Spring cleaning while waiting for the post!

We have spent the last few days in a place called Fanjeaux, just outside
Carcassone. Chris adopted the local cat and it has been very pampered with
scraps of pate and peppered salami, and I named it Crazy Pumpkin as it kept
trying to get into the van! We have had a lovely few walks in the
surrounding countryside which still looks really autumnal, the vines have
gone a really gorgeous red colour and the tree lined avenues a wonderful
orange.

This was a random stop partly to kill some time while we waited for a
campsite guide for spain and portugal to arrive poste restante in
Carcasonne. I was VERY dubious if we'd ever see it but today was proved
wrong when on presenting my passport at the post office I was handed a
parcel. Brilliant!

We have taken the opportunity to do a few bits on the van the last few days
aswel. Chris cleaned the outside, including the solar panel which involved
standing on the bed and wriggling up through the roof light with a a mop
much to the amusement of all around us (Picture). I have been busy cutting
up a couple of the sun blinds to turn them into thermal blinds for the back
windows and the picnic rug into a thermal curtain for the main cab door. We
have only had a few cold days so far and by the looks of the weather
forecasts it looks pretty good in Spain but its best to be prepared! I
guess they will come in handy on our way back to the UK in January at the
very least.

Its quite strange but we are now at the point of our trip where we are
starting to count the weeks left and feel like we have to make the most of
them! Consequently some very careful guidebook reading has been going on
and tonight a detailed look at the maps is required, mainly to check
altitudes of the places we want to see so we can keep out of the snow line.

Anyway time to go explore carcasonne. More soon .........

Wild Flamingoes

15th November 2009

Yesterday we had the most marvellous day in the camargue. We walked from
where we were staying on the edge of the nature reserve out into the
middle, along a sea bank between the sand dunes and beach on one side and
the lagoons and wetlands on the other. I have always wanted to come back
here in winter ( I visited on the French exchange 16 years ago) to see the
wild flamingoes and yesterday I fulfilled that dream. It was amazing, we
were incredibly lucky and got to see several large flocks really close and
lots of smaller groups dotted around. We spent five or 6 hours out on the
marshes walking 26km and picnicing at a lighthouse (I was quite tired last
night!) but the highlight of the day has to be seeing them in flight. They
are really graceful and have the most beautiful coloured wings. It sure
beats Slimbridge!

The launderette blog

16th November 2009

So here I am again watching the clothes go round in circles and as usual finding a few minutes to write a blog. Today we are in Pezenas, an old town with lots of craft and antique shops. Its been quite interesting as when I came here 20 years ago the main tourist marketing was focussed around old doors! They have obviously decided that with the exception of our family that wasn't enough of a draw and are now marketing themselves around Moliere who lived here for many years. Its interesting to see how a town can turn its self round. The door posters are still here but faded and hidden away behind newer and more exciting things.

We are also waiting for the fair to set up before we move on as at present we are quite stuck in the car park, and surrounded by their lorries.

We have had a great last 10 days or so touring southern France. Flamingoes aside the highlights have probably been the Bambouserie and the Pont Du Gard (roman aqueduct). We nearly didn't stop at the bridge as they wanted €5 for parking but I am very glad we did. The weather was fantastic, there weren't many people around and it was magical. We also had a great wander along the line of the rest of the Aqueduct and had a clamber and a poke at the ruins. The Bambooserie, a giant bamboo forest laid out in the 1800s and with 200 different varieties was a very cold day but again beautiful as the Autumn colours were still really strong.

Today I have my weekly copy of Le Monde ( it takes me that long to read with a dictionary!) and am trying to practice my French. A long conversation about the washing machines and dryers has already been had, along with a chat about the ladies niece learning English!

From here we head further west to Carcasonne via the canal du midi and then on south into Spain and following the sun, although it is still remarkably warm here, today about 17 degrees. I am going to have to get out the thermals when we get back to the UK in Janauary I think!

Blown away on the Riviera

4th November 2009

On Monday evening we arrived on the French Riviera, after a very long drive
up along the motorway. After a few false starts and several closed
camperstops, we eventually ended up in a place called Ste Maxime.
Unusually for France there were height barriers and no campervan signs
everywhere and many of the sites listed in our book had closed. It seems
that campervanners are just not posh enough for this area of the world!

Ste Maxime turned out to be quite a nice town and we had a nice day
wandering round the harbour looking at the expensive yachts and doing some
much needed washing. The Mistral was blowing full force and I nearly lost
my new italian hat in the sea, it was good for drying the washing though!

Tonight we are in La Lavandou, on the sea front and surrounded by 15 or so
other vans. It is the last big holiday of the year here at the moment and
there are lots of french around. Today we walked up to Borme Les Mimosas, a
village about 4km inland and renowned for its flowers. It proved difficult
to find amoungst the modern holiday villa sprawl but lovely once we got
there, full of narrow streets lined with flowers (picture).

The campervan ballet

5th November 2009

I got somewhat interuppted writing this last night by a loud knock on the
van door which turned out to be the town police, telling us and the 15
other vans on what we had assumed was the town camperstop, that we were not
in the right place and had to move. As Chris was in the middle of preparing
dinner and busy frying meat this was quite fun, but in 10 minutes we were
ready to move, the gas was off, the frying pan was balanced on the floor of
the cab and everything else was randomly ramned in the cupboards (I only
found the kitchen roll today!). In what Chris termed the ballet of the
campervans we all turned on our lights, turned round, manouvered out of our
bays and convoyed off down the road to the sea front. It really didn't make
any sense, instead of having us all together next to the service point
(water, waste, chemical toilet disposal etc) it appears the town
authorities prefered us to be scattered along their sea front.

We actually ended up in an even nicer spot than before [picture] right on
the sea front, it was beautiful this morning when I looked out as the sun
was beginning to rise. Yes I did say sunrise! Since the clocks have gone
back we have adjusted our routine and the alarm now goes off at 7. This
means we can make the most of the daylight hours and surprisingly I am
actually quite enjoying it!

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Goodbye Italy

4th November 2009

Our first stop in Tuscany was Pitigliano, a rather nice hill town on the
border with Lazio. We spent an enjoyable few days here and had yet another
great morning in the market. As a result I am now the owner of a rather
nice hat (see picture). We have had to install a new hook on the wall in
the van to stop it being sat on!

After Pitigliano we skipped through the rest of Italy quite rapidly
stopping just a couple of times. Despite its fame and beauty Tuscany just
didn't grab us, maybe it was because we were all hill towned out, maybe it
was the tidyness, the number of Brits and Germans or just that it felt
plain un italian! Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful and exactly like all
the pictures but for some reason just wasn't for us.

From Tuscany we made one more stop, just into Liguria and at the start of
the Italian Riviera in an area called the Cinque Terre. This is a UNESCO
listed bit of coast with five old fishing villages that until the late
1800's (When the railway arrived) had no access other than by sea and until
recently had no road access. We had a lovely day hoping between the
villages by traain and wandering the. coast paths and followed it up with a
pizza out as a treat for our last night in Italy after a great 6 weeks.

The week in photos

Hopefully in this order

A street of Trulli, Alberobello
The rock houses in Matera
One of the town gates, Saepinum
The amphitheatre, Cassino
Villa d'Este
Etruscan necropolis