Happy Wanderer : Dax France 22-24 june

Yesterday I left the Lim family in Kent after a more cleaning up around the Farm. These weddings at home are a lot of work! Kathleen and the girls were tireless. Eileen had wracked up a lot of miles picking us up and dropping us off at various places; Gary had to be driven to Dover because the station at Sandwich was unexpectedly closed due to rail track works. I was dropped at Ashford International station on Monday to catch the Eurostar to Paris while cousin Kate got the Metro to London. Thanks to all the family for making it a lovely chance to catch up with everyone at once.

How easy to get to Europe without stamping in! The train was very comfy and the transfer to Gare Austerlitz easy as I took a taxi. It cost a small fortune but in the end it was worth it. I had plenty of time though got a bit distressed when I couldn't print boarding pass. I didn't have to anyway as it turned out because I had printed the e-ticket! The couchette was very comfy but I was on top bunk.

I slept soundly for a couple of hours then I started to get scared I would oversleep the Dax stop as the trains only stop for a short time at any stations. The end was Irun for the train way past Dax. In the end the train didnt go through to Dax as there was a train accident and the signals were out. I had to transfer to another train which meant I was two hours late. Michel had come back three times to see if I felt really bad to have caused so much trouble and in future will always take a phone number and address. However they do not live far from the station and we were home in about 15 minutes.

Monique and Michsel are just the same and our "connection" just as strong. I felt very easy with them both. The language barrier is not an issue and we manage to converse quite easily. It was a delight to meet their grand-daughter Emma who spoke English. She is holidaying with her grand-parents. After a magnificent lunch I actually took a small siesta because I was tired from the train trip. Later we played a dice game with Emma but then took a walk around the Lac de Christus a picturesque lake that has several walking and bike trails surrounding it.

I am not going to keep off the kilos with all this great food. Monique is as thin as ever but so strong. She runs every morning and is ever busy. Dax is a very pretty town founded in Roman times. There are thermal springs here so it has a reputation for healing.

This area is called Landes and stretches from the ocean to inland. There are lots of walking tracks in the area and Michel showed me three packets of leaflets with all the walks. The presentation was excellent and I thought it would be a good way for Victoria to promote the walks in the state.

It is hot and when we get home we looked at Michel's photos of the Camino del Norte. I feel inspired because it is so beautiful walking by the sea. They said they were the only pilgrims on the track most days. This time they stayed at a lot of pensions and hotels because it was almost as cheap as the albergues. It did rain most of the time however which was disappointing. Monique lost both her parents this year and so walking the Camino helped her grieve.

Next morning I experienced a real French breakfast with coffee in bowls not cups!

Check out the cups!

Monique took me to the Calesio thermal pools for a relaxing swim in hot water and bubbles followed by a sauna. I felt like a limp rag I was so relaxed. We then had a tradional French lunch of entre, main course, cheese and salad followed by dessert. Then we went out to explore the town. There are hot springs,a bull ring and cathedral of course. The river is not wide but does flood occasionally. On the banks they have sheep grazing to keep grass down, while on the other side they have a park of sorts but it is timber platforms with deck chairs and bright umbrellas. It looks so festive.

Bull jumping festival in Bull ring is a five day fiesta.