Wild Camping & a Pintxos Tour

Our last week has been a complete contrast and needed break from the hectic city-going of Barcelona. We spent 5 days travelling across the Spanish Pyrenees, on various windy roads (some rather high up) to a couple of national parks and past many a lake, river and waterfall. It's been bliss and made all the better by the opportunity to park up and 'wild camp' – much needed after the 30 euro a night car park in Barcelona. At the start of our trip I was a bit wary of camping free (we're not exactly a discreet van) but I've soon realised that with the right spot, a couple of other campers near by and a bit of careful parking behind the right tree or bush you can get away with sleeping almost anywhere.

Our first spot was on the way up to the mountains at a beautiful look out point not far from the small town of Sort. Initially we just stopped for a brew but it soon became clear that it was the perfect place to rest our weary heads, & with a couple of other campers near by that is what we did. It was such a peaceful spot in the middle of nowhere with so many stars overhead – we slept the best we'd done in weeks & felt all the better for it the next day.

We then headed up to the mountains for our first of not 1 but 2 (yes that's right 2!) hikes. We don't like to be smug but we don't normally walk anywhere that doesn't have a pub at the end so we felt pretty pleased with ourselves after the first 7 hour trek. Our dads would have been proud! It was absolutely idyllic with the most amazing views the whole way along, and our half way stop was rewarded with a very expensive mars bar at the mountain refuge.

Since then we've done a somewhat smaller hike (2 hours – more of a stroll) & slept in a picnic area next to some playing fields as well as next to a lake with 2 other VW's, 3 motorhomes and a lorry. Our best camping spots so far and all free! On Saturday we left the hills and headed west to the coast and beautiful small city of San Sebastian. Having been there for 3 days it became clear that the city revolves around beach-going, eating & drinking so obviously wanting to fit in we made the best of all three.

We'd been very kindly treated to a meal out by our friends Claire & Steve, which we've had earmarked for San Sebastian (argued the food capital of the world!) the whole way along & we weren't dissapointed. Unfortunately the 200 euro a head 3 Michelin starred restaurant was fully booked that evening so we opted for a Pintxos tour instead – the Basque version of tapas & the local speciality. According to our guide book the old town of San Sebastian has more watering holes per square metre than anywhere in the world, the bars of which were all covered in huge varieties of tasty treats.

On Saturday night we made 5 stops in total, and would have happily carried on had we not been drinking a beer with every pintxos. Everything we tried was delicious and really creative, & as a vegetarian it's definitely been the best food I've eaten in Spain.

 We've loved San Sebastian & it's been the perfect end to an amazing trip. Our ferry home has finally come around - we leave Santander tomorrow!  We can't believe it and are sad this part of our journey is coming to an end, but are really looking forward to seeing friends & family again, as well as our upcoming adventures in Asia!

East Side Yo

hello! So, its been a lot of Kilometres, a lot of petrol (and more oil than id have liked) and we've seen some wonderful things- I'm writing this from our first day in the Pyrenees, at an incredible wild camp spot high up, but more of that in the next blog when it comes. I pull you in don't I.

We headed out for a long drive from Cabo de Gata, the south east tip of spain, up to Valencia, which took the best part of the day. Our friend Mario lives there, so it was great to have a local to show us around. 

Our camp site there was bang next to a nuddy beach. Anyway, we needed to recharge a bit, and so of course booked in for a few days. There was a pool n a shop selling cheap booze and very nice bread, so was perfect really. We hired bikes, which we should have known earlier would be a great idea, cause as we all know there's no better way to travel than on 2 wheels. Although our 2 wheels were heavy, uncomfortable and slow, and had me dreaming of my beautiful fixed wheel back home in storage waiting for me. Not to worry! 

It was great fun and a bike friendly place. We rode around the new science park, full of space age buck rodgers buildings and watery pools (and curiously, completely and absolutely deserted at 4am on our ill advised but enjoyable and successful ride home later that night). 

