El Masnou

Here we are sitting in the warm sun, verging on hot, on the terrace of the bar in Camping Masnou, the only camping ground open in Europe, so we’re told. There are dozens of sailboats out on the Mediterranean, and we could not ask for better weather. All I need is a T shirt and shorts, which of course, I don’t have. I expected the weather to be at least cool, if not cold. This is winter?

We are half an hour’s train ride out of  Barcelona itself, but we are here for at least 3 nights, so plan to spend this afternoon just relaxing. I might even go for a paddle; I left my togs and sarong behind in London to minimize weight on the flight over to Frankfurt. I also left my summer clothes that I wore in Dubai, there as well!

I’ve been drinking coffee to get wifi. Each new docket has a new username and password, but I’m about to switch the something stronger. Sangria maybe? We won’t be walking down to the beach as I imagined, just crossing the road, because there’s the train line between the road and the beach! I just saw a train fly past!

Ali has been helping me sort out our travel woes; basically finding some open campgrounds. Camping Masnou is tightly packed with more than a hundred motorhomes of all shapes and sizes. Once you’re in, you don’t go far as there may be a few motorhomes parked behind you. They’ve packed them in, that’s for sure.

Our washing is being done for us for 17 euro, so all I have to do is sit and relax in the sun. Ah, the bliss of not travelling anywhere, no navigating, no gutters or concrete blocks to avoid, no wrong turns and no country lanes! I’ve almost exhausted my sense of adventure I can tell you. A few days R&R is just what I need.

Sunny Spain

We woke to a fine but blowy day. By the time we ate some bagels with ham and melted cheese, it had turned into a very windy day. Fortunately, we had a tail-wind on our trek up to the old city of Carcasssonne, and we were blown through the huge gates up the street looking for a possible wifi and coffee spot. We came to a bar with wifi and coffee and were pleased to escape the wind.

Ross walked up to the bar to ask for two coffees, and saw the owner cooking crepes, and was promptly told, “Not for now!” Ross was put in his place, soup-nazi style. Not long after, he comes to our table and asks what flavour would we like. “Banana?” “ Non.” “Caramel?” “Non.”  We had the choice of chocolate or sugar; I don’t know why he asked what flavor we would like. We found it all quite amusing. The crepe was barely edible, but we ate every skerrick; we thought we might get roused on if we didn’t.

 

We walked up to the ramparts, looked at the steps and decided against the climb, especially in this wind, and spent the money we saved on a book about the history of the fortified town, as well as some postcards. But when we tried to buy stamps at a different shop, we were told in no uncertain terms that she only sells stamps with the postcards you buy at her shop- keen businesswoman, but maybe she should advertise this fact out with the postcards she is selling.

We struggled back to our “camping-car” against a very strong wind, and set off in the direction of Neflach, where I had found Camping La Garenne open all year on the internet when we were stuck at Macca’s in Chavanay.  Most of the camp-grounds are closed for the 6 months of “winter” even though it’s 20C today.

We were heading out of town to join the motorway, when Ross spots a sign “Parc Australienne” and wants to see what it’s all about and follows the sign. We never did find what it was but I’m assuming a little Aussie zoo with maybe a few kangaroos, but our GPS recalculated our route to the motorway through miles and miles of country lanes and dirt tracks. We never thought we’d ever get back on; we actually drove on a track beside it for a couple of kilometres! Very fortunately, they were such unused country roads that we didn’t encounter a single vehicle. I am really hesitant to diverge from the motorways at all!

We stopped for coffee and lunch at a very popular roadside service area, and hooked into their wifi. I relocated La Garonne and Ross skyped her only to find out they were actually CLOSED! Don’t believe anything you read on the internet! I ate a delicious apple tart and ordered Ross a multi-cheese baguette, while he filled up with diesel. Well, the cheese baguette was cold by the time he got in; he had had another altercation with a pump; had to move to another pump before finally getting some fuel only 45 euro worth, not 45 litres as he requested. They don’t make it easy, that’s for sure.

We were following three camping-cars travelling together and I figured they would probably know where they were going so we attempted to follow them. When we struck traffic lined up for kilometres at the border, they got a little ahead because cars kept pushing in in front of us, but we kept them in sight until we reached the toll gates; Ross took a ticket and dropped it on the ground. By the time he climbed out to recover it, they had disappeared over the horizon. There goes my great plan. There’s no way we could get to Barcelona before nightfall now, so we pulled up at a Spanish rest stop (I don’t know what they’re called) and drove in beside two huge trucks to camp the night. There’s Burger King and a restaurant with decent coffee so we won’t starve. On to Barcelona tomorrow and first order of business is to find the Fiat dealer at Badalona to buy a new wheel. Fingers crossed!

Still in France...

Boxing Day was the first uneventful day we’ve had. Pure bliss. We drove along the motorway until we reached Nimes, and took an exit to the France Passion farm-stay I had selected. Emile’s olive farm was very close to town and reached through a little village, whose narrow streets Ross negotiated with ease; there was no oncoming traffic, nor cars parked on the side of the road. When we reached the Chemin de Mange Cat (Mangy cat? Hungry cat?), we turned right and drove downhill to the olive farm. After ringing the buzzer, the gate was opened for us and Emile came down from his house to greet us. We are the third Australians he has met!

He showed us where to park and then we went to have a look at his olive press, and bought a bottle of his olive oil for 13 euro. He even let us plug into power in his shed for the night. In his shed was his motorhome, a beauty that surpassed ours in every way.

Ross lay down for a snooze while I sat up front and read my book. It was so peaceful and quiet surrounded by olive trees, and daylight hung on until almost half past five!

We had cheese and olives for dinner, of course, and tiramisu for dessert before playing a game of cards; two-handed 500; not the easiest of games for Ross to learn. After a Bailey’s nightcap, we climbed into bed, literally. Our bed is four foot off the floor.

After a sound night’s sleep, we woke to a fine day, but not a lot of sun. We said “au revoir” to Emile, who showed us inside his beautiful motorhome, of which he is very proud, and showed us his collection of stickers from all the places he’s visited.  He’s definitely a traveller. I don’t know how he drives his huge “camping-car” through village streets though.

We got to the top of his road without mishap, but when we tried to turn right, our poor little camper got stuck on the road so Ross reversed and went the other way.  Not looking good. We navigated into Nimes, but struck the worst roads, with the rudest drivers, so took one photo of the cathedral through an arch of the aqueduct before heading out to the motorway. I’ve never really loved motorways before, but they are a damn sight less stressful than negotiating narrow streets in villages!

