STUNNING FALL COLOUR ON THE MOHAWK TRAIL

It turns out to be a very good idea to head west from Boston along the Mohawk Trail as we meet a couple on holiday from Florida who advise us that the leaves further north are coming to an end and that they have come South from Vermont to see the last of the season.

The Mohawk Trail is a lovely scenic drive through Massachusetts and we’re rapt to discover it gives us even more fall colour to enjoy.  We manage to find a campground that is still open, nestled right on a river and under those gorgeous trees, near the small town of Shelburne Falls. We are lucky to stay as they are only days away from closing for the season. It is a lovely evening despite the fact that it has rained all day so we have no problems camping in Jetson.

We spend the following day exploring the town of Shelburne Falls and its many features. It’s a cute little town that has been the set for a couple of films, The Judge released recently and Labour Day starring Kate Winslet. The falls in the middle of town and glacial potholes are great, though the falls look man made. We are lucky the Deerfield River is quite low at this point to really appreciate the ancient potholes and we imagine how much water would flow through when the snow on the surrounding mountains is melting.

There are two bridges side by side right in the middle of town.  The first is an 1890 Truss Bridge that is a very interesting metal structure.  The second only meters away is the Bridge of Flowers, an old trolley bridge converted into a Botanical Garden and maintained enthusiastic locals.  It is just glorious at this time of year with so much colour and the flowers blooming and yet again the perfect day lets us see it is all its glory.

We explore the town and its many art and craft galleries and move on to fit in some lovely walks nearby, including the Natural Bridge State Park, named so because it contains the only natural white marble arch/bridge in the USA and is accompanied by the old marble quarry.  The bridge is believed to have been carved 13,000 years ago by the glacial melt water from 550 million years old bedrock marble. just awesome.

Every move we make provides a different view of the trees.  As I said it is impossible to describe the colors, from purple and rust to orange and flaming red to yellow and gold and deep browns.  That doesn’t sound like much but to see it with your own eyes is out of this world.  Since we left Perth we have been treated to all the different seasons, seeing leaves falling in England, the bare trees of winter then sprouting in Spring in Europe and so glorious through Summer and now the Fall in USA.  Australia is so different where the only color change of trees is with the odd specimen trees, beautiful but nothing like the world of deciduous trees that the Northern Hemisphere has to offer.  It is probably the most distinctive difference and one that we have loved so much.

We have managed to time our trip perfectly to the New England area, the most famous fall destination. Hardly a minute goes by that we don’t exclaim how spectacular these trees are and how many wonderful views of changing color we have experienced, hopefully we’ll have photos up very soon!

BACK TO FRANCE – CARCASSONNE, NIMES AND ALONG THE FRENCH RIVIERA

It was sad to say goodbye to Spain. We have loved our time in this amazing country. Those who visit will not be disappointed and I know we will be back to spend more time one day. Watch this space for a complete rundown. Back into France, quite a pretty area of green fields and bright green leafy trees, Spring has sprung.

Our first stop was in Carcasonne. This is a town famous for its Medieval Castle and walled city. This is a much more authentic walled town than that of Avila so if time is of importance would recommend visiting here instead. The tour of the castle is very well set out showing the change of architecture and uses over the many years of it’s existence.

Through our whole travels we have learnt that what you see is probably a cover up of something older before and this castle has very cleverly uncovered its history over many centuries. Within the town walls is a very lovely church of a gothic design and many old buildings and shops to explore.

We moved on through the French countryside to Nimes. Here we spent time exploring Les Arenes. This is one of Europes best preserved and largest gladiator arenas still in existence. It’s worth a visit with its extensive audio guide (free with entry ticket) information about the gladiators and the bull fighting. A lot of movie making myths destroyed but good to know how and why the fights were held. We’re glad we live in less barbaric times. After seeing a little footage of bull fighting, we are so glad we did not go to see one live in Spain. It really is time to stop this unfair fight to the death, cultural sport or not. Best that we tourists do not support it in any way.

On to the French Riviera. Driving through Marseilles, Cassis, St Tropez, Cannes, Nice and into Monaco and Monte Carlo. The couple of days this took had us pass through towns full of wealth, towns with ports full of boats of unimaginable stature and markets and paths edge-to-edge with tourists. You can imagine the looks little old Vincent, in need of a bath, secured with his rattling exhaust! We leave him dirty to try to dissuade burglars ha ha.

