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Well here we are home again all in one piece having driven over 4000 miles. That may not seem far for some but to us it’s a looooooooooooong way. We managed to get up to Belgium for 6pm on Tuesday which left us 24 hours to spend in Bruges before boarding the ferry to come home. Another beautiful city neither of us had visited before and we were very impressed. It is so Dutch we weren’t really prepared for that (I don’t know why) but it seems very different when you cross the border from France to Spain. The language of course is the first big difference and then there are the bikes everywhere, and the architecture. It reminded me of Amsterdam. The buildings in the centre are spectacular and of course the lace and the Belgian chocolates are for sale in every other shop. We even managed to squeeze in a trip around the museum of chocolate where we learned more about Mexico and the Spanish invasion than anything else. We had a lovely meal on the ferry coming back and then a long sleep as we were both pretty shattered we woke to find ourselves docking in good old Hull. Apart from a panic when I couldn’t find the passports all went swimmingly.

I dropped Bill’s phone in Vejer and now that’s not working and my camera still hasn’t put in an appearance which I’m sad about but otherwise we have come back with lots of fantastic memories and a desire to go off again and revisit some of the places we particularly liked. It makes us realise what a fabulous continent Europe is and how lucky we are to have such easy access.

I don’t think we will attempt camping again, well not in tents, although we both think a basic small caravan would be great to have next time. Anyone out there want a punctured air bed, a rubbish stove and a blue plastic bucket, with a lid, unused!

Bill seems to feel people may be interested in cheap hotels in Europe, I have my doubts personally but here we go.....

Return Journey – Economy Hotels

Campanille – Limoges Sud - €50 bed €9 each breakfast – free wifi

Very clean, large double bedded room with softest mattress of the 3 (memory foam – but it remembered someone else’s shape!) and only one to have coffee and tea-making facilities for the night.

Good on-site parking but nowhere to go without taking car. Asked directions in halting French for bus into city but found on walking out of hotel choice between motorway slip-road and verge of very busy arterial road so gave up idea of public transport.

Well-appointed bathroom with soap and shower gel and hair-dryer. Power shower with sprays from multiple points scouring and difficult to control but very exhilarating if it didn’t freeze or scald you first.

Breakfast choices more numerous – fruit salad, fruit juice, muesli dry fruits and nuts, ham, cheese yoghurt and bread and bakery items - than you need but all cold except if you wanted to toast bread or croissants. Expensive – so we paid for one and took it on a tray to our room to share.

Reception staff OK but morning staff didn’t speak English. No English stations or Radio 4 LW on room TV.

Hoel Balladins (Comfort Hotels Group) – Tours Nord - €45 €6.50 each breakfast – free wifi

Good on-site parking in an area where there was an Auchan and plenty of places to eat. 4km from city centre but good bus service every 15 mins from Auchan (NB stops about 9pm) Very clean but extremely compact room. Twin beds which we pushed together were firm but comfortable. Soap and shower gel provided in tiny, but functional bathroom, with good basic shower. Disturbed by people in adjacent rooms going in and out as doorways so close together. Few places to hang anything – even towels. TV but no English stations. Free beverages in the communal area and even breakfast cereals which you take to your room at any time. I don’t think there was any spare room for even an electric kettle!

Staff extremely helpful and friendly – speaking excellent English – and because of this I enjoyed this, the most basic of our return journey hotels, the most. Breakfast adequate with half –baguettes which were enough for lunch sandwiches.

Etap Hotel (Ibis – Accor Group) – Bruges Centrum Station - €49 €7 each breakfast €4.50 for 1h wifi

Parking in adjacent station car-park €2.50 for 24h. City centre 10 min walk away. Ultra-modern room, recently opened. Double bed hard and only one thin pillow. Towels like a cross between a towel and a tea-towel – but they were very functional and we actually preferred them to some of the very thick, “luxury” towels (which were somehow completely non-absorbent!) in expensive hotels. The only soap supplied was from a dispenser on the wall of the shower. (Only discovered that, the following morning when I had a shower!) No tea or coffee making facilities in room and not even allowed to take it to your room from breakfast area.

Power shower and good separate loo (no locking door). Didn’t like quirky wash basin with no plug in middle of room – impossible to bend over to wash your face without getting water on the floor.

Almost suffered concussion when the shower head came out of its bracket and fell on me. It’s a good job it didn’t have a long way to fall onto my head. Val said it was my fault for not seating it properly in its bracket. I wonder what “Injury Lawyers 4U” would say!

Bill’s Conclusion on the holiday:

In spite of the camping problems, we enjoyed the going more than the returning. I guess that’s true with any holiday. It was, however, a highlight of the entire holiday to see Cynthia, Terry and Madeleine in their Spanish and French homes.

We had a good rest in Vejer - and – with the Catastro progress and the new front door - we achieved much we felt. But, it was too quiet and we missed company and particularly family.

Three minuses:

1. Never being able to find anything in a car full of gear.
2. Inability, due to poor or non-existent internet connections and non-functioning mobile phones, to communicate with family and work people.
3. Living out of suitcases all the time on the road.

