Caceres - Continued

Sunday 2nd February 2014 

There has been an overnight frost, but, it is dry!, and sunny!

We fall into conversation with another English couple, Gordon and Kath (Kathleen, her Sunday name), who are also planning a trip into town on the bus.

It being Sunday, Kathleen attends mass at the first church we encounter, (Sant Mateo), whilst I wander the historic area of Caceres.


The old town is like stepping into a set from El Cid.


There are narrow winding streets and ancient buildings, including a "Lancelot Taverna", but, none of the bars or restaurants are open.

The mostly lively scene I encounter is a busker

playing Spanish Guitar music and signing, what is no doubt a very moving song, if I understood a word of it.

It is soon time to make my back to the church, to meet up with Kathleen, who, her duty done, is ready for coffee etc.

We wander back into the sun filled main square, where we again encounter Gordon and Kath, drinking coffee in the sunshine.

More exploring, so back to the old town, to wander the narrow streets and make the obligatory visits to the Cathederal of St George, which no longer appears to be functioning as a church, but now appears to be a museum, telling the history of the (Roman) Catholic Church (beginning with Jesus of course), and mounting displays of religious bric a brac.

We encounter a parade going on, I am not sure what the occasion is.

Having had our fill of cultural activities, we make our way back to the main square, here we meet up with Gordon and Kath again, and spend the rest of the afternoon eating and drinking in the sun.

It is a hard life, but, somone has to do it.


Monday 3rd February 2014

We had intended to stay here another two days (Kathleen cannot resist the "bargain" of getting a free night if you stay three nights), but, when we wake, it is raining (again!).

So, accordingly, we set off for Portugal, Quateira.


The Spanish have built a nice new motorway, south to Seville and beyond, (that is where at least some of those Euro's went in the financial crash). So, we disregard our planned route, via Evora and do the 300 miles, free motorway (almost) all of the way. At the Portuguese border, they have installed automatic Toll Machines for all non-Portuguese vehicles. What a cheek!

We arrive at Orbitur Quateira (N37 W4' 2" W8 5' 14"), it is an ACSI site, but, it is cheaper to use our Orbitur memebership card and we get ten nights for 100Euro. 

The scooter is unloaded, with the assistance of Kathleen and a very friendly French couple.

From Home to Spain

Tuesday 28^th January 2014

True to form, we do not get away from home as promptly as planned, but, eventually we are away, on a cold and wet January day.

We have booked our first stop at Folkestone, and a Tunnel crossing, other than that, we have nothing booked. The plan is to follow a route we were given by a chap we met in Portugal, last year. It uses stops en-route which are open at this "off season" time of year.

 Our first overnight stop is Black Horse Farm Caravan Club Site, Folkestone, it has the advantage of having a separate area for Ferry / Tunnel users, so, you can arrive and leave "out of hours". We  arrive in the pouring rain, and dark. The Motorcycle trailer lashings giving a problem, don’t know it at the time, but, I have tied the ratchet buckle incorrectly, so, it is working itself loose as we travel. We eat, sleep, and leave in dark, 5:15 in the morning, to go to the Channel Tunnel.

Wednesday 29^th January 2014

Arrive for Le Shuttle, at Channel Tunnel, as you might expect, at 5:30am, it is pretty quiet, check in all very slick this time, machine reads our number plate automatically as we drive in, one click on the screen to confirm our details, and, we are in. Unlike the previous occasion we used it.

Emerge from tunnel, 8:00am French time. A soggy drive south, rain, rain and more rain, signs of flooding all around, and, every river we cross is swollen and bursting its banks.

Our first stop is Montoire-Sur-Le-Loire (N47 45’ 27.5” E0 52’ 10.4”) an Aire with lighting,

waste disposal, Water, Electricity. All Free.

Approximately 300 miles south of Calais, but, we arrive in daylight, which allows me to have a proper look at the scooter on the trailer and correct my faulty threading of the front ratchet strap.

Montoire-sur-Loir is a pleasant and typical small French town, a choice of boulangeries, banks, cafes and bars arranged around the market square.

