Hi
everyone,
Well
despite my best intentions have managed to have a bigger gap with the blog and
heaven only know I’ve had plenty of time waiting around-but more of that
later!!
Melun
proved to be a good base and we got the bus to Fountainbleu and visited the
chateau. It was absolutely stunning but after about 2 hours it just got to
overload and some of it was so decadent. My favourite was a simple room , by
French standards (designed by Marie Antoinette). There was an audio guide which
was really good except for the occasional lapse into American! The cafe was an
absolute rip off, tea was 4 Euros so we ate sandwiches from the boulangerie in
a little square.
Next day we
headed to Paris on the train and went straight to near the Louvre so that I
could get some new glasses. My normal prescription is varifocal but I knew that
would be impossible in a day. I got just distance and it was a 45 minute wait
and that will be 289 euros please but at least I can see now. We headed for the
Louvre and spent several hours gobsmacked at the amount of exhibits. Mona was
absolutely mobbed and I’m not sure what the fascination is with her. That was
enough for us and Chris seemed unimpressed with Paris so we didn’t plan another
day. So we changed our plans and left Melun a day early.
Our aim was
to do a quick overnight, probably in an aire (has some facilities but not
really a campsite) near Angouleme and then head to San Sebastian on Saturday
and get to Salamanca Thursday........mmmmmm.
We stopped
Friday night in a beautiful town called Verdeuil, we parked up right on the
banks of the Vienne . We locked the van up and met the mayor who said we were
very welcome to spend the night there-just as well as that was our plan!! We
wandered to the local bar, run by a young couple, and had some wine. For the
first time in France prices were reasonable, we went back to the van and had chicken
and salad and returned for round two of red wine. As we came back about 9pm we
sat at the back of a fabulous Mediaeval church as the local choir practised,
the singing was stunning and the acoustics fabulous. The whole place felt
magical.
Next
morning we set off for San Sebastian, in Spain. After about an hour or so Chris
said he wasn’t feeling good and needed to pull over. He lept out of the van and
when he came back he said he smelt diesel and realised that we had a leak. We
drove about 3k to a rest area and rang the breakdown people. It started to rain
and the toilets in the rest area were even too disgusting for some of the
French!! About 12.15 we were towed to Angouleme and had to quickly pack a bag
as the garage would not be open till Monday. Eventually we were picked up in a
taxi and takne to the local campanile hotel, my heart sank at the mention of
campanile as I had stayed in one previously and it was pretty dingy. But I was
pleasantly surprised, a makeover and free wifi made for a good experience.
Saturday was pretty much a waste of a day and Chris was pretty ill by we got to
the hotel. We think it was a cooked chicken we had, although I was not ill??
Sunday
seemed like a good day to see Angouleme but we had to walk to the centre as
there were no buses Sunday. It was abot 9k return but the old walled city is
pretty stunning, although the cathedral interior was a bit disappointing.
Campanile did a very reasonable buffet breakfast and evening meal with buffet
starter and dessert and then your choice of main course. But by Monday morning
I was all buffeted out!!
We made a
huge mistake on Monday morning as we assumed when the breakdown people said
they would let us know what was happening that they would “manage” the
situation-WRONG. We knew the van was going in at 8.30 and rang about 10.30 and
the promised ring back didn’t happen, so at 11.30 we found out the van was
still at the breakdown place as they needed the V5 document, which of course
was in the glove box with all of the other vehicle documents. So Ruby headed
off to the garage, just in time for it to be closed for lunch!! The campanile
was full on Monday night so we were moved to a Fasthotel, not a very good one
either but a clean bed and hot shower. It was near the garage so Chris popped
down and at 5pm the “diagnostique” still had not been done, and surprise
surpise there was a leak on the fuel pump and it needed replacing. No chance
the part could come quickly, so Wednesday and 300 euros please. By this time I
was ready to kill someone, the hotel was on an industrial estate, dinner was in
the Buffalo Grill and another day wasted.
