Monday 8th June - Wednesday 10th June 2009
Wednesday is market day. Now I have heard it said “once you have seen one old building you have seen them all”, or “once you have seen one old church/cathederal you have seen them all”, well the same must surely be true of French markets. Every single one of them sells the same selection of brightly coloured tablecloths, tacky jewellery, cheeses which are so smelly you could not stay in the same room as them…. Etc etc. Plus, for some reason the French insist on taking their silly little dogs to the market with them, so you need to be constantly vigilant in case you step on one of the stupid little things (a good move) or in one of their deposits (a bad move).
By lunch time we escape the market, and decide (uncharacteristically for Kathleen) , to have a take away for lunch. We buy a whole chicken, ham, potatoes, and ratatouille, from a small stall in the street, all ready cooked. This is no fast food junk, it is all beautifully cooked, and tastes superb. True it cost 20Euro, but there is enough for two meals for both of us, plus I suspect a sandwich this evening.
The guilt trip starts after we have pigged out on the takeaway, plus a couple of bottles of beer (not me, I never feel guilty about being a pig), so we spend the afternoon cycling it off.
Wednesday 10 June 2009
Monday 8 June 2009
De la Baie, Cavalaire-sur-Mer (ACSI2009-1274) N43.16954 E6.52966
Friday 5th June 2009 – Sunday 7th June 2009
Today we head off for Cavalaire-sur-Mer. When we arrive, it turns out to be a quite large “resort” type place, but not in a tacky Blackpool sort of way, so it promises to be good, with a large selection of bars and eating places to choose from, plus a marina full of rather smart boats.
Like Au Paradis des Campeurs, this place is almost all Dutch people (at least 80% I would guess), it makes you wonder is Holland completely empty?, or alternatively, what would happen if they all went home, would it be standing room only?
It is Friday, so the weekend looms near. This means only two things, ie church and hair washing day. The facilities at the site are given the thumbs up for hair washing, and the electricity supply is 10amps, so operating a hairdryer and straightners for an hour or so should pose no problem. This only leaves the search for the church. We set off on our bikes, with vague directions from the Receptionist, after a false start we find the church and establish mass times. Then a cycle along the seafront, followed by a pitcher of chilled Rose, in a small bar.
We have reached that point in the trip, where the end is now clearly visible (ie about four weeks to go). This is time to begin worrying about supposed weight gain by one of the party. So today (Saturday), we cycle along the coast. We do about 10 miles in total, mostly along a dedicated cycle track, and get as far as a small place called Port de Croix. Here they are in the process of setting up a stage and marquees etc to celebrate D Day landings. I was not aware of this, but according to the notices and a plaque on the beach, American and French troops landed here to begin the liberation of France from the South. No mention of us Brits.
Our little trip was rounded off by a trip to a pavement café to watch the world go by, and in deference to the drive to lose weight (by K), a couple of coffee’s rather than a beer or wine. The weather today is hot (28C) and sunny, but there is a strong wind. A quick look at the BBC website shows us that at home the weather is showers and 11C, no contest really, it still warm enough to allow us to swim in the site pool!
This evening I decide to treat Kathleen to cocktails, on the basis that this morning she did the 10 mile cycle ride without complaining once. So off we go, we resist the temptation to have “sex on the beach”, and instead settle for a “Blue Lagoon” (Vodka, curacao etc), and a “Mai Tai” (rum, cointreau etc)., followed by a couple of gin and tonics.
While we are in the bar a group of four elderly French people arrive, complete with four of those silly little dogs they like to carry around. This was a first, would you believe they had a childs buggy, in which three of the dogs were riding.
On the way back from the bar, we meet two Polish chaps, a little tipsy I suspect. They ask us “do you speak English”, when we tell them “yes we do”, they proceed to talk to us in Polish with only one English word (which is “beer”), quite why they asked us if we spoke English when their English vocabulary is limited to the phrase “do you speak English” and “beer”, is a mystery. Eventually we understand they are looking for a supermarket which sells beer, and is open. It is too late for supermarkets, so we direct them to a small shop further down the street. Off they weave.