Left Madeleine’s about 9.30 we really enjoyed spending time with her again. She recommended that we called at Rocamadour and Sarlat on the way up to Limoges. We duly followed her instructions and we were not disappointed. Rocamadour is similar to Cuenca in that houses literally look as if they are clinging onto rock faces. There was a beautiful chapel near the top and a service was in progress when we arrived which was being broadcast throughout the town. It is evidently a place of pilgrimage and is famous because well over 100 miracles are said to have happened there.

Sarlat was a surprise, it has a large medieval section which comprises of tall, sandstone buildings with gorgeous arches and carvings it really is a beautiful place and somewhere I would definitely like to revisit. There are lots of narrow streets and art shops, I could imagine many artists wiling away hours sketching and painting. We got to our Campanile hotel in Limoges at about 7.30 and didn’t go out again as we were pretty tired at that point.

Today we felt we should see a little of Limoges before we head up to our next port of call, Tours. Unfortunately nearly everything seems to be closed on a Monday in Limoges, the weather is rather dull and overcast today so we are getting used to cooler days. The main place we wanted to visit in Limoges was the museum dedicated to porcelaine, which is what the town is famous for (due to large deposits of kaolin in the soil in these parts evidently). The problem was that by the time we found the said museum, housed in a beautiful building it was nearly closing time so we would have only had half an hour before they shut for a 2 hour midday break. All the literature tells you it takes hours to see all they have in there so I think that visit will have to wait for another time.

Although I have had nearly everything out of the car countless times I can’t find my camera! The last time I remember having it was at the restaurant near Denia with Cynthia and Terry. I really hope it turns up as I shall be lost without it. It’s hard to remember where anything is anymore as the car is crammed with bags and I’m hoping at some point I will unearth the camera but I am getting less hopeful all the time.

We are now driving to Tours and I am sorry to say we have chickened out again and booked ahead to stay in another reasonably priced hotel. It really is a bit chilly now and I don’t think either of us relish the thoughts of sleeping under canvas now. I just wish we weren’t carting about so much gear which is not being put to any good use. Only 2 days now and we will be getting on the ferry in Zeebrugge for our return trip to the UK. We feel as if we have been away ages and without this blog for reference I would never remember all the places we have visited over the last 4 weeks.

Bill: Well we are sort of camping – it’s turned so cold that we’ve pushed our beds together and put our quilt over us both. The splendid receptionist raised an eyebrow as we hauled that in!

Tours has certainly made up for the disappointments of Limoges. The Hotel is just a cheapy – Balladins – in the Comfort group mainly frequented by the white van man of France – but comfortable and friendly for all that. We have as much as we need and all the coffee/tea/hot chocolate we can manage plus free breakfast cereals and fruit juice in the communal lounge. We took the bus into Tours – so our tour of Tours showed us how wonderfully the city centre is situated on an island in the Loire. Having walked around the centre we visited the cathedral of Sainte Gatin (?) and Val lit a candle to St. Anthony (as recommended by Madeleine) to locate her lost camera.

We walked down the rue De Foch then had a fantastic Japanese?Korean/Chinese buffet at the “Resto Wok –up” . I may have got some of that in the wrong order! We almost missed the last bus back to Hotel Balladins watching and listening to the fantastic Son et Lumiere projected onto the huge and ornate Hotel de Ville. They’d turned the lights off at the Auchan hypermarket which was our landmark so missed our stop – but the bus driver kindly let us off between stops right outside the hotel. Can’t imagine that happening in West Yorks!

Friday September 24^th

We are now on the road between Denia and Barcelona en route to Madeleine’s house in Toulouse. We have another 8 hour drive today. We had a lovely time with Cynthia and Terry in their villa which is fabulous complete with swimming pool, Jacuzzi and numerous en suite bedrooms! They had a meal prepared for us when we arrived which was very welcome. Yesterday we went into Pego their nearest little town, in the afternoon we had a long walk along the sea front in Denia starting at the marina. That was very pleasant it clouded over but was still very warm. We got back to their place with just half an hour to get changed before we set off to a restaurant in the Jalon valley. It was an interesting journey out there driving up through mountainous areas with terraces of orange groves stretching as far as the eye could see. We enjoyed the meal the restaurant was full of Brits the owner was Spanish but had worked in Ware in Hertfordshire and spoke excellent English. In this area there are so many English speakers I don’t think many of the Brits learn much Spanish at all. As we drive through the countryside here we are amazed at the number of fortresses built at the highest points. Many of them look very Moorish. Evidently the moors got right up to the Pyrenees so their influence isn’t confined to Southern Spain only.

It was great to catch up with Cynthia and Terry. They give us all the latest news on people we all know in Louth. They are thrilled at the moment to discover they are to have another grandchild in February. Richard is settling down with a girl called Lindsay who is a teacher from Sunderland (she has got to be a decent sort of person with that description). Presently she is working in Old Leake, Lincs.

I am enjoying this journey as we are following the coast at the moment as we make our way to France. I can see the Med on our right, beautiful weather again today. I saw the UK news at Cynthia’s and it said it was 12 degrees in parts, can’t say I’m looking forward to going back to cooler climes. Can’t wait to see the boys again though!!!

We are going up via Perpignan, Narbonne, Carcasson on our way to Toulouse.

Arrived here in Toulouse about 8 pm Madeleine had a super 3 course meal ready for us and we eventually got to bed around 1 am after spending time catching up on the last 3 years. Off to explore Toulouse soon. Having difficulty typing now as all the letters on a French keyboard are in the wrong place.

