Advertisement
Published: March 11th 2015
Welcome back dear readers as we flee from the submerged city of Tours . Armed, still, with a plan of heading south to find the sun, the roads took us toward Bordeaux. Your correspondent was looking forward to this part of the exploration of Europe, as he had heard rumours that the wine around there wasn't too bad and he had grown bored with a litre of Buckfast for breakfast each day - well, a chap has to have a hobby. The campsite with the best reviews in this region was called Twin Lakes for reasons I shall reveal later, which happens to be in this very paragraph. There were two lakes and they looked the same size and shape.
Arriving there, we could not help but notice that we were seemingly, the only inhabitants at the camp.This was confirmed by Gary who informed us that this was down to the fact it was off season. I honestly cannot see why a damp February being cossetted by a bitingly cold wind could be called off season, but what do I know. Gary was the owner of the camp. He had flown over to Bordeaux area ten years ago to buy
a home, but bought a caravan and camping site with two lakes instead -his wife was understandably delighted when he told her. Gary was a bluff sort of cove and was from Sheffield.
He told us t'park t'van in t'space by t'entrance. He pointed out where t'bar was and we could go there for t'drink and use t'wifi. When I asked how to get into town for shopping he let me know I could take t'car as he always leaves t'keys in t'ignition. Wendy asked how we could go to Bordeaux for the day and he quickly said we could take t'train from t'station and he thought we could take t'dog with us !!!! T'Gary was not the only Yorkshire organism in the bar. After 30 minutes something stood up from the sofa in front of the football scores, it said hello and that it was from t'Barnsley.
We ran.
After a couple of very pleasant days there, we decided that some heat was required so off we went again. In France, as well as many French people, there are many Aires. This is not an astrology word but an aire is somewhere campervans/motorhomes can park up
for the night usually for free. There are so many of the bloody things in France that we drove round and round, backward and forward as well as side ways looking for one - which in the end was actually situated in a car park . The irony was lost on my travelling companions.
At last - the next day we arrived in sunny Spain !!! Your correspondent celebrated by instantly changing into his best summery speedos and his rather dapper panama hat, before realising that it was even colder in Spain and that all his extremities were being frostbitten to buggery. Clothes were rapidly readorned. This was rather confusing. All I had seen on television and in magazines about Spain were happy people, lounging around in skimpy items, frolicking in glorious sunshine and then getting drunk at night and ending up being sick in front of some locals who are out for a peaceful family stroll. That was the Spain we were looking for -not being high up in the Pyrenees thinking about putting ice chains on Claude.
Burgos was eventually reached and a campsite found. It was the coldest night of the year dear readers and
so we did not venture out but slept through the night. That is to say, Wendy slept through the night, Cusco and I were burning every tree we could get our hands on just to avoid a Captain Oates situation !!! If anything it was even colder in the morning,and, without any word of misrepresentation, Cusco and I were astonished as Wendy wandered over in her pyjamas and crocks to the coldest shower block in the whole of everywhere !!!! She said the threat of pneumonia is all part of the adventure !!!
The woman is t'mad.
Tune in next time for more words and a special guest appearance by the sun.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.273s; Tpl: 0.024s; cc: 10; qc: 51; dbt: 0.0563s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Albert Barnes
non-member comment
Like being on Ilkley Moor bar t'hat! Is this just some tightfisted scheme to avoid buying sunscreen? Come on Gordon, it's not that expensive. Wendy - point him south immediately. It's cold enough here without having to read about sub zero campsites. Your readers demand articles from more sultry climes. Go to it!