August already… Time for most French people to take their annual holidays and so the same goes for your « Mary »! Though there will be no more blog writing until September, yours truly will stay in the beautiful Vendée and try to enjoy it a little whilst running a brand new B&B (which seems to be already [...]
The holidays are in full swing here in the Vendée and, luckily, the sun has returned just in time for the next wave of arrivals from the UK. If you are first-time visitors to the area, it may surprise you to learn that a holiday on the Atlantic Coast doesn’t just have to be about golden [...]
Summertime and the living is easy… Well at least it would be if the famous Vendée sunshine were to put in an appearance - one long week of unusually cold and wet weather is enough to drive anybody to drink and I am no exception! Thankfully, if you, like me, are looking for some liquid cheer, there are [...]
France is a real paradise for antiques hunters and flea market lovers. Vintage French crockery, enamel road signs and wrought ironwork are amongst the favourite items purchased by British tourists and expats but my preference goes to old coffee grinders (as pictured here) though I don’t even drink the stuff! Like many such « treasures », they don’t just look good on a [...]
If you have taken holidays in France before, you will know that the French don’t normally need much of an excuse to open a couple of bottles of wine and party until the small hours of the morning! This is particularly true on 14th July, the French National day (or Bastille day as we know it). All around [...]
If you are a keen cyclist then you are now (like my husband!) most probably glued to your TV to follow the daily progress of this year Tour de France. We were lucky enough here in the Vendée to welcome the 3 first stages of the Tour and I must say that I absolutely loved it! The weather was sunny [...]
This week our neighbours took themselves off to Venice to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary in style. As it happens, my dad was there also (as every year in his case) and it is easy to see the attraction such a destination holds for many tourists. But if you’ve opted for a holiday in the sunny [...]
