August 2015

Aigues-Mortes

2nd August. 
Llafranc Plage
After a lazy day yesterday we decided to get out on the bikes again today. We followed the cycle path that we had discovered 2 days ago but this time we turned off before we got to Palafrugell so that we could explore Mont-ras. After testing our legs on the very steep hill leading to the church we carried on in to Palafrugell and then headed towards Llafranc Plage. It turned out to be one of those places you say "wow" when you see it for the first time. 


It was a gorgeous rocky cove with the marina to one side and a lovely sandy beach to the other. 
Llafranc Plage
There were dozens of little boats moored just outside the cove and it was really picturesque. There was a large group of people having a paddle board lesson which reminded me of my attempt in France last year. They were doing much better than I did as they paddled back towards the beach with apparent ease. After this we headed back to Palamos starting our total for August with 31kms.  

 3rd August. We woke up this morning to find we had been invaded by tiny ants. They were everywhere so we spent the morning emptying out all the cupboards and washing all the surfaces down with vinegar water to deter them (I read this on the Internet!!). Glynn was not happy as every time he thought he'd got them all another few would appear. After lunch we decided to visit Comercial Ferrer, the bike shop that had repaired my brakes. I should have known that the worst thing keen cyclists can do is attempt to window shop!! We got talking to Jose and Núria, the owners, who are keen cyclists themselves. After explaining the type of cycling we do they recommended that a Hybrid bike would be much more suitable than our current mountain bikes. We've had our bikes for 5 years now and they are getting to the stage where parts need replacing so although we hadn't planned on changing them until next year we suddenly found ourselves giving serious consideration to the Trek DS range. Not only were the bikes priced competitively they were willing to take our mountain bikes in part exchange making it much better for us rather than having to try and sell them separately. Not the type to make rash decisions ( unless you count giving up well paid jobs to retire early and tour Europe in a Motorhome!!) we decided to sleep on it. 
One of the things I love about this type of travelling is the amazing people you meet. We were parked next to a lovely Spanish couple, Martin and Lally, who were both 70 years old although they looked much younger. We were sat outside after dinner when Martin came over and produced a bottle of wine and a plate of Chorizo and Longanisa sausage for us to try. We invited them to join us and had a great evening conversing with the help of Google translate. They then produced a lovely herbal liquor called Ruavieja which they recommended went nicely with a cup of coffee. It was a great way to try things we wouldn't normally get to try and we have added them to our shopping list. 

 4th August. 


The first thing we spoke about when we got up was whether to purchase the new bikes or not as we still hadn't decided. I joked that if we'd had a win on the Premium Bonds this month we should go ahead and get them. When I checked 'Ernie' I discovered that we had actually had 2 wins, both £25!! Well that sealed it, it may not be enough to cover the cost of the bikes but I took it as an omen and we phoned Núria to tell her to order the bikes. We had decided to go for the Trek 8.5 DS with the higher spec components as we do too many kilometres to risk anything on a lower level.  

6th August. 
Callela de Palafrugell
As we get the new bikes tomorrow we decided to have one last ride on our mountain bikes and set off towards Palfrugell again. This time we headed to Callela de Palafrugell, a small fishing village which turned out to be another one of those 'wow' places. There were a number of small rocky and sandy coves with crystal clear waters for swimming in and hundreds of little boats moored just off the beaches. In spite of the collection of smart looking restaurants that lined the front it looked largely untouched by tourism and had that feeling of authenticity and charm. We decided we would come back with a picnic one day and spend the day here. With another 27kms done Glynn washed the bikes down ready to hand them over in the morning in exchange for our new bikes.  

7th August. I must confess I was a bit like a kid at Christmas when we woke up and I couldn't wait to get to the shop and collect the bikes. Jose is incredibly knowledgeable, not just on bike mechanics but on the correct setting up of a bike to ensure the maximum ride comfort. 
Jose and Núria from Comercial Ferrer
I have never received such in depth customer care as we did here. Yesterday they had asked us to come in for a bike fitting where the bikes were set up on a turbo trainer ready to be adjusted to fit our personal specifications. Everything was looked at from our posture to the exact position of the brake levers and gear changers etc. This meant that when we collected the bikes today they already felt like they fitted like a glove. In spite of it being very hot and humid we cycled to Platja d'Ora to test the bikes out as the route included a couple of small hills so we could run through the gears. The bikes felt great but 20kms was far enough in the heat and we spent the rest of the day chilling. 

