Venturing out from Vence

After an excellent breakfast with my host I eventually headed off to Nice airport Saturday morning.  As one would expect with a gaggle of artists stressed to do their best every day of a tough week of painting and sketching, it must have been a hair down Friday night breaking up party as the first of them were not due to appear at the airport until after midday.  This gave me a bit of time to figure out how to operate the car and reset the gps to suit.

But despite a partial lock down at the airport to deal with some unknown threat, the rendezvous was successfully executed and we returned to Vence. A good catch up chat over a bite to eat followed.

Then after another magret dinner and despite an obnoxious English couple with an equally obnoxious dog in tow at dinner, we were beginning to get back on track.

We then spent Sunday driving around the area where said painting group operated so Randall could understand just what a tough gig this was. An excellent lunch at Tourtour was included.  But now it was time to dig deeper into France.

We had included a 2 day pit stop at Villeneuve Les Avignon over the Rhine from lesser known Avignon to begin with and this is where we are now happily esconsed.  I will have to start walking some big days again soon to keep in trim. Maybe a stiff walk up to Loubressac next week will do the trick.

Weather still very hot and Macron won the election in a landslide even if over 50% did not bother to vote in these second round elections.

And I am almost ready to sing the praises of all things French again. England is now somewhere in the dim dark past.

My travel computer of many years has finally turned up its toes so we are effectively down to just three computers. And worse, I have to learn about M iPad, almost the closest friend of Yvonne.  Such is the life of the roaming baby boomer.

Finally, do not yet give up on a post from Yvonne covering her English and painting ventures.

Oops oops and enfin

Well we are back together and already moving deeper into France after our weekend in Vence, Provence. As Sarah and Ben would remember this is a little inland from Cagnes sur Mer where we spent a little beach time together a few years ago.

But before I go further perhaps a little coverage of Randall's Channel crossing from twee England to Nice. Then a few words on the past weekend.

On Friday morning Randall walked over to Bristol train station and after a couple of changes he made Gatwick airport in good time. Surprisingly only a few pommie bogans on the flight, one dressed as a roman centurion and looking to lead his 5 or 6 mates for some fun somewhere around Nice. But then Randall had to wake up a bit and get the car and head for the hills. Only a couple of issues to get over.   "Mate, he said you should be at terminal 2. This is terminal1". So onto the Navette to the other terminal only to find the hire cars live there on the other side of the car park.  No worries just a few minutes walk.

Car arranged but then spent some time figuring out in the hot semi darkness of the car park just how this beast actually worked.  Oops so I do not actually need the key but it took a few minutes to figure one has to depress the clutch not the foot brake to get it going.  No worries now as I started up gps and headed into peak hour autoroute and a quick refresher on driving with the mad people down in this part of the world.

And that was after accepting that it was really 33 degrees in Nice and just a tad more than overcast Bristol was at 6 am.

But then 20 minutes later I had dumped the bags in my hotel room, showered and then into the old town looking to find a good restaurant for our first meal together for awhile the next night.

Success. My first magret de canard for a while and possibly the best I have ever had. Yes Yvonne will like this bottle of rose but maybe she will not go for my white chocolate mouse topped with a little dark chocolate and together with slices of banana. The location in a cute courtyard in the old part of Vence was perfect too.  Monsieur was only too happy to take my booking for the next night and so I headed home after my long day and a world change from May to Macron.

More to come on this story.

Breezing into Bristol

Well, another mens' walk is over and Randall is esconced in a Bristol hotel waiting for the art colony venture to be completed by gastronomic Yvonne in France. Our routemaster Peter guided the other 10 walkers for an estimated 200 kms, and 270,000 steps through countless stiles and gates over mostly beautiful country. Most of the time we did not know whether we were in England or Wales, not that it mattered. No deaths or injuries to report and only the occasional walker going off track but not for long. Maybe a few blisters here and there and maybe most of us are a little fatigued. Most belts are in a few notches despite giving full english breakfasts a good nudge every day and despite hearty dinners. And on that front I have to observe that UK food presentation and cooking has improved a lot since the last time we were in the country.

