Hertfordshire

We had one night in Hackney before we were off on our first AA assignment to Hertfordshire.
We have really enjoyed being in one place for two weeks caring for our four footed friends and exploring the local area and towns.

Cassel to Calais and Dover

We were now able to take our time so drove on from Bancourt to Cassel and spent the night in another lovely hill top town.
Next day after a very leisurely start we drove on to St Omer an old market town.It so happened we came apon the Saturday market in full swing, selling delicious local produce.
It was then onward to our final stop Calais to spend the night before our early morning ferry to Dover.

Jeff informed me we drove over 4800 km's  in 19 days through 7 countries. Not bad! 

 We enjoyed every kilometer and experience along the way.

Bancourt Military Cemetary

As we were in Flanders Jeff was keen to find the last resting place of a relation Clyde Ellesmere Triphook who was killed in action at Havrincourt,  France, 95 years ago to the day we were there.
It was hard to believe the dreadful war and lives that were lost in this peaceful productive undulating farmland so many years ago. The country side was dotted with manicured cemeteries every few miles.

France

We departed fom Veynes and drove on a local road until 20kms out of Grenoble where we took the toll road option.We had planned to go into Grenoble but we could see from a distance that it was a very large busy city and decided to pass it by.
Our stops were for fuel at large one stop stations catering for everything you could imagine.
We stopped in Troyes for a couple of hours then continued on to the small town of Laon and arrived in the dark. We found average accommodation.
In the morning we woke to a mist covering the town.As we drove out we could see the old town above us just coming out of the mist so went to investigate.We are so glad we did as the town was beautiful with a magnificent Cathedral.
After a few hours we moved on to the city of Lille, the forth largest city in France.Next morning we went out to investigate and ended up (once again by good luck) in a car park under the city square.We didn't stay long and drove on along country roads stopping in St Quentin another lovely city.

Italy to France

As we had a considerable distance to cover in a few days we chose to use the toll roads once again travelling at a constant 130 km per hour.The route took us over and under the  out skirts of Genoa, a huge port city.
By 8.00 pm in the dark and rain we stopped in the city of Alessandria and after a few unsuccessful circuts of the city looking for a hotel, Tomtom came to the fore and directed us to the Europia Hotel. Very comfortable.
The morning dawned fine and warm so we were able to have a good look around a lovely town that wasn't tourist oriented. The things that stood out were the very well dressed women and all the babies were beautiful,
At midday we continued on our way through Piedmont and soon the French Alps were looming on the horizon.
The scenery was constantly changing as we climbed higher and higher and reached the pass, then we were on our way down into France. 

We immediately noticed the change in the architecture.

By late afternoon we had passed Gap and reached our destination, the small village of Veynes to visit our friend Francoise.We were given a very warm welcome and enjoyed a great catch up.

Fiesole

Next morning after a leisurely breakfast we climbed on the bus again and were driven up into the picturesque scenic heights to Fiesole 8 km out of Florence.
The town history goes back to the 8th and 9th centuries BC, when the Romans were in residence.
We spent two hours walking round an open museum the sight of a major archilogical dig uncovering Roman ruins.We were informed as we went along by an interactive tablet we carried with us.Beyond the town we were treated to wonderful vistas.
We left Florence in the afternoon in the direction of France.

More photos from Florence

Florence

Next morning we left San Casiano which was yet another beautiful little town filled with history, and on to Florence.We drove up and over a hill and there was Florence before us nestled in between the surrounding hills. We stopped at the Piazzale Michelangelo car park and enjoyed the magnificent view before driving down into the city.With very little effort and a lot of luck we found a delightful small hotel on the fourth floor of an unassuming building run by a Chinese girl  Italian husband.She provided us with endless helpful information and a map and we were off to park the car. From the car park we boarded the City tour bus and purchased a 48 hour ticket.This was great value, we were on and off as it suited and were able to keep an eye on the car as we passed. We walked and walked, there was so much to take in, so we were exhausted by the end of the day.After a couple of hours with our feet up we were ready to go again and walked round the city by night stopping for a delicious meal toped off with Tirimisu.