Mario took us to a lovely nature park south of town (no nuddies there though) and we had a great picnic under some cool shady trees. I saw one of the coolest men I've ever seen, who was about 60 with a cowboy hat and grizzly chin, smoking a cigar and riding the dodgem cars at the fun fair. Awesome.

I really enjoyed Valencia- a great size, pretty old town, excellent food markets and lots of young folk and goings on. We made friends with our neighbours, which made the camping evenings fun. So we ended up staying 4 nights in all, feeding and watering well.  

Also we gave Laura a new haircut - I did some complex layering at the back.

Onwards! Barcelona was next on the map, and as we headed north the temperatures cooled off a bit, and suddenly 26 degrees was a chilly day and something to savour! Our first bit of rain in 6 or 7 weeks was a lovely sight, and living in Manchester as we did, we should not speak in these tones! We had a bit of trouble finding our camp spot in the city, but when we got a tip off it was just round the corner actually, I think our spirits lifted and we rolled into probably the crappiest Aire (organised campervan sleeping spots) yet. which was a shame as its your first impression of the place - guess they don't have to try though, with Barcelona being such a draw by itself (It was a truck stop with flooded porta-cabin toilets). 

Anyway anyway- we walked miles and miles pottering through the streets making the best of the 3 maps we got hold of, and took a lot of pit stops for rests, drinks and snacks. Think we got a bit carried away, since we burned through our wallets fast (its a purse as it happens, and shared. Laura is luckily the banker, and a good one!) Shops, parks, cathedrals, even a bar called Manchester, which we made good use of and ate a lot of their peanuts. 

We stumbled into a secret band playing opposite from a 2^nd floor apartment balcony, and from that into a pied piper lead walk to another outside venue to watch a full band play, very fun and spontaneous.

 Basically all the fun of the city, and I fully enjoy being in cities for these kinds of things. Our final day was spent trying to slow things down a bit, and we had a nice lunch at a vegan place and then went to the Picasso museum which was free on Sundays.

Obviously as happens with such big places, they kick your arse and leave you feeling broken and broke- and this did happen, but of course we enjoyed ourselves tonnes, and it will still be there to explore further when we next visit some day.

So right now as I mentioned firstly, we are inside the van and it is dark now high up in the Aaragonese pyranees. Laura cooked a tasty meal and is now crotcheting something that looks complicated and it is about bed time. Good night!

The Mulberry Harvest

After a fun couple of days in the beautiful city of Granada we headed down to the town of Orgiva for a last minute helpx appointment with our host family Anna, Chris & their two adorable children Frankie & Savy. Their beautiful home was nestled on the side of a mountain with the most amazing views and was made up of a series of giodomes (large yurt-like tents). It was a fifteen minute trek from the road so we decided to leave the van & opt for the on-site accommodation – a mattress outside on the decking. Doesn't sound great but it really was & once we'd gotten used to the sound of crickets & covered up from the wildlife, sleeping under the moonlight and stars was bliss.

Days were long & tiring but never dull & I spent a lot of my time occupying the kids while the others got on with more serious work. John's new favourite toy was the big petrol strimmer which he put to good use on the land. I was a bit concerned when he came back & mentioned he'd slid star-shaped down the big slope on numerous occasions but he assured me that he only went 20 or 30 metres at a time. The other main task of the week was the mulberry harvest from the many trees dotted around the land. After a half hour stint we looked like we'd been in a bloody battle with the red juice everywhere but it was great fun climbing the trees & collecting as many as possible to make fruit bars, crumbles & juice. The mulberry's tasted amazing and if we'd have been doing it for money John would have been sacked a long time ago as he ate 99% of what he picked.

The guys also had another place down in the valley – a lorry beautifully converted into their 2^nd home. They kept it on a friends land that was also home to at least 20 other vehicles – caravans, horse boxes, trucks & vans – all home to other friends. The place was pretty incredible and the van suddenly felt tiny in comparison to some of the other things we saw. We spent a couple of days down there helping them sort things out before their long drive back to England to work on the festival circuit. 

