Heading across France and Home!

We had always planned to go to Chateau D’Olonne where Lucette and Claude live our French friends of more than 30 years. It was wonderful to see them again, they made us very welcome and invited us to have dinner with them that evening.     What a great evening catching up on news and family events.

The surrounding coastal strip in this area is very interesting with lots to see such as the  famous shell passages.

The weather was now changing and it was becoming colder and much more rain than we had seen since setting off from England nearly 3 months ago.  So where next consulting with Big Ted -----?

We went to a very special place - Saint Michel is it is truly a mythical monument its silhouette can be seen for miles around.  

The expanse of the bay, an immense open space as the tide ebbs and flows twice a day around the Mount.   

The long history of the Mount dating back to 708 when it was built as a sanctuary it soon became a focus for pilgrims where it grew to the magnificent building it is today             

                                                                            

Then on to see Pegasus bridge at Benouville where at the museum we saw how the 6^th Airborne Division of the British forces liberated the town and held the bridge.

It was not difficult to decided where next - Honfleur is a very attractive small working port. Lots of resturants and café bars and artists sketching

 the wonderful old houses

Onwards North to Le Crotoy.  The Town is known for its seafood resturants and open waters, marsh land, dunes and saltwater meadows.  

We found a steam train that goes along the coastal towards St Valley-s Somme explored Cayeux s Mer another small fishing with a very old church in the center. 

Calais was our next stop for the ferry back to England  and the white cliffs of Dover. We had mixed feelings about leaving our adventure what a great time we have had seeing wonderful places, lots of lessons learned but excited at seeing friends and family.

 The next question  on our minds where next and when ??????

Bonjour - as we head into France

On Day 85 we headed into France and decided we would avoid the crowds on the southern coast and travel to Carcassonne.  We stayed at Trebes a lovely village on the banks of a river and the canal de Midi.

We cycled along the canal to Carcassonne a 9 mile ride taking in the green lush scenery and as we arrived outside the city we had our first view of the Cite - wonderful.

The  fortified old town is huge and takes your breath away in its elevated position.  The medieval Cite was bathed in a soft red glow onto the walls and turrets as we explored the narrow lanes and stopped in a café to soak up the atmosphere.

Our next stop was Entraygues sur Truyere a place we had not been back to for over 30 years!  During the journey we passed over the Millau Viaduct which straddles the Tarn and holds the world height record rising to 343m above the valley.  It is an exceptional piece of civil engineering.

Entraygues (between the waters) was founded in the 10 century at the place where the River Truyere flows into the river Lot.  Not much remains of the fortified castle only the walls stand today but the old medieval town with its narrow streets of 15^th & 17^th century timbered and corbelled houses are extremely well preserved.

The camp site we were on was overlooking the river with a great swimming pool which was surrounded by mountains, trees and different species of birds. Alan tried his hand at fishing several times and enjoyed relaxing, casting his rod and enjoying the country life.

The local wine, fruit, cheeses and fish were all delicious, the local markets  sold  a variety of produce.

On ward next to Perigueux which is a really picturistic town with ancient squares, we wandered through the town & admired the half-timbered medieval houses, legendary markets at every corner and  walked the cobbled streets.

 A grand cathedral is in the centre of the old town as we strolled through the central square locals were selling huge assortments of mushrooms some of which I had not seen before. 

Our next stop was in the Bordeaux region and we stopped off at the innumerable small towns and villages with porticoed squares and timber houses and good local wine and produce for sale.  A detour found another Challenge for Alan having to drive down a very tiny street to avoid road works we could both touch the sides of the nearby houses as Alan carefully negotiated the van!!

Day 95 we found ourselves in  Chatelaillon Plage a town in between La Rochelle & Rochefort. The area is very flat so our bikes were very useful in getting us around to the small bays, coastal towns and fishing villages. 

