Friday, 30 December 2022

Les Miserables in Cardiff

Hubby surprised me on Christmas Day with tickets to see Les Miserables in Cardiff. 

I have walked past, and admired the Millennium Centre so many times. I was as excited to go inside as I was to see my absolute favourite show.

The words are actually windows, a clever way of illuminating them without extra lighting, the entire building is environmentally conscientious. It was quite surreal to stand behind Crev. 


Our seats were very high up but thankfully there were plenty of rails along each row. The first time we saw Les Miserables was at the Palace Theatre on the corner of Shaftsbury Avenue in London. 

We sat in the Gods then and I was captured not only by the story and the music but by how the stage setting was so clever to ensure even those looking down were kept in the story ... when Fantine passed away the bed was carried completely off stage, not just into the dark ... that for me makes Les Miserables so absorbing.


This production met that perfectly, everything we saw was the story. In truth if you haven't seen Les Miserables before you may wish to sit lower down as face recognition it tricky from on high, the main characters are obvious but having seen it over 10 times I can now enjoy observing the other characters. That said I enjoyed every 'word perfect mouthing' second!

The live orchestra was superb although we couldn't see them. I have always wanted to play the harp which has some important moments i  Les Miserables. A huge round of applause to all the musicians.

A massive massive thank you to my thoughtful superb Hubby ... what a treat!


Saturday, 24 December 2022

Christmas wine tasting

Christmas was the theme of our recent wine tasting with our scouting friends. Our HQ always looks lovely set up, the mural depicts our Group's history from 1914 in our original hut to the present day, a great back drop.



Each place has the wine list with tasting notes along with a place setting for two glasses (odd and even numbers to match the list). Everyone also had a small plate of nibbles for pairing with some of the wines.


All our wines were purchased at Tesco or Sainsbury's taking advantage of their '25% off six or more bottles'. Our first wine was Tesco Finest Blanquette de Limoux. France produces sparkling wine as well as champagne, the two main styles are Blanquette and Cremant.

Blanquette

The name 'Blanquette' comes from the Mauzac grape which develops a white down on the vines leaves - hence 'blanc' or white. Blanquette de Limoux must contain at least 80% of its primary grape, Mauzac. Other grapes included in the blend can be Clairette, Chenin Blanc or Chardonnay which is used to add highlights to the wine.

Blanquette is made using 'methode champenoise' having a secondary fermentation in the bottle before final bottling after nine months. This sparkling wine is fresh and dry with a yeasty edge. It has a pale yellow colour with glints of green. Blanquette de Limoux is slowly cooled to 6/7 degrees which produces flowing lines of brisk bubbles.

Cremant

This sparkling wine is predominantly made from Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc which produces rounded flavours with a fine mousse. The wine is matured on its lees for 12 months before final bottling, again using the Champagne method. Cremant de Limoux has a paler colour with yellow highlights and finer bubbles than those in Blanquette. 


As an alternative to starting Christmas with bubbles our second wine was The Rose Garden produced by Boschendal. This light South African rosé has plenty of summer fruit with a subtle spice edge. Although probably more of a summer wine it was a perfect aperitif wine with its soft balance and fruit finish .

With Christmas in mind the next two wines were paired with Christmas dinner starters: seafood and pate. Paul Mas Heritage was our pairing for seafood - Lobster crisps were a substitute and did pair well with this Clairette wine. From Southern France, this wine had plenty of fresh fruit and apple flavour with blossom high notes. 

The wine to accompany pate our red wine was Luis Felipe Edwards Gran Reserva Pinot Noir. From the Leyda Valley in Chile these grapes ripen slowly resulting in a deep red fruit flavour. Aged in oak barrels gives this wine soft tannins and a lengthy finish. It paired well with the pate but would be equally as good served with the main Christmas dinner. 


It can be difficult to pair wines to Christmas dinner, do you match the meat which can vary from turkey to beef; or the delicious vegetables, stuffing or roasties? I decided to match to turkey and beef with everyone have two slices of each and importantly a little jug of gravy. 

It isn't only matching the food but everyone's preferred wine style, therefore for each meat we tried two wines. With turkey our two white wines were Yealands Sauvignon Blanc for those who enjoy a dry crisp wine, and Bellingham Chardonnay for those who like a slightly creamier wine. 