Only window-shopping for us in these parts. We enjoyed lovely days with the weather just starting to warm up and have found a couple of lovely camping spots looking over the Mediterranean. All the while trying to get used to the volume of people around, and it is not yet top tourist season.

Before you know it you have crossed into Italy, a whole new country to start to explore. Annoyingly our first few days were spent stuck in the small town of Bordighera, parked overlooking a small port of lovely boats and beneath a lovely park overlooking the deep blue ocean. Not a bad spot to have a little mechanical problem.

Time to reflect, as Vincent likes to break down for the weekend and have a proper rest. We had three days before the mechanic was open so had time to just walk around and explore. One day to take in the sunshine and relax before the rainy weather kicked in. On the rainy day we caught up on the washing and sorted out a few little things in Vince. Amazing to watch how the stormy sky illuminates the ocean creating a colour like I have never seen before, quite beautiful.

It’s strange for us to see the sun come up over the ocean instead of going down. Eating pizza in a restaurant on the beach we usually expect to watch as the sun vanishes behind the horizon.

We’ve had some time to read a lot, play our usual games, eat quite a bit of comfort food and try to get used to a new language. Just like “home days”! We have found some very helpful and nice people and are looking forward to delving deeper into Italy and seeing all it has to offer.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album CARCASSONNE NIMES AND THE FRENCH RIVIERA

Photos of our first glipse of Italy in the album ITALIAN RIVIERA

GORGEOUS GAUDI – MORE OF OUR TIME IN BARCELONA

Still with time to spare before our 7pm La Sagrada Familia entry time in Barcelona we decided to see as much Gaudi architecture as we could. Past La Pedera we went, the facade sadly covered by scaffolding and advertisements, and caught a glimpse of the famous chimneys from the street. We saw Casa Batllo and couldn’t wait to get inside.

Walking along the street, you know you have reached somewhere of importance when you come across a mingling crowd of tourists. Faced with the front façade we knew we just had to see what was inside Casa Batllo and hoped it was worth the obscenely expensive entry fee, luckily it was!

Inside there are no straight lines, the walls, doors, windows and artwork are an array of curves. Gaudi also uses natural light to great effect in all his works. In Casa Batllo he has built an internal column that allows for natural light to flow into all rooms, even the ground floor, through a skylight.

Wondering through the main 1^st floor apartment then upwards towards the roof we were surrounded by other people all in awe of the rooms before us. Casa Batllo seems to have been inspired by nature with fish scale wallpaper, ocean water tiling on the front façade and inner column and the mushroom shaped fireplace. Every inch seem to have been inspired by the world around us and somehow all the different ideas work together to form a masterpiece of modern architecture that was built before it’s time and still looks contemporary. The craftsmanship of the wooden doors and the clever window vents and the metal hand rails all masterful and exquisite. The list of magnificent design goes on and on and encompasses even chairs and tables. Gaudi was ahead of his time with ergonomics as well, even down to door handles. I am not sure craftsmanship of this kind even exists today.

We walked towards La Sagrada Familia even more excited to get inside now that we had had a taste of Gaudi’s work. On the way we came across a street procession for Good Friday, another great cultural experience to come across. Arriving at La Sagrada Familia we were greeted with the longest line we have had to wait in so far this trip. It went most of the way around the block that the cathedral is built in.

We had been told that in order to get in at 7pm we should arrive to line up at 6:50pm, 10 minutes would be more than enough time to get through the doors in order to have an hour looking around before closing time at 8pm. Disgruntled we walked around the block to the back of the line prepared to ask for our money back if we did not get inside before 7:20pm.

We got talking to a lovely French Mum and her daughter who were in Barcelona for the weekend and felt exactly the same way as us, a little hard done by. Instant friends we talked for the 25 minutes it took us to get inside and ended up exchanging contact details. Armelle and Églantine invited us to come and stay with them and we can’t wait to see them again when we get back to Paris. We are so lucky to meet so many nice people on our travels!

When we finally got inside La Sagrada Familia all angst was lost because this place was well worth the wait and the expense. It is stunning, and it isn’t even finished yet! We had been saying we would never come back to Barcelona ever again but as soon as we walked in we exclaimed that we must visit again when construction is completed, possibly in the year 2025.

