I Wish I Was Somewhere Else........Is it just Me or what?

The boiler finally got repaired after nearly a week of showering round at the neighbours but 24 hours later it started vibrating and making the most horrendous noises and it only cost £250......so the man is coming back. It takes him 3 hours each way from Coventry and he was here for an hour and then going home...no wonder they charge so much for a call out.
The van was supposed to go to the Fiat garage for the reverse gear modification on Monday- all arranged back in December by Fiat Customer Services, but when I rang to check on Friday they denied all knowledge. A call to Fiat verified my version and the garage fell back on the old 'he doesn't work here any more' excuse. Everybody ran around though and found the correct bits and then told me a) it was a 3 day job and b) had anybody checked that they could get the van on their ramps? So the Gf followed me to Diss, where the van has been serviced over the last 3 years, only to discover that they could NOT get the van up on their ramps as it was too large. Just as I was about to explode, the apprentice lad in the workshops piped up and said why didn't we go to their Bury St Edmonds branch (20 miles away) as they had a bigger ramp..........not that the chief engineer and the service manager had thought of that! So we drove over to BStE after frantic phone calls (it was 5pm) and loading a huge box of half a gear box onto the van and yes they could handle it and would be able to start on Monday so problem eventually solved.
But the tracking device needed a new upgraded transponder at a special offer price of £250 and whilst it has been delivered to me by courier, I am still waiting for the fitter to get in touch.....
And then we went to a motorhome show and I spent £115 buying stainless steel gas hoses, a new changeover valve and an adapter for coupling a spanish connector to the new stainless steel hoses.......hopefully to prevent any more regulators fouling up from rubber hoses.

BUT HERE IS THE BEST BIT>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I am sure that many of my readers will remember that I have a healthy cynicism for the Olympic movement and generally refuse to have anything to do with it and the profligate waste of money that it represents so imagine my unbridled joy at the following item in the Residents monthly newsletter: quote

2012 OLYMPICS
Some of you will have have read in the local press that the AZERBAIJAN team for the Olympics have selected Ipswich as its pre-games training camp. This is a major coup for the town of Ipswich and we are pleased to inform all residents that Falcon Park will also be playing a major role in welcoming some of the Azerbaijan team.
In a letter to the B.O.C. dated 1st April 2010 and jointly signed by Minister Idiota Abril and Ambassador Fulraparil of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan, it has been confirmed that their women's beach volleyball team will be using Mr Ritchies field ( adjacent to Lugano Ave) as their training facility. This will initially cause some minor disruption on the Park, including some overnight disturbance, whilst heavy equipment moves in to temporarily convert the field to a beach by depositing 1000 tonnes of sand onto the field. Changing and restaurant facilities will also be constructed. A one way system will have to operate on the Park roads whilst this operation takes place.
In addition, Minister Abril and Ambassador Fulaparil have requested that accommodation be provided close to their training ground. Therefore any resident able to offer board and lodging to members of the women's team should contact the Park manager to register their interest as soon as possible.Substantial remuneration will be paid, in additionto which an Azerbaijan National flag (with pole) will be issued to those residents wishing to show their support for the team. Please watch the noticeboards for further information. End quote

Principles are one thing but the chance to extend the hand of friendship to a member of the ladies beach volleyball team should not be lightly spurned..........just don't tell the Gf that we may have a lodger in August.

Great end to a great trip

We stopped first at another great site near San Sebastian at a place called ITZIAR. This is deep Basque country and the language is full of x,z,& k's and sounds like something nasty in the bacof your throat. We came off the very scenic - sometimes motorway sometimes back lane that is being upgraded as we speak - road that runs along Spain's northern coast in order to get diesel before we ran into France and having cut it a bit fine, at a place called Durango and I spurned the opportunity to go back onto the A8 in favour of a pretty route as there was only a few miles to go. Big mistake. The A8 or its little brother and constant companion, the N634 ran right past the door ( although about 500 ft lower down the mountain) of the site we were aiming for,whislt we now meandered along increasingly narrower and hillier back roads. Such is life but it was great scenery if occasionally terrifying. The site, called ITXASPE ( don't even ask how to prounce it) at the end of a very narrow track, is stunningly perched on a hillside above cliffs and surf and has great views and beautifully run by two charming brothers. I'm sorry we could only stop the one night, although we did have time to descend to the beach when we were trying to ascend to the headland ( the ascending appearing less arduous than the descent and subsequent ascent back from the beach which nearly did for both of us). There was also a fair sprinkling of brits here, mostly on the way home like us, and one couple in particular were very chatty and were also heading towards BIARRITZ like us but were thinking of moving past quite quickly. When I pointed out the Aire in the town centre and extolled the charms of BIARRITZ as recalled from 40 years ago, they decided to stop off there too, so we caught up with Jeremy and Judith ( and Jessie the Jack Russell) on Friday at the Aire which was excellent and very full. It has space for 40 vans, charges 10€ a night and has electic hook-ups if you're lucky. Jeremy, being a gentleman, was keeping an eye out for us and guarding a spare electric point with his life. They had also parked next to the only other GB van in the park and so we were introduced to Barry and Ros and an extraordinarily pleasant weekend ensued. We walked into town on Friday afternoon,which is quite a hike but pleasant along the promenades- the Aire is also only 5 minutes from an actual beach, home to the surfing community and again lovely landscaped walks to meander along. The town is still delightful and very classy. Very busy, stunning views and a beautifully kept town. It reeks of money and there's few trashy shops. On Saturday we all caught the bus to the other end of town and basically walked back in the sunshine. We separated for lunch as the Gf and I had opted for the arm-and-a-leg option rather than the snack option as we were now on the run home and wanted to end on a high. Arm-and-a-leg it was but we got some change and had a great meal. Caught up with the others for drinks etc and had a very pleasant evening.

Culture note...(1) an altercation with mad french woman who accused the Gf of reporting them to the police who came round each morning & evening collecting the 10€. God knows what it was about, we never did find out. (2) The Aire filled up and a german parked his huge Hymer right over the toilet/waste emptying points for the night. As we set off at 9am I needed to park there to use the facilities so I knocked on his window as he was eating breakfast to indicate that he should move. He was not amused but as I indicated that I would empty the contents of our toilet under his van and hope it found the drain he realised the sense of moving but with extreme bad grace and much muttering.

An uneventful and rather boring run up past BORDEAUX to SAINTES where the expected Aire had been relocated from in front of the Abbey to outside the Camping Municipal (not yet open for the season) and required more back street driving to find it. Quite pleasant however ,next to the river and pleasant stroll into town for a sundowner.

On Monday, a fairly pleasant drive to 12 miles south of LeMans at La SUZE sur SARTHE where there was jolly nice Aire on the riverbank in the centre of a very pleasant small town. The centre of town was a Y shaped junction with no road markings. we had a prime position outside the bar watching going-home time. It was the Gf who sussed out the rule of priority....the car approaching fastest has the right of way. Unless you were turning right, every vehicle had to cross the path of two others - it was wonderful spectator sport and the bar did good business with maniacs flying around 6 feet from where we were sitting.

Tuesday was a long day to CALAIS. We decided for Calais and the noisy Aire across from the ferry terminal as our favourite restaurant, the Cote d'Argent would be open rather than Le Touquet which is a very long walk back into the town for dinner at La Petite Charlotte, another favourite. Big mistake to use the toll road from LaSUZE as 200kms cost 45€ so the last 200km after ROUEN was on the pretty (but slow) route....made even slower than by being behind two 'convoi exceptionel's until St.OMER. However, did run past a Carrefour and the opportunity to fill with fuel before the UK ( having checked with Julian on the price of diesel -£1.22 uk/ 1.13€ france) and some other liquid necessities. Had a superb meal at the Cote d'Argent even if the GF did argue with the chef when he came round, called him a liar and he had to go a fetch the very small pan he used to sautee the potato gallette which she maintained must have been deep fried. France 1-England 0.We had the Michelin Celebration Menu....don't ask. So a terrific end to a great trip, lots of sights, lots of new friends and a fair few places we shall return to to explore in greater depth. 4092 miles and we have circumnavigated the Iberian Peninsular. Next year, inland. we still haven't done Toledo, Segovia, Merida, Zaragossa, Salamanca,Pamplona, Aranjuaz or Madrid and there's all of Portugal not on the coast........we could be here for years !
Back home......water pump finally packs up, Tracker transponder needs replacing at £250 as it's just out of warranty, no hot water at home-fault on boiler system, car battery flat, won't start.........we're off to sunny Spain...................

Water water everywhere

April 14th.

We pulled into a supermarket to restock the essentials and as usual, before we could go shopping, the Gf had to go to the loo......it's a Pavlovian thing. When she emerged, I realised that the water pump was still working away, which it sometimes does after a journey involving steep hills etc which seems to create an airlock somewhere, and you need to run a tap for some time to pull the water through again. However, this time no water was comng out of the taps but the pump was still running. To edit the events, the Gf went shopping and I investigated the problem. The pump is housed under the wardrobe and whilst accessible, it is not the best place to work....and involved removing crash helmets, emergency lighting,scarves,hats,glove,umbrellas and other assorted clothing that is dumped in there. My first mistake was not removing the entire pump to begin with, which involves 4 screws, 2 pipes and disconnecting 2 wires. So when I removed 2 bolts and the motor housing came apart, various springs holding the carbon brushes flew out and I was getting hot and sweaty......and Julian rang to see if I wanted to go Spa in May....great timing again...
I now decided to remove the whole pump as getting the brushes back on the commutator shaft (?) was impossible in situ. It proved almost impossible out situ as well until I dismantled a bit more of the housing and found I could wedge 2 slices of matchstick to hold the brushes against the springs whilst I lowered it down over the shaft and reassemble. This took up an hour and I was now back at square one...the Gf had gone and sat up front well out of the way with a sandwich. So we drove on to our next stop, CANDAS, where I dismantled the pump, found it to be working OK, reinstalled it, and still didn't have any water at the taps. Eventually, on Wed morning, I found the manual for the pump, with diagrams, took it apart completely, down its absolute basics whist the GF held the screws and watched which bits went where, cleaned everything and put it back together again. AND LO WE HAVE WATER. Perseverance is the name of the game out here. And Candas is delightful, this campsite, Perlora may be the best site we have ever stopped at as we are perched at the cliff edge with a beautiful view and the sound of the waves on the rocks 20 feet below to send us off to sleep...smelling sweetly now that the water is pumping..(poetic licence as the showers here and all facilities would not disgrace your own home,the views are magnificent and the town is a 10 min walk along the very nice prom. which makes it our No.1 site of all time)
A great place to end our journey.....we shall be going to San Sebastian on Thursday, Biarritz for Friday & Saturday then through France to Le Touquet for Tues.night prior to taking the Shuttle on Wed morning......I may keep you informed.....

PORTO,PORT & THE DOURO

12th.April

Cutting short the stopover at LISBOA,didn't like the site either,so off to PORTO.
A strange drive on the pretty route avoiding expensive tolls. The state of the road was awful which is why you're supposed to go on the Toll road. Reasonably scenic but a curious road that for 60 miles was lined with small,medium and large businesses all selling very heavy mechanised machinery from earth moving equipment,tractors,trailers through cranes to trucks of every shape and size, new and used. To make it more bizarre,these were interspersed with huge stone emporiums selling anything from gravel to massive blocks that would be useful if one wanted to build a pyramid or something.
We had chosen to stop at a site just south of PORTO in a town called MADALENA. The site was one run by Orbitur who do not have a great reputation and this site was no exception to their poor rating. Could have been good but was very rundown and things didn't work. But it was fairly cheap at 13€ a night and very handy for the bus into PORTO from outside the gate every 30 mins. The bus ride was an event in itself and the thrill factor of a large bus hurtling through back streets with minimal clearance, parked cars and pedestrians with a death wish was far worth more than the 1.40€ that it cost.
PORTO is an ace city and everything that LISBOA was not. Extremely photogenic, easy to negotiate and full of interesting things to see and do. We purchased the 48hr-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tour-ticket including 6 bridges river cruise for 19€ each and which were very good value as we hopped on and off for 2 days all over the city. Had an excellent lunch on the quayside of the Douro opposite the Port warehouses which occupy the south bank at a restaurant quaintly named Chez Lapin. The quaysides on both sides of the river are very picturesque and are full of bars and restaurants and are very easy for walking about. After our cruise deposited us on the south side we decided to 'do' a port house as many were offering tours. Spoilt for choice we chose Taylors as I suspect that I have contributed a fair amount to their profits over the years (and the GF decided that she had been ripped off in JEREZ at the Tio Pepe tour, and they own Croft who were also in the frame for a visit, and we couldn't find the door for Offley until we were passing on the way down). The downside of this choice was that Taylors were right at the top of a very steep cliffside into which all the port shippers have carved their warehouses and whilst it was great view it was a hell of a climb. The upside of the choice however was that we had chosen the only shipper not to charge for their tour with 2 glasses of port for tasters as well. Having done Harveys in Madeira & Gonzalez Byass in Jerez, the tour held few surprises and as I suspected, whilst containing thousands of litres of maturing port it amounts to only a small part of their stock and is really only retained for touristic and promotional value. Since they no longer bring the wine down the Douro by boat (these are now only kept for for show along the river) and it is shipped by road tanker, it is no surprise that the exceedingly narrow and vertically steep streets of PORTO are not a favoured destination for the bulk of their production. But the tour was interesting and the whole thing in PORTO has been done with class. So we had a jolly good 2 days, taking the hop-on out to the coastal beaches and walking a good part of the way back in the sunshine along the river, having lunch on the way and a tour of the cathedral(disappointing) and the Bolsa Palaccio (very luxurious/oppulent chamber of commerce for the port trade in which I managed to blag a wine tasting as well).Shall return to PORTO as I never did get to ride on a tram or the metro and will lokk forward to next time.
On Sunday we drove up the DOURO VALLEY as far as PES DA REGUA before turning inland to stop over at VILA REAL. The drive up the valley is SPECTACULAR (if not a bit hair-raising in places.....the TomTom took an awful lot of bitty programming to come up with a route which involved only one road,the N108, to which it seemed to taken exception. However since we travelled some 100kms along the N108 only losing our way twice, the TomTom's hissy fit was largely ignored. Shall explore the upper reaches at a later date. We only saw one other motorhome all day and the area is definitely not on the tourist route except for those who explore it by cruise ship. VILA REAL was v.pleasant and we had a lovely walk along the river from the small campsite, stopping for a drink on the way back for which we were charged a mere 2€ for a large beer and an iced tea.
On Monday, a very scenic drive to SANTIAGO dA COMPOSTELLA. Had intended staying 2 days but a) the campsite wanted 24.60€ a night and b) the place is awful. The worst church we've ever been in. GROSS.
Monday. Great drive along the north coast of Spain, stopping off at a great little campsite in a place called PERLORA near GIJON, with a pitch on the cliffside and stunning views. Another GB van turned up who had been at Santiago last night and who agreed with the above, having only spent the morning looking around before heading for the hills.
PROBLEM. Discovered that the water pump has packed up so we have no water on tap.

Lunch with Austin Healey

Plan A was to have sunday lunch at Antonio's on Porta da Mos which may be my favourite beach in the world and we thought there would be no problem after checking on thursday that we did not have to book, only to arrive before 1pm to ensure that we could get a table on the terrace. They probably forgot that it was Easter Sunday. So when we arrived at 12.30 the place was only half full, the other half had reserved cards on the tables and they laughed when I optimistically suggested that they find us a table for two. After a minor hissy fit in the car park about not riding round Lagos looking for a nice restaurant over which I draw a veil, we headed back to Luz and the Paraiso Bar on the beach which we had frequented a few times and as luck would have it we managed to squeeze onto a table on the terrace. Next to Austin Healey. As I clocked him I received a sharp kick on the shins as the Gf hissed "No!". All I was going to say was that he was robbed on Strictly Come Dancing and could he show me how to tie a scarf like that, but I never got the chance. So technically speaking, he doesn't know that we had lunch on sunday, despite being given every opportunity to acknowledge our existence.....I managed the odd eyebrow waggle and nod of the head when I thought the Gf wasn't looking but mostly she caught me and he ignored me.
And I have to sat that he was very wrapped up with his wife and delightful twin daughters even if he can't sit still for two minutes. So, Austin, if your PR people are doing their job and trawling the net for references to AH, rugby star and dancing icon, we could have shared a bottle of Vinho Verde and whiled away a wonderful afternoon in the Algarve sun and I could have given you a few tips.........

Off at the crack of 9.30 on Monday, heading for home. Goodbyes to neighbours etc and stock up at the Ecomarche on the way to Sagres. Took the pretty route to PORTO COVO, the last few miles over what was once a road but has been sadly neglected of late. Lovely drive most of the way and PORTO COVO a delightful fishing village without an 'All day Breakfast' sign anywhere or anything at at all in english for that matter. Following notes I had made from various conversations we found the wild camping place on the edge of the village and the location was quoite stunning, overlooking two small sandy coves with rocks and cliffs just like you see in brochures about deserted,unspoilt beaches with crashing surf. Walked into village and had a drink and a cake, and it was full of Portuguese families on holiday then walked back and had a beach to ourselves for the afternoon. By the evening there were a dozen motorhomes parked up and a french caravan which everybody else ignored and tut-tutted about as it gets us a bad name and draws the attention of the police to the unwritten toleration of illegal wild camping. However we had an undisturbed night, after a brilliant sunset......apart from the noise of crashing surf ha ha. Awoke to another lovely day and a great breakfast watching the fishing boats bobbing about on a clear blue sea..................
Hit the road for LISBOA (LISBON), a rather mundane drive but some nice countryside, esp. the wild flowers, and a very long spell through cork forests. Over the 25th.April Toll Bridge across the Tagus and missed the turning for the campsite by 100 yards too soon. This then required a fraught 15 minutes round the backstreets and some complicated cloverleafs before we got back on track........the campsite is almost city centre, like the Bois de BOulogne in Paris and is a municipal site but probably a bit better than I was expecting,and was 19€ a night (less 10% for an ACSI card). Very security minded with cards for pedestrians to go in and out but close to the bus for direct access to city centre about 30mins. Into city for the afternoon, easy trip, and had a good mooch about but enormous difficulty locating the central tourist info office with few street signs to help as one would expect in a capital city. First impressions were not good as we started in areas that did not do the city justice and were distinctly rundown,faded and in desperate need of TLC. The overall impresssion improved over the 2 days as we found more places to visit, and some were excellent. Loved the old electric trams, which we used a lot to ride around on.....and they pack them worse than the Tokyo subway as they are only supposed to hold about 50 people each but it seems to be a matter of honour not to leave anyone at a tramstop and the local youth hang on the back and the running boards. All journeys on trams(old and modern), metro and buses cost 1.40€ but we bought day tickets for 3.70€ which were excellent value as we were able to just hop on and hop off as interesting places loomed up. I don't suppose we saw more than a small percentage of the the city in the time but we were fairly weary and I soon get City-overload. However, I could return as I liked it in the end even if it is a bit down-at-heel, like a dowager duchess fallen on hard times but trying to keep up appearances. It has a great heritage and is quite rightly proud of its seafaring history (even if they did introduce firearms to Japan) and it is unique, I think, in that a) there is not a bicycle to be seen, because it is so hilly and b) there was hardly any International logos/brand name shops in what we thought were the smart shopping parts............and I stopped to window-shop at a wine shop that was stocked with vintage ports at prices from 50€ to 1600€...I wish.
Met BoB and Joanne with another Autotrail parked nearby and passed a very pleasant time swapping experiences.
However, we decided that we had had enough of LISBOA and are off to PORTO one day early....

Beaches,alarms and a Folar

Good Friday.

Had to retreat indoors as it is far too hot to sit out in the sun this afternoon, without a cloud to be seen. Apart from rain on Tuesday, it has been a very warm week although there was a coolish wind from the east which could be chilly out of the sun.
Whilst meandering and exploring the roads yet to appear on the 'Rough Guide award winning map of the Algarve' (and trying to find roads that appear on said map but fail to materialise at ground level) we discovered a very lovely beach on the outskirts of LAGOS called Porto da Mos which seems to a closely guarded local secret. Totally unspoilt with just the ubiquitous bar/restaurant overlooking it and stunning scenery,high golden cliffs with huge golden beach and rolling surf and light blue sea. It was so good we went back and spent most of the day there on Thursday and are going for Lunch on Sunday before we leave.
Porto da Mos is being developed on both side of a valley that sweep down to the sea and if we had to have an apartment on the Algarve (which thankfully we don't) this is where we both agreed we would come. By contrast, we had a ride to the Atlantic West coast where we found a breathtaking stretch of coastline near the village of CARRAPATEIRA, south of ALJEZUR. The name had cropped up several times in conversation and the reality did not disappoint. You can see miles of rugged cliffs and crashing surf with minimal habitation and no developement. The wild campers were out in force along the cliff tops and on the day we went the sea was fairly mild but still sent huge waves crashing into the cliffs and the beach was sensational. The village of CARRAPATEIRA is about half a mile back from the sea, for probably very good reasons, and has more surf shops than bars (4 to 2 at a quick count) and the chance of getting a sandwich with a drink narrowed the choice of bars to one. The village showed no signs of developement as we are now 30 miles north of the Algarve enclave and it is only 'fashionable' with surf dudes, wildcampers,walkers etc. of whom many were in evidence. Trusting the 'RG award winning map'(scale 1cm:1km), we took the pretty route home on the scooter and had to endure the un-noted 15 kms of dirt track that the RG has decided qualifies for the title 'road'. On inspection back at camp, the Michelin Road Atlas (scale 1cm:4km) designates this track as an 'unsurfaced road or track' so I know who I'll be voting for when the awards are next due for distribution and where the bill for new scooter suspension will be heading.
The other bit of fun this week involved the involuntary setting off of the van alarm. This happened 3 times in succession until I discovered that the alarm seemed to have armed itself without any assistance from us and I was only cancelling the alarm when depressing the button and not fully disarming it (in my defence, as I did not know it had been armed and the keys were hanging on the hook, I had no reason to suspect it had been armed). This of course required 3 phone calls to Phantom as the alarm alerts the tracking device and they like you to phone in if you set it off in error so that they don't have to waste time contacting you......of course in this instance they were on the ball and our calls crossed several times ! However, in conversation with the control centre, when they called up our tracker on their computer thay discovered that they could not read our postion as the GPS sender was sending meaningless data and is now probably faulty. It may just be that we are parked in a bad signal zone and that it will self-correct as soon as we move but on the other hand it may not. If it is a faulty unit this means that they cannot track the van should it be stolen although they assured me that they have a back-up system which will 'track the van but not with as much accuracy as we normally expect'.
Obviously the unit is still communicating with them but we shall have to wait until next week to see how serious the position is.......I don't know how it will affect the insurance policy,for which a tracking device was a requirement......and the reversing camera is now permanently upside down and steadfastly refuses to right itself.

Cultural Note : On the way back from Porto da Mos on Thursday we stopped off at Intermarche for essential supplies ie potatoes,white wine and more Tawny port to which I have taken a liking and it disappearing rapidly once opened ( at 4.80€ a bottle I have started using it to clean my teeth). As Easter was rapidly approaching, the Algarve is now full of the 10 million brits leaving the snow covered homeland for warmer climes and their first port of call was the local hypermarket, so it was just like Tesco's the day before Good Friday in Martlesham. In celebration of Easter we bought what looked like a very large hot-cross bun called a Folar de Pacoa and is traditional fare at easter.
As usual, only 3 of the 12 checkouts were open (normal for Spain and Portugal) so the queues were horrendous and we chose the one with the brits whose credit card wouldn't be accepted.....and when we arrived at the checkout 2 days later the harrassed and unsmiling young lady grabbed the bottle of white wine in one hand,the bottle of port in the other, scanned them and then banged them together as she put them down. Have you ever seen the mess a full bottle of port makes when the bottom gets knocked off ? It went everywhere then found a gap and poured down onto the floor. And despite her impassioned calls on the tannoy and the phone, Pedro who had the mop and bucket had apparently gone walkabouts. I nipped back smartly and got another bottle and The GF had the other 2 items scanned so that we paid and exited before the crowd got ugly believing me to be the cause of the accident. As we left, the port was everywhere over the checkout, rendering it unusable and the queue was enormous. They're probably still there now.
But the punch line to the story is the traditional Folar. I swear this is true and we have photos to prove it. The Gf couldn't wait till Easter so opened the wrapping after dinner and went to cut a slice only to encounter something very hard in the middle. We broke it open to discover a hard boiled egg, complete with shell sitting looking at us.
the knife had cracked the shell and the egg was a nasty shade of black & green and even the Gf couldn't face the thought of eating it. We'll bring one home if anybody fancies one...............