Time to leave

Well after a heart breakfast we packed the car, the strange thing was that when we packed the car for the second time we had far more space in the trunk than before, most odd, however this was good and we headed following the SATNAV hoping it would take us the right way to Calais. The journey to Calais was uneventful and the weather was still nice and we arrived at about 12.30 in time for our table reservation at the Restaurant Au Cote D’Argent which is right on the shoreside and next to the Port and so you can have dinner and watch the ferries come and go.
The Restaurant specialises in seafood and was not full when we arrived but by 13.15 was fully booked and you could understand why as the food is excellent with great service and with lovely views

https://www.cotedargent.com/
A short while later we boarded on the same ship that we cam on and headed back to Dover and this time the journey back took much longer due road works and so it was almost two hours to get home but we made it home OK and in the evening had a rest and watched the Abu Dhabi F1 race which we had recorded.
And so to bed and it was a really nice couple of days and next year we may visit the ARRAS Christmas fair as the steward on the P & O Ferry had been to Lille, Arras and Bruges and strongly recommended Arras, so will look at that for next time.
Oh well that's it for the moment…

A visit to the Christmas Market

The sun was shining as we awoke and it was a little chill and the weather for the rest of the day was much better than the forecast predicted. Following a nice breakfast and a relaxed time afterwards we caught a cab down the the Central Square to visit the market stalls where you could buy a myriad of items from food to Hot Dogs and Vin Chaude together with Father Christmas Hats. It was really very busy and there was security checking bags on the way in.

We walked around for about 35 minutes but the old legs were suffering so me and my friend found a convenient bar/cafge to sit and wait whilst the ladies went off to have a further look round and perhaps visit a few shops. Whilst the girls visited the ‘Cathedral Notre Dame De La Treille’  the boys sat in the  warm bat enjoying a few glasses of something whilst watching the crowds going by. At one time a group of about eight SWAT type troops came by carry sten guns or similar and so presumably this was to deter any terrorist attack, this might have been set up as there had been an attack in London on the Friday evening. We all enjoyed some food a bit later on, and did I mention, another glass of wine before heading off for a 90 minute coach tour of Lille Town. During this tour we went past several old buildings and fantastic Hotels and also the area surround the main original train station which is next to the much newer TGV and Eurostar building. A taxi driver told us that the placement of the TGV/Eurostar Station helped bring back life to Lille which was dying from people moving to Paris or other locations whwre there was work. Lille is now a very bustling town Lille  and is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France, near the border with Belgium. A cultural hub and bustling university city today, it was once an important merchant center of French Flanders, and many Flemish influences remain. The historic center, Vieux Lille, is characterized by 17th-century brick town houses, cobbled pedestrian streets and the large central square, Grand Place.

The population of the towns is about 1.1 million and so one of the Largest of the French Towns. The traffic as a result of the market was severe and parking would have been a nightmare if your were planning to drive there and park and look around and were were lucky we had booked the Hotel. with a car park. Following the coach tour we headed back to the Hotel for a quick change and then off to the next restaurant called Le Pubstore Restaurant, which was recommended on Trip Adviser which is run by an Italian who had lived 10 years in Australia and now runs a restaurant in Lille and so his English was very good. The menu was not large but sufficient for our needs and the plate sizes so large that none of us were able to finish what we had been served. The atmosphere for the pub was nice and it soon filled up and so we were glad we had an early sitting. Back to Hotel for one last goodnight drink and then off to bed for an early night, although it wasn't to early.
It was nice day and we took quite a number of photos.

A couple of nights visiting the Lille Christmas Market

With a couple of good friends from Wey Road we left on Friday morning for Lille and crossing the channel with P & O Ferry. Arriving in Lille where we stayed in an old Convent which has been converted in to a Hotel called Alliance Hotel- Couvents au Minimes and its really rather beautiful inside with some strange artworks as well.
see link to Hotel

http://www.alliance-lille.com/en/
The journey down to Dover was amazing as we left Wey Road at about 09.00 and pulled up in to Dover Harbour shortly after 10.35 and it was of the quickest times that I have been able to do this route but just no traffic.  We checked in and after a short wait we boarded the P & O Ferry ‘Spirit of Britain’ and then headed up to the lounge for a sandwich and tea and for the non driving people , glasses of Champagne. The drive from Calais Port to the Hotel took about 90 minutes and it was also good to try and understand the new car navigation system and it did get there OK, which was a bit of luck.

After  a brief rest we met up in the Hotel lobby bar for a few quick ones before dinner and then headed of the the restaurant via an Uber Driver.. The restaurant was called ‘Au Diable Des Plaisirs’ and was very good indeed, see link
https://www.audiabledesplaisirs.fr/
Then back to the Hotel for a couple of good night drinks and then off for a well earned rest.

