France (2026 - II)

Our spring trip to France was split into three parts: a short holiday on the drive down, a period at our house, and another short holiday towards the end, including a visit to Paula and Jasper in Lausanne.

We left The Hague and drove to Saint Fargeau, a small town in the French countryside, southeast of Paris, where we stayed for two days. The reason for our visit was Guedelon, which is a nearby medieval castle that is being constructed with methods from that era, e.g. by hand and old fashioned tools. It is part an archeological project and part tourism, with a large terrain where various craftsmen were demonstrating their skills, and all products they produced (tools, tiles, wooden beams, masonry, rope, grain, etc.) were used to continue building the castle. It was an impressive sight, and we spend a whole afternoon looking around. After two days we drove a short distance to Sancerre, a beautiful hilltop wine village near the Loire river. 

We were bringing Mary's new road bike, and Piet's mountainbike with us, and this allowed us for some bike rides in both locations, in addition to hikes with Pippin. The gentle hills were a nice change from the steep mountain roads in the Oisans!

Once at our house we had the work cut out for us: the mild spring resulted in long grass, and in our little forest several large trees had fallen down in the winter. We combined our work in the garden with hikes with Pippin, and many bike rides with our friends from the local club. As Piet is training for L'Etape du Tour (a very tough Tour de France stage for cycling enthusiasts) he did several 100 km+ rides, which culminated in the GFNY Villard de Lans, a 160 km ride with more than 3000 m of altitude. 

Champagne

Like most years the cellars of Piet's wine and dine society 'Het Derde Glas' were running low on Champagne after the festive season. To avoid a potential crisis a short trip was planned to restock, and to try several new wine producers in the Champagne region. In the end, after several late changes, everybody could join, and we set out with two cars and five people from Utrecht and The Hague early Friday morning. We joined forces in southern Belgium, and continued to the first tasting together, at Beaudouin Nirel, in Nogent L'Abesse, due east of Reims. The host had just taken over from his parents, and struggled to make a lasting impression, especially after he sold us several bottles he didn't have in stock.

We drove south into the nearby Montagne de Reims, to the village of Villers-Marmery and the tiny winery of Noel Bazin. The son and his parents only produce 20,000 bottles a year, which is a minute quantity for this region. We had an entertaining discussion in their living room, and left with a good amount of bottles, driving a short distance further east. In Rilly la Montagne (another classic Champagne village) we stopped at Couvreur-Philippart, who received us in a small, cluttered tasting room. The champagne was almost at freezing temperatures, so we had some doubts about the quality, but we still made a reasonable purchase.

On to Epernay, the town in the heart of the Champagne, where we stayed overnight. Along the famous Avenue de Champagne we drank an aperitif at Michel Gonet (and bought some more bottles), which was followed by dinner in La Grillade Gourmande. In the morning the planned detox walk was only attended by two of us (guess who?); a pleasant stroll through the vineyards above Epernay. After breakfast we had a final champagne visit at Jean Milan in Oger, who had a commercialised set-up, however, this was compensated by a relaxed outside tasting in the morning sunshine.

A long drive followed to Kruisem in Belgium, just south of Gent. On the way Sybren was picked up from a railway station, and we attended a large tasting event organised by Thienpont, one of the major wine importers in Belgium. They had invited several wineries to promote their own wine. There was a lot of variety, but after more than twenty different wines you generally start loosing the plot. Luckily we were still sharp enough to sort and re-pack the bottles... In the evening we had an excellent dinner at Lof, in the centre of Gent. The next morning we drove home, with enough Champagne to last to year end, we hope!

Tasting the first champagne of our trip at Beaudouin Nirel

Paul is talking to the son of Noel Bazin

Tempting us to buy rose champagne

A cramped tasting at Couvreur-Philippart

Paul in Avenue de Champagne, on his way to dinner in Epernay

Morning view over Epernay

A sunny morning tasting at Jean Milan

Filling the glasses at Jean Milan

Paul and Sybren discussing Alsace wines at the Thienpont tasting event

Piet is trying an Etna Rosso at Thienpont

Sorting and repacking our champagne bottles

Gent in the early evening

Gent at night, walking back after dinner

Winter Olympics

For Piet's 60th birthday Mary and the girls secretly arranged tickets and accommodation for the Milan winter Olympics. During the second week of our stay in France we drove down to Gallarate, some 30 km northwest of Milan. Paula and Jasper drove down from Lausanne, and Dorien and Lars flew in from Amsterdam. We stayed for 3 nights in two apartments; this was the first family get together since Dorien's wedding in June last year. In Gallarate we didn't notice anything related to the Olympics, life there was business as usual.

On the first day we did a hike near Gallarate, and after lunch took a commuter train to Milan, to see the 1500 m men speedskating race, while Pippin guarded one of the apartments. The venue was a temporary set-up, with the ice rink and stands build inside an enormous convention hall. The logistics were very efficient, with friendly Italian volunteers supporting everywhere. It was great to be at the race, with some 10.000 other people, more than half dressed in orange. We cheered for the Dutch riders, and in the end Kjeld Nuis won a bronze medal, only beaten by Zhongyan Ning and Jordan Stolz. 

The second day we drove a short distance to the north, and did a long hike on Campo dei Fiore, a large hill overlooking Varese, several large lakes, and the snow-covered Alps. This day was wrapped up with a nice dinner in Gallarate. The next day we all returned home, back to work and holiday.

Paula and Piet near the entrance of the ice rink; dressed in orange!

During the race, notice the orange in the stands

The family in the stands

Santa Maria del Monte, above Varese

View on Lago Maggiore, from Campo dei Fiori

Lunch on Camp dei Fiori

France (2026 - I)

Early February we drove down to France for our first trip of the year. Our stay in the house started with grey days, with lot's of rain, sleet and snow, and a light flue for both of us. The first week we didn't do much more than walks with Pippin, read, painting by numbers and watching the Winter Olympics. 