9th August. After another lazy day yesterday we were pleased to get back out on the bikes. After some rain showers the last 2 nights the temperature had dropped to mid twenties making it perfect for cycling. 
Stunning scenery
We headed to Colonge and then carried on inland. This area is part of the Massif del Gavarres, a great deal of which is covered in dense forest and a large part of which is a nature reserve. It was a beautiful area to cycle through and we followed the road around a series of hairpin bends climbing steadily. How times have changed!! I have always done my best to steer clear of any unnecessary climbing as hills are my Achilles heel but this year I have been working hard to get stronger at climbing and it seems to have paid off. I may still be a lot slower than Glynn on the climbs but I get into a steady cadence and keep going. 
TOP not STOP!!
In big letters across the road I saw a white line and the letters TOP and was just trying to work out how the sign writer had managed to miss the S off the stop sign when I realised it was actually signifying the top of the climb!! Phew!! We stopped for a drink and to catch our breath while we were deciding whether this was far enough or should we carry on. We could see the road snaking down which obviously meant more uphill on the way back if we carried on. I was keen to get to the next village so after a quick rest we carried on. We passed the same guy twice on a road bike as he was obviously practising his hill climbs, reaching the summit and then flying past us only to come climbing back up a short while later. We were flying down some lovely sweeping bends at quite a speed and all I could think about was that I was going to have to do the return journey!! After almost 8kms we arrived at the town of La Bisbal d'Emporda. The most welcoming site was the café we saw and we stopped for coffee and muffins. There was a road sign for Palamos so we decided to follow it rather than head back the way we had come. It took us on the main road which circled round to Palafrugell and then Palamos. It was more gently undulating compared with the steep climb and descent on the way out which was a relief and in spite of being a major route to the coast there was a decent hard shoulder that allowed us to cycle safely. When we reached Palafrugell it became a dual carriageway and we could have turned off and followed the cycleway back but we decided to carry on and we were soon back. We had ridden really hard on the way back averaging 35kms p/h and had cycled a total of 44kms. We were ready for an afternoon of reading and relaxation. 
 12th August. 
Monells
Over the last 2 days we cycled nearly 60 kms testing the bikes, covering the coastal road as far as St Feliu de Guixols and then inland to Santa Cristina d'Aro before heading back to the coast. It was a nice route with a few small hills to give us a good ride. We also took the lovely flat cycle path to Palafrugell again checking the bikes on both road and trail and we were very impressed. Today we decided to head back to La Bisbal d'Emporda again and I enjoyed the big climb to the peak before we swept down to Bisbal. We carried on to Corça and then came across a little village called Monells. There seemed to be quite a few cars in a car park so we decided to stop and take a look. As we turned the corner of a building we stopped in disbelief. Monells was a stunning medieval village, absolutely beautiful buildings lined the narrow streets that were decorated with lovely potted plants and flowering climbers. 
Monells
We passed through lovely archways into the main square and we were absolutely blown away by the beauty of the place. If we hadn't been curious about all the cars we would have cycled past the village without even realising what was there. After enjoying the beauty of the village we headed back to Palamos via the main road again although we didn't have the energy left to ride quite as hard as we had the other day. We had cycled 56 kms and I felt shattered when we got back. Definitely an afternoon of doing absolutely nothing was on the agenda.
 


13th August. 
Lunch Italian style.
We were parked next to a really lovely Italian couple, Luigia and Gaetano and Glynn had been having great fun trying to communicate in sign language and  pidgeon Italian with the occasional help from Google translate. They had kindly invited us to share lunch with them and Luigia had cooked us the most beautiful fresh mussels with a lemon and olive oil dressing with garlic. We took some lovely crusty bread round and enjoyed a lovely afternoon with them. One of the things I most enjoy about travelling in the motorhome is all the lovely people you meet and how generous and hospitable people are.  
 14th August. Glynn's birthday, he beat me 3-0 at Rummikub! I joked that I had to let him win on his birthday. The score is now 25-23 to me so I am going to have to up my game!! 
 16th August. 
Tamariu
As we are heading back in to France tomorrow we decided to have one last ride in Spain. After following the cycle path to Palafrugell we took the coast road to Tamariu. The approach was via a winding road banked by pine trees that dropped down to a lovely crescent shaped beach. As we descended we kept getting glimpses of the sea far below and the beautiful turquoise colour of the water. It was so picturesque that I stopped to take some pictures before we continued the easy descent down to the town. Like the neighbouring resort of Llafranc it was a small, quite exclusive looking resort and very pretty and we spent some time exploring the beach area and the town. The ride back up from the town was much easier than I thought and we were soon back on the cycle path heading for home. It had been a lovely 33km ride. 



