Holiday write up - week 1
Holiday in St Brevin-les-pins, Brittany, France - September 2011.
Friday 9th September 2011
At 7pm we started on our journey to the ferry at Dover, our chosen crossing route for our holiday. Sea France ferries was the chosen company that got our custom. We boarded the ferry at 9.20pm and left port at 9.40.
Mum made us laugh once we had boarded. She needed the toilet badly and we found one for her and she went in on her own. On her way out she mistook the exit and ended up in a cleaning closet. We laughed about that for the whole journey on the ferry.
At some point Dad and I decided to go to the duty free for a look around. I found a perfume I loved called “Lola” by Marc Jacobs, but couldn’t decide if I wanted to buy it, so I decided to ask mum what she thought of it and then maybe buy it. Mum also liked the perfume so I asked Dad if he’d go back to the duty free, but by the time he had it had closed. I was majorly bummed that I couldn’t get the perfume.
We arrived in Calais at 12.45am and managed to get lost and went round and round Calais and other places around that area over and over again - totally lost - the sat nav was no help either, all she kept saying was “recalculating” this kept happening for around an hour. I think that if I had heard the sat nav one more time, it would have “recalculated” itself out of the window!! That’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands and started reading the map, which although very very old - helped no end! It took us around 10-11 hours to actually get to our holiday destination of St Brevin-les-pins, in Brittany.
Saturday 10th September 2011
Finally arrived at the campsite we’d chosen to stay at, it was lunchtime and everywhere was closed. It took ages to find the actual campsite as it wasn’t well signposted, but finally a sign was spotted. We checked in but our holiday home wasn’t ready as they hadn’t finished cleaning it, but the reception lady was lovely and said she would rush it through as she could see we were tired. She told us it’d be best if we waited in the restaurant/bar for a while and she’d come and find us when our home was ready.
We went through to the bar and I brought dad a well deserved beer, and some drinks for mum and I whilst dad ordered us some food. (Note to self: never have a savoury pancake again). I had a Tiramisu ice cream for afters and mum went for ice-cream too.
We finally got into the mobile home at around 2.30.
We unloaded the car and headed for a well deserved sleep.
Woke up again around 6 and decided we’d go in search of a supermarket. We did find one but it was closing so we had to do a quick dash and grab, and get a few bits that we needed in super quick time, not easy when everything is in French!
On the way back to camp we got lost again and it was an hour before we got back to the site.
We had Pate on French bread for tea, one of the only things we managed to get. We headed to bed before 11 as we were shattered.
Sunday 11th September 2011
I was up at 9.30 after having a great nights rest. We had breakfast and then decided to head into St Brevin-les-pins where we found a market happening, so we decided to look around. We brought a cooked chicken and some cooked potatoes off of one of the stalls for dinner and headed back to the mobile home for some lunch of pate and French bread.
In the afternoon we went for a drive into St Brevin L’ocean, where there was a beautiful stretch of beach that went on for miles, and a few little shops. One of which was a lovely little ice cream parlour, so we had to get some ice creams. They were the best ice creams I’ve ever tasted, loads of nice flavours too.
We sat in the car and watched all the people going by to the beach etc or walking their dogs on the promenade, occasionally we would see people walking past with strange curly snacks of some kind, so we decided to go get some ourselves. We found a little shop with a guy making these weird snacks which we found out were called “chi chi’s”. They were like a long curly stringy doughnut which tasted of apple and covered in sugar. We stood and watched whilst the man made them. He also made waffles and things like that. Walked back to the car to watch the sea whilst eating our chi chi’s.
We then drove down to the little car park on the beach to watch the kite/wind surfers. It was really relaxing - I absolutely loved it there.
At around 7 we headed back to the campsite, where I managed to purchase a wifi internet card for my laptop. As there wasn’t a tv or anything I amused myself by going onto facebook.
Went to bed at 11pm.
Monday 12th September 2011
Got up at 9.30. Mum was already up but dad was still snoring in bed. Dad got up a while later and he and I decided to go to the supermarket for some much needed groceries. We found the campsite really easily on the way back this time though!
We had some lunch and then decided we’d drive to the nearby town of Pornic, a pretty little fishing village. Managed to take some lovely photos of this quaint little town.
We drove back through St Michel Chef Chef and on through to St Brevin L’ocean again. We did a little bit of food shopping in the “8 au huit” there for forgotten items from the supermarket trip earlier. Then we went down to our little parking space in the car park at the beach, to watch the wind/kite surfers. It appeared to be my lucky day as one hunky windsurfer guy came up to me and asked me to do up his wet suit, made my day!!!
