating. It was quite comical. After a couple of minutes it stopped raining so we got out of the car again.
It's beautiful country around Revel and Saissac. We’ve had a couple of drives up here now. It’s heavily forested and lush tropical greenery similar to the country around Mt Tamborine.
Weather 12 September 2008
Today it turned a tad cool after a bit of rain and the wind was quite cold. Apparently it does snow in Carlipa which will be exciting. Our landlord said Carcassonne has been buried under 1 metre of snow. That would be unreal to see. It’s always been so hot when we’ve been there.
French TV
We watch Wheel of Fortune in French. The guy who comperes thinks he’s god’s gift and he flirts with the female contestants like you wouldn’t believe. But I like watching it because I pick up bits of French here and there. We get fed up trying to watch French news and movies. There’s CNN on here but that’s tedious with all the American news all the time.
Daily Life
Today we had to stock up on a few basics for the weekend. We went to this supermarche we hadn’t been to before. They had lots of meat there. The meat is unbelievably expensive here. 26 euros for a leg of lamb. Pork and chicken are cheaper. There was other shops there which sold Manchester and decorator items on one side and vetements (clothes) and shoes on the other. Surprisingly the prices were reasonable by my standards.
I have a habit of converting everything back to Aussie dollars and shrieking with horror at the conversion which is roughly double. 1 AUD = 57 euro cents
I have a habit of converting everything back to Aussie dollars and shrieking with horror at the conversion which is roughly double. 1 AUD = 57 euro cents
Cars and Driving 12 September 2008
Today was exciting. It was the first time I’ve driven in France which mightn’t be that interesting to anybody but if you see the traffic here and the way people move around you’d know what I mean. Add to that the steering wheel is on the left hand side of the car, the gear stick on the right, indicators on the left hand side – it’s all back to front and you don’t realise how automatic a lot of your driving behaviour is till you have to swap sides of the car and the road. It’s a confidence thing. Sis says that the longer I wait till I drive the bigger a drama it will be. So I just got in and drove – only down to Bram and back but still, it’s better than nought.
Travelling with Kids
I don’t know what happens to my kids when they get in the car to go somewhere. They can’t stand being in enclosed quarters with each other. They start niggling and arguing and whinging and whining. Andrew and I get tense with each other and it’s not a fun time. What do other parents do? I feel terrible because I can’t stand the carryon but honestly I feel like dropping them off on the side of the road and picking them up on the way back.
Normally they are both good friends with each other, very tolerant and understanding and talk to each other in nice voices but car trips really bring out the worst in them.
Today we only went to Narbonne Plage – it took just under an hour. I mean, really, that’s not long in anyone’s book for a car trip, is it??
Normally they are both good friends with each other, very tolerant and understanding and talk to each other in nice voices but car trips really bring out the worst in them.
Today we only went to Narbonne Plage – it took just under an hour. I mean, really, that’s not long in anyone’s book for a car trip, is it??
Bad Experiences 10 September 2008
We almost had a prang this morning at Bram. Andrew was looking to see if there was any cars coming and he had to edge out a bit to see past the parked cars and this little car appeared in front of us at great speed and we almost hit him. He skidded to a screaming halt and started to reverse – I think he was going to have a go at us but must have thought better of it.
The other day we were racing back from Carcassonne. Trying to get back in time to get the kids for lunch and a truck started pulling out of a concealed driveway – I thought I was dead. The little Clio wouldn’t have much chance if something that size hit it.
At Millau I had a bad experience with Ella when we were playing in the River Tarn. The water was clear and cold, really nice but there was this little bit of rapid water and Ella lost her footing and it swept her along. I grabbed her by the arm and held on for dear life but the water was stronger than I thought and I had one of those moments (if you’ve had one, you’ll know what I mean) that I thought “SHIT! I’m in trouble here” and it took all my strength to hold on to Ella as well as keep myself up out of the water.
Later when I was thinking about it I thought we would have just been carried down the river a bit further and got totally soaked. I think I was scared I might drown and I couldn’t let Ella drown too.
