After an early'ish breakfast we left Wiesbaden just before ten am and headed for the Autobahn. The fastest way to Calais is not direct and was due to take 5 hours and 20 minutes so we headed north to Cologne and then skirted round the outside and then followed the road to Aachen.
When on German Autobahns it is vital to keep lane discipline because most of the Autobahns have no speed limit and so you are being overtaken by Porsche cars etc travelling at speeds well in excess of 130 mph which is quite disconcerting at first
Then in to the Netherlands and on to Belgium and using the Brussels ring road and then via Ostend and we arrived in Calais in, yes you guessed it, in 5 hours and 20 minutes, well it would have been if we allowed for a petrol and and another comfort break.
We arrived at the ferry port at about 4pm and our ferry was due out at 6.15 pm bu they put us on the 4.35 pm and so we got home to Weybridge just about 6.30 pm. By travelling on a Saturday we had missed heavy traffic on the complete journey.
Ah, an excellent cup of tea followed by a shower and then open the tons of post and finally our own bed. On our trip we had slept in fourteen separate beds.
This was a great trip and although we had planned to visit Southern Spain and Portugal the change to visit the lovely town and lakes in Italy was a great decision. We would certainly visit Italy again but would not take the caravan as it is far to large for the the Italian roads and also the camp sites where you have far smaller pitches than you do in France.
Well that's it for the moment and you may well notice tthat the last few days reports are being completed all at one time as during the last week their was no time for blogging let alone catching up fully on email.
I know have over 400 photos to check and sort...and also add to the blog.
Well that is it for the moment our next know journey is to the Düsseldorf Christmas Market in early December with some friends.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Friday 23rd September- Next stop Wiesbaden
We Braunfels around 10 am and drove to see our other ex Hong Kong friends who live in Wiesbaden. We arrived there about 11.30 and had a coffee and then we all went for along walk to take their dog for a long walk and so about 1.30 pm we got home and had a light lunch and then off by bus to Wiesbaden.
We toured the town for several hours and their was lot happening what with music festival, a a display of new cars where Noel viewed and fell in love with the new Lotus Evora, the only trouble is that it is so low that Noels knees may not allow him to get out. Oh well, perhaps in the next life.
We stopped for a beer in one of the squares and then continued walking the shopping area and finally it was time for dinner and we went to a lovely little restaurant which as a tourist you would not know about it and certainly hardly likely to stumble upon it.We had a great dinner and the starter was about eight little plates of different types of starters and then we all tried something different and Noel had the Weinerschnitzle was was excellent but enough for an army and so the dog would benefit later.
Then back to the house where we enjoyed a lovely glass or two of Argentinian Malbec wine and went in to the early hours before bed,
What a great day and its so good to see old freinds.
Thursday 22nd September- Braunfels and Wetzler
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| BRAUNFELS CASTLE |
A nice breakfast in the morning and then off to visit the local historic castle and old town of Braunfels. Our freinds arranged a tour of the castle with the tour leader giving an excellent overview of the history and talked about the many pictures on the wall. There were also pictures of English Royalty from many years ago when European Royalty started inter-marrying for wealth and to improve their armies . The tour took about an hour and were shown only the main rooms but were not able to go up the turrets which would have been interesting. Our friends translated the tour guides words and it was a very interesting visit. For more information see http://www.braunfels.com/
Following our visit we had a coffee in the main square and then left by car to visit Wetzler which is another old town on a river and of course much larger than Braunfels.
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| NOEL IN THE STOCK AT BRAUNFELS CASTLE |
The back for a shower and change and then off to a very nice Italian local restaurant where the food was excellent. Noel and Jen had the liver...excellent.
Then back to back to the house and a not to late night.
Wednesday 21st September- We did the tourist bit
After a good breakfast in the Hotel, we walked around town for about two hours taking photographs . The town was much larger than we first imagined and is more a walled city than town. We walked along the ramparts and overlooked the places where they used to kill and fight back their invaders until it was time for coffee. WE found a quiet cafe and sat down outside after ordering our coffee and what they call snowballs which is basically light pastry bits, rolled in to a ball and cooked and then covered in light sugar. Looks good but taste boring whilst putting sugar all over your trousers.
We had just received our coffee and cake and suddenly the road became crowded with arriving tour parties and their leaders carrying flags and talking in a multitude of languages. So much for a quiet cup of coffee.
