Amazing buildings and spectacular scenery.

Friday 9th October.

Yesterday we stopped at Comillas and what a delight it was despite the fact that motorhomes are not really welcomed. We pulled onto a massive car park above the wide sandy beach with plenty of "No Motorhomes" signs and despite the fact that the Guardia Civil station was opposite we parked up and set off for the tourist information office. We wanted to visit the town to see a building designed and built by Antoni Gaudi, one of his earliest commissions and one of only three examples of his work outside Catalonia. The tourist info lady provided a map of the town and suggested a few other places we might like to visit so,suitably equipped, we moved the van to an empty car park 43.38866 -4.29274 with no restrictive signs and headed back to the old part of town. The menu del dia was tempting at a few of the restaurants and after a delicious meal we set off for Capricho De Gaudi. A small palace built for Maximo Diaz de Quijano, a young lawyer who dealt with the legal affairs of the Marquis of Camillas and other Spaniards who, like himself, had made their fortunes in South America and Cuba. The building has all the hallmarks we expect from the genius Gaudi but, perhaps, without the flamboyance to be seen in his later work in Barcelona. Colourful ceramics, the use of different woods, stained glass, the attention to detail and the understanding of natural light throughout the day and the seasons are all here, above all this feels like a house to be lived in. Unfortunately Maximo, considered something of a bohemian at the time, died before the building was finished.

The spiral staircase leading down from....

The attic

But this example of the early work of a true genius was not the only delight in this pretty town. The Sobrellano Palace and accompanying memorial chapel were also impressive. A neo-gothic style palace commissioned by the Marquis of Comillas, Don Antonio Lopez y Lopez and designed by Joan Martotell, no expense was spared in the construction of this building designed as a summer residence for the marquis and the Royal Family. The stone carvings, stained glass and the fireplaces, designed by Cristobal Cascante were particularly impressive.

Detail

The memorial chapel was completed in just two years and conceived as a Cathedral on a smaller scale and incorporates a girola housing the family mausoleum. The pews and the confessional were designed by Gaudi.

The chapel:

Designed by Gaudi:

Not bad for a last resting place:

Today the Parque National de Los Picos de Europe beckoned. Covering 647 sq km and including three massifs, the highest reaching over 2,600 metres we couldn't pass by without a peek (as opposed to a peak). There are no passes through the whole area and we were undecided which way to go so drove along the northern edge on the AS-114, which was a stunning drive in itself, to the town of Cangas de Onis. There the young lady in the tourist information office came up trumps again, advising us which road to take to the two lakes (we'd call them tarns) at Pedro Pidal. We were lucky, from tomorrow the roads will be closed for repair and maintenance. The weather today has been glorious, sunshine and blue skies and not a cloud to be seen so the views were stupendous. The road ends at 1,100 metres and on occasions it was a bit scary with a few naughty hairpins and motorists who seem unaware of the width of their vehicles but we reached the lakes without incident and sat on the lakes edge breathing the freshest, sweetest air. Of course, we've only scratched the surface of this magnificent National Park, we met a couple today by the lake who were from Harrogate and were travelling by motorcycle and had spent a week in the area. The drive back down wasn't as enjoyable as the brakes started overheating - "What's that smell" said Phil, "Smells like somethings burning". - "Just the brakes, darling - nothing to worry about." Halfway down I managed to find somewhere to pull over for a while and let them cool down before we completed the descent.

The views:

The lake:

 

Oh no! A selfy:

Afterwards we returned to Cangas de Onis where the Mayor has kindly provided 4 parking spaces in the massive car park for motorhomes with fresh water 43.35225 -5.12554. Unfortunately he possibly underestimated the demand as there are currently 12 vans in the car park and a few more at the bottom of the road.

Tomorrow our plan was to head north again to the coast but the weather forecast is appalling for the next few days in all directions so we are unsure. I think we need somewhere with a few museums.

Pat

 

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Spain

Wednesday 7th October.

Yesterday we spent at San Sebastián with mixed fortunes. We left Capbreton in the morning in warm, humid weather, we stopped a little south of Bordeaux for coffee, the sun came out and it was glorious. Arriving in San Sebastián it clouded over and a few spots of rain fell but undeterred we set off for the old town which is a brisk hour's walk from our parking place 43.30789 -2.01453. San Sebastián is one of our favourite cities, the broad boulevards contrast perfectly with the old town and the curving, sandy beach is the icing on the cake, together with lots of pedestrianised areas and cycle paths it really is a pleasure to explore. But yesterday we were focused on finding the tastiest Pintxos, which is the Basque take on Tapas. According to tradition each offering should be no more than two mouthfuls so we shared four in the first bar, four in the second and two in the third with a cheesecake and coffee to finish, a small beer (Solitos) in each bar which is only maybe 10 or 15 cl is just enough. The whole experience cost about €35 for the two of us and we ate nothing for the rest of the day. We dodged the showers as we moved from bar to bar but this was just a taste of what followed. We bought an umbrella and then the wind got up and it absolutely tipped it down. The brolly was trashed in about fifteen minutes and ended up in a dustbin and by the time we got back to the van we were like drowned rats; our jeans and trainers are still drying out!

