RETURN TO WATERLOO

Yesterday I got up at 5.30 am and Claudie and her husband drove me the 90 km to the airport in Marseille. We said good bye and I was really sad to leave them I had such a wonderful week !

Unfortunately I thought the plane would leave at 10 am but it was only at 10.25, so I was far to early. Then we had to wait 45 min in a line to get out of the gate and into the plane.

Nobody understood why it took such a long time. Usually they open the gates and you step in the plane. Finally we were all seated when the pilote announced that there was a strike of the ground personnel of 30 min in Marseille. So we sat in the plane and then had to wait another 30 min until our luggages were loaded which made a total of one hour waiting in the plane ! Children and babies screemed, people were angry, it was a real "cheerful" atmosphere.

When we finally left at 12, the time where we should have landed in Brussels South Airport, there were not enough food on board for all the hungry people ! Of course they had foreseen coffee and croissants and not enough sandwiches or hot meals as we were expected to leave at 10.25 and arrive at noon !

Finally I arrived at 2 pm and was expected by an exhausted Mr. G. who had a bronchitis and a big cold and caughed and sneezed as if he would get payed for. He was awfully tired because he had to take antibiotics. In fact he had catched what I had before I left for France. What a return !

Now he is in bed and I am awfully tired so I will start my usual blogging from Monday on.

VISIT TO ST. TROPEZ

Yesterday evening Claudie's friends came over for supper, we had pasta, salad, cheese and ice cream. We had a lot of fun and discussed and laughed until midnight !



Today we went to St. Tropez which is known for its famous and extremely wealthy summertime guests. It has been dubbed the 'playground to jetsetters, fashion models, and millionaires', and it is most-enduringly known as the place which the iconic Brigitte Bardot had discovered as her favorite holiday place and has her villa "La Madrague" still there. Therefore it became an internationally-known seaside resort. It is a resort for the European and American jet set and since shortly also for the Russian millionairs. We saw huge luxury yachts, Ferraris and Lotus cars for which you have to spent around 50.000 $ ! Unfortunately the owners are not so pretty like the yachts and cars and mostly old and rather faded.

After a long walk through the city we had a nice picnic on the place "les Lyces" in the middle of St. Tropez. Claudies sister with husband and daughter and the two grandchildren were with us.

This was my last day, when you read this I am on my way back home to Brussels.

A TOUR AROUND THE EMBIEZ ISLAND

Claudie's daughter Melissa learned for her exams and I found a way to cover my screen with table sets so that I could see something despite the sunshine. I took these pictures outside of her apartment where she lives for the moment until her house is finished.



In the afternoon we went to Embiez had a drink there before taking the boat to the island which belongs to the Ricard family major producer of the famous anis flavoured liqueur "Pastis"



We took a little train around the very beautiful island and stopped the grave of Paul Ricard who bought the island in the 50th.

VISITING HYERES AT THE FRENCH RIVIERA

After our long morning chat, little blogging and photo work, we went after lunch to Hyères an old town 4 km (2.5 mi) from the sea. We walked through the small little streets and then sat at the Place Massillon for a drink.



Claudie and I waiting for our drinks



Hyères is a popular location for tourism in the winter, and facilitates the cultivation of palm trees; about 100,000 trees are exported from the area. As a result, the town is also called Hyères Les Palmiers (Palmiers = palm trees).



We then went to the habor of Hyères with is also very huge and admired yachts and sailing boats. Lots of people were cleaning their boats or had them cleaned. The view over the sea to the islands in front of Hyères was very beautiful. Anyway I will report about all this later when I am home.

We had a Raclette as supper and Claudie's daughter returned from University which was a nice surprise and we had a very cheerful evening.

FIRST LITTLE SIGHTSEEING AT THE FRENCH RIVIERA

The first day of my holidays started with a nice cup of coffee on the balcony with a blue sky and a lot of sunshine. I only have coffee in the morning because I am never hungry and they never took breakfast either, so that was another use we shared together.

I did my little blogging and we chatted a lot of course and than had a nice lunch with the left overs from the evening, before we went to the sea.



Our lunch table, my "office" and a picture I took in a bakery



We walked along the sea front in Sanary, a nice little town. The whole landscape reminded me so much of Italy. We sat in the sun in a little café and had a coffee. The weather is warm but not enough to walk around in a T-shirt we needed a cardigan because there was a little wind.



Then we went to the next little town Bandol. I don't remember having seen any leisure ports with so many luxury yachts in both cities !

We went to a beach bar and had another drink before shopping at "Lidl". The Europeans will all know that Lidl is a supermarket and so far I have been in it in Italy, England, Germany and now in France. The funniest thing is that the shops in all countries have exactly the same display as my Lidl in Waterloo, so besides the language and some local products it's everywhere exactly the same and I wasn't lost at all.

After supper on the balcony we chatted and laughed a lot before we all went to bed rather tired !

ARRIVED IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE

Leaving home at 6 am to drive to the Brussels South Airport where my flight was at 8.30 am, I arrived in Marseille at 10 am.



The flight was real nice and the cheap flight Company Ryan air very good too. The plane was clean the stewards very friendly and there was really nothing to say. I have to point that out, because I had heard so many bad things about this company.

Claudie and her husband Pierre were already waiting for me and it was as if we had known each other really and not only virtually since the 3 years we know each other through our blogs.




We dropped my luggage off in their flat they live in until their new house will be built and hopefully finished by September. Then we drove over to her sister who had invited us for lunch.
I could imagine the new house which which is growing and will be real beautiful.

Then we had a nice barbecue with the whole family in the huge garden with olive trees and gorgeous flowers and a view over to the sea. It was very funny. Claudie's sister gave me an old hat against the sun, I had forgotten mine and I looked like Miss Marple in Jeans !



I took a picture from their big balcony, in front is a beautiful tree and besides the building people play petanque which is a typical South France game with metal balls.

In the evening we had guests and Pierre had prepared a delicious buffet.

I had to go to bed at 10 pm I was so tired from the trip and also from the antibiotics I still have to take.

Today I think Claudie and I will go to the sea.