We were planning to go into Montpelier but after the Nimes experience, I told Ross to keep going to Carcassonne. Sorry, Kiryn. No photos of Montpelier. I had actually found a stellenplatz right near the old city in Carcassonne, and entered it into the GPS to take us straight there. Apparently, I missed a turn, which I didn’t realize until later, a crucial one as it turns out, because the GPS now guided us into the narrowest, tightest streets, fortunately just one way, of the town centre. Poor Ross had to negotiate turning our vehicle where there was no room to turn, missing buildings on the corners by just centimetres, but he managed to get us out of there in one piece. Some rude person abused us and I gave him what for, I can tell you!

The GPS took us out of town and then back in to town. I couldn’t go through this again, so I asked Ross to pull off the road and I’d start the bloody GPS again. It was then I realized my mistake. The stellenplatz was actually easy to find the second time around.  And it’s really close to the old city walls, which we are planning on exploring tomorrow. We have a lovely view of the town and countryside, with more than a dozen other motorhomes of every shape and size sharing our view. Our next-door neighbour is a gigantic Phaeton, about 6 times bigger than us. He’d want to have a better navigator than me, or he’d be in trouble.

Christmas Day in France

The plan was to do nothing today; no driving, no navigating, no sightseeing, just relax and take in the view. But, by 10am, I had itchy feet, and suggested to Ross we mosey a little further south if he felt up to it.  “It’s Christmas Day so there won’t be much traffic on the roads.” My famous last words! So off we set in a southerly direction to nowhere in particular.

After driving on a crowded motorway for a little while, we pulled in to a Total station to get fuel. Ross couldn’t get the pump to work; he had to take his credit card in first- I don’t know what that was about- but the pump would only deliver a few litres before cutting out and refusing to give any more. He went back in to seek assistance, but the girl just shrugged her shoulders. While sitting in the car, I noticed the café was called “La Croissanterie”. Ah, that’s what I felt like; a ham and melted cheese croissant, so I sent Ross back in. (I was still in my sleep suit.) La Croissanterie had not a single croissant of any description! So, with no fuel, and no croissant, we ventured further. (We did get a ham and cheese baguette with a delicious coffee, so it wasn’t a “Total” waste of time.

After negotiating the traffic snarl on the Lyon ring road, we pulled into another Total petrol station, and were totally satisfied with both fuel AND a croissant, minus the ham and cheese. Ross also bought me the most delicious cranberry and pistachio tart.

Further along the motorway, Ross suggested we take the scenic route along the Rhone, so we exited the motorway and headed for Arpuis and Condrieu, which were pretty villages on the Rhone River, but had speed bumps the whole way through them. After two villages and many bumps, we’d had enough of the scenery and headed south towards the next road to get back to the motorway. On the way we spotted a McDonalds, a rarity in these parts and pulled in. It looked closed, which it was, but we could pick up the free wifi! Ross drove round through the drive-through and hit one of the concrete blocks that were placed at the edge of the lane and damaged the rim of the tyre, which let the air out! Oh, no!  But we do have a phone, so we can call any of the emergency numbers we have been given for help. Alas, it’s Christmas Day and no one is answering their phones.

The nuts were screwed on so tightly they were not going to budge, so Ross, who’s always thinking of ways to improve things in the camper to make them more user-friendly, has the idea, if he can find something to extend the length of the lever, he might be able to undo the nuts. He went searching around to find something and finally brings back a 6-foot length of steel he has pulled out of the ground. Desperate times demand desperate measures!

After figuring out how to get the spare tyre down, he changes the tyre, and uses the steel pole to re-tighten the nuts. Meanwhile I am using the Macca’s wifi to search for camping grounds that are open in winter. After searching through a long list, I find one in a place I’ve never heard of and jot down the co-ordinates and phone number. It may be useful later on.

We fully intended to stay where we were for the night; Ross was exhausted after changing that bloody big tyre, but there was a suspicious looking guy hanging round, so we decided to head off even if it’s just a little further on. We hopped back onto the motorway and headed for the stellenplatz in Tournon-on-Rhone, where we arrived right on 6 o’clock and pitch black. What a day! We will remember this Christmas Day for a few years to come, that’s for sure!

Our first few days in France...

We woke to a bright sunny day and decided to catch the bus and tram into town. Ross had taken a photo of the bus number and tram number to catch and where to change, but we didn’t know where the bus stop was, so went into the hostel to ask. We both had the same thought almost at the same time; let’s see if we can book a room for tonight, do our washing, have a proper shower, and hook into their free wifi, as we just can’t seem to have any luck with our phones. Well, two outta three ain’t bad. I managed 20 minutes of wifi before losing connection, and was too tired to be bothered trying again.

We were told the bus stop was behind the Pharmacie (the green building) so we walked and walked and finally spotted the pharmacie! First one we’ve seen, and we are out of panadol and advil. This phone saga is giving us both headaches! We looked behind the pharmacie but no bus stop was to be seen. On asking the pharmacist, we were told it was down near the church (not just behind the pharmacie!) Talk about misleading directions!

At the bus stop, we caught the bus to Aristide Briand, all on our own with no help. Then caught Tram D into Grand Rue, where we discovered Christmas markets galore. Which one to explore first? The Marche de Luxembourg looked friendly, so we stopped for a bite to eat; a big saucisson (sausage) on a crunchy baguette with lashings of moutarde. (mustard)

Now to buy a local French SIM. We went to the Office de Tourisme, where the line-up was out the door and waited our turn to find the location of a phone shop. We located the Orange Shop and after waiting half an hour, Ross got to see a representative who informed us we needed two 15 euro SIMs but we would have to wait for this request to be processed. After waiting another three quarters of an hour, we walked out very disgruntled with the treatment we had received, and with no SIMs!

We weren’t letting this spoil our fun so we checked out a few more markets; one with just books, another with sweet-smelling “vin chaud”(mulled wine), another with craft items of every description, and finally the markets in La Place de la Cathedrale, and bought some beautiful placemats. The Cathedral itself was beautiful, and if we hadn’t spent time stuffing around with phones, we would have had time to see inside. Our feet could carry us no further so we sat down to enjoy the biggest Belgian waffle you have ever seen, and the smallest coffee! You can’t have everything!

Back on to Tram D for the return journey. The tram was packed, and we both had to stand up. There was no chance of falling over, however, as it was a body-to-body crush. Out at the stop Aristide Briand, and over the road to wait for the bus. The first one drove straight past us; it only took one glance to see why- it must be peak hour. The next bus collected us and we stayed on past our stop all the way over the Rhine to Kehl, where we wanted to post our Rothenburg postcards. What a shemozzle! We wound up walking every bloody street before eventually locating the post office. People we asked for directions tried hard but did not succeed. I was almost tempted to give them the postcards and say, “Here, when you are going to the post office, would you mind posting these for me?” if only I could speak German.

We found an O2 shop and thought it was worth a crack. We almost managed to get a SIM except we didn’t have a German residential address. If I had known this, I could have made one up! I went to the tourist office to ask directions to the pedestrian bridge across the river. She confidently told me straight down this street. With my mind set at rest about finding our way back to our camper, we set about finding a bite to eat and settled on  Kochloffen, a local version of KFC, but not as tasty.

