Thanks, as usual, for the nice comments, and I ll be round to your blogs soon as I have missed heari

I hope you've all been fine since I've been away. I still don't have much time for blogging, and the last few weeks have been quite heavy for me but I also had some time in France which was NOT a working trip, so I was able to do a bit of relaxing. T and I stayed in a medieval hamlet called Blanc-sur-Sanctus, in the Aveyron, in South West France.
That was the view from the balcony in the house we rented, vacation rentals california looking over a wooded and extremely steep valley in which was the remains of this hamlet. And this was the view the other way - there is an old barn attached vacation rentals california to the house where we stayed.
Most of the villages in the area have castles - very picturesque but they reflect the harsh reality of life all those centuries ago. I'm no French historian, but I gather the government was weak so not enough taxes could be collected, so the local lords couldn't create a decent army. So when the enemy came marching along, the locals who were deemed worth saving fled to the castle. vacation rentals california The enemies could then settle down to batter the walls and wait for the locals to starve or run out of water. vacation rentals california Not a very good military strategy for the locals, I'd say, even though they saved on the taxes....
It might have crumbled to nothing, but times changed and people came along and saw the charm of the place. Now, several of the derelict houses have been converted vacation rentals california into homes again. It's quite an exciting place to be, because several local people have completely got into restoring the place, vacation rentals california finding out about its history vacation rentals california and the families who lived there (our rental house even had a book on the shelves about it - all in French, though). . They've converted the church into a public space and hold events there - and they've even rediscovered and restored its cross.
Also, the old trackways have been cleared and marked as hiking trails. This picture was taken from one of the trails. You can see in the distanc the only sign of modern life - big windmills installed by the electricity company.
To get to the hamlet you traverse vacation rentals california a rather scary single track mountain road 6 km from the nearest village. Some of it is not fenced, some of the drops are quite steep and I was glad we'd hired the smallest size of car. Actually I was REALLY glad when I met a tractor coming along in the other direction!.
I'll visit as many blogs as I can but I won't have too much time for blogging in the next few weeks. Apart from anything vacation rentals california else I have a couple of work trips this month, vacation rentals california to Wales and to Switzerland, which I mentioned ages ago when they were in the planning stages. And there is still quite a bit going on in other ways. But it was great to take some time out and I was so pleased to discover Blanc.
How wonderful - a once-desolate hamlet slowly coming alive again! Something like this very, very much appeals to me; I d love to be there, vacation rentals california discover more about the local history and the people who once lived there, and become part of it. I wonder how isolated they really are there when snow and ice make the single track road impossible to drive on. Reply Delete Valerie 8 October 2012 15:37
It looks a lovely place... I really like the last picture where the stream meanders between the houses. Enjoy Switzerland, I would very much like to go there again. Reply Delete Karen S. 8 October 2012 16:27
Oh gee, I m coming back here again tonight to enjoy all your lovely photos again! Isn t it wonderful to take a trip just to take a trip and not for any other reason, or work thing?! Yes! Although if your mind works like mine, even on vacation or a weekend getaway, you can t always get your mind to see it that way! Most superb photos, what a lovely place! Reply Delete Penelope Postcards 8 October vacation rentals california 2012 17:06
This hamlet looks like a gem hanging vacation rentals california onto a forested cliff and hovering over the hilly town that is coming vacation rentals california back to life. Thanks goodness for restorers. The village seems to have come full circle so that over time more and more visitors will be able to enjoy its medieval past. :) Reply Delete Joanne Noragon 8 October 2012 17:19
So pleased you discovered Blanc, too. The picture of the village is sweet. I am very short on French history, but it seems it could have been England before we counted the years in four digits. Looking forward to Wales! Reply Delete GB 8 October 2012 17:45
There is something which I cannot explain which connects me to the area around the southern vacation rentals california part of the massif central and I rather envy your stay there. vacation rentals california Although I ve been around the area you stayed a number of times I ve never stayed for any length of time because we generally stayed in the more popular, if remote, areas. I hope you have better luck with Switzerland than I had four or five weeks ago: when we were not in tunnels it was (with the exception of a few hours) raining and the magnificence of the mountains was hidden from us. Take care, Jenny, and enjoy yourself. We ll all still be here (or in my case in New Zealand) when you get back. Reply Delete LONDONLULU vacation rentals california 8 October 2012 18:05