The other day we were racing back from Carcassonne. Trying to get back in time to get the kids for lunch and a truck started pulling out of a concealed driveway – I thought I was dead. The little Clio wouldn’t have much chance if something that size hit it.
At Millau I had a bad experience with Ella when we were playing in the River Tarn. The water was clear and cold, really nice but there was this little bit of rapid water and Ella lost her footing and it swept her along. I grabbed her by the arm and held on for dear life but the water was stronger than I thought and I had one of those moments (if you’ve had one, you’ll know what I mean) that I thought “SHIT! I’m in trouble here” and it took all my strength to hold on to Ella as well as keep myself up out of the water.
Later when I was thinking about it I thought we would have just been carried down the river a bit further and got totally soaked. I think I was scared I might drown and I couldn’t let Ella drown too.
Narbonne Plage - 10 September 2008
We had a Wednesday outing to Narbonne. Narbonne beach is along the Mediterranean. The beach was virtually desserted. The water’s absolutely freezing (so I’m told). No wonder there’s hardly anyone swimming.
The kids can spend hours at the beach playing and digging in the sand and splashing in the water. Andrew helps the kids build fancy sand castles. He gets very technical with his sand castles. I haven’t noticed other kids building in the sand at any of the beaches we have been to.
There was a lot of very pale flesh at this beach so I’m guessing it was mainly tourists and there was several old men with gi-normous bellies. Not many sensible one piece bathing costumes here. It seems that everyone just about under the age of 60 wears bikinis – not always a pretty sight.
We packed a picnic lunch. We pack the Getbags with the frozen ice bricks and it keeps things cool for long enough till we’re ready to eat.
The kids can spend hours at the beach playing and digging in the sand and splashing in the water. Andrew helps the kids build fancy sand castles. He gets very technical with his sand castles. I haven’t noticed other kids building in the sand at any of the beaches we have been to.
There was a lot of very pale flesh at this beach so I’m guessing it was mainly tourists and there was several old men with gi-normous bellies. Not many sensible one piece bathing costumes here. It seems that everyone just about under the age of 60 wears bikinis – not always a pretty sight.
We packed a picnic lunch. We pack the Getbags with the frozen ice bricks and it keeps things cool for long enough till we’re ready to eat.
Language
It’s bizarre – the people that speak English here do not always understand us when we speak. There is definitely something lacking between saying the words you need and at the same time conveying the correct meaning of what you’re saying and vice versa.
The Groupama insurance guy was trying so hard to say the English words for things he was stuttering. I nearly started laughing. It wasn’t that it was funny exactly more like frustration for him because he was struggling so hard.
Once again we were late back to the school to collect the kids for their 2 hour lunch break. So I had to eat humble pie again. Gate Lady didn’t seem as agitated as last week when we were late but I still had knots in my stomach as Andrew drove at breakneck speed to get back to Carlipa in time.
The Groupama insurance guy was trying so hard to say the English words for things he was stuttering. I nearly started laughing. It wasn’t that it was funny exactly more like frustration for him because he was struggling so hard.
Once again we were late back to the school to collect the kids for their 2 hour lunch break. So I had to eat humble pie again. Gate Lady didn’t seem as agitated as last week when we were late but I still had knots in my stomach as Andrew drove at breakneck speed to get back to Carlipa in time.
Car Insurance
We launched ourselves onto the Groupama man to arrange our car insurance for our new car (“assurances” as the French say). The insurance man spoke enough English to enable us to do what we had to do. Car insurance is very expensive here. The insurance cost 384 euros and that was with 50% bonus for no claim.
New Car
Today we went to the Renault and Peugeot dealers to buy a car. Spotted a Clio III 2008 model which had 14000 km on the clock. Then attempted to buy the car. No-one spoke any English whatsoever and we couldn’t understand a single word anyone was trying to say. It was bloody difficult to put it mildly. We ended up ringing our landlady Allison who spoke to the salesperson to get things started on our behalf.
Canal du Midi at Carcassonne - 7 September 2008
We organised ourselves a picnic lunch on the River Aude in Carcassonne and found a park along the river. Fun for the kids because they love to play in the river.