Time to go home

A breakfast in this Hotel is expensive and there is not much there unlike the other IBIS Styles we stayed in. However we did this to save time and that meant we could be on the road to the Calais by about 09.30  and by following the motorway we arrived at the Port in a quick time and was able to catch an earlier boat, which we were glad to do as later in this report you will understand why.
The Ship left at around 10.45 EU time and arrived on time in Dover after a very smooth crossing only made better by eating a bacon sandwich in the Club lounge during the crossing. We were off the ship pretty sharpish and headed up the M20 and there was mile after mile, about 18 miles I guess of road works with one part being cordoned off for 12 miles with no sign of activity anywhere so why cordon it off? This delay added about twenty minutes to our journey and so wee were glad we were able to catch the earlier Ferry. We arrived on the M25 which although busy, was reasonably fast, and we then said as there is not much food at home and we were both a quite tired we stopped in the Silvermere Golf Club for lunch which helped us a lot.

In the afternoon we emptied the car and then had a rest in the garden lounge for a couple of hours before then having a slight bite to eat and then discovered that the internet connection to the TV Box in the Cinema room was not working, damn will have to sort out tomorrow as to tired to concentrate tonight. We watched a couple of programs and then headed up to bed, Oh our own bed so nice…. and no hurry to get up in the morning.
It was a great trip and we did about 2750 miles altogether and the car performed well and the little fridge in the car was a godsend for chilling wine and milk.
So that's it for now and will report on any trips but non planned at the moment apart from Florida in the new year.

From Colmar to Boulogne Sur Mer a long drive

Following an early breakfast in the Hotel we left Colmar at about 09.15 and was a little surprised by the route the Sat Nav was taking us as it id when driving to Colmar as it seemed to avoid some decent looking main roads which may have been with Tolls. After about half an a hour we arrived at the entrance to a very long tunnel which we knew would speed things up and it insisted that we go by the windy side roads but we ignored it and carried on anyways as were already on the tunnel approach and no chance to turn whilst it keeps saying do a U-turn when you can, which was impossible. We then reverted to map reading and it was later in the day when Jennifer was driving that Noel checked every setting on the Garmin and discovered for some reason an entirely separate section of the set up regarding Toll Roads had been ticked to avoid. Oh well thank heavens it did not make to much difference.

By mid morning we were experiencing some light showers through to heavy rain requiring full lights and this meant we had to reduce our speed somewhat for safety reasons. The route took us to Nancy, then Metz and then on to Reims and this time were were on Tolled motorway and was able to move quite well and catch up a little time. It rained for pretty much all of the day until we arrived in Boulogne at arrived 17.00 and considering it was about 430 miles, according to Google, we thought our travel time considering the conditions but it is a very long way from one side of France to the other.
We were staying at the Ibis Hotel next to the old town and we were given a room on the corner of the building from where you could see the Cathedral which was nice although at at about 05.00 on Monday morning its got rather noisy. In the evening we visited  a restaurant we have been to before on a previous visit and the food was very good although due to his allergies ended up having a light meal. We got back to the Hotel at about 9.30 pm and sat up in bed reading for a while before lights out at 10.30

A visit to the historic town of Colmar

We took a taxi downtown as we guessed that parking might be a problem on a Saturday and with the amount of German cars there confirmed we made the correct decision. En-route to the old town in the centre of a traffic island is a miniature Statue of Liberty which was made by a Frenchman who lived-in Colmar and was very famous for his architectural designs.In fact there are many buidlings as a result of his wortk in this town

The old historic town is much larger than we throught it would be and having had a good walk round looking at some of the very old buildings and after a nice cup of tea overlooking the Cathedral we then found the ‘Petit Train’ and took advantage of the 35 minute tour of the town. By this time it was close to 15.00 and much to our surprise many of the restaurants had closed for serving lunch and so we ended up in a not so good Bistro with poor food and high tourist prices which we will not repeat.
The town was very busy with tourists, mostly German it would appear, and considering the time of year we wondererd what it would be like in mid-summer, quite dreadfull with think. 
The following information about Colmar is from their tourist website

Colmar, the most Alsatian city of Alsace!
Nestled among vineyards, its traditional houses, canals, floral displays, amazing cuisine, famous wines and charming accommodation make Colmar an outstanding microcosm of Alsace – showcasing its lifestyle, conviviality and hospitality – the key features of its unique, exceptional welcome.
The capital of the Alsacian wines, situated near Germany and Switzerland between the Vosges and the Rhine, Strasbourg and Mulhouse, offers visitors an exciting glimpse of 1000 years of European history.
Besides, with its 67,000 inhabitants, Colmar retains a 'country town' atmosphere which contributes so much to its charm. Wonderfully preserved from the ravages of time, its homogenous historical centre is classed as a 'protected area' and has benefited from careful restoration and ongoing improvements for more than 20 years.Every season, it offers a richly diverse range of cultural, sporting, nature, relaxation, and culinary enjoyments.You will be easily tempted by this enchanting "country town".
Colmar will also delight you with the quality of its shops and boutiques that will allow you bring a small part of Alsace back with you in your luggage! In every street of the historic centre you will find shops upon shops offering "made in Alsace" products: food, table accents, textiles, déco, accessories, soft furnishings…

We have taken lots of photos and video during our walk around but due to slow internet in the Hotel  will wait untill we get home to save lots of time uploading.
We have also decided that due to the inclement weather which has turned a bit cold, wet and cloudy to head home tomorrow and so we will drive and stay the night in Boulogne Sur Mer and then catch a mid morning ferry back to the UK.
In the evening we watched some stuff on Netflix and also You Tube berfore hitting the sack.

