Lugano to Freiburg

We missed one of yesterday’s highlights – Kim driving the van! We stopped at services, just north of Genoa, and she announced ‘it’s now or never, and the next services are only 20k away!’ It turned out that she drove the final 100 miles with the only row being about which pitch to use for the night. John would like to point out that he was able to assist with navigation directions without the need to write left and right on his hands.

Lugano is meant to be a favoured area for the rich and famous, the Monte Carlo of Switzerland. All we saw were a couple of ducks and a few coots! Switzerland, however, was determined to throw every type of weather at us. From last night’s downpours and thunderstorms to today’s rain, sleet and snow, we saw it all. Driving through the Lugano Pre-alps, we saw beautifully manicured forsythia hedges in the central reservation. The splash of colour on such a grim day was welcome.

The weather was hideous until the 17km San Gottardo Tunnel (thank goodness the pass was closed otherwise John was tempted to give it a go). As we came out the other side, into snow, the weather changed and the sun came out.


The weather just got better and better and Switzerland put on a real show for us as we drove past Bern and towards Zurich before heading into Germany.


It took two, overpriced, stops at motorway services for us to remember we’re in motorhomes. We have toilets, food and tea so lunch was homemade at a motorway rest area with a lovely view across the hills


We arrived in Freiburg about 4, having left Lugano at 9:30. Long gone are the days when 200 miles takes 2 1/2 hours, these journeys are done at a far slower pace which takes a bit of getting used to. The good news is we are now averaging 24mpg.

The site is lovely, the sun is shining and the temperature’s back up at 18. We had a pleasant walk into town along the river although we had to dodge lots of mad cyclists and the tram. We wandered around the historic centre, and treated ourselves to a beer, before heading back to the restaurant next to the campsite for dinner.


We’re running low on water so brushing our teeth in bottled fizzy water is a new experience. We’re saving the last of the proper water for a cuppa in the morning – we really must work out how to top up our fresh water at the next site! In case you’re wondering, the Olive tree has enjoyed its journey today and relished the warmth of the German sunshine.

Final thoughts from Italy…and into Switzerland 

We left Levanto this morning with a lemon tree for Jacky and and Olive tree for Kim. Interestingly they were 25% cheaper than yesterday. It might have something to do with the smart, elderly lady leaving the lovely elderly man in charge.


Here’s a list of the things we will miss:

Gelato (apart from licorice)


Little three-wheeled trucks, in fact there’s a strong chance that Kim and Jacky have squirrelled a couple away in the vans!


Fiat Panda police cars, great for catching the mafiosa. We set Stan the challenge to repurpose his.


We’re heading north out of Italy, skirting Milan and Monza. We believe we’ve been past Como but it was hiding shyly in the fog. We came across the Swiss border rather suddenly, with Kim worried she could be illegally importing an Olive but, after paying €40 for the privilege of driving in Switzerland, we sailed through.

Lake Lugano looks fantastic, if only the fog would lift. John was last here in the late 1960s so he’s the expert!

This is what it could look like….


This is what the view does look like….. We realise that we’d been very lucky with the weather so far on our trip.


And this is the van with the new olive tree, see if you can spot the tree


It’s pizza in the site restaurant tonight before heading off to Freiburg in the morning. We now have a day in hand and it’s unlikely to be spent here!

Happy birthday Matt!

On Sunday, Matt sent us the view from his room. As a birthday present to him, we decided to work out how to save the photo, we’re sure he’ll be impressed! Apparently the snow is 600m higher than the chalet which is at 1200m. It puts yesterday’s 180m into context!

We’re off to Lake Lugano today with the challenge of the Swiss border.

Cinque Terre, Lemon and Olive trees

Off to Cinque Terre National Park for the day but not before Kim and Jacky explored the garden centre for Lemon and Olive trees. The plan is to bring them back in the vans’ showers.

The National Park runs along the coast for 25 miles and only accessible by train or walking. We opted to take the train which was covered in graffiti and interesting decor. The backs of all seats were peppered with bullet holes. We wondered if this is where Sicilian trains retire.


