31 December 2014

December 2014



December has been a month of discovery for us. We have had some wonderful experiences and seen more of life 'behind the scenes' and at times it has almost been like stepping back in time before technology made everything so much quicker and easier but not necessarily better. It is amazing how much we have missed on our previous visits when we've only had 2 weeks so we've just wanted to chill all day and eat out every night. I finally plucked up the courage to see my dentist Uday and I did need a root canal as I had feared however it turned out to be as painless as last time and I believe I have finally conquered my fear of dentists (as long as it's Uday doing the treatment!!). We were enjoying being back so much that by the 2nd week of December I was already raising the option of changing our plan to spend the following winter touring Spain and Portugal in favour of coming back to Goa for 4 months. By the 3rd week of December Glynn had warmed to the idea and we were now checking out apartments!! 


Riverview Restaurant
Cavelossim. As we were keen to see more of Goa and experience new things we happily accepted an invitation from Iris and Steve to catch a local bus and spend a day at Cavelossim. We initially met them when we were here in March and, like Jan and Cliff, they spend every winter here. They invited us to join them so that we could experience our first trip on a local bus. The battered looking bus was crowded when we got on it but after a couple of stops we managed to find a space on the narrow seats. The cost for the half hour ride from Benaulim to Cavelossim was 15 rupees (15p).  The bus driver was happily chatting away on his phone while driving one handed, dodging other vehicles and animals on the narrow road. Although there are bus stops the bus pulls up for anyone that signals they want to get on. 
River Sal
A conductor whistles at the driver to signal him when to pull up or set off again and quite often the passenger would have barely got a foot on the bus before its pulling away again. This haste seemed to apply regardless of the age of the passenger and many times I watched in awe as frail looking old ladies were still in the process of getting on the bus as it pulled away. There is a sign that says there is room for 11 people standing however Iris and Steve informed us that they never turn passengers away and will squeeze everyone in so 11 can quickly become 30 during busy times with people squashed in to every available space.
Kingfisher on the River Sal
The buses also play music, anything from bangra to British pop, quite often at a volume that makes conversation difficult but adds to the crazy experience that is a bus ride in Goa. 
We arrived at Cavelossim and enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the main street, checking out the various shops and exploring a lovely air-conditioned store full of everything from branded sports wear to locally produced goods.
Iris and Steve then took us down a back road that led to a lovely outdoor restaurant right on the bank of the river Sal. The setting was so peaceful with lovely views of the river and we enjoyed a very leisurely lunch as we sat in the shade and watched the river cruise boats sail past. We saw a variety of birds including kingfishers and kites as we sat chatting and it almost four hours had passed before we decided to head back. 

Benaulim. We were taken to the local bakery to meet Wellington.
Fresh from the oven
It was basically a shed beside is house which contained a huge clay oven and a giant food mixer. There were 2 marble work tops for rolling pastry on and they supplied local businesses with meat and vegetable pasties as well as plum and coconut cakes and lovely bread rolls. We arrived just as several trays of pasties had finished cooking so we were able to see them being retrieved from the oven using a very long pole with a metal sheet on the end. Wellington's mother was sat outside peeling loads of onions while his daughter was taking coconuts from a huge pile and removing the husks with a very clever device that made light work of it. We purchased some lovely hot pasties and half a kilo of plum cake and decided to head straight home while the pasties were still hot.
Wellington de-husking the coconuts
Whether you are buying medicines from the pharmacy, samosas from the street food barrow or pasties from a bakery they wrap everything in newspaper just like we used to see in our chip shops. 