Au revoir (France) 

                                                                     

Travelled through Andalucía, Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia & nwards to France

Onwards from Spain to France

Travelling along Spain’s luminous eastern coast which follows the curve of the Mediterranean we found the landscape very varied at times very beautiful and intriguing.  We stayed in the desert like interior of Murcia for our stay just outside Alicante; here the beaches and villages enjoy all year round sunshine.

 We had a date to meet our granddaughter Jasmine, her Dad Ryan brought her from England, and she stayed with us for a while to soak up the sun, a good excuse for me and Alan to make sand castles and we all enjoyed cycling through the pine forests to the beach and nearby towns.  

Near the campsite we enjoyed the flamingos on the salt flats and watched as they elegantly flew from area to area mingling with other sea birds and wild life.

We were very surprised to see Alicante with its long, white sand beaches a wealthy yachting marina and lively centre with very stylish shops and elegant walkways.  

The old city walls still stand and are crowned by the imposing hilltop fortress the Carthaginian Castillo.  

We visited nearby Benidorm and enjoyed Cartagena with its maritime history and naval roots.   On day 52 we had our second day of rain but hi it was during the night and only a few drops!!!

Jaz brought a friend for Big Ted, (Tigger) they both   seemed to enjoy the company!!

I travelled back to England with Jazz and caught up with family & friends whilst in Harrogate for 4 days the house seemed huge compared with the small space of the van and outside dining area I had been used to for the past months. 

Arrived back at Alicante airport and made our way to the Costa Daurada near Tarragonaj.  From Alicante Molly (the Sat Nav) suggested that this would take 5 hrs.  in fact the data we had was wrong and Molly took us over the mountains and tried to get us to cross a river on a very small ferry. Alan had to turn the van around in a very small space which he did with on lookers amazed we were down the very narrow road in the first place. We were at Mora La Nova in the mountains not where we wanted to be at all.   The views were wonderful and the roads narrow for Alan to drive along.

We eventually found our camp site on the coast at Platja de Montroig 9 Playa Montroig Camping resort.  Here we enjoyed the beach, cycling along the Med. Splendid Romanesque churches and monasteries, stunning natural parks all within the back drop of the mountains.    The hilltop location of Tarragona was woven with streets of the old town as we climbed to the cathedral.

The modern art work we have seen on our travels has been marvellous especially the wonderful gallery in Alicante what a find.  So now onwards to France!!!

Saville, through Costa del Sol & onto Costa de la Luz

So where are we now?  Our next stop was Saville,what an enchanting city especially the magnificent Alcazar  the palace with water features, gardens and intricate Islamic detail including wonderful tiles throughout the buildings.  Decided to take the open top tourist . bus which took us around the city to see all the sites.   We stopped off at the cathedral which is the largest church in the world a huge gothic structure with the remains of Christopher Columbus, it is vast with lots of oil paintings and treasures in gold and silver.  You can see how powerful a city it had been in the past,  images of Carmen, bullfighting and flamenco everywhere. Could not get Alan to dance!!

Our next destination was the old town of Conil de la Frontera  very picturistic with narrow streets and an old fortress which is now a museum.  There are several churches in the town and the beach is long and sandy. 

The town is famous for fish so we tried several tapas which were delicious. 

On ward next to Torrox Costa just outside Malaga.

Throughout our journey we came across fields 

of Sunflowers all in bloom turning their faces
 towards the sun!

We have seemed to acquire a few more belongings along the way the van garage started off half full on leaving home it is now almost full. A  necessary purchase  was another Stat Nav which had GPS facility as without this it is difficult to get the correct address making our journeys somewhat stressful. We decided our new Stat Nav should have a name so she  is called Molly!

Alan abilities seem to have traveled across Spain
 he's still mending things?

On Day 50 headed south along the motorway mountain route (A7)  which turned out to be still  under construction with half the road not built.  So we had to go along a very narrow road which clung onto the side of the mountain  just before Motril for about 25 miles.  Alan’s driving was magnificent as he propelled the van through difficult turns and twists. 