We took the train to the first Cinque Terre  village, Monterosso, and decided to walk to the next one, Vernazza. How difficult could it be? We were warned of ‘many steps’.

The walk was about 3.5 miles and one of the hardest we’ve ever done. We went up about 180 metres, along  very narrow paths through vineyards and citrus trees. Then we went up some more before descending back to sea level. There were many, many steps!
Along the way we were entertained by Ken singing songs from his youth, much to the amusement of the Americans and Portuguese that we kept meeting along the way.


We discovered a hillside sanctuary for feral cats. There are shelters and bins of food with a request for walkers to put some food out for them, mornings only.


Lunch was overlooking the harbour at Vernazzo where we relaxed with the local aperitif, Aperol Spritz, a mixture of Aperol and Prosecco

After lunch, we hopped back on the train to the last of the Cinque Terre towns, Romaggiore, where we stopped for a welcome cuppa.


John and I headed back to Levanto for a wander round the town and a final Gelato. John chose licorice which was not a good flavour! We were all so weary from the walk that our final Italian meal was in the newly opened pizzeria on the campsite.

An early night for us all, hoping that the clock chiming every 15 minutes wouldn’t keep us awake again!

Latest update from Matt is that he’s snowboarding in the Alps listening to ‘Days like these’  from The Italian Job by Matt Monroe

Levanto

Finally, we’re by the seaside. Levanto is very pretty and this is the first place we’ve stopped that Kim has wanted to live

Debate of the day has been which is best – Ice cream or Italian Gelato. They both taste great but apparently Gelato wins – technically its creamier, smoother, lower in both fat and calories. We’ll have to try a few more samples just to make sure we agree.

There are toads the size of dinner plates mating in the river just outside the campsite. Kim is fascinated by them. Jacky can’t stop shuddering at the thought of them and the noise they’re making which is competing with the chiming of the church bell every 15 minutes all through the night.


However, the most unusual wildlife award goes to the seafaring mallards. We didn’t know you could could get salt water ducks!

The latest addition to our motorhome knowledge relates to red and green stickers on the wing mirrors. Apparently Ken was fed some line that you use them to help position the van on the road. Our friend Colin says it’s just so the factory know which way to put the glass in…….we tend to believe Colin

Latest from Matt: snow is harder than it looks!

Day 4 – Levanto and Cinque Terre

We had a surprisingly good night in the car park but we’re disappointed to learn that we’d completely missed the annual antiques fair in Lucca. A fellow JustGo motorhomer had picked this trip, and specified the biggest van, just so he could fill it up with Italian antique bargains.

It’s bye bye Tuscany, hello Liguria.

We were heading to Deiva Marina but a recommendation on Facebook for the site at Levanto caused a change of plan. It was just over an hours drive from Lucca, using the motorway, before the hairpin bends down into town. The campsite is busy, the facilities are lovely and we’re parked between olive trees. Alarmingly, we’re starting to spec our own motorhome!


We plan to head into Levanto this afternoon and take the train into Cinque Terre tomorrow.

Day 3 part 2 – Lucca

Proper motorhoming starts here. We are parked in a Sosta in Lucca. Not the nice one with hedges and electricity but the one that’s a car park by a busy road!

We had a lovely drive from Pisa over the Tuscan Appennines (sadly no pictures until O2 unlock Jacky’s phone and allows her to use it abroad). Extensive research had identified a nice Sosta, with shower facilities, open all year. Of course it was closed when we arrived. After hauling the RCV’s around the tight streets of Lucca we eventually arrived at our current stop.

The van gave us a fright when we parked…..no electricity from the leisure battery (hark at us with our terminology!). Luckily, Ken and Jacky had picked up a couple of seasoned motorhomers who removed a few bits and knew where to find our master switch. We now have lights and water, woohoo!

We wandered into the walled town of Lucca, just as it started to get dark, and collapsed in a cafe for beer and a sandwich for tea-too tired for photos tonight.

