Tiptoe Traveller in: Malissard, south east of France

Train journeys from London to the south of France: convenient, relaxing and greener  

La Drome

France is the country where I was born and brought up. Even though I now live in the UK, I will always have that special feeling of excitement when I set foot in France. A friend of mine asked me whether I feel more English now that I have spent many years in the UK. My answer was 'England is my home but I will always be French in my heart'. This post is about a quick trip by train to the south east of France, to a village called Malissard, close to Valence in the Drome region.

I travelled by Eurostar from London to Paris and then by TGV from Paris to Valence. My journey was very pleasant and took five and half hours. The check-in processing for the Eurostar only took a few minutes. Once you have shown your ticket, you go through security. Inside the terminal, it is worth noting that there is not much entertainment available but you are only there for 20 minutes or so. In the train, the journey is so quick that you probably just have time to read a newspaper and have a good nap.

Once in Paris, I took the RER to Gare de Lyon. If you can, it is worth buying your ticket in advance in the Eurostar. You will avoid the long queues at the ticket machines in Gare du Nord. The journey takes about 20 minutes. You will need to validate your TGV ticket (this is called 'compostage') at the yellow machines on the platform before boarding the train. Do make sure you have booked a seat on the TGV. The trains get very full (especially at the week-end and during school holidays) and there is little space to sit and stand once all seats have been taken. It is also quite tricky to travel with large suitcases as luggage space is limited. Some TGV trains have two floors and some luggage space is available upstairs. You should try to keep your luggage as close to you as possible as it has been know for bags to be stolen. Not nice I know, but it is better to be safe than sorry!

Chabeuil town hall - photo by Jean Drescher

I went to Malissard to visit some friends. Amongst other things, we went strawberry and cherry picking. The weather has been so warm that fruit are ripening earlier than usual this year. What a pleasure to be able to pick your own fruit. A few kilometres away, you will find Chabeuil, another pretty village worth a visit.


La Pangée: an edible piece of history

On Sunday, we went to a patisserie to buy a speciality from the region called la Pangée. Apparently, 240 million years ago, the village of Beaume Cornillane  (close to Malissard), would have been the centre of the earth when there was only one continent. The cake looks like it has a piece missing to replicate the shape of the continent at that time. It is made from local ingredients including apricots, honey and almonds. Delicious!

After a weekend packed full of activities, eating and chatting, it was time to head home. The trip back to the UK was pretty easy. I travelled from Valence to Lille by TGV and from Lille to London by Eurostar. The journey took six and half hours.

My thoughts on train travel

I would definitely recommend Eurostar and TGV travels. The return ticket was more expensive than a flight but the environmental benefits and the convenience make it really worthwhile. Overall, I find travelling by train far more relaxing than flying.

Do you enjoy travelling by train? Whereabouts have you been recently? What is your favourite journey?

New Zealand - A dream comes true (Part 1)

New Zealand has always been a dream destination for me. "The land of the long white cloud", as it was called by the Maori when they first discovered it, offers amazing landscapes, beautiful mountains, forests, lakes and gorgeous beaches. Although tourism is an important income for the country, I felt that New Zealanders are very proud of their land and wish to protect it the best they can through ecotourism initiatives. 

Some people might comment on the fact that this was far from being a green holiday. And I agree. My aim is to pursue my travels in the most environmentally friendly way possible when options are available. In this case, I will probably visit New Zealand once in my life and 2010 was the right time for me to fulfil that dream.

Our itinerary

We spent 18 days travelling across both south and north islands. Obviously, we had to select the areas to visit as several months would have been needed to visit the whole country.

Our method of transport and accommodation was a campervan. We did manage to get a good deal but we ended up with a pretty old vehicle. It did survive the trip (just!).

Although this method of transport involves a lot of driving, it is a fantastic way to discover a country which has so much to offer. Being able to park up and spend the night wherever we fancied was amazing.

View from our campervan, in a DOC campsite

The advantage of having a campervan is that you can stay in a campsite or freedom camp where allowed. Some areas are against freedom camping particularly around Wanaka and Queenstown. So you need to check the signs. We have stayed in both basic campsites which offer toilet facilities and fresh water only (no hot water and no showers) and modern campsites which offer a whole range of facilities.  