After lunch we bought our tickets for a boat ride down the Canal du Midi. 36 euros all up. Gorgeous slow boat ride down the Canal where the locks have to be opened and let the water in or out as the case may be. I’ve not seen that done before. It was very interesting to see how it was done. The tour guide explained everything in 3 different languages – French, English and Spanish. She was a flamboyant sort of character and the ride was enjoyable.
Originally the Canal was built so there was another way to transport goods by ship from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean without having to circumnavigate Spain. There wasn’t a lot to look at on the way but it was a pleasant ride with pretty scenery.
After lunch we bought our tickets for a boat ride down the Canal du Midi. 36 euros all up. Gorgeous slow boat ride down the Canal where the locks have to be opened and let the water in or out as the case may be. I’ve not seen that done before. It was very interesting to see how it was done. The tour guide explained everything in 3 different languages – French, English and Spanish. She was a flamboyant sort of character and the ride was enjoyable.
Originally the Canal was built so there was another way to transport goods by ship from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean without having to circumnavigate Spain. There wasn’t a lot to look at on the way but it was a pleasant ride with pretty scenery.
Lastors Chateaux/Grotte de Limousis - 6 September 2008
LASTORS – CHATEAUVisited a little village built on the side of a hill. Very high up. We climbed up a narrow rocky pathway to the top – it was very steep. The kids were complaining the whole time. The views from the top were stunning. The castles were built over 800 years ago and are not in good condition, just crumbling piles of rocks. The kids weren’t impressed at all. They can’t grasp the concept of the age of something being 1000 years old.
Grotte de Limousis
The Caves at Limousis were interesting with stalactites and stalagmites. A lot of the tourist sites don’t have any English translation which means you don’t get as much out of it because you don’t understand what they’re saying. I mean we’re still paying as much as everyone else to go on the tour so it would be good to know what they’re saying. At this Grotte, after paying the admission, the tour guide wanted a tip as well. That was a bit rich I thought.
Ella and Samuel enjoyed the caves. The main chamber of the cave was over 1000m long and chockers with stalagmites. The cave had a concreted path to walk along but it was still very damp and quite cool. Many of the formations were floodlit.
I think I have become more claustrophobic in my old age. Some of the hotel lifts that we’ve been in have been only just fitted the 4 of us in. Some of the lifts are not modern and you have to close the doors yourself before you press the button and then there’s several seconds before it lurches into operation. Not a comfortable feeling and did I mention the smell?
Food and Wine
Andrew took the kids to the patisserie which also has a few grocery items and the all important wine selection. The wine here is so cheap and you can buy wine and other alcohol everywhere. It’s great. I like being able to get alcohol at the supermarket, it’s so convenient. There’s acres and acres of vineyards in this area. Andrew bought a bottle of wine grown and made locally in Carlipa. We had it with our tuna risotto for dinner. It was disgusting.
L'ecole in Carlipa
The kids are enjoying school and contact with other children even without knowing any French language. The other kids have readily accepted them which is nice. I think we were abit ambitious with our plans to be here 4 months. There is nothing to do in Carlipa. You need a car here. Carcassone is the nearest big city with services and amenities so we’ve been driving there nearly every day to get ourselves set up with phones, internet, etc. All the nitty gritty bits and pieces that we need to function in everyday life.
Internet 5 September 2008
Another trip to Carcassone this morning to organise internet connection. Apparently once all the paperwork is done it will ONLY take 15-20 days to have it actually connected even though the line is already in place and it’s just a matter of flicking a switch.
Bank Account
We chose the Credit Agricole as our bank because they had a poster in english advertising how helpful they were. Andrew made an appointment to see a bank person who spoke English. Everything seems so painfully difficult and involves heaps of copies of documents. Madame Credit Agricole was very patient and Andrew managed to open a french bank account. But there was still one document they wanted from our landlord which we were able to provide at a later date.
4 September 2008
We want to organise our internet connection at home. We went to Orange Telecom and got a ticket number in the queue and waited for a bit and wondered how we were going to ask for our internet to be connected without being able to speak any french. We mulled this over for about 5 minutes before we ended up walking out. There was at least 6 other people waiting before us anyway and we had the kids with us and it was all too hard.