From a comraderie point of view this was a very enjoyable experience. But come Wednesday morning the tightly formed group was gone and we were heading in our various directions. One disappeared about 4.30 am whilst the majority headed for the train system to London, Cardiff, Falmouth and Bristol. Some going back down under, some talking a day or two to recuperate and some heading for other pastures. And finally the weather has turned warmer and drier just as the group finished. But by now we had the walking system down pat. Jackets go on, jackets go off. Count the steps going up the hills and take a break every x steps according to ability. Make sure we have at least one other of the group in sight at all times. etc etc.

Since the days rest last Saturday, we have been meeting quite a few walkers going the other way and heading to where we started in Prestatyn. And generally most were up for a little chat and a curious inquiry on the things that walkers have in common.

 And now that the election is over, has anything changed? No not really. Out here in the wild west, London and politicians are just as much on the nose as they are elsewhere. There is no visible tensions or even obvious police presence around. I think I have seen one police car since we left London.

And then perhaps a final interim observation. For me, England and the English are just a bit twee for me. Nice and polite in an old fashioned sort of way. Deferential sometimes to the point of slight irritation and with a class system sitting behind almost everything. I cannot yet put a finger on it but for me, the is just something about the place and the people that gets under the skin just a bit. I am now keen to get to Europe to see if I can flesh the feelings out a little further.

You may be surprised that Yvonne is yet to post a blog on her tour of England and/or her artists community. I am sure she has separately been keeping up with some of you but I am also confident that she has been keeping copious notes and pics to post just as soon as she can. It appears she has been producing new art and perhaps is selling some to passing tourists. But what she is reporting is heat, afternoon and after 'work' swims, pleasant aperitifs and wonderful dinners in the colony.

Watch this space for an update soon.

Meanwhile, it is too early to make a call about Bristol. Seems to be a mix of university youths with more tattoos than I have seen in the UK to date and more than a touch of Melbourne Docklands and Yarra river Southbank in an old city that is under rejuvenation. This afternoon was warm so there were a lot of the youngsters sitting on the waters edge/quais enjoying more that a few drinks with mates. Heaps of newish apartments along the water's edges. But also a fair level of down and out men around the place.

Climate Change

One minute we were in a tube with wings, filling in time, and then the next we were in the land of the red double decker buses. Randall is a slow learner and does some things the hard way so from border entry it was onto the trains and a couple of changes before we found our Coaches and Horses hotel in Kew Gardens. But we got there. Our body clocks had moved by the start of our second full day. We spent a good few hours at the National Archives on our first day out trying to find a letter written to Government in 1860 concerning our prime convict only to find that there is practically no chance it still exists. We looked everywhere. Quel dommage.

Still, we have tried and the researchers helping us were great.

For the rest of the day we visited Kew Gardens and enjoyed the quite warm weather. Speaking of which it seems from here that the Donald and the US have the whole world offside still and his empire could be fading away. As for here in the UK it is elections, elections and elections but the people are enjoying school holidays and very friendly and helpful, despite the times.

On the Saturday of the London incident, we visited Greenwich and inspected 'Cutty Sark' and the Observatory. The place was crowded, the weather was good and we enjoyed a tavern lunch. As it happened one of Randall's walking mates spent the day at Borough markets and lunched in the pub there. But here is the thing I think. It is a bit like going through an intersection where an accident happened this morning. These are random events. Sure you can mitigate risks by hiding under the bed but 'these things will pass'.

Now Yvonne has found her feet on her Rabbies Tour. It can be difficult as an older woman on her own but she avoided Rick Stein for something better it seems and is ready for further adventure from there before moving on to the end of the tour and to leave England over the weekend.

As for Randall, he has survived three long, wet, windy and tough walking days along the border of Wales. Lodgings and food have been variable but the group is coping. The fourth day started wet but fined up over the afternoon. And the group is looking forwards to a rest day now. Randall is tucked up in a little pub in Berriew Wales. We are split between pubs as the area does have some trouble coping with our group size of 11 grumpy old men. We had probably our tour highlight dinner last night in Oswestry. Fantastic. Although the only only restaurant diners who were an older couple probably on a special night out may not have coped with the noise we generated at times. Our hosts were great and right on the ball. Other places have been variable.