We eventually managed to find the bridge after several left and right turns, definitely not straight, and the walk over the bridge was timed perfectly for the glorious sunset. (see photos) Our camper was in sight but we could not reach it as the gate was locked, so had to walk the long way around. We had covered almost 10 kilometres walk by the time we reached the Auberge.

After enjoying the hottest possible shower without scalding myself, and giving my hair a much-needed wash, I headed down to the ground floor to do a load of washing, walked up the two flights to wait for it to finish, and then walked down again to transfer the load to the dryer. I could not manage to stay awake for one minute longer, and when I woke up at 8.30, Ross had it all dried and folded.

Breakfast was included in out room charge so we availed ourselves of juice, coffee, hot chocolate, fresh baguettes with butter, cheese and jam, as well as some cereal flakes. Ross went to the camper to get it ready to go while I had another glorious shower!

He had one token left after filling with water, so gave it to two gentlemen who were trying to get the machine to operate with a credit card. In return, they noticed our water cap was missing (heavens only knows where we lost it!) and searched through several they had, and found one that fitted. How nice was that!

In high spirits, we headed off to Colmar. I should have been easy, but our stupid GPS took us over the Rhine River, right through the centre of Kehl, and then back over the river at another bridge. We figured it must have wanted us to spend as much time in Germany as possible, because the road to Colmar was clearly marked in Strasbourg but we were in the wrong lane to take it.

We drove into Colmar, having no idea where anything was, and pulled over momentarily to get our bearings. It actually looked like a good spot to park so we left the camper there, and set off on foot to find Petite Venise (Little Venice) and the Christmas markets. We could not have parked any closer if we had tried! Just around the corner and we were there, at both Little Venice and the Christmas markets! We loved both of them. I loved the painted houses and the buildings built right on, or over, the canals. We had lunch at a little Terrasse restaurant serving just “tartes flambees”, which were huge, but delicious. The mechanical horse ride fascinated me- I really wanted to have a ride, but couldn’t chance hurting my back. I had a warm spiced apple juice with honey (non-alcoholic), which was really delicious, and I couldn’t resist the home-made macarons. Ross opted for some nougat at the same stall. Our sweet tooth satisfied, we headed for the Cathedral and more markets! After getting our bearings from the photo of a map on a board (always handy to take photos of maps on boards!), we headed back to the camper. Keeley and Blair, you will be very proud to find that I was actually going in the right direction!

Back at the camper, we were relived to find we hadn’t been issued a parking fine, and against our better judgment, put the co-ordinates of the France Passion camping place in our GPS, and trusted it to get us there, which it did. We even had power for the night to charge up all of our electrical devices and run the fridge. Our hostess didn’t speak a word of English but I managed to have a conversation with her in very bad French.

Ross decided to take me out to dinner at Les Maraichers, a hotel restaurant just down the road, where we had access to free wifi! Our meals were very French and very delicious. I had escargots followed by chicken breast in a creamy mushroom sauce and potato skins. Ross had pumpkin soup followed by a ham hock. It was enormous! I had my doubts if he could finish it, but it was so mouth-watering, he cleaned his plate! Neither of us could fit in dessert! Back to our camper for a quick shower and an early night. We had a phone at last so made a few calls wishing relatives a Merry Christmas before falling asleep just after 11. Ross was awake at 3 and wanted to get on the road as we had an almost 400 kilometre trek to Nantua. We skipped breakfast and were on the road by 5.

It was great travelling in the early morning; very little traffic, and a beautiful sunrise. When the sky lightened, we stopped at a truck stop for ham and cheese bagels, which I cooked in the frypan. We were about half way there. I was pleased Ross had wanted to get going, but boy, was I tired! We played Spotto and I Spy, and 16 kilometres out of Nantua, Ross pulled over to close his eyes for 10 minutes. He was instantly asleep, so I thought I’d take advantage of our stationary position to get out of my sleep suit, have a shower and get into some clothes.

We had an altercation with the first toll plaza we encountered but managed to reverse and drive over about 5 lanes to the correct one. The supervisor was not friendly at all-he could have just opened the bloody gate. It was obvious we were tourists! He probably thought we were British.

On arrival in Nantua, we encountered a cold wind blowing off the lake but it was still warm and sunny. We parked and walked over to Le Bistrot to make a booking for dinner, but were told ”no dinner tonight, it’s Christmas Eve” so sat down and had lunch instead.

I ordered the salmon for entrée, Quenelle with the special Nantua Sauce for mains, a selection of cheeses and Brazil (glace café, glace rhum et raisin avec Chantilly) for dessert.

We walked round the entire village looking for the Lidl supermarket to buy some water and milk, but gave up, exhausted, and came back to the camper and drove to find it. It was right at the very edge of the village. We did find a parking spot right on the lake, and immediately fell asleep. I woke up two and a half hours later by the sound of cars driving past, and Ross decided to move to a more secluded location, so here we are around the other side of Lac Nantua overlooking the village lights reflecting on the surface of the lake, which usually freezes in winter. No chance of that happening now. It’s 8pm and 10C outside; a warm and cosy 20C inside our camper. It’s Christmas Eve here and we’ve talked about attending midnight mass, but I think we’ll be doing it in our sleep. Merry Christmas to all our family and friends back home. Joyeux Noel!

Germany...

We were up at 4, and waved goodbye to Cillian at 5. He had ordered a minicab for us, which delivered us to terminal 5 Heathrow in just 15 minutes. We piled out onto the footpath, loaded our bags onto a trolley, and headed for check in. I tried the machine but it told me to go to the assistance counter- what’s new?  We checked in our bags; mine was under 20 kgs and Ross’ was just over, so we were allowed to check in my backpack as well.

Through security where everything was checked; I even had to take off my sandals! Ross’ bag was pulled up again; I think it was the computer charger that was the problem this time.  When we arrived at our gate, we still had an hour to spare so ordered breakfast with coffee. I received my breakfast bap quite quickly, but Ross’ full English breakfast took almost the full hour! First they brought him a single egg and some baked beans-I kid you not!- before finally bringing him the worst English breakfast I’ve ever seen.  He ate it none-the-less, but when the waitress asked was everything ok, he complained and got 10% off the bill and I got a free coffee. It still cost 25 pounds ($50)-the worst rip-off so far this trip.

To make matters worse, our flight was delayed almost two hours because our pilot’s wife just went into labour and another pilot had to fly down from Edinburgh! The flight was uneventful and we arrived in Frankfurt out on the tarmac, as no airbridge was available and had to use stairs and onto a bus, but that was ok. Well that was the good news!