Sunday of course is church day, it turns out to be a very long session, they are having first communion, just like Molly at home, so it lasts from 10:30 until 12:15. Gives me time to read almost all of the Sunday paper undisturbed.
Today we head off for Cavalaire-sur-Mer. When we arrive, it turns out to be a quite large “resort” type place, but not in a tacky Blackpool sort of way, so it promises to be good, with a large selection of bars and eating places to choose from, plus a marina full of rather smart boats.
Like Au Paradis des Campeurs, this place is almost all Dutch people (at least 80% I would guess), it makes you wonder is Holland completely empty?, or alternatively, what would happen if they all went home, would it be standing room only?
It is Friday, so the weekend looms near. This means only two things, ie church and hair washing day. The facilities at the site are given the thumbs up for hair washing, and the electricity supply is 10amps, so operating a hairdryer and straightners for an hour or so should pose no problem. This only leaves the search for the church. We set off on our bikes, with vague directions from the Receptionist, after a false start we find the church and establish mass times. Then a cycle along the seafront, followed by a pitcher of chilled Rose, in a small bar.
We have reached that point in the trip, where the end is now clearly visible (ie about four weeks to go). This is time to begin worrying about supposed weight gain by one of the party. So today (Saturday), we cycle along the coast. We do about 10 miles in total, mostly along a dedicated cycle track, and get as far as a small place called Port de Croix. Here they are in the process of setting up a stage and marquees etc to celebrate D Day landings. I was not aware of this, but according to the notices and a plaque on the beach, American and French troops landed here to begin the liberation of France from the South. No mention of us Brits.
Our little trip was rounded off by a trip to a pavement café to watch the world go by, and in deference to the drive to lose weight (by K), a couple of coffee’s rather than a beer or wine. The weather today is hot (28C) and sunny, but there is a strong wind. A quick look at the BBC website shows us that at home the weather is showers and 11C, no contest really, it still warm enough to allow us to swim in the site pool!
This evening I decide to treat Kathleen to cocktails, on the basis that this morning she did the 10 mile cycle ride without complaining once. So off we go, we resist the temptation to have “sex on the beach”, and instead settle for a “Blue Lagoon” (Vodka, curacao etc), and a “Mai Tai” (rum, cointreau etc)., followed by a couple of gin and tonics.
While we are in the bar a group of four elderly French people arrive, complete with four of those silly little dogs they like to carry around. This was a first, would you believe they had a childs buggy, in which three of the dogs were riding.
On the way back from the bar, we meet two Polish chaps, a little tipsy I suspect. They ask us “do you speak English”, when we tell them “yes we do”, they proceed to talk to us in Polish with only one English word (which is “beer”), quite why they asked us if we spoke English when their English vocabulary is limited to the phrase “do you speak English” and “beer”, is a mystery. Eventually we understand they are looking for a supermarket which sells beer, and is open. It is too late for supermarkets, so we direct them to a small shop further down the street. Off they weave.
Sunday of course is church day, it turns out to be a very long session, they are having first communion, just like Molly at home, so it lasts from 10:30 until 12:15. Gives me time to read almost all of the Sunday paper undisturbed.
Tuesday 2 June 2009
Tuesday 2nd June 2009 – Thursday June 4th 2009
Au Paradis des Campeurs, Les Issambres (ACSI2009-1271) N43.36606 E6.71191
Les Pinedes is a very nice site, we would certainly come here again, its only drawback (for us) is that it is not cycling country.
We decide to head back for the coast to find some easier cycling country. So first we head for 1214 Green Park, Cagnes sur Mare. But it is a huge site mostly statics, and they only have two touring pitches free. So we head for Au Paradis des Campeurs, which turns out to be another good site with spotless facilities.