Wednesday September 22^nd

As I write this we are driving to Denia from Vejer. We left the house about 10.30 this morning.Almeria is a dry desert like place spoilt by the “sea of plastic” under which they are growing lots of tasteless fruit and vegetables which fill our supermarket shelves in UK. It is sad to see nothing but white plastic for miles.

We have been very busy over the last few days. We have had our front door totally revamped by the fabulous Jaime who I wish lived in Baildon and could do all our jobs there. He is quiet, unassuming, and talented his charges are always reasonable and he knows exactly what he is doing. The door from the inside (from the patio) looks almost exactly the same as it always did with the enormous bolt but from the outside it looks brand new. After we leave he is coming back to oil and varnish the wood to match the rest of the wood on the windows etc.

Yesterday we went to the Catastro office in Cadiz. We had made an appointment to see a guy called Jose Luis de la Rosa. In his best Spanish Bill endeavoured to explain the fact that we have spent most of the last 5 years trying to get the paper work sorted out on the property in Vejer. We have never understood why it could possibly take so long. Usually people like us never get to the Catasro office it is mainly sorted by solicitors etc but as ours appears to be making no headway whatsoever we decided we would take positive action. When we arrived we had to sit and wait for about half and hour and then we were escorted to Jose by a security guard. As soon as Jose realised we were English he appeared to become very animated and as Bill was explaining the situation he got out a thick tome from a drawer under his desk and we assumed it was some sort of reference material with regard to ancient Spanish properties. How wrong can you be it was a book about the Collingwood family (Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood was second in charge to Nelson) and Jose reckoned to be one of his descendents. He flicked through the book all the time we were talking to him about Casa Angel looking for photos, passages, descriptions of his famous ancestor and pointing out to us the importance of the man.

We kept trying to bring the conversation back to the house. Jose made a few phone calls and kept shaking his head and then pointing to his forehead indicating he was exasperated with the inadequate staff at the other end of the phone. Eventually he said it would all be sorted in about 6 months (we have heard this many times before). I said “Espero que si” he said “Seguro que si” watch this space.

Last night the elusive trio Jeanne, Paul and Bruce turned up. They have kept a very low profile this visit I think this is for a variety of reasons. They told us they want to put up their prices. More expense! I would like to have had one last saunter around Vejer last night but we had loads to do getting the place straight before we left and packing all our gear. We left some of the camping stuff behind, pillows, a bucket, a bowl (the bulky stuff). This doesn’t mean we won’t attempt camping again on our way through France it depends how we feel at the time. Maybe we will find an old caravan and end up towing that back!

Heading for the comfort of Cynthia and Terry’s luxurious villa now ……. Heaven!

Sunday September 19th

Last night we went out with Manolo, Macu and baby Manolito at a place called Cabo de Roche in Conil. We had a nice meal with them and I thoroughly enjoyed Tuna Almadraba which I have never had before but will certainly try again (before it becomes extinct, Bill reckons it is a threatened species). Manolo seems keen to sell Uncle Ted's Organics for us to the local strawberry growers, well we'll see (Damien owner of the Vera Cruz is also up for it). On the way back from the car park we saw Marilo for the first time this visit all dressed up to attend the musical event staged on the walls. She actually looked very good, slimmer and quite smart, she is thrilled because she has passed her driving test at the 11th attempt and now owns her own car. Unfortunately she had a "choca" on the first trip out and the car is now damaged down one side but she seems undaunted and as Bill says it now matches every other car in Vejer!

Today a friend of yours Glen turned up, someone called Sue Rice (now divorced from David who she says you met) she said she met you here at Annie's house many years ago. She saw us on the roof and called up, so we asked her to join us for a manzanilla (which we just happened to be having ourselves at the time). She has a house on Poco Sangre, she has no gas or electricity there. She is living in a camping type situation, she was "denounced", the council refused to let her have electricity installed until she took down her railings on the roof terrace, as they are trying to stop people erecting them. Eventually she had to concede and has spent 400 euros having them removed. She has now got fingers and everything else crossed that she will at last be able to get electricity. I think we were very lucky getting away with our railings and the solar panel. The nuns across the way must have put a good word in for us. Anyway when we found out that Sue was eating on her own this evening at La Patria we said we would join her so we are meeting her later at Bar Trafalgar near her place.

Saturday September 18th
Went to Cadiz yesterday, on the way we called at Chiclana to try and get a new light fitting but couldn’t find anything suitable. As so often happens we managed to get just the right thing back here in Vejer from what we call the drug and ferret shop (Drogues y Ferreteria on Remedios). We have decided the best way to visit Cadiz is to park on the outskirts and get the bus in. So many people who have stayed here have had a nightmare trying to park in the centre of Cadiz so I would recommend doing what we did.

For the first time we went round the main museum in Cadiz which is very interesting. Lots about Pheonician settlements and remains in this area but also a good art gallery which I particularly enjoyed. The museum is free and open all day until 8.30 at night.


Today we have had the workmen in again but without the hassle we endured when we were here earlier this year. Jaime our beloved joiner has started the revamp of the big main door which must have been repaired and patched many times over the decades. It has looked very weather worn and tatty of late and he is giving it a make over! He will do most of the work in his workshop and just keep returning here to attach sections as and when they are complete. The other guy who has been today is called Manolo he has put the Moroccan star light (which wasn’t very functional on the landing outside the lounge) into the “snug”. It looks far better there, the natural light shines through it during the day and at night it can be seen through the window as you approach the house coming up the street. He also fitted the new light mentioned before on the landing. For all his efforts he charged 25 euros which we thought was very reasonable.

