Its our 54th Wedding Anniversary , who said it would not last

Well the sun was shining as we arose and headed down for breakfast and than sat out the veranda for a couple of hours reading.  The amount of people attending breakfast would indicate that the Chateau rooms have all be taken which was good sign and also the amount of guests for lunch was also quite high with multiple groups of people, some not laving until mid afternoon,

However, we did not want to have a lunch here only a snack for lunchtime for us and we went out looking for a place for some nice filled baguettes but the first shop only did cakes and so we decided to go the the big LeClerc Hyperstore which was under renovation and so in a bit of mess.

Anyway we got some food for lunch today and also for tomorrow as tonight we are in eating in the Chateau and then tomorrow we will find somewhere locale to eat. We had a relaxing afternoon and but they were busy in th restaurant tonight and somehow our reservation was for 8.45 pm which is a bit late for us, and then its started to go wrong. T he trouble with noveau cuisine its does not take in to account people like me with challenges. Although I had sent them a list of what I could and could not eat , perhaps they did not fully read it, the first plate arrive covered in cauliflower!!! which I had to send back. Also the restaurant was quite busy and the second course took ages to arrive but at least they got this right. Noveau cusine is a lot about small but elegantly prepared dishes and not like fish and chips with loads of fish and fries, Oh no its the presentation that counts rather than quantity..

Needles to say the wine list was extensive and expensive and the previous night we had a bottle of Fleury but at this late hur now nearly 10 pm it was all to late and so we had the house red, also not cheap.

Due to the lateness of the dinner we missed the Euro Cup final which I understand was walkover.

With regard to the Chateau its is quite beautiful but still some work to be done both inside and outside the building and the carpark is a it of mess, but hopefully they will get there. I would stay here again but me and the cuisine would be a problem.

Its bed time

Paris to the Chateau Du Theil in Ussel

We packed our bags and went down to breakfast which was quite a choice so no complains and left the Hotel around 1015 with an approx. 4.5 hours journey to the Correze area of France where the chateau is located.

After leaving the Hotel and not knowing the roads to well we made one small slip and headed on the the wrong direction on the A86 but soon was able to recover and turn around to go on the correct direction.

We new we were approaching a tunnel with height restriction of 2 metres and our  car is 1.640  but it seemed a lot lower but this motorway tunnel went on for 10 kilometres  and was quite interesting to drive through. So we took motorways all the way using our Bip and Go which enables you to use the Tele at the Peage (Toll Station)and saves a lot of hassle. The weather was quite warm but we stopped for some petrol which was bloody expensive and some baguettes for lunch and then carried on with Jennifer enjoying the driving for a while until we finally stopped for lunch in an Aire with the temperature around 31 Centigrade.

It was quite clear that the Dutch are now on holiday as the amount of Dutch registered cars heading south on the motorway was staggering

We carried on up the motorways and eventually joined the A89   (Lyon to Bordeaux) which we used in the past when leaving our caravan site in Ebruil and heading for the Lot Valley but mostly it was raining and so never enjoyed the magnificent views of the three Volcanos and also other mountains with the road climbing to 1000 metres and with views over the rivers , well worth driving down.

We eventually arrived at the Chateau which is finished (almost) on the inside but will still some clearing up to do on car parks and roads to those parking areas. We checked in and had a brief rest and then went down for an evening beer prior to dinner.

With Noels food restrictions I had previously advised the Hotel Chef so it was not a last minute issues but they had it well covered and being only a smallish restaurant and when we entered it was nearly empty so we could discuss everything. 

The restaurant by 9pm was virtually full and it also looked most of the bedroom , only 12, were all taken.

After dinner we went on the balcony and finished off the bottle of Fleury as the sun went down and then off to bed around 10 pm. A nice day was had by all.

Early start to the day

The alarm was buzzing at around 0700 and so an early breakfast and then  finish packing the last few bits in the cat and we departed around 0815 for ||West Byfleet en -route for the Eurotunnel at Folkestone.

The traffic to Junction 10 on the A3 was quite as expected but the finale 25 miles of max 50 mph due to so called testing of systems was a real pain and slowed us down quite a bit but  we finally arrived at the terminal at about 0940 and were put on an earlier train at 1054 which was good, The French Customs was only operating at 50% of the gates open and this caused quite some chaos with cars trying to butt in and drivers getting our cars and having shouting matches, bloody efficient  the French Ha Ha???

