I could have been in the south of France

It seemed like a good idea after Spain and Turkey to spend the late summer in England.......go to a show, meet a few friends, do the Lakes with D&M and see England as the seasons slide into autumn.
Hadn't reckoned on the entire membership of the Caravan Club and the Camping & Caravan Club hitting the road at the same time.......
The Newark show was good, with good entertainment, and nice to be there with Ken & Jacky and see Paul & Marianne who came over for the day.....and D&M may have been persuaded to join the Morocco adventure after meeting the others.....
The lakes however are fully booked even though it is raining.
Plan  B, go to east coast and explore. .....except everywhere full as well. Now in Scarborough but only just and its raining here as well. So maybe off to the Peaks where its not raining but will be when we get there......the Gf is winning all the money at cards of which there is a lot on account of weather.......and Ken & Jacky left for Croatia on Sunday where it is not raining at all....ho humm.

arakawa riverview: Sea-to-Summit Pt II - we did it!

arakawa riverview: Sea-to-Summit Pt II - we did it!

I nearly forgot....

We wish to announce, with big smiles, the distant arrival of a small addition to the tribe courtesy of Katharine and Julian.
Congratulations to them both and look after each other.

That's that then.....

21 June-10 July

A bit late but better than never.....
Only stayed the one night near Embrun as it was cold overnight and headed for Provence. Lovely scenic drive down the valley of the Durance to a lovely campsite looking over to the hills of luberon and 5 mins from village of Oraison. Could have been perfect and worth considering buying a chalet for €16000 if it hadn't been for the powers cables passing overhead and spoiling the view. Had a very pleasant 3 days in the sunshine then another excellent drive through the countryside to St.Gabriel.  Campsite was indeed full, only 2 pitches unoccupied when we arrived but my foreplanning had paid off and I managed to get the one that allowed the satellite to get a signal so that we could follow the Tour and Wimbledon.
Excellent site, old farm house and ancient Relais on the route from Rome to Santiago de Compostheap with very pleasant owners who provided a wonderful paella night after the tour had passed.
The tour was over in a flash. Did indeed go right past the front door and a goodly crowd assembled. We all took our chairs up to claim a spot around midday and the roads were closed at 12. The caravan whizzed past at speed chucking sweets,drinks and hats with enough lack of care to have someone's eye out and the riders shot by in about 6 secs around 3.30 although Cav  did spot us and stop for a quick chat.....in fact, we may have cost him his chance of a 25th stage win today. Sorry.
Friday 5th
The journey northwards. A cracking scenic aire in the Cevennes at Florac (and a great drive); a not so scenic aire at Aigueperse and then my favourite aire on the Yonne at Gurgy which was packed.
After 3 nights in Aires, decided a campsite would be good so stopped at Guignicourt, north of Reims. Obviously the holidays have started in the UK as the site was full of GB caravans on the way down south.
Next day up to Aire at Gravelines, again v.busy.
Excellent last supper at Le Turbot despite Madame being as snotty as ever.
And now home with no nasties in the post and time to reflect on a terrific 66 days.........checking the camera revealed 1860 pics so visitors are pre warned.

Turkey was a revelation and I'm  sure we'll go back even if it's a hotel holiday in Istanbul. We've done 5575 miles and it feels like it but worth every mile and penny.

STOP PRESS...TV APPEARANCE

We are intending to watch the tour de france flash by on Thurs 4 july and expect to be at Chapelle St. Gabrielle. The van will probably be in the campsite but we will be on the road and the peleton  is expected at the  crossroads we are targeting somewhere between 15.04 to 15.09 French time (14.04 to 14.09 BST)
I don't ( so far) have a union jack or a silly costume and I will not be running alongside any cyclists  although Bob may be overcome by all that Lycra and testosterone and any offer of a crossbar may be taken.
I do however have a large blue and white Auto-Trail golfing umbrella and will wave this furiously for all our fans ......so set the video to ITV4 and try to pick us out

Still at leisure

21-26.06.2013

Doing nothing on Lake Garda  except a nice lunch lakeside in Pacengo and a day out on the bus to Verona, about an hour away. Having had a bad experience in Bologna trying to find the right bus stop for the return trip, this was number one priority and managed to waste a fair amount of time on the exercise....but we were not alone as a vast number of people were also having difficulties in locating  correct stop. I ended up with 3 different timetables and the bus arrived at a time that coincided with none. But I get ahead of myself. We have been to Verona before but only a flying visit to the opera some many years ago when we had a lastminute.com  holiday on Garda so a good opportunity to see the city properly. And very nice it is too. Very smart, stylish and a good place to walk around, despite the heat. Place was full of people wearing Beatles t-shirts and it would appear that either a tribute band was on that night in the arena or Paul McCartney was. ...( is he still alive?) . They were doing sound checks and it was awful, so probably Macca himself. So had a good walk, couple of smashing churches, the Duomo and the Basilica well worth the €2.50. Had a snack by the river which looked dangerously fast and high - and then managed to get the bus back. No marks to Verona public transport information dept.
Had a breezy night involving 3am winding in the awning and battening down hatches as a mighty storm  blew up.
Decided we had done Garda and being suitably refreshed would head for France. As we need to get south of Avignon, various routes available but as we have booked a campsite after great difficulty from 1st July hopefully on a road that the Tour de France passes right by...or very close too..and have days to kill, we opted for Milan-Turin-Briancon, over the Col de Montgenevre, stopping overnight in a hotel car park at Cesana Torinese, a few miles short of the French border. The book said ( correctly) that the Italian side of the pass was vastly better than the French , as it had been improved with tunnels. I suspect that this was because it turned out that Cesana & Claviere were  Olympic winter games venues in 2006 and good access was required. Our overnight stop in the hotel car park with all facilities for €10 showed enterprise and it seemed that it did good business in the winter as it was opposite the ski lifts and monorail.So dined outside in glorious  sunshine surrounded by snowcapped mountains and glaciers-until the sun sank behind them and it turned chilly. Next morning, it was 11° in the van, which hasn't dropped below 24° for 7 weeks so bit of a shock to the system. Over the Col and down to Briancon, very picturesque route and a much better road to descend than ascend', with innumerable hairpins. Strangely the descent was much longer than ascent so France must  be lower than Italy. Came upon a nice lake south of Embrun with a choice of campsites so stopped for a couple of nights. Hot in the sun but a chill wind coming off the surrounding Haute Alpes if you don't get behind a shelter.. May only stay one night.

At leisure

19-21.06.2013

After the rigours of touring we decided to have a holiday. Whilst it was a terrific trip, there is no doubt that it was fairly hard going....over 4500 miles already, and at least another 1000 before home...with few real rest days, as there was always somewhere to go or something to do. Last year this tour was 45 days, cut to 40 this year with no fewer locations or visits, and we all agreed that those 5 days of leisure would have been most welcome. So we need a break.
First to Bologna. A fine city, with excellent campsite on outskirts of town serviced by a regular bus to city centre and near roundabout with exceedingly nubile young ladies apparently offering to wash cars or give directions and I suspect that the shortness of clothing was on account of the heat...which was a bit of a problem, being 37°, nearly100.
So sightseeing limited to one morning. Very grand city with lots of colonnades for shade thankfully. Very hot in van at night and sitting outside compromised by biting insects.....take your choice. Very good campsite but pricey @ €29pn.
Next to lake garda. Intended to go to Bella Italia but email from Christine said it was packed & hot, no shade left and they were on football pitch and lots of kids ( they stopping one night on way home). So picked Fossalta as it seemed less likely to be full and it wasn't. V.nice camp on lake but 30 min  walk along beach to any civilisation .  No big deal so here for 5-7 days before heading to Provence and tour de france.

Chaos.....if you think boarding a ferry in Ancona is bad....

17/18.06.2013 - A Greek Tragedy

The drive down to Patras was beautiful - probably better than the Adriatic highway in Croatia as it was not dangerous as well. The campsite at Delphi has to be probably the best site we've ever stayed on, certainly in the top 3, as it has good clean facilities, a very good restaurant, a stunning view available to nearly all pitches and a swimming pool perched on a cliff. Family run by 2 cousins, the father of one having built it in 1965. After our meal on Sunday, we were taught Greek dancing by one of the boys and their whole extended family joined in for a great evening. The tragedy is, that despite all this going for them, bookings this year are 60% down on last year and they don't know what to do. Word of mouth is OK but Delphi is a long way to go for a good campsite so I don't know how they're going to survive which they deserve to as they couldn't try any harder to please.
So we drove down to Patra, wonderful sea bridge in the Millau style over the straights and a crowd of us parked beneath and had lunch at a waterside taverna before heading to the hellhole of the docks. First mistake was letting Malc lead who took us to the north port instead of the south port, 2 miles away, where Minoan lines operate from. When I eventually overtook him in the docks and stopped the now developing convoy from going further north, we turned round and headed south. Finding the port was easy, getting in was difficult, and finding the right parking area, having cleared security, for our yet-to-arrive ship was a lottery. Information zero. No signs, no gates, no personnel, no nothing. 2 other shipping lines had ships unloading and loading with not one person directing anything at any time. Every lorry driver did what he wanted. Our boat arrived at 15.30 and it was chaotic. When the very long line of motorhomes/caravans finally boarded, some were parked facing the front, some the rear and hunt the electric supply began.
Sailed at 18.45, 45 mins late. The situation was made worse when the boat called into Igoumenitas at midnight and a lot more vehicles were loaded in front of us.
The crossing to Italy was as calm as millpond, and arrived Ancona 17.45 Tues, 45 mins late. Weather exceedingly hot.
We had said goodbye to Alan & Pat, tour leaders, at Patra as having given us the tickets and seen us through the dock gates their job was done and they are off to Athens for a holiday. There had been a vote of thanks and speeches at the Delphi dinner as they had done a cracking good job. We got quite friendly with them as we often pitched next to them and shared the odd bottle and we thought they were superb. Very calm and unflappable, good people in a crisis, a great team and a fund of stories from leading over 40 tours around Europe , New Zealand and South Africa.
So when the other 9 units finally disembarked in further chaotic scenes at Ancona, 7 headed for San Marino, where we started and had a final final meal, and 2, including ONBF ( who left very pointedly without saying goodbye to us, and very pointedly invited everybody except us to visit them in their Spanish holiday home) who shot off to Rimini. So 14 of us had a very pleasant meal at the campsite and said our farewells with mass swapping of email addresses etc.
Richard & Monica may well join the trip to Morocco and we all intend meeting in Cambridge for a week in Oct to finalise plans. A good finish.
Notes will be made.

End of tour....another adventure begins

16.06.2013
Guided tour round Delphi. Very hot, no shade . Must be hottest day yet. Fantastic setting, great guide who brought it to life and excellent museum. Afternoon spent in shade/pool and last farewell dinner in evening
Tomorrow we head to Patra , only 75 miles, embarcation at 16.00 so lunch  in Patra as meals on boat are rubbish and expensive. Bit pissed so may elaborate next time....it is father's day after all.

Mt.Olympus to the Oracle via Thermopylae

14/15.06.2013
A straightforward run from Alexandropolis in sunshine again. Stopping for morning coffee at a lay by I discovered a farm stall and succumbed to cherries, oranges, a litre of farm Ouzo and a 2 litre plastic bottle of their own wine, to much derision. A swim in the sea was very pleasant in the afternoon and at evening meeting was asked to give presentation on the battle of Thermopylae, the monument to which we shall pass nearby. When evening drinks chez nous were commenced, the 2 litres of wine disappeared in a flash with criticism that more was not purchased although the Ouzo was universally condemned and may well be causing the loss of sight in one eye. Things got raucous and continued to the restaurant  where we had a splendid meal on the terrace overlooking the sea , followed by port and brandy  chez nous to round off a super day. Things may be getting rowdy which bodes well for the now almost certain Moroccan trip next Feb.
Highway robbery alive and well in Greece as we  were continually mugged at toll booths between Plaka and Delphi. At one point charged 5€ for 1 km of motorway, and first 50 miles cost 21€. Stopped at Thermopylae to take photos of the statue of  Leonidas, the Spartan king who when leading 300 Spartans against 300,000 Persians replied to the demand from Xerxes to " lay down your arms" with "Come  and get them". Fine statue.....if you don't know what I'm on about, it's all in Wikipedia.
The campsite at Delphi is the must stunning location ever encountered....on a terrace in the mountains, high above the town of Itea looking across the valley to the sea with a view to die for. Site is family run and the sons provided a liberal welcome with ouzo and a promise to teach us how to dance Greek style when we have our last and final meal on Sunday before heading to Patra and the ferry back to Italy on monday.

Out of Turkey, back to Greece

13.06.2013
The weather breaks and a miserable run up the Gallipoli peninsular to the Greek border. Worst roads yet. No problem crossing despite having to dodge a lengthy line of lorries waiting to clear 3 Turkish checkpoints (customs,police,vehicle) with only one one lane functioning and a dirt track into Greece where again only one booth was operating. Heard later that Peter and Barbera  passed one Turkish checkpoint where the window was closed and therefore missed getting the requisite stamp and were refused permission to exit the final gate at gunpoint and had to renter Turkey which involved presenting documents at 3 windows and paying €15 in order to be  allowed to then turn round and exit Turkey in the correct manner. Much hilarity as it took them 2 hours but they took it in good humour as its a story to dine out on for years.
Arrived Alexandropolis midday, massive shop at Lidls, walk into town and beer on the prom, then drinks chez nous for friends. Bit of an end of term atmosphere building up even though we still have Delphi ( and my own detour to the pass of Thermopylae and the Spartan's monument) yet to come.

Before we leave.....Troy

I forgot to mention that en  route to Canakkale we passed within 5 kms of the (disputed) site of the ancient city of Troy, complete with trojan horse (reconstruction) and ABA. The guide books do not excite as the ruins are fairly nondescript (see later) but the chance of a photo with a wooden horse and maybe running into Brad Pitt making Troy II persuaded the other four that it would make a good lunch stop and was not an arduous detour...
Malc was leading and missed the sign, Ken dithered and was passed in a flash but I turned off down the very narrow lane. I waited for 10 mins but they didn't appear, not being able to quickly turn round on the dual carriageway, and met ONBF who had been and were retracing their steps back. They said it was worth a visit so we pressed on. After 5 km we suddenly came across a barrier in  the road like an east German checkpoint . Investigation revealed that to proceed further required payment of 30 lira, parking and walking was not an option and turning round would be difficult, so duly paid with bad grace. A mile further on brought us to a dusty hard baked uneven car park full of rubbish and coaches but a little shade under a tree next to Richard & Monica having lunch and waxing lyrical. So we had lunch too, during which the other four turned up muttering about bloody 30 lira ( they are northern)...too hot to walk round ruins....better be worth it etc etc
The ruins....supposedly discovered in 1873 by a German amateur archaeologist, Schliemann, but he got the idea from an Englishman , Calvert who had begun digging and had identified the site from studying the Iliad. At first, Schliemann's work was hailed as the dawning of archaeology but is now considered to be vandalism, and one quote I read says that he singlehandedly managed to accomplish what the Greek failed to do and destroy the city of troy.
He dug a huge trench down across the site, exposing foundations of 9 separate developments from the bronze age to 5bc and looted everything he could lay his hands on. He lied about the treasures but they were smuggled out to Berlin and then looted by the Red Army and are now in the Pushkin museum. His entry in Wikipedia, under criticisms ,   makes interesting reading. Anyway, what is left, after wars, earthquakes and heaven knows how many archaeological campaigns is a vast area of trenches and low stone outcrops that mean very little to the casual observer ....especially ones that have been to Pergamon and Ephesus. The experience is not enhanced by being accosted by a Roman legionnaire (?) offering to let you be similarly attired and photographed in his chariot (sans horse) made of plywood.
The Trojan horse, currently under renovation and therefore closed is a very modern looking construction, spoiled by the staircase emanating from the testicle region by which visitors may enter the body presumably, and made of highly polished mahogany which is unlikely to be have been lying around on the beach or been part of a galley. Its 4 feet are firmly planted in the earth, not on a platform, so how it might have been dragged from beach to town is unclear.
I've wasted enough time on this ......and Brad Pitt wasn't even there.

Back to Europe....

10/11/12.06.2013
Our circumnavigation of Turkey draws to a close as we cross the Dardanelles to the Gallipoli peninsular and so leave Asia and return to Europe. It seems to have passed by in a flash but we have so many wonderful memories that I hope we can return and explore more. Like Croatia last year, this has been a revelation and preconceptions have been blasted out of the water by the reality. The Turks, from our experience, are a truly nice bunch of people, happy, welcoming, polite, helpful, fiercely proud of their country, sometimes child-like in their attitude to foreigners, hard working, willing to sell anything to earn money, resourceful and probably the worst drivers we've ever encountered. The roads are generally awful but will be good in 5 years (probably)
and farming seems inefficient. An endearing trait is the universal acceptance that the hard shoulder present on most roads must be used for any purpose other than the one for which it was intended; Parking on it is the main past-time, followed by: setting up your stall to sell fruit,vegetables,jams,honey and olives, placing your wheelie bins on for dustbin day and then not removing them when emptied, herding your goats ,sheep & cattle along, driving your car along towards oncoming traffic as you use it as a shortcut to work/home, undertaking slower moving traffic and especially at traffic lights ,using it to nip in front of slow off the mark lorries. On the subject of driving, in roadworks where one carriageway is closed and the other is used for both directions with cones separating the two lanes, it is commonplace for impatient drivers to overtake by dodging through the cones like a slalom trusting to Allah to see them safely back through when oncoming traffic appears.
Scooters & mopeds carry impossible loads, 2 adults a child and a baby being quite normal and nobody but nobody wears a crash helmet. We saw a cow on the back of a tiny Suzuki flatbed truck, seemingly nonplussed by the experience as it was whizzed along, its halter being held the woman in the passenger seat, the only means of restraint. Donkeys regularly stand in the middle of the road, gazing into the distance, as tortoises amble slowly across busy carriageways.
Despite very hot temperatures, nothing seems to shut for lunch but are open early and stay open late.
Fuel stations abound and there are more brands than can be counted, all are attended service with obligatory windscreen washing thrown in and even a motorhome will be jet washed for a mere 5 lira ( less than £2) whilst you have a cup of tea, sometimes even that is free.. 3 vans stopped at a roadside cafe in the mountains with a terrace overhanging a stunning view and 5 teas including a refill and a can of iced tea came 10 lira ( under £3.50 ).
Beer , the local brew is Efes @ 5%, costs about 4 lira for a 500ml can or 6-8 lira in a bar for the same size.<
Wine is expensive and I have not bought any but the wines served with our meals have all been highly drinkable. Fresh fruit is abundant by the roadside and good value. Desserts are very sweet and sickly. Ice cream from street vendors has the consistency of bubblegum and is best avoided. The purchase of everything has to be haggled for, and even good quality jewellers don't have price tickets.
A thumbnail sketch.
So, drove to Cannakkale, where a chaotic landing stage is entered after having paid an arbitrary amount ( we paid a straight 50 lira but it ranged from a lucky 28 to a heavy 64) with half a dozen car ferries are lined up going to half a dozen different points on the peninsular and you are given no choice in the matter as you are directed to first one about to depart. They all land within about 10 miles of each other so its no big deal, just charmingly chaotic. Good campsite at Kabatepe on opposite side on the beach which has turtles which can be seen at night.
Next day tour of the Gallipoli beaches, cemeteries and monuments. Very instructive guide. Of course, everything is presented from the Turkish perspective of a great victory and one that cemented the reputation of Kemal Ataturk and the Turkish memorial is by far the most impressive and moving.
The allied memorial is quite low key( undergoing renovation unfortunately) and the cemeteries are standard war grave commission, well maintained and understated. On wed visited new local state of the art museum with simulation rooms offering 3d, imax-type 360 ° surround vision that was quite stunning with simultaneous English translation via headphones, describing all stages of the battle and ending with rousing vision of modern day turkey. We were the only 5 non.Turks.

Heading North......

8/9.06.2013

Round Izmir, 3rd. largest city and the least likely to attract from what we saw of the ring road. More industrialised than any other part of Turkey we have seen....huge port and oil refineries, more poor high rise tenements and the usual manic traffic.
Weather v.hot, 35°. Still travelling with mckj and a bit of an atmosphere developing re ONBF which we are ignoring....they were the ones who changed the arrangements without a word and so we do our own thing now .. stopped at roadside stalls trying to find oranges without luck as we now appear to be in peach country ( and the ubiquitous watermelons which are served at every meal) so bought peaches. Nice campsite, at Bergama, usual challenging showers. Night enlivened by Turkish wedding in garden of site restaurant around swimming pool. All the ladies stood gawping and were eventually invited to join the women.....no alcohol or food, 400+ guests
but trays of very nice Turkish delight

were sent round. Today trip to Pergammon and most interesting tour of remains including cable car to top of mountain to see acropolis..... once was 2nd biggest library i in world next to Alexandria......Cleopatra got jealous and had it burnt down destroying 350,000 scrolls and putting an embargo on papyrus. So they invented parchment from goatskin and invented books and rebuilt the library. Fascinating stuff this.

Back to the seaside.....

6/7.06.2013

Easy drive across to Kusadasi on the coast, a very pleasant coastal resort catering for the massive cruisers calling in to "the gateway to Ephesus " the largest and most impressive of the Roman sites. Great campsite in centre of town opposite the beaches and minutes from centre. Nice dinner on the campsite and wander round town. We are now driving with mckj as a matter of course as we have much more fun with them.......so much so that they have persuaded Bob that we should join them on a trip to Morocco in Feb 2014.  M&C went  on a tour last year, as did Geoff & Sue, and  have described it in glowing terms. I have been suggesting it for 5 years, since we are almost there in Spain each year, but Malc has offered to lead us and Ken&Jackie so we are making arrangements to meet in Algeciras round mid-feb and head for Marrakech. Now that will be fun.
Tour to the remains at Ephesus did not disappoint, very spectacular, even ABA. Nice buffet lunch, then the basilica of St. John, not the baptist, the gospel writer and his tomb and , I kid you not, the house of the Virgin Mary., both of whom lived here, along with Paul who went everywhere it seems, and Alex the Great who conquered, and lived in, every inch of Turkey. As our guide said, Turkey is one vast open air museum and in this area you're never more than 20 miles from the ruins of an ancient city......over 100 discovered so far and many more waiting.
Kusadasi very classy town, could be anywhere in Europe except for the hassle of traders.

How much fun can we have......?

05.06.2013
And lo! The people of Pamukkale were exceedingly strapped for shekels, and said to the Lord "Lord, how shall we become rich ? " and the Lord said "Oh people of Pamukkale, you have Roman ruins and ABA  (Another Bloody Amphitheatre) on the top of the hill, and a thermal spring so charge 5 lira to look at them and 6 lira to bathe in the waters." and the people of Pamukkale heeded the Lord's advice but pickings were slim and fortunes were not forthcoming. So the people of Pamukkale cried to the Lord "Help us, Oh Lord, we need a gimmick" and the Lord spake thus to the people of Pamukkale - "Divert the exceedingly warm spring water (36°c) over the cliffs where it will form travertines, disgorging calciferous water at the rate of 260 litres per second, forming wondrous pools, turning the rocks white and then charge people 20 lira to walk up them in their bare feet  and bathe in the pools which will take 10 years off their age " And the people of Pamukkale heeded the Lord and are now laughing all the way to the bank as the crowds pour in. I jest, of course,  egged on by an original idea of Ken's, as  it was the greatest fun we've  had in years and is an astonishing experience. We climbed, barefoot , up a mountainside running with water, astonishingly steep but incredibly easy to ascend. It is very difficult to describe, a naturally occurring phenomena, unique and a world heritage site. We paddled in the pools and climbed the cliffs. We then did the extensive ruins and ABA ("the best in the Orient") before walking back down the travertine...our campsite is opposite the entrance and has an uninterrupted view of the travertine hillside. We walked round the village and were accosted by the usual gamut of shopkeepers, carpet sellers and restaurants offering ever increasing deals and discounts. I then made the mistake of suggesting we take advantage and eat out for dinner and before I knew it I was organising dinner for 16. I have never negotiated a price for a meal before sitting down but I got a set meal at 27.50 lira for 25 lira and included 6 beers, 4bottles wine(35 lira each on the menu) and 3 1.5 ltres of water and it was a jolly good meal and everybody had lots of fun and it was very noisy with a great view.

Heading north.......

04.06.2013

Great scenic drive, first along the coast and then inland over mountains to Pamukkale, near Denizli. Great campsite directly opposite the travertines..(this weeks quiz question. Answers on  a postcard ). Group dynamics getting confusing; travelled with mckj as oxbf went off on their own but came round for drinks tonight after meal in camp restaurant to apologise for not having mentioned it and asked if we would join them on exploration of travertines tomorrow but we have already arranged to join mckj at a different time so had several glasses talking pish.
Today's highlights included the 3 legged donkey in the middle of the road that refused to move; the lovely wild flowers on the verges, a riot of colour ; miles of poppy fields; the horrendous roads ; the cafe where we stopped for tea at 11.00 with a pen full of ostriches out back;the magnificent flock of angora goats being driven down the road towards us; the dozens of beautiful young ladies from the local university arriving to be photographed at the travertines with their escorts before going on to the end of term party......and yes, that is true because I asked them. And for those too lazy to look up travertine, I will be going on at length tomorrow after I have immersed myself in the history thereof. You have been warned.

What a wonderful day......

03.06.2013

It started well and my chirpyness as we breakfasted 'neath a brilliant blue sky was commented on several times. Now, this is usually a harbinger of doom and things can only get worse but today was an exception.....
Initially, today's itinerary had not filled me with  great expectations, not sounding too exciting on paper and culminating in a boat excursion from which swimming would be optional....a bit of a challenge for a person of the non-swimming persuasion but who has always hankered after diving off the back of a boat in some inaccessible bay in the Mediterranean. So I packed my bathers whilst Bob refused to on the basis of modesty when confronted with having to change under a towel .........
Also, our route meant retracing our steps 38km back to Demre over the tortuous coastal route traversed yesterday. Much groaning from the drivers. However, we had a new Turkish guide who was interesting and the time to Demre just flew by. From there we went to Myra, an ancient city site from 5th.c BC with the best preserved amphitheatre in. ...........and tombs carved into the rock hillside which was all very spectacular. Then to the church and tomb of St. Nicholas, he of Ho,Ho,Ho and Rudolph fame although there was no sign of any stables for reindeer at all. Original church from 1AD, only restored a few times ( latterly by the Russians who virtually pilgrimmage to this place, St.Nick being a big noise over there.) but wonderful old frescoes and paintings. Then to lunch. We had assumed that this would be on the nearby harbour, but no, we went over the mountains to Kekova, a tiny village which now makes a fortune from boat trips to the outlying islands. The road is narrow, twisty, sometimes vertical and we were in the hands of a Turkish minibus driver........this is the equivalent of British White Van Man. Every other vehicle in Turkey is a minibus (Mercedes of course) and minibus driving is probably the largest employment source in the country. But every driver is an Ayrton Senna with the red mist so a trip over the mountains is grist to his mill.I went to sleep, and woke up in a delightful if somewhat contrived 'authentic' fishing village with about 100+ pleasure cruisers moored on the pontoons.. We had  a superb  buffet lunch on the quayside then a cruise around the islands to see ruins and tombs and then dropped anchor in a secluded cove for swimming. I've always wanted to do it so I got changed and jumped off the back. Only 2 others took the plunge, but my inability in the swimming department was greatly anticipated. The boat, fortunately , carried a stock of those long polystyrene things that children learn to swim with, so grabbing one with both hands I leapt from the plank at the rear and have never had so much fun in my life. The water was deep , clear  and warm and afterwards nearly everybody said that after seeing me, they wished they'd done it. So pish on them, I had a great day.

Ruins.....

02.06 2013
Today's drive to Kas was fairly long at 180 miles but took us past many sites of Roman ruins and some people decided to start off at 07.00 in order to stop off at a couple. ONBF  and R&M were in this camp whereas we thought 08.00  was probably far too early. So they decided to go off together......no surprise there then.
However, when I surfaced at 07.30 and walked out to get fresh bread, R&M were just leaving and ONBF were still messing around, so I wandered over to discover that they had another flat tyre and were changing the wheel. So  I helped, and stayed until they were OK. They insisted their plans were now changed and that finding a puncture repair shop was a priority , understandably , so we left them to it.
Headed first to Aspendos, a rather magnificent  site on the way to Antalya with the best preserved amphitheatre in Asia.(aren't they all ?) It is impressive, and they were setting up for a performance of Aida tonight which must have been fantastic. We ran into R&M who were concerned about ONBF ......but not concerned enough to stay and help, obviously. My tongue was bitten.
Then followed an exceedingly hard drive. I had planned to stop off at least one other site but the traverse of Antalya was delayed by what we thought must be the aftermath of a riot, many of which are sweeping Turkey this week and then a tortuous coastal road through mountains that lasted for ever
but was quite spectacular. The campsite was across the road from its own private beach with all facilities and we had time for a swim followed by a jolly good group meal on a terrace hanging over the beach.
Both suffering from biting things last night.

The Other Side of Turkey

01.06.2013
So here we are near Manavgat on the Mediterranean.
The camp is basic but on the beach.....and next to a brand new monolithic hotel of chrome  and glass that only opened 4 days ago. It is stunning and we are separated by an impassable ditch. They gaze down on us ,enviously , from their penthouse balconies. Anyone lying on the beach massage tables looks directly into our chemical waste facility which is more basic than most......I never had any illusions regarding the sanitary facilities at Turkish campsites and have not been unduly surprised . We can be self contained if necessary and last night showered chez nous again.We can always rely on Malc to find water and hosepipies to replenish supplies and have plenty of purification tabs. The worst problem is electricity ....hook up points are scarce and we always need splitters and whilst amperage seems OK , voltage invariably drops which means fridges either hardly work or switch to gas. Having refillable LPG tanks is a godsend as every fuel station sells LPG and some ONLY sell LPG so I don't have a problem but those with fixed systems get twitchy about how much more gas they are using than they had anticipated.....and in this heat, large absorption fridges use a lot of gas.
Group dynamics are changing.........ONBF are not any longer. We still travel together but only because Their New Best Friends, Richard & Monica leave very early to beat the worst heat of the day as they don't have an  aircon  cab. Monica is nice but Richard maybe the most boring man alive with a wealth of farming statistics to hand which he shares liberally. Anyway, they have all become very pally and sit together whilst we always seek out Ken/Jackie/Malc/Christine... or kjmc who are much more fun and don't have 3 dry days a week.. so a group of 8, us kjmc and pat & Alan (our leaders) appear to be the noisy drinking group who are now congregating regularly....
Today was a free day and we are close to Side, which is big in the Roman ruins department and all 20 wanted to go visit. There are 2 caravans so the 2 cars would take 4 people - Bryan & Gill only talk to Bob & Maggie so thats one car, and Sue & Geoff avoided our gaze and Richard muttered that they had a lift.....point taken. So the remaining 12 hired a minibus at 180 lira to take us in at 09.00. There was then a heated debate about a return time and in the end it was agreed that we would get taxis ourselves in groups of 4 at estimated 80-100 lira a car. However, this morning when the minibus dropped us at the town centre he offered to take us all back at 14.00 for 120 lira.... As this was 20 lira a couple rather than 40-50 lira , group pressure was brought to bear to take the offer.
Side is two places. Fantastically preserved amphitheatre and ruins surrounded by All Day English Breakfasts , Champions League Sky Football
and wall to wall tourist crap and hustlers. Great beaches with obligatory 10,000 sun loungers and monster hotels. So different from the Turkey we have seen. Hope this  is not a foretaste of the second half.

From Coast to Coast

31.05.2013
Left Sultanhani at the crack of dawn or 07.45 heading for the Mediterranean, across the Taurus mountains. Great drive after leaving the dusty plains at Konya. This is downtown Turkey that the majority of tourists who stay at the beach resorts never see. The roads are really rubbish and pothole dodging is not amusing. There are great improvements being made by dualling nearly all the roads we have travelled but it is a work in progress and could be good one day. Unfortunately it seems that the quality of build is sub-standard and by the time one carriageway is upgraded, the other has deteriorated again. Some ruts are lethal, and the number of breakdowns at the roadside is enormous. In addition to this, thou have to watch for shepherds deciding to graze the flock on the other verge without warning, (but they always wave as we pass......and are now riding donkeys instead of walking), tortoises risking life and limb to get to the other side, and the odd car taking a shortcut home down the hard shoulder towards you.
Speed limits are universally ignored despite a highly visible police presence with radar guns. Motorhomes are rare here and people stop and stare as we pass and usually wave happily at us. But the tough side of life is the sight of (mainly) women bent double hoeing the weeds under a blistering sun in the hard baked, rocky and dusty soil. There is lots of agriculture on the plains (and we know they are self sufficient) but it seems mightily inefficient even to me who knows little. And how they can work, covered from head to toe in that heat I don't know. Sailing past in air conditioned comfort makes us realise how fortunate we are and blessings are counted.

The Silk Road.......next stop Samarkand

30.05.2013
Leaving Goreme for a short leg to Sultanhani for one night. Most people required revictualling and we will not be passing much in the way of civilisation for a couple of days so first stop was the Kipa hypermarket at Nevsehhir (apparently a  Tesco  operation). As these don't appear to open until 10.00  (now confirmed) a small convoy decamped at 09.30 and by following the leader managed to miss the entrance and cause chaos by performing a mass u-turn across the dual carriageway. This was then exacerbated by Ken& Malc heading down a slip road to the underground carpark before realising there was no way out and max. height was 2.5mts......eventually we all parked in a service road
and left Pat on guard duty whilst we attempted, yet again, to find the supermarket in a shopping mall.
The big problem though was the discovery that they didn't sell alcohol.....although Bob asking for pork chops on the butchery counter nearly started another religious war....oops. To find beer, we had to traipse round to the back of the mall where it felt like dirty old men in macs buying porn trying to get beer. (Note local brew is Efes @ 5%   and costs 4 lira per 500ml can or about £3 a litre which is quite expensive but there is no competition. )
So , on the (definitely in need of repair) road across the plains , hot & dusty, passing camps of nomads-black tents are Kurds, white or blue are Romani and the ever present shepherd with his flock. Saw  our first Caravanserai, the Silk Roads equivalent of a motorway services for camel trains and stopping, found that it had been restored and was now used as a feeding station for modern travellers. Built in 1230, these places were safe places to  feed,water and bed the camel trains and were a days camel walk apart ( 35km I am informed). Some charged, others were free, provided by rulers who saw the benefits of trading routes passing through their lands. So we had 2 glasses of tea for about 80p and reclined on cushions in the cool of the great stone arched roof.
Our nights destination, the campsite at Sultanhani, itself an oasis from the dust of Cappodacia was in an orchard and very pleasant. We walked into the very dismal,dusty,town with a group to find the Caravanserai , which is supposedly the largest & best preserved, and symbolically marks the start of the Silk Road as routes from the coasts to the north, south and west converged here to begin the 4000 mile trek to Samarkand where an identical building marked the end. It was built by Sultan Hani, was free to use and had, within its massive walls, a summer courtyard, winter covered quarters and a small mosque.. outside the town is grim, little to be had from the handful of coaches who pass through for a brief visit as there's  nothing else to offer.....not even a bar serving alcohol so a cold beer's out of the question. In the evening we joined Ken/Jackie/Malc/
Christine/Alan & Pat for a meal cooked by the site owners wife. Very Turkish and a very pleasant evening.......note: carpet shops abound and even the site owner tries to sell  some by spreading them all over grass. We passed shops of people stitching rugs and sewing carpets but as soon as you look at one you are besieged by the family trying to get you into the shop....too much hard sell, need to back off, everyone agrees.

UNDERGROUND CITIES

29.05.2013
A day of leisure (at last) with no planned movement or excursion.
Since we had to cut short Monday's trip, we hired a taxi and went to Kaymakli on our own to see the underground city about which all the others had waxed lyrical. It is very hard to describe this phenomenon as it sheer size defies belief. The cities were mentioned as long ago as 400 BC and are like an ant colony carved from rock . There are over 100 tunnels here going down 7 levels but not in a way you can follow. Some levels are only accessible from 2 or 3 levels higher or even from levels lower. There are churches, wineries, food stores, stables, wells,   ventilation shafts and living quartets. Passages can be sealed with huge millstones that roll across in a groove. Some tunnels are too small to stand up in, others are enormous. They were apparently finally abandoned as bolt holes after the ending of oppression on Christian communities, about 1600 years ago. Fascinating.
Returning to camp we took a walk to a nearby rock church 8th century and unrestored according to the guardian who showed us around and then insisted that we share a pot of tea with him. Fresco's on the walls & ceilings, tortuous staircases & tunnels carved in the rock and the best millstone bolt stones we have seen.
Back at the ranch, we had a street party dinner down the road with everybody bringing their own thing, followed by boules which was finally floodlit .

The Balloons of Cappodocia

28.05.2013
One the selling points for this trip was the chance to go on an early morning balloon flight across the hills so despite not feeling 100%, Bob booked me on one along with ONBF & Richard & Monica. All the others seem to have been put off by reports of 2 fatalities last week when one balloon came down on top of another, but in fact the safety record is quite impressive. There are 21 companies doing commercial flights with 194 balloons; of those, 140 are used regularly and the others used for training by the organisation we booked with who are the training authority & licence all the pilots; it takes at least 2 years, many hours , and $65 000 to gain a commercial licence; this was the second accident in 25 years.
So 04.40 this morning , in the dark we waited for buses to take us first to the HQ for tea & croissants and then to the launch pad. There were 96 flight plans filed for today, equating to at least 1500 clients! It could have been chaos, with probably 96 nationalities but these Turkish boys know a thing or two about a mass balloon launch, and I thought they were great. As the dawn crept over the hills, balloons started rising from behind every hillock until everywhere you looked the sky was full. The weather had been cloudy but as the sun rose the clouds gradually  melted into a perfect day. It was like a giant has waved a bubble thingy across the sky. The flight took us over this amazing sandstone landscape carved by millions of years of wind,rain and ice into a fantastic spectacle and the pilots took the balloons into valleys, up ridges and then high up to view land as far as we could see. All too soon we landed, perfectly, with hardly a bump, and suddenly the ground was filled with Landrovers & trailers appearing from tracks & gullies trying to get as close to each landing as possible so as not to inconvenience us by having to walk too far. Champagne & cakes, an opportunity to buy glossy photos taken  at the launch and a memory stick recording of the flight taken by the pilot on a remote controlled camera and downloaded as we supped our drinks. Great organisation giving a superb experience.
It seemed weird to be back at camp at only 08.00, but many had got up at 6 to watch.
At 10.00 we had a guided walk from the site through something called the Red Rose valley, 3.5miles according to Joan's pedometer. This was mainly downhill, getting close to the houses and churches carved into the limestone, stopping at 2 makeshift  bars for freshly squeezed orange juice ( available at every street corner in Turkey so far and great value.....this was a bit pricier as everything had to carried up the tracks) tea & apple tea .  When we reached civilisation  there was a nice restaurant waiting for lunch and then a coach back to camp.

The Sultan's Revenge

27.05.2013
Up at 6am to watch around 100 hot air balloons taking to the air from the valley floor...a truly amazing sight. However I had to beat a hasty retreat when the dreaded Gippy tummy bug struck. I manfully joined the coach for a visit to the outdoor museum but had to retreat and after being sick spent the day on the bed. I am not alone so a restaurant in the last couple of days may be to blame.

On to Ccentral Turkey

26.05.2013
A cracking drive through great scenery only spoilt by some awful roads to Nevesehir ( Newcity, but most of them seem to be) As we drove across the Anatolian plains there was little sign of human habitation, but what there was appeared to have been recently built.
A furious debate had erupted the night before, isolating the 2 Garmins which appear to be on a different planet. However, the smug tomtoms discovered there be dragons on their routes and they refused to follow the route recommended by our guides for the last 30km. Normally everybody treats this as a challenge for embellishing tales of derring-do and no harm is done, but dire warnings were issued not to approach our camp from east as it involved an incredibly steep cobbled road with a series of hairpins used by coaches that took no prisoners. 'Nuff said. All the satnavs however thought we must be a bunch of woosses and were determined to have us up this mountainside. Sanity prevailed as the women forbade anyone to attempt it, and Alan & Pat looked relieved at the group pledge to follow his notes. Most satnavs were switched off with 35km to go as we all got sick of ever more strident instructions to head off into outback.
We all arrived safe & sound to a site on the top of the hills with superb views across the weird lunar landscape of Cappodocia and the Goreme Valley and National Park. The rocks are very soft sandstone, sculpted by high winds,rain & snow into huge conical formations that people have tunnelled into, carving great underground cities many levels deep.
However, last nights fun was the arrival of a French tour and a German tour at the same time with only space for one group we all congregated under Ken's awning to watch the cabaret which lasted a good 45 mins and ended with the French abandoning their vans in the roadways and going off to the camp bar.
This meant nothing moved and the Germans with ill grace had to settle  for also camping in roadways, so close to each other they   would not have been allowed in the UK.  The problem is a lack of sites (the Turks do not camp or travel in motorhomes) and the growth of tours like we are on......and talking to a charming French lady later, their route is almost identical to ours.

Ankara....wow!

25.05.2013
Whilst Ankara existed long before the Turks settled in Turkey..... Alexander captured it on his way through....by the time Attaturk chose it as his centre of operations for the wars to depose the sultans and then fight the war of independence against the Greeks, it was a very run down affair with mud streets, called Angora. After his successes, he eschewed Istanbul with all its connections to the Byzantines and the Ottomans and moved the capital to the newly named Ankara in 1923. . There is a very small old town and ancient fortifications with stunning views around but the city is fantastic and deserved more than the day we spent there. We started at the Attaturk mausoleum which has to be one of the most imposing ones of its type. Simple but magnificent and we saw many wreath laying ceremonies by both small any large groups.....many children....the museum dedicated to his life and achievements was awe inspiring and the galleries depicting WW1 and esp. Gallipoli were tremendous. Top spot. A couple of museums......wonderful roman tablets & friezes -....nice lunch apart from the absence of alcohol to drink,
it being Muslim....mooch about the city centre and then to the largest shopping mall we've ever seen. There was a supermarket in there but it took 20 mins to find it and panic had set in as we only had 40 mins.  Everybody desperate to stock up on beer as supplies running dangerously low... This place was
enormous and packed on 4 floors.
Turkey has a young population....50% under 25 and average age 28. Its also self sufficient , growing and supplying all it needs. It also has the oil & gas pipelines from Russia, Georgia, Iran & Iraq as it is considered a stable regime. I'm very impressed with turkey. Ankara is a stunningly vibrant city, reminding us both of Tokyo looking exceedingly prosperous.

Turkey 6 - Constantinople 3

23.05.2013
A cracking day but very tiring. Spent the morning at the Topkapi palace which was a great experience  but marred by the crowds. These places are in grave danger of being overwhelmed by the sheer weight of numbers and of course we are part of that problem so its no use getting all holier than thou. The Alhambra in Granada has a ticketing system, controlling the numbers by booking  time slots and that seems to work so may be the way to go. Had a forgettable lunch at a Best Western hotel overlooking the Bosphorous, then the highlight was the Blue Mosque which doesn't need me to say how  beautiful  it is. Go see. Next on the list was the basilica cistern, a massive underground chamber built to store water for the city by the Romans, followed by the Grand Bazaar which I think is just an enormous tourist trap. It IS enormous and you can probably find anything you could imagine in it but it is mostly full of things you don't want.....
From there back to the campsite, 2 hours away. Traffic horrendous and if we get through Istanbul unscathed it will be a miracle......
I haven't mentioned the couple we came across on the campsite at Edirne, Mark Millward & Claire Rugman  who are cycling from Bristol to New Zealand. They have a website www.grandbiketour.co.uk  so follow their progress. They have chucked the rat race and are taking 2 years to have an adventure and are really nice people. We left them heading for Istanbul then onto Georgia to avoid Armenia , Iran, Iraq & Syria which doesn't sound like much of a choice to me. Wish them luck and follow their progress.
24.05.2013
The long haul day...330 miles to Ankara. Left at 07.00, although several others left at 06.00 in a vain attempt to avoid heavy early morning rush hour traffic. I suspect Istanbul is always manic and hitting the main ring roads at 08.00 was no better or worse than 07.00 or 09.00. Our electronic toll transponders seem to work OK . the traffic police were everywhere and have the most amazing collection of unmarked vehicles......revealed when they turned on the red/blue lights to chase offenders ......we reckon it was like refs at a scrum-blow your whistle every time because someone would be committing an offence, and if not now, they would next time. The best ones were unmarked motorbikes that looked like off-roaders but had the red/blue lights in the rear topbox.
The route to Ankara was straightforward, mostly unremarkable but with some good scenic bits. We again travelled with ONBF  and had a pleasant lunch at a service station bigger than your average Tesco superstore. Had minor problem finding the campsite as the TomTom let me down for once or they've   recently moved the airport . ONBF followed the supplied route notes and we didn't , ending up in the back streets of Ankara and taking  a  horrendous effort to get sorted....we were not alone however as most people had an amusing tale to tell......
The campsite is basically awful , being a piece of waste ground ringed by a security fence and belonging too and adjacent too, a 5 star hotel, who's facilities we can use. Imagine 5 star hotel reception lobby with wedding guests and conference delegates into which wander bedraggled campers in t-shirts, shorts and sandals with towels over the shoulder looking for the showers. The campsite has one water point which is next to the pit for emptying chemical toilets and has 2 electric sockets for 10 units......
The showers are in the basement and basically designed for guests using the sauna or swimming pools.......weird or what.
To top it all we had a meal there in the evening which was a help yourself buffet which was OK.
Weather v.hot .  Ankara is enormous and since it mainly stems from 1923, very modern.  Built on a series of hills and valleys, the approach is stunning as it seems to go on forever.

Turkey 5 - Constantinople 2

22.05.2013
A day to explore by ourselves. Eschewing offers to go with others we decided we would rather move at our own speed and as Tacsim Square is described as the central hub of modern Istanbul, it seemed a good place to start. Having cracked the tram system, we rode to Kabatas and then took the extremely modern funicular to Tacsim. The focal point is the monument to Kemal Attaturk...and you really have to visit Turkey to experience the reverence with which he is held.
We had tea at the most expensive place, paying 10tl instead of the usual 2.50 tl..........I am astonished that tea is the preferred drink rather than coffee, and served without milk in thistle shaped glasses it is quite delicious and refreshing. Turkish coffee is a bit of an acquired taste and actually twice as expensive as tea. We then just wandered. Headed down the main street towards the golden horn, diving off down side streets as the mood took us. This is where east meets west - the main street could be anywhere in Europe(almost) but go 20 yards off and its a different world. And anything that can be traded is sold on the streets with some looking like giant car boot sales .  There's little pressure to buy, generally just a polite invitation to view the wares on offer or to step inside a shop. ... everywhere people just trying to earn a living anyway they can .
Nice lunch close to the Galata tower which we ascended afterwards for a fantastic panoramic view of the city and then meandering through the streets down to and across the golden horn.
I will gloss over the evenings entertainment at the folklore show and dinner. A Dervish can only do so much whirling , the belly dancers probably double up as lap dancers and as John Cleese said ' will someone's shut that bloody bouzouki player up'

Turkey 4...Constantinople 1

21.05 .2013
Up at the crack of dawn as our coach into the city-where we shall stay in hotel for 2 nights -  leaves at 07.15 . We wondered why were leaving so early to rendezvous with guide at 09.15 when we were only  travelling 48 km but we hadn't experienced the Istanbul traffic nightmare. Turkish population is 75m of whom 15m live in the city (which is not even the capital) with 3m cars, all of whom appear to be the streets at 08.00. Actually, they seem to be on the streets until midnight and might well be around later than that for all I know. Our bus driver , Nazeem, who also drove us around Edirne, is superb if not terrifying and was very unlucky to try using the hard shoulder ( like many others) to get to  an exit from one carriageway only to round a bend into the waiting arms of the traffic police who were everywhere. Discussing the matter at lunch it seemed that there was a lot of sympathy for the guy and after I found out from the guide that they had relieved him of 77 TL ( about £30) it was suggested that 1 organise a whip round so we put in 7tl a unit and gave him 70 tl  for which he was extremely grateful.
Istanbul  is a great city. We visited the  Dolmabahce Palace,  the Spice Bazaar, the main Post Office in search (eventually successfull) of the elusive motorway toll stickers ( of which more later) and the Hagia Sophia. We cruised the Bosphorous for an hour which is just as congested as the roads with hundreds of ferries and pleasure steamers trying to avoid Russian oil tankers coming from the Black Sea.
Had a cracking lunch at a fish restaurant, crossed the Golden Horn by the Galata bridge and followed the old city walls which are only second to the great wall of China. Everything lives up to expectations in size and magnificence. Reached our hotel - very central, in university district-  at 18.15,  and after a shower and freshen up set off at 20.00 to explore at night with ONBF plus Richard & Monica. Cracked the tram system(3 tl a journey by buying a jeton to get through the turnstiles. nb £1 = 2.65 tl). Went down to the golden horn and walked along the waterfront and then walked back up to Sultanahmet square to see the Blue Mosque illuminated. Crowds everywhere and bars and many shops still open at midnight when we finally got the tram back to the hotel- only 3 stops. Great city for walking; never felt threatened;  locals only too happy to help with directions and information and there is a real buzz about the place. Today we do our own thing and meet for dinner and the inevitable belly dancing show tonight.

Turkey 3......its hard to be original all the time

20.05.2013

On the road to Constantinople on the scenic route which wasn't but which was patrolled by numerous traffic police monitoring ridiculous speed limits which dropped from 110 to 70 to 50 on  a dual carriageway at each minor junction, the 50 kph lasting for maybe 200 yards. We had the pleasure of a police car for some 10 miles who were obviously debating the options of a Mexican shakedown before deciding we weren't worth the bother and taking off with a salute and a cheery wave. We pulled off at various fuel stations in search of the elusive motorway toll transponder always to be assured that it was available the next Shell station....   its like Portugal - everybody should have one but nobody knows where to get one and we will need one on the long haul to Ankara.....which my ever faithful TomTom informs me is an area of limited mapping and there may be dragons......so much for modern  technology.
Tallking of which I upset ONBF again by ignoring the daily route recommendation (whereas they didn't )  and following the TomTom arrived at our campsite 30 mins before them after having turned off the suggested route with only 12 km to go....  albeit having to traverse 6 km of something that could never be described as a road. However they were not amused but who wants to follow step by step instructions slavishly ? It turned out that 3 of us followed our satnavs and found the shorter, quicker route , much to the despair of team leader who provides these routes and feels let down when people ignore them.......
So .....  close to Istanbul. A lovely rural site with bullfrogs in the pond making a racket like a pack of hounds and we are by bus in the morning for 3 days of sightseeing in temps of 30+.

Turkey 2

19.05.2013

A very pleasant evening when we had our first invitation to join Malc & Christine, Ken & Jacky for drinks......these 4 are joined at the hip and are pure Yorkshire and met on a trip to Greece last year....there has been no evening socialising at all so far, apart from this foursome who do everything together. The problem is that we have a group meeting at 6 pm to plan following day,  which interferes with sundowners and food preparation so everybody goes back to eat at 6.30 and then don't reappear. Anyway, last night, it now being so warm, (34 in the van) everybody was sitting out and they called over for us to join them with the expected overflowing of alcohol.
It must have been good as there was some deliberate shutting of windows around us at 10.30 (incl ONBF) so we were obviously being  a bit raucous.
This isn't to say that the group hasn't gelled because it has. There are 16 of us plus Alan & Pat, our guides and Bob & Maggie, their understudies who might take over next year but who have the least personality of any in the group and are basically ignored by one and all. The rest  get on very well and are a very interesting and extremely well travelled lot - I doubt there's a country in the world that someone hasn't visited ( we feel very amateurish by comparison). But whilst everybody takes wine it is generally  in moderation as we may have to drive the next day.
So we are camped outside Erdine (the only campsite)
run by a brute of a women who only speaks Turkish & German and yells at any infringement of her unwritten rules.....our coach driver for today drove into the distinctly scruffy and iffy campsite ( which is not much more than a field) without apparently
reporting to her first and another Balkan war erupted putting all previous ones to shame.
So today (a national holiday commemorating Attaturk starting the war of independence against Greece) we visited the monument to the siege of Erdine in one of the Balkan wars against Bulgaria which documented the atrocities committed by said Bulgars  and probably ensures that the many school /children  being taken there also grow up hating the Bulgarians . Then to the Selimye Mosque, very big and beautiful (6000 regularly pray there) and the first mosque we have entered in a Muslim country. We had lunch by the river, very Turkish, very good and then to a museum of a hospital school  that was founded in 1484.. v. interesting. Weather v.hot and very interesting thunderstorm late afternoon with hailstones like golf balls for all of 10 minutes.
Tomorrow off to Constantinople.

Turkish Delight.......it was going to be said sometime

17.05.2013

An early start for a short journey but everyone paranoid re entering Turkey, having right paperwork, getting visa etc. In the event it was hard to figure out what all the fuss was about. Road from Alexandroupolis was crap of the nth degree but toll free only capped by the first Turkish road which was cobbled for 8 miles. Filled up with diesel en  route and took opportunity to top up with LPG causing consternation as they couldn't believe I had a hybrid engine running both diesel & LPG and therefore had to show them what was required.
Border crossing was simple enough although a bit tortuous as the customs wouldn't look at you until you had been to the police window ( next one along and the same person)  and bought the visa (€15 each) ...and why in € when the currency is lira ?....smacks of fistful of €'s across the border in the morning..until eventually we had the the right stamps in the right places and were on our way.
Had to cross the centre of Erdine with notes from our leader but TomTom had better ideas and we found the campsite without problem. Others ( such as ONBF stuck to the notes (and their Garmin)  religiously and we last saw them heading into downtown  Erdine as the roads got smaller & smaller.
They eventually arrived an hour behind us having had to travel  another 30 miles to extricate themselves from the city centre.....not sure they are still ONBF  but I am spending more & more time with Malc & Ken who can't help being northern but can produce alcohol out of the ether and who appear to have limitless supplies.
Weather now v.v.hot. ....it's 8pm and temp in van is 34. so everybody outside chatting and drinking.......
(and being bitten by things  they'd rather not think about)
Campsite is basic but acceptable...a field outside Edirne with low voltage electrics and hot water.. and apart from us there is a group of 6 Italian vans  and another of  12 German vans so traveling in groups very much the norm.
Nb an impromptu boules session saw the men regain their honour by winning 2-0

At leisure

17.05.2013

Walked into town last night along the beach and promenade. Very bustling with wall to pavement cafes and restaurants. Today was cleaning and tidying, then a stroll into the town again for coffee and a beer. Economy might be bust but the bars are full of Greeks and a smallish glass of beer costs €4 which I think is expensive. Beach is scrubby and nothing here makes us think that we would return even though seafront is reasonably attractive. Weather hot & sultry in the high 20's and forecast to get hotter.
Tomorrow the trip really begins as we head into Turkey and negotiate the border crossing near Edirne which may or may not be fun. We are well stocked with bottled water, food and drink and the water tanks are full as campsite showers may well be avoided for the next 30 days ( along with the toilets).
We are  camped next to a guy called Mark who has ridden  a motorbike from England za and is on his way to India via anywhere ending in -stan. The bike is a Husqvana  trail bike specially modified with paniers and oversize fuel tank and extra-all-terrain tyres. He came down through Albania which sounds like an experience for the young and adventurous and is extremely laid back about the perils ahead after Turkey. Good luck, Mark, I hope you make it safely.

It's all greek to me.....

16.05.2013

Part of being in a group is discovering like minded fellow travellers, so it will come as no surprise that I have linked up with Malc and Ken who can't pass a bar without stopping and who have well stocked cellars on board. Their wives, Christine and Jacky, are also like minded, so we had a nice walk along the beach (stony but nice views) visiting the numerous emporiums whose sole purpose is purveying strong drink.........so we are now best buddies.
I am not intending to ditch ONBF as the car will prove very useful, and whilst they are entertaining, they try to have 3 non-drinking days a week (with varying success, it has to be said). Whilst laudable in itself, it does get in the way of jollity as I discovered when we all had a meal in the restaurant on wed. night together.u
with Richard & Monica. (Bob having taken to her bed, after I had fed her I decided to accept the invitation to dine with the others as life is to short.....)
The campsite restaurant setting was to die for....a terrace perched over the beach, all flowers, blue tiles and canopies looking over the Aegean. All Shirley Valentine. Had a cracking meal but whilst I thought I was being abstemious with a half litre of red the other 4 had a small beer each..........very odd.
Thurs morning and Bob back in the land of the living thank goodness albeit now coughing. Left Plaka at 8.30 with ONBF ( we travel in 2's for company, assistance and arguing over the route and my TomTom is invariably correct and superior to a Garmin). Longish drive 260 miles but at Alexandropolis Municipal camping by 13.30 after part interesting, part boring journey.....nb few if any services, even on  toll roads so have to divert off for fuel and rest breaks which then becomes a lottery as to whether you can get back on motorway as it's not always guaranteed.

Home of the Gods

15.05.2013
The joy of being best friends with caravanners is that they have a car to transport you to the supermarket which saves time as you don't have to stop in route.
So we popped into town to stock up on essentials such as ouzo and found a very drinkable CDR Villages at a mere €2.99 in Lidl.
Easy drive to Plaka which is close Mt. Olympus but no sign of any gods let alone Zeus. May to sacrifice a virgin or two as Bob feeling distinctly under the weather and has now taken to her bed. Is it serious ? Its in the lap of the gods.

All's well.....

14.05.2013
Puncture repair only took half hour but they got lost trying to remember where they'd left us......
On the road  and arrived KASTRAKI BY 13.00.
Fairly spectacular drive into mountains with lots of hairpins. Weather not good but cracking group meal in restaurant. Fairly refrained drinkers and ONBF not quite of the usual standard.
Trip by coach to monasteries perched high on mountain crags very interesting. 7 of us elected to walk back to campsite as weather stunning, views magnificent and finished up at a taverna for lunch.
Everybody out for evening drink and things loosening up nicely. Bob is not well having found a cold somewhere and feeling below par last couple of days

Off to Greece...first calamity

10.05.13
The meal was very good and a motley crew has assembled who are well travelled, interesting and not taking things too seriously which may prove a problem for our revered leader sometime in the future. We have made instant friends with one of the 2 caravanners  Geoff & Sue who are parked next to us, arrived at the same time and seem to be on our wave length..... and may prove handy for transport with their car.
11.05.13
At leisure. Into San Marino by bus (with a crowd of fellow tourers) which is not so much a country as a shopping mall and pizza parlour. Pleasant enough place with great views but little to warrant lingering. Nice lunch with our new best friends .
12.05.13
Left campsite at 9am  for run to Ancona (119 km) where we boarded ferry overnight to Igoumenitsa  in Greece. Farcical loading procedure involving much shouting and swearing which could have been avoided by simply explaining where they wanted each unit to park instead of assuming we were mind readers. Left port at 14.00 - ETA 08.00/09.00 depending on who you ask. Bob not feeling too well.
Food & drinks on board Minoan Lines extremely expensive - 42€  for dinner for 2 indifferent plates and 2 drinks. Good chat with Geoff & Sue, now officially  our new best friends ( or Onbf ) sitting on the deck in glorious sunshine as we sailed the Adriatic. Passable night in cabins as the camping deck was full . Times all to cock as Greece is CET +1HR  and the boat operates on Greek time always. So up at 06.30 but docking was 09.00 and not 08.00 as we had been told so a lot of sitting around.
When we rejoined vehicles Geoff found flat tyre on caravan ( double axle jobby.... V.expensive on toll roads). Managed to reinflate and we followed them to nearest fuel station ( diesel 20c cheaper than Italy so everybody needed to fill up) where nice man got in his car and led them off to a tyre shop. We stayed at fuel station and are waiting for them to return as I type..(unless they've been sold into slavery already)

The merry band assembles..

9.05.2013
From Bellinzona to Parma was uneventful apart from chaos at the Italian border where one or other of the customs were on a go slow. Fortunately I spotted a seemingly empty lane for caravans, overtook 2 lanes of stationery traffic for 500 metres and whipped through without anyone seeming to notice or care if they did. We were probably caught on CCTV and have a European arrest warrant out. The mirth was short lived as we ran into hell on earth transiting the Milan tangential or the product of the M25 and. spaghetti junction.. Chaos was a polite description. Then on to Parma and a very pleasant little campsite in the countryside at Tabiano, a thermal spa town.
10.05.2013
To San Marino by 1pm and meeting up with the rest of the group who seem a happy bunch. We have drinks and a meal this evening and and no doubt there will be more to say on group dynamics in a while.

Into Switzerland...

07.05.2013

A good run through the Vosages after a brief but unnecessary detour into Nancy for supplies of bottled water and red wine ( I wanted to make sure that we had plenty of the essentials on board as Greek wine is crap and Turkish is expensive and Italian supermarkets not as plentiful as elsewhere so as we were heading into Germany via Switzerland  decided to stock up asap on French wineboxes. We had to cross the centre of the town at 9.30  ... And I mean centre... to find the Auchan S/M which was not good and expensive and then discovered lots of better options on the route.....) Anyway, we are now sorted . Spent the night at Bad Sackingen in aire @ €10.

08.05.2013

Great run down to the Italian border, with stunning views of snowcapped mountains (Bob was most upset when I discovered that the pass over the St. Gottard was still closed)  stopping at incredibly expensive Swiss campsite which is OK but close to motorway and noisy. Bob did the driving from Bad Sack.. down to Kussnacht and managed to negotiate gods own traffic jam round Zurich and roadworks from hell on the only single carriageway joining two motorways between Schwyz and Altdorf that was twisty and narrow which she loves.....not. It took ages to find anywhere to pull off and changeover and when we finally did it was only 1/2 mile from the next motorway.....hey ho, all good experience but I did have to change my trousers.
Queued for an hour to get through the stacking for the St Gottard .....strangely busy for a Wednesday I thought....and then took the pretty route to Bellinzona where we  stopped at the extremely expensive TCS site near the noisy motorway.
Original plan to have tomorrow as rest day has been  altered and we shall head to Parma to ham it up.
......later......have discovered after a walk that the noise is not the motorway but the raging Ticino river just over the bank so apologies.

The adventure begins....

May 6th 2013
Spent the night at Gravelines and left at 9am in glorious sunshine.....  just the ticket for the start of an adventure. As we are fulfilling my desire to follow the crusader trail we have adopted the personas of a knight and his squire and the Gf (courtesy of Blackadder) is now referred to as Bob ...(to whom I find myself strangely attracted when we wrestle like lads do..).
Bob decided to do driving on this trip in case of emergencies like P&M in Croatia last year and before we left drove down to Somerset for the service and most of the way back. All that remained was to get her (him) driving on the continent which has happened for nigh on 40 years.....so after the morning tea   stop, Bob took the wheel for a couple of hours thro Belgium and down to Luxembourg. In his (her) defence, the roads in Belgium are now the worst in Europe with potholes the size of dustbin lids which have to be dodged constantly whilst trying to avoid being rear ended by Lithuanian maniacs delivering Russian prostitutes by the lorry load to paedophiles in Belgium and then having 30 miles of roadworks with lanes so narrow that traffic was moving in sequence to avoid side swiping.......and the lane markings were non existent in places where we had to switch motorways so it was a bit fraught.....but Bob coped well and I only screamed once.
So well in fact that we made Luxembourg ahead of schedule and merely stopping to refuel at £1 a litre, pushed on to Metz by 3.30. We intended overnighting at an aire by the river Moselle but it was overflowing(campsite, not river) so we stopped at the camping municipal next door which was very pleasant. 5 main walk into town which is well worth a visit and the cathedral is most impressive with stained glass from the 13th.C to Chagall in the 20th.
Very buzzy city. Good place to visit.

On the road to Turkey

More than 12 months ago I saw the chance to join a group on a trip to Turkey and persuaded the Gf that despite her trepidation and misgivings  this  would be fun.  So after a great deal of planning and research we are sitting in aire near Calais on a very pleasant sunny evening (which happens to be her birthday) contemplating a thousand mile journey to San Marino where we shall meet up with the other 10 vans in 5 days on Friday 10 May before heading across the Adriatic to Greece and on to Turkey. We've been vaccinated against hepatitis despite my protestations that I didn't share dirty needles or bodily fluids with homosexuals and tetanus despite my assertion that I had bad reactions to it ( and subsequently had a very uncomfortable 4 days). The van has been serviced and prepared so tonight -in  true Crusader style - will be spent in prayer as we prepare to take the Cross and meet the infidel at gates of Asia. We are looking forward to a great adventure.

Scary stuff.........

Wild man of the woods meets his match.......

Another Month passes..........

4th.MARCH 2013

Well there's a month gone and apart from the loss of many little grey cells and probably quite a lot of the functions of my liver, not a lot to show for it.Except that it's been a very social,enjoyable and fun.

The Gf returned to the Uk on March 2nd in order to be with the family for Mothering Sunday and will return on the 11th. In the end Nick drove us to Seville ( 90mins drive, 30 mins to discover how to get into the car park)
as he and Dave had hired a car for a month and were looking for things to do to justify it. Larry has still offered to provide the transport for the return trip but as he will have to drive friends to Gibralter airport the following day I may ask Dave...or Mike...or Bryn...whatever. Or drive the van there as a last resort as I would have to use the long stay carpark at 14€ for only a very short stay, plus 14€ in tolls plus fuel for a 180 mile round trip at 30mpg as opposed to 45mpg in a small car.

Right, so what's been happening to explain the attractions of wintering in Spain. Well not really the weather. The sun has shone a great deal and is very hot but overnight temps have been down to a very unseasonable 4-5c making evenings and early mornings very cold. There has been snow less than 100 miles away (Seville & Ronda) and blizzards and bad snow from Madrid to the north. This has been caused by the Jetsteam lying just over the straits of Gibralter rather than north of Scotland and pulling cold air down over the whole of Europe rather than pulling warm air up from Morocco.
Consequently we've had winds most of the time that are very cold if you are not sheltered or outside of 12-3pm. The Spanish think its start of the ice-age and wear more clothes than the Gf whilst the brits stoically walk around in shorts as its just like the average uk summer. The Gf now has a ski mask whilst cycling and has alarmed more than one passing police car and several shopkeepers. She's been christened Eskimo Nell on the campsite and on one very hot afternoon with no wind when she dug out her shorts for an hour or two people came from all over to gaze in wonder. I jest but those who know her will understand completely. As we move into March the temps have risen overnight due to cloud cover but we also have strong winds causing minor havoc. The low temps have meant using more gas for heating than anticipated ....electricity is metered on monthly stays, and charged at 0.25€ kwh and we are already running at about 10€ a week so using gas makes sense. Except that We now have refillable LPG cylinders and unlike the rest of europe, Spain has not embraced Autogas universally following a massive loss of life after an LPG storage tank explosion. So we have to drive to Jerez to refill which is about 40 miles away. Not really a problem as we can have lunch and a day out in a very pretty city. We've only had to go once so far but are probably getting close to one cylinder needing a refill soon. Hopefully it will last to our departure which will now be next week so that we can fill up on the way to Portugal (which has more Lpg stations than Spain).

On the quiz front we've won 4 times out of 7 and both the GF and I have each won the weekly whist tournament once bringing total earnings to date to a rather handy 126€. Since Harry & Joan have amassed 122€ in the same period we have rather cleaned up between us as no-one else has won more than once. We all felt so chuffed with this that we took Mike the Quizmaster out to lunch just to start the rumour mill rolling and managed to spend 190€ on a meal for 5 in a fantastic restaurant on the beach within feet of the crashing surf with a view to die for. Since we then won the next quiz we managed to annoy a lot of people.

Boules has become very competitive with the ladies now having the edge, the Gf,Patricia and Joan making a formidable team even without Sabena who left a couple of weeks ago. The afternoon matches are extremely good fun and the apres-boules does nothing for the liver.

Lots of good evenings at the restaurant, including a very good Valentines dance, a paella night and a complimentary Andalucia day meal ....when the food is free why do we spend more on alcohol?

Don & Sandra did an excellent BBQ spare ribs on their enormous gas bbq which is so large I'm sure that they have to tow it behind the motorhome for all the usual suspects and a very alcoholic lunch lasted from 12-7pm when it got too cold to sit out any longer.

Despite what I said about the weather we've been out and about on the bikes and had a lovely day walking along the beach towards Trafalgar, 3hrs each way and a picnic. Discovered that the tyres on my bike were wearing badly so the local bike shop replaced them with very good michelins for a reasonable 40€ (17€ each plus 6€ for fitting which as removing the wheels from electric bikes is a daunting prospect seemed a good deal to me).

That'll do for now, I'll post more later in the week.

FEBRUARY 7TH 2013

The days roll by and it's strange where the time goes to now that the sun has returned and the sky is deep blue.....the only downside being that the jet stream has decided to settle a long way south of its normal position and that the nights are colder than we would like, exacerbated of course by an abscence of cloud cover.Still, it's lovely and warm by 11am.
The festival was held after all and after the procession had passed we cycled up to El Colorado where they all head for to watch the festivities which seemed to consist of eating and drinking as much as possible whilst making as much noise as they could before damaging eardrums. This years extravaganza seemed to have attracted more people than ever, with more highly decorated floats (full of alochol) and many more people...either there's no recession in Andalucia or they've  given up and  said let's just enjoy ourselves.
That Sunday, the 27th, saw the weather change for the better as the clouds disappeared and the shorts came out.
The campsite organised a bus trip to the mountains to see the White Villages of Arcos, Grazalema, El Bosque and Ubriche which was a very jolly affair. Things went downhill at the first coffee stop, where after a long discussion about the Spanish having started selling a brandy at only 30%, Harry and I embarked on a mission to discover why, which involved tasting as many as we could everywhere we stopped. By the last stop we stepped off the bus straight into a bar and missed the tour of the town completely and have agreed that 30% brandy is definitely an inferior product and should be avoided in preference to the 36% or the 40% which is even better. An enormous glass of brandy in these bars generally sold for €1.50.....more of this later.
Better result at the quiz which we won with Paul & Caroline, and the princely sum of €60 between us. When we first arrived, Harry & JOan suggested we team up for the quiz but they were currently partnering Don & Sandra who had friends arriving in 3 weeks who they were going to team up with when they arrived. So we agreed, especially when Paul & Caroline said they were only staying for a month and would therefore only be around for the next 3 quizzes. The Harry/Don combo took second prize so the change of partners seemed a dream team. Unfortunately, the dates got a bit muddled and  Don's friends arrived on Sunday,leaving H&J with no partners so we had to dump Paul & Caroline this week,who were a bit miffed,and team up with H&J when we stormed the quiz and won another €60. Fortunately, despite only finding one other person to team up with, Paul & Caroline came second which proves something. Despite always doing well in the quiz, winning 2 weeks in succession is a first and half of the winnings went on brandy at the Terry's  Bodega in Jerez where they sell their 36% at €5 a bottle which seemed remarkably cheap and necessitating the purchase of 3 to take home.
The ladies boules team of which the Gf is now captain had a remarkable run of success and the GF is now going for the Grand Slam of winning the boules,quiz and whist.....the situation was so serious that when Tony & Sabena offered us a day out to Santa Puerta Maria for lunch and a visit to Decathlon we accepted with alacrity as Decathlon sell proper boules. I was sorely tempted by the tournament edition set at €89 but common sense prevailed and I settled for the €29 reduced fron €39 set. And promptly restored the mens winning form with some stunning play.
Taichi is great fun and I shall continue when I return home. My work with the fan was rewarded with a gratefully received "Moy Bien, Paul"
A quiet lunchtime saw the Ceremony of the Good Luck charms after Justin had sent us the 2013 charm to hang in the van and bring us good luck in our travels. The 2012 model, now redundent after stirling work in protecting us for 12 months had to be disposed of in a fitting and solemn manner and the result can be viewed at .http://www.youtubecom/watch?v=fIflbuhC6WE
My thanks to Don for his support and Harry for his constuction work.
 A very pleasant evening with Nick & Barbera, Dave & Geraldine at the Paella night and a bike ride to La Barossa with Tony & Sabena for lunch.
And Larry & Pat have offered to take us to Seville when the Gf is flying home for Mothering Sunday which solves another problem.

And time slowly passes.....

January 24th.2013

The weather is distinctly iffy. When the sun shines it is very hot but we have had a lot of cloud, some cold winds and an exceedingly violent storm last weekend with winds of 55pmh plus. Fortunately it had been forecast so hatches had been battened but it still caused a few problems. Social life is very bubbly, and more people than ever are attending events .The management put on their usual free meal in honour of the Conil festival which consists of the whole town joining a procession of decorated wagons loaded with the entire stock of alcohol from the supermarket and walking to the next village where they have a bbq in the woods.Its called the Romeria de San Sebastian but was unfortunately cancelled on Sunday as the high winds meant that they couldn't get the floats decorated in time but it may kick off next Sunday although the forecast is not looking good for that.But the lunch was still good anyway. We play boules with Tony & Sabena when the sun shines & canasta with Harry & Joan when it doesn't.The Gf does pilates and I'm doing Tai Chi twice a week. Harry has started a Progressive Whist night,after a reasonable showing last year, which is even more popular this year and makes a very convivial evening. We've walked and cycled( weather permitting) into town and along the beach and have several offers of joining others for mass electric bike rides....the popularity of electric bikes increases every year, and they can even be hired in town now. The Gf is still wary of cycling if the wind is cold after last year when she was laid low with sinus and throat problems, so cycling is mainly on hold at the moment. Nick,Barbara,Dave & Geraldine arrived on Friday, in time for a very rollicking night at the restaurant with music by an aged rocker called Chris Cody who was excellent . We are not having success at the quiz. Wednesday night saw 118 people participating, 30 teams which is probably a record and we came 5th. We scored 39 and the winners scored 43 and we could have equalled them if certain peoples had been listened to. Our new partners, Paul & Caroline are ex-schoolteachers and their input should be better. I caved in to Picasso as the answer to 'Spanish painter 1904-89 who was born & died at Figueras' when I knew full well that Picasso had died in France, in the 70's & was 90+, and that Dali must therefore be the answer but they seemed so positive. There were other examples but I'm sulking so move on.
Last note on the weather, people who arrived yesterday spoke on having driven from Calais in 6 days and  had snow for 5 of them right down to Caceres, which is only a days drive from here. At least its much warmer than home.
 

OFF TO SUNNY SPAIN

January 17th 2013

who came down twice, spent a lot of The Fridge......had problems in September when the fridge wouldn't switch to 12v power when driving. Not a huge problem as it worked on gas and mains whenever we stopped, but not right, and then on our last night in France, it stopped working on gas and defrosted itself. So took it down to Chelston in Taunton in November for repairs - and had the filler connector for the refillable autogas bottles moved from inside the locker to outside to keep the french happy. The fridge problem was an electrical relay from the engine that had died so was soon fixed, but the fridge still didn't seem to be getting cold enough when I got home. This is a long story and I'm getting tired of typing.......found a Dometic engineer in Norwich time and eventually replaced everything on the fridge except the carcase and seemed to have it working...it was a brand new fridge by now. However, when we came to switch it on prior to loading up and leaving for Spain it certainly wasn't anywhere near cold. Frantic phone calls to our man in Norwich finally isolated the problem to having the winter covers on the ventillation ducts which was preventing a satisfactory airflow.....normally the covers go on in October and remain in situ until the spring but it seems the very large fridge we now have only requires vent covers when the temp. is below 10c. as there is a large gap between top & bottom ducts. So they are off all the time now and the fridge works and this may have been the problem from the start.
Stop me if this getting too technical.......

Down to Folkestone 6th.Jan. and through the Tunnel on the 7th at 07.50. Weather cloudy all the way to La Suze s/Sarthe (Lemans) and next day to Bordeaux. The continued work on the N10 seems near to completion and depressingly we passed a large Toll Station being built so more expense there next year. Decided to continue past San Sebastian where we have stopped before as we were making good time, and onto Vitorio Gasteiz, capital of the Basque country. Adequate but subsequently noisy aire in town but nice tram ride to historic centre which is worth a detour. Salamanca the next night where it was warm and sunny for the first time but the mist, cloud and drizzle returned the next day all the way to Zafra, another new stop on the route. Scrubby Aire in the showground complex but for some reason we followed 2 german vans round the back to find a quieter but more vulnerable place to park. Turned out ok but I still don't know why I let the Gf persuade me to go there.. Mist and fog next day down to Seville where we stopped for to top up the gas bottles (LPG is not readily available in Spain and the closest to Conil are Jerez & Seville, so best to fill up whenever possible) and then the sun came out as we passed Cadiz and arrived Conil about 14.00. Refueled, stopped at the supremarket for fresh supplies ( 2litre wine up from €2.17 last year to €2.70 but the usual Rioja down from €1.79 to €1.64 and Cruz Campo beer on offer at €1 for 2 550ml tins.)
Conil looking good, La Rosaleda fuller than it was this time last year and lots of old faces. Spent Saturday & Sunday getting straight after 7 days of travel (GF very tired & weary). Obviously without P&M to partner us in the Wed. quiz we had to find new blood and were happy to find Paul & Caroline, neighbours last year, had also just arrived and were happy to team up. Came 4th out of 22 last night with 39/50 and the winners only scored 41/50 so we are in the right zone...I said that the ribbon on the VC was purple but the Gf overruled me and that the Road to Istanbul was not a Hope&Crosby film otherwise we would have tied for 1st and we know how bad that could be for us.....