First port of call is a cash machine, to obtain some Euros, then a friendly looking bar. 

To begin, two beers (typical English choice).

We sit and marvel at the number of people in the bar (it is only 6:00pm), and given the high price of beer (5.60Euro for two small beers), wonder how they can afford it.

But, we notice very few are drinking beer, careful observation while we drink our beer, and we notice some are drinking Pastis and some White Wine. Next round is Pastis and a White Wine, much more reasonable at 3.60Euro for the two. The only problem is, I do not like Pastis, but, perhaps I will acquire a taste for it?

30 January 2014

We fail to set the alarm, and are a little late at getting away in the morning, we have approximately 350 miles to go, to our next planned destination, which is Moliets Plage, Landes (N43 51’ 5.8” W1 23’ 6.7”) an Aire  with no facilities, other than street lighting and a Public toilet.

But, Kathleen has looked up the recommended Aire, and decided, she is not impressed, so, the destination is changed to Lac de Ville St Girons (N43 54.178’ W1 18.572’), which, the Aires Book says has everything, Electricity, Showers, Toilets etc.

Tomorrow is to be our 27th Wedding Anniversay, but, as we leave the A63 motorway, a slight Sat Nav misunderstanding almost ensures we do not make it to our wedding anniversary without a divorce.

At the end of the motorway slip road is a roundabout, we take one exit too early, and are soon driving along a single track road, surrounded by dense pine forest, needless to say, it is pouring with rain.

Three miles of recriminations later, tempers fraying rapidly, the sat nav instructs us to turn right into an even narrower gravel track.

No chance!.

The good news is, there is just enough hard ground at the entrance to the track to turn the van around, but, not complete with trailer of course!

We both emerge into the pouring rain to unhitch the trailer, push it out of the way, so, I can turn the van around in what seems like a ten point turn. Then re-hitch the trailer, and drive back to the point where we went wrong.

There follows nine miles in torrential rain, along narrow roads through the forest.

Kathleen is elated, when, eventually, we emerge onto  a road wide enough to have a white line painted down the middle.

Her joy is short lived, we arrive at the aire to find the entrance road under two feet of water.  

What to do?, it is now dark, the nearest aire we know of is another ten miles or so. 

We decide to park in the deserted car park opposite the adjacent (closed) campsite and settle down to eat and sleep.

It continues to rain for most of the night.

31^st January 2014

Today is our 27^th wedding anniversary, and we are waking up in a car park. 

Kathleen jokes about it, but, you just know, this will not be forgotten. It is going to be added to the long list of my errors and brought up periodically! Good job I had the forethought to buy a card for her!

After the previous three days marathons of over three hundred miles per day, today is a trifling 230 miles.

We stay on the “free” Route Nationale until we near Bayonne, at which point, past experience dictates it is wise to take the toll road to miss the traffic of Bayonne and Biarritz, not to mention the nightmare that is San Sebastian.

The weather improves, we have sunshine! And the temperature reaches a heady 11C, as we travel across the border into Spain, and, through the mountains. 

As we climb away from the coast, the temperature drops, and soon, we encounter snow on the ground, although, the road is clear and dry.

Once through the mountains, the temperature climbs to a balmy 11C again, on to our next destination, Burgos (N42 20’ 24.5” W3 39’ 20.0”) an ACSI listed Campsite, with of course, all facilities, including a heated Toilet block!

To be honest, if you are staying just one night, there is little advantage in using a camp site, but, today is HWD (hair washing day), which regular readers will understand means full facilities, including electricity are mandatory!

1st February 2014

An early start, we are on the road by 08:30. 

Free motorway for approximately 300 miles.

This is not the Spain most English people know, ie the Costas, we are crossing an enormous plateau, which stretches off into the distance.

Mostly, it appears to be deserted farmland, with every so often a sizeable, and surprisingly industrial town.

The superb motorway is almost empty of traffic, a little disconcerting, given how remote the area appears to be, it also seems to be lacking any emergency telephone points, or cameras along the way. Breakdown here at your peril.

This, of course, is the "plain", of "the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain", fame, and, so it does, today, as we get regular downpours along the way. 

