A rainy day in Bolnuevo

Thursday 1st December. I haven't posted on the blog for a month or so as we haven't been travelling. This is a travel blog rather than a diary but i thought you might be missing us so here's an update on what we've been up to recently. We rejoined a couple of walking groups when we arrived here which means we get 4 good scenic walks every month. Whilst we are here in Bolnuevo we don't have transport so we rely on our friends Dave and Francoise to ferry us to and from the start locations for the walks. This week was a two walk week and so on Monday we drove up to the Mariposa Hotel in the Espuna mountains for our first walk of the week. These are always quite strenuous walks but after a few hours we return to the hotel where we enjoy a hearty Menu del Dia. On Monday morning we arrived only to find that the walk was cancelled as they'd had four days of rain and the guide wasn't too happy with the conditions underfoot - we should have checked the website before setting off. Oh well, we had a cup of coffee and drove back. Today was another walking day, this time with the Campersol walking group. Last night it started raining at about 3am and it hasn't stopped yet. We checked our emails this morning to find that today's walk has also been cancelled! The walks with this group aren't particularly difficult and again, after the walk we have a meal at a restaurant located wherever the walk starts and finishes. The restaurant is booked in advance and although there is no walk today we still get to have the meal so we'll be setting off soon for that, every cloud etc..etc... So, no walks this week other than the usual daily stroll down the paseo or maybe a walk into Puerto de Mazarron for a bit of shopping. Whilst the rain is not much fun for us it is badly needed in this region, drought conditions were officially declared earlier this year. A lot of water is supplied via desalination plants here but higher up and further inland we have noticed that the reservoirs, irrigation canals and lakes have been very low. Maybe this rain will top them up a bit. A fortnight ago the annual pilgrimage from Mazarron to Bolnuevo took place, here's a link telling you all about the history of this event - http://murciatoday.com/romer%C3%ADa-de-bolnuevo_8291-a.html  This year we got up early (always a struggle on a Sunday!) and took the free bus to Mazarron where we joined the procession. Hundreds and hundreds of folk of all ages follow the statue of the Virgin which is carried by strong, fit young men the seven miles or so back to Bolnuevo. There are a few stops on the way where refreshment is taken on board - hot chocolate and churros for some and cold meats, bread and wine for others. If you are unfortunate to be at the rear of the procession you have no chance of finding anything to eat or drink; we stayed near the front reckoning that we could put up with the band playing in our ears if it meant we could grab some grub. Its a sharp elbows job to get near the food but we managed to grab a few slices of meat and a chunk of bread each, the paper cups had all been used or blown away so its a swig from the bottle of wine and hope that the person before you hasn't got herpes. At the last stop before Bolnuevo we carried on down to the village and joined some friends of ours on the terrace of their villa where we were again fortified, this time with cava and hors d'ouvres, while we waited to watch the procession pass. First the statue, the band, then the hordes of followers on foot and finally the Caballeros, many in traditional dress on their beautifully groomed horses. Bolnuevo is transformed during the weekend. A funfair on the beach, stalls all along the paseo, impromptu BBQs everywhere, large marquees with music blaring out all day and most of the night and, of course, the restaurants and bars are heaving. The old fishermen's houses which are empty for most of the year are full of families sat around tables groaning with food and drink on the terraces and balconies. Its a great weekend but by Tuesday afternoon everything has been packed up and cleared away, the beach has been cleaned and you wouldn't know there had been anything happening. There was a Tapas trail the week preceding the fiesta weekend, a dozen bars and restaurants offered a tapas and drink for 4 euros. We had a card which was stamped at each establishment and then entered into a prize draw. We didn't win the raffle but it was great fun getting our card filled up! We are now approaching Christmas and the campsite is slowly being transformed into a massive grotto. The full time gardener on site has filled every available space with hundreds of Poinsettia plants and most of the motorhomers have one or two outside, bought last weekend from the local school kids to raise money for charity. Nativity scenes and decorated Christmas trees are springing up all over the place and caravans and motorhomes are slowly becoming festooned with climbing santas and coloured lights. I reckon its a bit early yet but we buy a set each year and I'll probably put ours up next weekend. A few pics for you - Our winter home.  

Sunday dancing

 

  The tapas trail card.

Some pics from our walk in Librilla.

 

 

  The funfair.

 

The procession.

 I have a few more photos to upload but I'm having issues with pictures at the moment (plus ca change eh?) so I'll put them on the next blog.   Pat  

Sad Times

Sunday 30th October. I think we're lucky to be doing what we're doing, Phil says no - we're fortunate. She says we've worked all our lives and now we deserve the time we spend traveling around Europe and spending the winters in Spain with a nice climate and nice friends. Lucky/fortunate, whatever, we're certainly in a good place. But there are downsides to meeting new folks and making new friends. A few years ago we met a lovely couple from Scotland - Moira and John. You couldn't wish to meet a nicer couple. Earlier this year John wasn't feeling too well, we all joked about it - too much beer, put more olive oil on your salad, you'll be ok in a day or so etc...etc.... Moira and John drove back to Scotland last Easter time and, to cut a long story short, when they returned home John was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor. When we got home to the UK we drove up and visited them for a few days in the village where  they live in Scotland. We had a great time. They welcomed us and we all put on brave faces. Doctors had advised John that he maybe had six months..... Today we heard from Moira that John had taken a turn for the worse. When I write this blog I try and make it funny. Throw in a few crappy jokes and try and make you smile or giggle when you read it.  Tonight it would be good if you could spare a thought or offer up a prayer for John. Pat  

A week in Bolnuevo

Friday 21st October. We arrived here after a short drive from Vera and after checking in and doing the paperwork, leveling the van and hooking up to the electric thought it would be a good idea to stroll into the village to meet up with friends. First stop was Maria's tapas bar where we discovered that Maria and her husband Reyes had now rented the bar out to an Italian lass who had preserved the atmosphere and was offering an Italian menu. So we had a couple of drinks there and a bite to eat and then popped in to Caroline's bar next door where we received a lovely welcome and had another couple of drinks. Next stop The Blues House where Tracey, the owner, gave us another warm welcome and we had another couple of drinks. That was as much as we can remember about Friday.   Saturday 22nd October. We rented a storage facility here last year so we could leave all the stuff we don't need when we are traveling - awnings, tables and chairs, Christmas decorations (?) and other bits and pieces So today we emptied the boot before whizzing round to retrieve our belongings. This entails wandering around a poorly lit warren underneath an apartment block, finding the wobbly ladder and then risking life and limb as I pass things down to Phil whilst avoiding banging my head on the ceiling. Then we cart everything out to the van, load it up and drive back to the site. It's all a bit physical and we had agreed that we'd take a few days to set things up. There was no hurry, after all we're going to be here for a few months. But...... let's just put down the green matting, it won't take long. Well, we might as well erect the safari room.....and so it went on. Six hours later we had our winter home like we wanted it. We also had aching knees, hips and backs and several bruises. What we didn't have, surprisingly, was a cross word between us. After 47years we're working as a team! I even managed to get the waste water outlet fixed - what did we do without silicone?  