Enroute I enter into competition with Bryan Crick, Bryan is setting a record for breaking rear lights, I am doing the same for door mirrors, today I broke the second one. Driving across a narrow bridge, near St Aygulf, a French “white van man” speeding towards us, hit our mirror, didn’t stop of course. This time it is only the glass part, so I think it will “only” be a 100Euro to replace!
Reception are able to tell us where the nearest Peugot dealer is, and next day we set off on our bicycles to find it. Fortunately, they have a replacement mirror in stock, so we leave there happy but 106Euro poorer.
On our way back we decide to stop in St Aygulf for a beer, Kathleen buys, whilst I go to buy an English newspaper, so we can read about our thieving MPs and their expenses. Further discussion, and we decide that perhaps a portion of chips would be nice (Kathleen has obviously decided that 16 mile cycle ride justifies a bit of junk food), so I wander off and buy a couple of portions of pomme frites, which we sit and eat at the bar with our second beer (another nice thing about France, if the place does not sell food, they seem to have no problem with you bringing along your own), before wobbling our way back to the campsite.
The beach here is only a walk of 50 yards, to a nice little bay with crystal clear water, white sand, and a collection of topless women of course. The latter is a problem since it distracts me from reading my newspaper or book. I have now evolved a scale of measurement, based on the frequency you feel inclined to take a look, at the lower end of the scale is once per page, at the upper every word. There have not been any every words, so far, but we have had a once per sentence.
Today is domestic chores, Kathleen does the washing, while I cycle to the supermarket to buy some supplies, this is followed by an afternoon of lying on the beach., for Kathleen, and reading my book, for me.
Les Pinedes is a very nice site, we would certainly come here again, its only drawback (for us) is that it is not cycling country.
We decide to head back for the coast to find some easier cycling country. So first we head for 1214 Green Park, Cagnes sur Mare. But it is a huge site mostly statics, and they only have two touring pitches free. So we head for Au Paradis des Campeurs, which turns out to be another good site with spotless facilities.
Enroute I enter into competition with Bryan Crick, Bryan is setting a record for breaking rear lights, I am doing the same for door mirrors, today I broke the second one. Driving across a narrow bridge, near St Aygulf, a French “white van man” speeding towards us, hit our mirror, didn’t stop of course. This time it is only the glass part, so I think it will “only” be a 100Euro to replace!
Reception are able to tell us where the nearest Peugot dealer is, and next day we set off on our bicycles to find it. Fortunately, they have a replacement mirror in stock, so we leave there happy but 106Euro poorer.
On our way back we decide to stop in St Aygulf for a beer, Kathleen buys, whilst I go to buy an English newspaper, so we can read about our thieving MPs and their expenses. Further discussion, and we decide that perhaps a portion of chips would be nice (Kathleen has obviously decided that 16 mile cycle ride justifies a bit of junk food), so I wander off and buy a couple of portions of pomme frites, which we sit and eat at the bar with our second beer (another nice thing about France, if the place does not sell food, they seem to have no problem with you bringing along your own), before wobbling our way back to the campsite.
The beach here is only a walk of 50 yards, to a nice little bay with crystal clear water, white sand, and a collection of topless women of course. The latter is a problem since it distracts me from reading my newspaper or book. I have now evolved a scale of measurement, based on the frequency you feel inclined to take a look, at the lower end of the scale is once per page, at the upper every word. There have not been any every words, so far, but we have had a once per sentence.
Today is domestic chores, Kathleen does the washing, while I cycle to the supermarket to buy some supplies, this is followed by an afternoon of lying on the beach., for Kathleen, and reading my book, for me.