Cuncolim. We had booked executive health checks at the Nusi Wockhardt hospital at Cuncolim which cost 4500 rupees (£45) Although it was only a half hour journey and we didn't need to be  there until 8am we weren't confident that our driver would remember to pick us up on time so we had allowed for this by asking him to pick us up at 7am. Unusually he arrived on time with none of the normal "I am only 5 minutes away" so we got to the hospital early, in spite of him having to ask directions as he didn't know where it was. When he asked for 500 rupees I checked that this included the return fare as previously agreed but he said it didn't as the hospital was too far.  He had quoted us a price without really knowing where he was taking us. He agreed to take 400 rupees for the outward journey and we said we would call him when we were ready to be picked up. We spent the morning having various tests done and the funniest moment was when Glynn came out of the cardiologists after having the stress exercise test. His chest was way too hairy for the sensor pads to stick so they had shaved a lot of his chest but left a nice thin triangle of hair in the centre. I nearly cried with laughter when he showed me and I joked that he'd been given the chest equivalent of a Brazilian.
Spot the "Brazilian"
We were both shocked when we were weighed to find we had gained 8lb since we arrived in Goa as we certainly didn't feel like we had gained that much. The day continued 'Goan style' when we had finished all the tests by midday but were told the consultant wouldn't be free until 2pm. We had already come armed with our Kindles so we sat and read for an hour and then went to the canteen for lunch. I have no idea what we ate but it cost us 80p each and consisted of rice, 2 curry type dishes and 2 rotis dished up on metal trays. It tasted much better than it looked! We went back to the waiting area and 2pm became 4pm before the consultant finally appeared!! She went through all the results with me first and it showed excellent results in all areas except for my weight and cholesterol. She advised me I needed to lose weight and as my total cholesterol was 5.61 and I would have to cut out fatty food etc and take statins. I politely declined the statins which didn't appear to endear me to her but as I am fit and physically active with no history of heart disease in my family I felt she was being a bit hasty with the statins. I was tempted to ask her if she had read "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Anthony Colpo but figured I had already annoyed her by declining the statins without making it worse.  She then turned to Glynn and told him his test results were excellent apart from he needed to lose nearly a stone in weight!! She then looked at him and agreed he certainly didn't look like he was overweight. She weighed him on her digital scales and it showed he was over 2kgs lighter than the other scales had indicated. It turned out we had actually only gained 3lb each so that was a huge relief after spending all day discussing how we must cut back on the curries and step up the exercise. She informed Glynn that an 18 year old would be happy with his results so he left her office with a big smug grin on his face. We left the hospital clutching our folders which contained our X-Ray pictures, heart tracings and all the test results for us to keep. We called our Tuk Tuk driver and he informed us he was too busy and hung up on us, we burst out laughing as we had guessed this would happen. Luckily the bus service is frequent even if the buses are somewhat battered looking and we had barely got outside the hospital when a bus appeared. It was heading to Margao where we knew we could get a bus back to Benaulim so we flagged it down and paid the 20p fare for the half hour ride. We changed buses in Margao and were soon back in Benaulim. We decided to stay in the village and have dinner before heading home so we headed to a restaurant. As we weren't as overweight as we had first been told we felt that a curry with a nice Honey Bee brandy for me and beer for Glynn was in order. An excellent end to the day.

Margao. Jan & Cliff had offered to show us the key areas in Margao so we caught an early bus and were in Margao by 8.30am.
Fish Market
Our first stop was the fish market to get some lovely fresh prawns! What an incredible sight it was, I have never seen so many fish in one place. We wandered along the rows checking the price of the prawns at various stands before settling for some lovely big prawns at 450 rupees for a kilo. The array of different fish was amazing and in the next area were various people that will prepare your fish for a small fee. We gave our kilo of prawns to a guy who peeled and de-veined them for the tiny sum of 40 rupees (40p). It was fascinating to watch fish being efficiently de-scaled and filleted using quite primitive looking, but effective tools
More fish
We then crossed over to the fruit and veg markets with colourful displays of beautifully stacked produce. For 200 rupees I got a large pineapple and a melon, a bunch of coriander, some garlic, ginger, red carrots, onions and some courgettes. We then headed to the centre of Margao where Jan and Cliff showed us 'tin can alley', the best place to find shops selling little Indian dishes and other kitchenware and 'chemist alley' which was aptly named because of the abundance of pharmacies.  As with the bakery in Benaulim much of Margao felt like a time warp with old fashioned signs and cobblers sitting under the arches of the Town Hall building waiting to repair your shoes as they sat on little stools with glue, needles and thread at the ready.
The girls prepare your fish for a small fee
Everything that can be repaired gets repaired in Goa, from the tailors who will repair or design your clothes to the cobblers fixing your shoes and the watchmakers that seem to have the skills to get any old watch marking the passage of time again. The streets were crazy with traffic, 1000's of mopeds vied for a space on the road amongst the cars and buses. Crossing the roads was no mean feat and required nerves of steel at times. It was a crazy experience of noise and colour and we loved it. 
By mid morning we had built up a good picture of the best places to shop and where to eat so we caught the next bus back to Benaulim to spend the afternoon chilling on the beach. As we had the lovely fresh prawns we decided to have a quiet night in and I made dinner using the ginger, garlic, onions, prawns and some coconut milk powder. The addition of a little spice sachet that cost 4 rupees produced a really tasty meal served with pasta and washed down with a honey bee. Heaven!!

Father Christmas next to our pool
Christmas on the beach. In Goa more emphasis seems to be placed on decorating the outside of houses rather than the inside and the area had slowly transformed over the last week as beautiful displays and coloured lights illuminated the houses at night. Christmas Eve had a real party atmosphere with everyone you saw wishing you a happy Christmas. Just before midnight 100's of locals headed off to midnight mass and this was then followed by lots of noise until the early hours as firecrackers were set off in celebration of Christmas. Christmas Day was a very quiet and chilled day by comparison (probably because no-one had got much sleep!!)
One of the many roadside decorations
and we spent it much like every other day, relaxing on the beach and enjoying the beautiful weather. The only
 difference was that everyone dressed up more for lunch rather than just wearing sarongs and there was a great atmosphere at the Sun and Moon as we celebrated Christmas. It still seemed a bit weird listening to Christmas carols about sleigh bells and snow when it was over 30° but it was the kind of weird I had no trouble getting used to! As Christmas evening is a more subdued affair we decided to stay in and skype our families back at home. We spent a great evening catching up with everyone and it was lovely to see them all rather than just talking on the phone. 