Wednesday
morning we took a different approach, we both went to the garage, partly to get
some clean clothes and just to check it really was going to be another day. I
had found a nice hotel in the centre of the old town, in the breakdown price
bracket, and we rang and said we were moving there. Hotel du Palais was very
quaint and very central. We wandered in town around the ramparts and went to a
real restaurant and had a beautiful veggie Indian meal. Next morning we had
arranged to ring the garage at 10.30 and to our great delight the part had
arrived BUT it would be 4pm before it would be ready. It was raining and check
out was 11 am, but I managed to persuade the reception to let us have another
hour and when we left at 12, the rain had stopped. We visited the museum, very
impressive, and then had a quick lunch and got our taxi at 3pm and when we got
there, quell surprise Ruby was ready!! So we had had enough of Gallic shrugging and delays to last us a lifetime, I don't think I could ever live in France unless they put blood pressure medication in the water!!
We left at
breakneck speed and set off for Spain , the weather was awful and we finally
stopped in a car park in Meruda, after having a very mediocre sandwich at a
service station. The last 5 days had been a time of hanging around, eating out
and not really getting much exercise.
We set off
at 5.15 am on Thursday morning and got to Salamanca at about 1.30. It was a lovely campsite, right on the river
and we parked Ruby up and felt like the trip was back on track. There was a bar
and we had a few glasses of red wine and talked to fellow travellers. The
weather was fabulous and sunny after all of the gloomy weather in France.
Friday and
Sunday we cycled the river path into Salamanca-great to get some exercise again.
Salamanca is a stunning city with amazing architecture and apparently the best
Plaza Mayor (main square) in Spain. It is quite touristy but we had our lunch
in the square, people watching, and it was 10 euros which included a glass of
wine. France is becoming unaffordable, we met an English woman who had lived
there 24 years and she no longer eats out with her family. Saturday we went to
the Art deco/Nouveau museum where they have a beautiful collection of glass,
ornaments etc . We had coffee and tapas
in town, 1.40 for the two and then another one on the way home by the river.
The campsite bar did food and was mobbed on Friday night and we ordered paella
for Saturday, it was delicious and it cost us 38 euros for 2 large beers, 2
bottles of wine (the rioja was to die for), the paella and some cheese. All
felt well with the world again.
Sunday we
set off for Portugal, the drive was fine but it was absolutely scorchio-36!!
The next camper needs cab aircon. We stopped for a coffee and realised we had
forgotten that Portugal is one hour behind Spain. The smoking rules are
different too and the bars can opt to allow smoking YUK!
We were hot
and tired and our sat nav took us down a dirt track, it was then we realised
the GPS co-ordinates might not have been correct. Anyway ,after much telephoning,
we got to our house-sit and had a quick shower to cool down and went to the
local town Serra, for a cool drink. Will and Wendy are retired and they have
this villa in Portugal but still also have a house in France. We ate a lovely
curry that Will had made and got acquainted with Ruby, chocolate Labrador and Maggie,
a Pyrenean sheepdog and Harry the cat.
We are now
here on our own till 6th October and it is beautiful, very peaceful and
we have a house with lovely outdoor terrace and a swimming pool-this is the
life. It is good to be in a house again and we will just chill for few days.
The nearest city is Tomar and it has a historical position linked to the Knight
Templars. We can get the bus into Tomar, if we time it right. Everyone seems
very friendly but I’m really struggling with the Portuguese language, it is
okay to try and decipher some of the written stuff because it is a lot like
Spanish but it sounds like Russian when they speak. We will manage with sign language
and pictures if need be!!
Once we
leave here we will wander in Ruby back through Spain to Murcia and Chris’ house
and hopefully get a bit of cycling and walking done there. It’s a bit hot here,
although later this week it will cool down a bit, so we might get the boots on.
Next time I
will put some photos of the animals and the house.
Till next
time
Norma xx
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