The Alfresco Diaries: Ascension Day

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We have woken up to a different campsite today.  Scores of caravans are queuing outside the gate, campers are arriving in droves.  The restaurant is bustling full of early morning coffee drinkers and as I ran through the town this morning on an early morning jog I felt the town preparing for something.

A quick Google search tells me that today is Ascension Day, a date more celebrated in the UK.  It is the 40th day of Easter and ten days before Pentecost Sunday. It is a public holiday in France and used by many to take a long weekend with the family.

It makes our holiday feel my authentically French than ever before as the English voice is drowned out by a sea of French accents.  It makes me like the place even more.

I explored more of the surroundings of Club Farret by foot this morning.  Jogging out of the little town hub and out along the canal.  Moored beside my dancing feet were barges of all descriptions, the remnants of last night BBQ’s sitting abandoned on the river bank, empty bottles stacked tidily explaining last nights frivolities.

Runners were everywhere, taking advantage of the cooler morning air, they called out to me;

‘Bonjour’. ‘Ca va?’

And I answered in broken French as best as could.  I doubt they could interpretate owing to my heavy panting rather than my poor accent.

Back at the Al Fresco site, my holiday home was wide awake and I heard my kids before I saw them.  They were greedily eating croissants and pulling on swimsuits in excitement of the day ahead.

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“Oomh, I’m starving mum.” Said my smallest, whose tummy had somehow emptied from the previous nights al fresco dinner.

“How was your run? You look really tired,” complimented my older child.

“Get dressed, we are off to kids club this morning,” instructed the next.

That motivated me, as much as I love my children, the idea of not having them for a couple of hours was moderately appealing.

The older pair were safely dropped at the campsite kids club, and BB, a year away from being the right age, stayed with us.  We enjoyed a quiet coffee by the pool before heading to the beach.

BB adores the sand with the same passion that I loathe it.  She rushes into the cold Mediterranean sea as I linger at the edge, squealing if so much as a toe gets damp.  Her Dad, a far better beach sport than I, starts immediately on the biggest sandcastle on the beach.  She fuels his competitive nature by highlighting bigger piles of sand up and down the shoreland.

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Ironically kids club appears just to the right of us, today’s activity is sandcastle building, so we play separately, together.

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They build, I sit on a rock, sand warming my feet.  I type to the sound of waves crashing into boulders, I feel contentment wash over me.

This truly is the life.

We are reviewing the Al Fresco Experience, for more details on how to book, please go to the site.

64 thoughts on “The Alfresco Diaries: Ascension Day”

  1. It sounds like a perfect day, and you write so beautifully I could really imagine myself there! I have fond memories of holidays in France with my family when I was younger, and I even remember being in kids club and building sandcastles on the beach!

  3. France is somewhere we’re really keen to visit with the boys and i’ve heard so many wonderful things about Alfresco holidays. Sounds like you’re having a lovely time! xxx

  5. Bliss, utter bliss! We spent a couple of weeks with my parents in Germany and went to our local beach a couple of times. The water was 13 degrees Celcius, but it didn’t stop us and we had such a blast. The beach really is my happy place x

  6. Kids clubs are a godsend on holiday. Great sandcastle, this takes me back to my time in Tenby as a child with my family. Looks like you are having a great time.

  20. Sounds like a really good holiday, one that would be perfect for my family too. My kids love the kids clubs and I like losing them too for an hour or two – recharge time

  24. Oh Jane it sounds absolutely fabulous there, it really does. Sandcastle building is definitely man’s work, your role is to sit and admire the view (and their creations of course!). Fabulous post x

  28. Looks so lovely, I can’t wait to go back to France and yet I’m dreading it too. Maybe time will make it easier – in fact I am sure it will. France was the holiday of choice between the ex and I. In fact after breaking my heart he took me to Paris for the weekend as a final goodbye. And yes it’s only looking back now I realised how messed up and unfair that was!!

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