19th August. We spent the last 2 nights parked at Marseillan Plage. The Aire was crowded and cramped with small pitches but it was an ideal location for exploring the area so we decided we could put up with it for a short time. There are 3 excellent easy cycle paths from just outside the Aire leading to Marseillan town, Agde and Sète. The path that led to Marseillan town crossed over the Canal du Midi before passing along the Etang de Thau, a lovely lagoon home to a variety of fish and shellfish including oysters where the class A water allows them to be eaten immediately without the need for decontamination. 
Etang du Thau
The town itself was a delight and the mixture of old and new blended well. The old buildings were attractive with ornate carved balconies many with huge climbing vines and ivy decorating the walls. It was one of those places where you just wanted to sit outside one of the street cafés and watch the world go by. We decided to follow the road to Agde. It was only 8kms and an easy ride. My poor old Garmin is falling apart and although I can record our distances I can't program routes as the button has broken. We stopped to ask an old French couple the way back to Marseillan Plage and although I stressed the word Marseillan they clearly only picked up on the word Plage as we ended up at Cap d'Agde. No matter which route we took we kept ending up near a motorway with no entry to bikes. After several wrong turns we eventually found our way back and the short ride turned into a 41km trip, about 25kms longer than it needed to be! That's a lot of wrong turns!! Glynn was not amused and at one point we passed the bench where the French couple had been sitting and Glynn joked that they had made a sharp exit after sending us the wrong way deliberately. 
The route to Sète which we did yesterday was also lovely. 
View from the cycle path near Corniche Plage
The cycle path followed the course of the coast behind the sand dunes that lined the beach, giving occasional glimpses of lovely beaches and turquoise sea. It was largely a flat route making it perfect for everyone and we passed cyclists of all ages from young kids to pensioners and leisure cyclists to the serious road cyclists wearing all the kit. The cycle path ended at Corniche Plage and we decided to carry on into the city centre. Sète is known as the Venice of Languedoc and with good reason. Radiating out from the harbour area is a series of narrow and broad canals carrying a variety of craft from small sailing boats and yachts to fishing vessels and cargo ships. The quayside is lined with beautiful tall buildings with shuttered windows and the same lovely ornate balconies that we had seen in Marseillan. 
Sète
We explored the main port area, enjoying all the hustle and bustle as big ice filled packs of fresh fish were being delivered to the restaurants and tourists sat outside the many cafés enjoying the scenery. It was a beautiful city that we will definitely return to explore further when it isn't peak season and it was with some reluctance that we headed back. With 37kms done we spent the afternoon chilling in the sun.  
Today we left early and drove to an Aire near Aigues-Mortes in the Petite Camargue region. We were now heading in to the region where the famous Camargue horses and the black Camargue Bulls can be found. The Aire was lovely and spacious, surrounded by trees with a fishing lake adjacent. The parking fee also allowed you to fish at the lake and Glynn was gutted that he still hadn't bought a reel for his rod. We decided to explore so we got the bikes out and cycled along a lovely flat cycle path that followed the canal. It was only a short ride to the lovely walled city of Aigues-Mortes. 
Aigues-Mortes
It looked stunning as we approached and after cycling the perimeter of the wall we entered the city to explore the little streets. We then returned along the cycle path and followed it to Le Grau du Roi on the coast. The cycle path has the canal on one side and salt lakes on the other which are home to some lovely pink flamingoes. Le Grau du Roi was a lively and attractive place with the usual abundance of cafes and restaurants spilling out on to the streets offering fresh mussels and other fish as their daily specials. 
Le Grau du Roi
We walked along the port with the smell of diesel and fish as the fishing boats chugged their way back in to offload their catch of the day. We could see men on the boats sorting through the fish and discarding some back in to the sea. Huge groups of seagulls circled the boats in anticipation of a free lunch. It was a great atmosphere and after watching all the activity for a while we carried on to the beach which was as popular as the port area. By the time we got back we had done a very easy 23kms on lovely flat cycle paths. After dinner we decided to continue with the battle of Rummikub and I managed to squeeze a 2-1win making the score 27-24 to me. Still a bit close for comfort so I can't afford to be complacent!!


