We've enjoyed the lush river valley of the loire. We visited only 2 of the more than 300 chateaux in this area. They range from quite modest to spectacular, from hilltop to river, from derelict to luxurious 5* hotel. In 2003 we visited this area with Ros and Carly and visited the underground chateau, which has now been excavated further, although much of it is unsafe for visitors. This is Brézé, known for its enormous pigeon loft as well as the fortified under...

I've missed a couple of days' blogging as the hotels we were in, although lovely places, didn't have enough WiFi signal to be able to upload content. We've had a few days here in the Dordogne, named after its lazy, meandering river, and famous for its large British ex-pat communities. I can see why they're here; the countryside is rolling, lush farmland, rather like the West Country in appearance, but the climate is much better, enabling outdoor swimming pools...

The legendary home of Cyrano de Bergerac, in fact he never lived here, but that hasn't stopped the townsfolk using his name as their USP. His statue dominates the central square under the 14th century church, which has been renovated more times than Trigger's broom. This pretty town has many jetted half timbered houses from the late medieval period when the town's prosperity grew due to the export of wine and timber. It was one of the first towns to have elect...

At the start of Spain's civil war the International Brigades arrived to join in, some to support the old order and some to support Franco's revolution. Zaragoza, as Capital of Aragon, was a strategic target as it controlled the Ebro river crossing. Forty Km away the town of Belchite was the scene of a bloody battle between 2 brigades of American volunteers who were sent to help the locals stave off Franco's march on Zaragoza. The town is on a slight hill in an...

A visit to this part of France would not be complete without seeing Lourdes. The town was not quaint, or even pretty to our eyes. We parked by the market and walked down towards the Grotto where St Bernadette saw her vision, through streets lined with shops selling religious knick-knacks. We browsed the first one, amazed at the variety of bottles on offer and settled on a plastic one in the shape of Our Lady. I paid an extra 10c for the painted variety. When w...