What a wonderful tour, and it really highlights how chaotic life back then could be! Glad you got a spot of non-work travel (work travel seems to be tougher vacation rentals california each year!) - safe, speedy travels to Wales and Switzerland! Reply Delete vacation rentals california Maywyn 8 October 2012 18:09
Beautiful post as usual! Thank you for providing places to dream of. Last week I was also away, dog and house sitting in the Vermont countryside. This week...dreaming of visiting the French countryside. Reply Delete vacation rentals california DawnTreader vacation rentals california 8 October vacation rentals california 2012 19:09
Dear Jenny, Your respite in France sounds fabulous. The view from your balcony would make me want to linger with a cup of tea just breathing in the scenery. Wales.....oh I long to visit Wales. My dad is Welsh and I have long felt it calling me. Have a productive and safe journey. Reply Delete Tabor 8 October 2012 23:35
Your pictures are lovely - I m getting homesick for mountains and old, old buildings. Here in Florida, vacation rentals california everything is just so new (comparably) and so very, very FLAT. Reply Delete klahanie 9 October 2012 01:46
Hi Jenny, Oh wow, I have been to that general vicinity and your spectacular photos have brought back some fond memories. Thanks for a most informative posting and accompanying visuals. What an amazing view from that balcony. In kindness, Gary Reply Delete Mamma has spoken 9 October 2012 02:28
I was just thinking of you and wondering where you were! Oh but to go to France for a vacation, you lucky dog you, green with envy here if you couldn t tell ;o) Reply Delete Dave 9 October vacation rentals california 2012 05:14
Blogland won t go anywhere Jenny - enjoy your work in Wales and Switzerland!! Of course we eagerly await photos of same! Thank you for the photos of this quaint and lovely village. Thank goodness vacation rentals california for people who breathe life back into these rich little gems. Take good care during your travels. Reply Delete Adullamite 9 October 2012 08:13
Glad you managed to get some time to yourself in the midst of all that. Lovely place to halt. Another excellent tour. I would not worry about visiting other blogs, vacation rentals california you need to put yourself first when so busy. Reply Delete Teresa Ashby 9 October 2012 12:44
Thanks, as usual, for the nice comments, and I ll be round to your blogs soon as I have missed hearing what you guys have been up to. Yes, GB, and actually when I last went in the local museum in Lucerne, they had quite a lot of humorous stuff about all the rain you get there. Ho, ho, how we laughed I must say, as we searched for a brolly shop. So I m packing a mac and will be crossing my fingers. Yes, JOanne, you are spot on about this. Some places in the world are still a bit like that, sadly. Karen, you are right that it is hard to switch off. I find myself mentally making notes. But the nice thing about a HOLIDAY is that on holiday I can sit and read if I want to and not feel the need to rush around like a blue **sed fly which is what I do when wearing the travel writer hat. Of course vacation rentals california I enjoy rushing around and seeing everything but it s soooo nice to sit by the pool in the sun sometimes...... LLCool Joe, it was perfect except for the guy with the telephoto lens who was camped in a nearby walnut tree, but I don t know how you guessed. (Hope it wasn t YOU???) Jo, you are right, it had no proper internet connection although we occasionally got a drift of signal. Not that I checked much. Reply Delete Rita 10 October 2012 00:13
Lovely place. And with history too. I m glad that some of the old buildings are restored for this (and the next) generation to enjoy. p.s No. We have not been alright. You were missed. Teribbly. Don t overwork yourself. :) Reply Delete Craftymoose Crafts 10 October 2012 19:46
Looks like a wonderful place to spend some time. Amazing that such remote and beautiful places still exist. Nice to know the community is trying to restore some of it. Darla Reply Delete Red Rose. 11 October 2012 13:24
I know you are busy and feel rushed but honestly, you have one of the most blessed lives I have ever seen. You are living your dream to the fullest-impressive! Reply Delete hyperCRYPTICal 12 October 2012 02:39
I love writing! In 2010 I published "The Mystery of Lewis Carroll" with Macmillans, New York. I've previously published "Lewis Carroll in his Own Account" and other non fiction titles. I have contributed to large variety of travel pages and publications, national and international, and was a contributing editor of the national vacation rentals california US travel magazine "Islands" for several years. vacation rentals california I'm a member of the Society vacation rentals california of Authors and British Guild of Travel vacation rentals california Writers.
I am travelling less as the internet continues to radically change the business of travel writing. But I hope you will want to share my trips abroad ...or in Britain ...or in my home city of London. (I'll draw the line at my own backyard - I guess - though you never know...)
I have linked to a small selection of my travel articles below. Occasionally, articles are removed from their sites, or replaced by paid-for archives. I'm very sorry if you click a link and there's vacation rentals california nothing