 One our last night there was a party (which we liked to think was held in our honour) which transformed the space into it's own mini festival & gave us chance to see Anna sing in her drum and bass band. After helping Frankie put on some make-up I miss judged my exit from the lorry (pre drinks might I add) and hit the deck face first so I now have a bruise the size of Spain on my left leg.

We grew really attached to the family and were really sad to say goodbye to them on our last day. Orgiva is a really alternative & laid back place with a load of people who've just decided to opt out of modern life and live in yurts, tents or whatever they can on the land. It's an amazing place and even having been here only a week it's opened my mind to so much stuff, we'll be sure to visit again.

Morocco

**N.B lots of writing & no pictures for this post, bad internet connection!  You can view our pics here though: CLICK HERE!


Hello again readers, its been a while for me here since last post, and its a good job i'm typing because I was filling in a visa form the other day (with a real life pen) and think I might be losing that ability to write.

So, as I sort of mentioned above, we took a trip into Morocco for 3 days, which I found incredibly exciting. I'm sure plenty of you have been to the wilder countries in the world, and i've travelled a fair bit too, but for me at least, that place was very different to anywhere i've been. After stepping off the FRS ferry (FFS I should rename it if given the chance), the barrage of scamming and hustlers, babbling crowds of arguing Arabic women and general pushing and yelling began!

We blindly found our way into the hands of our shuttle driver to the hotel (part of the ferry deal, first hotel we've been in- what a treat). He was a friendly sort, looked a bit like Goldie, but with black teeth, made of more rotten stuff. And so after offering us drugs and giving us his number, just in-case we needed anything (anything at all, I got the feeling) during our stay, we were soon on our way.

Now I'm pretty sure Tangier has a bit of a rep for being a bit edgy, a bit like Tijuana has, and I'm proud to say it was on fine form for us. It is a bit sad that talking to anyone there ends up with them wanting some money off you for some perceived favour they've just done you, and so making you feel constantly on guard, and pushing you into being rude basically. We did get the odd brush with genuine 'for free' help and advice which was brilliant, and I'm sure there's tons of it about- just not in Tangier I think.

Saying this, we had a superb time exploring. The Medina is an old town market area, an actual labyrinth in fact. Except at the middle was probably another man selling you a 60 foot rug or something. Tiny tiny streets and dead ends, sewing machines, kids on play stations, monkeys, pipes, bags, fruit n veg, cotton and silk, music. Children even make a bit of money by leading people back out of the Medina into the normal streets. Very amazing, but very very intense. Exiting the Medina brings you into a different sort of chaos, but chaos non the less.

We enjoyed lots of Moroccan mint tea, something I'll have to try and remember back home. Many cafe stops for tea to escape the heat were made. I did have the Best Taxi Ride of My Life though, which for £2 was better than anything Alton Towers has. We even bumped a pedestrian at one point, almost missed about 50 other cars/kerbs/lorries/people, and my personal high point was the kid on a motor scooter doing a 200 metre wheelie along side us right by my door. He did everything but handbrake turn into the lobby. Anyway I loved this, and tipped the man kindly as he blasted off into the night. I think for a moment we were the fastest people in Africa.

Day 3 we needed something else, and took a train to Asilah, 45 minutes west of Tangier which was an absolute oasis of calm and we both agreed it was probably the most beautiful town we had ever been. It started with a horse and cart taxi ride which worked out brilliantly and was tons of fun. It is a brilliantly white washed town, which is decorated each year with fantastic wall paintings, and then painted over for the following year. The mayor has a bit of a thing for cleanliness, and even dust is literally swept away manually by women in funny hats. Somewhere we will be sure to try and visit again, and you should too! A lovely lovely day. Then we dashed for the train back (which was late), dashed into another taxi to catch our shuttle back to the port with 1 minute to spare. That didnt show up anyway, dont know where Goldie was, so we got another taxi and joined the mind bending queues for the passport kiosks. Im not going to detail the return ferry and late bus back to La Linea, as this is already long, but it was pretty bad and thoroughly confusing (the queue took so long, that our boat which we could see through the windows gave up, took in the ropes and car door and left without us). Excellent!