A couple of views of the bay at San Sebastián (note the gathering storm clouds!)

We set off today following the coastline and stopped first at Zumaia and would you believe it we were parked next to the river. Out came the fishing rod and a pleasant hour was spent catching........nothing. Along the coast to Deba, then Ondarroa, onwards to Lekeitio then inland dropping down to Gernica by which time I was running on fumes. The SatNav directed me to a fuel station just as the warning light came on - phew, that was lucky. Back up the road to Bermeo where we are now parked up for the night having got the last but one Motorhome parking space 43.42299 -2.72561. Only a few showers today and the forecast is looking better as we get toward the end of the week by which time we will be at the Picos mountains. We'd semi-planned a route but discovered yesterday that the snow line starts at 500metres and it's recommended that we call at Camgas de Onis to check the route before we set off so that's what we'll do. But before that we have Comillas to visit tomorrow.

Pat

 

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Vineyards, Sand Dunes and - a storm?

Monday 5th October.

What's not to like about stopping in a French vineyard courtesy of the France Passion scheme? Well, nothing really apart from the weather. The last couple of days we've stopped at Chateau Bonhoste in Aquitaine 44.80121 -0.12489 about 15 kilometres south of Libourne and the weather has been a bit dreek but we tasted, and bought, some delicious wine and just chilled for a couple of days. We arrived a little later than anticipated due to a coordinate situation! Once again I managed to enter the details for east of the Greenwich meridian rather than west which wasn't too dramatic and only involved another thirty minutes driving through a torrential rainstorm unlike the time I did the same thing in Spain a couple of years ago which involved about four hours extra driving. Anyway we'll be west for some time now so we should be ok. The vineyard welcomes motorhomers and provides us with spotlessly clean toilets and showers and free WiFi which meant I was able to watch Arsenal fillet Man U yesterday. It wasn't the best WiFi so it was a bit like watching a game of underwater football but I managed to see the goals and an impressive second half defensive display. Mind, the aggression and rivalry is a little lacking from yesteryear so here's a pic to remind you all of the good old days.

 

I went out for a final look at the stars last night (euphemism alert) and nearly trod on what I at first thought was a brightly coloured reptile. In fact it was a fire salamander like this guy here.

 

I've never seen one before and shouted to Phil to come and have a look but as she was snug in bed she declined.

This evening we are parked up at Capbreton 43.63663 -1.44702 about 40 kilometres north of Bayonne. We are in a car park for camping cars beneath the dunes and we've just come back from a walk along the long, wide, sandy beach complete with big waves and, of course, the surfer boys and girls. We left in the rain this morning but as we drove further south the clouds broke up and it became warmer and warmer so I'm back in T shirts and shorts. Mind, the sea is pretty chilly.

The beach at Capbreton:

 

We haven't had a sunset pic for a while:

And here we are all safely tucked up for the night:

The lass has just called round for our payment (€8 which is reasonable) and as there are some big black clouds about I asked her if it might rain. She told me to expect heavy rain, thunder and lightning tonight!! Hatches will be battened.

This is our last day in France, tomorrow we are heading for San Sebastián and a feast of Pintxo washed down with a Solito or two.

Pat

 

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Three points and into second place.

Pat

 

 

 

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No luck with the fish!

Friday 2nd October.

We are parked up tonight in the tiny, pretty village of Rom, 46.29120 0.11403 about 50kms south west of Poitiers. We didn't intend to stop here, our plan was to spend the night in Couhe but the parking area allocated to camping cars was pretty scruffy and the services were filthy. It also had the feel of the kind of car park that would be full of boy racers later in the evening. So we had a pot of tea, consulted the map and set off for Rom, just a ten minute drive away and we're glad we did. The village boasts a museum displaying artefacts and the history of Roman activity and settlement in the area, it's mostly directed toward school children but we gladly paid our €4 each which included a map in English showing a walk around the village where we could see the Roman baths and other significant features. There is also a graveyard in the village which is a sombre reminder of events in the area over seventy years ago. Driving through Normandy we see many cemeteries where allied servicemen are buried and we always find them to be emotional places to visit but the events here were particularly horrific and still upsetting even after the passing of so many years.

 

We're parked between a basketball court and a boules pitch. I doubt whether the village could muster enough kids for a one on one and the four elderly boules players had to go home for their tea at six o'clock so it's peaceful now and I suspect it will be until the dawn chorus commences at silly o'clock in the morning.

Last night we stayed at La Suze-sur-Sarthe, 47.88932 0.03058 we've stayed there three times before as it's a natural stop off point on the way south but also because we can park overlooking the river and it's a pretty little town with a great Boulangerie. Parking next to the river I had to test my new fishing tackle, of course, but had about as much success as the French guy parked next to us - no success at all but despite his complete absence of English and my seriously limited French we managed to chat away happily about fishing for ten minutes or so. I was hoping I might cast a lure or two this evening as we are only a hundred metres from the river but when I went to investigate earlier the river is completely dried up! C'est la vie eh?

View from the bridge at La Suze, you can maybe see us parked up behind the floating restaurant:

 

Still shorts and T shirts but it's not looking too promising for the next few days - showers forecast for the next couple of days.