We’ve decided we’ll head to Deiva Marina tomorrow, a day early, because we can’t bear the thought of having to rely on the van’s facilities. There is a row brewing over who will empty the toilet!!

Finally, Matt has safely arrived in France for snowboarding. He’s sent some photos which we’ll try and share when we have wifi. In the meantime, this is the best photo of  our van …..

So, the van 7m long x 3.2m high x 2.5 wide. The height has already caused us problems in car parks. It has a 2.2l Fiat Diesel engine giving us a magnificent 22 miles to the gallon. We didn’t know it was possible for a Diesel engine to be so inefficient. It also has the most appalling automatic gearbox. It has a reversing camera, supplemented by Kim standing behind the van shouting. It comes complete with bike racks which are great for drying towels.

Internally, we have a fixed rear bed, designed for short, thin people, a bed that lowers from the ceiling which we are too scared to use. It also took us 24 hours to find it! There is a bathroom with a twisty toilet and shower. The kitchen has a three ring gas burner, great for boiling a kettle, and an oven that is designed to drive us bonkers with its rattling. The sink is smaller than a dinner plate and the fridge gets hysterical every time the power source changes. On the plus side, we have more led lights than B&Q and beautiful blue mood lighting across the floor. The dining area converts to a bed and we cannot comprehend how 6 people could happily live in this space.

Day 3, part 1: Pisa

We left the luxury of the site in Siena this morning, heading into the unknown and Pisa. We don’t have a campsite booked for tonight so we shall be trying an Italian Sosta. These sites don’t have toilets or showers and could be described as car parks, other than there should be electricity.

It took just under 2 hours, trouble free to get to Pisa, through beautiful Tuscan countryside. We think it had something to do with Kim labelling her hands


There was a slight language problem when we parked the van and Kim had to gesture her way out of paying for the night rather than short term parking. We’re aiming to get to Lucca before dark!

We had a brisk walk into Pisa with the sole purpose of seeing the Tower…

Now we’ve ticked that box, we’re shamelessly taking advantage of our first free wi-fi to post this before heading back to the van, Carrefour for provisions and Lucca.

Day 2 – Siena 

Well, we survived the night! The van was very cold this morning so Kim was up at 7 working out how to turn the gas on for hot water and heating. 10 minutes later she turned it off, worried that the gas bottle wouldn’t last until it could be filled!

Breakfast was in last night’s bar, €8 for four breakfasts – we might have to move here.

The day was spent exploring Siena. We walked from the campsite, leaving the monster van behind.


The weather was fantastic and we had a lovely day wandering around the city. We found it via the longest escalator which saved us a long walk up a hill.


Siena is a fantastic mediaval city with pedestrianised, narrow roads. It has the feel of Nice or Girona. Once you’ve seen one Mediterranean mediaval city you’ve seen them all other than there is pizza on every corner. Lunch was overlooking Piazza del Campo before hunting down the best gelateria in Siena ( Thanks to Gillian for the newspaper supplement recommending it!


Next stop was the Duomo and we toured the cathedral and the panorama across the city

Day 1

We had a fantastic start to the day, Clophill to Heathrow, via Holwell, in just over 1.5 hours, woohoo!

The sun was shining when we arrived at Pisa and we had a 2 hour coach ride to the Rollerteam factory in Poggibonsi.

Then the ‘fun’ started! John and Ken disappeared for driver briefing while Jacky and I found our homes for the next 10 nights and they are blooming big! We have the smaller van but Ken And Jacky have an upstairs….. Kim has motorhome envy!

We finally left the factory about 5 and headed to the nearest supermarket, apparently we couldn’t miss it. We did, THREE times!! Tempers were frayed, hunger had kicked in and darkness had fallen before we were on our way to Siena.

We found our campsite, after many wrong turns, have hooked up the electrics, and headed to the local pizzeria for beer and pizza.


Next stop, local bar with live jazz……

JustGo Italy 2017


Six months ago Kim thought it would be a fantastic adventure to drive a brand new motorhome from the factory in Tuscany back to the hire company in Toddington. Friday is fast approaching and, perhaps, our first motorhome experience should have been a little less ambitious! Our flights are booked and the route is planned.

