Upon completing our own Tour de France, we put the bike away and headed to London, then spent 5 days in Scotland for a Scottish wedding before returning to France for the arrival of the Tour de France in Provence. It has been a very productive and enjoyable couple of weeks!
London town holds some very fond memories for us given it was where we met and where we lived for a couple of years between 2003 and 2006. So upon arrival, we spent a somewhat nostalgic night out visiting some of the sights of London including the pub where we met, some 10 years ago. London seems to have changed a lot since we were last there, but fortunately this little pub in Leicester Square where we met is still there and still going strong.
Where it all begun - The Brewmaster!
After a night out, we awoke for a morning run around Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Gardens (where we almost saw Will and Kate board their Helicopter but we ran out of patience and missed it by 5 mins!). This was the good side of London.
We would quickly rediscover that Central London on a Saturday afternoon was certainly the bad side! Aurelie wished to continue the nostalgic theme by visiting some of her former favourite shops. However with the normal Saturday afternoon tourists and shoppers, combined with the gay pride festival that was on (no, this was not the reason why Shane was in London that weekend) which blocked the roads, it made Central London a nightmare. It seemed like the whole world had crammed itself into the two blocks around Oxford Circus and we simply couldn't get out of there quick enough!
Aurelie in amongst the masses in central London
Fortunately, the next four days of our London trip were a lot more relaxing. We headed down to SW London (close to Wimbledon) to spend some time catching up with friends Gary, Carine and their 6 month old boy, Ewan. London was bathed in sunshine (we were reminded that this is not normal, even in summer), and we capitalised by cycling around Richmond park and enjoying a Sunday afternoon English BBQ!
Aurelie, Carine and Beatrice enjoying catching up...ah the good old days!
With the Andy Murray bandwagon in full swing, Wimbledon ticket prices were ridiculous (min £1000 for centre court), so unfortunately we didn't get to see any live action at Wimbledon, but we still profited from a very enjoyable few days back in London.
We then flew to Scotland for our friends Scottish wedding, the wedding of Kieran and Nicola.
The cavalry have arrived!
After 3 wet, cold and miserable days in Scotland, the sun arrived just in time for what ended up being a magical wedding day. The ceremony was held out in the scottish countryside, next to a lake, in an authentic little church from the 1600's.
Enjoying the tranquility of the Scottish countryside
We then returned to the little town of Callander for the reception in an ancient building that looked very much like an old Scottish castle. With the beautiful sprawling gardens and sun shining it made for an ideal setting.
Just married!
With kilts and bag pipes all on display, and a couple of scotch whiskies under the belt, the dance floor lit up and it made for a great night.
Summer had certainly arrived back in France by the time we arrived. It was hot, and with the tour in full swing, it's a great place to be.
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Girls day out...Aurelie and her sister Claire profiting from the beauty of Provence
With Shane never having seen the tour live, we were super excited about the pending arrival of Bastille Day (France's national day - 14th July), which was the day the tour arrived in Provence to climb the mythical Mont Ventoux, a 22km, super steep mountain climb at the end of a 242km stage...good luck gentlemen!
Charging up the Mont Ventoux in the early hours of the morning
With Aurelie's father Jean Paul alongside, we climbed the Mt Ventoux early that morning to a point approx 600m from the summit where we based ourselves for the day.
All set for a big day at the tour!
The atmoshphere trackside, the entertainment and then watching the phenominal athletes charge past with Chris Froome somehow attacking and breaking away on the climb up the Mt Ventoux to win the stage, all made for a great day out and one that will rest in the memory bank for a long time.
Aussie colours were adorned but to no avail as Cadel suffers on the Mt Ventoux
We had to laugh when we got home, turned on the tv, and on the main national french news broadcast, the camera zoomed in on Aurelie waving her french flag, Shane cheering loudly in his aussie kit and Jean Paul in the middle with a big smile on his face...celebrities for the day, very funny stuff!
We then headed down to a little seaside village close to the French / Spanish border where we spent time catching up with Aurelie's Grandma, Auntie and Nephew.
After a couple of days on the beach, it was back to Aurelie's parents in Provence for the last few days of our adventure. The clear blue skies, the afternoons of cycling around the beautiful countryside and the delicious food are all things that we are going to miss as like all good things, it must come to an end! Our 9 month around the world tour has moved into its final days. Our flights are booked and we arrive back into Australia on the 23rd July.
Before we get too sentimental, and start thinking about what awaits us upon our return, we still have a couple of days to profit over here, with a night out at the Festival of Avignon, a traditional Provencal banquet the following night and the need to squeeze in one last cycle, before packing our bags for the flight home...exciting times, LG!!
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