From New Zealand Yealands Sauvignon Blanc was full of crisp stone fruits with a super tropical aroma, It paired well with turkey but maybe without the gravy which slightly flattened the wines mineral finish. 

My preferred turkey with gravy match was Bellingham's Chardonnay with it's creamy flavour of butterscotch and hint of orange peel. It added a depth to the turkey and gave a lovely citrus finish. 

Our two wines for pairing with beef were Brancott Estate Merlot and Cru des Cotes du Rhone Vinsobres. Again it depends on individual palate preferences and with or without gravy. The Merlot was full of dark fruits with woody notes, soft tannins and a long finish. It was delicious with the beef and gravy but a little strong with the beef alone.

My favourite pairing was the French Cru des Cotes du Rhone from the village of Vinsobres. It was so inviting with its dark red colour and scarlet highlights leading on to warm fruit aromas. Its full fruit flavour with a hint of herbiness and lengthy finish really was delicious. 


Our final wines were wines to enjoy with or without food, sitting home on a cosy night or enjoying with friends. Two white wines and two red wines to be enjoyed by everyone. 

St Mont is a wine from the South of France that is not always available so when we see a bottle we buy one. A Tesco Finest wine that is made from Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu, Arrufiac and Petit Manseng. it's a light crisp wine that is full of citrus and white fruit. it is especially good with a cheese board but delicious unaccompanied. 

Our final white was also from the South of France; Elegant Frog Viognier. This super wine from Jean-Claude Mas is aged in oak barrels which enhances the aromas of dried fruits and vanilla. Enjoyed on it's own or with food this Viognier for me is a must at Christmas.

Vina del Cura Rioja is quite a weighty wine which some may enjoy with Christmas dinner whilst others may prefer it as a wine to enjoy later in the evening. A Crianza Rioja with soft vanilla tones and peppery spice. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels it is full of ripe berries 

Our final wine was 'Merry' Malbec from Trivento, a crimson red in colour with plum and raspberry aromas. This wine's vanilla notes are well balanced with sweet tannins and a smooth finish. Trivento Malbec is one of my favourite wines to drink unaccompanied. 

All the wines were superb and although paired as if for Christmas Day they can be enjoyed on any occasion. Tesco Finest St Mont was the overall favourite white, a new discovery for many, however there was no overall red favourite with all being enjoyed. 


Merry Christmas, enjoy the festivities with those you love enjoying good food and wine - cheers!

Tuesday, 6 December 2022

La Coupole and the Blockhaus

On the last day of our holiday we visited La Coupole and the Blockhouse. Both are in Northern France so ideal to see if traveling to Calais, each take a couple hours as there is so much to see. 

Hubby and I have visited before but as with most things you take more in the second time. Both are so overwhelming: in size, in reason and in emotion.

I have copied online overviews to explain each place.

La Coupole

Situated 5km from the town of Saint-Omer, La Coupole is a gigantic underground bunker designed by the Germans, in 1943-1944.

La Coupole is one of the great relics of the Second World War in Europe. The underground bunker was used to store, prepare and launch the V2 rockets, the secret weapon that Hitler was counting on to destroy London.




The tunnels are so long, and cold, and lead to the central dome which is now a museum with exhibits and videos explaining about how and why La Coupole was constructed, scary thinking about what could have been. 

The Blockhaus -

The biggest bunker in the north of France, witness of the 1939-45 dark age, from 1939 to 1945.
Open to the public since 1973 and listed "Ancient Memorials" in 1985.

A 90min-visit, alone or with your family, to discover and learn the history of the Eperlecques Bunker, the technologie of the V2 & V1 secret weapons, in a wooded parc,







The scale is unbelievable, it leaves you speechless. 

These two amazing structures were built for war, the same as many of our castles in the UK but there is definitely a different feeling and atmosphere walking around them. Maybe because the history is more recent.

Wednesday, 30 November 2022

Bayeux

Unfortunately our visit to Bayeux, a medieval town with cobbles streets and half-timbered houses, was a rainy day: and a Monday, which in France means limited shops are open. 

However it didn't spoil our day, the houses are amazing as they expand outwards as they go upwards. The reason ... taxes! Something we all have to, but don't like to, pay. Housing tax was on the footprint of your property so having a small ground floor lessened your tax, quite a clever idea really.


