Chez Erin and Milton

It was such a joy to arrive in Trausse. At the first sight of the Marie and an avenue of Napoleon Plane trees we felt we were at home in the rural France we love so much.  

I love the fact that the reason we have these magnificent avenues of trees, lining the main roads, is because Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars, moved his Grande Armée across Europe at a blistering pace, forcing his infantry to march up to 30 kilometres a day in heavy wool uniforms and carrying full packs.

Of course, during the stifling hot summer months, soldiers were dropping from heat exhaustion and dehydration before they even reached the battlefield (a bit like us!). So Napoleon decreed that the main roads of France be lined with tall, leafy trees to create a continuous canopy of shade - and as his passion was London Plane trees two hundred years later we have the joy of these huge trees. 

But back to the blog.  Erin and Milton lead us through the winding streets, past the Tour and to the rampart walls.  There was their beautiful old house complete with flower baskets and geraniums.  Milton's bike parked outside ready for a quick ride to the épicerie for a baguette or wine.

I've always wanted to visit the village as Erin and Milton talk about it so much and here we are.  How did they find this tiny village in Southern France?  Well twenty-five years ago, an Australian expat purchased a historic home in the quiet, sun-drenched village of Trausse. Eager to celebrate his French home, he commissioned artist Erin to paint a portrait of the property.

But as we know, Erin isn't the type of artist to paint from the detached distance of a photograph., hso, to capture the true essence of the stone, the light, and the landscape, she had to see it, breathe it, and sketch it in person.

She was of course captivated by the charm of the village and when she's not travelling to teach, exhibit her work or visit family she's here in Trausse-Minervois.

 

Only a couple of days to catch up on news before they leave for Ireland! So we made the most of it - a fabulous evening, laughter, great food, wine and company! 

The Road to Carcassonne: Racing the Rail Lines to Trausse-Minervois

 After a warm, restless night, it was finally time to catch the fast train to Carcassonne.

But first, breakfast! We headed to Gare de Lyon, aiming for the famous Le Train Bleu - well, actually, the brasserie directly beneath it. Oeufs brouillés, fresh baguette, jam, and a piccolo, set us up for the journey.

News was that rail lines were buckling under the sun. We half-expected to see "Cancelled" flash across the departure boards, but luck was on our side.

When the platform was announced, the usual chaotic scramble began. Of course, our carriage turned out to be way down at the very front of an impossibly long train. But once we finally climbed aboard and sank into our seats, the stress melted away. Cocooned in air-conditioned comfort, we watched the stunning French countryside blur past at impossible speeds. Oh, why on earth don’t we have these trains back home in Oz?

Our easy relaxation didn't last the whole trip, though. We had a ridiculously tight five-minute window to change platforms at Lyon Part-Dieu station. If there is one thing you know about French high-speed trains, it’s that they wait for no one.

But we needn't have worried, the second the doors opened, a young guy helped us with our luggage, and guided us directly to the correct platform. We were literally walking down the aisle to our new seats when the train jolted and set off. Talk about cutting it close. Merci, Monsieur!

Looking out of the window was so nostalgic passing so many places we’ve loved and stayed in over the years. The highlight was passing Sète, instantly triggering memories of the month we spent there, getting lost along the canals, wandering the vibrant markets, and, of course, cheering at the water jousting.

Carcassonne was hot, hot, hot—but of course it was, we were in the south of France in the middle of the hottest heatwave they've ever had! We picked up the keys, walked out to the lot, and discovered the car was a manual. We tentatively set off into the French traffic, desperately trying to balance two ideas at once: drive on the right, press the clutch, drive on the right, press the clutch Oh and which way do we go!

After a few tense stalls and some careful manoeuvering, we eventually tottered our way into the quiet village of Trausse-Minervois. What a joy to pull up outside the Mairie (town hall), where Erin and Milton were waiting for us.

We'd made it and were ready to enjoy, but that is a story for the next blog.

Un bouchon monstre

We arrived at 6.00am and glided through Charles De Gaulle airport straight into a taxi... too easy!!! We shot out of the airport into un bouchon monstre - a traffic jam for 14 km. As we crawled past trucks, cars and vans we noticed a couple of things.  Most cars had their windows open and arms were dangling out... often holding a cigarette! so no air con.  Or if they had, typically the French don't use it.  There were hardly any electric cars and the temperature was gradually getting hotter!

By the time we got to our hotel (with no air con!) the temperature had risen to 35 degrees .  We headed for the nearest bar for coffee only to find that it didn't have air con either.  The plan had been to check out the train trip for the next day and then to walk the viaduct greenway before visiting some of the artisan workshops around the Gare de Lyon.  

The temperature rose to 44 degrees and the heat defeated us!

Checking the internet for somewhere cool .. we found buses, trains, museums, cruises, libraries had admitted defeat too and shut their doors

We finally found a bar with shade and had lunch Formule of course! With that we headed back not to our hotel but to the Novatel who did have air con and had rashly set it to 30 degrees! A couple of hours reading before heading back to the hotel to sleep under a limp fan before heading out for dinner... not quite the experience we expected but... Hey it was so  good to be back in France with all its quirkiness!

