Monte Carlo or bust

Since we last gave you an update we've traversed the whole of the Cote d'Azur, raced round the Monaco GP circuit, popped into Italy for a visit, left the Med behind and peaked across the Alpes.  Not much for a few days?  Now up to 3700kms, whew...

So we've seen lots of coastline which is properly rocky and has tiny beaches.  Some of the beaches are already getting busy with sun-worshippers, but sharing a 10 metre depth bit of beach for the day doesn't really appeal.  We have stopped a few times and chuckled at the madness of it all, but not been for a (full immersion) swim.

We stayed in a great camping village near St Tropez and ate salad on the beach as the sun set.  And tried a "typical" Italian campsite, which if it is typical will not be tried too many more times! 

We went to Monaco to try and find some of the GP sights, and they we in preparation for some racing so most of the armco and stands etc were all set out.  Following the course was therefore a doddle and we did virtually 2 laps taking in the tunnel, casino hairpin, swimming pool, start/finish straight etc...  I loved it.  Fran was unsure about the fuss and yelps..!!

Last night we stopped in an Aire in the ski resort of Montgenevre just into France from Italy.  We woke a few hours ago in beautiful Alpine scenery (and 6 degrees), but we wouldn't have it any other way.

The plan was to drive over a few col's and pass through Val d'Isere, but it's that weird time of year when there's still snow around but not enough tourists for the authorities to justify keeping the roads open.  So we can't go up and over and we need to go round!  Grenoble and Geneva here we come.

Other weekend news

Well done Pete - London Marathon in 3:44.  Maybe one day I'll have a go.

And welcome home Bob and Phoebe!

Beautiful Barcelona

Oh Wow, what a city. We had a wonderful two days in Barcelona. The first day was spent doing the proper tourist thing. The unfinished Gaudi Cathedral is just incredible. It has two completely different facades at the front and back. One to celebrate Christ's birth and the other to remember his death. How he had such a vision is completely beyond me! The inside still leaves a bit to be desired but we will return one day to see it finished.


This is a photo of Horace in the mouth of a tortoise who is holding up the Cathedral!!!!


The musical fountains were spectacular - thank you so much for the recommendation Angela (from work!) I just loved them. There were loads of people watching them and a really lovely atmosphere. We stayed for ages. The fountains perform every half hour with music and as the evenig goes on they are lit as well. Such a beautiful location.
Other highlights on the second day included people watching. We saw an amazing drumming group who made a huge noise and danced around a lot with great energy. Also we took a walk to the city cemetry, this is a huge a beautiful place with family graves piled 7 high in places. Not everyone's idea of tourist attraction but the kind of place I always find interesting.

Return to France

We've now left the hustle and bustle of the big city and are cruising along the mediterranean coast, ultimately towards Monaco.  So far we've made it almost to Marseilles.  And Ronald is providing a good service again this morning.  Satnav has picked some very small roads for us, which can be a bit of fun, but a little un-nerving at times too.  Spent last night in a really nice campsite near Nimes(ish), which was strangely full of brits - we haven't seen too many on the trip so far.  And I went for a little run in 28 degree heat!
Best let Fran have a go now, speak soon!

Barcelona

Excellent free bus service - took us about 40k right into the centre of Barcelona, and then picked us up again, two days on the trot!  First day was St Jordi / St Georges which is a big celebration here because of the large English population...  Actually he's the patron Saint of Catalunya, and they actually celebrate rather than us rubbish brits.  So Friday was a mad day in the city with flowers and books everywhere.  And people - everyone seemed to be in town for the day.

Undeterred, we went sightseeing and started at Sagrada Familia, nuts and how it will ever be finished is beyond me.  After lots of walking we went underground (metro) to save Fran's legs and flitted around other sights and sounds of the Gothic quarter, the Ramblas, magic fountains and other bits including the parks full of people and parties.  Day 2 we went to the beach bit and enjoyed a really hot saturday.  Having walked a fair bit on friday I was planning on letting fran off on saturday, but I think we actually ended up walking further!  Oops.  There'll be a few days of low activity to follow as we cruise along the coast.

We took a drive out this morning to get some LPG for the van - only a 50 km round trip but oh boy what an adventure. Spain is mad! The roads are crazy and the views are quite something else. We are going in to Barcelona on St George's day which they appear to celebrate by exchanging flowers. So on every street corner there are people selling flowers (and if you're not in to flowers then it seems to be books!). I also noticed all the catalan flags. So many of the balconies have them hanging over the side. They are a very strong red and yellow stripe. All very colourful. I think we might see some interesting sights in the city today!