My birthday!! 28th December. I had a wonderful start to my birthday when 4 Dolphins appeared very close to the shore and we were able to watch them diving in and out of the water. After a lovely day on the beach we spent the evening at the Rooftop Restaurant in Benaulim with Iris and Steve, Jan and Cliff and Pat and Margaret. They all spend the winter here in Goa and they have been a mine of useful information to myself and Glynn as we were now contemplating spending every winter here too. I had a wonderful evening and Glynn had arranged a lovely birthday cake to follow the meal. As everyone else headed home we set off for the airport. Our friends, Sharon and Glynn were joining us for 3 weeks and their plane was due to land just after midnight. We had decided to surprise them and turn up at the airport rather than just sending a taxi. It was great to see their faces when we jumped out on them.

Celebrating with Sharon and Glynn
New Year celebrations. Surprisingly it was a slightly overcast day with lots of cloud and it was forecast to rain in the evening. Luckily the cloud cleared taking with it the threat of rain and we were looking forward to seeing in the new year on the beach. We had booked a table at the Sun and Moon and enjoyed a lively evening of music and dancing before everyone stepped out on to the beach at midnight to watch the fireworks. It was an incredible display of noise and colour as all the beach shacks set off their fireworks
Happy New Year
almost simultaneously and as far as the eye could see along the beach there were explosions of noise and colour. It was a fantastic way to see in the new year. We had originally planned on walking back along the beach but we suddenly decided that a Tuk Tuk ride would be preferable to walking for an hour to get home and we were delighted to find a driver that was free. 

December has been an eventful month with dentist and hospital check ups, trips to Cavelossim and Margao and wonderful Christmas, birthday and New Year celebrations on the beach. Glynn continues to remind me that I am married to an "18 year old" at every opportunity and will also relay the story to anyone who will listen!! January looks set to be just as exciting as I contemplate taking quite a momentous step but more about that in January's blog!! 

Fireworks along the beach

At the bakery

Chopping 100's of onions for the pasties
No fancy cooker for preparing the beef pasty filling
Glynn trying to get a job as a waiter!!
Street children singing Christmas carols on the beach.
Catching dinner on the beach! Might need a few to make  meal!
Repairing the nets.

Dolphin just off the shore-line

Beach cleaners in their high-vis vests




Having a paddle!


Coastguard's Hovercraft close to shore



A Kingfisher on the beach.





30 November 2014

November 2014.



I hadn't planned on adding to my blog until we return from Goa at the end of February but I have been ordered by my dear Aunt Madeline to keep updating it as she loves to read what we have been up to. Although we won't be in the Motorhome we will be cycling so technically for the next 3 months we will be 2 mid-life cyclists (not) in a Motorhome!! As we will be based in the same place I will not be writing in as much detail as I normally do.
Rush hour traffic in Beanulim!!
They say a picture can paint a thousand words and I don't think this is ever more true than in Goa. It is a stunning country of extreme contrasts, full of noise and colour and wonderful food and people. I could just post lots of pictures and it would give you a taste of this wonderful place. Tin shacks nestle in between lovely Portuguese influenced houses.

Cattle saunter down the road in morning rush hour unfazed by the horns of the cars and mopeds. Dogs roam everywhere and pigs forage in the undergrowth between buildings. The beaches are stunning and lined with shacks that will provide you with some of the tastiest food you could wish for at prices you wouldn't believe. Anyway I will come back to all of that, first I will just catch you up with what we have been up to in the 8 weeks we have been home.

We have been busy bees catching up with friends and family and getting Herman sorted including a full service, MOT,  an external gas barbecue point fitted and the shower tray repaired. He is now all sorted and parked on the drive awaiting our return. It was weird being at home and no longer having to go to work. We painted the fence, decorated the hallway, weeded the garden and cut back some trees. We cycled in to Glynn's old workplace to see his colleagues and I had lunch and a catch up with my old colleagues. Even with all these things to keep us occupied we found it difficult to settle in the house and if we hadn't already booked the flights to Goa we would have loaded Herman up and headed straight back to the Eurotunnel and beyond. 