There has been a grand wedding in the town today at the main church for some reason many of the guests were English. I think the groom was English although it is hard to tell from his dark appearance. We sat and watched all the comings and goings from the little bar across the way. It was funny seeing all the women trying to cope with cobbled streets in very high heels. I noticed some of them actually took them off when they got the first opportunity. There is a big outdoor music event tonight by the Arco Segur so I imagine some of the wedding guests might end up watching that, typically Spanish it doesn’t start ‘til 11pm.

Had breakfast on roof this morning it was very pleasant. We are beginning to think it won’t be long now ‘til we start the journey north to cooler climes so we really must make the most of this gorgeous weather. Who knows we may have a winter like last year in UK and in that case we will need to soak up all the sun we can while it is possible.

Fantastic skies yesterday morning. Views from the roof terrace.

We had some rain for the first time on Thursday and when we came out of Casa Angel this is what we saw looking up the road to Plaza Espana.

Thursday September 16th
Val: Yesterday we had a bit of a shock because we decided to go down to the coast only to find a strange light (the one representing a car engine) had come on in the car which appeared to have something to do with an emissions problem. At the same time we were going up a steep hill in Vejer and Bill felt the car was drastically losing power and he couldn’t easily get to the top of the road. We pulled out the book of words and were told to find a garage asap. We happened to have spotted one previously in La Noria, the new part of town so we chugged our way there. The guy was helpful and said to leave it there and he would do a diagnosis on it to help find out what was the matter. He asked us to leave it overnight.

We abandoned ideas of the beach and walked home via “Via PC” the cyber café where, for 12 euros a week, you can latch onto their internet access (if you’re lucky). As the dongle hasn’t arrived we felt this was the only way forward. We have used these people in the past and haven’t found it works terribly well as often you can’t get access but we hoped it may have improved since our last dalliance with them. Like the last time we seem to only get a good connection if we’re sitting on the flat roof so late last night in the pitch black there I was skypeing Becky surrounded by the stars in the sky and the twinkling of lights in the village.

Bill: Returning for the car this morning, the assistant mechanic said it was OK but, if we returned at 4, his boss would tell us what had happened. He said test it out so we went to Barbate, Canos de Meca, Zahora (where we had a coffee at the thatched Sajorami restaurant looking out over the Bay of Souls to Cape Trafalgar) then on to La Bahia for lunch on the Conil seafront. This was our first meal out since we arrived here. We returned to the Vejer garage without the light coming on again where the mechanic told us the diagnosis showed that everything was working as it should so the fault must be in the sensor. “So why was there such a loss of engine power?” I asked. “If the engine light goes on, the computer responds by cutting the engine power to reduce the risk of damage to the engine.” He replied. Let’s hope the incident was a one-off. I don’t fancy returning 1840 miles at 40mph!

Today has been the first cloudy day – which made being out mid-day much more comfortable. Our first rain has arrived this evening. From the brownness of the landscape, it is much needed. To misquote the bard: “The Calle de Merced has not seen rain.” Sorry!

The storm clouds seem to have stopped all the satellite TV channel signals apart from the ones the Pope is on. Hmmmm! Richard Dawkins: please take note.

Becky,I think a cinema screen on Strelley would be a great idea. You could test out how long it took for the relevant authorities to come and remove it compared to the time here - which would be infinite as they just can't be bothered!

Chris can you keep an the scores it seems an absolutely crucial game for both. Hope the jobs in the TES are worth pursuing.

Have been musing over the derivation of the name Vejer. Before it was de la Frontera it was de la miel - yet I've never seen a honeybee in the vicinity and umbrella pine forests don't make good sources of nectar. I wonder if Vejer was formerly Abejar - a beehive - refering to the shape of ther hill and town? Cheers Bill

Monday September13th

We have done a few jobs around the house today. There are always painting jobs in particular. For some reason there are a few patches where the paint refuses to adhere to the white walls. Every time we come we scrape off the bubbling paint and repaint the area then do it again next time. It does seem to get a bit less each time so maybe we’re slowly winning the battle.

Bill has replaced a light which wasn’t working and we have sorted out the store room in the patio where all the junk, cleaning materials and beach stuff is stored.

Tonight we have had a long walk around Conil. We literally walk miles every day when we are here, it is very hilly so it’s extremely tiring especially when it is hot as it has been ever since we arrived.

I’m missing not being able to talk to the family. We are still waiting for the dongle to be delivered, hopefully when that arrive we will be able to skype.

Tuesday September 14th

We have now moved bedrooms as the smaller stable bedroom, which we really like, has just been too stuffy at night. Because we have had this strong hot levante blowing we haven’t been able to open the windows and there isn’t air conditioning in that room. The last 2 nights we have been in the big bedroom with the AC on and we have slept better. The wind seems to have dropped today so it is more pleasant generally although still too hot to be out in the middle of the day. I have been getting on with my knitting (although I’m a bit off it at the moment), done some drawing, read, watched TV and typed up some family history notes. We tend to start going out again in the evening when it’s all cooling down a bit.