Although the sun is shining, it is very cold, only 6C.

A stop for lunch and fuel, and, we encounter the first Police Patrol we have seen since leaving Burgos. 

Two Gaurdia Civil, standing by their patrol car, faces muffled in scarves, over doing it a little I think! 

Eventually, we drop down from the high plateau we have been travelling across, and run alongside some snow capped mountains, called, Kathleen informs me, after studying the map, Sierra Berger.

By 15:00, we arrive at Caceres (N39 29'19" W6 24'46"), another ACSI listed site. This one of those sites where each pitch has it's own individual toilet, washbasin and shower room on the pitch.

The original route calls for an overnight here, before pressing on, into Portugal via Evora to the Algarve.

We are too feint hearted for that, we decide to stay here for a few days. The sun is shining and, the temperature gauge has crept up to 14C.

Tomorrow is Sunday, there are several churches in town, to satisfy Kathleen's church going tendancies, there is a bus stop outside of the campsite gates. A rest, lunch in town is the plan.

Spring 2014 - Packing to Leave

Preparing to Leave.

Although we typically make trips lasting several months, packing and preparing to leave has not been an issue, until now.


We, or, perhaps I should say I, because I think Kathleen is a reluctant participant in this, have purchased a Motor Scooter, to provide transport during our Campervan trips.


This is actually part of a longstanding "plan" on my part.

Three years, or so, ago, (when I was 64), it occurred to me that the day would come when we were not up to pedalling bicycles for long distances. So, I decided I would learn to ride a motorcycle.


My plan was to buy a small scooter (say 100cc). 

But, my motorcycle enthusiast son-in-law, Dave, convinced me I should take the matter seriously, pass the full motorcycle test, and thus be able to ride any size of motorcycle.
This, I duly did, much to my surprise, the surprise of my instructor I suspect, and the amusement of Kathleen, and, most friends and family.


Having passed the test, I made one more ridiculous move, and bought a 650cc Kawasaki ER6F. To be honest, it was fun to ride, but, scary, I never actually admitted that at the time of course.

Kathleen SAID she would ride pillion. She even got as far as riding up and down the street on the back of Dave' Honda Hornet. 

With the Kawasaki, she did get as far as clambering onto the pillion seat to have her photograph taken, biker chick style. However, I knew she had no intention of risking life and limb by doing so, when the bike was actually moving. This was particularly clear when she steadfastly refused to even buy a helmet.


I waited long enough so that it did not look like I had made a mistake, then one day, I spotted that our local Motorcycle Trader had what I considered a suitable alternative. So, I traded the Kawasaki for a more modest machine, a Yamaha XMax250 Scooter. On the day the deal was done, Kathleen declared the Salesman to be "quite attractive", and agreed to go for a ride on the back of the scooter, with the salesman "driving". All was declared to be satisfactory. But, subsequently, Kathleen still insists it is far to big for our needs. I like it very much.

Now, Kathleen has acquired the necessary "gear", ie a rather smart Motorcycle Helmet, and, a suitable Motorcycle jacket, courtesy of her friend Anne.

Acquiring the scooter, means we needed a towbar and a trailer (it is too heavy to mount on the rear of our van). Since we are still fit enough to ride our bicycles, I opted for a trailer capable of carrying the Motor Scooter and two bicycles.


So, that is how the preparation and packing has become significant task.

I have to put the Yamaha on the trailer (I have now practiced this, to the point I can do it without assistance), much time has to be spent lashing it in place, and covering it to keep it reasonably dry and clean.

Then, the same has to be done with the Bicycles.


Finally, I have to ensure we have the additional equipment, ie Motorcycle helmets, jackets, etc etc, all loaded.

So, January 2014, and, we are off, heading for the sun (we hope) in Spain and/or Portugal.

Slowly Home

Tuesday, October 8^th 2013

Leave Bruges and travel only 15km to the campsite we had planned to use to visit Bruges, before I found the more convenient Stellplatz. Not very impressed, pleased we found the Stellplatz!

