Loire Valley

We've had a great few days in driving up the Loire Valley, land the land of Chateaux and Kings and Queens. We had a great morning picking blackberries by the estuary of the Loire river. The patch was so big we ended up with with a bucket of berries. We didn't have enough jars so we had to empty a few things in the cupboard. We spent the night at a big goat farm that had been going for thirty years. They had six hundred goats and a rotary milking system which meant the man in control took the same amount of time for all of us to handmilk our goats. The next night we camped at a Historic Brick tile factory. It was still used occassionally. We got to see all the equipment they used to make clay into different tiles. Everthing was done and stored in unique sheds with big wooden frames and a holey tile roof. In the morning we went to a local goat farm which made goat cheese for restaraunts in Paris. It wasn't a 'France Passion' but we hoped we could stay and learn how to make cheese. The owner was very busy and after waiting all morning to talk with him we ended up leaving because he wouldn't come and talk to us. We drove onto another goat farm and on the way we passed lots of sunflower fields and some small dull villages where the only life was the pretty pink flowerbeds in the window boxes. We continued following the river to Cheanonceau Chateaux. It was privately owned and instead of going in, we decided to walk along the on other side of the river where we saw beautiful views of the castle and the gallery spanning across the river. We have been eating lots of fresh goats cheese from all the goat farms we've visited.
We went to Chateaux de Chambord on Saturday, after finding a spot for lunch in the massive park surrounding the chateaux. We walked around the moat of Chambord Castle. We were in awe of it's beauty especially the Renaissance Architecture and the spires on top of the towers. It was the most spectacular of all the castles we've visited so far. We decided to stay nearby at a 'France Passion' horse farm and go into the Chateaux again the next day. William and Thomasspent the night "throwing up from"- what we think were some old unwashed tomatoes. We went back to Chambord the next day and having EU passports us kids got in free. The interior was as beautiful as the outside. We walked around the grand reception halls and saw lots of art work, marble statues and tapestries. We liked the exciting four-poster beds in the Royal Apartments in the stories above. In the centre of the castle was a spiral, double-helix-staircase with two sets of steps that interwove like a candycane and is thought to have been designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. We liked the exhibit on the Castle during WWII and discovered the Mona Lisa was safely stored here during that time. The view of the park from the terrace roof top was spectacular and some men dressed in costumes played the french horn. The little bonus that made our day even better was that we didn't have to pay for parking because the bar was broken!

The Nieuwys
Pictures coming later!

Special Find

This blog is about a cheese farm we have found in France where we had a really nice time. We found the farm in our French passion book and arrived on Saturday night. We went to the barn with the shop inside. It was very busy, there was a long queue for the counter. We watched his wife Martine make some butter and milk their cows. Then we met Alain, the cheese maker. Mum and Dad had a big talk with him and he told us about his cheese business which is now three years old. He let us try some of his products and then kindly gave us some to take home and enjoy. He also invited us back for a cheese experience on Monday morning.

The next day we went to the beach and had a great time swimming in the very cold Atlantic sea waves. That evening we went back to the farm and saw Alain again. He was making fromage blanc, which we think is like sour cream. He asked Anneke to help him label his products and clean up and then he gave us a pot.

The next day Mum and Dad made some special French cheese and learnt lots about how he manages everthing. A journalist from the local newspaper came and Alain asked he English Neighbour-Judy to translate for him. We went to Judy’s place after the curds started draining and had coffee.

Thank you Judy and Alain for your kindness and generosity,
The Nieuwys

Brittany

On our first day in Brittany William cooked us great pancakes for breakfast. We drove through Saint Malo the walled city but not much to do in the wet weather. After lunch we driving and stopped at a Jypsey fair which mostly sold junk. We bought a corkscrew which we needed because before dad had had to open the wine with a knife and how could we be in France and not have a corkscrew. For the night we stopped at another French passion goat farm. When it was time for milking about 30 people turned up to watch. We like their shed it was simple and tidy. They we different because they made very soft young cheese that we almost curd but they were very tasty and not too goaty. The next morning we had a great walk along the cliffs by the sea. We followed the tracks between the gorse and flowers to a lighthouse and back it was very windy. We had a good afternoon at the beach. We stayed at an air at Point Plerin where some of us went walking and ended up sliding and sinking to our knees in the mud at low tide. At the next air by the beach at Plouha. us kids went for a freezing swim and played with French kids on the playground. Thomas baked a delicious custard and peach pie for dessert. The next day at the beach we went for a walk and had a ice-cream from the supermarket. The girls collected shells on the beach and made necklaces.