Its along way to Colmar

After an early breakfast we headed off and had decided to stay within France for our journey north as to enter Switzerland would require the hassle of purchasing a motorway pass for £ 35.00 which last’s a year but we would be there for only a couple of hours and so blow that and therefore we headed off in the general direction of Lyon and then turned North.
In the early stages of the journey the weather was a bit cold but at least bright and some of the roads we went down were really very nice and then the weather changed totally and we had heavy rain and the clouds came down and that slowed us down quite a bit. Add to this the amazing amounts of roadworks en-route and it seemed that just about every motorway or main road was subject to change and quite frankly some of the changes looked totally over the top, So either this is a method to keep employment up or France is taking money from the EU to replace its road system but whichever is true there was a lot off it going on.
We stopped a couple of times for a break and also a picnic and we eventually arrived in Colmar just about 17.30 after a long day. A shower then off the the in- house restaurant which was not to bad and together with a bottle of Pinot Noir which is a local wine it was not to bad. Then back to the room where we watched the film about Laurel and Hardy which was quite good but shows the risks of fame and failure.
Because the weather was not kind we did not take any photo’s.
This was a long day in the car for reasons mentioned earlier and so an early night was called for.

Annecy day out

Well the sun was shining and a pleasant 14 degrees Centigrade as we left the Hotel in a taxi to go downtown, as they say, after having experienced the Mercure buffet breakfast. Noel was bit baffled by the hi-tech toaster which literally takes the bread from the tow and slowly draws it down inside in little cave but then it took nearly four minutes to toast one slice of bread, amazingly slow. If he wants toast tomorrow morning he will have to get up extra early.
We arrived outside the ‘Marie’ and then walked down the dockside and had a look at the water tour boats and then considered going on the local bus tour but first a walk along all the historic all streets which many years ago a group of cargo agents and wives as guest of Swiss Air took us skiing and then a day trip to to Annecy with the idea you can spend five hours or so in the town. So we duly arrived by coach and after having the left the coach park and walked about three hundred metres when somebody suggested that a glass of something would not go amiss, actually what followed was an enjoyable disaster. So we went in a local bar where we spent about three hours and realised we needed to eat and crossed the road to a restaurant that had been suggested and then had a long lunch which ended when it was mentioned the coach would be leaving in ten minutes. We all rushed back to the coach and some of the others in the tour who had walking tours of the city, lake tours and visit to various places of interest but our small group had not seen anything except the inside of many empty wine bottles. So Jen and I were determined to see more and also have a good lunch.

We wandered through the old town taking photos and finally stopped at a place for lunch where the food was great and we had a beer and bottle of red wine before continuing our walk. We did consider again going on the tour bus but when looking where it went we realised we had by walking seen the best parts  of Annecy in our earlier walk and so called an Uber to take us back to the Hotel.
In the evening Noel continued uploading photos of the day but with such a slow internet speed, but its free!!!., it took hours.
Tomorrow we head for a place called Colmar where we spend two nights and hope the weather will be as nice as it was today. We  are also planning our route back to the Uk from Colmar and will follow the Tour de France route if at all possible but subject to the weather which the forecast is not looking to great at the moment as there have been bad storms in the US of A which have flown over the Atlantic and are heading our way.

Leaving Gap for the mountains

Breakfast was a little earlier this morning as we wanted an early departure, 09.30 if we can make it and we did although we were a little delayed as the host it would appear was not so used to printing invoices and accepting the cash and so that took almost minutes but then we were on our way.

We followed the road the Chambery and then eventually started to follow in the tracks of the Tour de France, you could tell as scrawled on to the road surface were many abbreviations and team names etc and we followed the roads and then joined one of the Cols over the mountain with a huge drop one side and no safety barriers and so you have to watch carefully and go round corners slowly just in case somebody else comes the other way and eventually we arrived in Valloius where we stayed and had a picnic lunch. As previously mentioned we had planned to look at Hotels en-route as we did not want to book accommodation either to early or to late and as we were only one hour from our first choice location at lunchtime we changed and thought we would go to Val Thorens instead as there was plenty of accommodation there as is primarily a ski resort and currently without snow. The weather up to this point had been quite nice and we were then contemplating continuing with another Col which has the honour of being the highest paved road in Europe. Several miles later after a succession of long tunnels we we emerged in to the pouring rain and very low cloud base, this is not so good.

We stopped and using the internet was able to discover that a weather front had moved in and Val Thorens was not sleet and snow and was going to be on 2 degrees C and also the low cloud base put us going over the highest road form a safety perspective, if you cannot see neither can they and no views either and although very disappointed we cannot afford to take unnecessary risks and so we then started looking again for a different location to stay. The on a signboard appeared the than town name of Annecy, which we had visited once before with a group of friends,and so lets have a look at Hotels there and so we found a Mercure slightly out of town and booked for one night.
The weather had not improved after we had arrived in Annecy and it was still raining as we parked the car and checked in and the room was fine. So a slight rest and then had dinner in the Hotel restaurant which was not busy but we have to say the food was very good and they took good care of Noels issues.
After dinner we went back to the room and Noel watched the Lille-Chelsea match ( which the blues won 1-2-) on his Nexus pad and Jennifer continued reading one of her many books.
A very nice day with quite some weather changes but we have to remember it is October and we are in the mountains where weather can change very quickly.

