While we were on our floating island pontoon we had to go back to a medical centre for Pete’s ears throat etc – tonsillitis! More drugs. whilst in town we tripped over the Mahon Festival. Actually it’s not hard to bump in to a fiesta, Saints Day or some other celebration – there are plenty of them! The giant statue things are operated by children inside them and there are some funny incidents where their adult minders have to get them back on track. There is a pretty little statue of a fund girl by our favourite tapas place. (see pic)
Somewhere along the line we had thought to go to the Cannes Festival of Yachting in France so by the time we had decided to go to the North of France for Pete’s 70th! it seemed easy to fit in. Our friends Howard and Sue lately of Sundowner, with whom we sailed a lot with in the Caribbean, have bought a riverboat in Holland and got it to the Meuse River. We drooled and fantasized over various boats at Cannes and had too many drinks on the Lagoon stand. We had a lovely lunch with a Lagoon agent and his parents at the Raddison the next day. It was all very interesting but hot and very busy. Cannes seemed a bit of a tired old lady but I tried to imagine it in Film Festival mode and 50 to 75 years ago in it’s heyday. We people and car watched. Neither of us had seen so many Astons, Ferraris, Maserati etc in one place - and a large brand new Rolls convertible being driven by two teenage boys! (I don’t think they stole it). We walked the Croisette ,of course, and wished we had our scooters with us.
After three days we hired a car to drive to Charleville Mierze in the Ardennes about 9 hours away. We arrived after getting lost right at the last mile or two thanks to the world’s worst in car GPS. Howard and Sue were waiting for us by the foot bridge near their boat. “My Way “is a 40’ two cabin very comfortable Linssen. We had hello drinks and an earlyish night.
The next day we were at the local medical centre with Pete’s ears and throat again. The teenaged doctor in a designer T shirt, ripped jeans and fashion trainers gave him steroids, drops, painkillers and antibiotics. Here’s hoping! there was a marionette festival on so we looked in the museum. Some were very dark and gothish but the two I took pics of were quite quirky.
We had a great week with Howard and Sue travelling along the Meuse and associated canals, Howard steering us cleverly through locks with Sue directing us on the lines and general lock skills, stopping at picturesque little towns, and having French meals and wines. This was an area of intense horrible fighting in the 1st WW, it is hard to imagine all the beautiful countryside all blown apart and full of trenches. There are a lot of war cemeteries and memorials everywhere. Verdun is just an hour south of where we are.
For Pete’s birthday night we found a lovely little Auberge in Stenay, where we forgot to take any photos. Sue and Howard gave him a very nice shirt and I am getting him a new BBQ and a chain counter (both when we get back to Oz). It was a fun and happy night.
Getting back to Menorca was almost impossible! Who knew it would be so hard? The flight from Paris was easy enough, but getting there ……Taxi to Verdun, bus to Meuse, train to Paris Est, taxi to C de G airport. Phew. Luckily it all went perfectly, we even accidentally got in the first class carriage on the train and nobody moved us. Howard and Sue are wintering in Stenay and had to get back to England to pick up their car for the next 5 months and had the same trouble. We told them that when they come to sail with us in the Greek Islands we will find one that is impossible to get to and none of the planes, trains and ferries connect! (that could very well be the case in any event).