I should have listened more at school

So since I wrote last I have had my first real day of sabbatical leave and what fun it is. I did spend the first couple of days working out what time it would be in England and what everyone would be up to at school! Life on the road is fun. You never know at the beginning of the day where you will end it. We woke this morning in a carpark in a small corner of France and we are now in a huge campsite by the Mediterranean sea. This campsite has every sign in six languages. I was so impressed to hear the Spanish receptionist check in the lady before us in French and then turn to us and say hello and ask us how she could help us. I say impressed but also jealous. I have managed my first real interaction with a petrol station assistant (without Mark). She took me off into a very strange office to pay and then our card would not work so we did a bit of shrugging and I seemed to do a good makaton sign for cash so she smiled as I went away a returned with a 50 Euro note.
Hunton and Horace are behaving well although Hunton is very jealous that he is not coming to Barcelona tomorrow.
We have just booked in to this campsite for 3 nights. I think that is the longest we will have ever camped anywhere in the world! (That makes it sound like I am a well travelled person!)
I'm off to bed now but will add some photos in the morning! Good Night

Shuttle bus ahoy hoy!

Well, what's been happening...?  Apart from the volcano...  We saw a jet the other day and the dutch woman at the campsite who we asked about it didn't really seem to know there was a problem!  So it must be alright.  Good luck getting back on Sunday Bob and Phoebe.

Now, we're sat overlooking a gloomy Mediterranean planning our decent into Barcelona for a couple of days.  Free shuttle bus from the campsite at 1330 tomorrow, so plenty of time before then to get the blog up to date.

Up to 2400km's as per sally satnav, who is doing a blinding job by the way.  Although her attempts at speaking foreign are as good as ours, and she does have a habit of trying to get me to turn left down impassable roads.  We've only had to back out of one tiny alley when she tried to "recalculate" my route!

Weather has been fantastic, up to about 32°C according to the van.  And sunny with it, although it's had a feeble attempt at raining this evening.  I'm beginning to go a darker shade of muddy brown, which is nice.

Highlights: Good choice on the Massif Centrale route - which is superb.  Stayed in our first France Passion site, which is where a farmer / vinery type outfit let's you stay on their land, interesting.  Carcassonne, which is a great C18th mock-up of a medieval town - good job they've done.  Driving up and over the Pyrennees past Pas de las Case into Andorra - it still looks like it's skiable although the slopes are clearly shut!

Next it's Barcelona for a couple of days, then we head back to France along the Med, hopefully the sun will come back for that bit.

Explanation of today's pictures:  1. Hiding behind a tree in a carpark stop-over in Quillan; 2. French car taking his lunch 2.5hour break; 3. Disney should be proud of what they achieved in Carcassonne; 4. View from our lunch stop as we came down into Spain.

Well done JB and LH

This morning had one eye on the Chinese Grand Prix, well done lads on the one two.  Other eye keenly interested in the volcano situation, wondering whether Bob and Phoebe have got home from Morocco?  A number of the ex-pats down here are unable to return to UK for the new term.  Kind of glad we've missed some of that chaos.

Anyway, important stuff - meet Scruffy and Tallow at chez Akhurst.  Took them for a walk which is clearly why they are now exhausted!  Beautiful day sans cloud and we've had a lovely time being driven around by the locals.  Partly sticking stakes in the ground advertising a commune ramble for May Day.  And some sightseeing.

So we've seen Chateau, cloisters of a renovated church building  and the cemetary commemorating the French Resistence in WWII.  And the afternoon at Angouleme taking in a chilled bierre in the town square.

Back to base camp and I took a little 5k jog, in 24°C sunshine, very invigorating if a bit much apres lager. 

I'm thinking we might take the Massif Centrale to Spain rather than the coastal route, but need to run this past da guvnor.  More Cognac and Vin before bed ;-)

Le weekend

We drove down the coast south of St Nazaire yesterday and I tried to re-live my last family holiday (with parents and all brothers and sister...) from 20 years ago, .  I remember that because I had a driving test, but couldn't drive over here since I was still 17 (driving age 18). 