We had to go through immigration before getting to baggage collection. I hooked into the airport wifi to get maps loaded but couldn’t change the starting position. Ross went to pull out his Samsung tablet to help me and realized he had left it on the plane! He made enquiries but the plane had taken off again and no tablet had been handed in. He left his name and number with the airport in the vague hope that someone hands it in, and we can collect it when we return in a month’s time.

We grabbed our bags and headed out to meet our driver at the meeting place. We couldn’t see him but then I realised I didn’t have my backpack! I had left it circling on the carousel! Talk about two forgetful fogies! Ross then had the devil of a job getting back into the baggage area as that was a secure area.

Meanwhile our driver was getting crankier and crankier, to put it mildly, carrying on about the parking fee and he had been waiting for 20 minutes! I sympathized and said we’d pay his parking, but I felt like saying, “Poor diddums, you’ve been waiting a whole 20 minutes!” Ross finally appeared with my backpack and we headed out to the “shuttle bus” which was actually just a taxi! I could have grabbed a taxi myself for 55 euro, but had agreed to be picked up for 75. He then handed Ross the parking charge for 45 euro!  I sat in the back and watched the speedo climb to 170; to make matters worse, he was on two phones as well! Kittens were coming hard and fast: the only thing that made me feel better was he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt! Welcome to Germany!

Randolph, our hire man, was much nicer but still very German. He was very thorough though explaining every single thing about the camper, and I was not allowed to interrupt him with a relevant question, but I had to wait until he had finished speaking. Of course, by then, I had forgotten what I had to ask!

We were off, with me saying, ”Stay on the right,” like a broken record. We drove into the village of Friedberg, and drove round and round the village looking for a spot to park. We eventually pulled up completely illegally (everyone else was double parked too) and Ross ran into the phone store to ask about SIMs. Thankfully, he wasn’t too long or there’d be more kittens appearing. We had to reverse into traffic, which was daunting but at least there was a reversing camera. We just needed someone to let us in, which a lady finally did. I waved and shouted “thankyou”. I must learn the German.

Now off to buy bedding at Danisches Bettenlager in Bad  Nauheim. We chose a doona for 14.95, pillows for 9.95, towels for 7.95 and tea-towels 3 for 3.99. The total was much less than we would have paid if we had hired bedding, and it’s clean and new!

Fortunately, we were right next door to an Aldi where a lovely gentleman gave me a euro for a trolley. The checkout boy would not oblige even though I said he could have it back when I finished shopping. Anyway, we filled that trolley with some quite decadent food, for less than 100 euro.

Walking back to the camper, we decided to abandon our original plan of driving to Rothenburg, and stay put, and get the camper set up properly.

After a dinner of salmon steaks and pasta salad, and dessert of chocolate, cream and custard puddings (part of our Alidi purchases), we decided to get an early night and try out our new bed. Tomorrow is a new day!

Today dawned clear, but not too cold; we were up early but decided to wait until the Danisches Bettenlager opened to buy another doona. Apparently, I kept stealing the doona from Ross!

That done, we headed off to Rothenburg which should have been a quick trip, but partially due to me, and partially due to the stupid bloody GPS (which maybe stupid me had programmed incorrectly), we took the scenic route, and arrived in Rothenburg ob der Tauber after dark. (the one thing I didn’t want to be doing!) I had a few kittens on the way mainly due to the narrowness of the roads, but, on the plus side, we did pass through some beautiful little villages, which we wouldn’t have seen from the motorway (autobahn). When we reached Wurzburg, I gave up on the GPS and navigated by the signs and my road map! 

On arrival in Rothenburg, we found it packed with tourists all there for the Christmas markets! We pulled into a parking area only to discover it was for cars only, but Ross asked someone and was told the P3 was the park for us. We managed to find it easily, parked our camper and headed off to the markets. There was a pay station but a driver from one of the many coaches told Ross we could park for free until 9am.

I was prepared for a long walk into town, but in actual fact, we reached the town wall only after a few minutes. The Christmas markets smelt delicious, but it was extremely crowded and had nowhere to sit so we headed away from the markets into a less crowded street where we found a lady selling wine and champagne in a little alley. We asked her for food and she told us we could walk through the garden to the restaurant.  It was a beautiful garden but we had our doubts if we would actually find a restaurant but we did. We had entered through the back door of a hotel restaurant called Herrnschlosschen (the little castle of the lords), which was 900 years old! It looked very posh, and expensive, but we asked for a table for two, nonetheless. We were ushered to the last table they had available. We sat down and ordered a main meal; a trio of wild boar (Ross), and guinea fowl (me). We asked for the wifi password and checked in while we waited for our dinner.

I had a 500 ml bottle of white wine (some German wine I’ve not heard of), but I had no trouble in finishing it. It was at this stage that we realized that it was just 2 years ago that we met, so it was an anniversary dinner, of sorts. Ross’ wild boar trio was a stew (scrumptious), roast boar (delicious), and sausage (which I didn’t taste). My guinea fowl was delicious too, but a bit tougher than chicken. They had a dessert for two for 18 euro, which we ordered in celebration. It was a three-tiered plate, with orange and tiramisu ice-creams, and three other delectable sweets which were the same on the bottom and top plates.

Even though I had experienced a traumatic day getting lost, driving on narrow country roads, not having a clue where I was, it ended beautifully.

We both slept like logs and woke up hungry. We walked into town and I searched for the Gastehaus Goldener Hirsch, where I had stayed 4 years ago. We asked the tourist information and I still managed to get us lost. We walked straight past it and down a steep, narrow street. Poor Ross!

Finally I located it, and we entered through the front door. We walked up to reception where I smiled and said that I had stayed her 4 years ago and was wondering if we could pay for breakfast. No problem. We walked through to the breakfast room, where we chose the corner table and drank in the view. It was just as spectacular as I remembered it! We just relaxed and took our time eating and eating and eating. We tried everything they had to offer except cereals; meat and cheeses, eggs and toast, yoghurt and fruit, pink grapefruit juice and coffee!

We found the shop at which the tourist information guy thought we may get a SIM, but you guessed it; it was closed. (It was Sunday.) We walked back to the Christmas markets where I bought a lovely little Rothenburg house to be used for incense. Then we visited Kathe Wohlfahrt’s Christmas shops; Ross to the Christmas museum and me to the actual shop across the road where Ross bought me a pair of crystal Christmas tree earrings. We took the long way back to our camper, stopping to buy some postcards and stamps on the way. Of course, here we are in France and I still haven’t posted them. It’s only a 10-minute walk across the bridge into Germany though.

Back to our camper, and to the stellenplatz where we emptied our toilet waste and Ross tried, unsuccessfully to fill up with water. The machine kept eating his coins and not giving him water! Finally we were on our way to Heidelberg, and the famous Christmas markets up in front of the Castle. Ross managed to navigate his way through the city centre, and we followed the sign to the Schloss.  There were people everywhere, and no parking spaces so we thought we were close. It was pitch black by this time (the one thing I wanted to avoid!), but we finally found a park on the side of the road half way up the hill and walked up to the Schloss. We asked people where the Christmas markets were and were told just through the Castle gates, so we kept walking, and walking and walking! We asked a guy guarding the gates and were told they finished on the 15^th December; another guy told us they weren’t up at the Castle this year but we down in the city centre, so we actually don’t know the real story!