This morning we walked to the one and only Correos which is at the opposite side of the town to us to ask if a parcel might be waiting there. We keep hoping the dongle will arrive so we can get onto the internet. No luck unfortunately there was no sign of it so we continue to search out wifi areas to contact people and check emails. On the way back from the post office we stopped to get fruit and veg and some fish. They are very good at letting you try the fruit before you buy it and there is a lovely assortment to choose from. When we went to the fish shop they had some Dorado which looked really nice so I asked if she could fillet some for us which she did. When she wrapped it up I noticed she had left the heads on which really put me off. When I commented Bill said they leave those on so you can make fish soup “I’m thinking of doing some” he said. You can imagine my reaction! Yummy yummy, can’t wait. Bfn x

PS Have contacted friends Cynthia and Terry (home near Denia) and Madeleine (home in Toulouse) with a bit of luck we may not need to do too much camping on our way home. Fingers crossed.

Val-Perspectives on Vejer

The town looks very spruce and clean and extremely busy considering it is coming up to the end of the summer. We have been told there have been 15,000 extra visitors this summer so despite the “crisis” (recession) people are still coming back.

The town was packed last night (Friday). There had been a wedding and the guest must have all been told to wear white, totally, so all the guys were in white trousers and tops and the girls were in different style dresses it was quite a spectacle. The reception party were all gathered on the walls outside Damien’s café, Braza de Sancho. From where they all gathered, they looked down onto Plaza Espana. We walked past the crowd to be nosey, and Damien, the French owner who also owns the Vera Cruz restaurant was busy helping guests to a range of tapas which were put out on a long table. But he came over to give his English pudding-man a big hug! There was much noise and merriment.

There are a few other changes to the town that we had not seen before. The road with steps down (Marquis de Tamaron) which used to be a quiet street (Mustafa lived there the Moroccan guy who made our sofa!) now has a restaurant on it which has lots of outdoor seating. Tables are set out on the wide steps and there is also an interior part. Well now they have a harpist who appears every so often and parks himself on the steps and plays. It all sounds very romantic and adds to the ambience.

Last night we had a drink and montaditos (tasty little savoury toasted snacks) at Bodeguitos and we set off for home via Calle Trafalgar. As we approached the little bar on the corner we could here what sounded like a TV with the sound on the highest setting. As we turned the corner we saw the enterprising bar owner had set up a big screen (may have been just a sheet) and a projector and he was showing old black and white Spanish movies. He had put out about 6 rows of seats across the road and the audience were having a fine time laughing their heads off at the antics on the screen. We thought what a great idea not sure however how they would cope if an emergency vehicle approached not that many cars attempt to get through that part of town.

Bill has been to the ancient barber shop this morning, just a few doors up the road. The guy there (who dyes his hair and sits outside with a plastic bag on his head while the dye is taking) told Bill that this summer the day the Virgin is carried up the hill, at the start of the 2 week long Feria, it was extremely hot. Everyone throngs to the town centre to see the spectacle, evidently this year many people collapsed and had to be taken to hospital. According to el barbero 4 ladies died!

Been to beach today it's now Sunday Sept 12th quite windy but we managed to put up the beach shelter and Bill managed to have a swim. Lots of people on the beach. Now sitting in a bar eating Tapas (again and accessing their intermittent wifi all quite frustrating). Time for a siesta methinks.

Friday 10 Sep, Conil

We called in to a fancy goods shop on the main road out of the old quarter of Conil. It looked to have gifts which were better than the usual seaside souvenir tat. I asked why the usual Conil Friday outdoor market wasn’t being held today. It was because the town’s Feria had just ended and they hadn’t properly cleared the market space. The owner turned out to be English and had been there as long as we have been visiting Vejer – eight years. He said things had changed a lot in Conil in recent years. I said that from the way he said so, it sounded as though he didn’t think all the changes were for the better. He said the town was virtually bankrupt. It couldn’t afford even to keep the streets clean nor to pay the contractors who were doing the perennial road repair jobs. This, in spite of the fact that tourist numbers were increasing ever more steeply year upon year. The town just seems either ignorant, unwilling, too indolent –or, most likely, a mixture of all of these - to take its rightful share of the prosperity all these tourists should bring. It is easiest to make those, already legitimately paying their local taxes, keep on paying more than to pursue those who make pots of money out of the tourists, without paying anything, for a rightful contribution. The Friday outdoor market was a case in point. Eight years ago it was a market for local artisans to sell their handicrafts. To encourage them they waived the usual street hawkers licence fees. Now it’s largely retail chain surplus stock but the stallholders still don’t pay a site fee. As tourist numbers have burgeoned, so have the numbers of illegal street traders who are stealing the trade from the rate-paying shop-keepers literally on their doorsteps. Neither the local police nor the council seem willing to challenge and move these people on. Last week a couple of Argentinians had started selling their wares – which were gifts and fancy goods like his – on the pavement outside his shop. When he challenged them, they produced a document saying that they were artisans entitled to sell their own handiwork without having to pay local taxes – in Argentina! After almost coming to violence, they did move on, but only to a shop front with a less forceful person inside.

Thursday September 9th
We went around Vejer for an hour or so last night and had a one drink in a bar but we were so tired we just wanted to get home and get some sleep. We were looking forward to catching up on the news but after watching TV for about 5 mins we were dozing off and ended up going to bed before 10pm.

