What could be better…? 2 comments

Another dreary bank holiday turned into a beautiful evening on Île de Ré last week.

The sun came out and the kids decided to do some body-boarding…

We built sandcastles…

…and knocked them down again

And we ate a picnic with our beach buddies as we watched the sun go down.

What could be better…?

Chasing the sunshine on Ile de Re 2 comments

Sunday morning was a dull grey affair, with the sun only just breaking through at lunchtime. We were resigned to an afternoon in the cinema (“17 Again” with Zac Effron – in French!…Whoopee!) until we got the call from Kevin -  “We’re on Ile de Re and it’s sunny!”

So, never ones to pass up the opportunity for an afternoon on the beach, we threw some things in a bag and scooted off to our favourite island.

The closer we got to La Rochelle, the cloudier it became.

By the time we reached the bridge to the island, it was pouring down. Pedestrians and cyclists alike were taking shelter under trees and cafe parasols.

A call to Kevin established that where they were, in St Martin de Re, was indeed sunny and dry – obviously a small patch of sunshine in the midst of a sky full of  black clouds. So we headed for the town with the beautiful harbour, where we would find the fabled ice cream shop, subject of many a “you have to try this…” conversation with the Dixies.

And for a while, once united with the folks from La Rochelle, we were indeed in a little bubble of sunshine. We ordered huge ice creams from the famous shop, which were delicious as promised. Some said I obviously have a big mouth, as mine was the only ice cream to not melt and run all down my hand. I prefer to think that it was my superior ice-cream-licking skills that prevented me from losing any of my white chocolate and “crumble” flavoured heaven from my italian-style cornet.

I allowed myself a little smugness

Sadly, our ice-cream-fuelled frivolity was not to last much longer as the wind whipped up and the clouds surrounded us. So, we jumped in the cars and headed off in the direction of the last remaining patch of blue sky towards Les Portes en Re.

Once there we took a stroll along the beach, a stone/shingle combination with lots of seaweed, that Sylvie had great fun popping underfoot. Kevin, ever the hunter-gatherer, decided he was going to attempt to catch some fish, so we split up with Molly and I laughing at accompanying Kevin, and the others exploring the beach-side forest.

Unsurprisingly the fish were outwitting Kevin once again, though it wasn’t his fault, or course   But it was a very pleasant day, with the small patch of blue sky having expanded into a vast cloudless swathe of blue as far as the eye could see.

As the sun started to dip we headed back to the cars, not taking with us anything vaguely resembling a fish (unless you count the rubber “bait” in Kevin’s fishing box-of-tricks….), but certainly taking some happy memories of another great day out.

With the summer setting in, we look forward to many more such days. This is why we love it here and why we will always will.

Great weather, beautiful places, special friends and happy times.

Who could want anything more?

A new route for the weekly commute 3 comments

For the last couple of weeks I have been saved the torture that is Ryanair and have instead sampled the delights of a “proper” airline.

Air France recently opened a new route from Nantes to London Ciy Airport, and I was there on the first day to try it out.

Upon arrival at the gate we were greeted with free coffee and cake…

As this is a proper airline, I had already booked my seat on the Fokker 50 plane, so there was no need to muscle my way to the front of the queue, elbows out and waving my boarding pass. I could just sit and drink my free coffee and eat my free cake in peace. Very civilised.

As boarding commenced, the 25 or so passengers ambled up to the desk and walked straight out to the plane. No being herded into the glass sweat-box/holding-area as with a certain other airline!

The plane was very smart, with a 2+2 formation of seats, which were very comfy. We had the luxury of seat-back pockets (yeah, posh or what?!) and ample legroom.

Once airborne, as it was the inaugural flight from France, we had a free glass of champagne. A free sandwich and drink were offered too, which is the norm (sadly the champers was just a treat!). The plane is propellor-powered so it was pretty loud, but as the flight is only an hour and a bit so it wasn’t too much of a problem.

It was a smooth flight in the main, with an easy landing at London City Airport [web site] in the heart of Docklands. It’s a very nice little airport, small enough that you can get in and out very quickly, but with a good selection of shops and food outlets. Five minutes from landing and I was standing on the station of the Docklands Light Railway that is attached to the airport. Fifty minutes from then and I was at my hotel in Paddington.

Comparing this experience with my previous journeys via Stansted, it felt like I had just travelled First Class. One just gets so accustomed to the basic level of service from Ryanair that when experiencing a normal airline one feels like royalty! And although there are far more facilities at Stansted, I would be very happy never to see that airport again, especially the ghastly Stansted Express, which has to be one of the worst train services in the country.

And as for the price? Well my initial trip cost just £157 return. Now, considering I booked this just 2 days before I flew, had I booked that late with Ryanair it would have cost me about £250 for the ticket itself, that’s without all the extra payments that one has to take into account with Ryanair. So it was really a great alternative and one that I have continued to use.

There are currently two flights per day during the week, with the outward flights leaving Nantes at 07:45 and 17:15 and the return flights leaves London at 08:25 and 17:45. at the weekend I think there are is only one flight per day. But this is a much more flexible timetable than Ryanair and is ideal for me on my weekly commute.

I am hoping that my travels to Maidenhead each week will not be a permanent feature for too much longer, but for now I’ll certainly be sticking with Air France. Not only is it a more convenient timetable, but the extra comfort, 20kg baggage allowance, easy check-in and boarding procedures, price and frequent flyer points programme all add up to a winner for me.