4 September 2008
Our receipts for the carte de sejours were ready to pick up but we can’t apply for the kid’s permits until Andrew and I get our cards. We also have to have medicals and chest xrays and supply a letter from the school for the kids.
Wednesday 4 September 2008
Andrew wanted to get going to Carcassone early but that didn’t happen. We all woke late. The kids wanted to finish their movie from last night “Hook” and by the time everyone was organised it was well after 9am. Andrew also wanted to make some phone calls but couldn’t get the phone card to work. It was just one of those days.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Carte de Sejour
Andrew and I went to Carcassone Prefecture to apply for carte de sejour which was straightforward. The chap sent us away again to get the rest of the photocopies we needed. 4 copies of every document known to mankind had to be presented. Then I was in a bit of a panic because we had to be back in Carlipa to get the kids at 12 noon for lunch. They stop for lunch for 2 hours and start back at 2pm and finish at 5pm. It seems a long day but it’s still only 6 hours of school, 4 days a week with no school on Wednesdays for some reason.
Tuesday 2 September 2008
Today was the kids’ first day at their new french school. We were all a bit nervous but as it turned out we had no need to be. Madame Annabel (Le Professeur) spoke good English (thank god!). We introduced ourselves. She was very nice. She was expecting us. She spoke to the kids in French. They haven’t had any children at the school who haven’t been able to speak French before. Madame Annabel said they do about 1.5 hours a week of English instruction. It’s interesting that they start learning another language so young, grade 1 and 2.
There's no school uniform. The school provides all books and pencils. We had to buy a couple of art smocks, plastic cups, box of tissues and a cloth to wipe the wyteboard. The kids came home with homework in French so it’s out with the dictionary to translate. But sometimes it still doesn’t make sense.
There's no school uniform. The school provides all books and pencils. We had to buy a couple of art smocks, plastic cups, box of tissues and a cloth to wipe the wyteboard. The kids came home with homework in French so it’s out with the dictionary to translate. But sometimes it still doesn’t make sense.
Life in Carlipa - Henri at the "Cafe"
We introduced ourselves to Henri down at the café. He speaks as much English as we do French but we managed to have a few laughs after deux bieres and un pastis. There was a small group of men already drinking there and one of them spoke a bit of English so between us we managed to have a bit of a conversation. I still find it frustrating because I can think of things I’d like to say but can’t find the words. I want to be able to talk to people. It’s so isolating not being able to say what you want to say.
Henri and his merry men told us that there is about 20 pupils at the school which I think will be nice for Samuel and Ella. A small school with a lot of individual attention.
The café isn’t exactly a café, it’s more of a bar and also Henri has internet which is available to use if you buy a few drinks. Henri has an impressive collection of 750 cameras on display in the bar which he has collected over the years.
Henri and his merry men told us that there is about 20 pupils at the school which I think will be nice for Samuel and Ella. A small school with a lot of individual attention.
The café isn’t exactly a café, it’s more of a bar and also Henri has internet which is available to use if you buy a few drinks. Henri has an impressive collection of 750 cameras on display in the bar which he has collected over the years.
Our House in Carlipa
Andrew checking out the form guide
Samuel and Ella in front of our house and our little RenaultThe house we’ve rented has everything we need. It’s a 17th century 3 storey stone building restored from being virtually an empty shell. There’s lots of secret doorways leading into walk-in cupboards (which give me the creeps) which are dark and pokey inside. There is no way I would put anything in them.
Language
Andrew does much better than me with the French language. I get all anxious and tense when I’m trying to listen and then remember the words I recognise whereas Andrew seems to understand what people are getting at and communicates much more easily than I do.
I find it exhausting by the end of the day trying to communicate in French. There’s things I want to say, to ask questions about (so many questions all the time) but I don’t know how and it’s frustrating.
I find it exhausting by the end of the day trying to communicate in French. There’s things I want to say, to ask questions about (so many questions all the time) but I don’t know how and it’s frustrating.