Natural light is at play again, emphasizing the curvy lines inside with splashes of colour cast by the modern stained glass windows. It’s hard to describe, a church that is traditional and beautiful as well as ultra modern even though it’s construction started in 1883! Again you can see the influence nature has on Gaudi’s work. The colours of the windows turn from blues and greens of the sea to blue and green of the sky and grass and on to deep ochre reds just like the Australian outback. There are a couple of windows still to complete and balconies not yet finished. I do hope Gaudi can look down upon his creation and see how beautifully his lifes vision is being painstakingly created.

In awe we walked back to Vincent parked a few streets away. We decided to stay one more night in Barcelona before driving on to Figueres the next day. Not wanting to leave Vincent alone to get broken into again we sat inside playing Yahtzee. After a couple of rolls we developed an audience of one, a man standing outside the window watching, weird! He was of Asian decent so probably wanted to join in the game. Waving him off and laughing didn’t help to move him on so we tried ignoring him, which worked after a while. Needless to say we moved to a different, busier street to sleep the night before leaving as fast as we could in the morning!

We got to Figueres mid afternoon and went straight to the Teatre-Museu Dali, a theatre that the artist Salvador Dali turned into a work of art that displays his surrealist works. We loved it, so interesting and many different art forms to see with sculptures, paintings, screen prints and drawings, even jewelry my personal favourite!

We are loving our new education on art and can’t wait to witness more spectacular pieces by the greats!

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album BARCELONA

BURGLED IN BARCELONA

Our time in Barcelona was eventful to say the least! We drove for a couple of days along the beautiful stretch from Madrid to Barcelona, with lazy starts and stops along the way. Siguenza with its churches and tulips was one and the other was Montserrat, a monastery very close to Barcelona. We parked outside the main parking area here and walked to the Monastery where you can see the basilica, crypt and township free. We then camped in the mountains near here before moving into the city.

We made it to Barcelona early afternoon and decided to head straight to stroll along La Rambla. Only problem we faced was finding a parking spot, not always easy in the big cities and proved near impossible in here. Wanting to avoid receiving a parking ticket we searched until we find a free parking spot in one of the only parking areas we could find above ground where Vincent can go, most underground parking areas aren’t high enough to fit under!

We walked along the waterfront towards La Rambla, stopping every so often to browse the numerous market stalls along the way. Near the monument to Christopher Columbus were some antique market stalls that were very interesting.

La Rambla lived up to its busy reputation and we weaved through the crowd streaming past the many human statues along the way. All I could think about was how hot they must be on such a sunny day!

Winding through the streets we found the Gothic church but after popping in to get a glimpse decided there were other things we would rather see, we have seen many churches already. So on we went to Museu Picasso where we saw an abundance of Pablo Picasso’s masterpieces from his first to those from late in his career.

From here we window shopped some more, had some delicious ice-cream, stopped by the pretty Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar then set off back to the car…and disaster! Vincent had been broken into!! A smashed window and glass all over the floor but we were most worried about what had been stolen. Luckily it seemed the rotten thieves had not had time to search through the whole van as only our two hand luggage suitcase (filled with socks, under ware, spare towels and bathers) and both our toiletries bags (goodbye make up and Clinique) had been taken.

It really could have been much worse but it’s still is so annoying, infuriating and such a hassle to replace everything. They were expensive socks too. We can’t understand how there are people in the world who think it’s ok to vandalize, break and riffle through let alone steal other people’s hard earned and accumulated stuff! They were obviously looking for money and drugs and I’m happy to say they won’t find either in our bags, only things that are useless to them but essential to us!

Saddest of all the disgusting people stole our trusty map book (my baby) in which we have been marking all the places we’ve been and where we’ve camped along the way. So sad, so inconvenient and still to be replaced. Hopefully we’ll find another map soon so we can try a remember some of our spots to mark again.

Cursing the thieves and Barcelona we were now in a mad rush to find the car glass place recommended to us by a nice couple that were walking past when we made the devastating discovery. Unfortunately they had closed by the time we got there so a night on the streets of Barcelona with a window missing ensued before seeing the Car Glass people in the morning. While Vincent was being fixed we walked to La Sagrada Familia and joined the line for entry tickets.

The line was so long we waited about an hour to buy tickets for the last entry time of the day (all that was left) at 7pm that night. Back to Vincent, good as new thank you Car Glass, then we made our way out to Park Guell, our first real taste of Gaudi architecture. The park is very interesting with winding pathways and though we didn’t pay to get into the main part of the park (also only a late entry available that day) we could see a glimpse and it looked gorgeous.