We have 10 nights to bring back a vehicle that is 7m long, 3.2m high and 2.5m wide without getting stuck down a narrow lane or under a bridge.

There have been numerous discussions about the route. We discounted a drive along the Med, across the Pyrenees and up the Bay Of Biscay. It sounded fantastic until we worked out the mileage. Our ‘shorter’ route is still about 1100 miles.

17th and 18th are to be spent in Siena, 19th and 20th are set aside for Luca and Pisa. We then head to the Cinque Terre National Park for a couple of nights at Deiva Marina.

Our long trek back through Europe then begins. One night at Lugano, the next at Freiburg followed by Ediger on the Mosel. Our final night is at Bray-Dunes before heading to Calais for the ferry home on 27th.

Tamariu

There were no kayaks for us this afternoon. Sadly, it’s the price we paid for taking advantage of a late break – kayaks are only available at weekends.

Our last afternoon was spent with Kim reading on the beach, John reading on our balcony and Matt ‘going on an adventure’. We think his adventure was to buy sweets at the supermarket before retiring to his room to eat them!

Matt declined to come on a family adventure, driving to Tamariu which is the next village heading towards France.

The winding, mountainous roads made the 5k trip seem longer than it was but the village was worth the drive. Very similar to Llafranc but smaller. We did notice that it seemed to have more restaurants open than Llafranc and it would have been a nice place for dinner if we had all been together.

Girona

The sun was trying harder today but not enough to tempt John and Matt into kayaking so it was the 40 minute drive to Girona for us.

As we arrived, the sun came out and finding a car park suddenly became more complicated when the free one was full! We ended up in an underground multi-storey with parking spaces only slightly wider than the car.

We made our way out into the sun and found ourselves just across the river from the medieval city, it looked stunning and reminded us very much of the river front properties in Trondheim just with better foundations. The river was crystal clear and the fish were enormous.

We headed for La Fabrici, a small cafe run by professional cyclist Christian Meier and his wife. It was tucked in a small square away from the hustle and bustle of the main routes. Matt succumbed to a large slice of Oreo cake, washed down with an orange and ginger zinger. John and Kim shared a Nutter Butter – toasted bread covered with almond butter, sliced banana, coconut and nasturtium flowers. It was delicious!!

Feeling fortified, we walked back down to the river to see the ‘Eiffel Bridge’ before walking back up narrow, paved streets through the Jewish Quarter to the Cathedral. By this time, the sun was making up for lost time and we decided to head back to Llafranc to make the most of our last day.

We would definitely come back to Girona. We spent too long in Barcelona but Girona has to be worth a couple of days to fully explore its history and alley ways. We need to do the cathedral properly, the Jewish Museum, walk the city walls and gaze in the river long enough for Kim to see the terrapins that live in it.

Padstow in Catalunya

Well, not quite but there were a lot of similarities between Padstow and Cadaques.

Matthew has a cold and the weather wasn’t great for lazing on the beach so we thought we’d head for the ‘Dali triangle’. Last year we did the museum at Figueres, this year it was the turn of Cadaques.

The roads was quiet and easy driving in the little Fiat Panda until we hit the mountains. Why do satnavs mever warn of steep inclines and sharp bends? We headed through the Cap de Creus mountains, the foothills of the Pyrenees, to the eastern most point of Spain.

The last 15k of the journey reminded us of Norway. Our ears popped but the winding road was slightly kinder to us than some we had travelled on in June.

Cadaques was very pretty and the weather wasn’t bad so we stopped for refreshment in the old Casino. Matt’s eyes lit up at the sight of a pool table and he managed to stop sniffing long enough for a couple of games with John. 1-1 was the final score which didn’t really suit either of them but they recognised we couldn’t stay there all day.

 

We had a wander round the town before heading for the museum which was promoting a Dali and Man Ray exhibition. As seems typical, the museum was at the top of a steep hill which we climbed with very bad grace. Since arriving in Spain we have walked up the equivalent of 160 floors and a distance of 52 miles (according to Kim’s iPhone) and our legs are noticing it. Matt has obviously gone further and higher than the rest of us!