I entered stellenplatz into our GPS and found there was one at Schwetzingen (the only name I recognised out of all the stellenplatzes the GPS located) so we headed out of town in the worst traffic we have encountered so far! Poor Ross! We managed to make it out of town and to the stellenplatz, where we found a little Italian Pizzeria named Pina’s. I was going to cook dinner but the temptation of an Italian meal was too much!

Tired to the bone, we dragged ourselves across to the restaurant to find a warm, welcoming host who chatted in Italian to Ross, like best friends! He gave us the wifi password and I was able to get online, while we were waiting for our calzone and our pollo (chicken) and fungi(mushroom) tagliatelli, which we shared. Another 500mls of white wine made a good end to a frustrating evening. Even the people who worked at the restaurant were saying the Christmas market was up at the Castle!

A few metres back to our camper where I had a quick shower before bed. I was going to make us a coffee but was just too damn tired! We were hoping to stay hooked into the pizzeria’s wifi but it was just too slow to be of any real use. Ross did find there was a Vodafone shop in Schwetzingen though, so after a good night’s sleep, we headed into Schwetzingen and found the shop easily. I wish getting a SIM as so easy! No luck here. He suggested going back into Heidelberg but I was not keen. If the traffic was like it was on a Sunday night, I don’t know what it could possible be like on a Monday morning. Besides a SIM wasn’t guaranteed; he said they might have them!

While Ross was working out the SIM drama, I found the Schwetzingen Schloss only 950 metres away, so decided to walk.  I took a photo of the GPS to make sure we didn’t get lost and I still managed to get us lost. We did have a lovely morning constitutional along a pretty canal with a swan and her cygnets, as well as a duck or two who’ve forgotten to fly south for the winter. (They probably don’t even know it’s winter; it’s so warm!)

Finally we find an entrance to the Schloss and walk in to the building only to find it’s a school! (It is part of the Schloss; just not the tourist part!) We take the next entrance and pay our 3 euro each only to find the Schloss itself is under renovation and only the gardens are open. We walk down through the Schloss to the gardens; well, they are beautiful, but so extensive, we couldn’t even see the sides let alone the back of them, so we took a few photos and left.

Ross went to a bank to try to withdraw some cash but they don’t do that! I waited on a high stool and managed to hook into Grey’s Restaurant free wifi! I managed to post we were fine and still in search of a SIM card, if anyone at home is worried about us. I had to get back to the camper before my fingers froze; that wind was really cold out in the open.

On to Strasbourg, just across the Rhine River into France. We stopped at Baden-Baden, where Ross checked the gas (we have 70% left) and explored the Obi (like Bunnings) while I tried to buy a packet of panadol, advil, nurofen- anything for  a headache. While Ross was in Obi, I saw a Vodafone store across the road. I managed to not get run over crossing the four lanes of traffic, which was a feat in itself. I was confident I would find a SIM at the Vodafone shop, but he gruffly informed me they had sold out! It’s Christmas and they won’t have any in until next year!!!! I tried the Toom supermarket for a headache tablet unsuccessfully-they mustn’t get headaches in Germany. Back to Obi where one of the Obi staff gave me one of her tablets; I don’t know was it was but it cured my headache! Talk about a wild goose chase!

We arrived in Strasbourg and it was still daylight! Woohoo! But by the time we negotiated our way through peak-hour traffic, it was dark. We found the Auberge Jeunesse, where we are going to camp for a couple of nights and catch the bus into town to see some of the seven Christmas markets.

Still in London...

Today, I don’t feel like doing anything; nothing at all. So I stayed in bed as long as humanly possible, while poor Ross ventured out to sort out the oyster card and SIM card debacle. It took him all day, but he did bring me home some lovely salmon rolls and assorted pastries at 4 o’clock. I was so hungry I just about ate him as well!

He also bought some lovely cheeses, including a large jar of Stilton, which we took to Joe’s to share, but I ate most of it. Consequently, I wasn’t hungry for the bangers and mash. I did manage to consume a fair amount of the prosecco we’d bought, and managed to break one of Angela’s beautiful crystal champagne flutes, which was on the floor. I had been warning Ross to be careful where he put his feet when he crossed his legs, and here it was me who broke it. I didn’t kick it; I just nudged the rug on which it was standing (away from my feet!) and that was enough to send it toppling over and the stem breaking off. I felt so bad. I am really careful with stemmed glasses, but obviously not careful enough.

We both had a good sleep, which was fortunate as we had a big day planned. First we headed to Westfield where we stopped for brunch (eggs salmondine) and coffee before hitting the shops. The House of Fraser, Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, The Entertainer, before finally stopping for a bite to eat. Ross had a huge pie with peas and gravy; I just had a coffee as I was saving myself for dinner.

We still hadn’t managed to get the toy tool set Marie especially wanted for Eli for his birthday. Ross located a Toys’r’us shop in another suburb and we exited Westfield, and caught a bus to near where the shop was located. Maps on his phone took us the weirdest way in the pouring rain, but eventually we found it. We were both saturated and bone-weary, but I was determined to make it to Zizzi’s for dinner ever since Ross brought me home their festive menu yesterday.

We were loaded up with presents, but managed to get two buses almost right to Zizzi’s door. We were given a table just round the corner, which was great as there was plenty of room for all of our parcels. The festive menu was on the placemat, so I said, "I’ll have that, that and that," while pointing to the three options: they were entrée, mains and dessert in case you think I ordered three main meals!

Ross was not hungry (remember the huge pie?) so just had a duo of dips, and a small plate of gnocci, and vanilla gelati for dessert. To wash it all down with, I ordered a Viognier Siciliano, which went perfectly with my three courses. To be truthful, I struggled with the dessert, but I didn’t let it defeat me. The most delicious meal I’ve had in a very long time and with the most uncomplaining man in the world.

By the time we reached our home base, it was after 11pm. What a day!

We slept all night again! We were supposed to be relaxing this week but have done very little of it! Joe called around to pick us up. It was a bright, sunny day- well, almost- so we headed out to Richmond Park to see some deer and squirrels, and to have a coffee in the lovely Pembroke House, which started life as the mole-catcher’s cottage, when moles were a danger to horses carrying hunters. The Hunting Lodge now houses the Royal School of Ballet.

After coffee, we drove into Richmond to buy a road atlas for Europe. I don’t want to rely entirely on maps on my phone! We parked by the side of Richmond Green and walked up into town. We located just what we wanted at W.H. Smith- oh, I love that shop! Then on to The Duke Pub for lunch: Ross and I shared 4 starters; all delicious except the soup which was very bland potato soup (we think); it could have easily have been flour and water! I couldn’t resist the sticky toffee pudding (I like it much more than sticky date; it’s much moister) and Ross ordered the pannacotta. Delicious!