Drove back to the camp and had a lovely dinner. I was very tired so I decided to shower and then go to bed.
Tuesday 13th September 2011
Woke up around 9, had breakfast, in this case it was “Nestle Crunch Cereal” which I found I really really liked. Mum dad and I discussed what we’d like to do that day, and we decided on visiting the Ocearium at Le Crosic.
We left soon after and drove to Le Crosic. The Ocearium didn’t open again until 2, as it was closed for lunch. So we drove around to see its beautiful beaches and its little town. At the beach, people were on the rocks collecting mussels or cockles. There were also a lot of people in the town having lunch or coffee in the restaurants.
We drove back to the Ocearium in time for its opening at 2. I was amazed at the variety of fish, some of which were so pretty; I hadn’t seen anything like some of them. There were sharks and turtles, seahorses, corals, marine fish, starfish, a jelly fish ballet and outside they had penguins. The penguins put on a show at feeding time and a lady told you all about them, all in French though so I never knew what she said.
On the way back we drove through Le Baule, Pornichet and St Nazaire.
St Nazaire
In Pornichet we spotted signs for a McDonald’s, and as we hadn’t eaten all day we decided we’d go in for food. Their Big Mac meals tasted totally different to our English versions.
Got totally lost in St Nazaire as it’s such a big place. Finally made it back to Les Pierres Couchees (the campsite) at around 7. Dad and I had something to drink and I had some painkillers and we decided that we’d go back into St Brevin L’ocean to the little “8 au huit” shop and to take a walk along the beach - or more of a stumble along the beach in my case!
The beach was lovely and quiet, deserted except for a kite surfer, a windsurfer and a couple with 2 dogs and a puppy German Sheppard.
Got back to the mobile home around 8.30, totally knackered and sunburnt!
We’d taken a DVD player and some movies with us so we put Bruce Almighty on before hitting the sack at 10.30.
Wednesday 14th September 2011
We decided today would be a lazy day. We headed to the “Super U” in St Brevin-les-pins to get some bits for a picnic and some bits for dinner later.
We then headed to the beach. We found a lovely spot that was accessible for mum to get to without her scooter and wall sat down to eat our lunch.
There was hardly anybody about, it was so lovely and peaceful.
After lunch I went for a walk along the beach in the waves. There were lots of seagulls and loads of mussel shells washed up on the beach, also a few odd razor clam shells. It was so nice to feel the water round my ankles. There were men out in the sea with nets scooping up something or other; I’ve since been told they were clams.
During my walk I got totally sunburnt, it was a beautiful day, strong sunshine, no wind and not a cloud in the sky!
We drove to our spot in the car park on the beach where we sat with ice creams. I had 3 flavours in a huge waffle cone, chocolate, coffee and praline. It was delicious! After we drove back to the caravan where I had a much needed nap.
I woke back up at 7, really sore with the sunburn. Had a lovely salad for tea, I really loved the food out there, seemed to be much better than home. Texted some people from home and then decided to go to bed at 9.30, I was so tired from the walk on the beach.
Thursday 15th September 2011
Got up at 10 today, totally sore and exhausted from yesterdays walking etc, must have overdone things, so it’s another lazy day today. We went to reception to see if it would be worth going to Planete Sauvage in the afternoon but the reception staff said we’d need a whole day there really. So we decided to go tomorrow.
We drove to St Brevin L’ocean and found the bakers open, so we brought some French bread sandwiches and some lovely cakes. I had a cake called a Japonnaise; it was like a chocolate coated profiterole but with a hazelnut mousse inside, it was bloody lovely!
Had a nap in the afternoon, and then went back into St Brevin L’ocean to get some shopping for dinner, a lovely salad again. We stooped and watched the waves and people on the beach and then went back to the mobile home for dinner.
Went to bed early ready for the visit to Planete Sauvage the next day.
Friday 16th September 2011
Got up at 8.30am to leave early for Planete Sauvage, Safari Park. We drove down to Pornic and then got on to the D751. After about ½ hour we were at Planete Sauvage.