We left Rottenburg about midday and headed towards north of Frankfurt where we were stay with old friends from our Hong Kong days for a couple of nights.We arrived late afternoon and sat drinking tea and chatting and eventually had dinner and went to bed rather tired but we had enjoyed the day very much.
Tuesday 20th September-Lindau- Bodensee
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| BODENSEE AT LINDAU |
Following a good nights sleep and breakfast in the Ibis Hotel we drove the short distance to visit the town of Lindau which is on what we call Lake Constance but known elsewhere as Lake Bodensee. This is a very quaint and old town right by the Lake with many expensive shops and also others selling the usual tourist rubbish. We wandered around the place for a couple of hours taking photographs and stopped for a cup of coffee before leaving as we have to drive about four hours to our next stop.
We decided as we had time to drive through the countryside and what struck us immediately is that nobody uses the roads as a rubbish dump which was prevalent in Italy and of course UK.
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| TIME FOR A CIGARETTE |
We went downstairs and sat in the garden and had a glass of beer and then decided to eat on site and we had a very dinner indeed. We then had a short walk around town and although we took a few photos they may be to dark.
What was funny though, a group of American tourists were being shown around town by a guide who was doing his best to explain how building, which you could hardly see in the dark, and people lived in this town which has a rather violent past.
And so to bed.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday 19th- A Quatre Stagione of Countries
We were so lucky that sometime in the night it had stopped raining but the wind got worse and thids meant that in the morning the tent was dry, thank heavans as we did not want to pack up a wet tent or even carry a wet tent for the next five days. Breakfast or croissant and cappuccino in the site bar and then we left and headed North for Switzerland. Twenty five minutes later we arrived at the border crossing where we had to purchase our toll road sticker for the Swiss Motorways, 450 Euros and we would only be in Switzerland perhaps for two hours.
We went up the roads to the San Bernadino pass and already in Mid-September it had started snowing. Going through more and more tunnels untel we reached the top of the pass and headed down and now it started raining cats and dogs. We headed towards Chur and then towards St Margarithe and then noticed the motorway was one side of the river from Lichtenstein and so we crossed the river and drove up through the main town only stopping briefly at the customs post and then in to Austria and towards the town where we are stopping the night called Brigenze where we have booked a room in an Ibis for the night.
We found the Hotel and checked in and the Wifi worked immediately at no costs and none of this passport nonsense and then went for a walk around the town which was very quiet and then later started looking for a restaurant of which we had seen recommendations in Trip Advisor only to find that all of them closed on Mondays and so we found a Greek Restaurant for a mofderatly satisfying meal and then back to a proper bed in a hotel, Bliss.
So in one day we did Italy, Switzerland, Lichenstein and Austria with a Greek Meal, boy that is something.
Sunday 18th September- Cannobio how lovely thou art!
We went to a wayside stall and had a nice pork and onion bun before heading back to the site as it was not raining and we had decided to pack the car with all unnecessary things items and only leave the bed and tent standing and we would go out for dinner.
Around 7pm we wernt back in to town and all the market traders had goner leaving this very beautiful town where we found and excellent restaurant and had a lovely dinner.
Later back at the camp the weather had continued to get worse and it was blowing a gale and overnight ther tent was shaking and it was raining like hell and the noise from the Lake water crashing on the shores made it it very difficult to sleep, but somehow we managed.
Saturday 17th September- A trip down the coast to Verbania
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| FASHION PARADE OF DEBUTATNTES |
In Verbania it was very hot and we had great difficulty parking and the reason being there was a huge market in town and so we wandered around for a while and then noticed the dirty black clouds in the sky. We also came across a group of young girls in wedding dresses and they were in some competition or other nut it was fun to watch but they must have felt quite stupid.
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| AND THE WIND CAME UP |
Friday 16th September – Perhaps plan C will work
Following our few days in Lake Maggiore it is proposed that we go to a place near Zurich to meet up with Noels ex-boss and then if timer permitted other people Noel met in the course of his business life.
We needed to find a Hotel which we thought in September would be easy but this was not the case as Hotel after Hotel was full and what with the Swiss Franc to Sterling exchange rate being so high, a two star hotel was going to cost about £150.00 per night which is far to high but camping is out of the question as the nearest camp site is miles away.In discussion with another ex-business colleague we nearly almost had it sorted at still huge expense when Noels ex-boss phoned to say he was having to travel and could not make it and perhaps they would come to London instead during the next few months unless we were visiting Asia where we should stay with them in their house in Phuket, Thailand. Oh well back to the drawing board and let’s look at plan C.