After collecting Eli from nursery, we parked the car, grabbed Eli’s pram and caught the bus to Richmond Station, then tubed it to South Kensington and walked to Hyde Park to check out the Winter Wonderland. Bright lights beckoned us but it was almost a 6km walk to reach it. We sat down to rest and Ross bought me a mulled spiced cider- very sweet; and Joe bought us water, which didn’t even touch the sides; the walk had made me very thirsty. I had smoked salmon (you could actually watch it being smoked) and chips and a tasty curry sauce. It sounds disgusting but it was lovely.

We walked through the Christmas market stalls and sideshow alley, before Ross and I had to call it quits. Eli was still running at 100 miles per hour- oh, to be young again! He had Olaf (the snowman from Frozen) in a helium balloon keeping him company. Olaf now sits pinned to his lounge room ceiling. When we could walk no further, we called an Uber, and were very impressed to be picked up by a Toyota Prius for a very smooth half hour ride home for just 20 pounds. We made it up the stairs to our second floor bedroom and crashed again.

Last day in London, and we are washing and drying clothes, wrapping presents, packing and planning the next part of our adventure. Joe picked us up for a lovely Thai take-away  at his house. Eli opened 3 of his presents. He absolutely loved the tool set that we had walked miles in the pouring rain to get for him from Marie, but it was worth it to see the smile on his face. He just wanted to keep on playing with it, but it was bedtime. Not too long after, it was bedtime for us too, but first we must finish packing.

Cillian, our lovely airbnb host, ordered a cab for us for 5am tomorrow. It’s now midnight! Goodnight from London!

London at last...

Up at 3am, thought about going back to bed, but just as well we hadn’t as we were just ready when Alf arrived to take us to the airport. I was just pulling on my boots. We had cleaned the van all except the floor, but he didn’t even look at it! My ankle was much improved but I still had difficulty walking. I could put weight on it, but not push off with it, so in the process of getting up into the van to go to the airport, I hurt my shoulder. I’m a walking disaster area. Poor Ross carried everything. It was pouring rain and we got very wet getting from the van into the airport.

I was hobbling along and Ross spied the wheelchairs and decided to ask for one for me. The staff members were ever so helpful and we went through check-in, security, and immigration without having to wait in a single line! I was wheeled to the coffee shop where Ross took over. We were 2 hours early for boarding so had a coffee while we waited. Our flight was called, and Ross wheeled me right down to the plane where I hobbled to my seat. Poor Ross had all the bags again. After takeoff, the hostess moved us to the seat in front, which gave me room to put my leg up on the spare seat. In no time at all, we were landing.

That’s when the “fun” started.

*Three other ladies and Ross and myself were loaded onto a rectangular box which was raised to the level of the aircraft.

*We were lowered to ground level where we sat for a while waiting for a car to come to get us.

* We were transferred to a minivan where we sat for longer waiting for one of those airport terminal vehicles to come and get us, but only one guy turned up with a single wheelchair.

* The minivan drives into a building where we are transferred to the airport terminal vehicle..

*We then drive to immigration where we had to fill out landing cards and wait for clearance.

*Ross and I were questioned.

* Then we were driven into the arrivals area where we spy Joe and Eli waiting for us.

* We have to give descriptions of our suitcase to the driver who’s describing them to a guy in the baggage area.

*Our suitcases are finally delivered to us.

* Ross goes to find a trolley, but doesn’t have a pound coin for the slot so has to ask several people where he can get a one pound coin from.

*He is finally referred to a money-changer to change a 5 pound note. After waiting for it to be processed formally through the computer, he comes back with a trolley.

* A full two hours after landing, we walk out of the terminal and into the carpark.

So smooth at one end, and so complicated at the other!

Joe drove us to out airbnb accommodation where we were met by Cillian and Orla, and offered a cup of coffee. We pulled out our cranberry and white chocolate biscuits to share, and the whole packet disappeared. We are not the only ones who like them!

Ross put a load of washing on, while I had a bath ,and we headed out to eat. I was starving. Apart from that biscuit, we had eaten nothing since 4am this morning. We walked down to the bus stop, but stopped at the Milford Arms pub down on the corner as I was too hungry to wait for a bus. We shared a mixed platter of onion rings, chicken wings, crumbed mushrooms, chips and garlic bread before enjoying a delicious chicken breast wrapped in bacon and coated with cheese and barbecue sauce (me) and chili con carne. (Ross)

We walked back to our home away from home for the next 6 days, up the stairs and straight to bed. It was just after 8.

We were awake at 5.30. Woohoo! I slept all night! Up and breakfasted on all-bran, showered, dressed, and of to Joe’s. As I exited the front door, I discovered it was raining and had to go back to get my poncho. Set my maps for the half-hour walk to Joe’s, but made in less. We were walking fast to reduce the level of wetness! I must have stepped in a puddle as I had one wet foot to dry out at Joe’s, (two wet socks) as I chose to wear my Jack Wolfskin hiking sandals. They are just so comfortable it’s hard to wear anything else.

We all headed to the local pool just around the corner so Joe, Angela and Eli could have a swim in the 33C heated pool. Ross and I had to miss out as our togs were back at our airbnb, so we had a coffee and shared a Panini at the Terrace Café while the family enjoyed their swim.

Back to Joe’s for the family to rug up before heading to lunch at the White Horse Inn at Richmond. Angela had booked a table 3 weeks ago, but when we arrived, they tried to seat us on high stools. She remonstrated, and we left. We stood outside while she tried unsuccessfully to see if anywhere else had vacancies for lunch. One of the waitresses came out and said some of her regular customers would be leaving in about 20 minutes so we accepted her offer of their table.

Ross and Angela took Eli to play in the children’s playground right beside the pub, while Joe and I chose to sit in comfy chairs inside where it was warm and dry. We ordered drinks, and to our surprise, were told they were complimentary. Thank you, White Horse Inn, for the pint of cider. It was delicious!

We were ushered to our table with very comfy chairs, and ordered our meals. As I had seen the size of the meals, I decided to skip entrée, and wait for my roast lamb, roast vegies and the hugest Yorkshire pudding you’ve ever seen. I was pleased I’d foregone an entrée, even though they looked delicious. For dessert, I opted for the sticky toffee pudding with sauce and salted caramel ice-cream with a little jug of crème anglaise on the side. Mmmmm! The bottle of Malbec that Angela ordered topped off a perfect lunch.

Replete, we walked into Richmond and had a look at the shops, but I didn’t buy anything. Angela bought some presents for Eli at W.H.Smith, where I resisted buying Brian Cox’s book for just £6.