First we took the “safari piste” (basically you drive round the park in your car). We saw Tigers, Lions, Wolves, Rhino, Elephants, Hippo, Emu, Ostrich, Wallaby, Kangaroo, Black Bears, Nilgai, Zebra, Camel, Yaks, Axis Deer, Bison, Lama, Nandu, Pinto Horses, Lechwe, Gnu, Kudu, Cheetah, Sable Antelope, Impala, Waterbuck, Bleesbok, Watussi, Elan, Giraffe, Springbok, White Oryx, Addax and my favourite Capybaras.
We had some animals, like the ostrich’s and these big deer like creatures with blue tongues trying to get their heads in the window. The ostrich I wasn’t keen on, as I have a history with beaked things and my skin! The big deer like creature though was lovely and gave my hands and fingers a good lick. He/she was really sweet, even followed the car as we drove off.
We then walked around the monkeys, on a sky trail and if I am honest I thought I was going to die. It was a steep rope bridge which we had to climb up, dad was enthusiastically cheering me on but, I wish I’d never seen the bloody rope trail. It was basically swinging rope bridges linked by climbing type swinging rope bridges. My arms went dead, my legs went dead, I was high up and people were bloody running on the damn thing and making it swing violently. I near enough had a panic attack and couldn’t turn back due to all the people behind us. Then there was the bit in the middle, a 1 plank of wood, 1 foot in front of the other, swinging rope bridge! I nearly died on the spot! I never even saw the bloody monkeys, I was too busy trying to keep myself alive and/or trying to stop myself collapsing in a heap and screaming “get me off this bloody thing”. By the time I got to the end I was crying in pain and had to use mums scooter for a while as my legs/body wouldn’t hold me upright anymore. Mum bless her had to walk for a while. Never again!! Not even if my dad pleaded!!
The highlight of the day was in Marine City where there were bottlenose dolphins! Absolutely beautiful creatures. They did a display, being rewarded by fish of course, and it was so brilliant. As mums disabled we got to be right at the front, it was SPECTACULAR! I’ve got that all on video though as my camera battery died, but managed to get a few underwater shots.
We had food in a little restaurant place in the park, where little sparrows came to see us, for little crumbs.
There was also a mini farm which had loads of little goats in, where we stopped for coffee and I got hit on the chest by a falling acorn! Hurt a bit I can tell you!
We left the park at 6pm and were back in the mobile home by 7pm. I then went to bed at around 10 as I was so sore and tired from today’s activity.
Friday 9th September 2011
At 7pm we started on our journey to the ferry at Dover, our chosen crossing route for our holiday. Sea France ferries was the chosen company that got our custom. We boarded the ferry at 9.20pm and left port at 9.40.
Mum made us laugh once we had boarded. She needed the toilet badly and we found one for her and she went in on her own. On her way out she mistook the exit and ended up in a cleaning closet. We laughed about that for the whole journey on the ferry.
At some point Dad and I decided to go to the duty free for a look around. I found a perfume I loved called “Lola” by Marc Jacobs, but couldn’t decide if I wanted to buy it, so I decided to ask mum what she thought of it and then maybe buy it. Mum also liked the perfume so I asked Dad if he’d go back to the duty free, but by the time he had it had closed. I was majorly bummed that I couldn’t get the perfume.
We arrived in Calais at 12.45am and managed to get lost and went round and round Calais and other places around that area over and over again - totally lost - the sat nav was no help either, all she kept saying was “recalculating” this kept happening for around an hour. I think that if I had heard the sat nav one more time, it would have “recalculated” itself out of the window!! That’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands and started reading the map, which although very very old - helped no end! It took us around 10-11 hours to actually get to our holiday destination of St Brevin-les-pins, in Brittany.
Saturday 10th September 2011
Finally arrived at the campsite we’d chosen to stay at, it was lunchtime and everywhere was closed. It took ages to find the actual campsite as it wasn’t well signposted, but finally a sign was spotted. We checked in but our holiday home wasn’t ready as they hadn’t finished cleaning it, but the reception lady was lovely and said she would rush it through as she could see we were tired. She told us it’d be best if we waited in the restaurant/bar for a while and she’d come and find us when our home was ready.
We went through to the bar and I brought dad a well deserved beer, and some drinks for mum and I whilst dad ordered us some food. (Note to self: never have a savoury pancake again). I had a Tiramisu ice cream for afters and mum went for ice-cream too.
We finally got into the mobile home at around 2.30.
We unloaded the car and headed for a well deserved sleep.
Woke up again around 6 and decided we’d go in search of a supermarket. We did find one but it was closing so we had to do a quick dash and grab, and get a few bits that we needed in super quick time, not easy when everything is in French!