We finally boarded and left on time and arrived in France around 1240 and so on the the Motorway for Paris and hoping our BIP and GO would work and thank heavens it did.   Around 1400 we stopped at a services which was packed with mostly French drivers and families enjoying lunch and we had our sandwiches, used the Loos and and then departed for our Hotel on the West Side of Paris Called the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Bourgival . There had been an accident so we had a rather slow last 30 minutes but arrived at the Hotel around 16.30 and parked in their multi story which was empty apart from us.

A quick rest followed by dinner and a couple of drinks in the restaurant Jennifer had a beef compote which looked and tasted great but due my food restrictions OI ended up with grilled salmon and French fries and washed down with a beer and a couple of glasses of red wine. And the after dinner we walked across the road  to the River Seine and a short walk in then evening sun having temp around 25 C this evening and so quite nice to sit their and watch the world go by.

After this we returned to the room and Noel did his blog and Jennifer read her book. Thee Hotel  is in need of an upgrade and re decoration but otherwise served its purpose having paid for it on Hilton Points

Oh well time for bed.

We are off again tomorrow for a couple of weeks in France

It was quite a busy day preparing  for our travels as we have to consider different weather, and what to wear and what o take with us.

Noel had a meeting with his Old Gits Coffee group in the afternoon allowing free time for Jennifer to pack  without any interruptions and also clear out the fridge.

We are leaving for France tomorrow morning around 0800 and against better judgement are using the Eurotunnel, although reasonably efficient is a pain in the but to use.

In th evening it was a time glued to the TV to watch Chelsea take on Real Betis in the European Conference  league cup final and although being one down at half time CFC came out of their shells in the second half and won 4-1 not bad really.

And so to bed

We join the ferry from Santander

An early start as we had booked what they call priority disembarkation and we had to be at the port earlier than the usual time  otherwise it was not possible to use the service. The journey from Gijon to Santander took about two hours without rushing and we arrived there at about 11.00 and could check in and after being there about half an hour the controllers said we would be boarding soon, wow I thought that would be great. Some ten minutes later us an about a dozen other cars with a bright read sticker were shuffled off closer the the ship and my first thoughts were this great only we were asked to park alongside the vessels and wait a short while.

Soon after they started loading trucks , then followed by campervans and and then cars and here we were kept waiting and finally we are asked to drive aboard and then proceeded to the nose of the ship with one other car in front of us. I cannot understand why they made us wait all this time as all the passengers were already on board in their cabins and/or knocking back the free booze in the club lounge. This warrants a letter I think.

Anyway the ship sailed about 15 minutes early with verbal warning of bad weather and it was a bit choppy for the first few hours but then it calmed down nicely, but you have to remember we are on the Bay of Biscay which is always known to be a bit temperamental. Anyway we went for lunch in the club lounge and it was curry and some other vegetarian stuff which was no good to me and Jen mentioned this to one of the waiters and they said they would get me some fish and shortly afterwards up turned a nice place of salmon and rice. We had a couple of glasses of the free wine and some cheese and biscuits and then back to the cabin to read and listen to music and a little sleep.

For dinner back to the lounge where we both ate lightly before returning to the cabin to watch a film on the TV and then to bed.

Well, tomorrow afternoon we arrive back in Portsmouth about 5.30 pm and so with priority disembarkation providing none of the local staff are on strike we hope to be home by by about 8.30 pm.

Update , getting off the ferry was fast and nobody else at immigration so from driving off Ferry to hit the M275 leaving Portsmouth took about 8 minutes. This only works if no other ferries are offloading. Still don't understand their loading procedure though and may follow up with them. 

We did enjoy Portugal although the weather was a complete let down but the apartment was great and we would gladly return.

So that's the end of this travel blog , watch out for future episodes

SNOW- Where did that come from!!

It was a bit greyish when we awoke and looked over the Doura River and it was obvious that at some point we shall have rain. Anyway we packed the car in the huger underground car park and then went for breakfast  before leaving  and our Sat/Nav said about 5 hours which sounded great although on previous trip planning it was longer, perhaps the time difference between Portugal and Spain makes up the difference for the missing hour.

It took us about 45 minutes driving thro hilly roads and gong via lots of small villages until we reached the Motorway and off we went North. After about an hour th sky started getting rather grey and eventually rain arrived and there were some road signs finally in Spanish mentioning snow??? must be incorrect translation on our part but as got higher in the mountains it got colder moving from 12 C slowly down to 1 C and the rain turned to sleet and then soon afterwards quite heavy snow which lasted for about 25 kilometres and so we had to go quite slowly as although it was not sticking, it was beginning to build up on the windscreen and also the outer road lanes as most careful drivers were on the inside lane following each other with good distance between. So we drove I guess for about nearly one hour of these conditions before going down Mountain with the temperature beginning to warm up. What was surprising that on this motorway there were no services for at least 200 miles which we had not noticed and by the time we stopped for a rather late lunch we were both bursting. I think in addition to the snow warning, they should also have a bladder warning.

