An Overnighter

Hi everyone, it's Martin here again, your favourite ski blogger from Méribel. Just over ten days ago I left Méribel at the end of another ski season to return to Leamington Spa. However as always, I needed to find somewhere to stop overnight in order to break up the big drive. I know this is nothing to do with Méribel or skiing, but I'm aware that many of you reading these blog posts also drive to and from the French Alps and will often stay overnight somewhere, hence this post might be of interest. All of these photos were taken the evening I arrived and just before leaving the next morning. So where did I stay overnight?

A couple of months ago I was having a chat with my mate Captain Christophe in the local wine bar close to where I live. Blimey doesn't that sound pretentious, I don't mean it to be! It was the lovely Le Saint Amour wine bar next to the Fromagerie in the centre of Méribel. Anyway we were chatting about all things skiing, Méribel and other related stuff, including a recent overnight stay in the town of Troyes. Chris and his wife Helen had stayed there, and he described how they enjoyed walking around and appreciating the medieval feel to the place. I had never been before, so this conversation sowed a seed.

Troyes was located around halfway for my big drive, so seemed an ideal spot to rest and recover. For years and years I've zipped past on the autoroute, and never really considered diverting off to take a look. Especially because one of my 'go to' motels is just a couple of junctions south. It's funny you know, I do appreciate a convenient motel close to the autoroute, it saves so much time. But then it's rare this form of accommodation is in picturesque towns or villages, and I really miss the experience of seeing the sights. Motels serve an important purpose especially if time is tight, but sometimes it's nice to be a tourist exploring.

Anyway I had a poke about on the internet, had a quick look at Troyes and thought it would be worth a punt. I booked a hotel online, and soon forgot about it for a while until getting closer to leaving resort at the end of April. Sometimes you can arrive at a village or town, and although it will be practical and do the job, a location can often be a little underwhelming. How was Troyes for me?

I actually really rather liked it, and for some reason this caught me by surprise. Maybe this was because I was knackered from several hours of driving. I wrongly assumed that the medieval buildings would be few and far between. This wasn't the case. In the old centre of town, which was quite sizeable, a high proportion of the buildings had this architectural style. The town felt clean, it was friendly, and I really liked the interesting statues/art on the riverside, it was cute. There's so much I love about France, and this visit cemented those thoughts. Sadly the light was a pile of pants for photography, but hopefully you are getting the gist of Troyes.

I of course was walking around with one of my cameras, and this time it was my big one which I nickname Canon. Canon and I had a real blast looking at all the sights. This must've been noticed by some people however!

As Canon and I were taking some shots, a couple of French girls walked up to me and asked what I was taking the photos for, and who for? Maybe because of the look of my kit, perhaps they thought I worked for an agency or publication or something. I'm not sure. I kept it simple and just replied that I was only shooting for me, it was a hobby. Are you on Insta or any other socials they asked? Then they asked if I could take a photo of them, and I assumed they meant using one of their smartphones. But no, they wanted a photo taken by my mate Canon. A bit dazed by this I agreed, and took a couple of shots, and dutifully handed over my skiing business card. Anyway, a couple of hours later one of them sent me a message to my phone, which meant I could send the photo a couple of days later. All a bit random!

If it wasn't for Captain Christophe telling me about Troyes, it's possible that I would never have visited. I think I owe you a glass of wine when we are both back in Méribel? There you go, I hope you enjoyed seeing a little bit of Troyes. I would've liked to have explored for a little bit longer, but as a short overnighter it did the job very well. The next morning I returned back to the autoroute and headed north up to Calais. If you enjoyed this post, you might like one from last year when Harriet and I stopped in Dijon and Épernay, click here for the link. Right, that'll do for now. I've a busy few weeks in front of me; Harriet and I move house here in Leamington in a few weeks time, and I can't wait. As ever, don't forget to Live With Passion. Martin.