On the way back to camp we got lost again and it was an hour before we got back to the site.
We had Pate on French bread for tea, one of the only things we managed to get. We headed to bed before 11 as we were shattered.
Sunday 11th September 2011
I was up at 9.30 after having a great nights rest. We had breakfast and then decided to head into St Brevin-les-pins where we found a market happening, so we decided to look around. We brought a cooked chicken and some cooked potatoes off of one of the stalls for dinner and headed back to the mobile home for some lunch of pate and French bread.
In the afternoon we went for a drive into St Brevin L’ocean, where there was a beautiful stretch of beach that went on for miles, and a few little shops. One of which was a lovely little ice cream parlour, so we had to get some ice creams. They were the best ice creams I’ve ever tasted, loads of nice flavours too.
We sat in the car and watched all the people going by to the beach etc or walking their dogs on the promenade, occasionally we would see people walking past with strange curly snacks of some kind, so we decided to go get some ourselves. We found a little shop with a guy making these weird snacks which we found out were called “chi chi’s”. They were like a long curly stringy doughnut which tasted of apple and covered in sugar. We stood and watched whilst the man made them. He also made waffles and things like that. Walked back to the car to watch the sea whilst eating our chi chi’s.
We then drove down to the little car park on the beach to watch the kite/wind surfers. It was really relaxing - I absolutely loved it there.
At around 7 we headed back to the campsite, where I managed to purchase a wifi internet card for my laptop. As there wasn’t a tv or anything I amused myself by going onto facebook.
Went to bed at 11pm.
Monday 12th September 2011
Got up at 9.30. Mum was already up but dad was still snoring in bed. Dad got up a while later and he and I decided to go to the supermarket for some much needed groceries. We found the campsite really easily on the way back this time though!
We had some lunch and then decided we’d drive to the nearby town of Pornic, a pretty little fishing village. Managed to take some lovely photos of this quaint little town.
We drove back through St Michel Chef Chef and on through to St Brevin L’ocean again. We did a little bit of food shopping in the “8 au huit” there for forgotten items from the supermarket trip earlier. Then we went down to our little parking space in the car park at the beach, to watch the wind/kite surfers. It appeared to be my lucky day as one hunky windsurfer guy came up to me and asked me to do up his wet suit, made my day!!!
Drove back to the camp and had a lovely dinner. I was very tired so I decided to shower and then go to bed.
Tuesday 13th September 2011
Woke up around 9, had breakfast, in this case it was “Nestle Crunch Cereal” which I found I really really liked. Mum dad and I discussed what we’d like to do that day, and we decided on visiting the Ocearium at Le Crosic.
We left soon after and drove to Le Crosic. The Ocearium didn’t open again until 2, as it was closed for lunch. So we drove around to see its beautiful beaches and its little town. At the beach, people were on the rocks collecting mussels or cockles. There were also a lot of people in the town having lunch or coffee in the restaurants.
We drove back to the Ocearium in time for its opening at 2. I was amazed at the variety of fish, some of which were so pretty; I hadn’t seen anything like some of them. There were sharks and turtles, seahorses, corals, marine fish, starfish, a jelly fish ballet and outside they had penguins. The penguins put on a show at feeding time and a lady told you all about them, all in French though so I never knew what she said.
On the way back we drove through Le Baule, Pornichet and St Nazaire.
St Nazaire
In Pornichet we spotted signs for a McDonald’s, and as we hadn’t eaten all day we decided we’d go in for food. Their Big Mac meals tasted totally different to our English versions.
Got totally lost in St Nazaire as it’s such a big place. Finally made it back to Les Pierres Couchees (the campsite) at around 7. Dad and I had something to drink and I had some painkillers and we decided that we’d go back into St Brevin L’ocean to the little “8 au huit” shop and to take a walk along the beach - or more of a stumble along the beach in my case!
The beach was lovely and quiet, deserted except for a kite surfer, a windsurfer and a couple with 2 dogs and a puppy German Sheppard.
Got back to the mobile home around 8.30, totally knackered and sunburnt!
We’d taken a DVD player and some movies with us so we put Bruce Almighty on before hitting the sack at 10.30.
Wednesday 14th September 2011
We decided today would be a lazy day. We headed to the “Super U” in St Brevin-les-pins to get some bits for a picnic and some bits for dinner later.