A little shopping and not much else

Another nice morning and sitting outside in the sun for our morning breakfast whilst watching the workers in the field about half a mile away collecting vegetables for the local market or supermarket.
Although we paid via Booking.com this accommodation by credit card it would appear they don't take credit card normally just cash and/or bank transfer and so we needed to get some cash and also fill up the car with fuel for tomorrows journey up in to them there mountains. The ATM machine was in the centre of the small town which a certain part has a strong historical background. More detail as follows.

’Benefiting from an exceptional climate between the Alps and Provence, this small town located to the south-east of Gap (prefecture) combines the best conditions for agricultural production and air recreation. The territory of "Gap Tallard Durance" is dotted with orchards. A few hectares of vines still survive on Tallard and Châteauvieux and come to complete the wine offer on the Route des Fruits et des Vins which crosses Tallard. The famous Route Napoléon also makes a stop in the town. The castle, which dominates the valley of the Durance east side and the old town to the west, is classified as a historical monument and dates from the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. But Tallard is also a paradise for sports and air recreation with exceptional areological conditions. It was the scene of major events such as the world parachuting championship in 2003. Its particular aerology allows all light aviation disciplines to mix with each other: plane, helicopter, parachuting, ULM, glider, hot-air balloon, para-motor… Others Sports activities are also possible with the cliff of Céüze, which attracts climbers of all nationalities’
We took a couple of photos around the old town and noticed that there were a number of drawings on the walls all around the town which were rather nice.

We returned to the chalet and Jennifer prepared the chicken for this evenings dinner and we sorted out our cases for the next week as we are not likely to need swimming costumes and more likely to need warmer clothing . We need to leave early tomorrow morning and so have cancelled the breakfast for tomorrow morning although its a nice way to start the morning it will take to long for tomorrow for us with an early departure. We plan to have another swim mid afternoon before it gets to cool, once the time reaches around 18.00 it starts to get much cooler.
I am completing the Blog early as we know what the rest of the day has in store for us and perhaps tomorrow there will be a lot more to write about and so it was great to get this done early

A quite day in Domaine Du Malcor near GAP

The sun was awoke this morning and breakfast has been planned for 09.45, so not to early and not to late, the reason for the latish breakfast is that yesterday was although nice was a bit of hard work with the hills and some mountain stuff.

The male host arrived with a nice wicker basket containing a baguette and two large croissants, yogurt, jams, orange juice and tea and all topped by the British flag protruding through the top of the basket. So we had a nice breakfast and then spent the next hour or so planning what we will do next, some of the next few routes are mountainous and we also have to watch out for bad weather but anyway we came up with a plan than allowed a lot of flexibility. Any Hotel or Gite you book now at this late stage for Wednesday night require immediate payment and just in case we get stuck on the route we have decided to leave it until the day when we will book whatever suits our location. There appears to be plenty of accommodation available.
We also needed to do some food shopping and the host had informed us of an Intermarche in town, initially we had trouble finding it using the car Sat Nav (which now is five years out of date) and had to switch to the Garmin and subsequently found the new store in a very new area about two miles outside of town. With purchases of salmon and prawns and some salad stuff we headed back to chalet and Jennifer did some reading and Noel got almost up to date with the BLOG and also photos from the past week. The Internet is fine but for uploading its, very, very slow but we did succeed in getting all the latest photos online.
In the late afternoon we both went for a swim and all the other four chalets are now empty as there had been a company taking over four chalets for a weekend meeting. In the evening we had the salmon within a salad and finished of some raspberries before watching a new series, well new to us, on Netflix called Criminal which we have to say was very good and a very different type of police crime drama.
We had originally planned to only stay two nights here but its so nice we have extended it to three nights and will cut down on the cumber of mountain routes we do to compensate and leaving time for us to have a little extra time elsewhere.
And so to bed

The Groves own Tour de France from Near the Ponte De Gard to near GAP

Well we had an earlier morning as we wished to leave the site around 09.30but with this type of accommodation you need to be a housewife as well as we had a book telling us to clean the floors, and all surfaces and shower and Loo and if you don't do it properly we will charge you 70 Euros, we dutifully we tried to do it but we could not open the bathroom window or clean the shower filter as it was rusted up so cants there cleaning team was on the ball. We complained again about the shower switching from quite warm to artic temperatures after a minute, but wont stay there again.

However we did succeed in leaving on time and the some fuel and then some food for the next 24 hours and off we went to Pont De Garde which we had wrongly assumed you could drive up to only its all controlled and enclosed in a state park which you have to pay to enter and there was a large queue and this is not surprising as it was a Sunday. So we gave that up and started following the first part of the route and was astounded about the mile after mile of firstly vineyards and then the  lavender fields and lastly acres and acres of fruit crops. We went through some really lovely villages and then in to the hill;s. The Official Tour De France describes this bit as hilly and yet there were some steep roads at times but clearly not the mountains in the next few sections we are planning to attempt in the coming days. We stopped for a picnic lunch and then continued on and again, because it was a Sunday, the roads were quite busy with cars and lots motor bikes and many cyclists coming at you from all directions on the narrow and winding roads which we had for about 50 miles of more to pass through. It was an enjoyable journey although the lack of public loos does not help.