The drive thro the mountains was most impressive and it would be good to do in  decent sunny weather but that's has been the problem that Spain and Portugal had the worst spring for 20 years with still so much rain causing flooding not only on the mainland but also in Lanzarote. We arrived in Gijon for the night and staying at the AC Gijon Hotel, part of the Marriott chain, and we discovered no where as good as the Hiltons we had stayed in. hey did have a restaurant opening at 8 pm but it appeared to list stuff cooked from the freezer like Pizza and burger and so we had a drink in the bar, bought some wine and then went back to room and enjoyed some nice red wine with cheese and biscuits.

As the TV was not fixed to the wall we could connect via HDMI to the pc to watch some stuff on you tube and so to bed

Rain and wind and sun but not necessarily in that order

We awoke to some sum probing through he windows and thro’out the day it changed continuously leaving you rather bemused. Jennifer booked us both a massage at the Spa at 11.30 but it became clear to me overnight and in the morning that the onion had played its part and make it impossible for me to attend and so Jennifer went alone. This gave me time to rest and let my body sort itself out whilst catching up with some blogging and emails.

Jennifer returned at around 13.00 and we knew we would want something to eat but the main restaurant is expensive and with a limited menu as far as I was concerned and so whilst was having her body massaged I checked out a place for Pizza somewhere and located one it said 9 Kilometres away but that turned out to be the direct distance and ignoring all the mountains. However we left shortly after 1345 and got there at about 1415 an pleased there was space and Jen had the lasagne and noel a pizza , just what we needed and no need to eat later in the day it was so filling, and a good price to.

The back to the Noel for Jen to have a rest as having a massage is quite exhausting and also not sleeping well the previous night took the opportunity to have a good rest for a couple of hours. In the evening we found not possible to to connect the tv via the HDMI cable as the Tv was to tight against the wall and so playing with the channels we came across Sean the sheep spin off but very funny and then watched other channels than gave up at about 1030 and went to be as we have a longish day tomorrow to get to Gijon en-route to Santander for our ferry back to blighty.

Lets hppe we have good weather for our travels.

The opposite of relaxed

Following breakfast at the Hotel we packed the car and headed off with expected soon. Our plan was to spread the one and half hour journey over several hours by changing our route so the we could see more of the Douro Rive. But first we needed to find a Supermarket and one was located on Google and so of we go only to find its in one of the huge malls with multi story car parks and there were cars waiting to enter so likely to be busy so we changed our plans and later located a much smaller out of town  supermarket which answered our requirements and so spent a short while topping up and buying some baguettes for lunch.

So off up the A2 motorway which really great views except for when the rain came pouring down and restricting our speed and so we decided to change our plan again and get off the motorway and take country and main roads only somehow with poor road signage and not the best map in the world we got slightly lost but eventually sorted it out where we were and where we should be . The rain stopped but there was a lot of mist as by this time we had reached a height of over 3000 metres over large hills or mountains , whatever, but still an enjoyable journey.

We drove thro a small town right but the Douro river and shortly afterwards located a nice place to stop for our lunch and watched a few river boats go by and then it was getting towards 2.30 pm and the SAT NAV said we were 45 minutes away and so that's fine. Clearly the SATNAV was having a very bad day as it did recognise the Hotel we intended to visit and so off we went and started climbing all over the hills again and Jen suggested it was cutting out a bend in the river but not the case as we ended up in a town right up in the hills with no sight of the river which is strange ass our Hotel is supposed to be right next to the River.

So back to the drawing board and we checked with TOM TOM Sat nav on the phone and it laughed at us and told us we were at least 30 minutes from where we should be and to get us back on the correct road it took us the shortest route using single lane farm tracks and also main roads and finally we located the Hotel and checked in. The Hotel is much larger than I thought it was and called Douro Royal Valley Hotel and Spa and it is in a fantastic location overlooking the river which also our room does as well.

So after a short rest we went off for dinner and the restaurant is quite busy and we tried a bottle of nice local red wine and learnt from the sommelier that there are over 35000 wine producers in Portugal of all shapes and sizes. Some catering for very local needs and others making millions of bottles for EU and other markets, most interesting. Jen had the chicken with pasta which I also fancied but they confirmed there was quite a lot of garlic in so they suggested a steak and fries which was OK and it came with a salad which I had not expected buy thought I would try only to discover part the way through it contained red onion another no go for me, tomorrow I will pay for eating it I think.

In the late afternoon we watched some of the large river cruise ships go by and took some photos.