During the journey to our latest camp site we stopped off at many villages. that were selling wonderful fruits, cherries, oranges, peaches etc with local butchers and villagers selling fresh fish & great smelling cheeses.

From the Costa del Sol headed for the Costa De La Luz, the site we were heading to was in Roguetta de mar.  The surrounding area is used for growing fruit and vegetable from a distance all you could see was plastic coverings everywhere which was a real blot on the traveling landscape.  The villages along the coast are set against a back drop of the Sierra Nevada mountains a much slower, quieter more relaxed pace.    

So what has Big Ted been up to trying        
his hand at camping outside in his tent

                                                                                                                                                              

So back to life on the beach before traveling to our next destination!

Onward's back to Spain & Ted's adventures

We have really enjoyed our time in Portugal hired a car and explored all the hidden coves and beaches.  A few challenges along the way:

1. Our water system  on the  van  decided to smell a little and we found out that we needed to flush out and start again.  Only a small tummy upset !!!  Glad we found it early at day 42
2. Alan locked the hire car keys in the boot so  had to get a guy with a piece of wire to unlock the car after he demanded 90 Euro's - but onward and upward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We are having a great time and are both really chilled out.

Wonderful surf

Walks along the coast line proved to show us dramatic scenery  and plants standing out against the blue skies in wonderful sculptures.







By public demand on my email  - - - a few pictures of what Ted has  been up to whilst we have been enjoying the walking, the beaches, food, and meeting different people in hte Algarve. Ted by the pool.

Then by chance our new neighbours had some playmates Horst & Jorge belonging to Rolf what games they got up to including playing & cooling off in their paddling pool.

Ted getting some practice in before heading off to France

Not one of Big Ted's skills sorting out the barbi!!  Tying to teach him new skills since his security guard incident.







So its now onward towards Spain and Seville.

New bikes, the Algarve, deserted beaches and miles of unspoiled natural park land

New bikes, the  Algarve, deserted beaches and miles of unspoiled natural park land

Decided we could not continue our adventure without bikes so a purchase was made two matching bikes!! Hope this matching thing does not become a trend. 

Journeyed on from Lisbon to  a camp site - Turiscampo about 3 KM out of Lagos, a nice site with a large swimming pool, bar & restaurant.  When we arrived lots of nests with young were around the wash block so we watched with interest as the youngsters grew and eventually left the nest just as we were going to our next destination.

The Beach  is only 2 Km, Lagos 3Km &  near to the village of Espiche and Luz on the coast.  Luz is a real tourist spot in a cove a very pleasant location with lots of bars and restaurants

Largos is situated midway along the Algarve cliff coast on the edge of a wide bay.  The outskirts are unattractive with skyscrapers however the old centre has a few historic medieval sites.  

The town is mainly a tourist port with many restaurants and nearby sandy beaches.  We visited the Igreja de Santa Maria chapel and walked the many little streets with woodcarving and tourist shops.

Toured the coast on the grotto boat very entertaining with dramatic scenery

Visited & explored Europe’s south westernmost point Sagres which we found great it is where the land  ends and the sea begins.

We went to see the Cabo de Sao Vicente fortress, the lighthouse and had coffee in a local bar. Not much remains of the original fortress which was destroyed in an attack by Francis Drake and finally finished off by an earthquake in 1755.

 On the way back to the site we stopped off at Burgau  a unique and charming little village a place where time has stood still.  We had a late lunch in a fabulous restaurant overlooking the sea I had the fish of the day a John Dory the best meal I have had since crossing the channel

It is now day 32 of our adventure and we have met some very interesting people with lots of tales to tell.  (feel a book coming on )

Alan's reputation has become well know (in more ways than one!) and he is becoming the odd job man for several fellow campers so time to move on I think!  However the fresh orange juice, fruit and beer in return for the work is very welcome.

With Spring in the air Big Ted has found friendsHorst Sallenker & Jorge Gonzales & finding different activities to follow.(photo's to watch out for next time)