A twenty minute walk along the beach is the Oasis bar/restaurant which has live music on a Saturday night - we were too exhausted and settled for a couple of burgers at the Blues House before falling into bed thoroughly exhausted. (Arsenal 0 - 0 Middlesbrough)   Sunday 23rd October. A walk along the beach, up the hill and back again was good; eased the aches and pains. Lunch at (what was) Maria's and then along to the Blues Bar for the live Sunday afternoon music - a great Spanish band - and to meet up with more folk from last year. But no dancing today for us.   Monday 24th October. We didn't do too much today although I had protracted email communications between delfyNET (our WiFi suppliers) and SurfEasy (VPN supplier) - nothing resolved although I learnt a bit more techspeak.   Tuesday 25th October. Can't recall too much about today other than more email nonsense (see above) (Arsenal 2 - Reading 0)   Wednesday 26th October. The 9.50 bus took us in to Puerto de Mazarron for some shopping and a visit to Wimas (an alternative WiFi supplier). Engineer will call tomorrow to see how my system and their's will work together, he will call between 9am and noon. On the way back we stopped at the little local garden centre and bought a few plants to make our winter location a bit more homely. I went to the bar in the evening to watch a dreary Manchester derby game.  

Thursday 27th October. A quiet morning in the warm sunshine waiting for Wimas engineer. On arrival we greet each other with "Good Afternoon". He looks at my equipment and we entertain each other talking about 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequencies and my ariel and his antenna. A great chat about Routers and VPN IPSec pass-throughs. We kiss each other and decide we are semi-compatible. I have to go back to the office tomorrow to sign a contract.   Friday 28th October. Back on the bus to Puerto. Bus journeys here are great. In England on buses there are signs instructing you not to talk to the driver or distract him. In Spain it is obligatory to engage the driver in conversation at all times. These conversations are carried out at high volume in order to be heard above the driver's favorite radio station. Forget Duolingo, this is the way to learn Spanish.  The Wimas office manager is a cool guy. We negotiate a reduction in the installation fee as I don't need his router. And I get the first month's service free. And if I'm not happy he'll give me my money back. I check my VPN works with his servers. All is good. I ask when our friend the engineer can call back and do the instillation. Probably tomorrow or on Monday says the cool guy. "I'll leave you with my secretary and she will do the contract thing with you and give you a time for the engineer" We smile and shake hands and he leaves the building. Contracts signed, money paid - "Next Thursday" says his sec. Before I can complain that her boss said..... "Next Thursday morning" she repeats with a solemn shake of her head. Hey-Ho. In the evening we visited a Dutch couple we met last year. We called round at about 6pm to say Hi and left about 11pm after a beer or two.   Saturday 29th October. It was a bit chilly with a stiff wind when we set off for our walk along the paseo this morning but by mid morning the sun had burst through and its been a gorgeous day today. We've had good weather all week but I think today was the hottest day. We did a bit of shopping in the nearby Spar shop and then went for a coffee and looked at each other and wondered where the last week had gone. Tempus fugit when you're enjoying yourselves eh? Back to the van and after Phil cooked some delicious bacon and eggs it was time for the main event of the day. I strolled to Carolines Bar while Phil strolled for a beach day. Unfortunately I fell amongst bad company after watching the football and returned home a little later than expected.  The campsite here has a special area for the super large vans and this year there are about a dozen of them, mostly German. There is one English van amongst them and he is flying this flag:  

(Sunderland 1 - Arsenal 4)   Pat        

Some great views and a disappointment

Tuesday 18th October.   There's an expression - "You should never go back". Whilst it's not always true sometimes it is. We are parked up tonight at La Garrofa campsite just outside Almeria (36.82573 -2.51642) and we should never have come back! We've stopped here a couple of times before, in 2013 and 2014 and whilst the site has always been a little "tired" and needing a few euros spending on it there was always a certain charm here. The site is right on the beach and there are some spectacular sunrises and sunsets. When we stopped before there were a few folk that we got to know who stopped over the winter and there was a nice community feel about the place. We put up with the faults before because of the atmosphere and because Malcolm, from Scotland, who has worked here for years as a general handyman always made everybody welcome and was full of advice. When we arrived today I jokingly asked one of the two sisters who own the site if the WiFi was as bad as before. "Ah, no WiFi now" she replied. Phil went for a shower this evening - no hot water. We met Malcolm who said that none of the previous long-termers come here anymore, just people stopping off for a night or two on their way somewhere else. The restaurant used to offer good, traditional Spanish food; now it's hamburgers, chicken or pork with chips. The final straw was being charged €2.50 for a small beer. On arrival we said we would stop for a few days but we're off tomorrow. It's a shame, because with not a lot of money spent this could be a great site. It's close to Almeria and there are no other sites nearby and it's a while since we stopped anywhere where we could listen to the sea with the waves breaking on the rocky beach. The fact that most of the folk who stopped here previously for the winter have moved elsewhere should give the owners a clue but apparently not.   Last night we stayed on a campsite a bus ride from Granada, Beas de Granada (37.22468 -3.48865). Again, it's a site we've stopped on before but this time we were glad we went back. Its 1,100 meters in the foothills and we look up to the snow capped Sierra Nevada whilst basking in warm sunshine and the site is clean and everything works. The restaurant provided us with a delicious meal for not a lot of money and, although we didn't take advantage this time, there is a bus stop outside and the service takes you right into the centre of Granada. The bus ride itself is a great trip as it winds down the hills into the city with fantastic views and the owner of the site can arrange trips to the Alhambra (you have to book tickets). Yesterday we paid €15, today it's €17. We should have stayed there an extra day.   Thursday 20th October.     We arrived here (37.26455 -1.85723) yesterday. It's a tennis club with space for about 50 motorhomes with all facilities and excellent WiFi, there's a bar/cafe, swimming pool and gym. The only downsides are that it's a long way from anywhere and they are currently carrying out "improvements" to the site. When we arrived there was nobody in the office so another English couple here said to just park up and the lady from the office would be along shortly. Unfortunately we didn't realize that we were parking next to the concrete mixer! Better than an alarm clock at 8am! But the weather is ok and this is just a stopping off point on our way to Bolnuevo. We are booked in there on our usual pitch from tomorrow and then we'll get our stuff out of storage and set the van up for the winter months. We're looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones. And this year we are going to stick at the Duolingo and try and get a better grasp of Spanish. Phil is already two days in front of me and is apparently 1% fluent so I've got a bit of catching up to do. Just realised that I haven't mentioned our stop in Antequera last Sunday. It's a smashing town dating from Roman times with an astonishing number of churches, over 30 according to the guide book. The Alcazaba is worth a visit as is the Municipal Museum and the Iglesia del Carmen. Unfortunately we missed them all as they are only open for a limited time on Sundays and we got our timings all wrong. But we strolled around the town and up to the outside of the Alcazabar which afforded some great views. We stayed overnight at a free parking area for motorhomes next to the football stadium (37.02139 -4.57191) and yes there was a match on the Sunday evening which (I think) the home team lost 0-1 but don't quote me on that. I'm reaching that conclusion from the announcements and the level of applause. Some views of Antequera:

 

And a panoramic:

The view from the restaurant on the campsite at Beas Granada with the Sierra Nevada in the background:

Third attempt!!!

Third attempt at posting this photo!  

Pat

Missing Photo

Last day in Portugal

Friday 14th October. Tonight we are parked up alongside the river Guadiana in Vila Real de Santo Antonio looking across to Spain.(37.19791 -7.41455) This is a dedicated Motorhome parking spot with all services, a gate entry system and electric points. The gate entry system is broken, there is no water and the electric points are locked up. Oh yes, we have a fairground 100m away which will keep us awake for a good while as well. It's supposed to be €4.50 per night but as nothing is working the authorities have kindly taped over the cash payment machine. We've spent the last few days on a semi-campsite just outside Albufeira, I say "semi" because although it is laid out like a campsite with all the usual facilities, including electricity, washing machines, WiFi, a small swimming pool and a games room there were no toilets. But the owners were charming and helpful and it's only a ten minute drive to Albufeira. Parque da Gale - (37.09265 -8.31190). A 2km walk takes you down to the beautiful sandy beach and from there we walked along the boardwalk to the wetlands at Salgados. But we didn't come to the Algarve to see exotic wading birds. We came to see Tony and his lovely wife, Jackie. Despite the fact that they both work hard in the property rental and management business in Portugal (www.go-algarve.co.uk) they found time to entertain us and we've decided that the reunion will become an annual event! Here we are, together with Hughie, another old school pal who flew out from the UK to join us:

We were smiling when this photo was taken because we still expected England to get 3 points last Tuesday.    Saturday 15th October.   We're parked up tonight a little east of Seville, just off the A92 - Autovia de Andelucia (37.32936 -5.80555). It's a Motorhome sales and service centre which also offers overnight parking and whilst we begrudge the €10 per night charge it is secure and we have electricity and decent WiFi although, oddly, they charge us 50c for fresh water. Unfortunately there's absolutely nothing to do here as we're in the middle of nowhere. I was quite looking forward to perusing the showroom and the shop but they were both closed by the time we arrived so, after lunch, Phil has read a book whilst I watched Michelle Obama's speech in New Hampshire which was inspiring and worth seeking out. So, with decent WiFi I'm going to try and upload a few photos. I mentioned the roundabouts in Europe in a previous blog and we've seen some great ones in Portugal the last few days. Unfortunately it's a bit tricky taking a photo whilst negotiating them but here are a couple we saw whilst walking in Belmonte - these are actual statues/figures on the first one:

 

Here's Phil in Leon, having a sit down with Antoni Gaudi:

The Castle at Braganca:

Finally, why can't all supermarkets be so welcoming?

Tomorrow we set off for Antequera, which our guide book says is worth a visit. We could do with a bit of culture.   Pat

Test

Old friends

Monday 10th October.