We need a site to use services (washing machine), and HWD (Hair Washing Day) is looming, so, travel on to Bredene, 17 Duinzicht (N51 14’ 56” E2 58’2”). An ACSI site. Bredene is on the coast, just a little North east of Ostende.

Bredene appears to be a Belgian version of Tynemouth.

We have a pleasant walk along the promenade, plus a beer and a Bombay Saphire (gin).

It is an odd layout, for a seaside resort, you cannot actually see the sea!

Between the promenade and the beach, is, a dual carriageway, with a metro or tram system running down the central reservation, then some rather large sand dunes, then the beach and the sea.

Once you actually get to the beach, apart from being about 1000 miles too far North (like the Northumberland Coast), it is rather magnificent.

Wednesday, October 9^th 2013

The weather has worsened. No sunshine today. We regret not getting the bicycles out yesterday, but, undeterred, we get the bicycles out and cycle along the coast for a couple of hours, ending up in a seaside bar, with some very cheeky sparrows, whose party trick is to help themselves to the nuts which are provided free with the drinks.

Wednesday night is a shocker, a howling gale and bursts of pouring rain!  

Thursday, October 10^th 2013

The weather has not improved this morning, still the same howling gale and bursts of pouring rain.

After I get soaked to skin, in one such downpour, returning from a trip to the loo, Kathleen decides that, although this is HWD she is not going to risk a soaking, so, it is officially postponed.

I do my outside chores, ie disconnect mains etc, in a lull in the rain, and, off we go.

The plan is to do some last minute booze shopping at a large “Area Commercial” (Retail Park), near Boulogne. We usually aim to break even on the cost of the ferry crossing versus the saving in the coast of Wine, Gin etc compared to the UK.

Enroute, we call at a potential “Aire”, at Wissant (N50 53.210’ E1 40.224’). It is in our Aires book, as “under construction” in 2010. I can report, it is finished now, and in use. It is neatly laid out, free, and organised, but with minimum facilities, ie water and waste disposal only. Not suitable for HWD, no power for hair dryer, hair straighteners etc. Worth remembering for another time, the village looks interesting and the area is very scenic.

We drive to Boulogne Area Commercial, visit Lidl and LeClerk to stock up on alcohol, fresh bread, warm from the oven, and very fattening cream cakes.

The rain has stopped, gale has subsided to “very windy”.

A few miles back along the coast, towards Calais, we stop at Wimereux, L’Ete Indien (N50 45’10” E1 36’28”), an ACSI site (16Euro). Other than the views, not really that impressive, but, it has the essentials for HWD, ie good power (10amps), and plenty of hot water.

We are perched on a hill, overlooking a wild sea, I hope the wind quietens by this evening, since at present, it is howling around the van.

After coffee and cream cakes, hair washing swings into action.

In the evening, we are even able to get some terrestrial Television, French Channels you would expect, after all, we are in France, but, we are also able to receive several English channels.

What another shocker of a night, howling gale and pouring rain again, by morning it has stopped raining and wind has died down, but, it is cold (7C). The village is at least 2km away, so, it is decided we will somewhere different.

Just to point out, for those unfamiliar with woman speak,  “it is decided”, translates as “Kathleen does not want to stay here”.

Friday 11^th October 2013

Licques, Pommiers des Trois Pays (N50 46’ 47” E1 56’ 52”), an ACSI site, 14Euro per night. A very neat little place, on the edge of the village of Licques, which has a small supermarket etc.

We are quite away from the coast but still near Calais, so, a reasonable option either just before catching the ferry, or, just after getting off the ferry. A bit of a small road to get here, so, perhaps not suitable for a late night arrival in the dark.

According to the ACSI book, the site has free 80% wifi coverage, but, I cannot connect, so presumably we are in the other 20%!

My Orange-France SIM card, is getting a signal, but, it is too weak to be useful. Of all the SIM cards I have acquired (Portugal, Spain, Germany, France), the Orange-France one is the least satisfactory. Coverage is not magnificent, and topping it up is a pain. You do not appear to be able to do it online, and, if you appear to need a French Fixed line to do the registration if buy a top up voucher. As if all that was not bad enough, the top up does not seem to be instant, it takes a couple of hours to “come through”. Unless, when I have topped up, it has coincided with French Lunchtime perhaps?