Once at the top of the hill, we found the museum shut and the exhibition finished last week! That was the cue for our return trip to Llafranc!

Palamos to Begur

We woke to a damp and misty morning and decided to take a trip down the coast to Palamos. We’d read that it is one of the best preserved fishing villages on Costa Brava and its only 25 minutes away!

We drove into the town, expecting to see something pretty and we were treated to our first sight of a Costa Brava holiday resort. It was rather a shock to see how ugly a large part of the sea front was.

Undeterred, we headed for the historic centre and wandered round narrow, paved roads surrounded by colourful shops and apartments.  We were impressed by the fresh fruit and veg on offer, we haven’t found anything like it in Llafranc or Pallafrugell.

We stopped for a drink and decided that we wouldn’t wait for the fishing boats to return in the afternoon but would head up the coast to Begur.  Our walk back to the car took us through the port where we were mesmerised by a small boat being lifted out on a hoist. Shortly followed by a period of gazing at the fish in the clear waters of the Marina.  They looked similar to those we’d seen in the Aquarium but couldn’t remember a single name.

The weather was still misty but we could just see the outline of hotels dominating the coast as far as we could see. We really are rather lucky with our choice of location!

Back to Begur to see the medieval town and castle. We walked up a very steep hill, through some very pretty streets to the castle at the top of the hill.

On a clear day, according to the map, you can see for miles around….

We were just about able to see Matt playing King of the Castle…..

As a treat for the long damp walk, we stopped for lunch in one of the main squares. Being British, we sat outside until the damp and cold finally started to penetrate. John was fascinated by the olive tree and we all wondered if we could pick the olives and eat them (we’ll be asking google later).

Our treat on the way back to Llafranc was a visit to a hypermarket where we happily pottered around, checking out what was on offer. John was particularly taken with the pick ‘n mix nuts

We chose the direct route back to the hotel rather than the coast road, the weather really isn’t great today!

Jardins de Cap Roig and a lazy afternoon

A leisurely start on a sunny day, lucky us!
The breakfast choice was just as good as we remembered and well worth the extra cost of the hotel, we might tease you with a photo before we leave!

Today’s trip was the 1.5 hour walk to the gardens at Cap Roig. The walk was just as hard as last year and the gardens just as stunning.

This year we’ll treat you to a picture of the castle built by the Woevodskys form the granite mines on the site.

On the walk back, we stopped for a late lunch at a little croissanteria in Palafrugell. We had a limited choice from the menu – today was the last day of opening before it along with most places close their doors for the winter. Chips and pizza it was!

The weather was glorious so Matt and Kim spent it on the beach while John read on our balcony. Why sit in the sand when you have the luxury of a seaview and a balcony?

We whiled away the afternoon, only Matt was brave enough to go in the sea.

Dinner was in a little local restaurant, the verdict on our meal? Nothing special! We won’t be going back there unless everywhere else is shut. Even then we might choose crisps and chocolate form the supermarket!!

Barcelona to LLafranc

We survived Barcelona without being mugged and headed out to the airport to pick up the hire car in the rain. We were pleased to leave, I’m not sure any of us are in a hurry to return which is a shame. Kim is muttering about a day trip just to see the monuments in Park Guell but she’ll soon forget about that!

We were rather worried, Goldcar car hire gets really poor reviews and pickup relies on a shuttle bus from airport to office. The whole experience was a real reminder that people are more likely to complain to praise. Directions to the shuttle bus were vague but we found the right place and the bus turned up on time. We paid the hidden charges which we’ve come to expect with hire cars and were on our way just after midday.

Our journey to Llafranc took a slight detour past the F1 Cicuit de Catalunya where we stopped for a photo – there wasn’t anything else to do but the boys are considering driving back there tomorrow for a tour of the circuit.

The weather’s been cloudy and cool but Llafranc is still pretty and quiet. We’ve upgraded Matt to his own room while we take advantage of a lovely sea view and balcony!