We planned to stay outside of GAP as we had found this, what you might call, glamping but actually it is five wooden chalets built in a valley which enables self catering, a good money saver, and although we could not locate it initially we eventually located the very small sign and drove down the bumpy track to a large house with its chalets and fantastic views down the the valley. Mine hosts were a delightful couple and they have clearly a love for this place as the chalet was perfect in every way and there is access to a nice swimming pool although we did not use on arrival as we were a bit tired and hungry and so planned to eat early, although it did not fully turn out that way. Noel started on the photos and blog as having free Wi-Fi was great.http://www.domaine-de-malcor.com/
The centre arm rest box on the Land Cruiser is also a small refrigerator which is ideal for storing foodstuffs, bottle of wine or beer and in this box we had the lamb chops we had purchased earlier the day and they were in perfect condition and we demolished them with a glass of wine and then went on to watch a film about the life of ‘Eddie the Eagle’ which actually was very good and quite fun and although I did not know much about him except he was ridiculed quite badly but you have to say for a guy with little or no support he is a person who you have to say ‘never gave up’ and eventually claimed the longest jump ever achieved by a British Ski jumper when considering the British  Winter Olympic management would not support him. This film is worth watching.

And so to bed and we think we stay a third night against the two we have booked as its such a nice place and for for £65.00 the price is unbeatable.

Arles Visit and boat trip

Well after a light breakfast we departed the site having experience problems with the shower. What happens is you wait about two minutes , the hot water to comes through and and you think great and then after one minute it goes freezing cold. Noel complained to reception and they sent someone who said they had fixed it but as usual it was not as we discovered later in the day.
We drove in to Arles and saw lots of vans towing caravans, no doubt the French Travellers, and finally arrived in the town to be confronted with closed roads and major congestion and the most ridiculous parking, our car is not so small so after trawling around for about twenty minutes we gave up and decided to head for the coast from where we would join the boat.Parking initially was an issue but then we found a car park with a load of spaces thank heavens. Opposite where we would join the cruise was a pretty busy restaurant and we got the last but one table outside overlooking the harbour. We had a jolly good lunch there, Jennifer had the Chicken special which she said was delicious and Noel had the Burger which was guaranteed no garlic and they would take the onions off and with a glass of beer it was a nice way to pass ninety odd minutes waiting for the boat to leave.
We boarded about 14.10 and dead on 14.30 we went out to sea for a few minutes and then headed up river, to be frank there was not to much  to see. There was a staged running of bulls and horses and then we say lots of cormorants, gulls,egrets and herons. Later on the way back the boat stopped to allow people to take photos of COWS?? for heavens sake, we cant say it was a great cruise but it was not unpleasant and passed the time of day in the sun.
Then back to the site and a snack meal and we partly prepared for tomorrows departure with a little bit of cleaning and some pre-packing. We were both a little tired and so in bed by about 9.45 pm ,wow that's early you might say, but tonight it was great.

Pretty much a quiet day

There are about 80 mobile homes on this site and perhaps only ten were being used which made for a quiet time. However we need to do some shopping and  we headed in the nearest town Saint Gilles where there was an Intermarche and there we purchased a few items including some very nice prawns and some Cod and so it will be an all fish dinner tonight which we ill be nice.

The Wi-fi supplied by the camp site was free for ten minutes and then bloody expensive thereafter and so we used the Mobile Wi-Fi for basics and then decided to have a nice quiet afternoon and also sort out our next moves. As we are planning to follow some of the Tour De France route we would need to get to a place called Pont De Gard and from there follow the maps to GAP. The cyclists did this in about five hours but they seem to break all the speed limits which and so we through we would use the same process of one day per section. So Jennifer worked on translating the route using a mixture of google maps and a Michelin map book and so after about an hour she had the route pretty much organised. Noel spent his time looking for self catering accommodation in and/or near GAP and nearly booked the first good one he saw but then after a second look he found a much nicer place which was confirmed when we arrived, more of that later.
We had also noticed that there was a choice of cruise boats leaving a place called Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and so we booked this online for tomorrow afternoon at 14.30. Noel then made contact with his sisters one of whom mentioned that there was an excellent market in Arles. Ummm, we are not to bothered about markets but perhaps whilst it is on we may take a look.
In the evening we enjoyed the fish dinner on the balcony overlooking the cows and horses before retiring inside before the mozzies arrive.  The evening was spent listening to music and reading.

LlaFranc to Arles, France

We had a late’ish breakfast and then wandered around the small town to take some take some photos and then Noel collected the car from the Hotel parking and then headed off taking mostly minors roads as they have more interest. We passed a town with a large mountain range in the background which looked very much like a pregnant women lying on her back with a a couple of towers acting like nipples, could not easily stop and take a photos however but as we liked LlaFrance we may return and explore the area some more.
After  a while we arrived at the border between Spain and France and there was a huge amount of large megastores and hotels and I think gambling with much lower process for everything and there were French registered cars everywhere. At this point we joined the Motorway and passed through the border and stayed on the motorways following the car Sat Nav which we found to our cost was out of date with some French road changes and we could not get off the motorway as planned as there was now a large TGV station where the junction should be. Anyway the SatNav realised our predicament and sorted us out.
We are due to stay in a mobile home on a campsite just outside of Arles and because we are self catering we found a large Intermarche Supermarket and bought the food necessary to get us through until tomorrow and then back to the car where we arrived at the Campsite around 17.00. After locating the reception staff we were shown to our small two bedroom mobile home and then made the necessary cup of tea.
We were both a bit tired after two days of driving and then we had dinner outside on the balcony having put out the anti mozzie stuff and enjoyed a a chicken and ham salad with a glass of the usual white plonk. We had a quiet evening looking at stuff on the internet as there is no TV ,and so to bed quite early for us.