We are parked up tonight in a Motorhome car park between Vale Parra and Gale, just west of Albufeira (37.09265 -8.31190) We have come to the Algarve to meet up with a couple of guys I went to school with! Tony has lived just outside Albufeira for 14 years with his wife Jackie and last night they took us to their house and provided a full on traditional Sunday lunch. That's an English Sunday lunch, yummy. I haven't seen Tony for something like 17 years so we had plenty of catching up to do and Tony reminded me of the time his mother slapped me round the face with a piece of fresh cod! I hadn't remembered that, I'd obviously been traumatised and blanked it from my memory. Apparently I hadn't done anything to deserve the assault by fish, his Mum just thought it would be an amusing thing to do. Tomorrow another old school friend, Hughie, is flying in from England and we can have a proper reunion over the next few days.
We're about a twenty five minute walk from the magnificent sandy beach at Praia de Gale and Tony suggested that we follow the boardwalk along to the wetlands and lagoon at Salgado where we would see all manner of exotic birds. We took his advice (and our binoculars) and then walked back along the beach, about 6 miles all together on a pretty hot day but well worth the effort and we needed the exercise after a few sedentary days. We saw Flamingos, Terns and an Avocet plus a few other birds we couldn't identify.
Last Saturday we stopped in a small village about 60 miles north of here, Messejana, which is now vying for top spot in the "weirdest places we have stopped" category. We use, amongst other resources, an app called Campercontact which lists thousands of Motorhome stopovers in Europe and which has the advantage of listing reviews by other folk who have stopped at various places. Messejana was listed as a campsite and had received fantastic reviews. Most folk commented that although it was in the middle of nowhere it was a beautiful, well maintained and inexpensive place to stay. We arrived to find an arid piece of land with no other Motorhomes and the gate locked. We remembered that one of the reviewers had said that there was a phone number on the office window which we should ring and the gate would then be opened. I rang the number and somebody asked me in English if I spoke Dutch. I replied that I didn't and was then asked if I spoke English. I replied that I did. "Hold on a minute" said the person I'd phoned and then hung his phone up! Whilst I was reflecting on this odd conversation somebody came out of the bar opposite and said hello. I returned the greeting. After a minute he pointed at the van and then at the Campsite. I nodded enthusiastically and he produced a key and unlocked the gate. It was a double gate but he only opened half of it which left me an opening about six inches wider than the van to enter through. Once inside we had the option of parking in an unshaded, steeply sloping area with electricity or anywhere else we could find with shade. We parked up next to what we thought was an industrial building and the key holder left, closing - but fortunately not locking - the gate behind him.
We emptied and filled what needed emptying and filling and then went over to the bar. A tiny bar and a large dining area, still with the detritus of the last meals they had served, also contained more trophies, cups and shields than I've ever seen. We couldn't make out what these awards were for but considering the population of the village was probably about 500 souls they were obviously very good at something. We had a beer and went back to the van. Phil set off to find the toilets which we had been told were at the end of the large building and came back and insisted I went also to see the rest of the site. Wow! Behind the industrial building which was, in fact, a restaurant and bar area (closed) was a superb landscaped area with two swimming pools and a collection of immaculately clean toilet and shower blocks. Beautiful lawned areas and flowers and pagodas to supply shade and holiday cabins.
We checked the Campercontact site again and somebody had commented about the great inexpensive restaurant in the village and someone else said that Gary's bar was the place to go. We set off through the winding narrow streets, through the small plaza where folk viewed us as if we had just landed from Mars and found the restaurant. No menu, nobody inside eating and no sign of food. Off we went to find Gary's bar. This was easy as the village is only about 200 meters square and in we went. I ordered a couple of beers in my best Portugese and the lady behind the bar answered in English. Two beers and a complementary bowl of pickled beans and then we got talking to the owner who had spent a few years working in Canada over a quarter of a century ago. His English was a bit rusty but he was keen to practice on us and we were only too pleased to have a chat.
We strolled back to the campsite, passing on the way the Community Centre which was about 100 yards from where we were parked. We heard sounds of a singer and a band rehearsing inside and feared the worse. Sure enough folk started arriving (from where?), at half past ten the disco started and at about midnight the band came on. They finished at about 2am and the disco recommenced until about 4.30am. We were woken a couple of hours later by the bells on the goats being herded in the next field, followed shortly afterward by gunfire from a couple of fields away as the locals attempted to kill some small birds or mammals.
We found the guy from the bar a couple of hours later, gave him 7 euros and set off for the Algarve.

Pat

Dummy firmly back in mouth

Friday 7th October.

Tonight we are parked up at Terrugem on a large car park with all facilities for Motorhomes and stunning views (38.84549 -7.34883). It's a small town a few miles west of Elvas and was highly recommended, especially for the small cafe opposite which we were told served delicious food and we would be guaranteed a warm welcome by the owner and locals alike. This may well be the case but today it's closed. Anticipating someone else providing our lunch today our food reserves had been allowed to dwindle so we set off into town in search of another eating establishment. The town isn't that large so it didn't take us too long. The first cafe/bar looked promising but when I stole a glance at the other customer's bowl of food it looked suspiciously like tripe. I had a bad experience with tripe in Portugal last year and didn't really fancy spending the next few hours attempting to chew a tasteless offering from a sheep's stomach.
Our second stop looked promising, there was a menu displayed outside - in Portugese, which was a bit of a challenge but in we went anyway, surely there would be something we liked. We entered and sniffed the air, no cooking smells. No customers either. Not a good start but we ordered a drink and I did a bit of sign language indicating we might like to eat something. Out came the menu at which we stared blankly. The proprietor asked if we were English, yes we smiled. He spoke no English. "Parlez vous Francais?" He asked. "Un peu, tres mal" I replied. Then our host had a brainwave, out came the laptop and he started translating the menu (Google is our friend). As he displayed each dish he looked at us for confirmation as to whether that might be what we would like. We shook our heads solemnly at each offering. Then, suddenly, a man emerged from the previously hidden restaurant area, burped, rubbed his stomach and kissed his fingers to the proprietor in the universal gesture of food enjoyed. "We'll have what he had!" we exclaimed in unison. Smiles all round as we were ushered into the restaurant to a prime table where we could watch the Portugese news and the first half of a soap on the telly. Olives, bread, Cod (a la maison) and a jug of wine - delicious.

Last night we stopped at Vila Velha de Rodao, about 75 miles north at another Motorhome stopover
(39.65122 -7.67188). We stopped here last year but it poured with rain for 24 hours and we were unable to search for the Otters, Midwife Toads, Eagles and various other exotic amphibians, mammals and birds which the information boards told us frequented the adjacent Tagus river. This time the weather was glorious so off we set for a riverside walk. We followed a path for a mile or so which ran near the river, dropped down to the river and then petered out! Back to our starting point to walk in the other direction - no path at all. So the wildlife remained undiscovered.

Some of my photos have finally appeared now on the pad so I'll try and include a few on a separate post and we'll see how good the WiFi is here.

Pat

Portugese Roundabouts

Wednesday 5th October.

We've been to a few countries in Europe over the last few years in the Motorhome and consequently crossed a few roundabouts - well, gone around them anyway. So they're the kind of thing you notice. Spain do some good ones, France has some nice ones as does Greece. In England it's generally a few bedding plants sponsored by an Estate Agent or Retirement Home. But here in Portugal they know how to do it properly and in the last few days we've seen some great ones. Braganca had some massive weird ones and here in Belmonte they have a flock of sheep, a couple of goats and a shepherd with a fag in his mouth on a roundabout on the minorist of minor roads. Just round the corner (roundabout?) there's one with a guy at the foot of a ladder leading nowhere just looking up at the sky. I'm thinking there's a competition going on here to see which town can produce the most unusual or bizarre roundabout feature. When I've finally got some photos on my Ipad I'll post them. That is if I don't get run down as I run into the middle of the road to take a pic.