We arrived at the next air early the next day. Mum and Dad did washing and we played on the nearby beach and the rocks surrounding the harbour. We all went to the beach in the afternoon and made pools and rock hard sand balls. We had such a good day we decided to stay another day which we spent doing washing, relaxing, reading books and playing more on the beach and in the harbour.

Mont St. Michel

Hello Everyone,

After leaving the D-day beaches we drove to Mont-Saint-Michel. We were lucky that we got there. Our stupid at times GPS wanted to save us some miles and decided to send us down a steep hill with tight especially for a camper switchbacks. We had seconds thoughts about going down but we didn’t really have a choice. We were relieved when dad managed to get us around the first tight turn after two attempts but then we reached the second and things went downhill well thankfully not but almost. The second switchback was tighter and sharper. When dad was stuck halfway round he made us all get out of the camper and we watched as the front wheel spun without any traction. After many attempts dad our amazing driver got us around and onto a wider road. We were all very shaken and thankfully dad didn’t wet himself.



Our first views of Mont-Saint-Michel were stunning despite the grey weather. We found a park where we wouldn’t get stuck and walked out along the causeway to the abbey on the island. It was funny though Thomas got annoyed when a coach drove through a puddle and he got wet. Mont-Saint-Michel is a one thousand year old abbey on a granite island that is surrounded by sinking sand and water during the tides. We walked around the abbeys many shops, paths and the stone walls and buildings. There were many terraced levels all with great views of the surrounding setting. On the walk home we watched as one of the car parks was emptied so the cars weren’t flooded from the rising tide.

Normandy

We have spent the last week hugging the coast of France. Thomas was ill for a few days but recovered once we’d hit the D’day beaches of Normandy. It was a grey and drizzly while we explored Juno beach, where the Canadian Allies landed on D’day to free France and Europe. We moved on to Arromanches and parked at an Aire - a designated parking area for motor homes. Most of them are packed because of the summer holidays. We walked up a hill overlooking the concrete caissons protecting Port Winston, the temporary port where the British Allies unloaded their supplies to help liberate France.


The next day we went to the American War Cemetery overlooking Omaha beach. It was a little piece of America in France. We had to go through a security check in the Visitors Centre which was just like one’s in the American National Parks. We learnt a lot and understood a lot more about WWII and the importance of the D’day landings here in Normandy. Outside in the immaculate Cemetery were endless rows of white granite crosses and no matter how you looked at one others behind it would line up perfectly.

We went to Point du Hoc the next day and enjoyed Pate, homemade blackberry jam and some good French bread. We walked out to the German gun points and bunkers on the point. It looked like mars with all the bomb craters and we explored the damp, dark bunkers. We stayed at Utah beach where more American landed. We saw the memorials and watched our massive sandcastle get swallowed by the tide.

The next day we went to a German war cemetery and World Peace Garden. It had over 20,000 graves but was very different ti the American one. We stayed at a ‘France Passion’ Goat farm inland. We enjoyed petting the goats and watched them being milked. Anneke was lucky enough to bbe able to milk them with the owmer she said it was much easier than hand milking. So we left with more great ideas for our goats and cheese making back home.

More Photos for Belguim to France

Belguim to France

Hi Everyone,
We’ve done a lot in the last week, starting with a quick drive for the Netherlands across Belgium to France. On our first night in Belgium we stayed in a sports centre carpark, it felt like we could have been staying outside Waipukurau pools at home. We were close to town, the park and the pool, though the pool was four times the price and probably not much better. It was Sunday evening and we went for a walk down the main street and it was like a ghost town. Everything was closed for the day so we couldn’t buy any food but we went into the church and looked the buildings like city hall.
The next day we went shopping at a supermarket and then drove across the rest of Belgium. Lucky for us our hardest problem was finding a park at the shop, we didn’t have to learn another language just to buy some groceries. By the end of the day we still weren’t in France but we stayed at another sports centre, stuck in our camper because of the rain.