The past few days flew by and now on to LlaFranc

The past few days have flown by and we had dinner a couple of times with other friends from the UK who were staying in a Villa nearby .
We visited a number of different restaurants and most of then were pretty damn good and the prices haver gone up quite a quite a bit over the last couple of years according to mine host, but compared to prices in Uk there is no comparison.
The weather was very nice and we went in the swimming pool several times a day and started the evening with a glass of something and then dinner, either in or out, and the we watched the UK political shenanigans and commented what a bunch of wa***ers they all are. Why it takes more than two years to do a job that should have taken about six months beats me, If we had run my past company that way we would be dead and buried by now.
Anyway we left Moraira around 0930 and headed up the motorway in a northerly direction past Valencia and Barcelona as we are staying the night in town where Noel stayed when he was about 15 ish, he can’t remember exactly. Together with all other family members we went to Blackbushe Airport , near Camberley, and flew on a passenger version of a DC3 to Perpignan with the aircraft operated by British Eagle, or was it Eagle Airways. On approach to Perpignan the captain completely missed the runway upon landing and had to go around and missing the surrounding mountains at the same time. The on ground staff waiting for us thought the aircraft would not make it but we did.
Anyway we have now decided to revisit the place and it was quite empty as the season is over and we had a nice room overlooking the car park with a little bit of the sea but it was nice. There is a nice beach and only about four or five Hotels and mostly mid to elderly people and so a bit quiet and just what we liked.

The Hotel did not have a swimming pool but the sea is at your front door.
In the evening we ate in the Hotel restaurant after discussing the usual allergy issues and they did well. And so to bed.

Alarcon to Moraira

No panic to leave early today as our next route will only take about three hours or so and we could not arrive earlier as our host would be be at home until after 15.00

It was pretty much motorway all the way and one once did we have to slow as a car had hit the centre island, not sure how this could have happened unless they had gone to sleep. We stopped for quick break and a sandwich before arriving just after three with the sun shining down and a temperature around 28 C and perfect for a swim which is what we both did. In the evening some mutual friends joined us for dinner and that was a nice way to spend the evening .
After dinner we stayed up talking for a while and then the bed which we both ready for.
So not to much to report today….and the next few days will be pretty much the same with swimming, going out for dinner and generally relaxing.

Zaragoza to Alarcon

Some years ago with a group of good friends we stayed in a Parador in Alarcon. Paradores are a large group of historic buildings which had been left empty and were taken over by the Spanish State and converted in to Hotels, and the one at Alarcon was so nice we decided to return for one night.

So a slightly earlier breakfast than yesterday which enabled us to take full advantage of the buffet breakfast and we left the Hotel shortly after 11.00 en-route to Alarcon. The Sat Nav gave us three options and we plumped for the shortest route which actually takes longer as small mountain roads are involved but boy was it worth it. We left Zaragoza on the motorway which was surprisingly empty, actually most of the roads we have been on are very quiet compared to UK standards and we could use the cruise control quite a bit which makes for easier driving. About two hours after leaving and driving about 90 miles on the motorway we say an airport over to our right with about 50 planes just parked up. We did not have time to explore further but later in the day when we had arrived in the Hotel I was able to discover that Tueral Airport has been used for storage, its not a aircraft graveyard where they air=craft to be destroyed but a place where they can store aircraft until next required.If I do this route again I will plan in a stop and take a look.
Shortly afterwards we left the motorway and to much small and very windy roads for about two hours passing villages attached by glue to the hillsides, this is the real Spain and not the Benidorm stuff. But up in these hill are you are no exactly in the centre of the action and it must be a quiet life farming vineyards, tomatoes and oranges and many other products. The back on the motorway for about another hour and then we arrived at the Parador De Alarcon which is an old castle standing on the side of a large crater which has now been converted to a reservoir.
“Castle of Alarcón


Location
Alarcón, Spain



The Castle of Alarcón forms part of the fortifications built around the town of Alarcón in Cuenca, Spain. The fortress is composed of a walled enclosure, which houses the heart of the population and the castle proper, and of five exterior towers, separate and strategically placed.

