More Barcelona, then hello France!

After the last post, we spent several more days in Barcelona (I'm a bit behind posting this as some of you know we're in Paris now).  We enjoyed listening to the sound of the waves as our pitch was right on the beach even though we didn’t venture onto it much. Check out my haul from beachcombing. I haven't collected anything for months as we're in tight quarters but these rocks and beach glass were so pretty! 

We went to the very interesting Park Guell. This was a planned community that was 100 years ahead of its time. We had a good time here even though it was a rainy day.  I hope you enjoy reading about it in the link:  Gaudi's Park Guell 

We attended a very cool fountain show, (which we posted on Facebook) did some shopping and wandering around the streets of the old town.

Here are our pictures

One night the rains were heavy and as darkness set in, we watched as the camp pitches in front of us lining the beach went from being filled with puddles, to looking like a river. Soon it was full dark and the rain wasn't going to be stopping anytime soon. The water was still rising ominously on the ground beneath our camper. I had visions of our camper floating away and/or swept out to sea. Don’t laugh! It’s really happened - just not to us. At one point, I even called reception and asked for their advice. They said we could move if we wanted, but said that the whole camp was flooded! Dermot was more confident than I that we would be fine. After a nervous night, we saw that the water was receding and we weren’t stuck.  We later heard that there were tent campers who found themselves in several inches of water. 

Mostly we were trying to figure out the details of traveling back to the UK, and storing our campervan so rodents don't make it their home throughout the winter.  What to bring home, what to leave in the van? How to transport said items since our rolling luggage didn’t fit in the van and was given away? 

There’s also the small matter of where we will be living until we can move into Dermot’s condo which is currently rented through February. Couch-surf? Extended-stay? Hotel? Temporary apartment rental? All these things required research and discussion.

We found ourselves on the road on Tuesday. It was a good thing we filled up our gas tank in Barcelona as this was the fourth day of a yellow vest protest in which the French were protesting high fuel prices and blocking toll plazas. We saw many people in yellow vests at the toll plaza nearest the Spain/France border and a huge traffic jam entering Spain (opposite of our travel direction).  We even got a break in the normally very high tolls in France. We only knew the origins of the issue when we looked up the news towards the end our our trip into Toulouse. However, the news also warned of protests in towns that were further along our route on the following days. It felt strange to be in the middle of news in a foreign country.

Wednesday was more driving punctuated by an engine warning light followed by the campervan going into “limp” mode  a.k.a. no acceleration several times. We spent a chilly night in a campsite outside Chateauroux - south of Paris.

Thanksgiving day found us concerned enough to stop at a dealership to get the engine checked. We drove past another protest site - this time, there was a log blocking one part of a roundabout, stacks of wood and burning tires surrounded by yellow-vested protesters waving us along. It didn’t seem dangerous, just strange. We arrived at 11:30 but the whole dealership closes down from 12:00 to 2:00 so we had to wait.  

After several hours, we were handed our keys and told that the computer was reprogrammed and we shouldn’t have the problem again. As we headed out of town we were stuck in traffic at a roundabout where the protesters were blocking traffic with tires at one part of the roundabout at a time. I was amazed that French drivers will honk at you if you hesitate too long at a roundabout but no-one was getting upset at this purposeful delay.  I guess the French respect the cause enough to bear this inconvenience. 

Next stop: Paris.

Goodbye France, hello Spain!

View from the Nativity Tower in Sagrada Familia

We decided to spend one night in Mandeliu-de-Napoule at Les Cigales to extend our time in the French Riviera since the lack of parking thwarted or first attempts. But rain forecasted all along our route delayed our plans by a day.  After our hair-raising journey through the mountains in Italy, we decided to play it safe.  When the rain stopped, we drove along the coast road towards St. Tropez.  As the pictures will show, the deep rust of the mountains is beautiful, even under clouds.  On the way we saw water streaming out of the mountains and small rock slides.  We wouldn't have wanted to be on the road when that happened! We made it as far as Antheor and turned back towards our campsite as we didn't want to drive along these roads in the dark.

The next morning we packed up and headed west and encountered only light rain.  We noticed that some trees sported yellow and red leaves but the mountains still looked green. The mountains play a huge role in ensuring sunny weather in those big name cities like Nice.  We waved as we passed St. Tropez.  We'll try to make it back in warmer weather and/or if we win the lottery.  

As we passed the national Parque de Carmague, we saw some of the famed wild horses but I was too busy looking to get a picture so here are pictures and more information:

Camargue_horse

Father down the road we saw signs that we were on Via Domitia so I looked it up and was enchanted by this history:

Via Domitia info here.