1st September 2008
We’ll go to the school in the morning and see what we need to organise to get the kids in school. The school at Carlipa is across the road, one minute from our front door. The kids are dreading it. Samuel more so than Ella. I’m apprehensive as well but if worst comes to worst, and it’s awful and they both hate it, we don’t have to go. We’ll continue to home school and it’ll still be fine.
The main reasons we thought French school would be good is for the kids to mix with French kids and learn a bit of french.
The main reasons we thought French school would be good is for the kids to mix with French kids and learn a bit of french.
Carte de Sejour - Part 2
We had an unproductive day today. We went to Bram to ask at the Mairie about our carte de sejour. They said we had to go to Carcassone Prefecture. I was hoping to avoid going to the big city because the whole thing might be easier in a smaller town but that wasn’t going to happen.
Then we thought we’d go to a tabac to buy a phone card to call Allison (our landlady at Carlipa). Everything was closed for lunch. So we drove to Castelnaudary to ask at the Mairie there about our carte de sejour. They said to go to Carcassone. So I think we’re going to Carcassone tomorrow.
Then we thought we’d go to a tabac to buy a phone card to call Allison (our landlady at Carlipa). Everything was closed for lunch. So we drove to Castelnaudary to ask at the Mairie there about our carte de sejour. They said to go to Carcassone. So I think we’re going to Carcassone tomorrow.
Hotels in France
Some of the hotels we’ve stayed in have been beautiful historic buildings in themselves. The architecture, the staircases, windows, lighting and furnishings have been gorgeous. In Australia when we go on holidays I hate staying in old motels/hotels but in Europe old is often stylish and gorgeous. I find it cute. Mind you I miss the good old basics of bar fridge and tea/coffee making facilities which are standard at home and they rarely have here.
Carcassonne
Carcassone - La Cite – The old walled city built in the 12th century – amazing! Over 3.5 million people visit here every year. What’s not so amazing is all the tourist shops selling all that trashy tourist rubbish. I always wonder who buys all that stuff but I suppose someone does to keep the places open. Having said that I bought a tea towel with a map of France on it and we bought the kids an ice cream.
I was having a day where the cost of everything was really getting to me. I mean 3 euros for a can of soft drink ($6 AU). I also found it irritating that we would have to pay to go into certain areas of the Old Cite. So we saved that one for another day.
I was having a day where the cost of everything was really getting to me. I mean 3 euros for a can of soft drink ($6 AU). I also found it irritating that we would have to pay to go into certain areas of the Old Cite. So we saved that one for another day.
Carte de Sejour - Part 1
Finally arrived at the prefecture in Carcassone on Friday afternoon to find it usually closes at 3pm on a Friday. If only we'd known.
Carcassonne
It's very hot here, 30 degrees plus. The usual dramas getting to a new town and finding a place for the night. It’s the worst part of my day, everyone’s fed up and we all just want to get out of the car.
We stayed in a modern Hotel Coronnes. We had to book 2 adjoining rooms (116 and 82 euros) but breakfast was included which was 10 euros each. The hotel was close to town which means we are able to walk around to things. Driving around the narrow streets, not knowing the one ways and parking are all a total nightmare in a new place.
We stayed in a modern Hotel Coronnes. We had to book 2 adjoining rooms (116 and 82 euros) but breakfast was included which was 10 euros each. The hotel was close to town which means we are able to walk around to things. Driving around the narrow streets, not knowing the one ways and parking are all a total nightmare in a new place.
Food and Wine
We had a delicious meal at a place called Lou Pescadou along the river. The restaurant has had the same scrumptious menu since 1965 (according to Lonely Planet). Starting with a fish soup, you rub garlic on the bread sticks then sprinkle cheese on the bread and pour the soup over it. Then a huge bowl of mussels arrived which Samuel and Andrew devoured followed by pate de campagne which you dollop on your bread. Then a grilled fish and for dessert a slice of stripey icecream laced with liquor. Excellent!
Micropolis 'La Cite des Insectes' (Insect World)
This was an interesting visit for the kids 20km outside Millau. This was an insect place where the insects were human size and the humans were insect’s size. They had displays of live insects and spiders which were massive and hairy – totally creepy. We had a lovely lunch at the restaurant there, it was a beautiful day to be looking at insects.
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