So where’s everyone going?

St. Ives, Cornwall booked for early June.

Contemplating some winter/Easter sun.

We’ve sadly had to let our caravan go in Snowdonia, so won’t be having our usual few weeks there.

1 hour ago, wakey said:

As good a place as any ... disappointingly this place has nowt to do wit Wanderers.

 

Anything to do with Del and Rodney?

17 minutes ago, freds dad said:

Anything to do with Del and Rodney?

Didn't seem to be, but didn't ask ... my French extends to ordering beer, asking where the bogs are and "I'm sorry, I don't understand". Only stopped in for a quick beer on the way somewhere else.

Should have probably said, it's in Nontron in north Dordogne which seems a pretty cool little town by French standards (i.e. it's got a couple of bars and was open when we went).

Probably the right place to share a tale from our French trip that morphs into a recommendation.

Armistice Day is a bank holiday in France and the commemorations are always on the 11th, not the Sunday like back home.

Having never previously been in France on that date, we were keen to see what it's like and if / how it differs to England.

We were in Correze at the time, so decided to go to Uzerche, a small (or not so small for rural France) medieval town.

Started off with a pigeon French conversation with a very friendly copper who pointed out where the ceremony was and where the procession started and indicated we'd be very welcome to join the procession with the other locals.

Was pretty cool, more inclusive than back home - e.g. everyone joined the procession and they had local primary school kids reading out stuff they'd written at the cenotaph - and more informal (e.g. the brass band music and national anthem was a bloke with a ghetto blaster). 

After a bit of stuff, silence, national anthem etc at the cenotaph we all wandered down to a memorial for a local resistance fighter executed in 1944 and held a silence there, then the mayor announced they were all off to the pub.

Was quality to be fair, but that's not the recommendation.

That day we were travelling from Correze to Charente Maritime. I knew the route took us up past Limoges, but the penny didn't drop until I saw a sign post that we were passing by Oradour Sur Glane, the village destroyed by the SS in 1944 and preserved as a memorial to the 640 odd villagers massacred.

Wow ... what a place. Grim as fuck given the history and pretty heartbreaking, but I would 100% recommend a visit if you ever find yourself anywhere near. 

Also has that time-stood-still factor like Pompei.

 

And apologies ... tldr and all that.

On 20/11/2024 at 12:18, wakey said:

Probably the right place to share a tale from our French trip that morphs into a recommendation.

Armistice Day is a bank holiday in France and the commemorations are always on the 11th, not the Sunday like back home.

Having never previously been in France on that date, we were keen to see what it's like and if / how it differs to England.

We were in Correze at the time, so decided to go to Uzerche, a small (or not so small for rural France) medieval town.

Started off with a pigeon French conversation with a very friendly copper who pointed out where the ceremony was and where the procession started and indicated we'd be very welcome to join the procession with the other locals.

Was pretty cool, more inclusive than back home - e.g. everyone joined the procession and they had local primary school kids reading out stuff they'd written at the cenotaph - and more informal (e.g. the brass band music and national anthem was a bloke with a ghetto blaster). 

After a bit of stuff, silence, national anthem etc at the cenotaph we all wandered down to a memorial for a local resistance fighter executed in 1944 and held a silence there, then the mayor announced they were all off to the pub.

Was quality to be fair, but that's not the recommendation.

That day we were travelling from Correze to Charente Maritime. I knew the route took us up past Limoges, but the penny didn't drop until I saw a sign post that we were passing by Oradour Sur Glane, the village destroyed by the SS in 1944 and preserved as a memorial to the 640 odd villagers massacred.

Wow ... what a place. Grim as fuck given the history and pretty heartbreaking, but I would 100% recommend a visit if you ever find yourself anywhere near. 

Also has that time-stood-still factor like Pompei.

 

And apologies ... tldr and all that.

Been there 

Proper ghost town 

Some of my pics below

Had a mate who lived over near La Rochelle 

It's about two hours in a car but I flew into Limoges as I got return flights for £27 all in on a Ryanair sale, and you passed this place on the drive back to his 

Oradour sur Glane, 650 French massacred by the Nazis in June 1944 and then they destroyed the town.

Haunting/moving place to visit.

7 hours ago, Traf said:

Oradour sur Glane, 650 French massacred by the Nazis in June 1944 and then they destroyed the town.

Haunting/moving place to visit.

They rounded the town up in this church then shot them all in there 

 

3 minutes ago, Zico said:

They rounded the town up in this church then shot them all in there 

 

 

 

 

 

Was going to say it was worse than that, but not sure 'worse' is possible when describing stuff like this.

Anyhow ... it was the women and children in the church. They set off an incendiary device to burn it down and machine-gunned anyone trying to get out through the windows. Only one woman survived.

The men were gathered in groups in various barns etc around the village, machine-gunned (some reports allege they deliberately aimed at their legs) before being doused in petrol and set on fire.

The villagers didn't see it coming. The premise was the SS were searching the village for a weapons cache, and keeping people detained while they did it. Right up to the last minute, they thought they'd be fine when the Germans realised there was no weapons cache.

Only (I think) 6 survivors, last one died last year.

Amongst the victims were a group of blokes who just happened to be cycling through the village when the nazis arrived.

Used to think atrocities like this were ancient history, but sadly you realise shit like this keeps happening in conflicts around the world.

Great pics btw.

On 21/11/2024 at 21:23, Zico said:

Had a mate who lived over near La Rochelle 

Straight from a Tricolore textbook

Heading back to Istanbul next May. Been a while since our Besiktas trip. Not booked a hotel yet, presuming Taksim Square is a good starting point? Might have the option of a cheap deal with Rotana but their hotel(s) look a bit farther out from the centre.

Bergamo airport car hire….. any recommendations?

32 minutes ago, Smiley said:

Bergamo airport car hire….. any recommendations?

skyscanner

 

23 hours ago, Traf said:

skyscanner

 

What about DoYouItaly?

Have used DoYouSpain in the past, presume it’s the same outfit.

3 hours ago, Smiley said:

What about DoYouItaly?

Have used DoYouSpain in the past, presume it’s the same outfit.

Who knows?
Cheapest deals are on Skyscanner, I can't vouch for quality.