We decided to spend 2 weeks in the South island and 1 week in the North island. Below is our itinerary.

South island - A chance to re-connect with nature



         

Photo diary

Lake Wanaka

Lake Wakatipu

Milford Sound

Climbing Fox Glacier



A scenic route between Queenstown and Wanaka

Blenheim - The wine region

Whales watching in Kaikoura - Magical!

In my next post, I will share our itinerary for the north island. Feel free to ask me any questions if you are planning a trip yourself. It really is a beautiful country, just like I had imagined it (and much more!).

Through the lens - Sisteron, South East of France



Sisteron, South East of France - Stunning place to go swimming!



Through the lens: La Drome, South of France

Teyssieres, Drome region - this is where I grew up

Through the lens - Tiptoe Traveller in Hanoi, Vietnam



Hanoi, Vietnam - Can you spot that poor man at the top of the ladder?



Through the lens - Tiptoe Traveller in Vietnam



Stunning views in Halong Bay



Expats: what's in your suitcase?

From childhood treats to favourite local produce: a little taste of home

I have been living in England for 16 years. All these years ago, I left my country to start a new life (although I didn't know it at the time) and found a new home: London. What an amazing city! I could not go back. Everything I had always wanted was there on my door step.

But even though you can find pretty much anything here, there are a few things I do miss from my native country. These little things we grow up with. They put a smile on our faces and make you feel all warm inside. Do you know what I mean?

I was born in the South East of France, famous for so many specialities: Côtes du Rhône wine, Nougat, chocolates, olives from Nyons, charcuteries, cheeses and much more. Unfortunately, I can't bring back all of these things so here are my favourites:

No 1 on my list: Olives from Nyons - With herbs, garlic or spicy - They are so tasty!

No 2 on my list: Nougat - made from honey and almonds - simply delicious - lovely treat for Christmas

No 3 on my list: Picodon: a regional goat cheese (only if I travel straight home as it can be a bit smelly)

No 4 on my list: Crème de marrons de l'Ardèche (chestnut jam) - It's delicious with pancakes.

Photo: my kitchen diaries

No 5 on my list: Lavender (when in season) for its relaxing properties

I would love to know what you miss most when you are away from home.

Why I fell in love with Portugal

The real Lisbon: simplicity, authenticity and joie de vivre

I spent 3 days in Lisbon with 5 girlfriends. One of them is actually Portuguese. There is no better way to discover a new country when you are accompanied by a local person.  

I loved the city, the people and the food.

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal. The history of this city is fascinating. The Lonely planet guide describes this very well. Walking around is probably the best way to discover this place. If you get tired, there is a very good tram system. The line 28 takes you to the old part of town.




As you get closer to the centre, you will find beautiful classic architecture. Some buildings need a bit of TLC but it actually gives the city its unique charm. It did remind me of Cuba: not overly developed (if we compare with other European capital cities), very old shops and a few graffiti.

It is really nice to see that Portuguese people are holding on to their traditions. Finding souvenirs which are made in Portugal is pretty easy. You can get some lovely potteries or colourful ceramic tiles.  

The food is simple but so tasty. Their speciality is bacalhau, dried salty codfish which is cooked in many different ways (tomato sauce, olive oil and garlic sauce, white sauce etc...).

Portuguese people love their desserts. One of their specialities is custard tarts. If you are going to have one dessert, you should definitely try them.

This country has so much to offer. The best places seem to be hidden behind old facades. You have to talk to the locals to discover those treasures.

And how refreshing it was to find a place which wasn't developed to accomodate tourists needs. I believe the resorts by the seaside are pretty developed in this country, but the capital is so full of character. I highly recommend a little trip to Lisboa.



Our first Portuguese lesson





Bacalhau: Portuguese word for dried and salted codfish - simply delicious





Amazing choice of pastries






















Old cash register - holding on tradition

Tram: a great way to visit the old town



Have you been to Portugal?
What did you think?