19th November 2014.
We arrived in Goa at the very unsociable time of 2.30am. On the plus side we were through customs and in a taxi within 30 minutes of landing. We have rented a lovely 2 bed/2 bath apartment for 35,000 rupees a month (approx £350) which includes wifi, Sky TV and the invaluable aircon.
Benaulim Beach
It is only a 5 minute walk from the centre of Colva and 3 kms away from our favourite area of Benaulim. It is also only 5 kms to our favourite beach shack, the Sun and Moon which we frequent more than any other shack when we are in Goa. Glynn was keen to get down to the beach so after only 3 hours sleep he was up and raring to go. Goa is 5 and a half hours ahead of the UK so he was keen to try and adjust to Goan time as quickly as possible. We plan on going in to Margao in the next couple of days and buying bicycles to use for the duration of our stay as this will work out cheaper than hiring them for 3 months. In the meantime we decided a nice walk along the beach would be good after the long flight. It took us an hour to walk to the Sun and Moon but the weather was glorious and it was a lovely walk.
Busy day on the beach!!
Glynn decided to add some excitement to our first day when he suddenly complained of not feeling too well. After a couple of hours laying on the beach we had gone in to the shack for lunch when he suddenly felt unwell. I had just managed to get him to sit down when he passed out cold and fell back in the chair. He frightened me to death as his eyes were wide open but completely vacant (now I could have some fun here at his expense but I won't). Sanjay, the owner of the shack, came to my aid and helped support Glynn's head while a waiter fetched cold cloths to put on him. After about a minute he woke up and was completely stunned to learn he had fainted. He has always loved the heat but it was probably a combination of the long flight, too little sleep and a long walk in the strong sun.

Sanjay gave him a rehydration sachet to add to a bottle of water and after an hour's sleep on a sun bed in the shade of an umbrella he was as right as rain albeit somewhat embarrassed by his faint. At the end of the afternoon we walked back to the apartment to shower and change before heading in to Colva. I was looking forward to a nice Honey Bee brandy to accompany my curry!!

22nd November 2014. 
We have enjoyed the long walk along the beach each day but have decided it is time to head in to Margao and buy bikes. We got a Tuk Tuk which cost us £2 and the driver dropped us off right by a bike shop. 
Our new bikes!!
Our new bikes are heavy steel framed, single speed machines with a nice hard plastic seat and brakes that wouldn't stop you if you were going downhill. Luckily the area of Goa we are in is flat!! We paid the princely sum of £40 each for them and this included a free bell and lock. The manager phoned for a pick up style Tuk Tuk to transport the bikes back to Colva which cost us £2.50 and required me to squash in the narrow front seat with the driver while Glynn had to stand in the back with the bikes, hanging on to the frame to steady himself, as we bumped our way back the 6kms while the driver raced along pipping his horn and cutting up anyone that dared to hesitate in his path. If you have never been to Goa then I should probably explain that horns are the most used part of a vehicle, probably even more so than brakes.
Out for a stroll!
The main rule of the road seems to be that there are no rules. Bikes, Tuk Tuks, cars, mopeds, buses and trucks all vie for space on the narrow roads. Horns are used continuously to let you know they are there and almost every vehicle that passes you whether you are walking or cycling or on a moped will pip their horn. Bikes and mopeds will pull over to the wrong side of the road well ahead of turning off so you will suddenly find yourself with a moped coming towards you as they cut across a junction. There is a busy crossroads in Benaulim at Maria Hall where it gets crazy as vehicles cut across and behind each other and yet no-one seems to crash. Cycling in Goa is not for the faint-hearted and you just have to hold your ground and go for it. So far this philosophy has worked for me but watch this space!! 
At the Sun and Moon
After the Tuk Tuk dropped us off we cycled to the Sun and Moon which cut our hour long walk down to a 20 minute ride, albeit not the easy comfortable ride of my lovely Focus bike back at home but at least it was good exercise. We dodged cattle, swerved round pedestrians that just walked out without looking and completely ignored the pig and the chicken that ran in front of us. I kid you not!! 

30th November 2014.
Every time we have visited Goa we have seen the street barrows selling food but never been brave enough to try them. It's very different being here for 3 months as there is so much more time to relax and enjoy new experiences. 
Sugarcane Barrow
On our ride back from the beach we stopped at a stall that sells sugarcane juice as Glynn was keen to try it. The cane is passed through a crusher several times to extract the juice and fresh lime and ginger are passed through with it. The extracted juice was then poured in to a glass and we were charged 20 rupees (20p). It tasted nothing like we expected, it was absolutely lovely and not at all sweet or sugary like I thought it would be and there was the merest hint of the lime and ginger.
Very tasty drink
We were told that if we took an empty water bottle he would fill it for 70 rupees so we will get some more to keep in the fridge. On the recommendation of Jan and Cliff, some friends we met in Goa, we stopped at the street barrow at Maria Hall on the way home as we were planning a quiet night in. This particular barrow was always busy with locals and was clearly popular. We bought 2 samosas, 4 batata wadas, a battered chilli and a bag of veggie pakoras and the cost was only 55 pence. Incredible.


We had planned to get showered and changed before we ate but the smell was too tempting so we ate it as soon as we got home and it tasted amazing.
Lovely street food
We have settled in to a lovely routine where we cycle down to the beach every day then we read, play boules, swim, go for long walks and generally just chill. We normally leave the beach by 5pm to cycle home and once we have showered and changed we either head out for a meal or make sandwiches and watch a film or play Rummikub. I could get used to this!! What I am not looking forward to is making an appointment to see my dentist in Goa as I know it will involve a root canal so even though we pass his door every day on the way to the beach I have so far put off making an appointment. What we are looking forward to is celebrating Christmas and New Year on the beach for the first time and to the 29th December when our friends Sharon and Glynn join us for 3 weeks.
Waiting for my pakoras!
Just chillin'

Fresh catch right off the beach
Heron on the beach

Getting his daily walk!