It was also at this point that we discovered that some of the emails we though had been sent had not been sent and as some of these covered our future travel plans this was frustrating. As usual when purchasing access to the internet Wifi at the camp you had to show your passport??
And the process was also stupid, you had to enter a number on your browser including your mobile phone number and they would text you the acces codes. So I waited and no text arrived and so I trtied logging on again and was rejected as quote this reference number already in use. The reply also gave a telephone number to call should you not get the text and so I called this number only to find they had printed the wrong number but after retruning to reception anc complaining and then the receptionist spent ten minutes on the PC to extract the codes and all this
this took almost thrity minutes AND it was costing 13 Euros for four hours.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and recovering from internet woes and also finalising the rest of our trip details. Dinner was chicken salad and it was really good.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday 15th September – These roads are amazing!!!!
We awoke around 0700 and after a cup of tea got moving to take down the tent and pack the car and this was completed by around 0830 then time for a shower and breakfast before leaving the site at about 0930.
Back through the mass of designer label outlets and on to the Autostrade heading North to Bologne. A quick top of fuel at a mere 90 euros, wow fuel is still expensive, and the amount of trucks on the road was amazing and hardly enough space to put the cars on. We then entered a stretch of road for about eighty miles where you keep going in to and out of tunnels of varying length and tasking off and putting sunglasses back on was getting tedious. At one point we were overtaking a line of trucks when this German car towing a caravan pulled out about fifty yards in front of us and then the wind from the truck he was passing made his caravan slew all over the place and so we braked hard just in case it turned over and when he had slowed down sufficiently he then returned to the inner lane, that really must have scared him and as it scared us.
Just South of Milan we stopped at a petrol service station for a light lunch before tackling the Milan traffic on their equivalent of the M25. Now we had a good map this was much easier than expected and the traffic was lighter perhaps due to it being lunch time and everybody had stopped to eat some pasta or a McDonalds or something.
We needed to do some shopping and came across a Lidle store which when we entered looked more like a war zone and so we beat a hasty retreat and came across a COIN food store in a lovely place called Verbania and as it only about 20 kilometres from our proposed campsite in a town further up the lake called Cannobio we shall certainly return here in the next day or two.
The first camp site we came to was called Camping La Romantica but unfortunately we had failed to notice that this place closed in three days’ time and so as we needed four nights we went to their sister camp site on Lake Maggiore. By now it was almost 5pm but we walked the site and located a place with a view of the Lake and set up the tent and this time the ground was soft and enabled us to use regular pegs.
A light dinner almost in the dark followed by a brief walk along the lakeshore and the amount of lights around the lake was amazing, it must have been great in earlier times with hardly anybody living here.
Tuesday 13th September- A bus ride in to town
There is a bus service running from near the camp site in to Florence Station and so we boarded the bus which was already running twenty minutes late. This put me in mind of a story from a good Italian friend who said that TIME in Italy does not really mean time but means an indication only of time. So actually the bus was not really late.
We followed the signs to the pedestrian area where many of the beautiful old buildings are located as well as the many statue’s that adorn this town. A close friend of Jennifer had mentioned that Florence was a much nicer town than Rome and she is correct. Although Rome has the historic ruins and also many other beautiful buildings Florence as a town is much nicer and well worth another visit.
We toured the streets and boy was it hot and the ice cream had to be eaten very quickly to avoid turning in to liquid. The town was full of tourist’s and tours with lots of Asians being led around by tour guides waving banners and all of them looking pretty dog tired.We finally found a book shop where we could purchase a decent map of Italy and also one for our intended visit to Switerland and this will make our travelling a little easier .
By about 4.30 pm we were both hot and tired and decided to catch the 17.05 or thereabouts bus home. This time it left on time but it would helpful if the put the destination on the bus and it was only on the basis that we recognised some of the passengers who arrived from our small town that gave us some degree of confidence that perhaps we were heading in the right direction.
We arrived back at the campsite and headed straight for the extremely nice swimming pool for a cooling off swim before changing for dinner as we had decided to try the food again as it was really good the previous evening.
Wednesday 14th September- Another day in town
We caught the earlier bus than the previous day and this time it departed at 0855, or more like 0915 ‘ish, and arrived in a slightly better time of one hour but we did have to hold tight when going round corners and hoping the bus would not fall off the cliff edge.