In the House of Fraser, we tried some perfumes and colognes. I really Valentino Uomo, for men, and of course, they had the widest selection of Bulgari I had ever seen.

We left Joe and Angela and headed on to Waitrose to buy a few groceries. I remembered I had left my Thai bag in the boot of Joe’s car, but he discovered it when he put in Eli’s pram, and swung past Waitrose to hand it over to Ross. I went to the toilet there and, as we were leaving, I realized my sunglasses were no longer hanging from my shirt. I wanted to cry! I couldn’t possibly go back to all the shops I had gone in, so faced the fact I would have to do without them for the next 6 weeks! If this weather keeps up, I won’t need them anyway. ( I ended up finding them in the bottom of my Thai bag; I hadn’t even taken them in to lunch!)

We came through the alley to find a H37 stopped so ran to catch it. This is where the ”fun” started.

*My oyster card scanned but took a couple of times to work, but Ross’ paywave card just would not work, so we were not allowed on the bus even though I had already paid, and he didn’t give me a refund!

*We tried to get another oyster card. We walked back to Richmond Station where we bought oyster cards last trip, but were told they didn’t sell them!

*The shops were all shutting and we could find nowhere to buy an oyster card, so decide we’ll just have to get a taxi as it’s too far to walk.

*We walked to the first taxi and asked did he accept credit card. No, he didn’t but the one behind him did. This rigmarole continued until we gave up after the seventh refusal!

*We walked back up to the Barclays ATM and withdrew money after first pressing the wrong button. ( It was dark and the buttons weren’t lit at all!)

*We hopped in a cab, told him the address and couldn’t get the seat belts done up even though there was a sign saying it was mandatory.

*He drove us the bumpiest way imaginable, either that or the suspension in this cab was shot, and at the first big bump, Ross’ back went out and he was in agony the rest of the way home.

* He drove us way past our address and we had to walk back. Not normally a problem but Ross could barely stand, let alone walk.

* I cheered him up immensely, unintentionally, by trying to get through the closed gate right beside our gate which was wide open. I tried to get out of it by saying I did it on purpose to cheer him up, but he was having none of it. He knows me too well.  He enjoyed it so much he had me re-enact it so he could get a photo.

So what should have been an easy bus ride home turned into a saga. On arrival, we stored our goodies in the fridge and cupboard, showered and climbed into bed. Ross remembered he hadn’t taken his pills, and as he reached up on top of the headboard, he knocked them off behind the bed, so I had to crawl down to retrieve the container with my walking stick. Of course they had fallen right under the bed, and you guessed it, the some of the compartments had popped open and there were tablets strewn everywhere.  In the process of getting up from my prone position, I hurt my knee, and couldn’t put weight on it, to climb over Ross to my wall position, so sort of dragged myself across, trying not to hurt him or me. We both collapsed in laughing in agony. What a day!

Twelfth stop...Dublin ( again)

We woke up to another gorgeous day. The sun was shining, but it was cold outside! Almost down to zero, but a warm and toasty 24C inside the van! Showered and dressed, we drove back to The Gobbins visitor’s centre ready for the 10am tour. We were waiting outside the doors when they opened at 9.30, but were told the 10am tour was full. We actually didn’t see a 10am tour so think the 10.30 one was the first of the day.  We enjoyed a coffee and scone before being taken to the briefing room, where we tested our safety helmets, and listening devices. I ditched mine immediately. I didn’t want to be climbing with wires hanging from me! I donned the helmet over the Norwegian hat, but was told by another guide if I hit my head on overhanging rock, the helmet would just slide off, so I took off my hat, and stuffed it in the pocket of my jacket. I had 4 layers on top and 3 down below so I wouldn’t be cold! I had two pairs of socks on too (they didn’t notice the sandals!); I just had to try not to step in puddles. Easier said than done.

We had to walk down a very steep slippery path before the walking tour even began, and this was the worst part for me. My right knee was gone after the first few steps, but I couldn’t give up now. Once I was down, and on flatter ground, the pain started to ease. The going was tough, up and down stairs hewn out of the rock, following the old cliff-  path. Luckily, there were substantial handrails that I could use to pull myself up with! It was challenging but worth the effort. The scenery was breathtaking; we even spotted some dolphins cavorting in the waves.

We reached the tubular bridge, and I decided it might be a good spot to turn back. We were told it was another 15 minutes of cliff-path to reach the suspension bridge, which was probably more like half an hour for me. Then we would have the long trek back. Another guide was sent to help me back to base. You are not allowed to walk any section of this path on your own.

We really enjoyed the leisurely walk back with Reece, the young guide who was sent to accompany us. We visited the Smuggler’s Cave and stopped to take photos.  We arrived back at the rocky path up to the top unscathed. The stairs had been washed out during the recent storm, so we took the alternate route. This is where tragedy struck- yes, I am being overdramatic- but my ankle suddenly gave way under me, and I couldn’t walk. Ross and Reece took most of my weight and I hobbled to the Jeep that had been sent to collect  me. Poor Ross had to sit in the back with all the equipment as there were no back seats.

Back to the first aid room at the visitor’s centre, where my ankle was iced and strapped. It was really throbbing now. Ross pulled the van round and I pulled myself in and onto the bed. Ross gave me a Magnum, and we set off. He said he’d just follow the signs. We got to Whitehead Railway Station, before he realized he’s missed the turn to the A2. I climbed back up front, as the bumps in the back were making travelling extremely uncomfortable to say the least. I pushed my chair back as far as it would go and put my foot up on the dash, and we were off to Dublin. We stopped at Dundalk to get the van steam cleaned, and were treated to a free cup of coffee while we waited in Annabella’s sweet shop. What a shop! We knew we were back in Ireland by the friendliness of the people. They are just all super-friendly down here! I spotted a Mickey Mouse onesie, just the right size for Eli so Ross bought it for him. Poor Ross hasn’t had a chance to look for a birthday present for Eli, what with the moving house and all in the last week before leaving home.

Miraculously, we managed to find our way back to the Bunk Campers depot (no thanks to the stupid GPS), which wanted to take us further up the motorway, do a U turn and come back. This is what we did when we were returning the first van we rented. The gate was still open even though it was 6pm, and we drove straight in, and parked in front of the Bunk Campers office.

Next task, dinner. All we’d had all day was a scone and an icecream! And a lot of energy spent climbing cliff-paths in the middle of the two! We polished off the rest of the Melba toast, brie, pate and olives first. Ross then helped me cook the lamb steaks, cabbage and bacon and roast potatoes.  I lay down to take the weight off my foot and was asleep by 8.

Off to London tomorrow!

Eleventh stop...The Gobbins

I thought I might sleep since it was 8 o’clock when we went to bed, but no, we woke up at midnight, stayed up for a few hours, and then crashed about 4.30am and slept until 8.30! We woke up to a stunningly beautiful landscape with a view down to the ocean, and a bright, sunny, but chilly day. With clear skies, the overnight temperature had dropped but hadn’t got down to zero.