Tonight we are parked up in Belmonte (40.36383 -7.34094) where the canned fruit comes from. Oops, sorry that's Del Monte of course. Anyway we're parked next to the Bus Station ( 2 buses in the last 6 hours - I feel sorry for the lass in the ticket office) and we can look up to the castle. In fact this afternoon we walked up to the castle. On cobblestones. In Flipflops. 24 flights climbed my phone tells me. It was ok but I reckon if you've seen one ruined castle you've seen 'em all. Coming down the cobblestones in Flipflops wasn't any easier than going up and Phil doesn't seem particularly interested in massaging my calves so I'll just have to suffer.

Last night we stopped at Braganca, another dedicated Motorhome parking area (41.80405 -6.74597) which has space for about 30 vans and which was full last night. Again we were overlooked by a castle and I ventured up last night for a look. On cobblestones. In Flipflops. Can you see a pattern emerging here? Anyway, a fine castle it was under the floodlights.

Wow, its 9.45pm and another bus has just arrived, the Citi Express, no less. One person alighted. Although the activity has drawn my attention to the ubiquitous boy and girl in the bus shelter scenario so I'll draw the blinds so as not to embarrass them eh?

Tomorrow we head for Villa Vella de Radao and hopefully (please, please, please) I'll be able to post some pictures. We stopped there last year and, if I remember, the WiFi is pretty good.

Pat

An update and second thoughts

Firstly, this is my third attempt to post this, hope it works this time!
Tuesday 4th October.

I'm seriously thinking of sacking this blog malarkey for a variety of reasons.

Firstly , when I was able to use Blogsy I had no problems creating and posting blogs, it was a piece of cake to upload text and photos and I had no problems at all. Then Blogsy withdrew support and when I purchased my new iPad I had to find another app on which to create my blog. I chose Blogpad Pro and ever since I've had nothing but trouble and whilst I accept some of these issues may be my fault the fact remains that Blogpad Pro could not be described as user friendly. The final straw occurred today; I've finally got some WiFi and so thought I would add to and then post the Blog I have been updating since we arrived in Spain last Saturday. Despite the app showing that it was automatically saving my work this has proved not to be the case! Frustration doesn't begin to describe my experience

Secondly, ( and I appreciate I could be making too much of this ) with a few notable exceptions we receive very few comments on the blog and consequently I mostly feel that I'm posting into the ether. If nobody is reading it, or if I'm not making it interesting enough that folk feel they want to engage or comment, then I'm pretty much wasting my time. The idea was never to maintain a diary for our own use but to let friends and family know what we were up to, where we were, what we were doing, who we have met, what we were eating and drinking and trying to put a smile on their faces. Also as a resource and maybe inspiration for other Motorhomers. If I'm not achieving any of that ( and how do I know if folk don't respond? ) then I might as well pack it in.

Anyway, we'll see; if I can get my head around Blogpad I'll feel a whole lot better.

Meanwhile we arrived this afternoon at Braganca in North West Portugal and we're parked up on a dedicated motorhome parking area (free and with all services) beneath the battlements of the old Castle (41.80387 -6.74632).
It's scorching hot and so we're waiting for it to cool down a little before we scale the battlements and have a nosey around.

We arrived in Spain on Saturday and stopped in the capital of the Basque region at Vitoria-Gasteiz. We parked up  in a massive car park on the edge of town, again with waste dump and water and again free to use (42.86527 -2.68544). We had driven nearly 250 miles to get there, which is a long day's driving for us along pretty boring motorways and lousy weather. On Sunday we set off to explore the City, especially the highly recommended Pintxo bars. First stop the Tourist Office, which was closed but due to open at 11am. A Coffee in the main Plaza and once we saw folk looking at maps and bumping into each other we guessed the TO was open for business. We explained to the young lady there that we only had one day in her City and what should we see? She gave us a map and drew a route around the old town pointing out all the "must see" buildings. I mentioned that the Artium Museum of Contemporary Art was highly recommended "Yes" she replied, "If you like Contemporary Art" suggesting she was more of a classicist. Off we set with our map and got lost immediately! A few dead ends and we were back on track. Then we got lost. Again. This pantomime carried on for an hour or so but we managed to tick off all the notable buildings, most of them were closed, it being Sunday, and most of them were behind scaffolding and undergoing restoration. The church of San Miguel was a "must see" but unfortunately Mass was being said when we arrived. Wandering around gawping didn't seem appropriate and whilst we could have stayed for the service we thought it would be better if we had our confessions heard first. Unfortunately there wasn't an English speaking priest available which probably saved us all a great deal of embarrassment.

By this time we were in search of food and set off for the Cube restaurant. Good reviews and adjacent to the Artium we thought we would have lunch and then visit the museum in search of stimulation and inspiration. After a two hour, five course meal Phil suggested we needed neither stimulation nor inspiration so we toddled off back to the van.

Yesterday we arrived in Leon, another motorhome parking spot and a pleasant location above the river (42.6045 -5.584270). We set off for the Gothic Cathedral, built in the C13th and which is considered to be Spain's premier Gothic masterpiece. A combination of poor foundations and the relatively fragile limestone used in the construction have led to countless works of reinforcement over the centuries. But the outstanding feature is over 1800 square meters of stained glass windows and the light inside the Cathedral is wondrous and changes throughout the day and the seasons. The only disappointment, for me, was being offered the "senior" admission price without requiring any proof of age! So just half a day in Leon and another place we'll hopefully come back to and explore some more.

I obviously have WiFi today although it's been a bit hit and miss over the last couple of days. Unfortunately I still can't post any pictures because they're not moving across from my phone to my Pad as they should do. Which is a shame but, no doubt, the issue will resolve itself.

Pat

We're back!