It was our intention today to use the open top tour buses to see all around the town and this was like a speeded up movie where everything flies by at an amazing rate of knots as this time it was clearly Michael Schumacher at the wheel.
Actually it was difficult taking photos as the bus was careering around corners and up and down hills and ducking to avoid the low hanging trees and actually not enjoyable at all. There were two tour routes and we then started the new route almost straight away and perhaps this was more interesting that the first part. Upon arriving on the bus we were given a set of small plastic earphones which from Noel’s perspective were a waste of time as mostly they did not work and it was only after an hour when Jennifer had not talked to me that the mistake was found out, oh well!
After a two hour bus drive around town on bumpy roads we were quite happy to get off the bus and start walking again and by 1.30 pm it was again quite hot and getting near lunchtime. We walked around the food market and took a few photos of the food on offer and particularly the rows of hams hanging around the many shops and our hunger began to grow even stronger.Near the market we found a very interesting and one might say rustic restaurant which apart from offering the usual choice of pizza’s and pasta also offered Florentine beef steak and so we tried and shared a one kilo T-Bone steak which was absolutely brilliant and we both had to admit perhaps one of the best steaks ever, that it until we reach Argentina next year. A really lovely lunch which stared with Bruschetta and with some Casa Tinto and of course the steak set us up for the rest of the day.
There was a bus due to leave town around 3.45 pm and so we targeted that and again were lucky to be on the correct bus as the signboard on the front showed somewhere completely different, mind you the on board clock registered 00.01 almost the complete journey and this time driven by Alonso’s younger brother.
Another swim in the pool and some time spent on the internet as during the day we decided that the three nights in Florence was enough and that we would head for the Italian Lakes taking in to consideration to be in the general direction of Switzerland and so we chose Lake Maggiore as our destination.
We investigated camp sites and located two which seemed acceptable and n doubt one of them would be fine. Then off to bed to get ready for an early start.
Monday 12th September- Rome to Florence
I forgot to mention that the castle at Lake Bracianna was used by Tom Cruise and Kate Omara for their wedding, but then do you care??
We drove initially some very old towns just north of the Lake and we decided that we would at some time return to this area as there were some very interesting buildings built in to the rock face.
The Autostrade signs and also road signs in general are designed for midgets and often it is placed right on the crossing behind a hedge or behind yet another sign warning of road works etc. And so we missed the entrance to the motorway as there was perhaps a cyclist in the way.Oh well another U-turn and then back to the road we needed.
We had looked at a number of campsites and although a group of Caravan Club people on a tour had recommended a site they had stayed on they did mention it was extremely large and so we decided against and went for one mentioned in a number of camp site books.
We arrived at our Motorway exit and followed the instruction only to find the road closed sue to works that were under way. We still at that time not been able to get a really good road map of Italy and so relied upon the SatNav and a map with limited info, however with perseverance we found the camp site after going through an area of famous brand names factory outlets for Trussardi, Dolca and Gobanna et al, needless to say we did not stop.
It was still rather warm at around 32 degrees Centigrade and putting up the tent was very hard work as the ground was rock hard and almost impossible to put pegs in but somehow we made it.
Noel wanted to do some emails etc and went to the reception to buy a wifi card and the bloody palaver this was as it would appear that the Italian Authorities need to know who buys a wifi card and how they use it. It took ten minutes to buy the card as Noel needed to go back to the tent to get his passport, bloody amazing.
Following all this exertion it was necessary to visit the bar and then on to the campsite restaurant which was really excellent. A glass or two of wine later and then on to bed
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sunday 11th September- A quiet day
We both slept well and then following Noel cleaning ther car windows as it was getting difficult to see out we had breakfast and then headed in to town for some shopping to cover our needs for the next two days. It was market day and there was not much of interest really and so we went and did our shopping and then on to a nice little café where we cheated and had an ice cream as a before lunch treat.
The plan is to have lunch and then go and watch the Formula One Italian GP at Monza which the man at the bar said would be on only when Noel got to the bar everything was closed off and so no GP. The guy must have said that yes it was on TV but perhaps did not mean it would be on theirs. Damn. Go Button go!
Whilst typing the blog at the tent a mother Duck and her four kid ducklings arrived looking for food but as we domnt feed the ducks they soon left in disgust .In the afternoon Jennifer did some clothes washing and Noel the blog and also sorted the car for loading the next day as we leave for Florence in Tuscany and the home of Chianti.