Admiring the view over the city to the ocean we stopped to watch a man cutting out silhouettes. Someone from the crowd would step forward to model as the man in the beret cut for no more than 2 minutes producing a perfect likeness as the finished product. He never stops as there is always someone willing to pay, they’ve watched him succeed with the people before. We took our turns and it really was worth it, we can’t wait to frame our silhouettes from Spain.

More to come about all the Gaudi architecture we saw!

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album BARCELONA

MADRID

Arriving in Madrid about 3pm we find ourselves a parking spot very close to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the home ground of Real Madrid. Our excitement builds as we walk around the general area stopping in to Starbucks for a drink and rest then to our amazement walk back out into a thunderstorm. It is not supposed to rain on this special day and luckily it all dried up in time for game preparations.

We joined the throng of people in the closed streets waiting for the approach of the players. A quick glimpse of the bus carrying the hero’s is all you get but still part of the atmosphere. Eventually we are allowed into the ground and find our seats, perfect. They are in the second tier, southeast corner, and perfect distance with a fantastic aspect on the game even though they are not in the center.

The seats start to fill and by game time the ground is electric. The die hard cheer squad set up behind the goal in front of us and begin the drumming and singing that does not cease until the end of the game, save for a well earned break at half time. They must all lose their voices for a week.

Along with the constant blowing of horns by nearly every child there, one of whom sat in front of us, there is never a quiet moment. It is fabulous to just be amongst it. It was a one sided game with Real winning 4-0. Great goals and lots of near misses and an atmosphere everyone should experience.

We followed up the game experience with a tour of the stadium the following morning another fabulous experience. We spent ages in the “Best Club Ever Room”. Real Madrid was awarded the title of “Best Team of the Century” for achieving the most wins of any club. The trophies are extraordinary, the archives of old footage, the old boots, balls and strips, all out of this world. We visited the change rooms, the Presidential Box (disappointing), the Press Room, the player’s bench and the pitch entering through the players tunnel, all fantastic and the perfect way to end our Real Madrid experience.

The day had only just begun as we started to explore Madrid taking in a couple of exhibitions at the Caixa Forum, one a Pixar tribute with models and sketches that eventuated into the amazing movies from these animation experts. So much fun! Another a photographic display of black and white photos from the South Americas, Indonesia, Africa and Russia showing people and sights of such beauty.

We spent an hour in the Museo del Prado where we saw more paintings by Goya, Velaquez, El Greco, Rembrandt, Titian, and Van Dyck, not long enough but closing time was on us. Then strolled through the Parque del Buen Retiro and into the Crystal Palace (Palicio del Cristal). It was lovely to share this space with the locals, reading in rocking chairs. A perfect end to the weekend that left us shattered, but exhilarated.

Monday morning and we set off to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). WOW. We thought we had seen amazing Palaces along the way, Versailles for example, but this was out of the ballpark. Beyond magnificent! The decoration was exquisite and truly something that can’t be missed. It’s such a shame they are stingy and won’t let you take photos here, a fact that was killing Georgia the whole time here!

As I turned and caught the eye of a fellow tourist we exclaimed to each other “Amazing”. This was the beginning of yet another friendship. This American couple from Washington became instant friends as we shared the wonder of the Palace. We had not talked enough so moved on to lunch and then we were generously invited to return to their apartment overlooking the Plaza Mayor, what a perfect spot to stay! We sat and talked of numerous things taking in all the advice they could give us. They have travelled and lived all over the world and have a wealth of knowledge. They lived and travelled in Australia for six months part of which was an outback tour for 26 days. I think that because they had experienced our outback by camping they knew what we needed during our present travels. We were treated to the use of their spare bathroom! A shower like no other that we came out of looking so different and feeling fantastic. We are so grateful to our new friends Kathy and Dick for this opportunity. Again we have exchanged details and will be seeing them in Washington where hometown knowledge will surely benefit us.

As you can tell we have taken in so much in the last weeks, seen so much and met amazing people that will be in our lives forever. Once again we are pinching ourselves, what an adventure!