So presently we are in Granada stopping for 2 nights I think, and shall wander into town later this evening and explore. We have a pool!

PS well done if you have read this far :-)

Proper Pint Glasses and a Big Rock

Hola!  We are now back in Espana (well kind of) and having a tip top time with my wonderful friend Angela & her boyfriend Dean.  After a long drive from the west coast of Portugal, via a health clinic (John's been deaf in one ear) & a 2 hour stint around the ring road of Seville to find a campsite that shut 2 years ago, we finally found a place to pitch for a couple of nights.  We've heard that it's hot in England at the mo but seriously people, we're talking 45 degrees C!  John was so shocked by the heat (apparently it's the hottest place he's ever been) he treated himself to a 1 euro thermometer & spent the next few days checking it regularly.  Even at night it was 35 degrees.

We definitely can't complain though, everywhere we go seems to have a beach or a swimming pool & plenty of cold beer options so we are very happy.  We spent the weekend in Tarifa, a cool hippy surf town that even had a vegetarian restaurant & suited us perfectly.  Ang & her friend Kerry showed us the sights & the local night spots, which played everything from Flamenco to AC/DC to Whigfield.  Much fun was had before heading back to their dwellings in La Linea.

We're now in Angela's beautiful apartment which feels like being in a 5* hotel, complete with balcony overlooking the water & a swimming pool.  She's about 100 metres from the border with Gibraltar so our days have been spent half in Spain, half in a mini version of Britain (just with more sun).  It's so bizarre crossing the border into a land of red post boxes, pound coins and proper pint glasses, but quite refreshing not to have to keep struggling with our bad Spanish!  Walking into Gib takes you across the airport runway where you're definitely encouraged not to drop litter, just in case the karma gets you!

Yesterday Ang took us on a hike up the big rock which felt like punishment at the time but was very rewarding in the end.  The views were beautiful (we could even see Morocco) and we managed to spot some of the wild monkeys on the way down.

John's hearing is now working again so we're heading to a waterpark tomorrow and then taking a mini trip to Morocco for a few days.  Photos and updates to come soon!x
 

Carol's Place

Carol's place is a beautifully renovated, traditional Portuguese home with 12 acres of land including meadows, forest and a lake. We've just finished our 2 week stint but could have easily stayed a lot longer – it's such a relaxed and happy place. There was always things to do but also plenty of time to relax, chat, swim in the lake, drink wine, read books, watch films and play games so it's felt much more like a holiday than 'work'.


We thought the food couldn't get any better after the last place but were wrong, turns out Carol used to be a chef so each meal was absolutely delicious and there was yet another endless supply of home-made chutney to keep John happy. He also got to make is own peanut butter which he was very chuffed with! As well as us and Carol, there was also the lovely Julien, Chelsea and Jo, who it turns out was also from Manchester and used to live about 2 minutes from our old house in Chorlton! Small world.

We arrived at the perfect time as the local village of Santa Clara (10km away) was holding it's annual festival, and what a bizarre but very entertaining treat! The whole village seemed to turn out for the evening dance, possibly because they heard that John would be joining the folk dancers on stage for the last number – amazing! His reputation was apparent when locals were coming up to him the next day to shake his hand and impersonate his moves. The Portuguese seem to take their dances seriously so looked on with bemusement as we tried to dance along to the accordion player, I don't think we were quite up to their standards but definitely had fun trying :-) Both days we just parked up and slept in the village car park – turns out its very easy to camp where we like in Portugal which makes a very refreshing change!