We decided to have a quick drink in the bar after dinner of chicken and ham pasta washed down with a glass or two of white wine and for Noel to update the Blog and also check on the race results.Perhaps another early night so that we can get up early and leave this campsite around 10 am for our short 150 miles drive to our next campsite in Florence.
Saturday 10th September – Another day in Rome
We decided to avoid the bus and used that car and parked at the station car park. This station has three tracks and you have to walk across the track to catch your train as there are no under or over pass.
We arrived at a main station in Rome then took the Metro to the Spanish Steps and this was also packed with people Uugh!. We both fancied a drink and the loo and found what must be said as the very best McDonalds we have seen anywhere else before. On the ground floor was the McCafe selling coffee cakes and other nice stuff and then upstairs in a nicely finished and furnished large room selling the usual McDonald’s stuff.From there we went to the Piazza Navona which was also packed with tour groups and there was also to be in approx. two hours’ time a protest and so there were loads of police and garibaldi’s blocking off the place.
We then went on to an nice area where we had been the previous day to find a little restaurant but it was closed and so we found another very local place where the food was really excellent. It now seemed even hotter than before and we went dowen to look at the protests and was stopped on the way by a small group of English cruise passengers who were lost and looking for the river and so we were able to help them. They were on a very large ship which carries 4000 passengers plus almost 2000 crew, they said it was so large and they have been on it a week and still have trouble finding their way around but the food was excellent, I think it was the ‘Adventurer of the Seas’ or something like that. Can you imagine if this thing sank how many other boats you would need to pick everybody up from the water, I shudder to think? 
By mid-afternoon and having seen most of the sights that interested us we found a bus back to the Station near to St Peter’s Pizza from where took the train home and this time no delay as we had the car waiting.A quiet drink in the bar and struggled with the internet which is so slow it upsets my Outlook Email programme quite badly and then an early night as the prveious night there must have been a Techno Disco somewhere near the Lake which rebounded around the lake and kept us awake for a while until we found our ear plugs which are a real must for camping.
Friday 9th September- What have the Romans ever done for us?
Well quite a bit really.
We were able to purchase train tickets from the camp site and we could not believe the price of 6 Euros per person for 24 hours which included the train from Bracciana to Rome which takes about one hour and this was following the bus ride from the camp. The bus driver did not have any change whatsoever and we travelled free to Bracianna Station or nearly as he dropped us of in the middle of town with a brief wave as to where the station was. So we headed off in the wrong direction for about five minutes and asked a workman, Scuzi The Stazioni Gracias..which sort of helped as he sent us off in a different direction and we caught the train earlier train which was running at least ten minutes late.The train was quite busy with both lower and upper decks and the complete train inside and out was covered in Graffiti.
We arrived at the station next to St Peters Square and that was also very busy with tour groups and guides pushing people all over the place and the queue for the Basilica stretched almost around the complete square, which incidentally is round and perhaps should be called St Peter’s Piazza, and not to be confused with St Peters Pizza.
From there we went to the Trevi fountain and then along the river and in to what we though was the nicer part of town with lovely little shops and a wonderful ice cream parlour before then setting off for the Pantheon and also the Coliseum. There was a forty five minute wait to by a ticket but you could get the fast track route which costs 25 Euros plus the cost of the ticket and so we did not go in.
Everywhere around Rome we saw very many Polizei and Carabinierie and so Noel asked why so many police were around and was this usual. The Carabinierie I asked said they were military police and not the normal police and that he did not understand the question. Oh well never mind.
Many shops we entered for a bottle of water or similar had no change, very strange indeed. In the meantime we had found a quiet restaurant with excellent Wifi and we stopped for lunch which was sort of OK but not great.
It had been really hot all day and we thing around 33 degrees which is quite tiring really and so we caught the metro train, also covered with Grafitti back to the main line station and then back to Bracciano where we had to wait 45 minutes for the bus and then it took the long way back via Napoli and so 25 minutes later we arrived back After a quick shower we had a light snack and then some email only the Wifi connection on site is appallingly slow and therefore difficult to use
Then back to bed and to blow the bed up again, we will change this for next years camping.
Thursday 8th September- Where is our campsite
We left the seaside town and were surprised to learn that the campsites we were to look at were only about one hour away which is great. There were three to choose from on a place called Lake Bracianno which is North West of Rome and about 25 miles away from the outskirts of the City. There were also camp sites closer but the reviews were not good and so we decided that lakeside would be best. The first two we saw did not look great and you could not park you car near your emplacement but the last site called Camping Roma Flash is used by the Caravan Club and it looked a lot more presentable.
