The blog continued... Well, I haven't written on the blog since way back in Barcelona... and that's just over two months ago, so here's a bit of an update...
France 2010
Montpellier
Arrived in Montpellier to stay with Celine's long time friend Delphine and to enjoy a bit of French cuisine (oh how I miss that, I'm writing this in Japan, noodles and tiny portions!) and to visit the town a little. One highlight was joining the wine tasting class and of course tarte au saint nectaire and boudin noir. You know, I've eaten a lot of food from round the world, and French food takes some beating.
Tried to find on the map the campsite I stayed at 20 years ago with Andrew and family, think it was called Mari-sol and must have been somewhere within a 200km radius, but that's for next time, along with St Tropez!
The Alps
On toward the alps and Faverges 
to meet Celine's mum and dad to stay in the chalet for a couple of weeks. We must have hit one of the worst continuous periods of bad weather for a long time, it rained, rained and rained and when it didn't it was low cloud in the valley. 
The one walk we managed had to be abandoned after half an hour due to a thunder storm (I love the french for this “l'orage”, sounds somewhere between “rage” and “orgy”).
Didn't get up to too much, went out on the bikes for a ride, ate lots of good food, visited the local trout farm, where the fish was caught through to becoming delicious fillets in a matter of minutes.
Paris
Then onward to sweet Paris, where 
we stayed with Eric and Arnaud for a few days, more good food and fabulous whisky! Visited the Pere Lachaise cemetery, filled with grand memorials to the deceased as well as the final resting places of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison and a poor chap called Leopold Fucker. Visited Musee d'Orsay which had a fabulous but disturbing exhibition on crime and punishment.
Made use of the Velib', the system of public rental bicycles in Paris, which can be rented for €1 per day, provided you swap bikes every half hour at a different station. Cycled along the banks of the Seine, and even went out to the bar/dance club by bike, something I've not done for a while.
The family reunion
On to the small town of Mezieres-sur-Seine to Celine's Aunt and Uncle's, to stay for a couple of days and to hold the Margontier family gathering. Gerard gave me my first ever guitar lesson (even managed that after a whisky or two), and had a lovely day meeting Celine's extended family.
For more pics click here!
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