Monday 1 June 2009
Wednesday 27th May 2009 – Monday 1st June 2009
Les Pinedes, La Colle-sur-Loop (ACSI2009-1262) N43.68171 E7.08328
A combination of the time we spent exploring the narrow streets of old Albenga, plus the lack of a cycle track on the rather busy road from there to Allasio, meant that yesterday we did not make it to Allasio as planned. So today, we decided we would drive the coast road on our way back to France, although the estimated journey time was 3.5 hours on this route, rather than 1.45hours on the motorway.
It is well worth the extra time, since you pass along a beautiful coast line with magnificent views. The resorts you pass through Allasio, San Remo etc are mostly relics of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s tourist boom, but none the less pretty for that.
It would have been wise to rejoin the motorway before Nice, since this a bit of a nightmare to negotiate, particularly in a campervan, but when did I ever take the easy option?
Once in France, we stopped at the first supermarket we came to, to replenish supplies. The difference between shopping in France and Italy is really noticeable, with the French supermarkets having a far better range of products available. This is particularly noticeable with fresh fruit and vegetables, where the range available and quality in France far outshines that available in Italy, in our experience.
We arrive at La Pinedes, to find we have caught up with a couple of GB caravanners who we last saw at Lake Trasimeno. Unusually compared to the sites we have visited thus far, this site appears to be “little England”, with about 50% of the people in our area from the UK (although to be fair, four of them it turns out are Welsh).
Once we are set up, I set out on the bike to explore and find the church, my usual first task. Although the village (and church) are only 1.5miles away, I quickly discover this is not (casual) bike riding country. The 1.5 miles to the village is almost all up a reasonably steep hill, OK coming back of course.
I investigate the cost of hiring a car, to allow us to explore, but at 102Euro for 2 days, we decide to hang fire and see how we get on with the bus. So on Saturday, we walk into the village (Colle sur Loop), and go to the Tourist Information Office, get a bus timetable.
We are told, that for 1Euro we can ride the bus to Vence, and that within a three hour period from purchasing our ticket, we can get on and off the bus, without having to buy another ticket.
Armed with our timetable off we go. We arrive at Vence, no problem, the old quarter is quaint and beautiful, and there is a market on, so between this and taking photographs there is enough to keep Kathleen occupied for a while. Then we decide to get on the bus back towards Colle sur Loop, but get off at St Paul de Vence. First problem, the bus driver will not accept our ticket, even although it is in the 3 hour time frame. Not really a problem, it is only 1Euro each, so we buy new tickets (reasoning that perhaps the three hour period, is in only one direction of travel). St Paul is a beautiful medieval village, perched on the top of a hill. It is rather touristy, but is wonderfully preserved. Once we have had enough of that, we head back for the bus. Same problem, driver will not accept our ticket although it is in the 3 hour timeframe. So we buy another ticket. Still a lot cheaper that hiring a car (6euro vs 102Euro), but someone has their wires crossed, either tourist information are giving out the wrong information, or no one has told the bus drivers!
We return to Colle sur Loup, with the intention of eating at a very nice pizza place we had spotted earlier. It is closed!, so we wander along to the restaurant/bar beside the bank, which appears to be the most popular place in the village, and is open. We have the “plat du jour” (steak in pepper sauce, with chips and salad), and a half litre of Rose. Kathleen does not like mayonnaise or salad dressing in any form (a regular problem), so attempted to explain to the waitress than she did not want dressing on her salad. In the event she got the steak minus the pepper sauce, and salad with dressing. Clearly we need to swot up on the French! It was very nice however (at least mine was!).
During my checking of mass times, I had determined (according to my O level French – Failed), that there was no mass at any of the churches in the region, and that instead, there was a “synod” to be held in Nice, to celebrate Pentecost. There was even a request for people with spare seats in their car to offer transport to those who needed it. The same notice was present in the churches at Vence, and St Paul de Vence.
My word was not taken for this, so, Sunday morning, we walked into the village, in time for mass at 11am, only to find I was right. I retired to the bar, while Kathleen held her own private mass in the church. The sermon was of course delightfully short.