The election is today so it will be good to get in a pre and post vote note. From here there does not seem to be much local interest and we have barely seen any election material. But I guess if you are walking along a dyke dating back to 800 or so then it may be understandable. But Wales in particular seems somewhat stuck in the past and downtrodden so maybe London happenings are a long way from their agendas. Maybe May by a few or as a rag paper headline put it 'Don't throw Britain down the Cor-byn'. Maybe she gets back in?

The end is nigh as the fat lady prepares to sing

 

Well, this is it. Once again our allotted time is up and we are turning our minds to heading back towards home. We recall the start of this trip way back at the end of April when we arrived in Portugal. The weather was then unexpectedly hot but this did not last as we headed for Porto and a week of constant rain. Now, here in San Sebastian, we arrived in very warm weather but next day it was overcast and this has been the story of our visit here. And the dull weather looks like it will be with us for the remainder of our stay.

 

So a slight change of plans from sun baking/swimming led us to taking a 3 hour hike yesterday over the coastal hills to the rather appealing fishing village of Pasai Donibane where we had a very pleasant meal-fish, of course. A well worthwhile walk, with plenty of up and down climbs but great scenery all along the rugged coast. After that effort there were rumblings within the tour group about taking the walk back so we found a local bus for the 15 minutes trip back home to San Sebastian.

 

 

 

Meanwhile we have also spent a day in Bilbao - a great looking gallery building- not that fussed about the art within. Actually we thought Bilbao was more interesting than expected as we had heard that it was a bit too industrial to be worth spending time there. We did only visit the old town and strolled along the river where quite a bit of redevelopment has been done but all the same we liked this town.

 

Today has been declared a rest day. We expect Yvonne will take a guided walk of the town before exploring the shops around us. Mr will finish off this blog whilst keeping an eye on things, especially on the TV. The formal part of the Spanish elections kick off today and we are not sure where things will head especially on the Left as the two left leaning parties vie for votes. There are train delays planned for the week and, as far as we know, there are problems today, tomorrow and Thursday but not Wednesday when we are planned to take the train across Spain back to Barcelona.

 

 

 

Elsewhere it seems we should all be shocked when once again one born and bred US citizen takes a few guns and kills some fellow US citizens. From the President down they remain in denial and look for reasons beyond the obvious as why they behave as they do. When will they ever learn?

 

And elsewhere again as UK football thugs do what UK football thugs always do when travelling abroad, we remain saddened for France and we are glad we are not there. Unexpectedly, the football thuggery is currently getting a bigger run locally here in Spain than the US events have.

 

 

 

Happily, there is no local coverage on the magnificent Wallabies and Collingwood football teams.

But here on the Iberian peninsula we can reflect on what we have seen and done. Our Portugal update was great and we both enjoyed our separate activities on the Algave and in the North. Morocco was quite hectic and we learned a lot in a very short time about a rapidly growing country emerging from almost medieval times. A fascinating and enjoyable experience.

In Spain we have tried to do it in a different way to what we have done for previous travels. We have slowed down by renting apartments and not using hotels and we have added time aiming to deepen the day to day experience. For us, this has worked very well and we might do more trips this way in the future as we slow down further. Although we can never be locals we have enjoyed doing as they do. Our walk yesterday was shared with lots of locals out for a Sunday family walk as well as pilgrims heading for Santiago.

 

 

San Sebastian is a fine Victorian era beach city with a blend of youngsters doing what young people do. On our last brief visit here in 2004, we were amazed by the pintxos and the old town area. Older and fussier now, we are more interested in a good fish restaurant and some unexpectedly good local wines. Tough life for some, we know but someone has to do it.

Barcelona was a definite highlight and as a new place for us, a city of immense interest. Somewhat intriguing for Yvonne, our tour guide planned to train back across Spain to fly out of Barcelona rather than flying out from this side of the country. The argument is that this is more about the journey not the destination and I look forward to the 6 hours on the train Wednesday.

Then a last night in Barcelona will see us finished. Time to go home and make plans for the next trip.

Might even cast a vote ourselves too in due course. Not that a vote in a Canberra electorate counts for anything given how far left the town leans.

 

 

 

First arrows from San Sebastian

 

Fishing villages, Victorian era resort with esplanade features. Basque gastronomy with pintxos.