Thursday 29th September 2016  Niort  46.329742 -0.464539  I'm sure you've all been eagerly anticipating our return to the road, like the next instalment at Saturday morning pictures or the final book in the Hilary Mantel trilogy. Well, wait no longer because we're back in the van again and heading south. We left Yorkshire yesterday morning and headed to Portsmouth to catch the overnight ferry to St Malo. We've travelled with Brittany Ferries before and haven't been particularly impressed but our crossing last night certainly had some good points, particularly the meal we enjoyed in the restaurant, freshly prepared and cooked by folk who knew what they were doing and at a very reasonable price too. We sailed on the Bretagne which folk in the know told us was the best in the fleet. Unfortunately we decided to indulge in a coffee and brandy before retiring to our cabin. This was a mistake. I don't know how many times we've said we wouldn't drink coffee after 7pm because it just keeps us awake at night, that coupled with a cabin in the stern of the ship with the associated noise and dipping and rocking ensured we had a sleepless night. But, hey ho, the sun was shining when we docked and we set off this morning with the intention of stopping in a vineyard a little south of Nantes. But the clouds descended, the rain came and as we were making good time we decided to push on a little further south. A quick search brought up the town (City?) of Niort. As we by-passed Nantes the sky turned blue and the warm sun came out and by the time we arrived here it was time to swap the jeans for shorts.  We knew nothing of Niort and there's no information to be gleaned from our Lonely Planet guide which is a shame. Niort definitely deserves a mention. A beautiful park next to our parking place with a pretty river running through, a castle, some lovely old churches and a well laid out pedestrianised shopping area is as much as we had time for this afternoon but we met another English couple here who told us we just missed the weekly market with some delicious seafood. They've been here a couple of days and would stay longer if they didn't have to return home. Likewise we would spend some more time exploring the town but we have an appointment much further south. We're heading for Albufeira to meet up with a guy I went to school with and who I haven't seen for over fifteen years. Another school pal is flying over from England and a grand reunion is planned for the middle of next month. So we've got just over a week to get ourselves to the Algarve. After the reunion we'll be heading to Bolnuevo again for the winter to meet up with old friends and, hopefully, make some new ones. Friday 30th September. 44.801502 -0.124715 We are parked up tonight in a vineyard, well we've been in france two days already. We've stopped here twice before at Chateau de Bonhoste a little to the east of Bordeaux and just down the road from Saint-Jean-de-Blaignac and a lovely place it is to stop. We joined the France Passion scheme a couple of years ago which provides a guide to thousands of vineyards, farms and artisan producers all over France. We can stop at any of these locations with no compulsion to buy the produce but we think it would be rude not to buy a bottle or ten wherever we stop. This particular vineyard really looks after us; there are showers, toilets, electric hook up, free WiFi and we park looking over the vineyards. We were welcomed like old friends this afternoon and after tasting their wines and buying a few bottles were given a complementary bottle of Rose - "For your aperitif, enjoy!". We commented that the dogs remembered us, especially the Golden Retriever which we thought was looking old now. Apparently it's only 7 but when younger was first poisoned when it ate rat poison and then poisoned again when it ate slug pellets! Our host commented upon how intelligent Golden Retrievers are. Mmmm, not that bright then if it keeps poisoning itself. Having said that we had a GR which would eat anything, a greedy breed eh? The drive down the last couple of days has been uneventful; against our instincts, but to push on faster, we've mostly used motorways so we've clocked up 350 miles but paid €40 in tolls for the privilege - ouch! Tomorrow we are heading for Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain, the capital city of the Basque country, it's another longish drive for us so we'll probably bite the bullet again and pay the tolls. After that we'll get back on the B roads and meander through Spain and Portugal. Normally I'd be posting a few photos but there's a small tech hitch at the moment (yes, I've tried unplugging at the wall for 60 seconds and turning it on again!) but hopefully the issue will be resolved and next time i post you can look at some pics. Pat  

Grounded

Although this is a travelogue, or supposed to be, which we started so our family and friends could follow our antics wandering around Europe, sometimes we get grounded so if you were wondering where we are, here's a bit of a discourse on being grounded. Obviously our family know we are home but the folk from Russia who have previously been entertained might be wondering why our wheels have stopped turning. Shout out too for the folk in Serbia & Macedonia (FYROM). (See stats below.)

 

Anyway, we've been home a few weeks now and after deciding to let our house out we've been busy "de-cluttering". So far this has involved giving various items of furniture/pots/pans/books/tools/percussion instruments/various bric-a-brac to friends and family. Selling some stuff no one wanted on Gumtree, where everyone who bought anything knocked me down on my price apart from a massive rugby player from New Zealand built like a small tank who bought the massage table for full asking price after we assured him it would not collapse under his weight. Loads of stuff went to those charity shops who weren't freaked out by the volume of stuff we would arrive with. Several trips to the waste dump and a skip  took care of the rest.

 

Apart from the stuff we wanted to keep. Ah, the stuff we want to keep. That's a whole other story. We have a cellar room in our house where we can store stuff safely so for the last fortnight we've been packing things away and loading up the cellar in between trips to buy more plastic boxes, bubble wrap,shrink wrap etc.. Gradually the things we've lived with for years have gone somewhere or another and the rooms have emptied, the furniture, the pictures, photos, ornaments, books and all the other objects we've lived with for years have gone. Empty cupboards, empty shelves, walls bare. 

 

It's all a bit sad but we console ourselves with the fact that in another month or so we'll be on the road again and whilst it's been a bit depressing getting rid of stuff it's also been a cathartic exercise. When we do get too old or infirm for this travelling lark we can go for the minimalist look when we settle down again! All the things we are missing now we never really think about when we are travelling and there are plenty of books to read on kindle devices and plenty of music to listen to on Apple Music, Soma FM and I've loaded up the MP3 player with old favourites. 

 

The house is being redecorated and goes on the market to rent today and will be available to tenants from 1st September. Phil's sister has kindly "allocated" a room for us when we come back to the UK so we won't have to live in a supermarket car park so now I'm slowly working my way through the list of people and organisations I need to advise of a change of address. 

 

 

We're taking a break in a week or so and visiting family in the north east of England and friends in Scotland and when we get back we can plan our journey down through France, Spain and Portugal before meeting up with old friends near Albufeira. Medium term we're looking to spend the winter in Spain again, come back to the UK in springtime and then back to France to try and follow the 2017 Tour de France, plenty of adventures to come, hopefully.

 

Pageviews by Countries 

Entry	Pageviews
Russia	336
United Kingdom	305
United States	184
France	57
Germany	26
Serbia	19
Macedonia (FYROM)	18
Greece	8
Romania	8
Australia	7

 

Pat

Back in the UK.