The trip to the bar was interesting as well as refreshing. The waitress had dyed orange hair and was dressed in a purple 1920’s style tasselled mini dress, and 6” high heels, this at 11:00 on a Sunday morning, maybe she had not changed from the night before.
It is probably worth mentioning the young lady who serves in the boulangerie in the village, she wears to most revealing outfits, typically, a mini-mini skirt, high heels and a diaphanous see through blouse. Consumption of bread in Colle-sur-loup by the male population is apparently ten times the national average, I wonder why?
Disaster strikes, this is terrible, we may have to go home immediately!, Kathleen’s hair drier has broken down.
I suspect it is a broken wire, where the wire emerges from the body of the drier, but it is held together with tamper proof screws, so I cannot get it apart.
It is a holiday here (Pentecost) on Monday 1st June, even our favourite little bar in Colle-sur-loup is closed. But undaunted we risk a bus ride to Vence where there is a Le Clerc. We buy a replacement hair drier, 24Euro, pretty much the same as it would have been at home, so all is well again.
On our return journey, we meet a very elderly English couple waiting at the bus stop, they live in Jersey, but the lady recognises our accents, and informs us she was born in Darlington, he is a Prince Philip look alike, and tells us his family have lived in Jersey for at least 500 years.
A combination of the time we spent exploring the narrow streets of old Albenga, plus the lack of a cycle track on the rather busy road from there to Allasio, meant that yesterday we did not make it to Allasio as planned. So today, we decided we would drive the coast road on our way back to France, although the estimated journey time was 3.5 hours on this route, rather than 1.45hours on the motorway.
It is well worth the extra time, since you pass along a beautiful coast line with magnificent views. The resorts you pass through Allasio, San Remo etc are mostly relics of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s tourist boom, but none the less pretty for that.
It would have been wise to rejoin the motorway before Nice, since this a bit of a nightmare to negotiate, particularly in a campervan, but when did I ever take the easy option?
Once in France, we stopped at the first supermarket we came to, to replenish supplies. The difference between shopping in France and Italy is really noticeable, with the French supermarkets having a far better range of products available. This is particularly noticeable with fresh fruit and vegetables, where the range available and quality in France far outshines that available in Italy, in our experience.
We arrive at La Pinedes, to find we have caught up with a couple of GB caravanners who we last saw at Lake Trasimeno. Unusually compared to the sites we have visited thus far, this site appears to be “little England”, with about 50% of the people in our area from the UK (although to be fair, four of them it turns out are Welsh).
Once we are set up, I set out on the bike to explore and find the church, my usual first task. Although the village (and church) are only 1.5miles away, I quickly discover this is not (casual) bike riding country. The 1.5 miles to the village is almost all up a reasonably steep hill, OK coming back of course.
I investigate the cost of hiring a car, to allow us to explore, but at 102Euro for 2 days, we decide to hang fire and see how we get on with the bus. So on Saturday, we walk into the village (Colle sur Loop), and go to the Tourist Information Office, get a bus timetable.
We are told, that for 1Euro we can ride the bus to Vence, and that within a three hour period from purchasing our ticket, we can get on and off the bus, without having to buy another ticket.
Armed with our timetable off we go. We arrive at Vence, no problem, the old quarter is quaint and beautiful, and there is a market on, so between this and taking photographs there is enough to keep Kathleen occupied for a while. Then we decide to get on the bus back towards Colle sur Loop, but get off at St Paul de Vence. First problem, the bus driver will not accept our ticket, even although it is in the 3 hour time frame. Not really a problem, it is only 1Euro each, so we buy new tickets (reasoning that perhaps the three hour period, is in only one direction of travel). St Paul is a beautiful medieval village, perched on the top of a hill. It is rather touristy, but is wonderfully preserved. Once we have had enough of that, we head back for the bus. Same problem, driver will not accept our ticket although it is in the 3 hour timeframe. So we buy another ticket. Still a lot cheaper that hiring a car (6euro vs 102Euro), but someone has their wires crossed, either tourist information are giving out the wrong information, or no one has told the bus drivers!