We then headed to the beach. We found a lovely spot that was accessible for mum to get to without her scooter and wall sat down to eat our lunch.
There was hardly anybody about, it was so lovely and peaceful.
After lunch I went for a walk along the beach in the waves. There were lots of seagulls and loads of mussel shells washed up on the beach, also a few odd razor clam shells. It was so nice to feel the water round my ankles. There were men out in the sea with nets scooping up something or other; I’ve since been told they were clams.
During my walk I got totally sunburnt, it was a beautiful day, strong sunshine, no wind and not a cloud in the sky!
We drove to our spot in the car park on the beach where we sat with ice creams. I had 3 flavours in a huge waffle cone, chocolate, coffee and praline. It was delicious! After we drove back to the caravan where I had a much needed nap.
I woke back up at 7, really sore with the sunburn. Had a lovely salad for tea, I really loved the food out there, seemed to be much better than home. Texted some people from home and then decided to go to bed at 9.30, I was so tired from the walk on the beach.
Thursday 15th September 2011
Got up at 10 today, totally sore and exhausted from yesterdays walking etc, must have overdone things, so it’s another lazy day today. We went to reception to see if it would be worth going to Planete Sauvage in the afternoon but the reception staff said we’d need a whole day there really. So we decided to go tomorrow.
We drove to St Brevin L’ocean and found the bakers open, so we brought some French bread sandwiches and some lovely cakes. I had a cake called a Japonnaise; it was like a chocolate coated profiterole but with a hazelnut mousse inside, it was bloody lovely!
Had a nap in the afternoon, and then went back into St Brevin L’ocean to get some shopping for dinner, a lovely salad again. We stooped and watched the waves and people on the beach and then went back to the mobile home for dinner.
Went to bed early ready for the visit to Planete Sauvage the next day.
Friday 16th September 2011
Got up at 8.30am to leave early for Planete Sauvage, Safari Park. We drove down to Pornic and then got on to the D751. After about ½ hour we were at Planete Sauvage.
First we took the “safari piste” (basically you drive round the park in your car). We saw Tigers, Lions, Wolves, Rhino, Elephants, Hippo, Emu, Ostrich, Wallaby, Kangaroo, Black Bears, Nilgai, Zebra, Camel, Yaks, Axis Deer, Bison, Lama, Nandu, Pinto Horses, Lechwe, Gnu, Kudu, Cheetah, Sable Antelope, Impala, Waterbuck, Bleesbok, Watussi, Elan, Giraffe, Springbok, White Oryx, Addax and my favourite Capybaras.
We had some animals, like the ostrich’s and these big deer like creatures with blue tongues trying to get their heads in the window. The ostrich I wasn’t keen on, as I have a history with beaked things and my skin! The big deer like creature though was lovely and gave my hands and fingers a good lick. He/she was really sweet, even followed the car as we drove off.
We then walked around the monkeys, on a sky trail and if I am honest I thought I was going to die. It was a steep rope bridge which we had to climb up, dad was enthusiastically cheering me on but, I wish I’d never seen the bloody rope trail. It was basically swinging rope bridges linked by climbing type swinging rope bridges. My arms went dead, my legs went dead, I was high up and people were bloody running on the damn thing and making it swing violently. I near enough had a panic attack and couldn’t turn back due to all the people behind us. Then there was the bit in the middle, a 1 plank of wood, 1 foot in front of the other, swinging rope bridge! I nearly died on the spot! I never even saw the bloody monkeys, I was too busy trying to keep myself alive and/or trying to stop myself collapsing in a heap and screaming “get me off this bloody thing”. By the time I got to the end I was crying in pain and had to use mums scooter for a while as my legs/body wouldn’t hold me upright anymore. Mum bless her had to walk for a while. Never again!! Not even if my dad pleaded!!
The highlight of the day was in Marine City where there were bottlenose dolphins! Absolutely beautiful creatures. They did a display, being rewarded by fish of course, and it was so brilliant. As mums disabled we got to be right at the front, it was SPECTACULAR! I’ve got that all on video though as my camera battery died, but managed to get a few underwater shots.
We had food in a little restaurant place in the park, where little sparrows came to see us, for little crumbs.
There was also a mini farm which had loads of little goats in, where we stopped for coffee and I got hit on the chest by a falling acorn! Hurt a bit I can tell you!
We left the park at 6pm and were back in the mobile home by 7pm. I then went to bed at around 10 as I was so sore and tired from today’s activity.