I admire places that manage to combine traditional, old buildings (churches, colosseums and the like) with new, cutting edge architecture and design, something Arles seems to have done very nicely. We spent much of our time admiring the old and the new of the town. What have the Romans ever done for us… I am…
So we have reached a tipping point and started our journey back north, waving goodbye to the Cote d’Azur and pointing the BBT in the direction of Arles. This has been on my travel list since reading about Le Nord Pinus, a hotel frequented over time by the likes of Picasso, Hemmingway and Christian Lacroix,…
Italy v Uruguay Il pleut! In fact il pleut a seaux! I suppose it had to happen at some point, but we had our first wet match, or at least it would have been, had we not been under cover. Stade de Nice may be a pain to get to and from, however it’s designed,…
The time we spent living and working in Asia meant that we were lucky enough to accumulate a diverse range of friends, many of whom we don’t get to see very often – literally years can go by between meetings, but that doesn’t mean that we love you less. This trip has reminded me of…
England v Japan We are a reduced crew for today’s match, with the Canadians either opting to remain by the pool or heading out for dinner with their kids, who are also in town. The Fabulous Five headed back to Stade de Nice with our fingers crossed for an England victory and an easier post…
Wales v Portugal So, thus far we have spent the first part of our trip staying on our own, though meeting friends along the way at matches, but as we wave good bye to Cassis, we are now heading to Nice to stay with friends we have know for a very long time. In fact…
We have a few match free days as we head south again and are looking forward to some time when we are not in the BBT, but are lying in the sun instead. Our 1st stop was a lovely hotel in Beziers, with a pool, air-conditioning and another fridge full of wine. What’s not to…
Wales v Fiji Just what you need when you wake up after not enough sleep and probably a little too much to drink – a 650km drive to your next destination, but what’s 6 hours in the car between friends. We roused the troops and packed them off to their own accommodation and then set…
ENGLAND v ARGENTINA A day that did not start or end quite as planned. We waved goodbye to Avignon, Florian, and his lovely wife and headed south to Marseille for our 1st game of the RWC 2023 (Catering had finally recovered from the fact that I had booked a smart, non-cancellable dinner on the Friday…
The original plan after wine country was to head straight to Marseille and spend 2 -3 days there ahead of our 1st match. I was supremely smug having booked well in advance a lovely looking apartment overlooking the Old Port. Then 6 months ago they cancelled my booking, apparently having sold the building – I…