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So after the tour of a lifetime round the UK I arrived back in London with the propects of finding a job in Norway, or anywhere in Europe for that matter very slim. A massive thanks to Davo, Ryan and Blanka for the use of their houses, computers etc while i spent the best part of 2 weeeks looking for and applying for work. Without your help guys im certain that i would most likely be back in Australia or at least making plans to head back. Youve kept my dream alive! The good news is i found a job in Norway at a place called Narvik doing exactly what i want to do in Ski Patrol. Not sure how i will get on with the language but im sure it will work out. From London I set off for the ferry to france from Newhaven to Dieppe. It was very early in the morning and there was a heavy frost which meant i was frozen by the timeI got on the ferry. It was sunny but in the arvo on my way to normandy it began raining. I was heading for normandy but while riding down a narrow country laneway i had an incident which involved me doing the superman closely followed by the superman on my belly while i slid along the alsphalt. Yeah, it hurt but luckiy no serious harm done, dont worry mum, i really am ok. Just a sore shoulder and a bruised knee. The bike was a little hurt but she loved it. A few roadside adjustements and i was back on my merry way. Made it to Vistors families house who, espite his absence made me very welcome and a pleasent evening was spent chatting and enjoying fine french food. Well, italian anyway!
Spent the following morning in their garage repairng the damage from yesterday and changing the rear wheel bearings that Anoton got for me in moscow and then it was up to normandy. A few days visiting the beaches and actually camped overlooking Sword beach from the DDay landings. Quite special but very cold and sad seeing all the cemetaries which include many aussies. Im now in Paris but having seeen the tower now going to head south. But not after doing some bog laps of this busy roundabout they keep talking about. Gotta get amongst it!
Ill let you know how it goes...
- comments
Erik With only eight days and one day trip planned, I woludn't necessarily recommend going very far out of Ile-de-France. Versailles is accessible by RER, so you don't need to take the national rail. Fontainebleu isn't far away, either. Chartres is very do-able as a day trip it's a nice little medievalish town with a lovely cathedral. As for Normandy, Rouen is only an hour away. Giverny is also 45 minutes by train as well, although the train station is in Vernon, so you'd either have to take a taxi or a bus from there to Giverny a few kilometres away. With the new (well, as of 2007, anyway) TGV Est, Reims, the capital of Champagne and the site of the cathedral where France's kings were crowned, is a mere 45 minutes away. Unfortunately, some of more interesting sites in Normandy that others are suggesting, such as Bayeux and Mont Saint-Michel, are a bit too far away (or, rather, require transfers and long layovers) if you're going to taking the train. If you're driving or plan to spend a night away, I would highly recommend those two. I really adored both. But I also REALLY adore Paris and think that an overnight day-trip on an eight-day trip is too much. But that's just me.Someone else suggested some place in the Loire valley. Given a choice between Normandy (with the exception of Bayeux and Mont St-Michel) and the Loire, I'd actually take the latter. Tours is an hour away by TGV, but doesn't boast any castles of its own. Orleans is only an hour away as well (but, again, no castles). Blois, which does have a castle, is between an hour and a half and two hours away. As with the case of Normandy, some of the other castles that I really loved (Chinon, Azay-le-Rideau) require too much time to visit in just one day by train.IF you decide to go to Versailles, DO visit the town and not just the palace