Dermot was excited to get to our intended campsite “Le Club Farret,” near Vias, France because it had many amenities including a fitness centre! When we arrived, the roads were nearly submerged in places and the gate was closed. We called the number on the gate and were asked to wait.  When the camp representative arrived on his golf cart he took us to a campsite right on the ocean with crashing waves but closed toilet block/showers for the bargain rate of 11 euros.  I asked Dermot if we shouldn't go find a place with our minimum requirements (which even many free aires have) but Dermot was happy enough to try this place.  It seems there was some kind of male-not-wanting-to-appear-weak dynamic going on that I was oblivious to.  

We found a site near the beach but not on it as the closest one had soft-looking spots and we were unlikely to get a tow from golf cart guy.  Our walk on the beach was relaxing but not very long as we reached an impassable inlet. That night we walked to the only open restaurant on eerily deserted streets past dozens of closed businesses. It felt post-apocalyptic.

Back at the campsite, we enjoyed the sound of the rough surf but not the wet sand we brought into the van with each foray. The next morning we fired up the boiler for the very first time and were delighted to have hot water for dishes and face washing but we still preferred no shower over a cramped campervan shower.

As we set out for Barcelona, we had to stop for gas but several places did not accept our credit card.  Less than two miles up the road we came to an Aire where we bought gas.  To our chagrin, it had all the amenities our campsite lacked plus a restaurant and mini market. Sigh.

We made it to Camping 3 Estrellas in the late afternoon and got settled in.  The on-line reviews were mixed but we were happy to find hot water in the showers and a beachfront camping spot.  The campsite is a good hour away from the city by bus but we really enjoyed the beach view and sounds of surf right outside our door.  

Barcelona is a joy to explore.  It has good weather, good public transportation, lots of interesting sights, stunningly unique architecture, good food, and its pedestrian and bike-friendly. Catalan pride is on full display here after many years of repression.  We did Rick Steve’s walking tour of Las Ramblas, toured the Sagrada Familia, the Picasso Museum and more. 

El Cap de Barcelona is a surrealist sculpture created by American Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It's English title is The Head of Barcelona. The sculpture was Lichtenstein's first outdoor work using ceramic tile. 

Lichtenstein Sculpture

The Sagrada Familia is incredibly different from any other church we’ve ever been in. Gone are the conventions of stained glass and statues conveying the stories of the Bible. The sculpture and words are on the outside of the building. The whole experience inside is infused with colored light and tall palm-tree like columns supporting the roof. It has been under construction for over 100 years and is expected to be complete in 2026.  We rode the elevator up the Nativity facade and walked the enclosed bridge between two towers then walked the tight spiral staircase back to the ground floor. 

Barcelona is famous for many Gaudi buildings (there are several in the photo album).  Here's a link with more info and pictures on the:

Illa de la Discòrdia

Click here for our pictures.

Goodbye Italy, hello French Riviera

We next set our sights on the Nice, France. Since we couldn’t find an open campground in the area, we had booked a room in the lovely Hotel 64 Nice for two nights and planned to find a secure parking spot for the camper. Taking the main roads, we hugged the coast through the mountainous region. The deep ravines were traversed by bridges high above the towns that seemed to be tumbling out of the mountains into the sea. I was driving but judging from the brief glimpses I got of the towns below - they were very pretty. However, the rain, the lateral, gusty winds and sharing the road with many trucks going on dozens of bridges and tunnels made the drive nerve-wrecking!

Once we hit France, Dermot took over driving and struggled navigating the city traffic to find parking that could accommodate the height of our van! He circled the train station but the parking all seemed to be either height-restricted or under construction. We finally found a place under an overpass and somewhat nervously left our van hoping the battery would last. The hotel was a real treat and we indulged in meals out in atmospheric old Nice, walks, and shopping. In the mornings, Dermot would walk to the van to pay for parking (even though we could pay by phone) and to ensure it was okay, then we'd grab almond pastries for breakfast. Yum!!

Nice is a much bigger city than I remembered but it’s very walkable. Each time we're in France we notice that the residents are generally much more stylishly dressed than in other areas of Europe - and much more so than in the states (ourselves included).

Our photos here.

I had been here years ago and there were many new barriers along pedestrian areas. We visited the memorial to the victims of the terror attack in which a truck drove along the seaside Promenade des Anglais hitting and killing 86 people on Bastille Day in 2016. 

We tried to visit the Matisse Museum in the morning on our way out of town but we couldn’t find a parking space anywhere. It was the same story when we drove into Antibes. So we gave up and headed for our campsite outside of Cannes. Here we were met with a closed reception area and ran into problems which could have easily been solved if there had been any staff in the campground.  Since we had no code for the gate, we couldn't even leave to get change for the washer and dryer until we convinced a kindly couple camping nearby to give us the code. We're chalking this up to one more of the things we've learned in our first multiple month campervan life - both the high and low season have their share of difficulties. It's just that in the low season, it's also chilly!