We set up camp thirty yards from the beautiful Lake and under the trees and this took about two hours as we had not been camping for a while and you need to remember things and not having used this tent before this also made it a little longer.
Once we were set up we located in the main town a small supermarket where we could purchase a few groceries for the next few days. The rest of the afternoon we took it easy apart from changing things around the tent a bit and discovering that the blow up bed was in fact suffering a slow air leak and therefore the final pumping would be later in the evening,
Tonight we planned to have fried chicken and salad but as we had decided to go the bar first it was a little dark to cook in and even darker to eat of a plate on your lap but the wine tasted good.
And so to bed on our lovely large blow up but losing air bed.
Wednesday 7th September- We are sailing
We both slept well although the bed was a little hard and after ablutions headed for the breakfast room and hoped that the main restaurant would be open but no such luck and so to the fast food we went. The prices were extremely high and the quality extremely low and we paid 22 Euros which included the free part of the breakfast which comprised of one small croissant and a cup of coffee which is not much and so we added another croissant each and an yoghurt and hence the 22 Euros.
After an uneventful crossing from Barcelona we arrived in Civivitecchio which is Rome’s main Port. To get down the ramp was another load of chaos with everybody cutting each other up to get to the ramp first and some have to back up by misjudging the turning circle of their vehicle it was sheer bloody chaos and the only way to describe it. Then the hooting started and the single Asian car controller basically gave up and left everybody to sort it out themselves. What is amazing however that the ship only had about 300 passenger when the previous week it had 1200 and so how they coped at the ports is beyond imagination.
However, finally we got off and headed for the Port exit and it was getting rather dark and the signs were poor and we were heading about 20 miles down the motorway to a small seaside town to the hotel which we had great difficulty finding as it was dark with very small signs and a one way system which the SatNav could not understand and even that was shouting for help. Turn right, then turn left then turn right and then turn left it was saying and so we turned it off. Finally we found the Hotel at around 8.45 pm where we parked across the road and asked if the restaurant was open and the answer was NO it closed at 8.30 pm but you can go down the road and there is a nice place. We dropped our bags in the room and tried to turn on the air conditioning system and it did not work and this was a proble as the room was very warm.
So on the way out I questioned this with reception and she said that we had booked a standard room and she could turn the aircon on for 10 Euros and this now became a superior room, I agreed to pay but could not believe this.
However we found a great little restaurant where we both had a pizza and Vina Casa Rosa which was great. We then quickly visited an internet shop so that Noel could print of a letter from Lloyds Bank which may just get him back online with his Bank, but this is another story.
Tuesday 6th September- A day in Barcelona
The breakfast at the Hotel was pretty bad but we ate some anyway and then packed up and drove in to Barcelona as was able to park close to the Port which is not only the centre of town but also close to where we catch the Grimaldi Car Ferry to Italy.
We left the car park and walked along the beachfront which was quite busy as their were at least two cruise ships in port and by god was it hot in the sun and we guess around 34 degrees centigrade. At the far end of the first part of the promenade we came across a large marquee which enclosed about thirty stall holders all selling food and wine and clothing all from Argentina. So we tried some of the local produce a a treat before lunch as we planned a light lunch and then eat on the ferry later.We walked around the Las Ramblas for a while and felt it looked a bit shabby with some shady characters everywhere and others selling rubbish copy Gucci bags and sunglasses etc.
We continued exploring the side roads and eventually came to the main food market which was still open and quite busy especially the small fish restaurants where people were standing waiting for others to finish but the prices we thought were quite high.
By this timer we were slightly peckish and then headed back to the Argentinian shops and purchased their equivalent of the Cornish pasty and a bottle of coke and hoped that would keep us full for a while.
Time was soon flying by and then we went over the bridge to the Marina Ramblas which appears to be fairly new and this area was packed. We stopped in a café by the side of the sea and had a glass of wine and then realised that it was restaurant called The Wok and of course selling Asian food.
It was now 1800 and we thought well by the time we are on the ferry and get to the restaurant it would be around 10 pm and rather late and so plumped for some Asian noodles and a glass of wine.We got the car from the garage and started looking for the Car ferry Port entrance and initially got lost and with lots of arm waving and a loud Italian voice we were directed to the ferry port. Arriving in the ferry port which initially looked dis-organised but we found the check in desk which is about 200 yards away in a building with very little signs. Also in the car park there were quite a few vans and cars with self-built roof racks and on top was anything you can imagine and built to the same height of the van or car. This would be strictly illegal in the UK but seemed to be Ok here but the people in these vehicles looked a little rough and so I did not take any photos fearing for my life.