The place is still quite busy with holiday makers; lots of street life with tables and chairs outside all the bars and restaurants. It is very hot, I went to hang out the first load of washing on the roof terrace and the bottom of my bare feet were burning, I had to come inside and grab shoes. I managed to do one little water colour painting sitting under the canopy on the roof this afternoon. Looking out to the coast Africa looks very clear today, the marismas still look water logged despite the heat. The sky is a brilliant blue and not a cloud in sight. The rice fields are brilliant green at the moment.

All good here, hope all is well where you are, V x

Did my “village boy” stuff first thing to get breakfast things. Disappointed to find that Juan el Frutero was on holiday til 31 Sep.

The first person we bumped into on our first daylight walk around the town was Manolo. So we’re invited over there to see Manolito and Maku!

Had a siesta this afternoon and would have slept clock ‘round had Val not woken me. Now having our postres at Pasteleria Galvan so we can check emails. B x

Val:
We managed to get away from Cueva del Fraile our hotel in Cuenca just after 8. The back of the car is now looking like a jumble sale. I’m dreading unloading in Vejer as I have images of plastic buckets, pans, pillows and much more merrily cascading down Merced. We stopped and had some breakfast between Motilla and Manzanares and then again for a brew up at a service station between Val de Pena and Cordoba. At last we are getting into regions we know well. Vejer is beginning to seem a little closer at last. At a place called Anujar we decided it would be nice to have a spot of lunch. Neither of us was particularly hungry but we thought it might be quite a while before we had the chance to eat properly. We really wanted to go to a venta but suddenly spotted a big Carrefoure supermarket. As we are a bit worried about leaving the car out of sight while it contains literally everything including the kitchen sink (if you count a plastic washing up bowl) we thought we could park there grab some food and literally keep an eye on the car from the restaurant. When we got in to order they were only selling raciones so we ordered a mixed green salad, a Russian salad and some fried boquerones (anchovies) plus 2 Sins (alcohol free beer). We sat outside and waited first of all a waiter brought out a plate of patatas bravas as a sort of free appetiser which we quite appreciated at the time, he then brought out bread and beer and the salads. Both salads were enormous each one would easily have feed a family of 4. The biggest shock however came when he proceeded to bring out the boquerones, there was a “shoal”, Bill reckoned at least 50! We just looked at one another in amazement knowing there was no way we could consume a quarter of the food in front of us. In the end we asked if we could have some boxes and piled most of it into aluminium containers. Guess what we’ll be having for our first meal in Casa Angel?

As I write this we are on the road to Jerez, just crossing the main Cadiz to Seville motorway not long to go now. It’s going on for 5pm.

Bill (written after our arrival):
The huge altiplano of Castilla-La Mancha is pretty boring geographically until you get to the quaintly named Desfiladero de los Desempenadosperros (Performing Dog Gulch?) close to the Andalucian frontier. We passed once again (a few minutes ago) one of the craziest places in Spain – if not Europe – if not the World. El Palmar de la Troya is the seat/“sea” (?) of the alternative pope. At present, Pope Gregory XXIII – or is it the nineteenth? Towering up behind concrete walls is the alternative Vatican City and St Peter’s and it’s Square. We hurried on by. Apparently the acolytes of Papa Greg subject women visitors to a series of embarrassing questions about their underwear – and Pope Greg himself is frequently found haranguing innocent drinkers in various Sevilla bars about that trumped-up impersonator, Benedict in Rome.

We arrived in Vejer at exactly 6pm – our longest day’s journey – the only one where we’ve needed to refuel twice. The trip-meter tell us we’ve done exactly 1840 miles from Baildon. All that way and not a cross word! Well – except when I pulled up a little too sharply after Val had brewed up for the umpteenth time on the road. Well one thing you can’t get is a decent cup of tea around here! Good job Val had brought all her potions – including lavender oil for scalds!

Bill blowing up the lilo again! Note the half eaten baguette!

Packing up to leave San Sebastian

Cuenca

We enjoyed the comfort of a night at Las Cuevas de Fraile, a hotel recommended by someone at the tourist information office. We have spent the entire day visiting all the main historic sights of Cuenca and there are many. The most important of which are Las Casas Colgados, houses which literally seem to be hanging onto the sides of rocky ravines. There are a number of buildings dating back to the 12th century. It’s a fascinating place but you need to be fit to see it all as there are many steep hills to climb but the views from the top are breath taking. We had a delicious menu del dia at a restaurant recommended to us by a lady who owns a cheese and wine shop in the old part of town. She was a total enthusiast with a wealth of knowledge about the wines and cheeses of this area, La Mancha. We left after a 45 minute lecture with 2 bottles of wine and a whole manchego cheese. We are looking forward to sampling them when we arrive in Vejer, anybody out there want to join us? We have the drive tomorrow from here to Vejer hopefully we will manage it in one go but it will be a long day. We hope to get off early in the morning. Love to all Val x

In spite of chickening out over the lilo, we’ve enjoyed the camping part and the driving. We’re told to remember that you get old because you stop doing things rather than stop doing things because you get old. And I guess that the biggest challenge is doing loads of things on your knees, continually getting up, getting dressed and everything else from a lying position in a low tent. I’m wondering which of my grandparents at 62 would have been able to do it. Clarke, Hollingworth and Wallace were all too fat and unfit by that age. Only Grandad John Horner was thin and fit enough – but wild horses wouldn’t have dragged him into such tomfoolery. Besos/abrazos a todos. Bill

We had another night of relatively good sleep punctuated by the lilo rapidly deflating. We got up early and had most things packed up and ready to go by 8.30. About 9.00 we left the campsite and headed for Pamplona. From Pamplona we drove to Logrono. We had a stop off for breakfast between Pamplona and Logrono at a place called Camino (de Santiago). The scenery between Logrono and Soria is particularly beautiful there are some fabulous villages set amongst rocky hillsides. The roads are a delight to drive on, at times you never see another car for miles.