Cinque Terre, Italy

We made a beeline to the Cinque Terre, stopping only for one night in Bologna. I have very fond memories of visiting the Cinque Terre in the past with my children. We were able to hike on the paths along the cliffs between towns and take in the beautiful views while still watching our footing along the sometimes scary paths. We got to breathe in the combined scent of the sea and the earthly olive trees and grape vines. Here’s more information about the area:

Wikipedia's take on it

Unfortunately, when Dermot and I  arrived all the paths for hiking in this area were closed because the paths are prone to landslides and falling rocks after the rains and were too dangerous to hike. We used the trains to visit the towns and still got pretty decent views of this beautiful area.  We enjoyed exploring the small winding paths between houses and climbing as high as we could within the towns. Since even worse weather was forecasted, we decided to leave after only two nights. 

Our photo album

If you do a google image search you'll find all the eye candy we weren't able to capture.

Goodbye Greece, hello Italy!

Our last destination in Greece was Delphi's Sanctuary of Apollo which had a huge temple, several treasuries, a theater, a stadium, many stores (stoa) and many monuments provided by those grateful for the prognostications of the oracle. What remains after years of earthquakes and theft is still impressive. The oracle of Delphi (in all her various incarnations) was consulted on major decisions by everyone from regular citizens to rulers for hundreds of years.  Here's more information :

Wiki's take on Delphi here

What remains of a life-sized bull in silver

The nearby museum houses many of the items that remain as well as information and even a watercolor painting that helps you envision what the site looked like in its heyday.  Rick Steves' book did a good job of describing what pilgrims to the site would have experienced including a purification ritual, the scene inside the temple, the oracle's behavior, and the interpretation of the oracle’s utterances by the priests.  Socrates is said to have pondered the results of his visit to the oracle for many years.  

Photo album here

After climbing most of the way to the top, Dermot said "I don't know why the Greeks put everything so high up. It's like they said - Why build it here, let’s go even higher and make everyone miserable! Let’s put the stadium so high the air’s too thin to breathe. That’s a great idea!”

Since our flight home is on December 5 and there is alot of ground to cover between Greece and England, we considered our options for returning home.  A farther eastern path would require wild camping, fewer resources and colder weather. We chose to return via Italy and France, hoping to have time dip into Spain to see Barcelona if time permits.  My original plan was to get a ferry to Venice but then it had the worst flooding in years so we chose a ferry from Patra to Ancona, Italy. So this time, not planning ahead really paid off!

Our route down the mountain from Delphi to Patra. 

Our last morning in Greece, we experienced cold showers at the campsite so we were glad to be moving on but sad to be leaving Greece.  We drove to Patra and boarded the ferry. Since it's past season for camping on board, they offered us an inside cabin with shower/WC and 30% off the self-service restaurant.  Once again, Dermot found himself anticipating a day on a ship. Luckily, the Adriatic was calm and the ship had some better than average ferry offerings. The top deck featured tables with great views and a pool (now closed). There were also several lounges and a "show" which consisted of a guy playing his heart out on a synthesizer and singing along in Greek to an average audience of two people. I decided this was more like a cruise than a ferry. The limited menu was adequate and Dermot and I passed the evening in the most appropriate way - playing backgammon on the tiny board we had bought in Athens. 

We'll miss Greece with its warm weather and treasure trove of archeological wonders but I’m excited about our next destination too! 

Athens!

Visiting Athens is a dream come true.  It's been called the birthplace of Western Civilization. I’m not going to go into the history because there are much better sources and I'd never finish. 

What's great:

1. Incredible I-can't-believe-I'm-really-here sights! I mean, the Acropolis, Pantheon, Agora, churches, and world class museums! I’m geeking out here!
2. The prices are lower than the rest of Europe - even when restaurants, entrance fees, etc. could be higher, they aren’t. We’re eating out here more because it’s so reasonable.
3. The food is healthy and delicious. Yum!! 
4. People are friendly, they’ll try to help you even if they don’t speak much English - and even before you ask for help. We can’t read greek letters but there are enough signs in English so that we don’t get into trouble. 
5. Public transportation is a good, reliable way to get around. Not too over-crowded either. 
6. Happening on archeological dig sites they're still working on as you're walking down the street. It's so cool!

What’s not so great:

1. We're camped outside the tourist area so it takes us awhile to get in to the tourist sights and there is a considerable lack of urban planning. The surrounding area is just sprawl and graffiti - lots of graffiti. It's not a pretty city on the whole.
2. Smog. Blech!

Photos here.


All that being said, the good outweighs the bad by alot. If you think you'd like it, you have to go!! I'm so glad we were able to make it here!