Fishing boat







30 September 2014

September 2014

1st September 2014. Today started foggy with the peaks of the mountains obscured from view.
Far bank of the Mosel lined with vineyards
We decided we would cycle to Bernkastel Kues and set off before the sun had chance to melt the fog away. The route mainly followed the path of the river but occasionally steered us through a vineyard or a local village, twisting and turning through side streets before returning to the river. It was a very pleasant ride through some stunning scenery with little change in the gradient making it a very easy ride. The sun didn't take long to burn away the fog and we soon had to stop to remove our jackets.
Bernkastel Kues
Bernkastel Kues was an unexpected delight with some very pretty half-timbered buildings and lots of flowers decorating the town. After exploring the town we stopped at a café that had the most appealing range of cakes you could imagine. We both selected a suitably calorific piece of gateau, Glynn opting for Black Forest while I opted for a raspberry cream concoction. After sating our hunger we set off again, heading for the other side of the river. We decided to put some effort in to the return journey with the aim of getting back in an hour. We followed the river for a short way before the route took us back on the other bank and we stepped up the pace realising it was going to be tight to make it back in an hour. We got back to the village in exactly 60 minutes but Glynn said it didn't count as it took us a further 2 minutes to reach the Aire. We had cycled 52kms which meant we were only 203kms short of our target. An afternoon of sunbathing and reading was on the agenda!!

3rd September 2014. Yesterday we spent the day relaxing before moving on again and ended up driving through Trier in rush hour after a detour took us almost in to the centre of town.
Fog slowly rising above the vineyards
We decided it didn't appeal to us to cycle in to the town and instead opted to head in to Luxembourg this morning, a day or two ahead of schedule. After taking advantage of the incredibly cheap fuel (€1.18 per ltr) and brandy (€7.99 per ltr) at a garage just inside the border we found a lovely campsite on the edge of Luxembourg City and spent the rest of the morning sitting out enjoying the sun.
Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg
After lunch we cycled in to the City which was only 10kms following the cycle path, an easy ride until we reached the City which is set on top of a very steep hill. After exploring the city centre, some of it on foot as the gradients were too steep for us, we decided to head back via the road (mainly because we couldn't remember where the cycle route was). After a healthy 22kms we arrived back and were soon chilling in the loungers enjoying the last of the day's sun.

5th September 2014. Today we headed in to Belgium and stopped at a lovely little village called Han-sur-Lesse. We cycled to Rochefort via the road which was incredibly hilly and felt a bit dangerous with huge logging trucks flying past a bit too close for comfort. We decided to head back via an old train line which was now tarmaced and a designated cycle path. Just like our first day in Germany the signs left a bit to be desired and we ended up way past our town before we eventually found our way back on to the road. The last few kilometres were tough, not helped by a detour I took to get us off the main road which turned into a gravel path with lots of loose stones. I was cycling way too fast on a steep downhill when my front wheel hit a ditch and I nearly went flying.
oh good, a game of football!!

 I managed to regain control luckily but it was a scary moment and I wisely decided to ride a bit slower on the downhills. In spite of the fact it had only been 8kms to Rochefort we ended up cycling 32kms by the time we found our way back. Definitely time for a well deserved glass of wine! Glynn was delighted to discover a local football match taking place on a pitch behind the Aire so he spent an enjoyable hour or so watching the game.

6th September 2014. Today we decided to head back to France. Belgian motorways are the worst I have ever come across. The road surface was so poor that Herman shook like he was having a fit. The crockery and cutlery were bouncing up and down like a Mexican wave and I fully expected to find all the cutlery in the wrong trays when we reached our destination.
Arc de Triomphe
It was a relief to get back to France, not least because I hadn't been able to pick up a FON network in Belgium so we'd not had any wifi and I was keen to check out a campsite that did coach trips to Paris. I hadn't planned on visiting Paris but suddenly decided it might be nice as we would be able to enjoy the city without having to drive anywhere near it in Herman. We stopped at a lovely little town called Bertry which was in the middle of a fun run event. Crowds of people lined the streets cheering the runners on.
La Madeleine
It was the first time I had seen a town where the entire centre was wired for sound with speakers up high on every lamp post. Accordion music and French singers could be heard all over the town centre so there was no escaping it! It wasn't so bad for me as I used to play in an accordion band when I was a teenager so I like the sound but poor Glynn looked less than impressed at the choice of music. I must admit that after trying several French radio stations on this trip we have given up and been listening to my IPod when we are travelling as the music is not to our taste.
Paris Opera
We headed back and as I was able to pick up a good FON network from the Aire we sent messages to family and friends before playing Rummikub. Glynn put up a valiant battle but I eventually won 2-1 taking the total to 19-7.