Pat

 

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Untitled

Tuesday 29th September 2015

We're back!!

Not the most auspicious start to this trip though. We left home at 4pm Monday heading for the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone where we planned to sleep overnight before catching the 8.50am train on Tuesday that I had booked a week or so ago. We arrived at Folkestone at 11.30pm to be told that, in fact, I had booked the train for Monday morning so we were 14 or so hours late. Not to worry though, we could be put on any of the trains leaving in the next few hours at no extra charge. I asked if we could wait for a 9am train so we could get our heads down for a few hours but apparently we can no longer park for in excess of four hours now at the terminal for security reasons. So, we booked the 3.27am train and tried, unsuccessfully, to sleep for a couple of hours. We arrived at Calais at about 5.15am local time and drove the couple of hours to Le Crotoy, 50.218646 1.634077, parked the van, drew the blinds, went to bed and the next thing we knew it was two o'clock in the afternoon. We've been for a walk in glorious sunshine under a big blue sky and a bracing wind but we still feel a little fuzzy and "tired round the edges" as Phil says.

We stopped here a couple of months ago on our way home from our last trip and the car park here was very nearly full, holding approaching 100 motorhomes and when we arrived this morning we were surprised to find it almost full again. Mostly French folk but some German and Dutch vans too plus about another ten or so UK motorhomes. Probably at least a couple of million pounds worth of vans here tonight; gotta love the grey Pound/Euro keeping all the Motorhome manufacturers in business eh?

This is our sixth European trip in the van and this time we intend to revisit places in France and Spain and explore a little further afield. The plan is to travel down through Normandy, Val de Loire, Limousine and Aquitaine before entering the Basque region. From there it's the northern coast of Spain with a diversion for the Picos de Europa, then to Galicia and then south again into Portugal. We've never been to Portugal before but we have plenty of recommendations of places to visit on the Atlantic coast so we'll hug the coastline all the way down to the Spanish border and then inland to Seville and Andalusia before ending up in Bolnuevo on the Costa Calida where we hope to spend a few months before returning to the UK next spring. As usual we'll miss family and friends but they're never too far away with Viber, FaceTime etc....

Tomorrow we are heading for Broglie, south west of Rouen.

Wednesday 30th September.

We're parked up this evening at Broglie a pretty little village with a beautifully landscaped Aire de Camping Car 49.005603 0.529663, it's €5/24hrs but when we stopped here earlier in the year nobody came around for the money and nobody has come around yet this evening. There are about ten motorhomes here now and a couple more will probably turn up so that's €60 the village is missing today but hey ho, maybe the person who collects the money is on holiday.

The river running through Broglie:

 

How's the weather are you asking? Shorts and T shirts, how is it where you are?

Pat

 

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The last few days.

Saturday 18th July. Le Crotoy 50.21868 1.63395

Parked up this afternoon on a massive Camping Car parking area next to the harbour at Le Crotoy in Normandy. There must be space for a couple of hundred vans here, it's almost full and there is another parking area on the other side of town as well. It's not the most elegant of parking areas but like Honfleur a few days ago we really appreciate the fact that there are parking and water and waste facilities here on such a large scale. It's €6/24 hrs which we consider reasonable. It's a shame there aren't comparable facilities in the UK. The weather is glorious today and we've been for a walk around the pretty town which has plenty of seafood restaurants and shops and stalls selling fresh fish and seafood. The other side of the harbour also has a long soft sandy beach which is spotlessly clean and it's nice to see a beach without hundreds of loungers and umbrellas.

Yesterday we stopped at Dieppe 49.93136 1.08680 at the newly refurbished Aire next to the ferry port. We arrived at just after 2pm and managed to get the last parking place! The entry is barrier controlled and folk were parked up outside waiting for people to leave before they could enter. We've stopped at Dieppe before and find it reminds us of Whitby which it certainly did yesterday as it was cold and raining. Nevertheless we went for a walk around town in the evening and got suitably drenched. We walked past another camping car park on the other side of the harbour and that was full also. There must have been at least a couple of hundred vans parked up last night. This coastline certainly gets busy in the summer months.

It's nearly the end of this trip now, tomorrow we will stop overnight about 50 miles up the road at Wissant (if the car park isn't full!) we take the tunnel on Monday morning and after a couple of stops in England arrive home next Wednesday. We left home on the 25th March and we've travelled just over 6,000 miles to date and stopped overnight at 75 different locations in France, Italy and Greece. We've taken 4 ferry crossings and tried, whenever possible to avoid motorways and tolls but not always successfully. We've met some lovely people, especially in Greece and Crete, enjoyed some beautiful weather, seen some amazing sights and eaten some delicious food. When we get home I'll try and post a blog with more details of the trip for those folk who like details. Meanwhile if anyone reading this would like the route of the trip and the places we stopped at with descriptions, if you leave your email address in the comments section I'll forward the info to you in kml/kmz format which you can open with Google Earth or Maps.me.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading this for the last few months, especially you folk who left comments. We'll be back on the road again late August or early September until then........ Ta ta,

Pat & Phil

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