In the second week we drove down to Milan to see one of the Olympic speedskating events, and meet up with the rest of the family (see next post). On our return the weather had done a complete u-turn, and we had a whole week of beautiful, sunny spring days. Piet managed several bike rides, and we spend time in the garden, enjoying the sun with a book, and starting to clear away some of the fallen trees in our forest. Mary managed to complete the upgrade of our front door, replacing a wooden panel with a large window, allowing much more light in the living room. A major improvement, that was on the cards for many years! We also caught up with several friends in the area; it is much easier to meet people when everybody is outside!

We split our return trip into two days, with a stopover near Troyes, for a long walk, nice dinner and an overnight stay. This is something we want to make a habit....

Recovering from the flue

A wet walk during our first week

Pippin along the Romanche

Our house

Fresh snow

Lac de Buclet, after our return from Milan

Cycling up Col d'Ornon, with John and Kevin

Geraudot, near Troyes, during our return to The Hague

Rounding up 2025

2025 has been a year of change for all of us, with the wedding of Dorien and Lars, the move from Paula and Jasper to Lausanne, and the end of Piet's 35 year adventure with Shell. Below are some final pictures of this year. We wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy 2026!

Mary on the Maeslantkering, the only 'hill' near The Hague

Pippin had a small operation on his eyes in May

Pippin and Ollie 'playing' in our garden in France

Lars and Dorien enjoying the games after their wedding ceremony in France

Dorien is very happy!

Paula is leading one of the games at the wedding

With the wedding guests in the Sarenne river in our village

Paula and Jasper enjoying a september evening at Lake Geneva

First snow in November; Paula is testing her off-piste skills

Piet and Pippin on the beach in The Hague

Chamonix and Lausanne

Paula turned 30 in October (time flies!), and we planned to combine her birthday with both our passions, and arranged a surprise weekend with her in Chamonix, in secret communication with Jasper. It is halfway between our house and Lausanne, and also the location where Mary discovered her love for the mountains, more than 40 years ago. The trip also coincided with great autumn weather: blue, crystal clear skies and great views everywhere. 

The first afternoon we did a hike ourselves, to the Chalets de Chailloux, with great views over the Mont Blanc massif. The following morning Paula and Jasper arrived, and we decided on a classic hike: from Chamonix to Mer de Glace, once a huge glacier, now withdrawn to higher altitudes. From the viewpoint we took the Montenvers train back down with many other tourists, and finished the day with a nice dinner in town.

The next day we drove towards Switzerland, and hiked near Lac d'Emosson, one of the largest dams in the country, and again very popular for day visits. We stayed at Paula's apartment in the evening, and tested the new raclette set, that she got for her birthday. The trip was wrapped up with a morning walk along Lake Geneva, and the vineyards on the slopes above the lake, all within easy reach from their place. After lunch we drove back to a week of rain and wind in the Oisans...

Hiking to the Chalets de Chailloux

Great views everywhere!

Sunset over Mont Blanc, seen from Chamonix

Hiking towards a viewpoint over the Mer du Glace glacier

Stunning scenery

Paula and Pippin at Emosson, with another view towards Mont Blanc

Hiking near Emosson

Lunch at Lac d'Emosson

Pippin found a new friend

Lausanne: enjoying raclette with Paula's new toy

Hiking and wine

As we had more time this year we teamed up with our friend Frits during his yearly wine pilgrimage down the Rhone valley. Normally we joined him for one night only, in the excellent hotel Les Florets in the wine village of Gigondas. This time we tagged along for 6 days, spending the mornings hiking (just us and Pippin), and tasting some wines in the afternoon. This way we did a road trip from Gigondas, to Tavel, Pic Saint Loup and Bandol. At the last moment Paul decided to join as well for a few days, and he was picked up and dropped off at the Avignon TGV train station. And the whole trip with nice summer weather, and dining outside a few evenings!

We met Frits in Gigondas (Les Florets), where we did two nice hikes in the Dentelles de Montmirail area. We then drove to Tavel where famous rose wine is produced, something we wouldn't normally taste or buy, but we gave it a fair chance. This was followed by two days in Pic Saint Loup, an area just north of Montpellier, with several wine villages around two spectacular limestone cliffs. The hike to the top of Pic Saint Loup was apparently famous, and quite busy, especially compared to the Oisans. Unfortunately this was the one overcast morning and the views were somewhat greyish. This was compensated by excellent tasting at Mas Bruguiere, Mirabel, Lascaux and Lancyre, all recommended. The Pic Saint Loup appellation was only recognised in 2017, and is up and coming!

The last stop was at the coastal town of Bandol, doubling as beach and wine resort. We visited and tasted old favourites Galantin and Gaussen, and added the unknown Tempier winery as well. The next morning we did a coastal walk, again with many, many other hikers. We then drove back to the quiet Oisans, dropping off Paul on the way, to continue the rest of our holiday.

Piet and Frits making an important decision at Les Florets: which Champagne to order as aperitif

In the Dentelles de Montmirail

Hiking in the Dentelles

A rare sight: Piet and Frits drinking rose in Tavel

It's hunting season in southern France: a sign near Tavel

Aperitif in our B&B in Pic Saint Loup: L'Oustal

Piet and Paul discussing the wines of Chateau Lascaux

Morning walk in the Lancyre vineyards, with a view of Pic Saint Loup (left) and Pic de l'Hortus

Tasting remains serious business at Chateau Lancyre

Domaine le Galantin

Chateau Jean Pierre Gaussen doesn't look like a castle

Evening walk along the Bandol boulevard

Bandol: Mediterranean sunset

Bandol: paddle boarders getting ready in the morning