• History

Of Arab origin, the fortress was first under the jurisdiction of the Emirate of Córdoba. Following the collapse of the emirate’s successor state, the Caliphate of Córdoba, and the formation of the taifa kingdoms, the town submitted to the Taifa of Toledo. During its time under Muslim power, the castle served as a defensive stronghold in the midst of internal conflicts. In 1184, Fernán Martínez de Ceballos, military captain under Alfonso VIII of Castile, besieged the fortress for nine months before finally capturing it in the name of his king. He was rewarded with the privilege of taking the name of the town as his surname, which he did, calling himself Martínez de Alarcón and thus establishing a new lineage.
From then on, the Castle of Alarcón received much attention from the successive kings of Castile, who expanded and reinforced it while providing it with its own charter (fuero) and granting it lordship over extensive neighboring territories. Spanish historian Andrés Marcos Burriel writes that its domain comprised 63 villages, including Albacete, La Roda, Villarrobledo, Castillo de Garcimuñoz, Belmonte and many others. All of this was placed under the protection of the Military Order of Santiago by Alfonso VIII. In 1212, the town council of Alarcón sent troops to support the king’s army in the decisive Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.
At the start of the 14th century, Ferdinand IV of Castile gave lordship of Alarcón and its castle to Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena. Only a provisional measure in 1297, the appointment was confirmed on March 23, 1305. It was at Alarcón that the prince wrote some of his literary works. After his death, the lordship passed to his son Fernando Manuel de Villena [es] and then to his granddaughter Blanca. It was later recovered by King Peter of Castile and returned to the royal heritage. Henry II of Castile then gave it to Alfonso I of Aragon, whom he named Marquis of Villena in 1372, but Henry III took it back for the Crown in 1395. Finally, in the 15th century, Alarcón was given to Juan Pacheco, Marquis of Villena, on May 23, 1446. Juan and his son Diego López Pacheco [es] sided with Joanna of Castile, a claimant to the throne, against Queen Isabella and her husband King Ferdinand. During this dispute, the marquises managed to hold the castles of Belmonte, Garcimuñoz, and Alarcón as well as the marquisate of Villena.
Following the Middle Ages, the Castle of Alarcón was abandoned and suffered deterioration. In 1712 it belonged to the Marquis of Aguilar, who received a report from master builders insisting on urgent repairs to prevent collapse.
In 1720, the castle was governed by Alejandro de Alarcón and Duchess Julia de Alarcón, who harbored many refugees during times of conflict in the country, turning them into heroes of the region.^{[citation needed]}
José María Fernández de Velasco, 15th Duke of Frías, sold the castle and “four or five little towers more” to Rafael Lázaro Álvarez de Torrijos for 20,000 reales on June 5, 1863.
In 1963, the Minister for Information and Tourism, Manuel Fraga Iribarne, expropriated it from the family of Álvarez Torrijos Torres, native of La Almarcha but with paternal ancestors from Gascas. The castle was then revitalized as a parador hotel and opened to the public on March 25, 1966.”
There, could not have put it better myself.
We spent the afternoon resting and then went for a drink in the courtyard and chatted to another English couple and then went for dinner which was excellent. The servioce and food was really very good and you, perhaps we might visit again.
And so to bed

A day tour of Zaragoza

We were a little slow of the ground this morning after a late evening meal but went down to the breakfast buffet which had an excellent choice, no comparison to the last Hotel with two bits of toasted baguette and a small jar of jam. This one had smoked salmon and yoghurts and the kitchen was prepared to cook your eggs any style. Perhaps tomorrow morning we will do it more justice.
We both slept not the best last night due to late meal and Noels concerns that perhaps something he had eaten and enjoyed would come back to haunt him and so was perhaps not sleeping as soundly as he would have liked. Oh well that's the way it is.

Today are we taking the Tourist Bus trip which does a tour of all the notable high spots of the town and the really good things is leaves from a bus stop just behind the Hotel and we could leave the Hotel and be on the  bus in minutes except that the reception says that although their a bus schedule it never operates by it and you may have to wait a while. So we had to wait about twenty minutes and we could not work out of the was the late 10.45 bus or an early 11.15 bus but who really cares. The tour lasted about 1.5 hours and it is the usual hop on hop off open top double decker bus used by many city tour companies. We had visited Zaragoza in 2011 when on a similar route to Moraira and so we did not as many photos as from the bus they don't always come out well.
We did a complete round trip to see where it went and then stayed on until it reached the famous cathedral and square where we got off and wandered around for a while considering where to go and what to eat. We needed something and wanted to ensure that all was safe for Noel and there was a place with a huge buffet which looked ok but when we went inside and waiting to be seated we noticed some excellent looking Tuna, egg and tomato rolls and we both agreed that would do us a a full meal lunchtime is unusual for us. So we had a couple of beers and sat outside in the square watching the world go by and their was a large table of priests drinking and smoking and a couple of them looked like they might keel over and pass away any month as they looked so old also with one rather large, lets say very fat, was red faced, blood pressure perhaps?

We re-joined the bus and headed back to Hotel and by this time it was around 32 C and rather warm and so straight in to the shower and then a little rest before preparing for the evening. When loading the car back in UK Noel forgot to put the base for the Garmin Sat Nav in the car and so when using it Jennifer has to hold it , we do have the car Sat Nav but the data is five years old, and so a number of places we have been are not on it, and so by working our way around Amazon Spain we appear to have ordered the right stuff, we shall see what happens, and hope it goes to the correct address.

The Hotel is situated as part of the 2008 EXPO and is a large area containing many buildings, parks and aquarium and all the building are a different shape. not sure I like it , but in the hot weather it looks Ok but guess that in the cold it would be a wet and windy area..
Tonight we will go to café for dinner and then plan an early breakfast and head off to our next Hotel in a place Alarcon where we stay in a Parador and ex castle..

