Aranjuez-Spain

Hola!

The city of Aranjuez was founded as a royal pleasure retreat, away from the hustle and bustle of Madrid and it still remains a place to escape the rigours of city life. The Palace is opulent but it's the gardens that really stand out. 

Our camp site is situated on the River Tajo and again is yet another excellent site. The walk into Aranjuez takes us across the river and through the Principal Gardens which are a place of beauty and tranquility.  

A visit to the local tourist office provided us with lots of information on the local sites in and around Aranjuez. We had planned to visit the Palacio Real (Royal Palace), the Casa de Marinos (a museum of royal pleasure boats from days gone by), the Casa del Labrador (a small retreat which had been very lavishly furnished) and the museum at the Plaza de Toros (Bull Ring). We were surprised but delighted to find out that all these museums are free to EU citizens on a Wednesday so naturally we planned our visits for the following Wednesday!

The weather continues to be good - quite cool in the mornings but by 12.00pm the sun is warm and it's time for shorts and t-shirts again. So mornings are for chores, shopping etc and afternoons for enjoying the sun shine before it disappears about 6.00pm and we have to retreat into the van.

On one of our shopping excursions we came across an indoor market which had an abundance in all things fresh - fruit/veg/fish/shellfish/meat and lots of meat products which I have never seen the like. Some of the more unusual/bizarre included pig's trotters, the face of a pig without the skull - just like a mask with a snout and row upon row of artistically placed sheeps' heads. I wish I'd had my camera with me but maybe the stall holders might have objected.

So, Wednesday finally arrived and we took ourselves off to the Plaza de Toros.Many areas in Spain have now banned bull fighting but here in the south I think that day has not yet come. The history of bull fighting is closely linked with religious connotations and so it was no surprise to find this little Chapel in the bull ring. The musuem was very interesting and we were glad that we went even though neither of us approve of the spectacle. 

Following on from that sober visit we trundled down to the Royal Palace which again was very interesting and gave us a glimpse of how the Spanish royal family lived their lives over the centuries. 

Two museums in one day was quite tough for us oldies so we decided to save the other two for another day - maybe next Wednesday (we are pensioners after all!) We also plan to visit the nearby town of Chinchon by bus so we are looking forward to that as well.

So until next week when we will bring you more tales of our adventures from Aranjuez.

Adios!

Kath and Harry xxx 

Haro - Spain

Left France on Tuesday 19th, crossed the border into Spain and to our next destination, Haro, which is the capital of La Rioja's wine producing region. Most people seem to use this camp site as a stopover as it is only a couple of hours drive from Santander but we have decided to stay a few days to explore the town and visit one of the many (19 in total) wineries.   We chose to visit the oldest and most traditional Bodega in Haro, dating from 1877. It was a fascinating tour - like stepping back in time with all the original vats and presses still used today and still owned by the same family. Our tour guide was a daughter of the family and part of the tour took us into the cellars with one of the cellars being over 100 metres long with 2 rows of barrels standing 6 high. They still employ 3 master coopers who make the new barrels and repair some of the old ones. Incidently some of the older barrels are shipped to Scotland to be used in the Whisky industry. The tour took about an hour and then came the wine tasting. We succumbed to temptation and bought a couple of very fine wines which have been stowed away not to be opened until we return home.

Harry and I had our first experience of a traditional Tapas bar in Spain which we both thoroughly enjoyed and bits if Spanish are slowly coming back so it's not too difficult in the bars and restaurants. It was fun exploring the old town with winding, narrow streets.

The temperatures have dropped to below freezing at night so we decided to move on to a place called Aranjuez, south of Madrid. We programmed Tom who told us it would take 4.5 hours. We assumed that Tom would take us round the Madrid ring road - but Tom (as we have previously discovered) has a sense of humour. He took us right through the centre of Madrid and in some places the road had 6 lanes, so along with the odd accident (not to us), demonstration and Friday afternoon traffic the total time on the road was 6 hours.