We return to Colle sur Loup, with the intention of eating at a very nice pizza place we had spotted earlier. It is closed!, so we wander along to the restaurant/bar beside the bank, which appears to be the most popular place in the village, and is open. We have the “plat du jour” (steak in pepper sauce, with chips and salad), and a half litre of Rose. Kathleen does not like mayonnaise or salad dressing in any form (a regular problem), so attempted to explain to the waitress than she did not want dressing on her salad. In the event she got the steak minus the pepper sauce, and salad with dressing. Clearly we need to swot up on the French! It was very nice however (at least mine was!).
During my checking of mass times, I had determined (according to my O level French – Failed), that there was no mass at any of the churches in the region, and that instead, there was a “synod” to be held in Nice, to celebrate Pentecost. There was even a request for people with spare seats in their car to offer transport to those who needed it. The same notice was present in the churches at Vence, and St Paul de Vence.
My word was not taken for this, so, Sunday morning, we walked into the village, in time for mass at 11am, only to find I was right. I retired to the bar, while Kathleen held her own private mass in the church. The sermon was of course delightfully short.
The trip to the bar was interesting as well as refreshing. The waitress had dyed orange hair and was dressed in a purple 1920’s style tasselled mini dress, and 6” high heels, this at 11:00 on a Sunday morning, maybe she had not changed from the night before.
It is probably worth mentioning the young lady who serves in the boulangerie in the village, she wears to most revealing outfits, typically, a mini-mini skirt, high heels and a diaphanous see through blouse. Consumption of bread in Colle-sur-loup by the male population is apparently ten times the national average, I wonder why?
Disaster strikes, this is terrible, we may have to go home immediately!, Kathleen’s hair drier has broken down.
I suspect it is a broken wire, where the wire emerges from the body of the drier, but it is held together with tamper proof screws, so I cannot get it apart.
It is a holiday here (Pentecost) on Monday 1st June, even our favourite little bar in Colle-sur-loup is closed. But undaunted we risk a bus ride to Vence where there is a Le Clerc. We buy a replacement hair drier, 24Euro, pretty much the same as it would have been at home, so all is well again.
On our return journey, we meet a very elderly English couple waiting at the bus stop, they live in Jersey, but the lady recognises our accents, and informs us she was born in Darlington, he is a Prince Philip look alike, and tells us his family have lived in Jersey for at least 500 years.
Wednesday 27 May 2009
Monday 25th May 2009 - Tuesday 26th May 2009
Bungalow Camping Baciccia, Ceriale/Savona (ACSI2009-1469) N44.08164 E8.21777
After scanning the ASCI book, we decide to head to Ceriale, we stayed in this area last year with Joan and Bryan, on our way home from Croatia via Venice.
The route is simple, mostly motorway, and there is little cause for argument with the satnav, but on leaving the motorway, we find the toll booth is unmanned (fairly common in Italy). Since we are driving a Van with the steering wheel on the “wrong” side, handling the tolls is the passenger’s task. Problem one is I fail to get near enough to the machine so that the boss can reach the buttons for the machine from her seat. So she has to scramble out of the cab to get near enough to the machine, minus her glasses of course. The machines are quite neat, and “speak” the instructions as to which buttons to press and how much you need to pay. The instructions or course are in Italian, and on this particular machine the button to switch to English instructions clearly did not work, and it just kept on issuing instructions in Italian. This led to an argument between the Boss and the toll machine, picture if you will an irate Kathleen shouting at a toll machine which of course continued to repeat the same Italian phrase over and over.
Last year when we were in this area, we stayed at a site called Bella Vista, so we decided to try the other site in the area. In our view it is better than Bella Vista, one advantage is that it is not as far up the hill, so cycling back from the supermarket with a full pack is much less hard work!
Today we set off to cycle to Allasio, which according to our map reading is about 7 miles north of here along the coast. Enroute we had to pass through Albenga (about 4 miles away). This was a pleasantly surprising place. It is a “working” town, rather than a tourist destination, but is has an a very old section, with a labyrinth of narrow streets. It looks Arabic, but according to the information in the museum it is Byzantine (what ever that is). There is also a 4th century church dedicated to John the Baptist, with murals and a full immersion font all amazingly well preserved considering their age.
After scanning the ASCI book, we decide to head to Ceriale, we stayed in this area last year with Joan and Bryan, on our way home from Croatia via Venice.
The route is simple, mostly motorway, and there is little cause for argument with the satnav, but on leaving the motorway, we find the toll booth is unmanned (fairly common in Italy). Since we are driving a Van with the steering wheel on the “wrong” side, handling the tolls is the passenger’s task. Problem one is I fail to get near enough to the machine so that the boss can reach the buttons for the machine from her seat. So she has to scramble out of the cab to get near enough to the machine, minus her glasses of course. The machines are quite neat, and “speak” the instructions as to which buttons to press and how much you need to pay. The instructions or course are in Italian, and on this particular machine the button to switch to English instructions clearly did not work, and it just kept on issuing instructions in Italian. This led to an argument between the Boss and the toll machine, picture if you will an irate Kathleen shouting at a toll machine which of course continued to repeat the same Italian phrase over and over.
Last year when we were in this area, we stayed at a site called Bella Vista, so we decided to try the other site in the area. In our view it is better than Bella Vista, one advantage is that it is not as far up the hill, so cycling back from the supermarket with a full pack is much less hard work!
Today we set off to cycle to Allasio, which according to our map reading is about 7 miles north of here along the coast. Enroute we had to pass through Albenga (about 4 miles away). This was a pleasantly surprising place. It is a “working” town, rather than a tourist destination, but is has an a very old section, with a labyrinth of narrow streets. It looks Arabic, but according to the information in the museum it is Byzantine (what ever that is). There is also a 4th century church dedicated to John the Baptist, with murals and a full immersion font all amazingly well preserved considering their age.
Wednesday May 20th 2009 - Sunday May 24th 2009
Molino a Fuoco, Vada/Livorno (ACSI2009-1593) N43.33206 E10.46021
Well, we must move on if we are going to have enough time on our way home to linger in France. So we continue north and arrive at Vada.
The site is good, although a bit on the large side for our taste.
Vada is a very pleasant town, and is only a short cycle ride away, mostly on a cycle track. One of our first tasks (as usual) is to cycle into town, locate the church, and determine mass times for Sunday. So mission accomplished, we find a suitable café and have a couple of beers as the world passes by.
As we drive in, we encounter another English couple (Jeremy and Hillary), relaxing in the sun. We spend a pleasant evening with them sampling their 1.5l bottle of red wine.
The coast here is an almost continuous beach of white sand stretching for several kilometres, back from the beach are cool pine woods, with numerous paths and cycle tracks. So we spend our days cycling, mostly along the coast as far south as Marina Bibona, but also inland to Ceccina.
We have Jeremy and Hillary round to our pitch for return match of red wine drinking and discover that Jeremy is a folk music fan. Out comes the guitar and an impromptu concert begins, Kathleen works through her repertoire of Peter, Paul and Mary, Everley Brothers etc and with Jeremy giving a very good rendition of “Wild Rover”. Our next door neighbours (a Dutch foursome, who spend most evenings playing cards) are the audience, and join in the fun with a few verses of “Tulips from Amsterdam”.
Well, we must move on if we are going to have enough time on our way home to linger in France. So we continue north and arrive at Vada.
The site is good, although a bit on the large side for our taste.
Vada is a very pleasant town, and is only a short cycle ride away, mostly on a cycle track. One of our first tasks (as usual) is to cycle into town, locate the church, and determine mass times for Sunday. So mission accomplished, we find a suitable café and have a couple of beers as the world passes by.
As we drive in, we encounter another English couple (Jeremy and Hillary), relaxing in the sun. We spend a pleasant evening with them sampling their 1.5l bottle of red wine.
The coast here is an almost continuous beach of white sand stretching for several kilometres, back from the beach are cool pine woods, with numerous paths and cycle tracks. So we spend our days cycling, mostly along the coast as far south as Marina Bibona, but also inland to Ceccina.
We have Jeremy and Hillary round to our pitch for return match of red wine drinking and discover that Jeremy is a folk music fan. Out comes the guitar and an impromptu concert begins, Kathleen works through her repertoire of Peter, Paul and Mary, Everley Brothers etc and with Jeremy giving a very good rendition of “Wild Rover”. Our next door neighbours (a Dutch foursome, who spend most evenings playing cards) are the audience, and join in the fun with a few verses of “Tulips from Amsterdam”.
Friday May 15th 2009 - Tuesday May 19th 2009
La Spaggia, Passignano sul Trasimeno (ACSI2009-1532) N43.18397 E12.15089
So while we have enjoyed our visit to Pompei, it is incredibly hot there, and being a city centre location it is not exactly ideal for lying about. So off we go again, still heading north, this time for Lake Tresimeno which we have visited in the past in our MX5 days, during our holiday near Firenze (Florence to us English speakers).
The site here is excellent, right on the lake shore, and with a pleasant quiet ambiance.
The town (Passignano) is a short (flat) cycle ride away and it has the obligatory church. It is also has numerous cafes and bars, and is a pleasant place to wander and have the obligatory drink or icecream. In addition, there is a very old section, built high on the hill with beautiful medieval buildings.
We hope to cycle around the lake, but on talking to the site owner he advises us this is not a good idea as the road along the southern edge is very busy. However he gave us a map, showing a cycle track which allows us to cycle 25km in one direction and 15km in the other, which is about 2/3 of the way round.
So one day we cycle the 15km to San Feliciano, it is a beautiful ride through olive groves and vineyards. We stop off along the way, for a drink and icecreams of course. Another day we cycle in the opposite direction mostly through a nature reserve, with fields of wild poppies in full bloom, just like a Monet painting, to Castiglione del Lago. This is an ancient hill town, with a more or less intact castle. While we sit in a pavement café watching the world go by, an English foursome arrive at the table next to us, and Kathleen obliges by taking their photograph (using their camera), for them.
So while we have enjoyed our visit to Pompei, it is incredibly hot there, and being a city centre location it is not exactly ideal for lying about. So off we go again, still heading north, this time for Lake Tresimeno which we have visited in the past in our MX5 days, during our holiday near Firenze (Florence to us English speakers).
The site here is excellent, right on the lake shore, and with a pleasant quiet ambiance.
The town (Passignano) is a short (flat) cycle ride away and it has the obligatory church. It is also has numerous cafes and bars, and is a pleasant place to wander and have the obligatory drink or icecream. In addition, there is a very old section, built high on the hill with beautiful medieval buildings.
We hope to cycle around the lake, but on talking to the site owner he advises us this is not a good idea as the road along the southern edge is very busy. However he gave us a map, showing a cycle track which allows us to cycle 25km in one direction and 15km in the other, which is about 2/3 of the way round.
So one day we cycle the 15km to San Feliciano, it is a beautiful ride through olive groves and vineyards. We stop off along the way, for a drink and icecreams of course. Another day we cycle in the opposite direction mostly through a nature reserve, with fields of wild poppies in full bloom, just like a Monet painting, to Castiglione del Lago. This is an ancient hill town, with a more or less intact castle. While we sit in a pavement café watching the world go by, an English foursome arrive at the table next to us, and Kathleen obliges by taking their photograph (using their camera), for them.
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