Travel to Zaragoza for two nights

After two nights in North West Spain we headed South in the direction of Zaragoza where we plan to spend two night and do a bit of sightseeing and also a little bit of swimming in the Hotel pool and hoping the weather will be warmer.
We primed the SATNAV and off we went and it took us in the direction of Bilbao where we scouted the outskirts of this very large city and then followed the Motorway South. In France we use a special electronic badge to pass through Motorway pay stations and we now have one for Spain and today would be the first time to try. As we approached the ‘Peage’ there were no obvious signs that we recognised except there was one that looked like a letter Y and we thought let’s try that and see what happens and hope we don't get stuck and cause a massive hold up. We approached the small entrance to the channel and suddenly we heard PING and the barrier lifted, and so did our hearts as we now know what to do.

We headed south and roads were very quiet and so we could use the ‘speed control’ which means you don not have to keep your pedal to the metal all the time and it makes for easier driving although it can be a little bit disconcerting for the first few minutes as you seem not to be in control, but that soon passes.
We stopped for fuel and the Loo and a sandwich and then back to the Motorway heading South as the temperature slowly climbed form 23 C up to 29 C as we passed through mile after mile of vineyards with well known brands advertising there presence. we arrived in to Zaragoza and had booked to stay in a Conference type Hotel which when no conferences are taking place you get a five start hotel for a three star price . The room is extremely nice with a single plate of glass overlooking the swimming pool and also the river and town where we plan to visit tomorrow.
“Zaragoza is the capital of north-eastern Spain's Aragon region. Overlooking the Ebro River in the city centre is baroque Nuestra Señora del Pilar basilica, a famous pilgrimage site with a shrine to the Virgin Mary and multiple domes. Mudéjar-style landmarks, combining Islamic and Gothic architecture, include the Aljafería, an 11th-century Moorish palace, and the Cathedral of the Savior, begun in the 12th century.”
We have been before some years and its a lovely city when down town but like many big cities in Spain around the outside are Industrial Estates and Warehouses  but the area we are staying in is rather newish, perhaps in the last three years its has grown in to anew development, presumably paid for by EU money.

Noel spent the rest of the early evening catching up with the Blog and we plan to have a drink in the bar and dinner in the restaurant and being Spain will not open until about 20.30 , most restaurant’s in Spain do not open until about 21.00 except those in the heavy tourist area.
We plan to take a bus tour tomorrow and then spend some time by the pool.

A trip along the coast

It was rather a gloomy morning when we awoke after having been disturbed during the night by some mosquitos  which are last thing you want buzzing around your head when trying to sleep. So we shut the window and covered ourselves with the sheet to avoid getting bitten as Jennifer always suffers very badly when bitten and so this was not to good.

For breakfast we were the only two in the room, in fact we were not sure anybody else was staying there. For when we arrived they had left out some little cakes which flies were busy devouring and breakfast consisted of two bits of toasted baguette and small jars of jam, a glass of orange juice and they did not have any English breakfast tea and so Jennifer went back to the room to raid our stock. So it was enough to eat but the flies and with last nights mozzies and although they had left out a mozzie killer spray it was pretty much empty.
Our plan for the day, knowing that the restaurant at the Hotel would only be open until mid afternoon, was to drive along the coast and see what we could see and find a nice town and stop for lunch. Well the first town we came to with lots of restaurants and lots of people and also lots of cars and so the nearest you could appear to park was about 1.5 miles away and almost out of town. We then tried again in another town and had the same difficulty as before and then realised we would have to find a restaurant out of town with parking but with the concern being it may not be so good due lack of competition. Anyway we found a place which looked about 50% full and asked if they had a table and they looked little worried and then they moved a reserved sign and sat us down. Boy we needed a beer.
The menu was, surprisingly in Spanish without any English translation and none of the staff spoke any English apart from a few basic words but using out translation book we could find out what time of fish they had and so Noel ordered the skate and Jennifer the Turbot. Both dishes when they arrived were huge and the fish was delicious. Both came with a salad. There was a set meal for the day which looked brilliant starting with a fish soup and big enough to swamp Essex, followed by all sorts of stuff but Noel with his challenges and pointing out in Spanish about no garlic and onions we decided to leave alone, which was a shame really as it all looked so good. Shame I forgot to take same photos.
We stopped at a Lupo supermarket earlier in the day and purchased some bread and ham and yogurts, the bread and ham for a sandwich for when we got back to the Hotel and the yogurts to add flavour to our breakfast.
The journey along and back along the coast was quite nice and so unlike the Costas, no ‘English Fish Chips’ served here signs or any other tell tale signs,
We got back to the Hotel and then found that the main gate had been locked and there we were standing with our shopping and other stuff in the rain wondering how to climb an 8 for fence with spikes and then we espied a bell which we rang several times and finally someone appeared and then they told us that the bulbous thing attached to the keys was a remote to open the gates.
In the evening we sat out side for a glass of wine and  our ham sandwiches before returning to the room to watch some Netflix stuff. It was a nice only marred by the poor weather but then again Spain has had some seriously bad weather during the past few days.