Nimes

Hello again! Today I feel a lot better than yesterday! Got up this morning & took the walking tour around the ramparts in Carcassonne. It's a fully double-walled city, first inhabited in 600BC but of course the buildings came later, around the 13th Century. Inside is quite touristy, but I enjoyed my little nest last night! Just drove straight to Nimes on the tollway this afternoon, and am staying in the main town in a hotel tonight. It's walking distance from the main sites, & I'll decide tomorrow if I want to stay here another night. I was thinking of going somewhere closer to the coastline & just driving to wherever. But tonight it's convenient to be in the city. I have just been to Les Arènes, a mini-colisseum that is the best-preserved in France. It has both the upper & lower floors intact, & thank goodness the vomitoires haven't disappeared!!! Actually, they're only the alleys to let people leave simultaneously. The outside is quite spectacular, lots of arches etc, but I must say that the inside is a little disappointing, only because it has lost some atmosphere. There are aluminium seats built all over the original ones because they have concerts here in summer! & they can cover the bottom stage in winter. Despite all that, I would have loved to go to a concert but none are on this week.

Must say that the 9 of you who will receive postcards from me written in the cottage should be very grateful! had an adventure sending them, & they almost were lost all together! In Paris we discovered that you can buy packs of 10 prepaid international envelopes that are a bit cheaper than stamps. So I eventually sit down to write all the postcards I'd bought in Paris, Majorca & Spain & use the whole card, expecting to put them in envelopes. However the next day the PO didn't have any, so I dutifully got stamps & squashed them onto tiny spaces free of writing, often half on the front & half on the back of the cards. Left the PO pleased that we'd just made it in time as they closed up behind us. Halfway down the road I realised that none of the cards had addresses on them! Turned back & had to knock a few times & explain the predicament. Fortunately they thought it was funny - handed them back & I steamed off all the stamps to reuse them on the addressed envelopes!

I have a bit more time today so feel like I'm able to catch up on bits of info that usually aren't a priority.
1. My all-terrain, submersible, super-dooper sandals have been great (George!). They have been comfortable since day one & were handy beaching & launching the canoe!
2. My clothes have also been fine. Have not wished I'd put in or left anything behind. The shorts that I accidentally left on my bed I have managed to do without, but would have been great in Singapore.
3. The pocketknife, cutlery, tupperware container, corkscrew & ziplock bags have all had a workout, & I think Danielle was amazed each time I said, oh yes, I've brought that. I have now purchased a small soft esky for my picnic things which has made it easier. Can ditch it later!
4. Mum & dad, the handcream & laundry liquid has been great!

Mysteries of France & Spain:
a. exactly how the numbering system works for the highways, & why there are parallel roads going to the same place - & why you can still be overtaken when going 130km/hr!
b. why sliced bread is sold without the crusts
c. what the french & spaniards have on their cereal/muesli. No matter where we were, cereal was out for breakfast but we'd have to ask for milk to go with it! Maybe they just have the yoghurt...
d. why internet cafés are heated to about 30°C - I'm sweating in here.
e. why 2-euro bottles of wine are often much nicer than 10-euro bottles.
f. why there have only been 2 nice white wines in Paris & Spain.
g. why french & spanish radio consists of mostly 80's music! We have loved it, but it's weird to hear a french song & then Culture Club, Rick Astley, Blondie or anything else from that era.

Anyway, that's about it!
Love, Belle xxx