Travels with Verne and Roy

Durban’s Bunny Chow – the world’s least photogenic street food?

Now I’ve had my first Durban bunny chow, I know I’m back home. Don’t be alarmed, any bunny-huggers out there – this is not about eating rabbit, though I confess I have nothing against that either.

There’s nothing that says “Durban” more conclusively than a bunny chow, also known simply as a bunny. Indeed, Rocky Bunny café (27 Lighthouse Mall), just up the road from us in Umhlanga Rocks, would have us believe that the bunny is becoming South Africa’s most popular meal. (Must be true – it’s printed on their quarter-bunny take-away box.)

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Family Time in Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo, in the province of Bretagne, is a wonderful destination to visit and revisit – apart from being the home of our daughter Wendy. This time, we were there to drop off our Renault Twingo for the winter and spend the first part of Wendy’s birthday with her.

Hôtel de la Cité in Intramuros, the walled city of Saint-Malo

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24 Hours in Le Mans

It would be a mistake to think that Le Mans is all about the 24-hour race and nothing more. For one, it has more than a kilometre’s worth of 2,000-year-old Roman wall that’s still largely intact, and a gorgeous old city area full of artists and galleries. We spent just the one night here, en route to Saint Malo in Bretagne. .

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Wine-tasting in Chablis

Reluctant to leave Burgundy without doing at least one wine-tasting, we took a drive to Chablis – an easy 15km from Auxerre, and of course the home of the appellation Chablis. You drive past vineyards and through several wine villages to get there, and it’s all very picturesque.

Rue des Moulins, just off the main square of Chablis town

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The Road Less Travelled to Auxerre

Staunchly resisting the Garmin’s attempts to keep us on the straight and wide, i.e. the A6, for the hour and three-quarter trip from Chalon-sur-Saône to Auxerre, we instead chose a route slightly less travelled, the D906 via Chagny.

This is the heart of Burgundy, passing through gorgeous little villages, and farmhouses covered in autumnal vines and creepers. But you’ll have to take my word for it – Roy was on a mission to pass lorries, and was in no mood to stop the car, especially if it meant having to pass them again.

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Chalon-sur-Saône via St Jean-de-Losne

In all these riverside towns we’re visiting, taking a boat tour on the river is one of the things to do. Though I sort of feel I’d like to, I know there’s little chance – “What on earth for, when we’re coming back next summer in our own boat?”, my husband would respond to such a suggestion. (Pick your battles, I say.)

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Delightful Dijon

Not having time to research your destination in advance can sometimes be a good thing. Yes, you miss out on the smugly virtuous feeling of having done your homework – but instead, you could have the unexpected fun of landing up in the middle of something as delightful as the old city of Dijon.

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Far Canal! – via Migennes to Dijon

Once he’s got going, my husband does not like to stop unnecessarily (if at all) en route – but he must perforce stop for fuel. When the aire (layby) he was aiming for turned out to be more about hiking and picnicking than petrol, we clicked on “Places of Interest” and then “Fuel” on the Garmin, which took us on an enjoyable sortie along narrow country lanes to a single-pump affair where a smart lady in lavender suit with matching jewellery pumped gas for us.

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Good Grief!

If there’s one thing Roy hates – and I think I’m justified in saying that there are quite a few such things – it’s having to wait until I’ve photographed his food before he can eat it. (You can actually hear teeth grinding.) This selection of photos, taken over the past few days, reflects the five different stages of grief – progressing from denial, to anger, bargaining, depression and, finally, acceptance.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stage 5

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Chalons-en-Champagne, and in search of champagne – Day 2

We wandered around quite extensively today, visiting both the gorgeous 16th-century Notre Dame en Vaux, and the mainly 13th-century St Etienne cathedral, whose builders incredibly dispensed with walls in favour of acres of stained glass window. The market was closed, unfortunately.

Timbered buildings – medieval? – in a Chalons-en-Champagne square

In one of the nearby squares, we lunched alfresco at people-watching spot Le Comptoir Licorne: a €12.50 set consisting of a vlammekuech (a thin, pizza-like base topped with cream, white cheese and either savoury or sweet additions), a drink and a delicious crème caramel.

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Historic South of France, June 2024, Part 3: Arles and Béziers

Marseillan Port Highlights, 2-29 June, Part 2 – Oysters & Noilly Prat

Marseillan Port, 2-29 June 2024, Part 1

Two Weeks in England, 15-30 May 2024, Part 3 – East Sussex and London

Two Weeks in England, 15-30 May 2024, Part 2 – Merseyside

Two Weeks in England, 15-30 May 2024, Part 1

Durban’s Bunny Chow – the world’s least photogenic street food?

Family Time in Saint-Malo

24 Hours in Le Mans

Wine-tasting in Chablis

The Road Less Travelled to Auxerre

Chalon-sur-Saône via St Jean-de-Losne

Delightful Dijon

Far Canal! – via Migennes to Dijon

Good Grief!

Chalons-en-Champagne, and in search of champagne – Day 2