Monday 11th July. We've been back in England now for a week and back home in Bingley for the last ten days. Hectic ten days. We've been traveling through Europe for nine months and for most of that time our daughter and her family were living in our house. She moved out a few months ago which made us think long and hard as to what we would be doing over the next few years. We love our life traveling and spending the winters in Spain and want to carry on doing this for as long as we are able, hopefully for a good few years yet. So we decided to let our house using a local agency which is why we've had a hectic ten days. Going through the house room by room deciding what we had to keep and what we would like to keep and how we would dispose of the stuff that has to go. Naively I thought that I would take a few pictures of the furniture we no longer needed, post them on Gumtree at a sensible price and in a few days it would all be gone. Well, that plan isn't working out too well. We've given quite a lot of stuff away to friends and family but still have half a dozen pieces of large furniture to dispose of somehow. We're lucky that our house has two dry cellars, one a utility room, and we'll use the other one to store smaller items but it has a very narrow door so we can't get large prices through! We filled a skip today with stuff that nobody wanted and had no value other than sentimental, in a few cases, so we are at last beginning to see the wood for the trees. When we've finally, hopefully, got rid of the last pieces of furniture then we have four or five rooms plus the stairs and landings to decorate. Fortunately my brother-in-law is a decorator.  I suppose we've had it easy for the last three years; swanning around Europe chasing the sun and enjoying ourselves without a care in the world so the last week or so has been a bit of a reality check. But hopefully in a couple of months we'll be back on the road and all this hard work and stress will be behind us. I don't usually post on the blog while we are at home but I've invested in a new iPad and lost the Blogsy platform which I have been using since I started and so I'm trying out BlogPad Pro and rambling on here to test it out. I'm going to try and add a couple of pics and see how it goes.  We had the van reupholstered by a firm in Ilkeston on the way back, smart eh?

         

                      Just some of the stuff for the skip/charity shop:

So, that's all for now. Keep looking, we'll be back on the road soon.  Pat

Back in the UK

Tuesday 28th June.

We arrived back in England this morning, made our way to the Robin Hood & Little John pub in Hertfordshire for an overnight stop and, predictably, it's raining. We stopped here a couple of years ago but when I phoned this morning to check it would be OK to stop again they said they have had problems with "travellers" and now only accepted motorhomers who had joined the Britstop scheme. I explained that we weren't "travellers" (although we do travel), that we had stopped before and would be eating at the pub. Eventually they somewhat reluctantly deigned to let us stay, after checking six times during two telephone conversations that we would definitely be eating. So very different from Greece where taverna owners are never bothered if you park up outside whether you buy a meal or not. Welcome home.

Since we left Beines in the Chablis region last week we've stopped at a few places on our way to Calais. First stop was at Maeuil-sur-Ay in the champagne region near Epernay. It's a pretty spot, right alongside the Canal Lateral a la Marne. The half dozen allocated spots for motorhomes were all taken by folk who looked like they were spending their summer holidays there despite the 48 hour stopping restriction but we parked a little further up the road with a few other vans and nobody seemed too bothered (49.04552 4.03340). The next day we stopped at Banteux this time next to the Canal de Saint-Quentin (50.06296 3.20091). Again a pretty spot with nice walks on the canal and for €5/24hrs including electricity we weren't complaining. The following day we made our way to Arques, just outside St Omer, where we parked behind the large municipal campsite, between two lakes, for €3.50. (50.74665 2.30131). The following morning, in fact yesterday, we called at the massive retail park, filled up with diesel and a few bits and pieces from the biggest Auchan supermarket I've ever seen and then headed towards Calais.

For the last few years we've always stopped at Wissant prior to taking the tunnel home. The motorhome stop is shared with the local buses, it tends to get very busy, there's nowhere to empty the WC, no water and no WiFi so this year we elected to stop on the campsite on the other side of town, Camping Municipal De La Source (50.88366 1.65782). The young girl on reception said that I would only pick up the WiFi if I parked immediately behind the office and when I explained that I needed it to watch the football she said "No need, there's a bar 100 metres away, we all watch the football there and best of all - it has beer!" So at 8.45 last night we set off for the bar which we would recognise by all the French flags hanging outside. We found the bar - which was closed on Mondays! Back to the van, back to the WiFi and despite a ridiculous amount of buffering watched the shambles and our second exit from Europe in a week. I have no more to say on either exit.

We left home last September and by the time we get back at the end of the week we'll have been away for nine months. We've visited France (three times), Spain (twice), Portugal, Italy (twice) and Greece. We've travelled over 7,000 miles and stopped at 84 different locations 48 of which were free. Our van, Lulu, never missed a beat and the only repairs we've needed were to the brakes. An initial faulty diagnosis (and repair) in Spain was expensive and missed the fault completely but finally in Greece the problem was solved. We had a new kitchen tap fitted in Spain and I fitted a new water pump. We also had a new awning fitted in Spain as the original was on its last legs. We don't keep a note of costs or how many miles we get to the gallon as we're not on an accounting exercise but our children's inheritance hasn't run out yet!

We've enjoyed every minute of the journey, apart from Phil tripping on the ferry to Greece and cracking a couple of ribs and me falling off my bike in Spain and gashing my foot - drink had only been taken on one of these occasions and I'll let you guess which. We've met up with old friends and made new ones. We've seen some wonderful scenery, enjoyed some delicious food and wine and we've been welcomed just about everywhere we've been, especially in that special country, Greece. I also managed to spend Fathers Day with my eldest daughter in France for the first time in 25 years - thanks for a lovely day, Catherine. Tomorrow and Thursday we are having the van reupholstered in Ilkeston and then we'll head home, sort out our house, visit friends and relatives and plan our next trip.

If you've followed the blog or just dipped in and out I hope you've been entertained and amused, thanks for reading. If anybody would like details of the trip, with all our stops and details thereof which you can open with Maps.me or Google Earth then leave a note in the comments section with your email address and I'll send the info off in the next day or so.

Thanks to all the people who've posted comments on the blog, it means a lot. That's it for this trip, back in late summer.

We've taken hundreds of photos and posted many of them but I'll leave you with this one which is one of our favourites:

And here's a snapshot of the places we've stayed:

 

Pat & Phil

 

Posted with Blogsy

Chablis and Brexit

Thursday 23rd June.