Trausse-Minervois tomorrow!  

Oh yes and the Parisiens totally ignored the ban on drinking alcohol!

Champagne and Clouds - Sydney to Ho Chi Min City🥂

A farewell from the team and it was time for our 2026 adventure to begin!

It was a wet, miserable morning in Sydney, but we had a secret weapon: the business lounge.

Recharged by the business lounge breakfast, we boarded our Vietnam Airlines flight for stage one of our trip to Carcassonne. I was a bit nervous remembering my last trip home from Vietnam. The remedy? A couple of glasses of champagne and a fully flat bed.

An eight-hour flight later, we touched down in a warm and humid Ho Chi Min City. Instead of braving the weather, we spent our four-hour layover treating the business lounge like a luxury pit stop - showering, grazing, and snagging some last-minute gifts.

Then, it was time for the final 11-hour stretch. Our itinerary for the rest of the flight? Eat, sleep, repeat. And honestly? It was a pretty good way to spend the day!

 

Woo Hoo! Time to travel again.

I think this is the longest blog entry I have ever made!!! I usually do a quick post everyday while I am travelling but so much happened in May and June I thought I should use my time on the plane from Sydney to HCMC  to blog the Crazy month of May!

I'm sure the universal law of the Universe is, that right before I start to pack a bag, life decides to turn the tempo up to a ridiculous level. This year May and June didn't just feel busy they stormed through like a symphonic hurricane!  It was a glorious whirlwind of community art and connection.

The Blockbuster was the Poulenc and Duruffle performance at the Opera House. Five stars!!!! Here is a quick run through of some of the events.  I didn't get a chance to do collages for all the festivals Manly Writers, Sydney Writers, Rise and more... but you get the idea it was an amazing two months!

May! 

The first day of the month was Open Mic. We never know what to expect.  It started as usual with the tone deaf singer with his untuned guitar but unfolded into a spectacular night of storytelling and music. Great to see Laurie, Vivien, Helen, Bea, Roger, Patricia and Carol there… dinner at the Ivanhoe later.

Next day we were off to Raymond Terrace for the day…. Freaked out by car on fire on motorway which exploded just after we passed.  

 First time I had seen the new archway at Kangaroo House - very impressive.  

Lunch at the Terrace restaurant and then armed with a box full of cumquats home to make marmalade! We returned again in June and picked 6kg just from the lower branches! That is one hell of a cumquat tree!

Roger started back at sketching YaY!  

I was busy with rehearsals Duruflé tricky but gorgeous – Poulenc pure joy! As for Vine!!!!

Rehearsals moved from the Inner City to Ascham and then to the House.  It is always so goosebumpy when we get to the Opera House.  It sounds so different to anywhere else.  It’s like you are the only person singing even though you are surrounded by people and of course when you get the audience in there, its different again… just LOVE it!

Wendy flew down from Brisbane and so we had a great party for the concert - Astley, Rosie, Anne and of course Roger.  It really was one of the best concerts ever- especially as we got 5 star reviews from the critics... always a relief. 

The post-concert adrenaline hadn't even faded by the time we hit the Everleigh Pub the next day. We caught up with Phil, a friend of ours since our 1976 (Wollongong Uni days) and Sue and Uti, who became part of the Gong crowd too. Wendy, became my partner-in-crime when we went back to uni in 2000 We've had a few adventures since then meeting up in London and around Oz. Crazily by chance Wendy met up with Phil on the Gold Coast and found out that he knew us!  Wendy introduced us toYanni and Lorraine and so we became a group of Jazz fans!

The Eveleigh is a great venue and the band especially Kate was fab.  Lots of storytelling and funky jazz beats.

So we are halfway through May at this point and I am starting to panic that we have a two month trip coming up.... Eek! NO time to panic because we had a U3A workshop coming up... Great to have so many BeanZ writers there and co-presenting with Laurie was terrific. Some great reviews too. 

Time to head off to Concord to film Lynne Vertannes who was the winner of our Society of Women Wrtiers Prize.  A great way to spend a Saturday morning!

Reconciliation Week brought a great opportunity to join Sydney Dance Company to sing Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning.  

Peter Garrett talked about composing the song ...   "I always felt that this song was like an 'executive summary' of the injustices perpetrated on the First Peoples of this continent. But it is more than that, it is a call for action. It belongs to them, let's give it back! The song is a call for all Australians to be all in for truth, land rights and reconciliation. I encourage all choirs to sing it with power and passion for change."

Finally May drew to an end with Northern Beaches Volunteer Awards.  Bravo! to Judy Elias and HUGE thanks to her for stepping in to cover me while I take a break!

Happy New Year!

 

Happy travel Christmas from Julie & Roger

 Happy Christmas and we hope you all have wonderful travel adventures in 2025