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album MADRID

SEGOVIA, AVILA AND EL ESCORIAL – MORE SPANISH ARCHITECTURE

Our drive to Madrid was a mad rush, humorous, as we are in Vincent after all, to get to the Real Madrid stadium just in time to purchase tickets for Saturdays game before closing at 7pm. How is this for luck? We arrive in Madrid with only half an hour to spare and not knowing the city at all. Managed to navigate peak hour traffic and find the ticket office door and a parking spot right across the road with five minutes to spare. They still had tickets the Thursday night before the game, a huge relief as we had tried to purchase online days ago without success.

We were jumping for joy as we all held our precious tickets. We then moved out of Madrid to make our way to Segovia, about 70kms away, finding yet another mountain spot where snow was still on the ground in places.

Segovia is yet another ancient town to explore. The major feature, an aqueduct that runs through the old part of town. This structure was built by Romans late first century BC and is one of the oldest things we have seen so far, not forgetting the mummies in London. It is quite amazing to see something so old standing so strong with its 14,965m of huge honed rocks making 166 arches, with not a spot of concrete or mortar to hold it together. A masterpiece of Roman engineering that provided water to Segovia. It is not surprising it is a World Heritage site.

On to the Alcazar that it is said to have inspired Walt Disney. It is a beautiful structure of towers and spires with views of the surrounding countryside and the new Segovia. The palace had lovely ceilings and impressive armor but was a little disappointing overall considering some of the other similar places we’ve seen.

We did however have a funny moment here when walking up the steps of the tower to see the view of the town. About a third of the way up there was a tiled structure that looked like a bed. When Mum saw it she said, “oh look, there’s a bed in case someone has a bother half way up!” Now if anything happens that we don’t like we say, we’re having a bother!

The Cathedral of Segovia provided beautiful painted ceilings and frescos different any others we’ve seen and was well worth the visit. Beautiful cloisters, chapels different enough to keep it interesting but similar enough to tie the church together.

On we go toward our next destination, Avila. We parked to camp on part of the old road, a dead end quite visible from the new autovia. Whilst sitting enjoying our dinner the police came along to check us out. This time as they got close we watched them laugh and smile, wave and turn around without even speaking to us. I guess the moustache tickled their fancy and they realized we were no threat.

Avila was touted as something quite spectacular being the only walled city with a complete wall of approximately 3 kms. We walked around town and the wall but quite honestly we would not put this on the tourist map. Too well restored and new looking!

We moved on toward Madrid and stumbled across a loveliest area and a town called El Escorial. About 40kms from Madrid half way up a small mountain area. It is the perfect destination for natural walks, wild picnic areas, biking hills and the town provides the Monasterio De El Escorial.

This Palace is one of the best we have seen in that it provides something we have yet to see, a view of the Tombs. The tourist guide calls it the “hill of death”. The tomb below the Palace that houses the Kings and some Queens, only those that have mothered a king, is a marble structure that has to be seen to be believed. As you can’t take photos, though none would do it justice, you will just have to go and see it. The lower levels move on to other tomb rooms all carved of marble. El Escorial is an area locals and tourists alike would enjoy all year round, and so close to Madrid.

One more sleep till the big day, our first Real Madrid game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium!

Photo can be found on our Facebook page in the album SEGOVIA, AVILA AND EL ESCORIAL

SLEEPLESS IN SEVILLE

We apologize for the lack of posts of late, time flies when you’re having fun! Since our last post we have been to Seville, done the route of the Pueblos Blancos, fleetingly visited Granada, and made our way through the sites of Cordoba and Toledo. All finished with a trip to Madrid to buy Real Madrid tickets for Saturdays game, but more on that later!

We loved Seville, Mum’s favourite city so far and one we could very happily spend an extended time in. The people are friendly, the streets feel clean and safe and the atmosphere is alive with people from all different walks of life from tourists moving from site to site to locals going about their daily grind and everyone in between.

Here we saw the Cathedral of Seville and the Royal Alcazar (Real Alcazar) as well as our first taste of Spanish Flamenco. The cathedral is very interesting with a few treasures to be found inside. First is the grand mausoleum of Christopher Columbus, one of the first things you see as you go through the tunnel that is the main entrance. There are also paintings by Goya and Murillo to be found as well as the Michael Angelo inspired floors in the southeastern corner. A trip up the 37 ramps and 1 flight of stairs to the top of the Giralda (tower) is a must offering the best views of the rooftops of Seville.

They say you can’t do the cathedral and Alcazar in one day so we heeded this advice and camped on the outskirts of the city next to the old Olympic Stadium. We were glad we did because it would certainly be a lot to take in if you saw the two major sites in Seville in one day.