20th August. 
The cycle path to Le Grau du Roi
We decided to explore further afield today so after heading back to Le Grau du Roi we carried on to La Grande-Motte, another lovely seaside town. There was a huge lake adjacent to a golf course so after following the course of the lake a short way we stopped to watch a trio of golfers. They must have been novices and Glynn was laughing as one of them hit his ball into the water 3 times. The next guy aimed towards the cup which was some way in front of us. Our view was slightly blocked by a huge tree and when I looked up I suddenly saw the golf ball come flying over the tree aiming straight for me. I leant my head to one side just in time to feel the wind as it passed close to my head. He had hit the ball way too hard and overshot the green. He was mortified that he may have hit me and was very relieved to realise he had missed, although not as relieved as I was. That would have caused some serious damage if that had hit me. We had a fun conversation, half in French and half in English as he apologised profusely. I decided it may be safer to move on before he took his next shot and we rode off. We had a lovely time exploring the area before heading back.  
We have spent a lot of time the last few days planning a trip into the Alps and have chosen a nice route that will ultimately lead us to Lake Geneva. I was really excited and couldn't wait to see the stunning scenery of the mountains and gorges. It would be a fantastic terrain to test our new bikes. All that changed this afternoon when we got a phone call from our Estate Agent to say our house has sold. We had put it on the market at the end of July expecting it to take up to a year to sell. Darryl and Lisa were looking at buying their own house next year so we thought we would downsize. I was pleased about the house but at the same time I was gutted that we would no longer be heading to the Alps tomorrow as we needed to get home and find a new house! Oh well there is always next year and the Alps aren't going anywhere!!  
 25th August. 
The spectacular Rhône
We spent the last 4 days driving from the South of France to Calais and the nearer we got to our destination the colder and wetter it became. After 5 months of almost unbroken sunshine we were suddenly digging out our hoodies. 


The French countryside is so diverse as you pass through each region and truly spectacular. We followed the course of the Rhône northwards, the road occasionally flirting with the river bank to give us views of the magnificent expanse of water. We passed through towns and villages but mostly through stunning countryside. 
Our overnight stop by the canal at Froncles
There were fields full of tired looking wilting sunflowers and huge vineyards with vines heavy with grapes almost ready to be turned into wine. I loved the serious faced creamy coloured Charolais cattle and their calves that stared at passing traffic. I kept glancing wistfully to my right where I could make out the hint of mountains in the distance and wondered if it was the Alps I could see. We made good time and got to Calais yesterday and managed to change our Eurotunnel booking to this morning. A quick visit to the hypermarket to stock up on wine and we were sorted.  
 26th August. Welcome back to a cold and wet England. We took the car for an MOT and went for a walk while it was being done. The heavens opened and soaked us as we didn't have coats on. We got back to the garage looking a bit bedraggled to discover the car had failed the MOT. We then discovered the first part of the chain had collapsed so our buyer no longer had a buyer for hers. Not my favourite day!! 
 31st August. Well it's been an interesting week since we got home. I can see why they say buying and selling houses is one of the most stressful things!! We viewed some houses and fell in love with one of them. Our offer was accepted which was really exciting although having seen how easily these things can come undone I am trying not to get too excited. A new buyer has been found for the start of the chain and everything is now back on track so fingers crossed nothing else goes wrong. We get the car fixed tomorrow so that will make life a bit easier as the weather since we got back certainly hasn't been conducive to cycling. I am not optimistic the chain will complete before we fly to Goa on the 8th November but that isn't necessarily a bad thing as Darryl and Lisa have said they can deal with moving everything to the new house. In fact it might actually be a bonus to come back next March and find everything done!! 


French roundabout!
We cycled 422kms in August and if our trip hadn't been cut short by 6 weeks we would have easily exceeded the 3000kms I was aiming for however we did a very acceptable 2542kms on this trip. With a total elevation gain of 17,309 metres and over 85,800 calories burnt this could explain why we have both lost a stone in weight and are struggling to find any clothes to fit us. Oh well it looks like we may have to go shopping!!  Glynn has had a much better year with only 2 punctures compared with last year when we lost count of the number he had. 
We were amazed by how much cheaper it was in Spain than France and apart from the expense of buying 4 new tyres and booking flights to Vegas for Darryl and Lisa's wedding next year we have come under our baseline budget every month although this was greatly helped by the fantastic exchange rate on the Euro this year. 
Spanish roundabout!
I will hopefully have plenty of free time now to update the All Things Financial tab to compare the figures with last year's totals. The next few weeks will be spent spring cleaning the house and sending everything we can to charity shops so that we have as little as possible to be moved. Hopefully the rain will be replaced by some nice autumnal sunshine so that we can keep up with the cycling. Fingers crossed that September's blog post brings positive news on the progress of the house move!! 


Oh and not forgetting I won the Rummikub battle 27-24 but don't ask how many times Glynn beat me at cards!
Panoramic view of Aigues-Mortes
Monells
Lovely French houses on the river at Aigues-Mortes


The Rhône
Wine anyone!
Glynn helping Luigia and Gaetano prepare mussels





Monells








Porte de la Reine, