We take a break again
End of February to end of March 2022

Actually, we supposed to leave later this week to have more time, but because tomorrow is 22-02-2022, a palindrome day, we decide to leave earlier, on Monday February 21^st. That means we have to make plans because I have to go to the hospital in Leiden at 8.30 am for my annual melanoma check-up. Of course, we arrive much too early, but because of this I ‘m called earlier and so we arrive already at our motorhome storage at 9.30 am, earlier than we agreed.

Our motorhome is therefore not yet outside, but Bettie is kind enough to drive it outside and so we are much earlier at home than planned. It rained all the way home, but now we want to start loading, the rain stops so we can transfer all our stuff dry and that’s quite a lot.
It takes a few hours to give everything a place (Yes, I know, I’m taking too much) and after filling the fridge, we lock our house and drive to Bergen op Zoom. This is always a favorite overnight spot if we leave late. After the storms of the past few days, it is very quiet on the boulevard. We are the only motorhome and park it in the sun. Unfortunately, the mini library near the supermarket has been emptied and we can’t exchange books, but I buy a noodle dish we can eat tonight with some leftover meat and beans. Of course, we also walk to the inland lake. The otherwise calm lake turned into a raging sea and the waves crash on the shore.

Tuesday February 22^nd we wake up early and after a breakfast with fresh croissants, we leave for Belgium. First, we visit the town of Opwijk where we want to find some geocaches. Some are easily accessible, but two of them are placed on very muddy farm path into the meadows and before walking 150 feet on this track we sink down to our ankles. We should have put on boots but now it’s too late.

Back in the motorhome I grab a brush and at a puddle of water I scrape the worst mud from our shoes. The rest of this holiday we will walk with dirty shoes because many tracks just stick to it. That means that when we drive to one of the oldest caches in Belgium, which is hidden in the middle of the polder, we put on boots anyway. To get close to the hiding spot, Dick has to maneuver over very narrow paths. It just works, but parking is only possible at the exit of a farmer’s path.

That means that I walk the track alone and Dick stays in the motorhome in case a farmer wants to pass just now. Fortunately, to find the geocache I only have to walk half a mile. I do have to make my way through deep puddles of water and mud, but after half an hour I’m back and we can drink a coffee before we drive to our final destination, the town of Melle.

It is a bit uncertain whether we can return to civilization again when our front wheel ends up in the mud because we have to give way to a parked vehicle. The wheels spinning in the mud next to the path but finally Dick manages to get the motorhome out. Fortunately, soon we reach a normal, slightly wider path through the meadows and then we can park the Frankia near the center of the town of Melle.

We definitely earned a cup of soup but after this we walk into town. Unfortunately, the weather is gloomy and gray and with only 39 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermometer it is not warm but our down jacket, with a rain jacket over it, keeps us warm enough. Unfortunately, tonight we can’t eat at the bistro in this town. This eatery is full with wedding guests. Not really surprising because this special palindrome date is a desired wedding day.
So, we walk back to the Frankia, have a drink and early in the evening we walk back to the center to eat something at the friterie (a snack bar). The food here tastes good, especially after all the fresh air and the cold today.

At 7 pm we walk with a full belly to the other side of the street. There is a geocache event. Such events are organized on special days and since we should be around today, we registered for this. It is busy at this “Meet and Greet”. There are at least 60-70 geocachers present and soon we are talking to different people. Anyone who wants can have a drink, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments are available and time flies. Apart from the separately packed Belgian chocolates, you wouldn’t say it’s still Corona time because the 5 feet distance among those present is not always used. Fortunately, we are vaccinated and boosted and the Omikron variant is a little less threatening.

The weather is quite pleasant in the evening, around 42 degrees and with little wind and no rain, we keep talking for a long time, but around 9.30 pm we say goodbye to each other. The way back is less smooth. Partly because of the many walking today, followed by a few hours of standing outside talking, our muscles have become quite stiff, but via some narrow paths behind the beer brewery where “Delirium Tremens” is brewed, we arrive back home after 10 minutes. We’ll crawl under the wool soon.

Wednesday February 23th we get up at 7.30 am and after showering I walk to the Carrefour Supermarket around the corner to buy baguettes (French bread). The sky completely opened and under a steel blue sky we drive towards the French border. When we stop in the middle of the polder, we notice that we don’t have a candle in the motorhome, so we can’t light a candle for Manuel, the (unfortunately) stillborn son of Martijn and Soof and the grandchild of Hannah and Henk, so we commemorate Manuel, whose cremation takes place now, in silence, in this vast Belgian polder landscape.

At 1 pm we arrive in Montreuil sur Mer where there is plenty of space at the parking in town and soon, we walk around the city walls and through the center of this beautiful old fortified town. Both churches are locked, so we can’t light a candle here either. By the way

, it is strange that churches are not open because we have not experienced that before in France.
Because the sun is still shining when we are back at the Frankia, Dick can attach a new “Angles Morts” (Dead Angle sticker) on the driver’s side door. The old one came off and was torn off and since these stickers are still mandatory in France on cars with a weight greater than 7700 pounds, we ordered new ones. By the evening, the so quiet parking lot fills up with English motorhomes. Not really surprising because Calais (where the tunnel under the Channel opens) is not that far from here. As you can no longer spend the night in Calais because of the large number of refugees trying to enter England from here, travelers come this way.

Thursday February 24^th It is cloudy and a strong cold wind is blowing. After breakfast with delicious fresh croissants (yes again) we drive south while we have heavy hail showers. Fortunately, the clouds give way and it becomes dry when we arrive in Fecamp.

The wind has become even stronger, it is storming really bad. It doesn’t stop us from wandering around in town and of course we end up on the boulevard where we can watch the natural violence of the sea, which has been pushed up to high waves. You can hardly stay upright in the strong wind that beats on the shore. For a while we enjoy this power of nature before we walk back to the Frankia, parked near the harbor.

Unfortunately, our favorite restaurant “Le Barbican” is closed tonight so we buy salad, meats and baguettes in the supermarket we pass by. Tonight, we don’t have to cook. The whole evening, we feel our faces glow because of the strong cold wind. We drink a glass of wine, enjoy our meal and then we find out that war has broken out in Ukraine.

On Friday February 25^th we don’t get up until 8.30 am. Fortunately, the strong wind has died down so we can safely drive over the high “Pont de Normandy” and after an hour we are already parked in Honfleur. The parking is empty but during the day a stream of motorhomes arrives. Despite the many clouds, there is also a lot of sun, so after a cup of coffee we walk into the town.

It is slightly busier than in December but there are still not many tourists on the streets so we have plenty of opportunity to look around and we climb the hill that leads us out of the city to the beach.
Of course, we look for geocaches on our way and when we reach the beach we slowly walk back to the town, all alone on the beach. When we arrive in town we wander around again, look at shops and at the end of the afternoon we are back. Honfleur never bores us.

Our Turkish restaurant Gyros is open so tonight we get food there but until then we sit inside and see how this large parking lot is slowly filling up with motorhomes. We stay on the edge of the harbor parking so we have a beautiful view of everything and enjoy the warm, shining sun. Of course, we stay inside our Frankia because outside the temperature still does not exceed 46 degrees Fahrenheit. The clouds completely disappeared, so before I go out to get our kebab meal at 7 pm, we fix our insulation mat in front of the window. No unnecessary luxury because as soon as the sun disappears behind the horizon, the temperature drops quickly and it cools down to 39 degrees. At night we have a beautiful starry sky above us and the kebab? It tastes, as always here, very good.

Saturday February 26^th the sky is again steel blue and the sun shines brightly. After breakfast, with of course a fresh baguette, we dump our gray and black water and fill up with clean drinking water. That is necessary with only 10% water in the tank. At 8.30 am we drive away and when we are near the town of Caen, we change our travel schedule and decide to drive to Barfleur.
The weather is so beautiful that this place by the sea is very inviting. The great thing about touring in the early pre-season is that there is always enough space for an overnight stay. And yes, we have plenty of choice to park our Frankia on the edge of the village. Soon we walk in the full sun through this lovely picturesque town with its fishing port, where the boats are either on dried up grounds or bobbing around, depending on the tide. The tide is rising so all the boats are in the water and we enjoy our walk around the harbor and through the narrow streets.

When we are back, it is already 4 pm. I am going to write down our experiences while Dick repairs a hole in the windshield that we got when a truck overtook us very tight and threw a stone against the shield. Fortunately, we still have the repair material for that from the USA, but I’m afraid we’ll have to return soon to get new windshield repair stuff. Whether it’s because I don’t have much inspiration to write, or because I started to read such an exciting book (“On Wings of Eagles” by Ken Follett) I don’t know but soon I am completely engrossed in my book again and the computer is put away.

After the sun has set, we reapply the insulation mat for the windshield and then walk to the harbor where we want to have dinner. That is not possible at Restaurant de France because they are not open in the evening yet (no tourist season at this moment), but another restaurant does have a table for two available and we soon enjoy French Pate and crackling fresh Fish and Chips. We don’t regret that we changed our itinerary and drove to Barfleur.

On Sunday, the weather is again beautiful and after breakfast we drive to Cherbourg. The breakfast is now with old bread because in Fecamp I bought such a large loaf of bread that we can eat it for at least 3 days. There is enough space to stay in Cherbourg and soon after we are parked, we walk to the large shopping center “Eleïs” in the hope of being able to buy a new outdoor mat.

We bought the previous one here, but, stupidly enough, I left it in a parking lot in Rots, so we don’t have an outdoor mat anymore. Unfortunately, our so much desired mat is no longer for sale, so we leave, buy some groceries in the large supermarket next door and then walk back. Just in time, because the doors of the mall close behind us. After all, shops in France are only open until 1 pm on Sundays.

Back in the Frankia we drink a cup of coffee and then walk into the center of Cherbourg. A few weeks ago, our friends Marjo and Wim taught us how an “Adventure Lab cache” works and now we want to try this form of geocaching. Unlike normal geocaching, where you look for a box hidden somewhere, the Adventure Lab cache is actually more a city walk where you are guided from point to point. By answering a question about something that happened at a certain point, you can walk to the next point on the route. It takes you, just like regular geocaching, to all the different corners of a city, only you don’t get dirty hands. It’s a nice alternative if there are no regular geocaches in an area or if you want to explore an unknown city.
We wander slowly under a steel blue sky through the narrow streets of the old town of Cherbourg and enjoy. At the end of the afternoon, we are back. Unfortunately, our Thai restaurant (Khao Thai) is closed, so we can’t have dinner there tonight, but luckily Café de Port is open and there is also a table available, so we end up eating very well in an otherwise overcrowded restaurant.

Monday, February 28^th, the sky is completely gray again and so we decide to drive on. Around noon we arrive in Pontorson. In the parking lot of the supermarket are threatening signs that the stay here is limited to 2 hours, but there is also a part of the parking where a sign is placed that motorhomes are allowed, so we park there. I have to do my laundry and after coffee I collect all the laundry while Dick gets a shopping cart and then we walk to the laundry room at the front of the street. No one is present, it is still lunchtime and then it is extinct on the streets in France. So, at my leisure, I load the two necessary machines and wait until everything is cleaned. As soon as both washing machines are started, a French car stops along the sidewalk with an incredible number of bags full of laundry. There is still one large and one small machine available and they absolutely don’t fit all that laundry, so these French will have to wait another 40 minutes until my machines are released. When I also load the two available dryers (the third dryer is broken), there is also a 45-minute wait for the dryer (their faces are getting angrier), but finally I’m ready and the French can dry their laundry too. Since they run all their laundry on a wool program, everything comes out of the machines soaking wet and the entire floor of the laverie (washing facility) is soon covered with water and therefore soaked with dirt because they also keep walking over it. I am glad that Dick and I stay at the folding table, where we sort and fold our dry laundry and store it in bags.

After covering our bed with clean bedding, we walk into the supermarket to do some shopping for our dinner. 4 Hours later we still have not seen anyone passing by, telling us that we are not allowed to stay here, so we decide to stay overnight on the parking. Due to the posted sign, it is nice and quiet here. Only one French motorhome remains here too during the night.

Tuesday morning March 1^st we decide to leave Pontorson. The sky is gray and there is some wind, not really weather to cycle to Le Mont Saint  Michel and 25 minutes later we arrive in the town of Dol de Bretagne. The parking for motorhomes is right in the center and we soon walk around in this beautiful old town. It was already a religious capital in the 9th century and of course we visit the cathedral Saint Samson.

With the help of geocaches we find our way and explore all the nice and special places of this town. Especially the beautiful medieval houses on the Grande Rue des Stuarts are worth seeing. It is very lively town but that can be caused by the many high school students wandering around. We are lucky with the weather because only a few raindrops fall and it remains dry for the rest of our walk. Unfortunately, the sun remains hidden behind the clouds.

At the beginning of the evening, we walk back to the main street where we find a delicious Turkish restaurant. We may enter, despite the fact that it is not yet 7 pm when dinner-time starts in France. Of course, at first, they have to check our sanitary pass. It’s still Corona time and to enter a restaurant you have to proof that you are vaccinated. We don’t regret eating here because the food is delicious and thanks to the small narrow alley (we call it “our alley” because the name is: Ruelle Robinet – Crane alley) we are back at our motorhome in no time.

Because my niece Inge told us that Mont Dol is also worth a visit, we drive the next morning to this 200 feet high granite rock. It’s only 1.7 mile away from Dol de Bretagne. One of the legends about this rock is that the devil and Saint Michel fought here, the claws of the devil as well as the imprint of Saint Michel are visible. Unfortunately, when we climb the hill with our Frankia it soon becomes apparent that we cannot park anywhere and we are also not allowed to drive further, due to the weight restrictions. So, we turn around and decide to come back later this year. Then we take our bike and cycle to this Mont Dol from town. Of course, we want to see those battle tracks, but we also want to admire the beautiful view that you have from the top of the rock over the bay and Le Mont Saint Michel.

Now we drive further along the coast to Saint Malo. It is only an 18 mile drive, but because we drive on winding roads it takes us almost an hour, but eventually we arrive at parking Le Davier near the beach (suburb of Saint Malo). This morning the sky was still completely gray, now we see the sky breaking and sun and blue sky appear. So, we don’t hesitate any longer and walk to the beach from where we walk slowly towards the cliffs via narrow footpaths. There is little wind, the sun is shining and we enjoy this circular walk to one of the many rocky cliffs along the coast. Of course, we find our way through some geocaches.

Unfortunately

, there are no restaurants in the vicinity of this parking lot, so end of the afternoon I walk to the nearest supermarket to buy ingredients for our evening meal. The mashed potato, cauliflower and chicken breast taste really good even though it is quite a lot of work to prepare. Dick is always surprised about the many dirty dishes afterwards. Undoubtedly, he would do the preparation much more economical and had far fewer things to clean.

Thursday March 3^rd  it is completely gray outside and there is a light drizzle. With this weather we don’t want to cycle to the walled city of Saint Malo. Even though we can go there by bus, you still want to have nice weather when walking around in the walled city.

So, after breakfast we leave Saint Malo. Because it started to rain, we drive with the motorhome to the supermarket to buy our baguette and after breakfast we leave and drive further west. In Morlaix, Bretagne, we stop to dump our gray and black water and to fill up with clean water and at 2 pm we arrive in the city of Brest. Given the gray weather we are in now, we think it would be fun to visit the Oceanopolis aquarium tomorrow. It is allowed to stay overnight in the parking lot next door, so we park our Frankia. There are almost no parked vehicles so we can choose from enough places.

Because the reservation via the internet does not accept payment, we walk to the Oceanopolis checkout at the end of the afternoon. Even though our details have been noted, a reservation has not been made, but the cashier manages to solve this (also because it is quiet now) and soon we have two tickets for tomorrow and it’s time to explore the surroundings of the aquarium and the Marina present here (Port de Plaisance).

It is a nice walk, we admire the slave monument and enjoy the surfers who, due to the strong wind, sail at least 2 feet above the water surface, only the hydrofoil fin of the board is still in the water. At the end of the afternoon, we are back at the parking. The sun is now shining and we enjoy the last rays of the sun. Again, we put our insulation mat in front of the window, it cools down quite a bit at night.

Friday March 4^th  we wake up in time. We shower and have breakfast well before 9 am and then leisurely walk to the aquarium at 9.15 am. We have to wait a little longer for the doors to open but as soon as the gate opens, we slip inside, in front of huge rows of school children. Of course, we have to wear a mouth cap and of course our sanitary pass is checked. But because we already got our vaccination and booster it’s no problem.

Oceanopolis is a fairly large aquarium and soon we wander around. First, we visit the polar world, then the tropics and finally we also see the underwater life of Brittany. The puppy seals are pretty funny when diving up. They have in inside and an outside pool . The nice coloured Octopussy also have a great place in this beautiful wide aquarium.

After walking around for 3 hours we have really seen everything. It was very quiet everywhere, so we are surprised where all those school classes have gone. We have not come across them yet. Later we will see that they are in a few special workshops rooms.

After drinking a coffee, we decide to drive to the Breton coast, to the small town of Le Conquet and spend the night there. It is a little more than 19 miles, but because we drive straight through the city of Brest it takes about an hour before we arrive there. Then we notice that the parking lot for motorhomes is closed, due to renovation. Although it will be accessible in a few days, now, we cannot stay. We look for a place in the area where we can spend the night but there is nothing so we drive back to Brest. The sun is shining again and it is still lovely outside. We do our administration and look for a next destination.

We already abandoned our planned route and the town of Concarneau in the department of Finistère, seems to be a good destination, so that’s our new destination on Saturday morning.
There are many clouds but after a few raindrops they give way to sun and blue sky. We have enough space to park on the Place de la Gare. The name of the town Concarneau is derived from the Breton Konk Kerne which means Bay of Cornwall. Not surprising because this city is located where the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Bay of Biscaye meet. Concarneau consists of two parts, a town on the mainland and the medieval “Ville Close”, a walled town on a long island in the heart of the harbor. Soon we walk to this old walled city. Unfortunately, the tourist season has not yet started and despite the few French tourists who wander the narrow streets and over the city walls, almost everything (even the restaurants) is still closed, even after 2 pm when lunchtime is over.

Because there is a geocache hidden in the outer walls of this walled city and it is low tide, the outside of the wall is accessible, so we look for a way to get through the wall. It is difficult to find and when we finally see a narrow passage it is also difficult to crawl through it because the hole slopes downwards and after that you have to crawl down over steep and slippery stones before you can set foot on the (now dry) stones at the outside of the city wall.

But we manage to get through the wall, find the geocache and just in time we crawl back through the narrow hole in the wall because the water is already rising. We walk back through town and then leave the walled city. There we see that the rising water wouldn’t allow to do this trip now. Because the wind is icy cold, we enter a cafe at the harbor where we drink hot chocolate milk and after a walk over the boulevard, now fortunately in the sun, we return to our Frankia.
In the evening I pick up food at the kebab shop a few hundred yards from the parking lot, the meal tastes delicious. Our faces just glow after the walk in the icy cold wind and before 9.30 pm we are fast asleep.

Because we discovered a laverie (laundry) less than 200 yards from the parking lot, we visit this one on Sunday morning, after breakfast. It is still quiet inside so we can fill the two large washing machines with our, again bulging, laundry bag and while our clothes and bed linen are washed and dried, I discuss the world politics with a French woman who lives here. We both express our horror at the war in Ukraine and the enormously increased gas, petrol and food prices as a result. Somehow that topic of conversation is big enough to keep us busy throughout the laundry process and it’s only when Dick arrives that we stop our conversation.

It‘s incredible that Dick always knows exactly when our laundry is finished and dried, so he is always in time to help me folding all the stuff together and put it away in our laundry baskets. Our conversation is not quite finished because, when a helpless looking man arrives with pillows and sleeping bags that need to be washed, we (the two women) jump right up to him to give the best advice on how to wash, which program to choose and how to pay. Or this man appreciates that? He thanks us for all the good advice and after starting his washing process, he quickly disappears. And Dick? He doesn‘t says a word and only look at us.

After storing our bedding and clothes at home, we walk to the beach. There is no rain today, but the sky is gray and again an icy cold wind is blowing. The temperature does not exceed 36 degrees. But the walk along the coast is fun and varied. At least I think so, each rock is more unique than the previous one and we enjoy our beach walk. As it is low tide now, we can also climb to an island that would otherwise be inaccessible. On top is an old turret where a geocache is hidden. It does take a lot of climbing and scrambling before we get back to the boulevard but eventually, we arrive there and slowly walk back to town.
In the evening I pick up food again. This time Thai food which also tastes good. Dick has Pad Thai and I have red curry and we get so much food that we will have another meal on it tomorrow.

Monday March 7^th we don’t get up until 8.30 am. We sleep a lot and that while we should sleep less as we get older. After breakfast we leave. In Josselin we stop to change our French propane tank. This morning the dashboard was red so we had to switch to the other tank. Fortunately, there are plenty of propane tanks at the gas station and we pay even less here than in December (and that while the fuel price increase everywhere). After the exchange we drive to the parking lot in the middle of this medieval town. It is 42 degrees, although it feels much colder due to the icy wind. Only in the sun, out of the wind, at the foot of the old castle, it feels much warmer. Here it’s like spring.

The small town Josselin is nice and pleasant to walk through. Everything is still closed. Even the restaurants will not open in the evening for the next few weeks. So, if we want to eat out, we will have to do that at noon, but for now we are too busy admiring the old buildings. We will definitely return here because the castle is not open yet and we really want to see that imposing building from the inside. In the late afternoon I walk to the edge of the town to the supermarket to buy some yogurt. The rest of the evening we sit inside, read something and of course watch the news.

Tuesday March 8^th  it is very cloudy, but the sky breaks and only when we are on the road, we have some splashes of rain. When we arrive in Guerande a cold strong wind is blowing and so we decide, after filling our tank with clean water, to drive on to Bourgneuf and Retz. There is still a place to park in the village and when the rain stops, we park the motorhome and walk around. After recently visiting so many beautiful towns, this one is not special. Except for a bakery and butcher, there are no shops or impressive buildings so, when we are back at the parking, we decide to leave. Unfortunately, there is no place to park in the village of Les Sorinieres, near Nantes.

The motorhome parking is occupied by abandoned and parked motorhomes and so we drive on and finally arrive in Mouzillon just before 6 pm. We stay on a busy parking lot on a busy street. Dick takes a look around and sees a flat area behind a large church. After a bit of searching, we manage to reach this place and park here. We don’t know or it is allowed to stay here but, in any way, we are not chased away and sleep peacefully and undisturbed.

On Wednesday March 9^th the sky is completely gray again, but after having breakfast with fresh bread from the bakery across the street, the clouds disappear and blue sky and sun appears. We buy some Loire wine at a small shop and leave. Again, we try to park in Les Sorinieres but the same French motorhomes are still parked and there is no possibility to park here and we drive on to Lanvalley, a small town east of Dinan.

The original parking is closed due to the construction of a house, but in the corner of the sports fields we find a space where we can park the Frankia. It’s a boring place and after a while I get restless, so we decide to check out both parking places in the neighboring town of Dinan. The first parking is not so convenient to visit the city. It’s located in the depths by the river while the old walled city is high on the mountain and the second parking is really outside the city with no shops nearby. Our decision is made quickly and we drive on.

A little later we arrive in the center of Dol de Bretagne. Parking is available and also shops and restaurants are nearby so tonight we will go out eating. We already walked through the center, so now we take a slightly larger bend around the center. Also, a nice walk through parks and past old buildings and of course we walk the last part of the old main street of Dol.

At 7 pm, after having a drink, we walk back through Ruelle de Robinet (our Crane alley) and again we have a very good meal at restaurant “Umut Kebab”. Back in the motorhome we read and of course we follow the news before going to bed.

Thursday March 10^th , after I bought a baguette from the bakery in Mainstreet, it starts to drizzle a bit, but as we drive further to the northwest, the rain stops and every now and then the sun even breaks through. No one is parked at the port of Loguivy de la Mer, so we will stay here. It is getting low tide and the water in the harbor flows slowly away. The moment to take a look at the island on the coast where a geocache is hidden. It can only be reached at low tide. Unfortunately, the strong wind pushes the water through the narrow creek and around 2 pm there is no coming through unless you are wearing a diving-suit and then it is still a challenge because the tide turns very quickly here.

So, in the afternoon I walk along the path over the cliffs of this beautiful coast in search of another geocache. Dick prefers to mess around at the motorhome. While walking I think it’s good Dick stayed at home as the path along the cliffs is constantly going up and down and that would have meant an attack on his knees. It is a beautiful walk and I enjoy the views over the bay. The sun appears and out of the wind, it even feels warm. When I am back around 4 pm we walk together on the dry fallen beach to the island.

It’s now half an hour before the tide changes, so the water is almost at its lowest point when we arrive there again. Still there is far too much water to reach the island. So, finding this geocache will be a summer project as we have to swim over a channel. After ordering some bread for tomorrow at the only shop in town, we return to the motorhome.

For the first time the door can stay open and the sun shines in a steel blue sky. Slowly we see the water flowing back into the harbor before it gets too dark. With all that walking around we feel really tired and our bed is very tempting.

Friday March 11^th we get up at 8 am. After all, I promised to pick up our bread and croissants at 8.30 am. After a good breakfast with freshly boiled eggs, we leave this small town. The weather changed because it rains regularly and the sun is no longer visible. In Paimpol we stop to look at the parking for motorhomes near the harbor and then drive on. But just as we reach the edge of town, I realize that we can’t go to Guingamp today (according to our information the parking in Guingamp is not accessible on Fridays due to the weekly market) so we turn around and drive back to Paimpol.

There is enough place to park and we just see the edge of the harbor. After drinking a coffee, we put on our raincoats and explore the town of Paimpol. This town is best known for the cod fishery in Newfoundland and Iceland. Between 1852 and 1935, the local schooners fished there, staying away for up to 6 months. We admire the mural in the town that recalls that time. Today Paimpol is best known for its oysters “the Paimpolaisi” and the picturesque harbor in the center is a tourist attraction.

It is now dry but every now and then there are a few splashes, fortunately not for long and soon after the sun and blue sky appear again. My colleague Theo writes us that the French always say that the weather in Brittany clears several times a day. And that turned out to be true words for today, because every time after a few drops of rain, the sky clears up again and we can bask in the sun’s rays again. When we arrive back at the harbor around 1 pm, we already walked around a couple of miles through the streets of this nice old town, we cannot resist the temptation of a sandwich and so we enter a small eatery.

We each get a huge baguette, generously topped with lettuce, cheese, egg, tomato and tuna as the main ingredient for me and ham for Dick. We love it. But it’s a lot of food. We don’t have to eat anything for the rest of the day. At 4 pm we are back after walking 8 miles and it’s time again for me to write down our experiences. Again, the weather often changes, one moment the rain is pattering against the windows and the next moment the sun is shining in a blue sky. We don’t go out anymore and for dinner we only have some toast with cheese.

Saturday March 12^th we wake up at 8 am and the sun is already shining in a steel blue sky. I buy a fresh baguette at the boulangerie next to the harbor and after breakfast we leave for Guingamp, only 19 miles from here. When we arrive in the town it is very busy, but again there is a market and then it’s always very busy. Today this market is not in the parking lot where we want to stay, but in the center. We are lucky because there is one place available where we can park. Normally school buses park here but in weekends there are no busses so passenger-cars can use this place. After watching the crowds around us, we lock the motorhome and go for a walk.

The town of Guingamp has its origins in a 15th century fortress. The ruins are still located on the edge of the parking lot. The half-timbered houses that are present everywhere in town show the craftsmanship of the master carpenters and there are even old half-timbered houses consisting of 4 floors. Our tour also takes us to La Prison.

This prison that was built in 1841 after an American example, which was a revolutionary concept for that time. The two floors of cells all open onto a courtyard. Unfortunately, this prison closed since 1952 and now it has been converted into a cultural and art center, so there is little feeling with a real prison. Except by me, I worked my whole life in the prison and I immediately re-enter the penitentiary life. The town also has many small alleys and canals that we wander along and that means that we walk a lot. After 7 miles walking around, we return. We don’t have to eat tonight because the burgers at the bakery, on the corner of the street, looked so tempting that again we had a lunch. Dick only gets a cup of soup for dinner.

Sunday March 13^th, after breakfast, we first drive to the site on the edge of the square where we can dump our gray and black water. Filling our clean water tank is not a luxury either. At 1.30 pm we arrive at the parking lot along the beach at Saint Malo. The sun is shining a bit, although there are also many clouds, but it is 55 degrees and therefore less cold than the past few days. While I grab our cycling bags and backpack, Dick gets the bikes out of the garage and soon we cycle to the walled city of Saint Malo which is only 2.5 miles from our parking. The sun is shining and the weather is good, even though there are still a lot of clouds.

At the city wall we lock our bicycles and walk into town. First along the city wall, but soon we also climb it to continue our trip over the wide road on top of the city wall (the remparts). From here you have a wonderful view of the sea and the islands around. It means that we stop almost every few yards to take another look at the sea and we make a lot of pictures, but we have the time.

Around 2.30 pm we arrive at Café de la Bourse where we find a table inside and order food. The restaurant closes at 3 pm so we arrived just in time. Again, the food is delicious, which is always the case when we eat here. When we pay, we are told that the restaurant is sold.  We hope the next time we are here, the food is still good.
Of course, after our meal we wander for a while through the small streets in the walled city.

We have to after this lavish meal and then, end of the afternoon, we cycle back to our Frankia. Just before it starts to rain our bikes are stored in the garage. Fortunately, after some rain, it clears up again and we can enjoy a quiet evening. Here you see that it’s still winter because the parking as well as the designated places for motorhomes, stay mainly empty.

Monday March 14^th  we get up at 8 am and after removing the insulation mat from the windshield, I leisurely walk to the supermarket, about half a mile, and of course we have breakfast with fresh baguettes. We wash our dishes and drive to Pontorson. This morning we already put all our laundry together so when we arrive at the supermarket Dick can drop me off at the laverie on the street. Unfortunately, there are not enough available machines and I have to wait 20 minutes for an empty machine.

In the meantime Dick park the motorhome in the parking lot of the Carrefour supermarket. We think we can stay here during the night although the threatening sign (that the stay is limited to 2 hours) is still there. We weren’t chased away the last time so we’re taking the chance. Fortunately, all dryers are available so after 2 hours we can fold all our laundry, load it into a shopping cart and walk back to the motorhome. After storing everything and cover our bed with fresh bedding, we walk into Pontorson.

The weather is beautiful, the sky is blue with a cloud here and there and it is around 55 degrees, so it is great to wander through this nice town. Special here is the concrete water-tower, located in the garden of a monumental building near the station. It was designed in 1870 by Joseph Monier, the inventor of reinforced concrete. Of course, we also take a look at the old church that is partly Romanesque and partly Gothic and we are not back until the end of the afternoon. Because the cauliflower is advertised, we have that for dinner with mashed potatoes and burgers. We sleep like roses.

Tuesday March 15^th we leave Pontorson after breakfast. Unlike yesterday, the sky is steel gray and there is not even a ray of sun to be seen. But when we reach the tip of Normandy, the clouds disappear to give way to the sun and blue sky. Because I want to go to Barneville Carteret to see the parking for motorhomes (the one near the beach no longer exists) we drive north on narrow roads along the coast. It takes some effort to find the place in Barneville Carteret, but eventually we find the place. Unfortunately, it’s not allowed to stay here during the summer months, so if we want to spend the night here, it must be done in the winter. However, at a carwash station, we can dump our gray and black water and then we drive on to Cherbourg.

The motorhome parking at “la Cité de la Mer” is incredibly busy. Not only are all parking spaces occupied by motorhomes, there is also an unstoppable stream of pedestrians on the way to the Cité. It soon becomes clear that the new large cruise ship AIDACOSMA (a full electric vessel) of the Aida Lines is moored at the quay.

After parking our Frankia in an unofficial place (let’s hope that one of the motorhomes leaves) we walk to that cruise ship. It is at least 1000 foot long and has about 20 floors. No wonder there is a constant stream of people walking back and forth between the center of Cherbourg and this ship.

The weather is beautiful too because the sun is shining and the thermometer shows at least 65 degrees. We haven’t had this heat yet. While I’m doing some shopping, Dick manages to get a free parking spot so at least we stay legalized. In the evening we walk into town. The fishing boats bring their load of fish to the shore which is nice to see.

Buckets full of Saint Jacques shells emerge from the hold. And I thought we took a rare specimen when we found the beautiful Saint Jacques shell (symbol for the Pilger road to Santiago de Compostela) on the beach of Loguivy de la Mer. Now I understand that a lot of pubs with a terrace uses these shells as ashtrays. It is still quiet at our Thai restaurant, but it is 7 pm and the restaurant just opened. Compared to December, when they just started, the menu is more extensive, but the quality of the food is still good and we enjoy our dinner. It’s good that we have to walk a bit before we are back at the motorhome because we ate too much.

On Wednesday, March 16^th  the sky is gray again and the sun is hidden behind the clouds. After our breakfast it starts to drizzle. Not only rain but also yellow Sahara sand falls down and soon the motorhomes are covered with a yellow-brown mud. When we walk through Cherbourg later this morning, all the cars in the streets are covered with this same yellow sludge. The carwashes will be very busy in the near future.

Using an adventure lab cache, we end up in the gardens of “Park Emmanuel Liais”. We are taken immediately by a Frenchman who, in rattling French, gives unstoppable information about this park and what there is to see. Dick quits immediately but I follow the Frenchmen for a while before I can turn away and finally, we can explore the park together. Located in the heart of Cherbourg, this park was created by Emmanuel Liais, not only an astronomer and passionate botanist, but also mayor of Cherbourg. He collected rare plants during his travels and his stay in Brazil.

Not only the outside gardens are special, also in the greenhouses you can see special plants such as the “ncephalartos Altensteinii” plant that can live for more than 1000 years and only bears fruit once every 30 years. And let that just be the case. We admire the special fruit that resembles a huge pine cone.

But the enormous ferns, who could have escaped Jurassic Parc, also make a deep impression on us. It is a special Parc to wander through and an example of how geocaching can bring you into a special environment. We enjoy. Finally, we say goodbye to this botanical garden and continue walking through the streets of Cherbourg and climb the hills to the cemetery where not only civilians are buried but also soldiers.
Even soldiers from the American Civil War who died in a battle on the sea off Cherbourg. The Confederate cruiser Alabama was intercepted here and sunk June 1864. Because this cemetery is located high on the slope above the city, we have a beautiful view over Cherbourg and the sea. Unfortunately, it starts to rain so the view is lost a bit but the impressive cemetery remains and after exploring most of it we descend back to the city where we drink coffee (with a pastry) before we walk slowly back to our Frankia. Fortunately, we have good rain jackets because otherwise we should be soaking wet.

In the evening we walk again along the harbor into the city. Luckily it has dried up. Unfortunately, Café de la Port, where we wanted to have dinner tonight, is closed. So, we walk around in the center and automatically end up at our Thai restaurant. There we are warmly welcomed, we enjoy our Thai food, which is again of good quality. When we are back at the motorhome we attach our insulation for the windshield, because the clouds disappeared and the sky is clearing up. The temperature also dropped significantly. It promises to be a cold night.

Thursday, March 17^th , there are indeed no more clouds to be seen and the sun shines in a cloudless sky. After a good breakfast with fresh baguette (I bought it during my morning walk to the shopping center) we dump our gray and black water. We have to be patient because the Frenchman standing in front of us, can’t dump and refuel at the same time, doing everything one by one takes a long time but finally it’s our turn and more than half an hour later we leave Cherbourg and take the back roads to Honfleur. The closer we get to Honfleur the more striking the sky looks, a straight line of white clouds cuts across the blue sky. Fortunately, we stay under the sun-drenched, blue part of the sky.

After parking the motorhome at the harbor, we walk into town. I don’t know how often we’ve walked here in recent years, but this town always fascinates us. Again, we wander past places that we have not seen before. Even though the sun is shining here, there is still a cold wind, but because our road requires us to climb steeply up the streets of Honfleur, we don’t feel cold. It’s obvious that Spring is coming and everywhere we see some flowers and plants growing in the walls along the streets.

After a few hours we are back and I walk to supermarket Lidl. Unfortunately, the jeans I buy are really too tight around my calves, something Dick agrees too, so I return them and after coming back I finally can sit down. We enjoy the sun and watch the motorhomes arriving one by one. After all, it is almost 7 pm and that is the time when many Frenchmen look for a place to parc for the night. In the evening I get food from our kebab restaurant Gyros, which tastes good and after a lazy evening and watching TV, we fall into a dreamless sleep.

Friday March 18^th I’ll buy some croissants for a change. What a fantastic country is France. It is possible to buy fresh bread every day in every town. Sometimes you have to walk a little further because the bakery is closed, but that is the law in France: every bakery must close one day a week. After breakfast we want to dump and fill up. Again, we have to wait. In front of us again a slow Frenchman. He has a flat-water hose with very narrow channels through which water flows very slowly and because there is also a leak in the connection to the water tap, most of the clean water disappears next to the hose. But we kill time talking to each other and we exchange travel experiences. While the Frenchman is filling up, he doesn‘t bother that (in the meantime) we dump our gray and black water. When his water tank finally overflows, we only have to fill up with clean water. In the meantime we did wait for almost an hour.

Fortunately, the distance to the city of Beauvais is not far, only 97 miles, so at 1.30 pm we arrive at the parking on the edge of the center. Again, the weather is great and out of the wind the temperature is 59 degrees. We slowly wander through the streets of this picturesque town and of course we walk through small, old streets to the gigantic cathedral in the center.

The Cathedral Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, is the highest cathedral in the world and certainly looks impressive, standing in full sunlight. The building is one of the most daring constructions of the Gothic culture, but due to circumstances it was never completely finished. Even though we visited this cathedral a couple of months ago, we want to take another look inside and walk around. We also see a part of the rare 14th century astronomical clock from 1866. To get really close you have to pay but then, you also get information about the origin of this impressive timepiece. Finally, we leave the cathedral, walk across the impressive square where the beautiful town hall is located and arrive back at the parking. It is now end of the afternoon and time to get some food on the other side of the street at the huge Carrefour. We enjoy the rest of the evening in our Frankia, have a good dinner, watch TV and read our books.

Saturday March 19^th  it is still cold, mostly caused by the wind, although the sun is shining and the sky is steel blue. After breakfast we leave Beauvais and drive across the countryside to Laon. When we climb up the steep mountain road where Laon is on top, we find out that we arrive from the wrong side, so I direct Dick back down because I don’t want to experience another gruesome trip through the narrow streets of this medieval town. We drive along the foot of the mountain and climb up on the other side over steep hairpin bends and under Dick’s grumbling. He knows we “easily” fit through the narrow streets and now we make a detour for miles. I sometimes think that men have a lot to endure from their women.

Finally, we arrive at the parking next to the city wall where we are allowed to stay overnight. There are no other motorhomes and passenger cars are parked everywhere. So now it is impossible for other motorhomes to park. After a cup of coffee, we stroll through the town. The tourist season has not started yet because even though there are a few tourists, for the most part we just walk alone through the small medieval streets. We notice that a lot of shops are closed. Corona has clearly struck here.
For the first time, thanks to a Adventure Lab cache, we now also reach the other side of this town. Here is a second (more dilapidated) entrance gate. But it’s in the full sun and it is warm. After taken some pictures, we slowly walk back, make a reservation at restaurant Agora on the square in front of the beautiful cathedral and walk back over the city wall.

From here we can look at the roof of our Frankia and see how much Sahara sand has accumulated here, so Dick quickly grabs our ladder to clean the roof and especially our two solar panels. No unnecessary luxury, because we need the electricity to charge all our batteries and laptops. At 7 pm we have a leisurely walk to the restaurant where we have dinner. The food is very tasty as always when we eat here. Back at the Frankia we first attach our insulation mat for the front window. The sky is clear and it promises to be a cold night, it will only be 37 degrees.

Sunday March 20^th we get up at 8 am, awakened by the sun. I walk to the bakery in town (always nice this morning walk) and after breakfast we leave. When we arrive in Liart we call our friends Cor and Esme (just to be sure). Maybe they are at their house in France (it’s in this town) and we can say hello to them. Unfortunately, they are at home in the Netherlands so we drive on and around noon we arrive in Bouillon, Belgium.

The parking is very busy but there is still a parking place available. The weather is beautiful, although there is still a cold wind. The town of Bouillon is dominated by the medieval fortress of Godfrey de Bouillon, the famous knight who sold his castle in 1082 to finance his first Crusade. Even now it is an impressive structure and of course we climb up the steep slope to the castle. From here you have a beautiful view of the center of Bouillon where the river Semois meanders through. After a steep descent we arrive in the old city center where we, once again, wander through the streets, using geocaches to find our way.

At the end of the afternoon we return, this time not over the mountain but through a tunnel. Many motorhomes are now leaving and it is actually quiet in the parking lot. Around 6 pm I walk back to the center, this time to get food. On the way back it starts to drip but I’m on the phone with my sister Hannah so don’t notice this drizzle. It really starts to rain when we are having our dinner. We were really lucky with the weather today. Fortunately, after an hour, the rain stops and the air opens up again, so we attach our insulation mat in front of the window.

After a clear and cold night, the sun is shining again on Monday morning. Our dashboard indicates that the French propane tank is empty again, so after dumping gray and black water and filling clean water, we drive to the border with France. In Longwy, where we were originally supposed to spend the night, we stop at a supermarket and buy a new tank with propane from a vending machine, then we exchange the empty tank with a full tank.  At home I thought that, if we drive through Luxembourg to refuel (and we do that because petrol is cheaper here), we could look for the oldest geocache in this country. So, we drive through the narrow streets of Rodange in Luxembourg in search of the first part of this, consisting of 5 stages, geocache.

Unfortunately, there are weight restrictions everywhere and so we climb the hill and end up in narrow, steep streets, even the bitumen disappears and we continue to drive over smooth cobblestones. When we are high on the hill we have to descend through even narrower streets. Cars are parked everywhere and scaffolding has been built along the houses, so our Frankia has only a few inches space on either side. But luckily Dick manages to get down unscathed. When we arrive on a wider street I’ve had enough. With such streets I want to leave Rodange, then no old geocache. It is almost impossible to drive a large camper here. The only possibility to reach the geocache here is to take our bike. So, we drive straight to the North, through the city of Luxembourg.
When we drive past the second oldest cache, in Colmar Berg, Dick is kind enough to park the motorhome at the exit of a country road. There is no parking space anywhere so he stays inside while I walk into the forest, cross a river via boulders and then climb further up the mountain via a steep hill. On top of the mountain in the forest, I find the geocache in question and after 30 minutes I’m back. The temperature has now risen to 66 degrees. Through endless towns in the Luxembourg countryside, we drive further north, we fill up our motorhome tank and a jerrycan with diesel at the border and then drive into Belgium.

We have to search for the parking In Stavelot and with some indications from the local population we find the right way and finally we arrive at the parking lot next to the swimming pool where we park our Frankia. Of course, we walk around in the old town. It’s too late to visit the museum of the Spa-Francorchamps race track, so we make our way over the cobblestones in the old town and along the ruins of a church from the 11^th century and return to our quiet spot by the river after a 3 miles walk.

Tuesday March 22^nd we get up at 8 am and after a quick breakfast (this time with yoghurt) we drive to Sittard. We are back in the Netherlands. When we arrive at 9 am at motorhome parking next to the new Hateboer, a swimming pool I fear that the parking lot is closed because not a single motorhome is parked here. But luckily, we can drive through the gate and park our Frankia.
Of course, we first drink coffee before we explore the city of Sittard. It is easy to walk to the center from this parking, especially with this radiant weather. It is now 65 degrees and my jacket quickly disappears in the backpack. Dick is less bothered by the heat and just keeps his jacket on. The large square in the center looks nice and the terraces are overcrowded. Unfortunately, the great church of Sittard is closed, but the Paters church next door is open. At the entrance door is a small stone lion.
In 1938, during High Mass on Santa Rosa Sunday, two lions escaped from a circus on the market. One of them, lion Azor, quietly walked into the crowded church and lay down on the altar, a frightening event. This scene is clearly visible on a photo inside. I understand that at that time, this event was world news.

Slowly our walk takes us out of the city and we climb the Kolleberg. When Sittard was ravaged by a dysentery epidemic in 1668, Santa Rosa of Lima was called upon to protect Sittard from this and in thanks for this, the Santa Rosa chapel was built on the highest point of the city. It is quite a climb up the mountain but with this beautiful weather definitely worth it. After taking some pictures and talking to other people climbing up too, we walk back at our leisure.

In the afternoon I walk into town again, now to exchange some books in the mini library and the rest of the afternoon we sit in the motorhome and do our administration. It stays quiet in the parking lot, but late at night cars are parked between the motorhomes. Why? Do they deal in drugs here? At least we don’t mind because we sleep like roses.

Wednesday March 23^rd we leave Sittard after breakfast and drive to our motorhome dealer Raema in Nederweert. A lock bolt has vibrated loose and we do not have locktide. But it is quickly fixed at the dealer and soon we are on our way again and at 1 pm we park our Frankia behind our home.

Because we leave again on Friday, almost everything stays in the motorhome. We take only the laundry bag and the contents of our refrigerator inside. While I load the washing machine with clothes and bedding, Dick works on the outside of the motorhome and soon brown streams of water are gushing down. The motorhome is really dirty. Dick notices what he started because while I’m having nice chats with our neighbors, he’s busy cleaning, hour after hour. But finally, after hours of cleaning, the Frankia is clean and shines again and we can park it behind our house. Fortunately, we have just enough space. Thanks again to our neighbor Evelyn who moves her small motorhome. As thanks for her effort, Dick also sprays her motorhome with water. He has to because, without consulting Dick, I promised her. It’s nice to be home again, although it’s only for a day and a half. We still have a “Frankia “ weekend ahead of us.

And that weekend starts Friday morning, March 25^th. We wake up early, pack the last things in the motorhome and then we leave. We only have to drive a short distance because Alblasserdam is just around the corner. As  the crow flies it’s only 9 miles, via the road it’s 20 miles. Before we enter the site of the camper parking, we stop at Hornbach, a garden center. Fortunately, we find a new doormat here. Not as good as the one I left in France in December, but we don’t want to be without it. We now found out that not having an outdoor mat gives extra dirt in the camper.
When we arrive at Camper Park Kinderdijk at 10 am, we are not the first Frankia motorhome. A number of motorhomes already arrived yesterday and because of the nice weather there are many chairs outside on the lawn. Pieta and Kees, the managers of this camper park, have an information folder for every Frankia driver as well as a name tag, so when our motorhome is parked, I walk along the already present motorhomes to write down the names. It helps me to learn everyone’s name, but it also makes me regularly stop to have a chat.

Nevertheless, in the afternoon we break free from the pleasant conversations because of course we also want to visit the World Heritage of Kinderdijk. Dick used to visit this place with his parents but I’ve never been here, even though we don’t live far from here.

This largest mill complex in the world, I believe there are about 20 windmills together, is a special place. It is a pleasure to cycle around over the small dikes and we regularly get off our bike to take pictures. To our surprise we meet Bart and Robert on one of the dikes. Years ago, we regularly attended travel fairs together where we gave information about exotic destinations in Asia.

And now, in the middle of this quintessentially Dutch landscape, where all elements of the famous Dutch water management come together (century-old mills, cleverly constructed dikes and polders) we meet them again. Of course, we talk for some time during which we regularly have to step aside for passing tourists and finally we say goodbye to each other. Bart and Robert have a shop at their home in Schijf where they sell statues and pagodas from Bali, Indonesia and we want to see this.
In June, we will visit them when their garden with the statues is at its best. We cycle further, take many pictures and enjoy the landscape with the many, many windmills.

After a very pleasant evening, where the residents of 22 Frankia Motorhomes come together and I lose my voice due to the loud noise (I chat too much and too loudly), we have a meeting on Saturday afternoon. Goal is the founding of a Frankia club. In order to be free from obligations, such as choosing a board, holding an annual member meeting and collect contribution, we finally chose to have a Frankia App group. This outcome is celebrated in the evening while enjoying a delicious Chinese Buffet and some drinks. And again, we chat a lot. Those Frankia drivers are really very nice.

 

 

On Sunday March 27^th, the weather looks completely different. The sun is nowhere to be seen, a thick cloud cover hangs above the camperparc and it’s freezing cold. After breakfast, distributed by Aveco (an insurance company for motorhomes) the sky breaks luckily and the temperature warms up so end of the morning we enjoy coffee with pastry (Alblasserdammertjes) on the terrace. This treatment is offered by our motorhome dealer Raema Caravans & Campers. Then we say goodbye to the other Frankia riders and drive back home. We look back on a very pleasant weekend together. Unloading the motorhome goes quite quickly and cleaning the inside doesn’t take much time either (it’s unnecessary to clean the outside too) so, end of the afternoon, Dick returns the motorhome to our storage in Geervliet. For the first time in two years, I don’t come with our passenger car because Dick comes back by public transport. This helps because now I can place, all the stuff we unloaded, elsewhere at home and thus clear our living-room.

The only thing left to do is to clean the carpet from our motorhome. It’s Dicks job to do that. He is much better at vacuuming, but he also gives a much more thorough cleaning of the carpet with water and soap.

We soon left our travel plan this trip and, due to the weather conditions, we also returned along the beautiful French coast. But that was no punishment and we had another fantastic trip. In total we drove 2440 miles. We did not cycle much, only 26 miles, but that is because it is often better to walk around in the cold. The counter in our legs has therefore stopped at 131 miles

Part 2:
Continuation of our journey to our destination, the Rock of Gibraltar and then slowly towards north

The weather is lovely again when we get up at 7.30 am on Monday morning November 15^th and although the temperature is only 52 degrees Fahrenheit it is getting warmer soon. After paying for the parking, we dump the last black water and leave this wonderful place. The road takes us straight through the mountains and it requires a lot of climbing from our Frankia. But finally, after endless descents we leave the mountains behind and drive through cotton fields.

Unfortunately, the harvest has already taken place, but you can still see tufts of cotton everywhere. After crossing the port city of Algeciras, we arrive in “la Linea de Conception” a town on the border with Gibraltar. Here is a nice parking lot along the harbor. There are quite a few motorhomes, but we still find a nice spot and after a cup of coffee we walk to the border, which is only 750 yards away. We flutter with our passports, but nobody actually looks at them and soon we walk on British territory.

Now we have to wait a while before we can continue walking. A plane is about to land and then (of course) you can’t cross the runway, but as soon as the plane is at the gate, we can cross the airport. Fortunately for us the traffic, like the rest of Europe, drives on the right side of the road. Only for the British, who of course are not used to this, is at every crossing point indicated which way they should look. Slowly we walk closer and closer to the center. However, after walking around for a few hours, we can’t resist a Mac and so before we enter the center of Gibraltar, we first have a burger.
The small center actually consists of a large walking area along various shop. Of course, they are all open. The final point of our walk today takes us to the funicular where one gondola after another disappears high up the mountain. We feel on our legs that we walked quite a bit, so we decide to go back slowly, again past endless shops. When a yellow T-shirt fits well, I want it and have to pay in pounds. Luckily, we live in a credit card era because we don’t have British pounds.

On our way back we overlook the airfield from a higher point and again have to wait some time before we may cross the runway. All those planes and then bystanders tell us that now in Corona time, it is very quiet with planes. After holding up our passports again walking in a huge queue of commuters, we arrive safely back at the Frankia at the end of the afternoon. We are a bit worn out after almost 9 miles of walking and we plop down on the couch. I only get up to take a picture of the sunset. The rest of the evening we read books.

Unfortunately, there are considerably more clouds on Tuesday November 16^th and only a little bit of blue sky can be seen, but nevertheless we unload our bikes today to see if we can cycle up the Rock. Yesterday we were approached by dozens of people with the question if we didn’t want to make a tour over the rock by tourist bus, but it seems more pleasant to us to do it on our bikes.
Geocaches are hidden in various places in Gibraltar, so they will give us a guideline which way to take. First of all, the geocaches take us to the southeastern tip of the Rock where a lighthouse is situated from where we have a view of the African continent. What is that continent close by from here. For a long time, we stay here looking over the Strait of Gibraltar, but then we really start the steep climb up to the top.
Half way on the rock we are stopped by barriers. Only after buying a pass can, we continue. The upper part of the rock is a natural reserve and can only be visited when you pay for a fee. Even if you are walking or cycling. While we climb higher and higher, in turbo mode because the road goes up so steeply, we are often passed by the small buses full of tourists. I wonder how busy it is here during high season. Of course, we stop at St. Michaels Cave. This cave was long thought to be bottomless, which probably gave rise to the story that the Rock of Gibraltar was connected to the continent of Africa by an underground passageway under the Strait of Gibraltar. It was also said that the famous monkeys, who roam everywhere, study the tourists and from time to time show their spine-chilling teeth, have come here through this underground passage.

The cave regularly has a colored light show and is very touristy, but Dick knows how to capture the angel in a picture. It can be seen on the stalactites at a certain moment. After leaving the cave we drink a cappuccino with a delicious pastry and then we continue our cycling trip.
We climb to the highest accessible peak, O’Hara’s battery, at an altitude of 1381 feet, from where we again have a huge view of the sea around us. The continent of Africa is now hidden from our view by a thick band of clouds, but standing here, so high on the rock of Gibraltar, is beautiful. Unfortunately, we have to descend quite a bit from here. Not pleasant at all, especially since the road gives you the feeling that if you make a steering error, you immediately plunge into a dizzying depth. So slowly, demanding everything from our brakes, we descend and then we climb again because, of course, we also want to visit the tunnels carved into the mountain on the other side of the rock. Meanwhile, the tourist flow is a bit less and so we can easily climb through the tunnels to the end point which is on the other side of the mountain. These tunnels were dug out from the solid limestone in the late 18^th century. It is really special to walk here.

When we are outside, we watch a landing plane again. From this high point we have a good view on the airport. But then, it is already the end of the afternoon, we descend to the center, do some last shopping in an English food store (and leave with Spanish products) and then cycle through customs back to the Frankia. What a wonderful trip we had. I would like to make this climb again, but then with a steel blue sky when you have an even better view of the surroundings. Because it was quite cloudy today, the temperature did not rise above 59 degrees, but now, that dusk is almost falling, a cool wind is blowing so we are happy to be back home.

Since we cannot leave Gibraltar before we have had the English Fish and Chips, we decide to stay one more day on Wednesday. During the morning we will clean our clothes and bed linen and after that, in the afternoon, we again can have a look at the shops and have fish and chips in town. Unfortunately, the only washing machine is still occupied when we arrive with our laundry bags, so there is nothing left for us but to wait for the machine to be released. However, the English couple who occupy the machine do not have enough change to dry their clothes as well. At some point I can slip through it (the English are on the hunt for change), but then I have to give up my place in the drying row again so they can dry their laundry. And that again takes much longer because one drying cycle is not enough (you need two drying cycles with these poorly drying machines) and again they need change and have to scour the neighborhood again. To get change they have to buy something because nobody wants to exchange bills for change. But finally, our laundry dried too and at 3 pm we walk to Gibraltar. Again, we walk through the only land gate in the Casemates into the city center. There is more sun than yesterday, although there are still quite a few clouds, but the temperature has remained the same and does not rise above 61 degrees.

After walking through the entire shopping street again and looking at some nice shops, we find a free table at the end of the afternoon in the oldest pub in Gibraltar where we eat real British Fish and Chips. It tastes good but I think the version we eat in St Malo is much better. In the evening it starts to storm. So severe that watching TV becomes impossible (the signal is disturbed too much) and we even have to close the roof hatches because the wind is trying to get under them. We don’t sleep very peacefully and the Frankia feels like a bobbing ship.

This storm continues on Thursday, November 18^th, the thermometer still shows 60 degrees and it is dry. Unfortunately, the road we want to take is closed so we are being redirected through very narrow roads past refineries. On one of these roads, we are stopped by a group of strikers. They refuse to continue working until a pay rise is promised. Why they make such protests on such a narrow back road, where no one else sees them, is a mystery to me, but luckily, we are allowed to continue our ride after fifteen minutes (waved goodbye by the strikers who, in faltering Spanish, we wished good luck).
Driving on is a very laborious process because the road is actually too narrow for both oncoming traffic and our motorhome, so we just have to be patient until all oncoming traffic has passed, which sometimes just goes well. I’m quite happy when after a while we reach a normal road again and we follow that road to the city of Cádiz. Here too we have to maneuver through some very narrow streets, before we finally arrive at the large paid parking space on the edge of the city in the harbor area. Despite the many cars parked here, there is enough space in the back to park our motorhome and we walk into the town of Cádiz. The sun is shining again and the clouds have almost disappeared but the wind remains. So, despite the fact that the thermometer now shows 66 degrees, it feels cooler and a body warmer is very pleasant to wear.

Cadiz is a beautiful town with a beautiful boulevard, ancient trees that are colossal in size and an old cathedral. Apparently, we take the wrong entrance because after wandering through this cathedral and visiting the enormous crypt underneath, which is still used as the final resting place, we find out that the entrance to this cathedral costs 11 euros a person. I would never have paid this amount to enter a church, so we’re lucky. We now walk around for a couple of hours and when we see the Spaniards eating delicious tapas on a terrace, we sit down at an empty table and after asking our neighbors what the various dishes are called, we also order some tapas. They taste really good and I now understand that these snacks are so popular during the day. Especially if you drink something with it.

Just before the sun sets, we walk along the boulevard, look for a cache in one of the huge, ancient and irregularly shaped trees and when it gets dark, we arrive back at the Frankia. Tired but satisfied and because we have eaten so many tapas at 4 pm, we don’t have to eat anymore. Once again, after darkness has fallen, the storm rises and again it feels like we are on a boat, the Frankia moves back and forth.

Friday, November 19^th the sky is steel blue again and the sun is shining. There is still a strong wind blowing, but the temperature is around 65 degrees. We pay at the security and have to pay double the rate because we are “Too Big” and then we leave Cádiz over a very high and 1,5 miles long bridge where the Frankia has a hard time because of the strong wind gusts. Soon we are on a large 4-lane road and 2 hours later we arrive in Sevilla. We find a spot on a guarded property of a car dealer. From here it is easy to walk to the center. We won’t get that far this afternoon. Our goal is now the Plaza de España, where we arrive after a walk through endless parks. This square with a diameter of 650 feet, is overwhelming and is bordered by several palatial buildings with two high towers on the flanks. At the foot of the buildings are 52 benches with mosaic tiles, depicting all 52 Spanish provinces. You can even row a boat through the canals. A beautiful and overwhelming place. It was designed for the Ibero- American Exhibition of 1929. I have never seen such a beautiful square and we are not getting tired of it. Yet at some point we have to go back and just before dusk we are back at the Frankia. Luckily the wind has died down, our motorhome is stable again and we can watch TV.

Unfortunately, it’s cloudy on Saturday November 20^th and even now and then there are a few drops of rain. After the storm of the past few days the Frankia is completely covered with sand, Dick first cleans all the windows and then (it is now 11 am) we walk to the old center of Sevilla. The walking distance is not too bad and we soon wander through the narrow streets of the old town. Everywhere we find nice squares with orange trees. Around the Cathedral are market stalls selling nativity scenes and figures to decorated for Christmas. It’s special because we’ve never seen anything like it. Despite the high entrance fee of 11 euros pp, there are also huge queues waiting to enter the cathedral.

But we walk on until we see a bar in one of the narrow streets where they sell freshly squeezed orange juice. We love that drink and soon we are inside, sitting at a table. It is special here because the walls are covered all over with pictures of saints and processions. We soon enjoy not only the fresh orange juice, but also various small snacks. The spinach-cheese tapas and the croquettes in particular are very tasty. Just before the big crowds arrive, we leave this bar again and continue walking. Unfortunately, all shops are closed again, even the Christmas stalls and so we can no longer sniff around, but we discover a Starbucks and as the temperature has now risen to 63 degrees, we take a seat outside with a Starbucks cappuccino and frappuccino. These tastes good. Completely strengthened by all that food and drink we walk back at our leisure.

Again, we pass the Plaza de España where we climb the stairs of the impressive buildings and now, we can have a look at this beautiful square from above. Despite the much lesser weather today, it is still beautiful here. From afar sounds an ominous thunder. So, after a few more pictures (again) of the mosaic benches we walk back. Unfortunately, when we still have half an hour to go, we are attacked by a heavy and prolonged downpour. It’s unbelievable that our rain jackets are holding back this deluge. Unfortunately, we don’t have our rain pants with us and so everything gets soaked below our waist. Not only because of the rain falling from above, but also because of the cars, when we cross the bridge, racing past us through at least 6 inches deep water and spray us completely. So, it doesn’t matter anymore when we also have to wade through a long 8 inches deep river just in front of our parking. So much water has fallen in a short time that the road completely disappeared, it now functions as a riverbed. At home we take off our soaking clothes on the doormat and putting on dry underwear and socks is not a luxury. A huge puddle of water comes out of our shoes. For the time being we cannot wear these soaking wet shoes. While it continues to rain and the incessant flashes of lightning illuminate the sky, we stay warm and dry by the motorhome heating while enjoying a glass of wine. The entire motorhome is filled with soaking wet clothes. But we loved our walk to the center of Sevilla.

Fortunately, the sun shows its best side again on Sunday November 21^st and it is 64 degrees early in the morning. Our French butane tank is now really empty and replaced by a Dutch tank with propane. For now, we don’t have to worry about our gas supply. As we could buy a connector in Ronda, we can now also connect a Spanish gas tank. It is quiet on the road and we are getting along well. Unfortunately, the clouds increase in the morning and every now and then a few drops of rain fall again.

In Badajoz we can park on the last spot and after drinking coffee, as usual, we cross the river via an old 15th century bridge and walk to the center of this town. It is not unpleasant here but the center is completely deserted. On Sunday all shops are closed. Although the sun is shining and it is around 68 degrees, we don’t see anyone on the street. On one of the squares, even the terrace is completely deserted. Apparently, there are not enough customers. One store catches my eye because of the mountain boots in the window. I’m in desperate need of new hiking boots. My old Keens are now so worn out that they leave bits of soles everywhere. Tomorrow we will have to look here. Just before we give up, we find a small shop that sells bread, so we can eat tonight. I forget to mention that we also have cauliflower and sausages, so we don’t have to eat dry bread. Slowly we walk back to the Frankia over the old bridge and past the fortifications at the end of the bridge and we are back just before dusk. And the evening meal? It tastes fine after this walk.

Monday, November 22^nd, the sun shines again, but there is more wind, which immediately affects the temperature, which does not exceed 59 degrees. We haven’t discovered a bakery nearby, so we have breakfast with Oroweat. The same bread brand we bought in America and it tastes better than our survival bread which always has something spongy. During breakfast we notice that something is wrong with the levelers of our Frankia. The left side collapses a bit, so before we go on a mission, Dick first levels the motorhome. But then we walk to the shoe store. The number of mountain boots appears to be limited and after I have tried on 6 different pairs, all of which are not comfortable, we decide to end my mission. I’ll have to walk a little further on my kicked-out Keens and hope for better times. So, we wander further through the town where geocaches bring us to the foot of a fortress.

We are now walking high on the hill above town. It’s a good climb and a narrow path takes us under the city wall until we finally discover a gate we can enter and continue our walk over the walls of this fortress. Slightly safer because the path on the outside of the wall became narrower and the abyss next to it became deeper and deeper. It is nice to walk all the way around and we have a beautiful view of the wide area around us. That walking around and clambering does require a lot of energy, so when we finally arrive back in the town, we look for something to eat and drink. But we’re too late, everything is closed now and even the open panederia (sandwich shop) doesn’t want to sell anything. We can take a sandwich and eat it outside, but the temperature has dropped to 46 degrees and we will sit inside. So, we walk back to the motorhome, where we make a cup of soup and sit behind the laptop for the rest of the afternoon to write something again. Our dinner is simple, some leftovers from the previous days, but it tastes good and is sufficient. We sleep well and no longer hear the clock strike 10 pm.

Tuesday November 23th we get up at 8.30 am and after dumping and filling water we leave this pleasant town. Badajoz is located on the Portuguese border and so we soon enter Portugal. It is an hour earlier here so we gain an hour which is not unpleasant. We drive to Portugal because we need cans of soda. That cans are heavily priced in Spain. In Elva’s, the first town across the border, we stop at the supermarket. Not only we may spend the night here, there are also washing machines and dryers on the site, so we will do laundry again. Because we don’t have to wait for anyone, we can immediately fill the available machines and all our clothes are washed and dried before 12.30 pm (Portuguese time). Time for lunch and we walk to the cafeteria of the supermarket to have a delicious lunch. We discovered another RV parking near an old fortress high on the mountain “Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graca”. We want to go there and after lunch we drive there. The road climbs steeply and ends in a large, but steeply sloping, parking lot covered with cobblestones. They are very slippery and our Frankia has no grip. It’s difficult but Dick manages to turn the motorhome on this steep parking lot and we don’t know how fast we have to drive back to the super-mercado. Next time we visit Elvas we will look around here, but then by bike. After all, we would like to visit this largest bastioned fortress in the world, consisting of several triangular bastions. With its star-shaped walls, it is one of the best-preserved city walls in Europe. As soon as the motorhome returned to its old spot, we walk into the town. The sun is shining brightly, but it remains quite cold at 41 degrees. Fortunately, we keep it warm with both a down jacket and a rain jacket over it.

We walk to the large Aqueduct (Aqueducto da Amoreira) which is partly being restored. It has a length of 19 miles, consists of 843 arches and is 102 feet high in some places. While we walk along the endless arches of the aqueduct, we slowly climb up to a fortress located on another hill, “Forte de Santa Luzia”. This fortress is also star-shaped and impressive and from the ramparts we have a beautiful view of the surrounding area, hiding in our jackets. Finally, we are back at the Frankia at 5 pm. I buy some food supplies, we read and later on we watch TV. There will be no cooking tonight. Only a few toasts with cheese is our evening meal, but that makes sense after this afternoon’s extensive lunch.

Wednesday November 24^th the sun is shining but there are also some clouds. The temperature does not exceed 41 degrees. At 8.30 am we cross the border with Spain. Now we lose the hour we were given yesterday. We drive slowly to the north through mountainous areas. It is quiet on the road and there is practically no habitation in this Sierra de San Pedro, a wonderful trip. Just before the town of Plasencia in Spain, a huge tornado-like cloud appears in the horizon. This cloud is approaching closer and swallowed all the blue sky when we arrive at the large parking lot on the edge of Plasencia. As soon as the Frankia is parked at the right place, we walk into town.

It is more climbing because the streets to the center lead up steeply but finally, we are high up the hill and arrive at an aqueduct, yes again but this one is not so impressive. From here we walk around using geocaches to show us the way. They always take us to surprising places. Through the old and narrow streets of this town, to the old Cathedral which looks somewhat dilapidated and, as usual in Spain, is locked. Just before dark we are back at the motorhome and I can’t resist looking around in a Chinese Bazaar, which adjoins the parking lot. I buy a new coffee pot but I don’t know whether it is really a success, because after making coffee once, Dick has to glue the lid.

Fortunately, the influence of the tornado cloud has completely disappeared on Thursday morning because when we get up at 8 am the sun is already shining in a steel blue sky, but it is only 46 degrees. Soon we drive through the mountains again and slowly climb higher and higher. We are now in the Sierra de Gata. It is a beautiful road through the mountains that climbs up and up but eventually descends again to 2300 feet. We drive on a plateau where the Portuguese town of Almeida is located, our destination today. Just before we take the road exit to Almeida, we are back in Portugal, there is some confusion whether or not we are on a toll road. There are signs all over warning foreigners that the toll will be collected automatically, something we experienced in Portugal a few years ago. Then without prior warning, we suddenly found ourselves on a toll road. Very annoying if you don’t have a toll box. We’re hoping that this isn’t the case now.
In Almeida is a nice parking lot on the edge of an old fortress in which the old town is located and we park our Frankia. Almeida is one of the 12 Portuguese Historic Villages and is known for its massive star-shaped defenses. After the Romans, the town knew the Germans and then it was conquered by the Moors who not only built the first castle on the hill here, but also gave it the name Al Meda. In 1190 it was finally recaptured by the Christians. Only after a continuous struggle between Portugal and the Spanish Kingdom of Leon it was finally recaptured by the Portuguese in 1296.

Because the following centuries did not pass without a struggle with Spain, the Praca Forte was built on this hill. A fortress that surrounds the entire village with 6 bastions that together show an impressive star shape. Unfortunately, I don’t have a drone to photograph this. Of course, as always, we walk through the town using geocaches and clamber over the star-shaped defensive walls. It is impressive here and we enjoy the beautiful view over the surrounding landscape. We’re back at the Frankia at 4 pm.
Then I decide to walk to the post office to check whether or not we were on a toll road. Luckily the post office is open. With the help of Google translate I ask questions about the toll road and immediately get an answer in a never-ending stream of Portuguese. With the help of hands and feet (my Portuguese is not so good) and a picture of our driven route

puttygen.biz

, I am told that we didn’t find ourselves on a toll road and therefore we do not have to do anything. But when we want to go to the town of Bragança tomorrow, we have to drive back to the south to drive up the toll road. At this place is a machine where we can pay with a credit card.
Relieved and with a signed map I walk back through the picturesque town that already won my heart. When I pass a shoe shop I don’t hesitate and walk inside. There is no one there and at my leisure I try on various mountain boots, helped by the shop lady. I end up with a pair of shoes that fit like a glove. Even my arch support can easily be put in and the shoe is still comfortable. I finally have nice sturdy shoes. However, I want to have other, more colored, shoe laces because the brown ones are very colorless. But that’s no problem.

Friday November 26^th the sky is steel blue and the sun shines. It is cold and at 8 am the thermometer shows only 36 degrees. Because we are not yet used to the Portuguese times, we got up at 7 am Portuguese time (8 am in Spain). And after breakfast, filling the water tank and dumping gray and black water, we leave Almeida. We decided not to go to Bragança (we will visit there next time when we have a toll booth) and drive to the north, into the mountains.

To our surprise we suddenly are in the Parque Natural do Douro and the road through the mountains climbs higher and higher. The deep valleys of the river provide monumental views and I am glad that there are regular viewpoints from which we have a beautiful view of the area. The bands of clouds hanging down in the valleys make the views even more spectacular. It’s nice that we are all alone here so we can make regular stops. The parking spaces are not that big, so if there were many passenger cars, we wouldn’t fit in here. After the high peaks level off, the view is still beautiful.

 

 

Below us the Douro flows slowly and the more rolling hills are now covered with grapevines. What a beautiful area this is. After 4 hours of climbing and descending we arrive in the Portuguese town of Miranda do Douro. It is located high on a cliff along the Douro River and next to the city wall is a place to park, but this road descends steeply, so we don’t know whether this is an ideal place to spend the night. First, let’s explore the town. The actual center within the city walls is not very large. We walk around, look at the ruins of a castle and take pictures of the Mirandeses, the statues of the original inhabitants of this town.
But after walking around for an hour we have seen it and decide to drive on. After crossing some other mountains, significantly less spectacular than this morning’s, we arrive in Alcanices in Spain. It is now almost 3.30 pm because again, we lose our Portuguese hour. After the Frankia is parked between the residential flats, we also walk around through this town. There is a lot of climbing to do because the narrow roads are quite steep. When snow falls here, these are good ski slopes. It’s quite boring here and everything, even the supermercado, is closed. So, after an hour we’ve seen it here and walk back. We work at our administration, cook a simple meal and read in our books.

Saturday November 27^th the sun shines again but with 39 degrees it is cold. After breakfast we drive again farther north. Another wonderful trip over winding mountain roads and under a steel blue sky. Unfortunately, a thick band of clouds passes over as we approach Astorga. But the clouds disappear again and blue sky appears. The temperature drops further and with 35 degrees and an icy wind, it is not really pleasant outside.
We park the Frankia in the middle of the town between the apartment buildings, under the smoke of the old cathedral and then walk, wrapped up in our down-jack, into town. The wind is so freezing cold that’s a good opportunity to visit the cathedral and the museum next door. It is beautiful inside, although we have seen more impressive cathedrals. Actually, we find the adjacent Palazzio de Gaudi much more worth it. It’s the episcopal Palace, was finished in 1893 and designed by architect Antoni Gaudi.

After an hour we slowly walk further through the town until we arrive at the Plaza Major, a large square in the center. It now started snowing and we are so chilled that we only have to look at each other for a moment to decide to enter a bar where we warm up with a cappuccino. On the way back home, we do some shopping. We will not stay overnight in this place, a bare sand plain between the apartment buildings. The wind has free play on the motorhome, increasing in strength and here is no shelter. So, we drive back to the Plaza del Toros where we can stand more in the shelter of the Arena. The falling snowflakes have become thicker, so we quickly attach the insulation blanket in front of the windscreen and stay inside. It is no surprise that no one else stays here with a motorhome.

When we want to fill up with water before departure on Sunday November 28^th, that’s difficult. A part of the water hose, attached to the tap, is frozen but with some rubbing Dick succeeds in removing the ice and can fill the water tank. It is 32 degrees Fahrenheit but the sky is blue and the sun is shining so we don’t complain. Because of this weather we choose the road through the mountains to Ponferrada. What we don’t know is, that to get there, we have to cross a high mountain-pass. We climb and climb and climb and more and more we end up in winter because we are surrounded by snow. The mountain pass is at 4100 feet and because Ponferrada is at a lower altitude, we descend almost 2300 feet. The snow around us soon disappears and the sun reappears. Next to an “albergho for pelegrinos” (after all, we are here on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela) we park the Frankia.

The weather is lovely, the sun shines and it’s 43 degrees. Because we parked close to the center, we only have to cross the street and then we find ourselves in the narrow old streets that all lead to the imposing Disney-like castle. Unfortunately, we are too late to visit it, in half an hour it will close until 5 pm and so we will have to come back to see it inside. After 3.5 hours of walking around we have seen it here and we decide to drive back to Astorga today.
It turns out to be a good idea because when we park the Frankia in Astorga, again between the apartment buildings, we find out that my niece Inge and her husband Paul also just arrived in Astorga. They found an apartment on Plaza Major (where we had coffee yesterday afternoon) and it is less than a 10-minute walk from the place we’ re parked.

We agree to meet tonight and after sharing our location (how handy an iPhone is) we see them arriving at our motorhome an hour later and we can hug each other. Although we hadn’t counted on meeting each other tonight, the Frankia turns out to contain enough snacks and we don’t have to starve. The wine and the fully functioning heater ensure that we are not cold and we have a very pleasant evening together. It is really special to meet each other in this deserted place in northern Spain. But not so strange because Inge and Paul came to Spain to scatter the ashes of Paul’s father. He died 5 years ago but lost his heart to this area in northern Spain. After his divorce in 1991, he walked several pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostella and that route passes Astorga. After a very pleasant evening together, we have so much to tell to each other, we agree to meet again tomorrow. Then we will explore the town of Astorga together.

Once again, we are lucky when we get up on Monday morning because the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the thermometer even shows 43 degrees. When buying bread in town I enjoy the Gaudi palace and the cathedral. Both of them now stand out beautifully above the city walls against the bright blue sky. After breakfast we discuss how we will continue our travels from tomorrow. We made a route, but it is now somewhat outdated and we have quite a few days left. So, we search for other destinations on our way to the north. After we have found a possible new route, we walk to the apartment of Inge and Paul.
It is beautiful situated, very large and has a great view of the Plaza Major. Unfortunately, the Christmas lights are not yet working on the square. After a nice chat with a cup of coffee we walk together through this pleasant town. Hannah and Henk recommended Astorga to us. We have not seen much yet and it is fun to wander together through the narrow streets, along the city walls, across squares and past old buildings, including of course the Cathedral and the Palazzio de Gaudi. Unfortunately, the clouds increase in the afternoon, but there is no rain and the sun shines regularly.

At 4 pm we are back at the apartment and then we decide to drive to the Cruz de Ferro. It is not really far away because half an hour later we are already on top of the mountain. This cross stands high in the mountains next to a beautiful chapel. The pilgrims pass here when walking the Camino Frances (the most popular pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela). At the foot of this high-placed cross, a hill has been created because it is tradition that pilgrims, standing with their backs to the cross, throw down their stone brought from home. Leaving this stone makes you free from worries and problems, so you can continue the pelgrimage. Although the sky is clouded and piles of snow are everywhere, the place is magical.
Especially when Paul walks up to this iron cross with his father’s ashes. All pilgrims pass by this place and so did Paul’s father, who loved it here.  I get that feeling because here, at almost 5000 feet altitude, with no noise at all and in the middle of the snow and clouds you feel peaceful and happy. My parents would have loved this place too. I have to facetime Hannah and make her part of this moment. After all, she and Henk passed this place a month ago on their bicycle pilgrimage to Santiago. I am very happy that Inge suggested to visit this place and I already know that I will return once more to throw that stone from our homeland. I also hope that one day I will have the opportunity to make this pilgrimage walk.
Unfortunately, we cannot light a candle in the chapel, it is locked, but luckily there is a peephole and we can still take a look at the inside. After many more pictures, walking around and talking together in this special place, we walk back through the snow to the car and descend the mountain again. Each with his own thoughts but full of gratitude that we were allowed to look around here. The way back is not so fast. Again and again, Paul has to stop the car on the shoulder of the road.

Both Inge and me are fond of photography and each time one of us sees a special spot along this pilgrim route high in the mountains that we want to capture with our camera’s. Just as the sun disappears behind the horizon, we arrive back in Astorga where Paul parks the car in his tight parking space in the garage and we walk back to their apartment.
What a fantastic day we had with the four of us and I am so grateful that we were able to experience the magic of the nightfall high on a mountain top in the snow. We talk again for a very long time.

Eat an excellent meal that Paul and Inge prepare us. It’s really great when you rent an apartment that is equipped with everything. Late at night, well I mean at 10 pm, we say goodbye to each other. We will continue our trip to the northeast while Inge and Paul travel to the west. Thanks to the family app, we keep in touch for the rest of their trip and can also follow the scattering of Paul’s father’s ashes. It takes place at the end of the world, on the westernmost cliffs above the ocean, in a strong storm. It’s special and impressive and I now know that if I die, I would like to be scattered in that way too.

Tuesday November 30^th, we get up at 8 am and after dumping our gray and black water at the other parking space behind the Plaza del Torros, we also try to fill up with clean water. The latter takes some effort because the tap is frozen, but after a lot of rubbing Dick finally manages to get water out and we leave. The weather is beautiful and the white snow-capped mountains in the distance, where we drove yesterday, stand out against the blue sky. As we head north, we change our plans. We drive to Palencia. I have discovered that the parking here has washing machines and actually is doing laundry a good idea. Unfortunately, when we arrive in Palencia, we find out that the washing machines are out of use because of Corona. So, we clean our Frankia, that’s possible too, and when it looks reasonably clean again, we load our clothes and bed linen on our bikes and drive to the center of Palencia to do laundry at a Lavandera. First, we try to drive there with the Frankia, but there is no parking space in the furthest distance. As we are the only ones in the laundromat we can fill as much machines as we need and after everything is dried, we fold our clothes and bedlinen and cycle back to the parking where it is still dead quiet and I can make our bed with fresh bedding. The whole motorhome now smells of oranges (very appropriate in this country of oranges). The fabric softener clearly had an odor.

On Wednesday December 1^st, the blue sky has unfortunately disappeared and the gray sky feels a bit dull. Soon we are on our way to Burgos where we can park next to a large shopping center. We walk around in the suburbs of the town, but when it starts drizzling after 2 hours, we decide to drive on to Vitoria. It is the capital of the Basque Country and is therefore also called Gasteiz. We can park the Frankia in a huge parking lot near a large supermarket and then we walk to the store to finally do some shopping again. Tomorrow we will stay here for another day and then we will explore the area. Now we stay in the neighborhood and when in the late afternoon, it starts to drizzle, we drink a glass of wine and it is time to do our administration again. Thursday December 2^nd we finally have breakfast again with fresh bread. That tastes so good, also because Dick cooks an egg.

Because it is raining lightly, we don’t go out immediately, but first work on the laptop for a while. But soon the weather clears up, the rain stops and we walk to the center of Vitoria. Although we don’t keep it really dry, the precipitation is insignificant and so we just keep walking. Of course, we hang around on the large square in the center and admire the beautiful monument, but then we walk to a bar to warm ourselves. Outside it is only 41 degrees and therefore not really warm. The tapas we order are not special. We have had much better ones before, but we are hungry and then everything tastes good. After an hour we continue our walk. Now with a full stomach and so it feels warmer outside. Our break has done well to the sky. Some clouds disappeared and blue skies appear here and there. So, we walk a little further under beautiful arcades. When we pass a bakery that sells freshly squeezed orange juice (for me) and cappuccino (for Dick) and we can sit inside, we stop again, have a drink and of course eat a pastry. After this stop we walk back to the Frankia. We are not really hungry in the evening because of the tapas and the pastries, so we have our evening meal with some baguette and cheese. Just before dawn the sun starts to shine, the parking space is completely full and the temperature drops to freezing point, so naturally we attach our insulation blanket in front of the windscreen.

Friday December 3^rd, we don’t get up until 8.30 am and have breakfast again with a fresh baguette. How wonderful it is when there is a shop next to a parking lot. Then we dump our gray and black water, fill clean water of course and leave. At first the road still leads to the east, but soon we drive north on steep narrow roads with many tunnels and higher and higher we climb into the mountains. Fortunately, the road is clean. That must have been different when you see the packs of snow on the side of the road. It is a pity that the cloud base hangs so low because the view of the surroundings must be beautiful. After a long climb we finally start the descent to San Sebastian.

The temperature is rising again. Just before we enter France we can fill up with very cheap diesel. It’s a pity that our spare jerry can is still full with Andorra diesel and then we are stopped at the border by the French Police. Although I have our passports and vaccination papers at hand, they are not interested in that. They only want to check inside to make sure we haven’t hidden any refugees (which of course we haven’t) and so we can quickly continue our way.
We are now driving along the coast, straight through the French coastal towns in the south. The small streets reduce our average speed to 13 miles per hour. In Bayonne we bend inland and stop in La Bastide Clairence. Unfortunately, the weather is gray and the clouds are still hanging low, but when we arrive at the parking space on the edge of this picturesque town, it is dry.

This town, founded in 1288, is small but beautiful with its red and white houses, a building style that is typical of the French Basque Country, and we slowly walk through it. I am delighted with the lavoir (washing area) next to the river. This place has been used until the last century and I understand. It is right on the river and a great place to do your laundry.
Unfortunately, everything in town is closed, even the restaurants, but early December is probably not the best time to visit such a village. So, after looking around we decide, two hours later, to drive on to Bardos, a slightly larger town which is 6 miles to the north.
When we arrive there, it unfortunately starts to drizzle but it doesn’t stop us from walking around here as well. We pass a shop where propane tanks are for sale and soon our empty French butane tank is brought out and we are negotiating with the shopkeeper about exchanging this butane tank for a propane tank.
We noticed the disadvantages of butane gas in winter and now we only want to have propane in our tanks. Except for their color (propane tanks are green or gold) the tanks look the same but it turns out that it is not possible to exchange them, so we conclude a new contract, this time for a propane tank, and a little later we walk back to the Frankia with between us the heavy propane tank.
There Dick connects this tank and I walk back to the store with our old butane contract. After all, the shopkeeper said that the deposit for the old tank will be returned. Unfortunately, that old contract causes confusion because the deposit of 15 euros is not in proportion to the deposit of 9 euros that is levied in this mountain village. Finally, after at least 20 minutes of talking, I don’t get a deposit (I have to request it back from the manufacturer myself). I leave the empty tank and a store with a line of people, reproachfully looking at me because I caused this traffic jam. It has now become dark and it started to rain gently, but in each of the towns we walked 2 miles. We attach our insulation blanket again in front of the window and have a nice meal in the Frankia.

Saturday December 4^th it is still gray outside and there is some drizzle. We are back in the country with a bakery on every street corner so we have breakfast with fresh baguettes and after dumping and filling up with water, we drive to Cadillac, just south of Bordeaux. Although we can use our toilet cassette for three days and also have a spare cassette, we try to empty it when the possibility of dumping is available and the same with fresh water. This is not available in every parking and sometimes, when driving in the winter, water is shut off. Of course, in this region around Bordeaux the road leads through endless vineyards. When we arrive at the parking on the edge of the town of Cadillac, we are not very impressed by the place. Maybe because it’s also raining so the weather is not cooperating and even though this town must be worth a visit, we decide to drive on to Creon, only 13 miles away.

The parking here is not big, only 5 spots, but considerably more pleasant than in Cadillac and we even have electricity. The sun slowly emerges and so, after a nice cup of coffee (we need that because it is now 2 pm) we walk into the town. Fortunately, we have put our rain jacket on because when we arrive in the city center it starts to rain. We take shelter under the arcades, but after a while we can walk around past the Christmas stalls, set up everywhere. Mainly wine and pate are sold here. The town is small and outside the pleasantly busy arcade square there is little to see, so after two hours we are back where, once again, we focus on our administration.

At 7 pm I walk back to town where next to the square is a Moroccan restaurant where I order food. I have to wait a long time for our meal, but after half an hour I get a huge bag of food. At home Dick unpacks the bag and we can enjoy a more than delicious meal. Everything tastes so refined. Another address to return to. During the evening and night at this parking next to the former train-station it is dead quiet.

Sunday, December 5^th, again the sky is gray, but it is dry and despite the fact that the thermometer shows only 43 degrees, it does not feel cold because there is little wind. While Dick helps our neighbor to load his car on the trailer behind the Motorhome (that also exist in Europe) I walk to the bakery. All the bread there looks blackened, so I walk on to the other bakery on the Arcade square where the bread has a golden-brown color.
After a delicious breakfast with a fresh egg, we leave. The narrow backroads lead us through endless vineyards that look a bit desolate at this time of the year without any leaves. When we pass a supermarket on the way, we stop to do some shopping. All the wine brands we passed this morning are for sale in this shop. Just before the store closes at 12.30 pm we pay for our groceries and continue our way. Meanwhile the sun shines and the clouds completely disappeared.

In Rochefort we stop at the car park near the marina. It is dead quiet here so we can park on the edge. It’s my favorite place because when it gets busy you always have an unobstructed view on one side and that’s not unimportant if others are parked close by. Then we walk to the harbor in search of a laverie (laundromat). Because the Marina is next door, less than 350 feet from the parking is a laundromat. Our laundry bag is quite full so we walk over to it and a little later the washing machines are running at full speed. The rest of the afternoon we are busy with our laundry, but at 5 pm everything can be stored clean and dry in the lockers and we cover our bed with fresh linen. Because I also want to look for the nearby geocache, I walk to the train-station of Rochefort. Unfortunately, the cache is nowhere to be found and I return home with shoes that are completely covered with dog poop. Bah, bah, bah. But as Dick says, it’s my own fault because I cut off the road and walked across a piece of grassland. I spend more than 20 minutes outside scraping my shoes.

Monday December 6^th the sky is still blue and the sun is shining.
After breakfast we drive further north on narrow roads. We park the Frankia in Les Sorinieres, a town near Nantes. This place is actually too small and when it starts to drizzle, we decide to drive on. A second parking spot, 19 miles further west, on the side of a large super market, is not a success either because of the heavy noise of an air treatment unit, so we drive on again and finally at 2 pm we arrive in the town of Pont-Chateau. Here at the foot of a quarry is a large plain where we park the Frankia and then we walk to the center. It is not an unpleasant town and we enjoy our walk. At the end of the afternoon, we are back home. Then I can’t resist looking for a geocache hidden somewhere near the entrance of the quarry on the hill. But where is the access? I walk around, climb the hill and everywhere I get stuck against a high fence.

But I have a beautiful view of the surroundings and look at our motorhome from above. Despite the fact that prohibition signs are everywhere, I crawl anyway through a hole in the fence and along narrow overgrown paths I climb steeply to the entrance of the quarry. But when I see the tunnel going down, I dare not enter the quarry now. Not only because I have no flashlight, but the twilight already set in and Dick has no idea where I am at this moment. Next time we’re back here Dick also has to crawl through the hole in the gate and climb to the entrance of the quarry so that when I descend the tunnel, he can keep an eye on me. It is already dark when I climb back the steep path and struggle through the gap in the fence.

After having breakfast on Tuesday morning, we want to dump but have to wait. We need some patience. A Frenchman is extensively polishing his toilet cassette, with a toothbrush, and after a long brushing, the extensive rinsing starts but finally, after waiting 15 minutes, we can dump our gray and black water and fill up the clean water tank. We stop in the town of Pontivy. There is a nice parking on the bank of the river Blavet, where is sufficient space at this time of year. Unfortunately, the weather is not really nice and rain showers alternate with dry periods. When we have a cup of coffee, a dry period appears which we use to cross the bridge and walk around the winding streets of this medieval city. Again and again, we discover other half-timbered houses and medieval facades, it is a lovely town to walk around and that while we don’t even visit the enormous castle of the Breton family Rohan. We will save that for our next visit. Unfortunately, the clouds are getting darker and when a huge downpour breaks again, we walk back and at home we read and write again.  In the evening I pick up Turkish food in town. It tastes, but in Creon we are spoiled with real quality. Here we won’t order food again. Of course, we also attach the insulation blanket in the evening. It cools down to 39 degrees and then extra insulation is not an unnecessary luxury.

The weather doesn’t change much and on Wednesday December 8^th, the sky is gray and it drizzles every now and then, but the landscape through which we drive is beautiful. We are on our way to Tregastel, on the Cote de Granit Rose. Unfortunately, the parking at the super market can no longer be used as an overnight place and the other parking is completely empty.
Dark threatening clouds hang over the sea and sometimes some wet snow is falling so we decide to drive further along the coast. After 31 miles we find a beautiful spot to park at the port of Longuivy de la Mer.

I’m sure you won’t find a place here in the summer (too busy) but now it’s quiet with only two other motorhomes. Of course, we want to get some fresh air and when the Frankia is levelled, we walk over the beach to an island that is now accessible by the low tide. Despite the icy cold wind, it is great to walk on the beach. Because part of the harbor is now without water, we soon find the first St Jacobs (scallop) shells. Of course, we take some with us. The pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela is signposted with such shells, so Hannah and Henk might want to have some as a souvenir of their cycling trip this fall. After walking around for 2 miles we are, despite our layers of clothing, half frozen and we walk back over the stones to the camper. It’s strange that I ‘ll be back dry while Dick who takes another road almost 500 feet further (so he avoids the stony slope in the harbor) ends up in a hailstorm. After we have ordered bread for our breakfast tomorrow morning at the only shop in the village, we stay inside for the rest of the afternoon and cherish us by the warmth inside. When it gets dark, we enjoy a beautiful blue lit Christmas tree. It is dead quiet here at the harbor except for a few moments when, very early in the morning, trucks arrive to collect the cargo of fish and crustaceans that have just been taken out from the sea.

After a beautiful sunrise where the sky turns a beautiful red, I walk to the shop to buy bread. The shop should be open from 7 am, but because the only employee also has to supply the schools, I have to wait until I can pick up our baguette and croissants. After being patient for 15 minutes we really can have breakfast and then we leave this lovely place.
91 Miles further we arrive in Saint Malo. We first look for a parking closer to the center but this place is not that attractive so we quickly drive to our trusted parking along the coast. Only 1 motorhome is parked here. It’s cold outside and not really inviting to go out.

 

Yet the geocache hidden somewhere on the beach beckons. Dick doesn’t want to take a walk so I leave alone and look for a place where to descend to the beach, not far from the hidden geocache. Finally, after a lot of searching, I find this place and descend over steep steps to the beach. The tide is getting low so it is possible to walk between the rocks, although I regularly have to wade through some seawater, but finally I can climb the rock wall. That’s not easy because the rocks are wet and therefore slippery. Yet I manage to climb all the way to the top of the rock and after some searching, I find the geocache. Climbing down is even more difficult but I ‘ll be back safe on the beach and because the tide is even lower and the water has receded further, I can continue my walk over the beach until I can climb back to the boulevard where we are parked. Although we also want to walk together, we don’t go out in the afternoon. It started to rain hard and there are regular hail showers, so staying indoors feels much more pleasant. Towards the evening we again attach our insulation blanket for the windscreen. It hails and rains and the storm continue to rise. So, Dick adds additional attachment points to this blanket to prevent it from being blown away. The motorhome shakes back and forth all evening and night, watching TV is no longer possible and again it feels like we are on a ship.

Friday, December 10^th, the storm is raging in full force and regularly there are strong gusts of wind. It is 48 degrees. When I take a look at the coast, I can’t even stand up straight. Today it’s no weather to go to Saint Malo by bike and we decide to leave after breakfast with old Oroweat bread. We drive on highways to Cherbourg in Normandy where we arrive at 2 pm.

 

There are only 5 motorhomes parked and we have never seen it so quiet here in the parking lot of La Cité de la Mer. After a nice cup of coffee, we walk into the center. It is pleasantly busy; all shops are open and we look around everywhere.
There is a Christmas market on the main square where we naturally want to look around. This is possible if we wear a mask (which is also required everywhere in the city center), our QR code is scanned and my backpack is checked (France has a history of bomb attacks).
On the square we walk past pleasantly decorated stalls where the sale of hot wine, chocolate milk, pâté and crêpes predominate.
We see nice hoodies in the colors of the French flag and I hope Dick likes it too. Unfortunately, he thinks it’s nonsense to buy one so we finally leave the store with only one hoodie. Of course, I couldn’t resist the temptation to buy and that’s while Dick really needs new hoodies. When dusk falls, we tear ourselves away from the many lights in the center and walk back. At 7 pm we walk back again (it’s a good thing that our parking is so close to the center) to have a nice meal at a Thai restaurant that just opened its doors two days ago.

It turns out to be a good choice to have dinner here because the food is really excellent. We found another restaurant to return to. Even though we are parked next to the harbor from where the ferry to England and Ireland departs, which sometimes causes some noise, we sleep like roses.

On Saturday December 11^th, the wind has died down, it is dry and cloudy but sometimes we also see refraction in the sky and some sunbeams. We will stay another day in Cherbourg. Unfortunately, I can no longer buy bread at my regular bakery, just across the bridge. Repairing their kiln

Buy Amoxil UK

, which broke down in the summer, would cost too much, so the “for sale” sign is now to be seen in the shop window. A pity because now I have to walk further to the large shopping center Eleis to buy fresh bread. But it is a nice walk along the harbor where there is always something to do and the freshly caught fish and crabs are sold on the quays. After our tasty breakfast we walk to the city. This time not to shop, but to look for some geocaches that are hidden nearby. It takes us on a journey of discovery through Cherbourg, we pass imposing old field hospitals, wander through narrow streets and see beautiful courtyard gardens before returning to the Christmas market where it is considerably busier on Saturday afternoon and where, of course, we walk around. At the end of the afternoon, we are back at the Frankia where we read and do something about our overdue administration.
I constantly feel this holiday that we are running out of time, too few hours in a day. In the evening it starts to drizzle a bit, so we put on a rain jacket over our down jacket and walk back to our Thai restaurant. Tonight, it is busier than yesterday but nevertheless a table is available and a second night in a row we enjoy an excellent meal. While Dick takes another dish, I ordered red curry again and it’s even better than yesterday. After a lot of walking around and this delicious food I don’t have to tell you that we sleep like roses before 10 pm.

Unfortunately, we are now in a place and in a season where the sun shines less and also on Sunday December 12^th the sky is gray and clouds have the upper hand, although there is some drawing in the sky. After our breakfast (the shops are still closed so today we eat old Oroweat bread) we dump and fill with fresh water. The latter takes a lot of time because the water tap runs very slowly, but finally we are on our way via the highway to Bayeux. We park the motorhome in a residential area next to the center and then walk into the city center. Every now and then we see blue sky and some sunbeams and the thermometer shows 54 degrees. A much more pleasant temperature than at the beginning of December 2019 when we also walked around here. Then an icy wind was blowing and the temperature was far below zero degrees (Celsius).

Once again, we walk through this pleasant town, pass old houses that surround the cathedral, walk along a fast-flowing river and enjoy the pleasant shopping streets where, in the month December, all shops are open and everywhere its pleasantly busy. When we pass a bakery with delicious cakes and the eloquent name” La Reine Mathilde” (and Mathilde is my given name) we (I mean I) cannot resist the temptation and soon we drink a cappuccino with, of course, a delicious cake from “la Reine Mathilde”, Yammie.
At three pm we are back at the parking and we decide to drive a little further to the town of Rots. Here, in the large parking lot of a Hyper Cora, motorhomes are allowed to spend the night.
Thanks to the December month this large hypermarket is also open.
Walmart still beats other stores when you consider the range of items, but this hyper market is also very extensive and it is wonderful to stroll around. Unfortunately, the cafeteria is closed so we buy food and prepare our dinner in the motorhome. When the supermarket closes at 7 pm, it becomes dead quiet outside, but also pitch dark because all the lights are turned off.

Monday, December 13^th the sky is gray again, but we regularly see some refraction in the sky. There is practically no wind and it is 50 degrees so we don’t complain. Because I would like to buy a new Tefal frying pan with stamps (you get them when buying groceries) we drive to a Super U in Caen. Unfortunately, this supermarket doesn’t have pans, but they do have baguettes, so we have breakfast and then drive on and at noon we arrive in Honfleur.

The fairground cars that are still parked here, leave one by one, so there is soon enough space to park.
After the motorhome is levelled, we paid for the place and the electricity is connected, we walk to the town that continues to charm us. It’s very quiet there. There is no one to see at the picturesque harbor in the center and even most of the restaurants are closed. So, we walk to the beach where no one is to be seen either. The absence of people really stands out. Unfortunately, the supermarket as well as our Turkish restaurant are closed on Mondays, so in the evening we cook ourselves. Very simple because I open a can of sauerkraut and potatoes. However, it tastes fine. Only when we arrived here in Honfleur I found out that we forgot our outdoor mat, we left it in the parking lot in Rots. Too bad because it was a good mat. The time to complete a checklist before departure (did we do everything to make the motorhome travel-worthy, are all the lockers locked and didn’t we forget anything) is fast approaching.

Tuesday December 14th, after breakfast, we drive over the Pont de Normandy to the other side of the Seine. We want to try to find some geocaches here but now from the parking lot along the Pont de Normandy. This summer we took our bikes from Le Havre and did not succeed due to the heavy truck traffic everywhere. And yes, after entering the coordinates in our Hakuna, we find the parking at the foot of the bridge and a little later we cycle to the first cache. Fortunately, there is a separate path for cyclists so we are not bothered by the constantly passing heavy traffic.

Unfortunately, the cycle route along the caches hidden high in the trees is not such a success. Of the 16 geocaches, we only find 10 and with these bare trees without leaves, the “not-finding” is not up to us. Disappointed we return after two hours, load the bikes in the motorhome and drive on to Fecamp. In this town, next to the harbor, is a nice parking for motorhomes. We walk into the town. Although the sky is uniformly gray, it is not cold because there is no wind and we can drink a nice coffee outside a bakery.  Because we did not eat or drink since breakfast and we already had some exercise, we also order a pastry.

After half an hour we walk further on along the harbor to the beach. There, in the distance, you can see the white cliffs for which this part of the coast in France is known. After some pictures we turn around and walk back into the town, passing the castle of the Benedictines. It is an imposing building and when we are back, we read that there are guided tours here and that the famous drink Dom Benedictine comes from here, we will return. At 8 pm we walk to a restaurant at the harbor “Le Barbican” where we luckily can get a table. It’s a good thing we arrive so early (for French terms) because all the tables are quickly occupied. No wonder because the dinner is excellent.

Wednesday December 15^th, we leave at 9.30 and drive north on the narrow roads along the coast. We regularly catch a glimpse of the coast, but because the sky and the sea are both uniformly gray there is no spectacular view. On the way we fill up with diesel at a supermarket. The price of diesel is $ 6.35  per gallon and cheaper than the surrounding gas stations. Unfortunately, the price just switches when we fill up so we pay in the end $ 6.50 per gallon. That’s just the way it is, but the next day, when we arrive in the Netherlands, this last price is even lower than in our country.

After 125 miles we arrive in Boulogne sur Mer where we park behind the casino. Not really a nice place to stay, also because of the many constructions works, but we stay close to the center and a little later we walk in the main shopping streets. It is quite busy in the center and many people skate on the ice rink on the square. When dusk falls, we are back. In this town is an eatery where we have been regularly, so in the evening I walk to “Istanbul” order kebab dishes and get this food back home. As always it tastes good.

Thursday December 16^th, we leave Boulogne with gray skies. Just before the border with Belgium we stop in Lumbers at a super market. Dick wants to exchange the French propane tank, it indicated this morning that it was empty and I love to enter the supermarket here to buy some bottles of Festillant, non-alcoholic champagne. I really like that drink. When the camper is loaded with a full tank of propane and some bottles of Festillant, we continue our trip north. Soon the sky breaks and when we pass the border with Belgium all the clouds disappear and blue sky appears.
It’s great to drive in the sun again after looking at a gray sky for the past week. We have a short delay in Antwerp. Due to road works here is a huge traffic jam, but we arrive in Bergen op Zoom at 2 pm. It’s our favorite last stop for the night. And already quite pleasant with this steel blue sky and sun. It is also a good place to leave the books we have read in little free libraries. End of the afternoon we enjoy a beautiful sunset and a little later Chinese food. A good ending to a nice tour through France and Spain.

Friday morning, we first enjoy breakfast with croissants before we drive home. We park behind our home at 11.30 am and after unloading all our stuff we spend a few hours cleaning both the inside and the outside of the Frankia and end of the day we park it clean and shiny. Tomorrow we will bring the motorhome to our dealer Raema in Nederweert. There are still a few things to do.

We drove this trip almost 4536 miles. Because we normally stop around 1 pm, we did not feel like we were driving that much. Obviously, the colder weather affected the way we moved because we only cycled 69 miles but walked 206 miles.