A day of rest- also its blooming raining

We awoke to find the hills covered in mist and unable to see the mountains in the distance as we had the previous day. We headed off for breakfast and the room was also fairly quiet but the usual stuff available, to be frank the choice at the Hilton in Evora was better.

We were both feeling a bit tired after the efforts for the previous days and although we had thought of going downtown it was raining so that would not be any fun so we decided on a day of rest. So we spent some time in the room until about 1330 when we getting a bit peckish and back to the restaurant for lunch. Jen had the prawn curry and me the grilled salmon and both were quite good, the only issue is that the cook does not know how to cook broccoli as it was soggy.

Following lunch we sat in the lounge for about three hours reading and listening to music and we agreed we did not need anymore to eat and so went back to the bedroom hoping that the Euro games would be shown which they were. So we watched Arsenal beat Real Madrid yet again but it was a hard fought game and well done Arsenal.

Tomorrow we leave for the Doura Valley and our journey is planned to take about 90 minutes we have decided to take the long way there and hopefully get some good photos of the river and surrounds. Its still raining…..and also the next few days are supposed to be the same.

 

 

 

All sorts of weather en-route to Viseau

We left the Hotel around 10.00 and had a couple of challenges. We loaded the car and then drove to the shutter at the entrance to the garage and we had to push the bell and they would open the door. Well we pushed the bell and waited , then tried again and so after about 8 minutes of hanging around Jennifer said she would go to reception and that I should exit the car park and drive round to meet her at the front car park. Sounds easy enough, just exit the garage on one way system and then go round the block and back to Hotel only at the  most important junction you could only go straight ahead and so I ended up driving away from the hotel on due carriage road wondering if I would ever find my way back. Eventually I came across a roundabout and was able to turn round and when I got back to the Hotel Jennifer was standing outside the Hotel door looking worried and asking what had happened. So that was the start of our morning.

Anyway we have about 5 hours drive ahead of us to Viseu which was a combination of Motorways with tolls and also regular dual carriageway or country roads thro towns and villages. The journey was very nice with lots of hills and rivers and farm lands but all the time there was threat of rain which when its started really poured down requiring us to slow down. We have this Motorway Toll gadget called ‘Bip and GO’ which enables you to travel on tool roads and not having to stop to collect a ticket then pay the other end as it registers your entry and exit and then charges you via direct debit to your bank. Its a good system and we have used it in France for years and as you go thro the toll gate its goes ‘BEEP’ only on our passing thro it did not beep so was wondering if it was working OK. After contacting the supplier they said it was all working well so don't worry.

We stopped at a motorway services for a loo visit and to eat our sandwiches and then continued on to our destination which we reached around 4 pm and checked in to our chosen Hotel called Montebello Viseu  Congress Hotel and Spa , its a modern Hotel but obviously set up for conference and meetings and it was quite empty as far as we could tell. We checked in and the receptionist we can send the robot to help you find your room? that sounds interesting and then this robot appeared and talked to us in Portuguese,

and we had to follow it to the lifts and it called for the lift, and then set the correct floor and finally when arriving on the fourth floor we following thro some doors and down the the corridor to room 444 where it said goodbye and toddled off, most amusing.

The views from our room are excellent as we have a small balcony and Hotel is on a hill so with good views. Jennifer went for an afternoon swim and Noel had a zizz.

We decided to have dinner in the Hotel as we were both a bit tired and to start looking elsewhere for a restaurant was not what we wanted to do and so had a drink in th bar and a nice dinner in a very large restaurant set up for about 100 people only there were perhaps less than fifteen people there. Then back to the room for a bit of Tv before bed. The weather forecast for next few days is rain and even more rain apparently the most amount o rain for 20 years and so this may impact upon our activities tomorrow.

Evora visit with strange weather

After a pleasant evening on Sunday night  we awoke expecting to see rain only it did not come till a lot later later. We went for the buffet breakfast and there was good selection and the general Hotel atmosphere was very good with attentive staff. We were aware that the EV changing points were in the garage and so moved the car to the unground car park and they had a choice of about a dozen EV charging points. There was a notice on the unit to contact reception after plugging in car which we did and then to reception where they said that EV charging for Hilton Silver members is FOC, which we thought was good.

The olf town is very cramped being a walled city and the thought of trying to find somewhere to park was not great snd so Noel check is Uber or Bolt were oeratin and they were and for the grand sum of 4 Euros  we could be dropped if the centre of town and so this was a no brainer. We arrived at the Cathedral which is now a Museum and waited for the clerk to sort out tickets for a family in front of us which took at least ten minutes so we gace up and decided to walk around the town instead. There are some good views out over the fields to the roman built aqueduct and of course being Portugal pretty much all of the houses are painted in whire which after a while gets a little boring.