We have settled in at our new camp site, it is a lot warmer, back to shorts and t-shirts again and we plan to stay for a wee while as there is lots to see and do in and around Aranjuez.

But more about Aranjuez next week - so until then.

Bye  Kath and Harry xxx

Narbonne / Montesquiou / Pouylebon / St Jean de Luz

We arrived at Narbonne mid afternoon in the rain with the promise of more to come, so we put our feet up and watched the Commonwealth Games on the TV and the amazing rescue of the trapped miners in Chile.

The following day we had been forecast more rain but the weatherman got it wrong (notice I said man!) and we had blue skies and 21C. Managed to get all the washing done and dried - still have to do the domestic chores, it's not all fun and games. After lunch we were on our bikes again exploring the area. We cycled for approx 10 miles, it was good to be out in the sun again in shorts and t-shirts.

Nice touch on this site is that every pitch has it's own private facilities - a little shed that houses a wc, shower and wash hand basin.

The next day we were up early and cycled to the nearby town of Narbonne, parked up the bikes and went walkabout. The Cathedral was big and impressive as was the old Roman road only discovered in 1997. We stopped for a coffee at a pavement cafe and then continued to explore the town. We ate lunch sitting alongside the canal munching on filled baguettes that we bought from a nearby boulangerie.

Back at the site I dragged Harry off for a game of tennis (most of the rain puddles had dried up) and we had great fun on the full size court - certainly keeping my fitness level up.

The following morning we were on the move again to a place called Montesquiou (just south of Auch) where I had found a site in the grounds of a French Chateau and we had been saving our pennies to have a meal in their highly recommended restaurant. Oh dear, big disappointment - arrived at the Chateau after a long but very pleasant drive through the French countryside only to find that the site had closed early due to problems with their sanitation blocks. However they did tell us of another camp site nearby in the village of Pouylebon which they thought was still open so off we went. We found it without too much difficulty and what a lovely setting it was. An old Gascon farm house set in wonderful countryside - only 1 minor problem - we could only stay for 1 night. The site was closing for the season the following day. Undeterred, we sorted ourselves out and enjoyed a very pleasant evening in the late afternoon sun. The next morning (now we really do feel like travellers) we were off again, this time to a place called St Jean de Luz (just south of Biarritz) on the Atlantic coast and within striking distance of the Spanish border.

Again, a lovely site with great facilities. We will stay here for a few days to recharge our batteries before having to address the problem of learning to converse in yet another language. But in the meantime we can swim in the heated outdoor pool, go for walks around the lake (fishing too for those who have the inclination) or jump on the bikes to cycle to the nearby beaches.

There has been some concern by some of our fellow campers re the fuel situation in France. Many folk are heading back to GB after returning from Spain and news reports have been rather glum. That does not concern us though because we are heading south where the weather man has said there are blue skies and  25C - hope he hasn't got it wrong again!

So until next time when I will be able to practice my Spanish on you all.

Hasta luego

Kath and Harry xxx

Sommieres, Languedoc-Roussillon region - France

So, here we are at Sommieres which is in the Languedoc - Roussillon region of southern France. The site is fairly quiet with spacious pitches (almost 4 times the size of some of our previous pitches). It is approx 1 mile to the medieval village of Sommieres and is linked to the camp site by a cycle track. 

The site is 4 * and offers some great facilities including a tennis court. Harry and I spent a very enjoyable hour or so knocking a tennis ball about - couldn't exactly call it a game of tennis but we appeared to be entertaining the sun bathers at the adjacent pool.

The camp site is also part of an estate which has 50 hectares of vin yards which produce 400,000 bottles of wine a year. We were invited to a wine tasting session over at the domaine where we sampled 7 different types of wine and a wine liqueur. An interesting tour with the added bonus of sampling the wine.

The cycle route also goes to different villages in the area. and one day we set off to explore. We arrived at the nearby village of Junas, parked up the bikes and went for a wander. We came across this place (which is described as a site of natural interest). It is hard to describe but hopefully the following pictures will give you a sample of what we encounted. 

