Artist Catherine Mc Cue Boes

Madonna in the Caves Scull in the Caves Bottled Champagne Drawings in the Caves Bodies in the Caves The Caves We Drove to Reims , where we started our trip through France, we had not visited a champagne cave so we needed to finish off our trip with a visit to the House of Pommery . ‘Champagne seems to have had more than its fair share of capable widows, and Madame Pommery was no exception. After the region's best known, the veuve Clicquot , Madame Pommery is the most famous. She took a fledgling Champagne house and laid the foundations for the creation of a grande marque. She moved the house towards the exclusive production of sparkling Champagne rather than still, which was more prevalent in the late 19 th Century than it is now, as well as overseeing construction above ground and below. Above ground she commissioned a grand house, which is notable for being an unusual mix of both styles and materials, which is a polite way of saying it looks weird. The...

Château du Clos-de-Vougeot Writings in stone Wooden statue Château du Clos-de-Vougeot Tools Château du Clos-de-Vougeot C0urtyard at Château du Clos-de-Vougeot Vinyard at Château du Clos-de-Vougeot Statue at Château du Clos-de-Vougeot Castel de Tres Girard Odd shop Odd shop full of great things Local Finds More Great work Wednesday 18-8-10 Staying at the Castel de Tres Girard, Morey St Denis, and This delightful hotel is in the heart of the Burgundy wine country. Originally a seventeenth century wine press, the house was completely and skillfully restored in 2000, and the result is a lovely combination of modern with the original beams and stonework. It is a perfect base from which to explore the Burgundy area. It is only 20 kilometres from Dijon. We visited the Château du Clos-de-Vougeot 15km north of Beaune between Gévry-Chambertin and Nuits-St-Georges, where you get to see the mammoth thirteenth-century winepres...

Later we visited the Chateau De Pommord, the largest private owned vineyard, a fantastic place. We bought some wine and had it shipped to Australia. A Picasso exhibition was on at the Chateau so the visit was well worth it. Tuesday 17-8-10 Still in the wine growing, distract we drove on, tasting wine, stopping here and there, the weather was still wet but we enjoyed this part of France and would do it again.

Monday 16-8-10 Peter and I have decided that we should have started our trip through France here, in Beaune, we could have collected wine and had a great time, but as our trip is almost over we cannot take all this wine with us and we can only drink so much. As it was still raining, we visited the Hospices de Beaune, home for the poor, a remarkable building. The Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse in France.The Hospices de Beaune is a charitable institution in. It was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor and needy. The original hospital building, is one of the finest examples of French fifteenth-century architecture, is now a museum.

Sunday 15-8-10 We left the lovely Lake Annecy; the rain had not stopped so we decided to continue our journey to the Burgundy district, wine growing country. As we drove back down the Alps we passed colorful villages, use mostly for snow skiing, closed up except for a few shops and hotels. We arrived in Beaune, staying in the wine growing area and as it was a Sunday the old quarter was very quiet, well so we thought most of the tourists were sipping wine in the caves, (wine cellars) so we joined them.

Saturday 14-8-10 Still in Annecy, we decided to do some laundry, boring I know but a necessary. Later we visited a pewter factory and bought two wine goblets, great to see the old artisan still working. Found a secondhand shop and bought a jug for my pub. Drove around the Alps and visited some of the quaint villages, again the gardens were impressive as was the color of the buildings, but as the weather had turned bad we headed back to the comfort of our room.

Friday 13-8-10 We drove around and found a hotel situated by the lake; it was new and had a room with a balcony overlooking Lake Annecy. We considered a swim, but being used to a warmer climate we again declined, which was a mistake as the next day the weather turned cold and rained. Annecy is a holiday destination for families mostly, different from Monaco, the people are friendly, helpful and there is not a Ferrari in sight. We visited the markets in the historical part of the town and were pleasantly surprised by the crowds, the food was to die for and the great architecture. In the old part, narrow waterways, surrounded the buildings, the color and smell of the markets is hard to describe, you simple have to be there. We had lunch at a fancy restaurant, fish with mashed potatoes, plain food by European standards but we loved it. Later we drove around the Lake and watched a parade of colorful parasailing descend the mountain. We made a pack that we would try it for our self tomor...

Thursday 12-8-10 Annecy, we as usual arrived late and being school holidays, accommodation was hard to find, we eventually found a old but comfortable Hotel. Included in the price was dinner and breakfast. The owner made us feel welcome, we enjoyed a simple meal, and the waiter was please to practice his English.

Wednesday 11-8-10 Later we drive out of Briancon, and headed to the highest point in the Alps, winding narrow roads with snow-capped mountains surrounded us at every point. The drive turned out to be a bit of an adventure, the roads are narrow, steep and without safety barriers. Cyclists’ used the pass to train for racing and as far as we could see, were very good, in fact one passed us going downhill, impatient with our steady 50kl hour. We continued our journey over the top and down the steep descent to Annecy, passing lavender fields, creating a stunning landscape.

Tuesday 10-8-10 Last day in Grasse, we decided to leave the Mediterranean Sea behind us and seek the solitude of the French Alps. We drove to Briancon, the highest point in the Alps. On the way we stopped at little villages had coffee at took in the quite atmosphere of the local people, very different from Cannes. AS we arrived late in the evening, accommodation in Briancon was limited, so we decided on a motel, big mistake, the room was ok, but something was not right. After a sleepless night, I just wanted to go, but Peter talked me into spending time at the Historical Town, surrounded by a waterless mote, the fortress sits high on a hill and visited by many tourists, locals still live in the tiny houses surrounded by cobble narrow streets. It turned out to be a great day.

Monday 9-8-10 Drove to Cannes, more of the same, brown bodies, beaches, mostly private, people, packed like sardines lying on small section of the beach, I wonder if they have heard of skin cancer. The cars, people made if a fascinating day out, too crowed for us but never the less we enjoyed the ambience of the place. Peter and I declined the opportunity to swim in the due to the large crowds of people. As with Monaco, fashion conscious women pulling along their little toy dogs along the hot bitumen. We visited two exhibitions while in Cannes, which was surprising, both sculpture and ceramics and very good. Peter did his thing and photographed cars, boats and people.

Monday 9-8-10 Drove to Cannes, more of the same, brown bodies, beaches, mostly private, people, packed like sardines lying on small section of the beach, I wonder if they have heard of skin cancer. The cars, people made if a fascinating day out, too crowed for us but never the less we enjoyed the ambience of the place. Peter and I declined the opportunity to swan in the due to the large crowds of people. As with Monaco, fashion conscious women pulling along their little toy dogs along the hot bitumen. We visited two exhibitions while in Cannes, which was surprising, both sculpture and ceramics and very good. Peter did his thing and photographed cars, boats and people.

Saturday 7-8-10 Spent our last day in Monaco, shopping and getting ready to leave, we bought some Formula 1 souvenirs for the kids and generally had a great day. Sunday 8-8-10 We packed up the car, which had been stationary for a week and headed off to Grasse. Located in the hills we drove through the old towns with their narrow streets, the weather is now cooler which was nice for a change. Being Sunday the town was quite except for the odd tourist bus, very old and not many locals around. We were shocked when a fire truck and crew has used to retrieve a homeless man, the streets being to narrow to drive through, the firefighter employs a wheelbarrow to negotiate the tight streets, popped the dead man into it, and wheel him off to the truck. We visited the Fragonard Parfumeue, and of course bought some perfume, mostly for friends but I may also keep some. The small Museum was also fascinating; the work that goes into creating a new scent is extraordinary. In addition, the bottles use...