It was somewhere near St Gilles Croix de Vie, so we went there and carried on down the coast.  My dad would be proud, I think, since we found the playground that us kids entertained ourselves at for most of the time (yes, at 17!).  20 years on and we thought it would be dead and buried, but it's now 4 times the size and clearly still a good attraction.  This reminiscence (spelling?) took a while, so we only made it to just north of La Rochelle last night, and stayed in one of those large static van sites that spread over massive areas of this coast - perfectly pleasant but a bit impersonal.

Saturday in France is a quiet affair which seems to involve either not doing anything, or taking your trailer out for a drive!  We've found our way to Alan and Trish's house, or significant homestead.  It's lovely and we've just spent a good 3+ hours sat on the veranda drinking beer, wine, cider and cognac over apperitifs.  It's a good life.  Paella for dinner tonight. 
Plans are to stay here till Monday avoiding the French day off.  So may well have time to sort out pictures and write a bit more before moving on south.

Watford to America!

Welcome to my first ever blog. I am sitting in a gloriously sunny French campsite having had a great day exploring Mont Saint Michel. So far our adventure is going very smoothly, we had a great crossing and then spent a night in a small but pleasant campsite where we have stayed before.

Wednesday was spent at the Bayeux tapestry and marvelling at it's incredible story and great needle work. I do have to confess that without the audio guide I think I would have missed most of the finer details. There still seems to be much debate over who made it, England or France!!!! We then spent the night in a carpark in Bayeux. We paid nothing for the privilege and had a nice quiet evening. It also meant that we could enjoy a take away pizza.

Today we have been up Mont Saint Michel and had a guided tour of Abbey church at the top. It truly is one of the maddest pieces of architecture and construction I have ever seen. Apparently Arch Angel Michael choose the rock and then the Abbey was built on top of the point of the mound. The day brought back some very happy memories of a trip many years ago with Anne. The last trip involved me driving!!!

We had our first glimpse of the Atlantic tonight - looks like most other big bits of water to me - but who am I to say. Oh, yes and it was a clear day so we could see America.

Camping avec crap wifi

Not so much celebration!  The wifi at the campsite was rubbish so just about managed one post and an email, then it failed terminally.  Anyway, a new day and our old friend Ronald to the rescue.  Munched a big mac and managed to update things properly, so we're all happy again.  See you soon.

Camping avec wifi

Tres bien.  Le campingsite avec le wifi gratuit.  A proper french one with hedges and everything.  The rest of the residents appeared to play a mass boule game a short while ago, kids'n'all.

So first blogging of the adventure, wahey.  So far we've covered about 900km's and are near St Nazaire on the Atlantic coast - the air is a luverly temperature (van said 31.5degrees, which we believe!), but the water is cold (foot says so).  It's still school holidays so things are a bit busier this week than we think they will be going forwards for a turn - although "busy" is not really causing any problems.  It probably means that we'll be sharing camping areas with a more mature clientele than now in the next weeks though, which I'm sure will bring its own entertainments.

General scenery is a bit dull at the moment, but I think it will improve / change dramatically as we get a bit further south.  Although we have been discussing how we are going to see spring blossoming as we travel, which should be pretty cool.  They like their churches, most small towns have a cathedral of sorts, and we visited an island today that seemed to be wholly made of an abbey!
Loving the freedom, but conscious that we are going at quick a rate, in terms of distance per day.  I quite like it and when Fran stays awake she likes the scenery too.  We have to be sure to stop when we see something interesting.
Rufus is fully behaving herself, and for a brief while I was convinced we were getting 31mpg.  My wife has since corrected my maths and it's only 19mpg (I'd worked out kmpg!). 
Should be off to La Rochelle tomorrow via some coastal roads, and then dropping in on Alan and Trish at the weekend (at the time of posting they don't know this!).

Ready, Steady, Go.... tomorrow

I sit here in the bosom of my outlaws having just enjoyed a farewell takeaway curry.  Including a surprise appearance of Chris and Sarah.  It's finished off a busy weekend containing 2 birthday parties and a pub lunch - we haven't cooked for ourselves since Friday, which is nice.  We're pretty much packed and ready to hit the road at shortly after 9 tomorrow morning.

Here's a selection of leaving cards (for Fran, not me!), and a picture of Horace who's coming with us.

Cup of Tea before we go?

Dog sitting

This week we are enjoying the company of Dilbert / Dibley the vicars dog. She's a great old girl.
Yesterday we took a walk with 5 dog's, 4 of which were borrowed for the excursion. A bank holiday monday walk with 5 dogs is an interesting undertaking. Then to top the day off Fran and I helped my dad barbeque for about 100!