30th Sept - 1st October, 2021
Villa Joséphine, Lourges, France
We chose a place to stay for the night which had an excellent write up, was near to the location for Pat to pick up her possessions and also reduced our journey to our next stop by more than 2 hours. After taking breakfast with Franco serving us in Sanremo, we told him of our decision to leave. We had no problem with him, or the hotel in fairness, it was basic yet clean. If the beds and bedding had been better we could maybe have even closed our ears to the noise. As it was, we took our leave and set off towards Lourges in France.
As we weren't in a hurry, we decided to take a look at the Bay of Saint-Tropez. We reached the coastal area at Sainte-Maxime across the bay from Saint-Tropez and decided to look around that area rather than get involved with Saint-Tropez itself.
Finding a place to park where the ticket machine was covered over left us a bit confused. We wanted a walk, however it was of concern that all our stuff was in the car and perhaps vulnerable. We nonetheless had a walk along the front and marina area before having a look around the centre of the town. A curiosity was an olive tree growing in the sand on the beach; it looked so out of place! The effects of lack of sleep and concern for our luggage prompted Chris and me to head back towards a cafe overlooking the car park where we could keep an eye on things.
Once we were all reunited we carried on to Villa Joséphine and the village of Lourges where we encountered another curiosity, a yard full of stuffed animals. Maybe it's where they all go to die? Weird!
As we weren't in a hurry, we decided to take a look at the Bay of Saint-Tropez. We reached the coastal area at Sainte-Maxime across the bay from Saint-Tropez and decided to look around that area rather than get involved with Saint-Tropez itself.
Finding a place to park where the ticket machine was covered over left us a bit confused. We wanted a walk, however it was of concern that all our stuff was in the car and perhaps vulnerable. We nonetheless had a walk along the front and marina area before having a look around the centre of the town. A curiosity was an olive tree growing in the sand on the beach; it looked so out of place! The effects of lack of sleep and concern for our luggage prompted Chris and me to head back towards a cafe overlooking the car park where we could keep an eye on things.
Once we were all reunited we carried on to Villa Joséphine and the village of Lourges where we encountered another curiosity, a yard full of stuffed animals. Maybe it's where they all go to die? Weird!
Villa Joséphina was everything that the hotel in Sanremo wasn't. It was quiet and peaceful and in a beautiful wooded setting. The owner, Jocelyn and her husband were around yet discreet and we felt very comfortable with our choice. They also had a delightful dog who was adept at working people!
After settling into our overnight stay we went again into the village of Lourges and eventually chose a restaurant which provided meals at a reasonable price. As we were working out what we'd like to order, a young waitress asked in a broad Scottish accent, if we'd like help! We were having some difficulty switching between different countries and their respective languages and trying to resurrect the limited vocabulary we had in each! It was a relief to chat in English!
With stomachs full, we returned to Villa Joséphina to indulge! There was a hot tub inside a cabin and a bar just into the garden below the pool. Armed with a glass of wine, we sat in the hot tub and enjoyed the warmth, low lighting, jets blasting our bodies and the camaraderie. We all slept well that night!
The next day we left Villa Joséphina with a promise to return. We headed to the rendezvous with the people who were looking after Pat's possessions and who lived not too far away. Possessions collected and installed in the car, we were on the way to our last stop in France and with only a few more days to go before we arrived back home.
After settling into our overnight stay we went again into the village of Lourges and eventually chose a restaurant which provided meals at a reasonable price. As we were working out what we'd like to order, a young waitress asked in a broad Scottish accent, if we'd like help! We were having some difficulty switching between different countries and their respective languages and trying to resurrect the limited vocabulary we had in each! It was a relief to chat in English!
With stomachs full, we returned to Villa Joséphina to indulge! There was a hot tub inside a cabin and a bar just into the garden below the pool. Armed with a glass of wine, we sat in the hot tub and enjoyed the warmth, low lighting, jets blasting our bodies and the camaraderie. We all slept well that night!
The next day we left Villa Joséphina with a promise to return. We headed to the rendezvous with the people who were looking after Pat's possessions and who lived not too far away. Possessions collected and installed in the car, we were on the way to our last stop in France and with only a few more days to go before we arrived back home.