Snowball the cat wanted some attention and kept rubbing herself around my legs while I was trying to video. I ended up giving up and going to have a quick 3 minute shower, but stayed in my jammies. We needed to get gas (we had run out during the night), diesel, pounds sterling cash for Jennifer, and coffee so headed to Bushmills. No petrol stations there, so we kept going towards Coleraine, where we knew there was at least one. Not too far out of Bushmills, we found one. Ross filled up while I used the cash machine, and the attendant swapped the gas. All done. I skipped the coffee as it was just a Nescafe machine.

Back to Feigh Farm where I cooked up the remainder of the Irish sausages, black and white puddings, and bacon plus an egg and two slices of cheese ciabatta each. Quite a filling breakfast, even though it was almost noon. We were off at last. The Gobbins, here we come!

The day stayed fine and we drove through some beautiful countryside, and really appreciated having no wind or rain! We arrived at The Gobbins visitor centre at 2.25pm only to find the last tour was at 1 o’clock. I really needed a real coffee, but was tempted by the peanut butter stack, which was worth every calorie. Ross tried the apple pie with cream with his coffee. We “travelled through time” reading about the history of The Gobbins, and found out the first tour tomorrow is at 10am. I will have to hire special shoes though; hiking sandals are not allowed!

We drove along The Gobbins Peninsula to find a spot to camp for the night. (The camping ground that was marked no longer exists!) The roads are narrow with no pull-offs, but we finally found a spot in a driveway to a work-site, and pulled off far enough that a vehicle could squeeze past us if necessary. It was just on 4, but I really needed to lie down. Of course, I fell asleep immediately, woke up at 7.30, but didn’t know if it was 7.30pm or 7.30am! I was hoping it was the latter! Before I could summon the energy to get out of bed, I was asleep again. That bed has some sort of soporific effect on me. I woke up at midnight. Ross and I shared an old McDonald’s bagel, which he heated up in the frypan, with coffee and cranberry and white chocolate biscuits, with a Bailey’s truffle to top it off. Back to bed and awake again at 4.30am! Oh, for a whole night’s uninterrupted sleep!

Tenth stop...Feigh Farm

Blowing a gale still but at least it’s not raining! I actually went back to sleep with Ross working out pounds per square inch air pressure and convincing me the van could not blow over! I slept until 8.30am- a miracle, but consequently missed breakfast at the old Causeway Hotel, and had to have a bite to eat at the new visitor’s centre. We both had the “soda breakfast”, but they had run out of bacon so gave us an extra egg and sausage, so what we had was sausages and eggs on soda bread- not the tastiest soda bread I’ve had, but I ate every last crumb.

We paid £9 each for the “tour” and then were charged an extra £2 each for the bus ride down and back. The hexagonal rocks were interesting but definitely not worth £22! Maybe we were disappointed because the wind was blowing so hard we could barely keep on our feet, and the waves were crashing over the causeway so we couldn’t get any closer. The thing I enjoyed the most was the movie showing in the visitor’s centre, depicting the legend of Finn McCool, the Irish giant. We sat down out of the wind and enjoyed it. There were also the stories of all of the guides to the Causeway throughout history. Ah well, can’t complain too much – we did get “free” overnight parking.

On to the Carrick-a Rede Rope Bridge, where we parked and thought about walking down to the bridge. We were flat out keeping upright on flat ground, so decided against it. They say it’s 1km down and 1km back but say it feels like 5! That was enough to dissuade us. Ross had had enough of the wind, and suggested we just finding somewhere to camp and rest for the afternoon which sounded like a grand idea, but first we needed some food so we headed to Ballycastle, found a SPAR, and stocked up with enough food to last until Saturday when we fly to London.

I managed to get maps working, and put in Feigh Road where the only campground open at this time of year was located. It was 20 minutes drive, but since the camp ground was named Feigh Farm, I thought this was reasonable. We drove the whole length of Feigh Road only to come to a farmhouse at the end where we did a U turn. We were about to knock on the door to ask for directions when a woman appeared and told us we were looking for the other Feigh Road, which my maps hadn’t located!  GRRRRR!

We had passed a sign saying “The Dark Hedges” on our way out where I remarked to Ross that I wondered what it was. We were going too fast to make the turn so on our way back, Ross asked did I want to have a look. I was just curious!  We drove down a long tree-lined avenue. The trees were enormous and as it turned out were 250 year-old beech trees. 150 trees were planted by the owner of Gracehill to impress visitors as they drove up to his Georgian mansion; 90 of which still remain. We kept driving hoping to find the mansion, but eventually turned back and drove through the avenue of trees, where we could see Gracehill up on the hill. We had been driving AWAY from it! The road turned out to be the setting for the King’s Road in Game of Thrones! WOW! The things you find when you’re not looking!

I wanted to see if Gracehill House was open to the public, so we drove in and found the Hedges Hotel, almost deserted. We found an empty Lannister’s Lounge, where Jamie Lannister in full armour was presiding, then walked upstairs to the restaurant where we found a single staff member who served us vegetable soup and a rocky road slice. Guess who had what!  We both ordered coffee to keep us going. We hooked into their wifi and found the other Feigh Road, which was only a couple of hundred metres from the Giant’s Causeway! And to think poor Ross just wanted to rest! He’d been driving all afternoon! We drove in to find the house in darkness, save for a lit Christmas tree. There was no one home, so Ross says, “Let’s get out of here. I don’t like this place!” Heavens only knows where he was going to go to.

As he started to reverse, the wheels started spinning on the soft grass and no matter how hard he tried, we couldn’t get out o’ the bog. The beautiful patch of lawn had become a mud-pit with all of the rain they’d had, and we were stuck! With no phone reception, there was nothing we could do but wait until morning. We could hook on to power as the pole was right beside us, but that was all.

A woman appeared out of the dark, and said her husband would go get the tractor. Eventually, he pulled us out. Now we had to stay! We pulled in on a concrete pad, plugged in, and headed for the new “shower block”. It was one shower, two toilets and a small laundry with a washing machine and tub. Jennifer, the owner, had given us pound coins, as we only had 50 cent pieces, and I was off to have a shower. The 3 minute hot shower was pure heaven, and I luxuriated under it for every second of that 3 minutes! Ross stayed with me as he didn’t want to leave me alone. I was glad he was there to pass me my towel as soon as the shower finished as the tiled floor was freezing cold.

Back in the van, I cooked up chicken breasts wrapped in bacon and broccoli and cauliflower gratin, both done in the oven, and ate the little cream cheese delicacies we had bought earlier. We had no wine left so drank sparkling water instead. But we did have coffee with Bailey’s with out strawberry trifle dessert! It was actually after 8pm before I crashed. What an exciting day!