In the morning we drove into France and the entire landscape changed dramatically. We started going over hills and though big areas of farmland planted in a variety of crops, mainly wheat and corn. All the farms looked very busy with harvesting and baling straw. The architecture changed as well all the buildings became brick with steep orange tile rooves. We also noticed that a lot of the old farm buildings had collapsed and been left as piles of bright orange tiles.
Our first few days in France we have stayed in special carparks only for motor homes called Aires. The coastline is very beautiful the sea comes right up to the big chalk cliffs/hills at high tide. At low tide there are very big flat sandy beaches. A few of the Aires have been up on these cliffs right above the sea with really good views.
One night we spent at a French Passion park. It was a Goat Farm which made cheese. We felt right at home. They did all the work inside a big barn, including making the cheese in a special room. We got to watch them hand milk their goats, they were very good and super fast. While staying at the farm we also found some blackberries which we made into some yummy jam to have with biscottes(toast bread like a cracker).

William, the Nieuwys

Note: Internet is to slow to add photos so we will add them later. Sorry

Wind and Water ,The Kinderdijk mills

Our first view of the Kinderdijk was spectacular, nineteen classic old Dutch windmills scattered on the flat landscape. We walked along the reservoir learning all about the unique water management system. The stone octagonal windmills with thatched roofs were (before they made electronic pumps) used to turn scoop water wheels. The waterwheels carried the water that had been drained off the land up from the lower reservoir to the higher reservoir. It then drained from the higher reservoir into the river Lek. Millers and there families worked and lived in the windmills. The miller had to make sure the water level was maintained at the right height. He had to rotate the windmills to the angle so the windmills sails best caught the wind. Can you imagine our family living in a windmill. We enjoyed walking along side the stationary windmills in the sunshine. We crossed over the reservoir and back thorough town to the camper. It was a interesting history lesson you would not (because of the sea level) have in New Zealand.

Delft and Rotterdam Carnival

We left Maasluis and drove to Delft where they make the hand-painted white and Blue porcelain ware more famously known as delft blue. After finding a park in a residential street we walked to the oldest factory in Delft established in 1653. We didn’t take the factory tour but went into the gallery and shop. We were very vary not to touch or break anything. Dad felt very connected to the Delft Blue and wanted to buy something. We saw a vase for 3086 Euros ($6200NZD) and tile portraits for even more. We then walked around Delft and back to our camper. We then drove the massive Motorways up to Clara Maria Cheese and Clog farm near Amstelveen. We looked at there operation and watched a lady shaping cheeses off a press and the cows get milked. We then got lost in a massive flower distribution centre thanks to a road block. We drove out to a Camperplaats in Ijmuiden and watched the bigs ships, tugboats and a Rainbow Warrior going through the Noordzee canal to Amsterdam. We walked out along the dike and played in the sand at the beach. The next day we walked along the Dike again and Mum cut our hair. We stayed there again. On Friday we drove back to Masslius to Pj and Claudia and went to a canal and watched a boat parade. The parade was advertising and celebrating the local produce growing in all the huge glasshouses in the area. After the Boat parade we drove to PJ and Caudia’s friend’s garden house near Rotterdam. We had a BBQ and went into central Rotterdam for the ‘Battle of the Drums’-A battle of four dutch cultures playing African and Caribean music for the Zomer Carnival this weekend. We walked past the ‘TreeHouses’ and into the crowd. One of the Bands stopped next to us and we watched them practise up really close. We then folowed them to the stage and got really close because no one else was following the band. We danced along to the Rhythm of the drums and caught the hats and whistles that were being thrown into the crowd.


We slept in the Carpark of the Garden Houses. After a huge breakfast from Cadia and PJ’’s awesome friends we took our convoy of cars to the nearest Metro Station and took the Metro into Rotterdam because the parking at Claudia’s brother’s apartment was full because the Zomer Carnerval was expecting over a million people watching the parade today. We found a spot in the crowd and watched the parade. There we over 50 different groups all dressed up in sparkling, colourful outfits dancing behind trucks and on floats. After 2 hours we went back to the Garden House and drove on to a Camperplaats in Kinderdijk where we had a little problem with our sewage disposal but worked it out in the end.