A visit to France, a last minute booking to try a new experience in Spain and strangers in town.

Deja Vu Part 3??

Regular readers know that we are members of Seaton & District Town Twinning and it was our turn to visit Thury Harcourt in Normandy. A group of 27 headed to Portsmouth to travel as foot passengers on Brittany Ferries and we were welcomed by our hosts in Caen who transported us to Thury Harcourt arriving very late the same evening.

We have developed a strong friendship with our hosts Chantal & Jean Philippe so we quickly felt at ease and of course the really good red wines & calvados were soon flowing. The next day was spent en famille relaxing with our hosts followed by a group buffet dinner with a welcome speech from the new Mayor of Thury Harcourt in the civic centre.

Next day was a full day out starting with a boat cruise through the marshes with a stop for lunch before the heavens opened. Cheryl’s timing was not good and she got soaked. Next stop was to a toffee factory and gift shop where a hand drier was utilised for a much needed dry off – and those yoga/pilates classes came in handy as it was a bit of a stretch to get her jeans dry! The day ended with dinner at a local microbrewery.

Last day and we travelled to the coast for a nature walk follwed by lunch with our hosts at their holiday chalet before saying our goodbyes as we boarded the ferry home.

One Step Beyond

We had a gap in the calendar and Neil wanted to fill it. Time to try something new, a walking holiday with SAGA. What????? really, are we that old? – well yes, in fact you only have to be fifty to go on holiday so we were well qualified. Anyhow, despite the wrinkly connotations, SAGA did have a very appealing included extra – a taxi from your house to and from the airport, which is a real bonus for us. This holiday was based in Calpe in Spain and also included five guided walks in the area.

We met a few of the group the first night before we had a formal introduction and the first walk to Calpe rock and into the Old Town. Other walks through the week started with a bus ride out into the nearby hills and ranged in difficulty although none were too strenuous and the group bonded well. Evenings were fun as we were on an all inclusive basis and we had a lot of fun with our fellow walkers. The nightly entertainment was a bit hit and miss but overall we had a great time.

Calpe Rock and Old Town

Tarbena

Calpe

Fleix

Olta

The walking was very good with our guides who were very knowledgeable. There were a couple of glitches with some itinerary changes and rainy days but overall the whole holiday was excellent. Arriving back into Gatwick our friendly driver was waiting for us – so much better and faster than using the train. A big thumbs up for SAGA.

There be strangers in town……

Seaton held its first ever Pirate Festival and you will not be surprised that we love any old excuse to put on a costume and mess about. The weather was fantastic, the town was packed and there was so much going on – parades, buskers, bands in the pubs, kids activities in the Gardens and a two live bands at The Gateway to finish.