Saturday 12^th October 2013

Today, we are off to Gravelines, ready to catch the ferry at crack of dawn (well 6:00) tomorrow morning.

One of our regular last stops before the ferry or tunnel, It was free, then they started charging 7Euro (which was extortion, for parking only, with no facilities), now the price has been adjusted to 6Euro/24 hours (May – September) and 3Euro/24 hours October – April).

The weather has taken a turn for the better, despite the weather forecast, a bright sunny day, so nice we are able to sit in the square having a beer or two.

Since we were last here, they appear to have provided free WiFi, at least it appears to be free, you register your Email, and, you get 60 minutes connection. Good signal, and reasonably fast.

Sunday 13th October 2013

Alarm goes off at 4:30, yes, in the morning!

Drive to Dunkirk, after check in, we arrive in our allotted lane, just as boarding starts, just as I like it, no hanging around.

Arrive in UK, pouring rain. The joys of driving along the M25 in a cloud of spray, until we come to Kings Langley, where we have arranged to meet up with Gary, Susana and Gabriel. They are on a brief visit to the UK, from Baku, so too good an opportunity to miss, to see them and have Sunday Lunch together.

After lunch, we drive to near Ferrybridge, to stay on a Caravan and Camping Club CS.

Monday 14th October 2013

Find our way to Armitage Trailers to have a towbar fitted to the campervan, and, collect motorcycle trailer.

Home by 17:30.

 

Bruges

Saturday 5^th October 2013

We arrive at Bruges, just in time for lunch.

From the internet, I found a Stellplatz (or whatever the Belgians call them). It is relatively new which may explain why it does not seem to be in any of the books we have.

It is located at N51.19600635966311 E3.22573184967041 it is next to the coach park and it is within ten minutes walking distance of the city centre, through the Middelwaterpark.

The price is 22Euro per night, in “high season”, and 15Euro per night in “Low Season”. Low season starts 1^st October. The price is inclusive of electricity. It may also be inclusive of the use of the service point, we are not sure, because when we were there, the service point was out of order!. Fortunately we had water etc already.

It is all very organised, with marked and numbered bays, and all very clean and tidy. Entry is via a barrier (you get a ticket, pay at a separate machine before you leave).

 It is clearly very popular, it quickly filled up at the weekend, slightly quieter on Monday.

There are actually two areas to the Stellplatz, one is on the same side of the road as the coach park, the other is on the other side of the road, ie on the left as you approach.

The area on the other side of the road to the coach park appears to be the better of the two, having larger bays.

Adjacent to the Stellplatz, is the Yacht Club and Marina, with the usual rows of very expensive boats, all neatly tied up and empty..

We spend the afternoon strolling around Bruges, it is very, very nice. Number one priority is finding a church with a mass for Kathleen, either this evening, or, tomorrow. It is another Cathedral job, 10:30 Sunday.

There are all kinds of things happening, a chap walking around on stilts,

a couple of people playing music and marching around with a flock of geese,

a group of young men strolling the streets in Victorian clothing,

a couple of guys riding about on motorised “surf” boards, playing Beach Boys music as they go, and,

a chap with a collection of birds of prey and owls.

That by the way, is all happening  on a Saturday afternoon, in the small square where we are sitting having  a beer (ZilverPlaat).

I wonder what it is like after closing time?

Sunday 6^th October 2013

It is my birthday today, so, whilst Kathleen attends church, I explore possible eating places.

The end result is we spend most of the afternoon eating and drinking in the main market square, which has the dual advantage of being bathed in sunshine and having a plentiful choice of eating places.

A little more strolling around the old town, followed by more eats, Belgian waffles this time, while listening to three buskers playing classical music. Not sure I see what all the fuss is abou (the waffles that is), but, when in Belgium, you have to at least give them a try!

Back to the van, to receive birthday phone calls, while relaxing in the sunshine. Kathleen is not up for anymore exercise, so, she sits reading her book in the sunshine, whilst I explore the cycle track along the canal.