8th September 2014. Yesterday we drove to Berny-Rivière where there is a very large campsite with indoor and outdoor pools, 3 lakes for fishing and various other amenities to keep you amused. We were here purely for the convenience of the coach trip to Paris which was €21 each and so it was to the sound of my alarm clock that we got up at 6.45am to make sure we got on the coach on time.

Notre Dame
After a 90 minute journey we were dropped off near the Arc de Triomphe, free to explore until the return trip at 6.45pm. We wandered up the Champs Elysées and stopped for coffee while we planned where to go. We decided to get a hop on/hop off bus for €29 each (a bit expensive I thought but well worth it!!) and stay on it for the full circuit before then deciding which stops we wanted to explore further. We were lucky to get the back seats on the top floor of the open topped bus which gave us unrestricted views of the monuments as we drove past. The complete circuit took two and half hours and it was incredible.
Guess where we are!!
I don't know why I had never thought to visit Paris before but for me it was on a par with Rome and Florence, two of my favourite cities. My camera barely got time to rest there was so much to photograph. After completing the circuit we stayed on the bus until it reached Trocadero again. We sat by the fountains looking across at the Eiffel Tower while we ate our packed lunch and then wandered across the bridge to get a closer look. The weather was glorious and after admiring the
Stunning mural on the Grand Palais
Tower we went for a stroll along the Seine before heading back to the Champs Elysées to look at some of the shops and visit the Arc de Triomphe. It had been a fantastic day, one of the highlights of the trip, and all too soon it was time to head back to the coach. 

9th September 2014. This morning we drove to Beauvais as we are now working our way towards the Normandy coast to start heading towards Calais and home in 10 days.
Well that was a lot quicker than usual!!
We did a short ride of 7kms exploring the area and Glynn noticed his front tyre was a bit low on pressure. A tell-tale green blob of gel showed that he'd had another puncture but the new inner tube had sealed itself and Glynn was delighted that all he had to do was pump it up rather than patch the tube. After dinner we played Rummikub and much to Glynn's delight he beat me 3-0 making the score 19-10. Annoyingly he has pinched my trick of holding back from laying all his sets too soon making it harder to get out.

10th September 2014. This morning we drove to La Mailleraye sur Seine and the Aire was right on the bank of the river with fantastic views.
The Abbey at Jumiéges
 After lunch we cycled along the river edge to Heurteaville where there was a free ferry to the other side of the river. We took the ferry which took less than 5 minutes and headed off to see the ruins of the old Abbey at Jumiéges. We stopped for a beer in the town and an old guy started chatting non stop to us. 
We eventually got chance to explain we didn't understand much French and after acknowledging what we'd said he carried on, albeit at a slightly slower speed. The gist of the conversation was that he'd had cataracts and hadn't been able to see for a very long time but had now been operated on, he'd lost a lot of weight and he had 3 dogs although I couldn't swear to that being the correct translation. He finished his beer, jumped on his moped and weaved his way up the road. I am unsure whether this was because of the beer or impaired vision!!

11th September 2014. Bad hair day!! Having gone so long without a trim my hair is a disaster at the back because it is normally cut short and has grown so much it has lost its shape. I have been trying to hang on until I get home but I decided to bite the bullet and see what the local hairdresser could do. After all I was going to have to start using them unless I planned on flying my hairdresser out to wherever we are every 6 weeks!!
Lovely Aire beside the Seine

 The lady spoke no English so a customer who spoke a little bit of English helped translate. Have you ever tried explaining in sign language that you don't need the whole wash and blow dry package because once she has cut my hair it will not curl properly until I go home and wash it again as using a brush or comb makes my fair frizzy. It was like a game of charades!! I then tried to explain that my hair is much longer when wet and she was not to take more than a millimetre or two off my fringe or it would spring up when dry exposing my forehead. Trust me when I say that it is not a good look on me when my fringe is halfway up my forehead.
Traffic on the river!
I gathered the interpretation was going well until I realised they thought I wanted the hairdresser to come to the Motorhome to cut my hair. How on earth they came to that conclusion I don't know. At this point I should have backed out the door and made my excuses but unfortunately I didn't, a decision I later came to regret! It was obvious that things had got lost in translation when the first thing she did was wash my hair. The trim took an hour as she stopped halfway through washing it when a couple came in to have a chat, she then had to stop twice while cutting my hair to answer the phone and take bookings and finally a couple came in with a box of dresses for sale so she stopped to look through them, holding them up against herself and looking in the mirror.
Glynn loving the donkeys along the cycle path
I suppose I should be grateful it wasn't near lunch time as I wouldn't have been surprised if she had left me there half trimmed and gone off on a 2 hour lunch break that seems to be the norm in France. When she held up a heated curling brush and indicated she'd like her to use it I quickly declined so she dried my hair with a hairdryer. I suppose I should be grateful for small mercies as at least my fringe wasn't too short but that is where my gratitude ends!! She had trimmed the back of my hair but carried on too far round cutting off a lot of the longer hair from the sides so I felt like I was left with 2 little strips of hair at the sides. Telling a hairdresser you do not like what they have done is incredibly hard but even more so with the language barrier so I did what most of us probably do and smiled, saying "trés bon". I paid the €26.50 fee (no tip) and made a sharp exit. I hurried back to Herman so I could wash my frizzy hair to see what I could do with it. When I had done it Glynn said it looked nice but bless him he always thinks I look nice. There is only one thing for it, Glynn will have to learn how to trim the back of my hair as that's the only bit that needs to be done regularly!! I can't print his answer to my suggestion but suffice to say I am working on him!! 
What do you mean I'm not a chicken!!
There were 3 resident chickens and a duck at the Aire. The duck appeared to have an identity crisis as while the chickens spent all day wandering from van to van hoping for scraps the duck followed behind copying everything they did. It was really funny to watch.
As if the day hasn't been exciting enough with my trip to the hairdresser Glynn decided to up the ante!! We have a nice routine, I cook and he clears up afterwards. Today he was happily washing up and had put the kettle on to make a cup of tea.
You need a new tea towel dear!!
The next thing I know there are flames shooting up from the tea towel which the daft bugger had placed next to the gas hob. Glynn reacted quickly and threw it out of the door before trying to stamp on it to put out the flames, not easy in bare feet! He had done a similar thing a few weeks ago but spotted his mistake just as the tea towel was starting to scorch, this time the tea towel was a definite write off!! In spite of my jokes in previous posts about upping the wine intake to counteract our weight loss from all the cycling we actually make a point of not drinking on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays as it would be too easy to slip in the habit of drinking every day. Rules are made to be broken and I decided that in spite of it being a Thursday it was definitely wine o'clock. 

