A key and some train tickets.

We have a key! Yes, just a small ordinary looking key but it will get us into our beautiful apartment in Dinan. All we have to do is get there and find it.
The plan is that we will catch the Eurostar from London to Lille and from there, take the TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse or Very Fast Train) direct to Rennes, which is the capital of Brittany. Once in Rennes we will pick up the hire car and drive to Dinan. Rod booked the train tickets last night and we are looking at approx $200 AU per person for the trip. Our other options were flying from Heathrow or catching the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Brittany but the train seemed so much easier with only one change to be made at Lille.
Goodness knows how easy it will be to drive from Rennes to Dinan, but I have looked at the routes on Google Maps and also on the Michelin site and it appears it should take about 45 mins and be fairly straightforward. As it will be our first expeience of continental driving I imagine that it will probably take a lot longer and that anything could happen - and probably will!

An apartment in Dinan.

Things are starting to come together. This week we finalised the payment on an apartment in Dinan, Brittany. I am so excited about staying there. The Villa des Remparts is located right in the old town, nestled up close to the city walls. This 18C town house looks magnificent and has recently been renovated. We booked it all over the internet, by email, and the owner Bruce Robinson has been most friendly and helpful. I hope that it lives up to our expectations. The other bonus is that with the Australian dollar being so good against the Euro at the moment the price is most attractive! With six of us staying in the villa, the cost is just over $300 Au per couple for the week!