Elegant shopping opportunities. Well, actually for us there is some truth in the above in the area of San Sebastian but it depends on bringing it all together if you want to realise dreams and expectations.

 

 

We left Zaragoza on a late afternoon train which dropped us off shortly after 9 pm. With day temperatures well into the high 30s, we did not exactly rush around this rather quiet but very pleasant city but we did manage to enjoy a visit to former Moorish palace of Aljaferia which is now the legislative seat for the Aragonese people and where we discovered a great little dining room hidden away. And of course we continued discovering Mr Goya before taking our leave.

 

San Sebastian is a very different kettle of fish and a city relishing its location, reputation and history. I have to confess we are having some difficulty adjusting to 'traditional' Spanish lifestyle as we understand it of late morning starts, big lunch, siesta, tapas/pintxos and late evening dining. We have tried this to an extent but not with great success. So we had some difficulty on arrival to quickly find a meal beyond tired looking tapas sitting on yet more bread. Most places were closed or just serving drinks. After a thorough touring team debate we found a small place in the old town that we could tolerate.

 

 

We are not big fans of paella dishes, having had mixed results with past experiences with this dish. There is some dissention in the tour group around the idea of standing in the small hole in the wall enjoying one drink and a tapas before moving on to the next hole in the wall for a second drink and more bread/topping etc. Unless we make tapas the main evening meal (undesirable) or want to end up the size of ocean liners, I think we have gone beyond the idea of tapas/pintxos.

 

As with our time in Barcelona we are living in a central city apartment. Another great location and a nest up to our expecations. So we can mix our eating and drinking to suit-as one has to do when on the move, as we are, over an extended period of time. That part of the trip is working out very well.

 

 

Yesterday was also warm here in San Sebastian. After the obligatory visit to the markets to store up for the week, we took our walk along the esplanade above the long beach where there were plenty of people enjoying the sun. We gave pintxos a miss before having dinner underground in a small local restaurant. Day over.

 

So now we are settled in and ready to explore further and try to make the most of our remaining time here. The weather is distinctly cooler today and we have had a little rain.

 

And the news seems to be much the same. Hilary on the way up. Brexit, Brexit, Brexit. Spanish elections. Football starting in Paris which is in a mess. Floods now retreating, rubbish everywhere due to strikes, airlines in a mess due to the annual summer pilot strikes, trains on strike, French people still fiercely resisting any form of adjustment beyond the 1960s. What a waste.

 

 

 

And our Queen just keeps on leading our Empire to further glory seemingly forever. We can't wait to get home in time to meet our own democratic obligations.

So where have all the people gone?

 

After zipping along at 250 kph on the train from bustling Barcelona, we are having a short break in downtown Zaragoza along the way. Very impressive central city area. Very clean, huge tree lined avenues.  Wide streets lined with well presented shops and coffee/eating places, huge catholic structures obviously designed to intimidate us mere ants on the planet.

 

But where are all the people?

 

 

We are in a great hotel with plenty of friendly staff. But it feels almost empty. Terrific buffet breakfast for just a few participants. Yesterday, only a relatively few people out and about-maybe it was still siesta time.

 

 

In our spare moments we have taken in some english speaking TV. Most of it must be some sort of media joke as what passes for news these days is almost endless trivia. Nothing on BBC about European floods but film coverage of water in a remote gorge in some out of the way spot on the planet called Tasmania.  BBC coverage of long dead Margaret Thatcher fans longing for a return of greatness in Britain, including the almost inevitable interviews with an aging spitfire pilot and the usual right wing, public school educated clown, still defending the empire against those continental huns. Long may they wait or perhaps they will sink further soon

 

 

A channel change to Russian TV and an interview with an overweight Kevin R opining about Chinese agression and the counter threat from an Australia doubling its defence budget. Who pays this clown to tour the globe listening to himself?

 

In desparation, another channel change only to get screeching Hilary. Switch off.

 

 

We are now heading into very warm weather in Spain-over 34 degrees today. So we may have to slow down a bit as we explore the city from Roman ruins, through Moorish times and of course Mr Goya who left a bit of his work around here for us ants to regard.