Finally about 45 minutes before the Ferry was to leave we were sent down the port roads to our next car park right next to the ship and here chaos took over. There were lines of cars waiting, tugs pulling trailers on to the ship and with trucks collecting trailers which had arrived on the ship and hundreds of Toyota small trucks and other small cars being driven at reckless speeds through the previously mentioned list of vehicles etc. Then the fun really started as two coaches pulled up with the walking passengers who then proceeded to cross the path of speeding trucks, tugs, Toyota cars and on to the ship whilst avoiding the loading that was taking place. Finally we arrived on the first ferry deck and were ushered up a very steep ramp which was no problem for us but the small car in front first of argued that he could not make it then backed away and took it at a fast pace and eventually made it. One more ramp later and we arrived and was shocked to find all the Asian crew waiting to help us to our cabins which was really not expected.
Our cabin was ok but the shower was rather small with a light shower curtain which stuck to you as you turned the shower on. We looked in on the fast food restaurant and it was pretty bad and so we had a quick drink and went back to the cabin but the ship seemed quite empty.
Monday, September 05, 2011
Monday 5th September- Watch out Messi here we come
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| Messi |
Who is Messi, well perhaps one of the world’s best footballers who currently plays for Barcelona
Our route today took us by the Toll Roads all the way up the coast to near Barcelona and then we left the main road and then there was another Toll and then yet another Toll, I think we bailed out Spain.
We found the Hotel in a town called Castelldefels which is about 20 miles from Barcelona where the Hotel prices are about 50% cheaper than the main town and as this Hotel has a large swimming pool it will help us fill in the day, or so we though as by the time we got here the temperature had dropped quite a bit and it was a bit chill for the pool. Anyway we needed time to plan the first part of our Italian trip as we arrive at the Port in Italy around 6.45 pm and not sure how lomng it will take to get off and then drive to the campsite and set up we have chickened and booked a Hotel. We also looked at a number of campsites in and around Rome and think that the ones near a Lake and about 40 minutes train ride would be the most suitable for us rather then risk a noisy site with American tourists.
After sorting this out we did a little shopping and then down to the beach area to look for a restaurant and we succeeded in finding what turned out to be really excellent food and we tries the paella which was excellent. Then back to the Hotel for a little more blogging and general catching up with the past few week’s emails.
The weather this evening is about 25 degrees and quite cold compared to the previous ten days, and its lovely.
Sunday 4th September- It’s time to leave Moraira
All good things must come to and end and so it is with our third annual visit to Roger and Sue in Moriaira. After a good breakfast and packing the car once again and this time some goodies for Rog and Sue back home we headed off up the coast road in the direction of Valencia.
We passed through many small villages by the sea as the sun was shining down and the temperature soared to 35 degrees centigrade and eventually we came to a small seaside town where we had lunch. I say small as the land area was small but the apartments went up twenty or thirty stories and in part resembled bits of the Causeway Bay in Hong Kong.
We had lunch which in retrospect was of poor quality but bever mind and we carried on up the coast iuntil we arrived in Valencia and followed the Sat/Nav to the Ibis Hotel where we had stayed last year .
This is a good Hotel on the suburbs of this very nice and obviously well off town and is a fairly new build. The rooms are clean and very nice and for 48 Euros you cannot go wrong.
Later in the evening we left the Hotel for a walk and came across a very busy little café where we enjoyed some wine and a plate of Spaghetti Bolognese which was really tasty and then home for some blogging and som good sleep before we leave for Barcelona tomorrow morning.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Saturday 3rd September- It’s a Zoo down there
We met the party in the breakfast room and it was really a zoo down there and just like the back end of a Boeing 747 on a flight full of kids and so we were all glad to leave and get away from the noise.
Back to Roger and Sues for a swim and little rest and then get tarted up for a trip to Javea which is just up the coast and which we had visited last year and enjoyed and excellent meal and so we went back again and had a great lunch overlooking the bay and the sun bathers and swimmers.
The food was excellent and even the house wine was really very good indeed and a lovely time was had by all.
We retired back to the swimming pool and then started packing the car with all the camping gear to get ready for our departure tomorrow to go North.