Before heading to our camping spot we decided to seek out some flamenco. Lonely Planet Europe in hand we searched for La Carboneria and found the small door leading to a warehouse style bar on a back street. Flamenco bar located we went for tapas at a nearby restaurant then arrived back by 9:30pm for the first flamenco performance of the evening.

It was amazing. Though since being published in Lonely Planet it’s hard to spot a local in the bar it takes nothing away from the authentic flamenco. We sat down with our cocktails on the long bench surrounded by German, Swiss, Austrian and Americans and struck up conversation with Birgit who has spent time living in Spain. She said that the flamenco performers were fantastic and explained that when the audience knows what they’re doing the experience and emotion is heightened because everyone is so involved. The performers feed off the audience and vice versa.

The flamenco was so emotional and passionate and nothing like what I had expected, it was better and real. A guitarist, a singer and a dancer on stage and we couldn’t tear our eyes away from them. We stayed for the three performances of the night, new dresses for the stunning dancer each time, and eventually left ready for bed.

The next day we had a late start, apparently late nights don’t agree with us, and made our way to the alcazar. We had seen some Moorish detail in buildings previously but that was a miniscule amount compared to what we saw at the Royal Alcazar. Exquisite detail in the walls, above doorways and windows and ceilings, some colour remaining giving a glimpse of what they must have been like when freshly built. The gardens here are also nice but we have seen better.

We had done a bit of driving through the city center, sometimes not by choice when the road system wouldn’t let us go where we wanted, but saw a lot of it along the way. There is not much parking in the city so most of the time we had to park out a bit and walk in to the center. Though the further out you go the more you encounter parking helpers.

We left Seville wanting more but it was time to move south to start the route de la Pueblos Blancos (the route of the white villages), first stop Arcos de le Frontera.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album SEVILLE.

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY

At the end of our last post we mentioned booking a side trip to Morocco, though since then we have decided that now isn’t the right time for us. In previous times everything we’ve wanted to do has fallen into place and we thought this was going to be the case again. We had found some cheap flights from Seville to Marrakech and thought they would be perfect to get us there for a weeklong taste of what Morocco has to offer.

After a quick look at accommodation and tour route options we decided to think on it for a night rather than jump straight in and book. The next day we got to WiFi fleetingly and found that flight prices had increased, still we decided to book, as it’s still cheaper to do the trip from Seville rather than Perth! Not possible though as the booking page was down that day. Another day until WiFi access again and another flight price increase. Still determined to go we looked for accommodation before committing to flying and during this time prices went up again. We took this as a sign that we’re just not meant to go right now but will be keeping an eye out for opportunities to get to Morocco later on in the trip.

Another reason for our hesitation is the culture shock we may not be ready for just yet. We think Morocco might need a little more planning than just finding the flight. We also had our first real experience with gypsies recently and are told that “savvy” is crucial in Morocco.

Walking through the tourist area of Seville (between the Cathedral and Real Alcazar) we were approached by a flock of women beckoning for us to take the small branch from them, for good luck. Us, a classic guidebook example of what not to do.

Swamped (no excuse, we know) we reached out and took hold of the branch as they took hold of our hands and proceeded to start reading our palms. I can only speak for myself when I say I wasn’t listening to the reading but watching my bag, slung in front of me, the whole time, and acutely aware of anyone walking behind me. The woman finished with “now I want money” to which I shrugged sorry and gave the branch back, walking over to join Mum and Mikayla, all of us checking we still had all our belongings.

Thank goodness we still had everything (us: 1, gypsies: 0) and also richer, learning from our close call. Will not fall for that again.

We all know that Spain is not in a good economic position, as was confirmed to us by a lovely Austrian lady we met at Carbonera flamenco bar in Seville, who has lived and worked here for five or so years. It shows in some of the areas we’ve been through.

When entering back into Spain from Portugal we drove through Huelva stopping at Macdonald’s for WiFi. The car park here was almost empty and as we pulled into a parking space a disheveled looking man rushed to try to direct us in. When we got out he asked for money and hung around our car until we came out again, shouting at us to pay him.

This is also common in some areas of Seville where men stand at empty parking spaces in busy areas to direct people in and out. We even saw one lady being directed into a tiny parking space, the man motioning for her to keep reversing until she actually hit the car behind her. I bet he didn’t get paid! Although even when you do give them some change, they always want more.

