The Good Squad

Us and Lula the bus Travelling definitely brings out the friendly side in people, and in France it seems the norm to say hello to virtually every person you pass. Pulling up alongside other live-in vehicles, it feels only polite to smile, say hello and if possible, engage in a little conversation. We have been away six weeks and the difference I’ve found between us and most other people travelling is that they are on holiday, and will at some point soon be returning ‘home’, unlike us, who are travelling indefinitely, in our home. We are yet to find anyone in the same boat (or bus) as us. On meeting other camper-vanners and motor-homers, the first question we are asked is always ‘where are you from?’ followed by ‘how long are you are you away for?’ It feels a bit awkward to be honest, as I don’t really know the answer; to say we are from England is fine, after that it gets complicated. My new answer is ‘we live on the bus’.  So far we have only met a couple of English peopl...

This week was the first since we've been away that we truly had time to relax, take stock and ruminate on our adventure so far, and where better to do it than in Arcachon Bay a beautiful basin in the South West, dotted with fishing villages and supplier of 60 percent of France's oysters! Time to relax & ruminate The first couple of weeks away were an all-out mission to make it to Bordeaux with the bus in one piece in time for the grape-picking; our enjoyable but enforced stay in Normandy meant we were a little late, but we made it. The following two weeks were a culture shock and immersive introduction to the crazy world of the vendange (grape harvest) - a fun filled, wine fuelled, physically exerting, noisy and sometimes confusing experience, where we were dead-beat by the end of each day. The day after the final celebration at the Chateau was my birthday and we departed with muzzy heads and without much of a plan other than to head South. That was a week ago; si...

The last week has been great with not one, not two, but three reasons to celebrate! Firstly the vendange (grape harvest) came to an end on Wednesday, so as well as getting a long overdue lie in, we got to experience the ‘Gerbaude’, a sensational party thrown by the chateau for the vendanguers (grape pickers) as a thank you. Secondly, this weekend marked a full month of us being away in the bus and thirdly (and most importantly) it was my birthday! So, to recap on the week’s events, on Monday and Tuesday we worked as usual in the vines; by Wednesday it was clear that us workers had made good time (we all worked an extra day last Saturday) and the harvest was on schedule to end on time.   On Wednesday morning we were told that we only  had to work a half day but would be paid for a full day - it was very lax, interspersed with long breaks, aperitifs, and impromptu football games.  On Thursday everybody had a day off and the Gerbaude party was due to commence on Frid...

Having a vine time This week we really got stuck in and experienced the full ‘vendange’ experience - vendange being the name given to the annual grape harvest in France. After six solid days of back breaking physical labour, interspersed with much wine and laughter, I thought in this week’s blog post I would sum up what a typical grape-pickers day looks and feels like…. Sunrise - when I get up! The alarm goes off at 6.30am, when it is still dark, Nina goes out and has a mooch about with the other dogs on site, of which there are about ten or so. After coffee on the bus we traipse up to the Chateau which is about a 10 minute walk, and by the time we reach the courtyard there are many workers gathering and bustling about   in various states of hung-over-ness, since they really like to party here, on any night of the week. The walk to the Chateau In the large dining room breakfast is available from 7-8am, it’s buzzing with noise and I pick a seat at one of the 10 l...