The Camargue and Cannes;

---

We have spent three days in St Marie sur la mer. A small seaside town on the med coast and in the Camargue area. The highlights were the White horses of the area and the unique cattle, the mistral wind that blows from the sea and keeps temperatures comfortable. We were surprised to find so much Roman history in the area. The Amphitheaters in Arles, which was the second most important city after Rome at some time in the Roman Empire. Anyway we arrived and I didn’t like the seaside feel of the place, large impersonal campsite and inflated prices for the wealthy boat owners who frequent the place, however Dee said to stick with it and she was right, we stayed for three nights enjoying the long walks along the beach with Horace. As we left we saw flocks of Flamingoes flying in to spend the summer on the salt lakes of the Camargue.



A couple of problems then occurred! First I tried to get a new gas cylinder, no calor gas in France only camping gaz. Finding the Wifi connection I tried to locate a supplier but soon found out I was the only caravan owner in the world who did not know that Calor was uniquely British and of course you should adapt to Camping Gaz before “doing the foreign”!!! So we are left with two options, try and make the remaining cylinder last four weeks or convert to camping gaz! Options one is just about feasible. Option two is expensive, to change the valves and buy new bottles, which could be 60 Euros! So we’re eating cold food and using electric for everything we can.



The next problem was tyres! We have travelled 1500 miles so far and two tyres have got past their sell by date or as the garage said “Il et mort” – they are dead! We also have a slow puncture in another tyre which needed sorting. 300 Euros later all was sorted, well it would have been if I’d pointed to the actual tyre with the slow puncture and not the wrong one. The tyre guy said it was all ok and I realised my mistake but was didn’t know the French for “I’m an idiot it was the other tyre”! So we still have the slow puncture and I have a red face. Dee was very supportive of my mistake and laughed all day at how stupid anyone could be to actually point to the wrong tyre, but I was pointing in French I protested and they are all back to front! Ce la vie, we said and drove on to the French Riveria. The landscape changed from the flat Camargue to the hills of South West France. Signs began to show distances to places such as Cannes and Nice and the temperature rose to 20 degrees, all was well with the world and the incident of the wrong tyre was moving from the present and taking its place in the past. We could both move on and laugh about it. Then I turned into the camping site at St Raphael and hit the wall of the wash room with the caravan! Oh how we laughed. It was a very tight corner and I ended up with the caravan wedged between the wall and the hedge. It was ok though because I had an audience of many and lots of help and advice from the several spectators in several different languages! At one time Hey ho, the damage was superficial so we decided (well I decided actually) that we’d fix it when we get back and never speak of today again for the rest of the holiday! A glass of wine and a walk along the beach and all’s well.



We’re on a site right on the edge of the Med and the weather is great, 24 degrees today. Yesterday we drove along the coast road to Monaco, the scenery is amazing the sea a deep blue and the red stone of the coastal mountains, the Alps behind with their snow caps. A lot of roads were closed in Monaco because of the Grand Prix in a couple of weeks. The stands for seating the crowds were going up and the barriers for the circuit being erected. The whole principality has to adapt to the Grand Prix and there is chaos in the area. I did manage to drive part of the circuit though, through the tunnel and along chicane by the harbour. I was Jensen and Dee was Lewis, we both made formula one car noises for the effect, the Passat Diesel just wasn’t cutting it!



Tomorrow we’re off to Italy, hope the weather stays with us!

---

Photos

More Cote D'Azure
Is that a beard growing?

Monaco
and he wins the Monaco grand prix.........the first time a VW passat has acheived it......!!

Comments

[DEAN HAZELL]

tyre problem
Do not worry about the tyre problem , mclaren are having the same problem with one of thierr pit crew too!!!!, nice beard you look like David Bellamy, " DO I MEAN YOU I SURELY DO"

[Raquel]

Hello, from rainy old Swindon
Hello there, its great to be following your adventures and misadventures through France. How I chuckle, whilst outside the wind howles and the rain raps fiercely at my window. Keep it up x.

[Raquel]

Hello, from rainy old Swindon
Hello there, its great to be following your adventures and misadventures through France. How I chuckle, whilst outside the wind howles and the rain raps fiercely at my window. Keep it up x.