13th September 2014. Today was a special day, my son jumped out of a plane at 13,000 feet to raise money for his mate Scott who needs a heart operation.
Lisa will you marry me? yes or no
In some ways it was a relief I was not at home to see it as I'm sure it would have scared me to death. To make the day even more special Darryl had a little surprise up his sleeve which he was able to carry out with the help of his friends. When he landed he dropped on to one knee and proposed to his lovely girlfriend Lisa. His mates all had placards which read "Lisa will you marry me, yes or no" and were jumping up and down in excitement.
She said yes!!!
Luckily she said yes or that would have been pretty embarrassing!! Unbeknownst to Lisa they had snuck in our house after they had left that morning and had decorated it in the theme of Las Vegas which is where they plan on getting married. They had a wonderful Vegas themed party that evening to celebrate. Guess I had better start looking for a hat!! 

16th September 2014. 2000kms!!! We have spent the last few days gradually working our way along the Normandy coast, stopping overnight at Fecamp, Veulettes sur Mer, Dieppe and Le Tréport. The weather has been fantastic and we have had some lovely cycle rides along the coast roads. The coastline is mainly cliffs and each town sits low, nestled at the base of the cliff edge which means a steep drop in to the towns and a tough climb out the other side. Glynn has had 2 further punctures, the only sign being the tell tale blob of green gel where the hole has sealed itself. He is delighted that all he had to do is check his tyre pressure rather than repairing inner tubes. We were just 35kms short of reaching 2000kms so we cycled in to town and cheated slightly by taking the Funicular up to the cliff edge.
Spectacular view from the top
We had discovered the Funicular the day before, it's free of charge and takes you up through the cliff face to the top where there are spectacular views looking down on the harbour. We got off at the top and headed along the coast road. It was a tough ride with lots of steep hills that really tested my lungs. You would think that after cycling nearly 2000kms I would be fit but my lungs felt like I had just smoked 20 cigarettes every time we climbed a steep hill. I was determined not to get off and push and to be fair I think it would have been just as hard to do that as it was to cycle up them. We dropped down at high speed into the beautiful coastal towns and climbed slowly out the other side. When we got back I checked my Garmin and our total was 1998kms. After lunch we cycled back in to town to pick up a wifi network so I could check my emails. We left our bikes at the seafront and did some window shopping before climbing up to the higher part of town. I picked up a FON network so we sat on some steps while I checked for messages. Glynn suddenly jumped up and was rubbing his head. "I think a bird has just shit on my head" he said. Trying not to laugh too loudly I confirmed that there was a tell-tale line of bird shit down his back so he had guessed correctly. We walked back to get the bikes, me chuckling to myself and Glynn with an indignant look on his face! When we got back to the Aire we had totalled 2002kms. We were both chuffed to bits and celebrated with a cuppa as it was a Tuesday so therefore an alcohol free day. 

17th September 2014. Today we drove to a lovely Aire at Berck.
The seals
It was just off a huge sandy beach, a welcome change from the stony beaches of the last few towns we had visited. Glynn declared it a bike free day so after lunch we strolled down to the beach and walked out to the edge of a rocky promenade. It was a beautiful hot sunny day with a clear blue sky. The tide was out and there were several sandbanks. The sea was a gorgeous colour and I took a few photographs before I noticed the collection of large grey objects on a nearby sandbank. It was a seal colony. They lay basking in the sunshine, occasionally lifting their heads to look around before resuming their sunbathing. After admiring the seals and taking a few photos we carried on our walk along the beach and arrived back at the Aire 2 hours later.


