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Published: September 12th 2009
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OK, I know the blog is at an all time slow...I put it down to me finally starting to relax!!....in fact I am getting far too good at doing very little, Sharron has me on a final written warning for not pulling my weight in the chores dept...fishing apparently doesnt count!!!
So the blog will eventually fade and come to rest in the mean time...here is a quick update on our progress...
Having had a fab weekend with John and Chrissy Smithers in their Chateaux near Gaillac...fine wine, superb cuisine, great pool....a proper bed and lots of laughs we headed for North Spain stopping briefly to stock up the drinks cabinet in Andorra!!!
Andorra is a shopping mall in the mountains, there may be some other activities in the winter but when there's no snow it is all about shopping....and all the shops sell excately the same things...fags, booze and paella pans!!! We spent at least an hour getting our supplies before trundling back through customs and back down the hill...
We decided to head North on the French side of the "Pair of Knees" (Sharrons spelling!!) heading for Lourdes and then a few nights in the
small Bastide town of Navarrenx a site owned by a lovely family from Jersey....
At this point we had driven 3000 miles and Jimmy was doing great....so on to the coast, we stopped for a night at Hendaye right on the French / Spain border...very busy site...we took the last pitch out of 900!!!
From there into Spain and along the North coast, past San Sebastien, Santander and Bilbao and onto the Galician coast...very green and therefore quite wet...and indeed we had a fair bit of rain!!!
Neither of us had ever heard of the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela.....third most popular pilgrimage in the world!!!!......people walk for miles and miles to visit the Cathedral and the burial ground of St James....It is an amazing Cathedral!!!
The weather was getting wetter and wetter and so we decided to head back towards France via the well known Spanish wine region of Rioja!!!....Well its been a while since we visited a vineyard and samped the delights of the vine...
We stopped in carrion de los condes....(Carry on camping as Sharron caled it!!)....OK so here Jimmy decided he had had enough and demanded a new started motor...........Gulp!!!....Who
do you turn too in rural Spain?.....An English speaking Morrocan waiter of course!!!..........who introduced me to Christophe the French mechanic who also spoke some English, who introduced me to his Spanish mate.....who only spoke Spanish!!!
We had to spend the night in a Pilgrims hostel whilst the new starter motor was shipped to Carrion on a special overnight delivery...What a Carry....On!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway all was OK, Jimmy was fine and took to his new starter motor very well....and we had an extended stay in a great town which had a small festival during the weekend which included a craft fair, regional produce, dancing, music and a bird of prey display with the host on a pair of stilts!!!!
From Carrion we headed for Burgos and into the Rioja wine region, staying at a very good site in Logrono, walking distance to the city and many Tapas bars!!!!
Over the Pyrenees we went on our way North to France....Fab scenery and not quite as scarey as going over the Alpes for Jimmy....weather improved every day and by the time we reach France it was again very warm....
We had an uneventful journey up to the Dordogne and
found a great site by the river in Beynac with a stunning infinity pool overlooking the amazing Castle.....
From here we headed to Cognac......Its thirsty work you know all this driving!!!...................a very quaint town by the river Charente...and its on the route to Santiago de Compostela if walking from France!!!.............They also make a very popuar after dinner drink there!!!
Time for the beach ....again....and onto Ile de Re (just off La Rochelle).....after the staggering 16.50 Euro toll for the 3 km bridge we entered paradise....a fab island, 30km long and 5km wide...over 40 campsites to choose from!!!.....Lots of oysters, mussels, salt and cyclists!!! Over 100km of cycle paths............its also very flat!!!
We found a great site, walking distance to Ars en Re and the beach, perfect for fishing!!!!
After nine nights we thought it time to move on and are now in Pornichet on the Brittany coast, the sun is shining and its still nice and warm.....however....
We plan to sail back from Cherbourg next Wednesday.....the year is almost up and we have decided that actually we do like blighty....we miss our friends and family....the TV.....Sainsburys.....a good Indian.......and rain!!!!!
Our house is rented for
another six months so we will still be living in Jimmy whilst we look for work............let meknow if you hear of anything!!
Huge thanks for reading our blog on this amazing journey...
Keep in touch
M & S
x
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kay
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Camino de Santiago
Hi Mark and Sharron, It's about time you slowed down Mark. I think going by motorbike from Santander down to Lisbon was the most interesting/relaxing holiday I have ever had. Regarding the Camino- a number of friends have walked it and it is not so much about the church at the end but the process of the journey. All (including Shirley Maclaine who wrote a book about it) had life changing experiences during the walk and recieved all sorts of insights. It is said the Camino lies directly under the Milky Way and follows the ley lines that reflect the energy from those star systems above it ! I think if you do not find work you should try getting published! Happy travelling Kay