Monday 7^th October 2013

Another beautiful day.

We cycle around the city, following the canal, mostly on a dedicated cycle track which is traffic free. We are on our way to Ostend, only another  26 kilometres to go, before Kathleen notices and calls a halt.

We pick up the city cycle track again, and cycle through leafy streets and parks, before arriving in the central square for  a much needed beer.

We cycle to the cathedral and park our bicycles, before buying our lunch (hot dogs, and chips) from one of the many take-away food stalls.

After lunch we take a boat trip around the canal within the city, it is amazingly pretty, and also amazingly old, much of it dating back to 1500 and before, all beautifully preserved.

Followed by more lazing in the sunshine, then, in the evening, cycling around the park for me.

En-route to Bruges,

Thursday 3^rd October 2013

Time to leave Luxemburg, but, not before we have made the obligatory trip to a Garage to fill up with, what is, reputedly, the cheapest Diesel in Europe, at 1.20Euro/Litre (ie almost 50% cheaper than the UK!).

Soon we are cruising along the motorway into Belgium.

We arrive at Aywaille, Domain Chateau de Dieupart (N50 28’ 35” E5 41’ 21”), an ACSI site, at 16 Euro.

The write up in the ACSI book is quite glowing.

Realistically, I would describe it as “quaint”, ie a euphemism for a bit disorganised.

On arrival, reception is closed (not unusual), with a notice to say, choose a pitch and complete your check-in when reception re-opens at 16:00. Well at 19:10, reception is still not open. Never mind, we are on a pitch, plugged into electricity and all is well.

On the positive side, it is only five minutes walk to an out of town shopping area, with no one supermarket, but three, plus a choice of other shops.

The town is described as being 500 metres away, I think that is a bit optimistic, but, it is, at most 15 minutes walk along a pleasant footpath/cycle track.

Friday 4^th October 2013

Very important task today, it is hair washing day, all other considerations are secondary.

I would normally make myself scarce during the hair washing, drying and straightening rituals, but, today it is raining, which rather wrecks my plans for a morning of exploring on my bicycle.

I content myself with reading my book, and keeping well out the way, plus a visit to reception, to complete the check-in formalities.

Reception is a bit of a revelation, from the outside, it looks exactly like a “normal” campsite Reception Office, but, step through the door and, it is as if you have stepped into a rather basic and old fashioned English country pub. Definitely quaint this place is.

By lunch time, the rain has stopped and there is warm sunshine, warm enough to walk into town and support the local economy by having a few beers.

En-route to Bruges, first stop, Luxemburg

Tuesday 1st October 2013

We arrive near Luxemburg city, Alzingen, Bon Accueil (N49 34' 9" E6 9' 36"), an ACSI site. It is time for chores, clothes washing is the order of the day.

For some reason, there is a surplus of Brits here, in addition to ourselves, there is a caravan and 6 campervan's from Britain, they all seem to have been to Croatia!

Alzingen is only six kilometres from Luxemburg City, centre, and the bus to the centre stops just outside of the campsite.

Wednesday 2nd October 2013

I do not know if the weather we are experiencing here is typical for this time of year, but, it is decidedly odd. This morning, it is dry, but, very cold. By lunch time there is bright sunshine and a cloudless sky, it is warm enough to sit in the sun sunbathing.

We catch the bus into Luxemburg City. We meet another English couple from the site, at the bus stop. A very pleasant pair, Larry and Pauline, from Brighton.

We limit ourselves to the "old" part, and I manage to miss out all of the shops, a successful day.

It is a very pleasant place, clean, orderly and quaint.

My European history is not too good, so, I am not familiar with the recent past here. It is clear from various monuments that it was over-run by the Germans in both WW1 and WW2, but, it seems to have escaped major damage.

Clearly a very affluent place, but, there are a few beggars around, despite that.

Just goes to show I suppose, no matter what the circumstances, there will always be some who float to the top, and some who sink to the bottom of the economic and social pile.

We have a good wander around, taking in the sights and sounds, including of course, the inevitable Cathedral of Notre Dame, rounded off with a pleasant lunch.