It was our original plan to go South down to Malaga and Cadiz and sround Portugal but after an ernest discussion earlier in the week Noel had the idea not to go there but to see if there was a ferry operating from Spain to Italy and after some research we are booked on a car ferry from Barcelona to Rome, or the nearest port, where we shall camp for a few days and explore Rome. After this we intend to visit Tuscany and the Italian lakes and then over the hills in to Switzerland. Sounds great!. Tomorrow we have a short day and spend the night in Valencia in the same hotel that we stayed last year.
Friday 2nd September- Alicante Airport and Benidorm Palace
We left Moraira shortly after 11.00 and took John and Lyn to Alicante Airport for them to connect to their Monarch flight home which was due to leave around 14.00 hrs.
After than we headed in to to Alicante and just by pure chance located a Burgerking where we duly enjoyed the traditional double whopper before collecting the car from the car park and then on to Benidorm. At an event easrlier in the week we had met some of Roger and Sue’s friends who were going to Benidorm for the show at the Benidorm Palace which has a good reputation and we had been invited to join. We arrived at the Hotel and found the party enjoying fish and chips down the road from the hotel at the Admiral Nelson pub where we also had a few bevvies before goint back to the Hotel.
A brief clean up and then on to a small bar, yes we had another drink, and then arrived at the Benidorm Palace where a table for thirteen people had been prepared. The show started around ten pm and after a short thirty minute half time break went on for another hour and half. The show was very good with acrobats who were amazing and then finally on to the finale where some of the ladies allowed to lights on their upper bodies, Oh to be young again. This was a really good night with mixed views over the food but we hadf a great time and then back to the Melia Hotel at around two pm just in time for bed!
Thursday 1 st September- a trip to to Guadalest in the hills
We left the house and drove for about an hour and arrived in the foothills and climbed the mountain side and arrived in this lovely village which stands on the top of a hill. It is quite touristy and but we were able to get some really great views and so see the Phanfare photo blog for more.We had lunch in a super little restaurant which also had a shop attached which sold wines, fruit and some lovely orange flavoured olive oil. We had a slow drive back down the hill and then spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool to get ready for the evening event. Roger had booked us a German Restaurant on the open balcony and we all had a great steak and the German potatoes with onion and bacon etc and of course a few bottles of the local rioja wine. This was the last night for John and Lyn who would leave for the airport the next morning.
Tuesday30th and Wednesday 31st – Same both days
These two days were spent sunbathing and having great food in a number of excellent restaurants including an evening at a super BBQ and Steak restaurant in downtown Moraira. Also on Tuesday we had a trip out on Rogers & Sue’s power boat and did some swimming etc. and so overall we took it quite easy and spent a few hours at the gold club overlooking the Calpe Rock.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Monday 29th August- Another chill out day
We all had a quiet morning around the pool with a light snack for lunch and then back to reading, blogging and sleeping where appropriate.
In the afternoon we headed down to the marina where Roger and Sue keep their power boat and then off sor an afternoon swimming in thje sea which was lovely but we did not go to far as the sea was a little rough which would/could make it dangerous for getting back up the ladder on to the boat. A very pleasant afternoon indeed and it was great to swim in the sea again.
Following a shower and clean up we went up to the Golf Club for a pre- dinner drink overlooking the bay and the rather beautiful Calpe mountain and then back to one of Rogers famous curries and natiurally a touch more of the rio tinto. A very nice day indeed.
Sunday 28th August- Should not have had the extra Brandy
Oh dear, Oh dear we were all suffering a bit this morning and clearly we were not going to far except perhaps for the planned lunch up in the hills.
After a few cups of coffee we left for a late lunch in a restaurant that we visited last year overlooking Moraira and although Roger had phoned several times to make a booking there was no reply. Any way, after a 45 minute drive through the hills and passing the German Restaurant from the previous evening, where we all looked at with daggers and then we arrived only to find the place we planned for lunch had closed for the summer. Oh. Anyway there is a place over the road where we tried and were very pleased with the food and the lady who served us so well. So we sat in the shade eating roast lamb and with a glass or two of riot into of some year but excellent all the same.
Then back home for a late afternoon cool off swim and some had a light snack but most of had a sleep before watching the Belgian Formula One GP which was very good indeed.
Bed time came early tonight as we were all pretty tired and so by 10 pm we had all departed for our night’s sleep which we all very much needed.
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