In amongst all this we saw a lizard which was about 45cms long. Certainly the biggest lizard either of us has ever seen. Sadly it was too quick for us and it disappeared into a crevace before we could get a picture.

On the cycle back from Junas we stopped to say hello to some white horses of the Camargue and they were grateful for some grass from the other side of the fence!                                                                        

                                                                             

Saturday is market day in Sommieres and what a busy market it was, everything from local produce to antiques - it was a good job that we both had our rucksacks as the fresh produce was very tempting.  There were also stalls selling fish and seafood with tables and chairs everywhere where folk were sitting eating  oysters and drinking wine. There was also a large flea market with everything from old street lights to used corgi cars selling for 3 for 1 Euro. I could just imagine the fun Ben, Alfie and Louie would have had                choosing some for their collections. Sophie and Loren too would have enjoyed looking at the jewellry all at very reasonable prices.                                                                                                                           

We also did the walking tour of Sommieres, we had a map which gave explanations of all the local sites.The Roman bridge over the river was built between 19 and 31AD and here are some of the original arches.

Houses were later built over the arches and are still very visible in the shops and restaurants.                                                                      

All this walking about gave us an appetite so we stopped for lunch at this lovely little terraced cafe (specialising in savory galettes and sweet crepes)  overlooking the river - wonderful. 

                   

The river was teeming with fish of all sizes and we had great fun watching the herons and ibis trying to catch their lunch. The local fishermen were also trying their best too. But the best was when Harry spotted a king fisher sitting on the embankment. We stopped and waited patiently - then it happened. The king fisher dived into the river, got his fish and flew over to the other bank to eat his catch.                                                    

We had only planned to stay at Sommieres for a few days but it has stretched out to a week. Tomorrow we move on again, this time to Narbonne for a couple of days and then on to Auch.

So until next week, lots of love from Harry and Kath xxxxx

Six-Fours-les-Plages Week 2

Hello again, well the story so far - we have a Chausson Motorhome, built in France, we are in France and guess what - we cannot get the part we need! Thanks to Harry's ingenuity and a fellow camper's assistance we have been able to close the roof light so at least the van is watertight and secure and we will get it sorted when we get back to the good old UK!

So our prolonged stay at Six Fours has been fruitless as far as the van goes but it has given us the opportunity to explore some of the region.

Last week we experienced some very strong winds and the temperature dropped dramatically. The surfers and wind surfers came out in their droves and it was great sitting on the promenade watching all the aerobatics, a bit scary too at times. We also enjoyed some very pleasant coastal walks made all the more interesting by all the action at sea.  

One day we took our bikes a little further afield down to the coast to a small island which was also a Nature Reserve. We had a picnic lunch and explored the rocky coves. Harry took this picture of what looks like some creature embedded into the rock.  

Another day we took the bus and boat to Toulon and spent a lovely day exploring the town. We had lunch out, French cuisine at it's best, then needed to sit awhile to recover. Where nicer than this square where the fountains are overlooked by The Grand Hotel. 

  

The small town of Sanary is not far away and easily reached by bike. It has a good produce market on Tuesdays and Saturdays and we love going round the stalls sampling what is on offer. Today I was munching on cloves of garlic and black olive tapenade while Harry was pulling faces at me!   Saturday also has an antique market with lots of stalls along the promenade. We saw a few nice pieces but they were either too big, too fragile or too costly for us to consider buying them.

Sanary has it's own marina - quite commonplace in these parts - so we wandered around looking at the boats, side stepping the artists on the pavements admiring their work.

We are now into October and the temperature has risen again - today we have 22C so it's sun hat and sun cream time again. Heard on the news that you are not so fortunate at home.

We are moving again on Monday, not too sure where yet so it will be a surprise for all of us when we write the blog next week.

So until then, au revoir and lots of love from Kath and a much rejuvinated Harry xxx