French towns and villages always amaze me as walking amongst the shops and commercial buildings you often discover a river or stream. The waterways always seem to be as important as the buildings around, not something we do here in the UK. 

This watermill was just opposite the large museum building and town offices. It was quite tranquil amidst the busy town. 


Bayeux Cathedrale stands on a slope as you can see from the bottom layer of stones being different quantities to give a level floor at the top of the first arch. The stone was a beautiful yellow, the rain made it stand out even more against the grey sky.



The frontage was magnificent, such intricate carvings on it's arches and high towers. once inside the height of the ceiling was even more impressive. 


I am often surprised by the interiors of churches and cathedrals, some are quite cold in both temperature and atmosphere. This Cathedrale was full of warmth, the decorations on the walls and floors showed great wealth and importance. It was touching to see the Memorial Plaque, thiss is in other Cathedrales and churches around northern France. 



Our main reason for visiting Bayeux was to see the famous tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings. We have seen it before when our children were young but this time I had chance to concentrate rather than answering lots of questions. 

Earlier this year we visited Battle in Hastings so now we had bee to the location of the battle the tapestry was even more interesting. For understandable reasons no photos can be taken of the tapestry, I would certainly recommend visiting if you are in the area. 

We had a super time in Bayeux even if it was a little wet. 



Saturday, 19 November 2022

Normandy Beaches WWII

Breathtaking, the Normandy beaches are just breathtaking in so many ways. Although early October the weather was superb, the blue sky and blue seas amazing. 

I knew about D-Day before our holiday but being honest I did not really appreciate just what a task it was. I haven't watched many war films so just thought it was a major war operation in size ... it was much much more than that and I haven't stopped thinking about all those involved.

From the direction of inland France, so looking out to sea to England, this plaque shows how huge the operation was. To the west the US army attacked Utah and Omaha beaches including Pointe du Hoc. 

The British army attacked Gold Beach and Sword Beach whilst in between the Canadian army hit Juno Beach. 


Although named beaches the terrain is not smooth sloping in all places, and even where it is there are high cliffs as Normandy land sits high above the English Channel.

It is incredible how all the troops attacked these beaches and cliffs, standing on the top of some the sea was a long way down, steep too.




Gold Beach is a wide bay beach that does have inviting sands, especially on a sunny day. The small town of Aromanche lies at its centre, now full of restaurants, souvenir shops and WWII museums its beach is marked with huge reminders of the events of June 1944. 

A huge Mulbury Harbour was constructed to aid the landings, the huge construction can be seen out at sea and closer inland. As the tide went out more and more structures were revealed, showing their enormous size. 



Sitting high above the town, with spectacular views across the artificial harbour, sits a M4A2 Sherman tank. It is positioned half way up a steep cliff and is on top of one of the many large German bunkers that are dotted all over this French coast.


Can you see them? Sitting in line in what now looks like an ordinary farming field at Longues-sur-Mer is a German artillery battery. Set slightly back from the 60m cliff these gun emplacements formed a part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications.



The four gun emplacements bring mixed feelings: they are huge structures, amazing how they got the materials and guns there: they were built to cause harm to our country but were manned by humans from another country. War brings strange feelings, whichever side the people fighting are someone's relative and often there unwillingly under pressure from those in charge. 

It is quite eerie seeing the guns still in place and walking round the inside of the bunkers seeing the various rooms. They really are huge structures. 




One gun had exploded, listening to a guide who was showing a group around it was caused by the Germans lighting a fire inside to cook on and it caused a shell to explode. Parts of the gun are still visable embedded in the ground. 




The concrete structures are huge, and built to be lived in by the German soliders. I didn't go inside, for me it was a little bit too unsettling. 




Pointe du Hoc is a small peninsula between Omaha and Utah beaches. It's 30m vertical 
white cliffs were scaled by the US Army, an unbelievable feat when you see how far down the sea is.

The monument, erected by the French, depicts the height of their climb and is a tribute to the American Second Ranger Battalion who seized the German artillery and thus protected the US troops landing on the beaches. 

It should not be forgotten that firing was from both sides, the craters from the Allied Forces are still visble in the surrounding area.





6th June 1944 is a day etched in history; a day which holds both sadness and gratitude.

We will remember them!