While we waited for lunch, Matt was off along the beach taking photos- it’s the most enthusiastic he’s been since we’ve been away.

After lunch we took a walk along the coast so Matt could plan his running route and he was off across the rocks in a shot, probably reminded of all those years rock pooling in Porthcothan!

 

Another busy day….

Today started with more Gaudi and a trip to Park Guell. Eusebi Guell intended to create a garden city in the space, having been inspired by those in England. His plan failed because only three of the sixty available plots were sold, we were able to view the park that remains. Having expected a park to be free, we hadn’t bought tickets to the monuments and missed most of Gaudi’s work which was a disappointment.

However we did see a beautiful park with walkways suspended over intricate columns and fantastic views over the city to the sea….. and a small group of buskers playing jazz!

The next stop was another park, this time at Montjuic. This involved the metro, vernacular railway and cable car. The Barcelona Metro has been easy to use, clean and not too busy – a far cry from our experience in New York!

 

The park at Montjuic is huge. It has a fort at the top of the mountain, runs across to the Olympic Stadium, is home to several museums and Barcelona’s Botanic Gardens. It’s also a difficult place to find a public toilet and a cafe for a short break! The views across the docks were unexpected, you can’t see much from beach level but up high you get to see the scale of the working port.

We were only a few minutes from the Miro Foundation so we voted for more culture! Our highlights were the Mercury Fountain (we need one in the garden) and what can only be described as the biggest rug in world.

More Metro for us as we headed to the Las Arenas Shopping centre. The centre is housed in an old bullring and the top floor is a 360 terrace giving panoramic views around the city. I think we have probably seen more than enough panoramic views of the city!!

Finally, we were hoping to see the Magic Fountain of Montjuic this evening but we are weary and have booked dinner at a time that clashes with the show. Instead of music, lights and dancing fountains, we just walked up to look at pools of water and used our imagination.

Barcelona has been exhausting and we’re looking forward to our trip up the coast for a few days of peace and quiet.

Sagrada Familia and a new room…

A visit to Sagrada Familia was the reason for staying in Barcelona and we’ve ticked that off the list! It is difficult to describe the impact the building has, both inside and out so you’ll just have google it yourselves because ‘wow’ doesn’t do it justice.

 

 

We arrived just as a number or local choirs started to sing and the sound was wonderful. There was a real mixture of choirs, from adults to schoolchildren, taking the opportunity to sing for visitors.

The museum was an interesting history of the development of the cathedral with plaster models, original plans by Gaudi and a short film describing his philosophy and approach to design an-amazingly talented man.

We headed back to the hotel to a new room free from the odour of cigarettes and marginally more space, woohoo! The only downside is that we overlook a busy road – fingers crossed for a better nights sleep.

 

We ventured all the way to a restaurant next door for dinner which was a good choice. Lovely food in very pleasant surroundings at a reasonable price before finally calling it a night.

A day of culture or ‘what does a Spanish department store and St Pancras International have in common?’

Before you start reading, please excuse typos and poor editing, the technology (or its operative) isn’t working that well, 😡😡

After a fairly disturbed night we started late.

Matt went for a run along the beach while John and I took our time over a very basic breakfast and negotiated a new room. Tonight’s room is marginally bigger but overlooking the road rather than the internal courtyard. Fingers crossed that it’s not too noisy, two thirds of us don’t work well on disturbed sleep. We’ll leave you to decide which two!

Our first stop was Casa Battlo which we admired from the outside before heading round the corner to a brilliant craft/DIY store.

Over 6 floors, it had everything you could need including the biggest display of coloured  bubble wrap John had ever seen. We also found a terrace with sneaky views over the back of Casa Battlo.

Next on the list was Gaudi’s La Pedrera. What an amazing building!

 

Gaudi’s talent left us speechless and the furnished apartment reminded us of Bagnoles and how much we missed it.

 

Next stop, Sagrada Familia which is the reason we’re here.
To answer the question in the title – both have eco friendly escalators that speed up when you stand on them. We admit we’re easily entertained!