At about 5 pm we put the kettle on while driving and made ourselves a cup of tea, Thanks Glen, kettle really appreciated. It’s a bit scarey driving along with boiling water inches away but we manage. We eventually arrived in Cuenca at about 7.30pm. We went to a tourist information place to ask about campsites, there was only one about 6 miles away. Bill seemed more inclined to find a hotel although I was up for another camping night. He said he had hit a wall and was really tired, then he added “I’m also worried about getting legionnaires disease from blowing up that bloody lilo again”. That did it for me, we found a hotel and are now comfortably ensconced in the lounge. Val

Apologies to all our followers for chickening out again. I keep telling Val it's because I want to show a girl a good time! We've proved that we're still capable of appreciating life under canvass, why labour the point? - You really do feel you are back to basics when you can hear the nocturnal sounds of all those on neighbouring pitches - well, in my case just the low frequency ones like snoring, breaking wind etc. and, thankfully, not the babies crying or anything else high-pitched! Hopefully the shower tonight won't be as powerful as the one at the last campsite. I felt I was being shot full of arrows. Appropriate for a campsite in San Sebastian - but I prefer a gentle flow not pressure blasting! Even after frequent contact with the earth to re-inflate the bloody lilo, I never got that dirty! Bill

Sunday in San Sebastian

BILL’S 9/10 FRANCO-SPANISH BLOG

Bill’s first contribution to this blog, written at Camping Monte Igueldo, San Sebastian (Donostia).

What a relief to be in a place when peace is declared there. ETA have, in San Sebastian today, announced a permanent ceasefire. Mostly, when we have visited places, “war” has broken out ever since we went to Ireland and provoked the recent “troubles” to break out right up to more recent times when the would-be “fizzy drinks” transatlantic airline bombers were foiled on the same day we crossed the Atlantic.

San Sebastian is now one of my top 10 places in the world. It’s really buzzing with life. This happens to be the day of the San Sebastian Annual Regatta where village teams from all over Spain bring homemade rafts to race for prizes – so the place is even more lively than usual. I’ve never seen beaches so crowded as today. Would like to come again when it’s more peaceful – because they really are beautiful – and all the visitors gather at the seaward end of the main street – “Boulevard Pio something” – to watch the sun set into the sea – just like they do at Key West.

Still having problems with the camping. We haven’t realty missed the non-functioning (downright dangerous!) Chinese cooking stove from “Go Outdoors” – except for making early morning and late night cuppas. But that’s a mixed bessing because, at least we don’t feel the need to get up in the night for a trek to the toilet block.

The real bugbear is the “lilo”. By 3 in the morning, it has deflated sufficiently to allow first my buttocks, then Val’s to come in contact with the cold earth. The earth is getting warmer – but harder – as we journey South. As a man, one would suffer this inconvenience in silence, but once Val touches earth, all hell breaks loose. In the time between my my bum tocando tierra and Val’s doing the same, I’m musing: “What would Isambard Kingdom Brunel do in a situation like this?” A gasket is what is needed! Chewing gum? “No you daft lummock, try bluetak.” I bet old IK didn’t have the advantage of a Makam wife to advise him about the building of HMS Great Britain! Well we’ll see how it goes tonight with our bluetak gasket!

My comments (Val) despite hours of re blowing up the lilo and the application of blutack the lilo is still deflating as we speak! Otherwise all dandy, hoping to get to Cuenca tomorrow.

Friday September 3rd
Last entry was from LeClerc near Rouen. We drove from there towards Le Mans and arrived there at 2.00pm. We stopped and had a drink at the Aire it was lovely to sit out in actual hot sunshine even for just a short time. We looked at the maps and decided we would drive down and get as near as we can to Bordeaux. It is a long way but Bill seems to think we could stay at an ETAP tonight (he he he). I actually heard him mutter this morning as we were packing up “camping is crap”. It was his idea in the first place, I didn’t say anything! We’ll see how it goes. It is such a pleasure to drive on French motorways which are comparatively empty compared to our local motorways.

We can charge this netbook in the car. The dongle I mentioned earlier would have meant we could access the internet more easily but when it still had not arrived the morning we were due to leave we rang Virgin and they said it had not been sent and nobody seemed to know anything about it. They are sending one to our house and our lovely neighbour (and follower) Jean is going to send it down to Vejer. In the meantime we have to look out for wifi hotspots. At least I can write in the car and just copy it onto the blog when I get a chance.

By the way the knitting is going well!”

