Geo: 43.216, 5.53863 Today we headed for the seaside town of Cassis, which lies south-east of Marseilles. The site where Cassis now sits was first occupied between 500 and 600 BC by the Ligures, who constructed a fortified habitation at the top of the Baou Redon. These people lived by fishing, hunting, and by farming. During the Roman times, Cassis was part of the maritime route made by the Emperor Antonius Pius. At this time, the port advanced right up to Baragnon. It was a small village, established mainly around the Arena and Corton beaches. The principal livelihood was fishing and maritime trade with North Africa and the Middle East. We had discovered Cassis on our previous European holiday, and it was one of the destinations we had to visit again. On our previous visit to ... read more

Geo: 43.4028, 3.69278 This morning we left Barcelona and headed back to France to Sete, which is one of France's biggest fishing ports. On the way we called in to the town of Figueres in Spain to visit Teatro Museo, a museum created by Salvadore Dali for his own works. Teatro Museo is Spain's second most visited tourist attraction, and we had to line up for around half an hour to gain entry to the museum. Dali was born in 1904 in Figueres in the Catalonia region of Spain and died in 1989. He used both classical and modernist techniques, sometimes in separate works, and sometimes combined. Exhibitions of his works in Barcelona attracted much attention along with mixtures of praise and puzzled debate from critics. Some of his surrealist works make you wonder what he ... read more

Geo: 41.3879, 2.16992 Today we lined up early and purchased tickets for Sagrada Familia Cathedral and Tower before the crowds arrived. Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece was commenced in 1882, and is pretty amazing to see. It is huge both inside and outside, and it is estimated that the work will be completed in 2026.We then drove to Montserrat, a Benedictine Monastery which sits high up in the hills about an hour south west of Barcelona We caught a Funicular up to near the top of the mountain, and then explored the mountain trails and some ancient caves where monks used to live as far back as the 1500's. We then caught the Funicular back down and visited the Monastery and adjoining Church, which contains a statue of the Black Madonna. People were queued up in their hundreds ... read more

Geo: 41.3879, 2.16992 We left Vielha this morning headed for Barcelona. We drove through the Vielha Tunnel, some 5.5 kilometres in length and at one time, the world's longest and most dangerous road tunnel. As soon as we crossed underneath the Pyrenees Mountains, the landscape became drier.It took around four and a half hours to drive south east to Barcelona, arriving in the centre of the city at around 3-00pm. Our unit is located one block away from Gaudi's famous Cathedral, Sagrada Familia. From our fifth floor unit bedroom window we have a great view of the cathedral. Barcelona was founded as a Roman city. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona continued to be an important city within Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today ... read more

Geo: 42.7017, 0.795638 We left the Dordogne Valley this morning and headed for Spain. We called in to visit the town of Saint-Lizier on the way. Saint-Lizier has a rich history stretching back to pre Gallo-Roman times. In 72 BC, Pompey, returning from his triumphs in Spain against Sertorius, stopped here. Despite Liz's claims, the town was actually named in honour of its 6th Century bishop Lycerius, canonized as Saint Lizier, a bishop who participated in the Council of Agde in 506. We had lunch in Saint-Lizier and continued on our way to Vielha, a small town just inside the Spanish border with France. After leaving Saint-Lizier, we started to climb into the Pyrenees Mountains. We zig-zagged up the mountains, and noted that the Tour De France will be passing on these roads in one week. ... read more