Cruzy was awakened from hits slumber when a Peugeot 307 turned up with four very loud visitors from Bristol. They had arrived from Toulouse with bags and bags of gifts, so were welcomed with open arms.

It was great for us to be able to sit down and drink coffee while waiting for our visitors to arrive rather than collecting them from an airport. Well, that’s Kieran’s story. Alan would say it gave us more time to run around clearing up and preparing the first meal.

With a mini agenda, it was a welcome aperitif and meal prepared by Alan followed by an introduction to the wines of the region. The fist day was a misguided at times trip into the hills around Cruzy, ending with a trip to the supermarket for more wine and cheese.

The need for more wine was a direct result of the crew watching a couple walking along the edge of a cliff with their young child. None were tethered and at times, it looked like the adventure would end in disaster. At one point, the Father had to crouch down to scuttle under an overhanging rock, leaving his child and wife to do the same, unaided. We were all a little traumatised afterwards.



With Millau hot on the hit list, we left early one morning and heading inland and out or the Languedoc. We drove for just short of 2 hours to see the Millau Bridge. This bridge is now a major tourist attraction and it is easy to see why. We had some lovely views on the way up, but the Bridge was just spectacular. There are 100s of good spots to take photos, so we chose many of them. We took photos from the bridge itself, from a distance and from underneath.

Millau itself was a nice place to visit too. We arrived just as the weekly market was packing up, but we got a sense of the place and the atmosphere. A tricky moment came when Kieran had to pee in front of 4 women who were queuing behind the outdoor urinal for the cubicle. Worst of all, he knew two of them by name. But, when a boys go to go, he’s got to go, all helped when a French woman promised not to look and turned to face the wall… if only they could have put their fingers in their ears too.

New visitor, old places, new sites.

With Alan working most of the time in the home office it was up to Kieran to play guide for our visitor who arrived from the UK via EuroStar and TGV.

We visited many of the same places as listed before, but this time instead of driving through villages, we stopped. At one point, instead of just driving over a bridged ravine, we parked up and clambered down the cliff to the water. It must be one of the most beautiful places in the area. Just the sound of the odd car passing over the bridge and the sounds of nature, until a cicada landed on Kieran, he screamed and jumped frantically.

A trip to Pezenas found our visitor falling in love with the old town. We wondered the lanes, taking routes unseen before and stopping for tea and cake in a lovely t-shop. The tip continued with a visit to Sete, and we did not find any of the “great shopping” we’d been lead to believe existed, but we ate a croissant with both pistachio and chocolate centre. We both fell for the charms of an old Renault 4 parked along side the harbour.

With the weather so nice, we spend a day at the beach, and Alan joined too. After a few hours sunning our bodies, we wondered around the town with our extra large ice-cream cones.


As our visitor was an early rise and often completed a morning run before we’d even opened an eye, Alan often joined her for a bike ride too, allowing Kieran to wake at his gentle pace.