Saturday September 4th

We are actually now in a logis south of Saintes in a place called Pons. We drove last night until about 8pm and were too tired to set up camp at the local municipal campsite. We were both pretty weary and couldn’t wait to have a shower (hot) and a good sleep. The place is fine, not altogether functional I must say, the food last night took an age and we were served on the terrace outside where it was so dark we couldn’t see what we were eating. Eventually Bill asked could we bring our food indoors, after that it was better. The bath doesn’t work properly, the water will only come from the shower head not the taps and the telly doesn’t come on but after last night at Rouen it seems heavenly. It is a bit hard to work out the theme for this place, there are posters up of children’s games and clown pictures and puppets hanging all over the place, our room seem to have a Tintin thing going on.

Later Saturday, got down all the way to San Sebastian, have resumed camping life, found fabulous campsite with all possible facilities, we set up camp very quickly. We are now drinking San Miguel and spanish tortilla outside tent soaking up sun, all lovely. Fingers crossed the airbed does not go down too rapidly tonight. we have great views of the Pyrenees from here. Hopefully stop a couple of nights. Enjoying being back in Spain where we can at last communicate with people. Better dash before our battery goes flat.

I am sitting in the car having had our first night in the tent. I am waiting for a kettle to boil it is plugged into the cigarette lighter, this will be our first hot drink. We actually got here about 3.30 yesterday afternoon after a pleasant drive down from Zeebrugge. This was the only campsite we could find near Rouen and it is very basic. The shower block consists of 2 showers. The shower only functions if you put in a token but Bill didn’t understand the lady in charge and thought she said we had to put in a euro coin. We got all our gear together and went into this cubicle to I got undressed ready to step in a hot shower, oh joy. When the euro could not be forced into the slot we realised this was not going to work only then did Bill go out to investigate and found out about the token system. I decided to miss out on the shower and got dressed. The shower will have to wait.

We actually managed to set up camp much faster than I imagined, it was warm when we got here. We decided to look around Rouen and went for a stroll last night ending up buying a pizza each, we were unable to cook for ourselves because our new gas ring would not work no matter what we did.. Rouen is a beautiful place; the cathedral is incredibly ornate. We want to come back to this area and explore it more thoroughly. Bill especially wants to visit the WW1 cemetery where William Wallace (his grandmother’s brother) is buried.

We slept OK, we were exhausted by the time we got to bed and went straight to sleep however we woke up about 4.15 to discover the lilo was rapidly going down and we were practically sleeping on the ground. Bill then started blowing it up himself, poor thing. This worked and we went off to sleep again until bells started tolling at 7 am. I was warm enough during the night but now early morning it is generally damp so we can’t do anything about packing up ‘til everything dries out. It is bliss sitting in a warm car listening to Radio 4 the tea is now ready and it’s heavenly.

Am now in a LeClerc, in free wifi zone as we are still dongle-less thanks to Virgin's incompetence, Bill in supermarket trying to buy a new cooker/stove. camping is expensive! Have now packed up and are hoping to get somewhere near Poitiers tonight. Tell you what it takes longer to pack up than unpack, I
am forever losing things (what's new you ask?). Bye for now, much love Val/Mum/Granny x

leaving tomorrow

Well the car is nearly packed, that is to say the big stuff is in but there's still paraphenalia lying around that needs to be scooped up and put into some sort of order. Thankfully we don't leave Baildon until tomorrow lunchtime so there is still time in the morning to finish off. We noticed a car tyre was going down this afternoon and discovered a puncture which has now been fixed thank goodness. Bill even treated me to a coffee at Macdonalds while the Kwik Fit guys worked their magic.

I bought loads of wool this afternoon to knit a cardigan en route. The woman in the shop seemed amazed when I told her we were going camping tomorrow. She was obviously thinking poor demented soul running in here and grabbing handfuls of wool at this late stage. I told her I wasn't much of a knitter and asked her to pick out the simplest pattern she could find which she did, so wish me luck, this is one of 3 knitting projects I am taking with me, plus all my painting and sketching stuff, masses of reading and some family history work I'm hoping to research. I'm disappointed I can't take my Nintendo DS but I can't find the charger, I blame those grandsons, one of them must have walked off with it! I don't want to be bored when we set up camp.

We now have an animal sun shelter purchased from Argos (50% off, end of summer sale) to add to the menagerie. Bill says he will set this up at the front of our tent and it will act as a wind break!!! It will also be used for storing food, pans, stoves, bowl, bucket etc. I don't understand his logic as it has no door and is open to the elements so if it does rain everything will get wet.

By the way the potty has already been abandoned as it takes up too much room and we decided it may be more trouble than it is worth. Anyway Glen tells me (having just come back from a mammoth camping trip) that they managed without one, she has mentioned some interesting alternatives.

Hopefully next post from Belgium. Bill thinks there'll be entertainment on the ferry I think he's being a bit optimistic.

Two days to go

Well here we are within 48 hours of setting off for our first camping session for decades. Our visitors bedroom is stuffed with everything from pans to a potty! Bill tells me we have to look on it as an adventure but all I can imagine is how horrendous it will be crawling around on all fours in a 2 man tent which is basic to say the least. Watch this space lets hope all goes to plan....hang on a minute come to think of it there is no plan except we go Sept 1st and hopefully return on the 30th.

The tent was bought as an afterthought when grocery shopping in Aldi "what a bargain" said Bill.