We are parked up this evening in a vineyard at Beines, (47.82127 3.71748) between the towns of Chablis and Auxerre. Another France Passion site but this is one of the best so far. The parking area has all the facilities for water and waste and includes free electricity but best of all the Domaine Alain Geoffrey as well as producing some fabulous Chablis has a corkscrew and vineyard museum. Over seven rooms the museum holds tools and artefacts dating back to the eighteenth century, including over 3,000 corkscrews. Everything associated with the tending of vines and wine production is displayed and I mean everything.Its an amazing collection and quite unique. It's been scorching hot again today (now at 7pm it's still 100degF in the van) and it was a pleasure to go into the cool cave and taste the wines. We all know Chablis as a dry white wine but we tasted three different styles from this vineyard, all with their own characteristics. There are now four AOCs for Chablis, produced exclusively from the Chardonnay grape - Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru and Chablis Grand Cru. The seven Grand Cru are grown on just one square kilometre of land on the outskirts of town. We tasted all but the Grand Cru, which was a bit beyond our budget and, once again, increased the van's payload.

Some photos from the museum:

Tomorrow we move on to Champagne country but I think we'll have to give the France Passion sites a miss, the van can't carry much more!

Friday 24th June.

The last two days have been hot and sunny but this morning we looked out of the van windows and it was overcast. But not as overcast as our mood after reading the result of the Brexit referendum. Whilst leaving the EU may be uncomfortable for us, as folk travelling around in a Motorhome, in a few years time, it's not just selfish reasons that have depressed us. I've thought for some time now that England was becoming more insular, less charitable, more racist, less welcoming. A petty, spiteful country always looking backwards and never trying to improve the future but always looking to revive past glories (whatever they were). Years and years of a sour political atmosphere with propaganda and lies stamping all over truth and reality have been the build up to where we are now. It's not just about the Remain's campaign being more to do with the nightmare scenario if we leave rather than the positive aspects of staying within the EU. It's much, much more than that. It's about constantly tampering with an education system which puts league tables and targets before everything else and dictating curriculums. The cream still rise to the top but the rest end up disillusioned on zero hour contracts if they're lucky. It's about the state abrogating it's responsibilities to the nation in favour of increasing the wealth of the wealthiest. It's about cutting services in the name of austerity and comparing managing the finances of a nation to those of a household. It's about MPs fiddling their expenses while other folk queue at food banks. It's about creating unrealistic aspirations whilst meritocracy has never been such a laughable concept. And whilst the nation has never been more divided that creates the breeding ground for the evil rhetoric of the racists. The affluent, well to do racists. And instead of those folk who have been disadvantaged by these neo liberal economic policies seeing through the bullshit of the elites they buy into the anti-foreigner propaganda as being the cause of all their woes. We've gained far more economically, socially, culturally and politically by being part of the EU. Why didn't anybody forcibly put this argument forward? Most folk accept the European Commission needs an overhaul, why didn't our MEPs state they would push for this? Why weren't the fears of a European Army and a Turkish invasion more vigorously refuted? Why didn't the Labour Party identify and explain the real cause of low wages, poor public services, shortage of homes and the other concerns of the disadvantaged living in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet?

Talk about cultural hegemony.

We travel to Greece and see people with nothing helping other people with nothing because of the sympathy and empathy they feel and then we compare that to the response to Syrian refugees by the majority of English people. People escaping a life we can't even imagine being used as scapegoats to further political careers. People who have nothing, who have fled their homes, who have lost family members and friends through war and atrocities. These are the people who take our jobs? Our houses? Who put a strain on our underfunded NHS and education system?

I've not been too elequent in this post, I'm so angry but this article conveys my feelings entirely and I hope you find the time to read it: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/24/eu-vote-uk-diminished-politics-poisoned-racism

Talk about turkeys voting for Christmas.

If anyone's interested we're parked up at Mareuil-sur-Ay (49.04550 4.03344).

Pat

 

Posted with Blogsy

Burgundy

Tuesday 21st June.

Over the last few years we've stopped in plenty of what can only be described as one horse towns. This evening we are parked up in La Chapelle-de-Guinchay (46.21013 4.76749) and I reckon the horse has left for pastures new. If there ever was a horse here at all. Sleepy does not begin to describe this little village which is in the heart of Beaujolais country, a little south of Macon. There's a car park here with facilities for motorhomes and we have a tourist information office and a shop attached selling regional produce. We strolled in this afternoon and the lady behind the counter studiously ignored us, we browsed a couple of leaflets and then went into the shop, picked up a couple of bottles of wine and some pate and with a sigh she took my money, gave me my change and if I had not said "Merci madam", not a word would have been exchanged.

We've spent the last few days with our daughter and her family in St Etienne, which was lovely, and our plan this morning was to drive to Beaune and spend the night there but we didn't realise how far it was. The Sat Navs said about four hours so when we stopped for coffee after an hour or so we had another look at our options and decided this little village was ideal. Still, it's quiet enough, apart from the main Paris to Lyon railway which is about 100 metres away.

Two Euro 2016 matches were hosted in St Etienne while we were there - Czech Republic vs Croatia and Slovakia vs England. Our daughter's house is only about a mile from the stadium and the fan zone is even closer. All the bars in the centre of town had been instructed to close their terraces, take all furniture off the streets and only serve alcohol in plastic glasses on the day of the England match. On reflection this wasn't necessary as the English fans behaved impeccably and we heard of no trouble at all. I was tempted to watch the match in the fan zone but was persuaded to watch it on TV at home. ITV on the iPad for the build up and then French commentary during the match. Maybe we'll do better in the knock out stage when teams have to attack rather than attempt a damage limitation strategy as Slovakia did last night, we'll see. I'll be seeking a stop over with WiFi on the 25th!

Wednesday 22nd June.

Beautiful drive today through Cluny, Buxy, Givry and on to Beaune where we are parked up in the spaces reserved for motorhomes (47.01754 4.83673). Whilst yesterday was overcast and very warm today is sunny and scorching. It's 6.45pm, the temperature is still in the low thirties and there's no shade at all in the car park. The fridge is working overtime but I doubt the beer which I'm looking forward to will be particularly cold. Beaune is a beautiful town, it's the second time we've stopped here and we've also stopped on a couple of nearby vineyards where the wine is considerably cheaper than in the posh shops here in town. Last time we visited the old hospital and the mustard museum/factory but contented ourselves with a walk around town on the shady side of the streets this afternoon.

Tomorrow a little further north near Auxerre where we will be in Chablis and Crement de Bourgogne country and we plan to stop in a vineyard there and, no doubt, add to the payload before we leave.

No photos today as the WiFi, which I'm "borrowing" from the hotel next door, is not too good and I doubt it would cope with having to upload images.

Pat

Posted with Blogsy