Beautiful beach at Berck
A lot of people seemed to be heading towards the beach so after a coffee break we walked back too. As the tide was coming in a few of the seals had lost their dry resting place as it was reclaimed by the sea and they were now swimming just off the shore. Alongside lots of other spectators we watched the seals as they swam around, diving below the surface before popping their heads out of the water and looking around. It was a great way to end a fantastic day and we headed back to cook dinner and crack open a nice bottle of wine. 


18th September 2014. We decided to head to Gravelines for our last 2 nights as the location was excellent for a early start to the Eurotunnel. Glynn filled up with diesel en-route and (luckily) we decided to stop at Boulogne. I commented that I could smell diesel and when I looked I realised the fuel cap was missing. "Where's the fuel cap Glynn?" "Ooops" he replied. We abandoned our plans to see Boulogne and headed back to the petrol station, thankfully it was only about 6 miles!! The fuel cap was still by the pump and we were soon heading back in the right direction, Glynn looking sheepish while I practised my best look of disdain. A quick stop at Calais for essential supplies (wine!!) and we were soon parked up at the lovely Aire at Gravelines facing the marina. We sat outside and chilled in the sun for the rest of the day.

19th September 2014. Our last day of this trip and what a great day it was. Good weather, good food, good company and good wine!! We went for a ride before lunch and when we returned we got chatting to a lovely couple, Jane and Pete, who were also travelling back to the UK the next day. After lunch we cycled to the beach, one of the biggest expanses of sand I have seen. The tide was out and we walked along the jetty for half an hour before we reached the sea. In spite of it being a lovely warm sunny day there was a fog rolling in, obscuring the sun and turning it cooler. We then decided a beer would go down nicely and headed back. We bumped in to Jane & Pete and the 4 of us headed to a bar where we enjoyed a lovely hour chatting about the places we had all been and swapping information about good Aires to stay on.
We don't often eat what I call junk food but Glynn decided he wanted to end our trip with a pizza dinner so I made some garlic bread (with more garlic than is good for you if you are expecting company later!!)and we enjoyed a lovely big pizza and lots of garlic buttered baguette. Jane and Pete had gone out to a restaurant but joined us when they got back and we enjoyed a very relaxed last evening with more information swapping and, unsurprisingly, some nice French wine. It transpired that they were going to be at Lincoln motorhome show the following weekend which is where we would be too so we arranged to meet up again.

20th September 2014. We were up bright and early as we were booked on the 9.50am train. We had been warned the check in was slower than normal because of extra security checks so we allowed plenty of time and all too soon we were back in the UK. Glynn was a bit worried he would forget to drive on the left after so long away but I reminded him every now and again to hug the kerb and we arrived home unscathed. Darryl and Lisa were having a cocktail party and had asked me to cook one of my giant paellas so our first night back was spent drinking cocktails, eating paella and having a great time catching up with all the news, not least of which was hearing about Darryl's parachute jump and subsequent proposal.


The last four and half months have been amazing. A lot of people were shocked when we first announced our plan to give up work and tour Europe in a motorhome. Everyone has been very supportive and full of encouragement, commenting on how brave they thought we were and wishing they could do it too. I must say that so far it has exceeded our expectations. I can't put in to words how incredible it feels each day exploring new areas, meeting new people and just feeling so chilled out. The cycling has been brilliant and our total distance was 2012 kms. We will spend the next 8 weeks in the UK to give us time to get Herman mot'd and serviced, apply for our Indian visas and catch up with all our family and friends. Most importantly we will be buying Glynn new tyres for his bike in the hope it will minimise the number of punctures he gets!! We will spend 3 months in Goa from 18th November to 18th February and when we return our plan is to head down to Southern Spain initially. Where we go from there who knows, it will depend on the weather mainly and what recommendations we get from fellow travellers. All we know is that it is very exciting and we have absolutely no regrets about giving up work and grabbing this opportunity. I won't write blog posts while we are in Goa as we will be just be chilling and reading mainly, as well as continuing to learn to speak French and Spanish using my Duolingo app (Google it if you don't know what it is, it's brilliant!!). I will however use the time to update the financial tab with a breakdown of what it cost us during this trip and show a price comparison of the supermarkets in France. We also plan on doing some research while we are away on places to visit so it is all very exciting. It has been really lovely to receive messages through my blog from people we have never met, some just to say how much they have enjoyed the blog whilst others have been inspired by what we are doing and are now making their own plans. It feels incredible to think that something I have written has the potential to inspire others to change their course. If you have any questions on anything we have done or plan on doing please feel free to message me through the link on the blog and I will happily answer your questions if I can.  

The Seine flowing through Paris

Eiffel tower


Bernkastel Kues
Luxembourg
Kite festival at Dieppe

Fecamp beach









Misty sunrise over the Seine at La Mailleraye
The Porta Nigra, Trier