Last weekend we went 'wild camping' on the west coast and found an amazing spot on top of the dunes right above a gorgeous beach. Having not seen another VW for what feels like months, we ended up sleeping opposite another T25, half red half yellow, so Roo felt amongst family again. The west coast was beautiful, very ragged with lots of cliffs and rocks but also long sandy beaches and great waves (if only either of us knew how to surf). We arrived back in Santa Clara to yet another party, this time for Tomate's birthday which we celebrated outdoors at the bottom of the dam. It was great to hang out with our local friends again and lots of games and drinking ensued.

Unfortunately our stay in this beautiful part of the world has come to an end, but I don't doubt that we'll be back again at some point. We've learnt so much, made new friends and had a great time. Now onto new adventures – heading east again and back into Spain to meet up with my wonderful friend Angela for a camping trip on the south coast.  Adeus!x
p.s will take us a few more days to upload our photos but our flickr page (link on the right) will be up to date soon!x

Portugal and Potatas

Hola! so, much has happened since our last post, and since this is My post, it shall have to be a good one.  I am currently sat on the end of the bed, with my back up against the back door on cushions, in Portugal, just north west of Lisbon, 10am ish. We have washing hung up all over on ropes between the trees, and I have just semi-successfully made porridge not in the pan, but in a bowl (wasnt that good really). The fridge is buzzing away and laura's tea is getting cold (got my eyes on it!).


So we left Salamanca in a wake of traffic violations and loop-de-loops.  The signing is always pretty bad, like a trail of breadcrumbs that abrubtly ends, just after you think youve found your signs out of the town.  Very like Jack Nicholson at the end of the Shining where his son tricks him into a hedge maze in sub zero weather and erases his foot steps so he cant find his way out and dies.


Salamanca was v pretty and had some very nice parts, but we were not that taken with it for whatever reason really. Had a great square and some impressive university buildings though.  That evening we found a lovely campsite that is my favourite so far, right on a river that you could swim in, and with bbq pits and things.  We had a great cooked up dinner, and here afterwards is a picture of me playing Sweet Home Alabama on a ukulele (who knew it was 3 chords?).  You WISH you could hear it!  Laura wasnt paying much attention to it though, dont know why...


Next morning we drove 20 miles or so and the clutch pedal seemed to go pretty flat and soft.  WE pulled into a layby and a quick crawl underneath showed brake fluid squirting out :( The van has a hydraulic clutch, which is good, but it shares its fluid with the brake system and soon enough we wouldnt be able to change gear anymore (or brake? not sure).  It was the slave cylinder at the back that looked to be split, and we got a new safer place to stop where laura ran off to ask for a mechanics, and i had another look.  It only gone and turned out that we had broke down about 100 metres away from a 'vintage parts' ordering place, and with the very kind of help of Tiego and his friends, we had the part ordered (on his business account because he wanted to save us the VAT! what a nice man) and a new job for me the next day on his forecourt when it would arrive.  Van went into his storage lockup, and we went on our way up the hill till the morning.


Anyway, we ended up tent camping 5km up in the surrounding hills that night, and had a grand time of it.  Id spoke to dad for some internet details on swapping the part, and we got a  taxi back down to where the van was and got stuck in.  Here's some pictures of the job and after 3/4 hours of heaving and sighing it went well and we were moving again. hurrah!

my messiest job yet, and i was dead happy to have got it working again.


The next day we treated ourselves to a beach day near Peniche, a popular surfing place and baked away nicely, heading back up the trail to the van for a brew and snack.  I think then we stayed in Ericia, but to be honest i cant remember where we were last night either.  We wanted to catch a west coast sunset, which we did, but it plumeted into a thick cloud layer and dissapeared before it hit the water! Here's a pic of it when it was best though.






Plus, laura wouldnt let me look directly into he setting sun, saying my eyes would set on fire, so i was only looking at the bits around where the sun was.  Still think i would have been alright though...














Sintra was fantastic too, where i had some cherry liquor in a chocolate cup.  Going into Lisbon today-bye!