The still damp autumn air seems to maintain the temperature between 2 and 5 C all day! No breeze, just unmoving dampness. And once dressed in warm clothing, it all feels sort of cosy.
I didn't sleep well and had crazy middle of the night thoughts about all the things I have to do once we get home to Australia. Middle of the night thoughts are always a bit erratic and my mental list of things to do, overwhelming. I am sure if I pace myself, things will fall into place!
 |
| Model of the castle which was once on this site. |
The Ardennes is a great spot to in which to have found ourselves. It
looks like summer here would be wonderful for camping and kayaking and
forest walks. Forest walks are still wonderful in autumn but once again
we were warned about the hunting season.
We decided on
Neufchateau for a squiz at the castle ruins and walk in the forest. We
had a bit of difficulty finding the Maisson de Tourism 2nd etage -
which was literally a desk in a social services building up a couple of
sets of stairs - not easy for non French speakers to decipher - but we
found a helpful woman who spoke good English who gave us local
information and a map.
 |
| Boys will be boys |
 |
| Old mill site |
 |
| Bird hide on the boardwalk |
The castle turned out to be now incorporated in a car park, town square
and walking path rather than a stand alone castle. We had probably
parked in the great hall! We did, however, find a wetlands with
boardwalks to explore and then the lake path and forest walk. We saw a
few other people at the start of our walk and felt reassured enough that
today wasn't an assigned hunting day.
 |
| Bois d'Ospot |
|
 |
| Large gnome in forest |
 |
| Tree and fungi! |
 |
| Memorial of a conflict between French and German soldiers in 1914 on this site - built in 1917 - so peaceful here these days. It was hard to believe there was ever a conflict there. |
Somehow we didn't quite get on the path we thought we were on but had a
lovely walk for a couple of hours through the forest but we could feel
the evening closing in by the time we got back to our car.
 |
| Bois d'Ospot forest path |
 |
| Remnants of castle walls |
 |
| It must have been quite an imposing castle, towering over the valley. |
It is comfortable and homely here and we are wishing we planned to stay a bit longer. Perhaps we'll feel like this from now on as our year away draws to a close. C'est la vie. Pizza for dinner, as requested, and I'd left the dough rising so it was perfect for a quick warming meal!
No comments:
Post a Comment