So we wandered around the town taking photos and then stopped in to a café for a coffee then a bit more walking and after nearly t wo hours we had seen pretty much everything. There were lots of nice expensive shops but we don't need anything then headed back to the main square where the local council were erecting a stage presumably for an Easter event. There was taxi waiting so we jumped in there and back to the HIlton Garden Hotel fr a rest and cup of tea at which the heavens really opened and it rained like hell for a couple of hours so lucky we cam back to the Hotel. After a rest we decided that we would eat in the Hotel again as it was a Monday and many restaurant are closed, but also we have been trying to survive on two meals a day.

We decided to go to the bar for a drink and got chatting with two American couples who were visiting the town just for one night and were off to try and find a restaurant, good luck but it was nice chatting to them for a while. We then went for Dinner and had a glass of wine and then returned to the room about 7 pm and spent the evening watching some You Tube videos before hitting the hay, as they say.

Tomorrow we leave for Viseu which again has an old town but surrounded by new buildings, all in white, where we will spend two night but the weather is looking very poor with lots of rain forecast.

Ah well to sleep.

Time to leave and head for Evora

Well after an early start we we re packed up and ready to leave about 10 am which would allow us plenty of time to drive to Evora with a side visit to Monsaraz Castle which is very near the Spanish border and overlooks same. We decided to take pretty much the shortest route there which included a motorway which this time was chargeable. Some motorways have been made free to use recently in Portugal but the one we were on was not and you had to go thro the usual small channel but they they don't have barriers like France.

Our French Tag bleeps when passing thro a toll and we were expecting same only it did not make a sound so slightly concerned something was wrong but carried on anyway hoping that we would not be hunted down by the Portuguese Secret service and put in Jail , but on checking later with the Tag supplier there appears to be some places where it bleeps and others where it doesn't but as long as tag correctly registered then should be ok.

We arrived at Monsaraz which is a town overlooking the Spanish Border built to protect Portugal for illegal immigrants and we had hoped to walk around. There was quite a bit of parking space but lower down the side of the hill and the roads were very bad bumpy cobblestone roads which really not suitable for my lightweight scooter which is a big shame as it looks like an interesting town. Will make another attempt next year should we return to Portugal but stay a little nearer so we can get there early before the crowds of tourists. Jen took a few photos of the outside of the walled city but we will come back. So we had our lunch of sandwiches overlooking the lakes and with Spain in the distance.

We arrived in to Evora at about 1430 which was little early than normal check in however they had a room  available and so were lucky and our impressions of the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel were very positive. We went to the rooftop bar where there was a TV playing , would you believe it, with Chelsea vs Ipswich game and the result was a 2 all draw but a terrible performance by the Blues. I did not see the first half half Ipswich goals but on reading later it turned out that Chelsea Goalkeeper made so many mistakes, one wonders if he it taking cash??, that’s a joke.

We decided for convenience to have dinner in the Hotel and overall it was not to bad, Noel had the fish and chips and Jennifer the Pork rib slab washed down with a glass of beer. We returned to the bedroom and thought we could watch TV but found they had a smart Tv with a You Tube app and so we signed on and caught up on some of the people we are following.

Then to bed

Start packing today

Well this is the last full day in the apartment and we have both enjoyed our stay here apart from the weather, to much rain.

We had an early morning and nipped down to the supermarket to purchase some last minute food items and then back to the apartment for a bacon sandwich for breakfast. Following breakfast, Noel had some time to catch up on the blogs and disappeared to the garage to wash the car windows which were covered in sand from and African blast of wind a couple of days ago. In fact the complete car has sand spots on it following the storm from a couple of day ago.

Noel started his packing as did Jen as we also also have to pack up all the kitchen stuff we brought with us and sort out what food we can eat or dispose of but for lunch we had burgers and potatoes and veg followed later in the day with a nice chocolate croissant. Jen cooked up the last piece of chicken which will be turned in to sandwiches for our journey tomorrow to Evora. Later in the afternoon we both had a rest and watched some football ie Arsenal vs Brentford which ended in a draw  on the TV then and evening of You tube stuff following various people in New Zealand and also Florida, we do enjoy anything related to travel.

As mentioned , tomorrow we leave for a place called Evora for two overnight stays heading North to spend several days going back to to Santander Port. We have a few diversions planned so lets see how it works out.

The apartment block is now quite full and with quite a few kids as a result of the Easter holiday, we shall have to remember this for the future and to avoid those dates.

Anyway that’s it for today