We also saw a lot of men standing at traffic lights waiting for them to turn red before rushing onto the street to sell milk and juice boxes through car windows. The saddest though were the people not begging for money but pushing trolleys down the street, from bin to bin, searching for food. We have been carrying around some canned meals we don’t need so Mum dashed back to the car to get them and a baguette to give to one man. He motioned that he had children to feed when we gave them to him.

We’re told that the unemployed in Spain can get a small government allowance for a limited time while job searching. When this time is up there is no more payment, regardless of employment situation, and they cannot reapply, that’s it. Driving through Spain there are quite a few ruined houses that look to be abandoned, falling down, in disrepair or shuttered, maybe another sign of the economic crisis.

On the outskirts of town we saw a couple of makeshift villages that looked to be constructed from whatever could be found. Some infrastructure such as sports stadiums and their large car parks sit unused or half built, fenced off from the outside world. A patchwork of poverty that is so sad to see, a stark contrast to the affluent areas that most tourists frequent.

Ironically the road quality and system in Spain is excellent, perhaps finished before the GFC. Spain is a beautiful country with wonderful people and hopefully it will recover soon.

CITIES, SITES AND TWO ENCOUNTERS WITH SPAINISH LAW ENFORCEMENT

It’s been quite an eventful week. After saying goodbye to everyone in Artigues we set off towards Spain via Biarritz. Again we loved Biarritz, as we love most coastal towns, and spent the afternoon here, having a picnic and walking overlooking the ocean and cliffs. We are definitely getting used to laid back days walking around new towns, driving along the scenic route and stopping when we see something interesting.

Next stop was Spain. We had left Biarritz late in the afternoon but were sure we would have plenty of time to find a camping spot and have daylight to spare. We were wrong!

When navigating we have gotten used to picking a place to head for and looking for that place on signs. Very different to England where we were going by road numbers to get around. So we were heading for San Sebastian and when we got there we could get out.

There seemed to be a festival on as people were all dressed up. Little girls in princess costumes everywhere! Unfortunately this festival had caused quite a few road closures that meant we ended up driving around for about 2 hours, trying to avoid toll roads as usual, before finally deciding to bite the bullet and pay the toll. Pointless really.

We decided to stay on the toll road for quite a while and upon paying and leaving the tollgates we came across a partial road block and were ushered into it by the police. Into action with the only Spanish we know (that Colette taught us), “Hola, abla Inglis?” They spoke a little and asked for driver license, insurance and registration papers. While they were looking at them Mum and I could hear whispering from the back. After a few pardons Mikayla finally spoke loud enough for us to hear (she’s a long way away in the back of Vincent), “one of them has a REALLY big gun!” Fortunately everything was in order with our paper work so they didn’t see fit to use the gun and stopped all the traffic to send us on our way, after a bit of confusion about how to get out of the roadblock and which policeman we should be taking directions from.

We eventually found our first camping spot in Spain, also our first spot to ride out the huge storm that came through that night. Near Islares we came to a dead end leading to a beach. Off this little road was a small pull in although it wasn’t very level. Unable to go any further we tried to park on the flattest spot (actually on quite a steep lean), had a quick dinner and went to sleep. I didn’t sleep very much though; I was convinced that Vincent would tip over every time a gust of wind came along.

We survived the night and spent the morning trying to decide whether to head down towards Madrid first or continue along the north coast. Madrid won and first stop along the way was Burgos but along the way we stopped at a little picnic area, next to a bridge and river in the mountains and decided to stay here overnight. We were in need of a “home day” to watch some Game of Thrones, catch up on some writing and generally relax. We also had nice long walk in the mountains. Sometimes it’s nice to find a spot early and take the stress of finding a suitable place to sleep away.

In France most of our camping spots would be in small towns next to a church, cemetery, in a large car park or a designated camper area. In Spain picnic areas and parks seem to be the go. Rather than little towns, we are staying between little towns, which I like a lot more, although it does mean getting up in the morning takes longer as we don’t feel the need to move on quickly!

Another difference between France and Spain is the amount of Macdonald’s outlets. In France every major town has at least one Macdonald’s and sometimes we would pass five outlets in a day. In Spain we are lucky to find one a day and when we have we’ve jumped at the chance to use the free Wi-Fi.

