France

We awoke in Nantes ready to continue our journey to Bordeaux. Delicious fresh pastries were enjoyed at a local award winning bakery, where we discovered chocolate hazelnut bread - yum! We took a FlixBus journey to Bordeaux, arriving 2 ½ hours late. The next morning we explored a local market which was full of many tasty treats. The afternoon was spent wine tasting at Chateau Pape Clement, a manor house overlooking hectares of vineyards and producing wine sold all over the world - this was a wedding gift from Gary McGurk. We then had incredible savory and sweet crepes for dinner, which made us realise that we had a long way to go to perfect our pancake making skills! The following day brought a very long journey to see the Dunes du Pilat. They were surprisingly touristy, with hundreds of people everywhere. But the dunes themselves were impressive; mounds of fine golden sand and a beautiful beach coastline with adjacent sand islands and sailing boats. Paragliders soared overhead and people splashed in the waves below.

We next caught a train to Capdenac to visit Jem's aunts; we were packed in amongst bicycles and lots of people on the smaller local train. We were warmly welcomed at the train station by Jem's aunts Sara and Sharon, and Oaty the golden retriever. When we arrived back at their house we were enthusiastically greeted by their four other golden retrievers, Misty, Flame, Razzle, and Jazzie. The views were stunning and the pool very inviting! We were spoilt with delicious home cooked Indian food made by Sharon, along with generous champagne, cheesecake, and a relaxed evening by the fire pit. Bliss! The next morning we went for a short and peaceful walk with the dogs, along a section of a Grande Randonnée where we encountered 11th century pilgrimage chapels and historic stone bridges. This was followed by a lunch outing for crepes and creme brulee at a restaurant with the most amazing view over the valley. Aside from a visit to a local market at a nearby town, we spent most of the few days we were there relaxing by the pool and recuperating from fitting 4 major life events into one month (ending jobs, moving house, getting married and planning a trip!). A fab start to our honeymoon adventure!