Burgos is a beautiful place with more interesting buildings. Again there is a subtle difference in architecture between France and Spain so even just strolling through towns is interesting, the old parts of town that is, the new parts are much the same wherever you go. The main attraction here was the cathedral but we decided against going inside because of the entry fee and because it’s only the third largest in Spain. It was nice on the outside though.

Our path changed again after a bit more research and on the way to Valladolid we came across a small town called Sotillo de la Ribera where we stopped to tour around a castle situated at the top of a hill giving a great view over the town and across the wine region we’d just driven through. The tour was in Spanish so we didn’t understand any of it but it was the only way to gain access to the building.

When we got to Valladolid we our first stop was the officio de tourismo that was closed. Unfortunately for us because the map of the city in our guidebook is terrible and we ended up walking in the opposite direction to where we wanted to go. After about an hour of walking and still not finding the Museo Nacional de Escultura, at the Colegio de San Gregorio, we asked someone where we were (thankfully they spoke English) and another hour of walking meant we finally got there and luckily the museum was still open!

The Museo Nacional de Escultura is one of the oldest museums in Spain and the building in which it resides is of Iberian peninsular architecture from the end of the 15^th century. It’s worth a visit just to see the refined decoration on the front façade of the building but the collection of sculptures inside is fantastic and different to anything we’ve seen. The sculptures are carved in wood and colourfully painted, from the 15^th to 18^th centuries, and there are a wide variety of styles.

The next day was Salamanca, a university town, full of historical sites and many little churches and cathedrals, all slightly different but made from the same yellow, red clay the reason people call is the golden town. Though we’re not religious, we always visit the churches to see the stunning and intricate detail decorating both the inside and the outside. The old university building, of the University of Salamanca, was my favourite place here. Founded in 1218 it is the oldest in Spain and a model for universities in Latin America. Mikayla’s favourite stop here was the Museo de Historia de la Automocion, a car museum where we saw cars that Nan and Granddad used to have, and that we wish they’d never parted with, as well as a few futuristic cars and the formula one cars that Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso drove.

While we were seeing all these sites our leisure battery was at the mechanics. It may not be charging when the car is on so the mechanic recharged it for us, free of charge, and we just have to wait and see what happen from now on. He and his son, who spoke English, were very helpful and gave us some great travel tips too, changing our plans again but definitely for the better. The other day I posted a travel quote on Instagram about not letting people tell you where to go when travelling, find places for yourself. Well I no longer agree totally with this, as some of our favourite places have been recommended to us and we may not have ventured there otherwise. Take recommendations, because locals know what’s best, but don’t be afraid to stop and look at other things along the way. Thank you Mario and father for the work you did for us and all your travel recommendations.

Yet another change of plan took us to Zamora next where the historical center contains Romanesque ruins, a castle with another great view and many cathedrals to look at on the walk to the plaza major where we had our first meal out in Spain, so good! We also walked along the wall surrounding this historical part of town and through the streets to see some newer architecture from the 1800’s.

The largest cathedral here was accompanied by a museum, worth the entrance fee to see the silversmith work on an altarpiece and Spanish tapestries. We’ve come to the conclusion that people must have had so much time on their hands in the old days. The intricate features on the buildings, the painting, sculptures, wood carvings and minute stitches making up tapestries that can cover whole walls would have taken a very long time.

Next stop Portugal but seeing as is was the end of the day we thought we’d stay one more night in Spain, right near the border between Spain and Portugal, in a parking area on the autovia, not our usual choice of spots but we were desperate. We slept soundly until 3:38am when we were woken by intense knocking on our window and blinding lights shining through the curtains. First instinct was to stay lying down and pretend we weren’t there but that wasn’t an option, the policeman was shouting in Spanish, so mum climbed out of bed and slid the door open a little, in her Care Bear PJs and hair a mess, she said, “Hello?”

The police officer outside lowered the torch he was holding and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay, where are you going?” And mum pointed the direction we had come from saying, “Portugal!” He pointed the right way and Mum said, “Yep.” Next he asked how many people were in the van and finished with, “okay, okay…sorry!” A little scary but they didn’t arrest us or ask us to move on so we slept again until morning.

TWILIGHT…

Mum: “I don’t really know about Spanish history, I think there was the Spanish Inquisition”

Georgia: “Well they had the Spanish Influenza.”

Mum: “Oh, did they?”

Georgia: “Yeah, that’s what Edward died of in Twilight!”

Mikayla *smacks forehead*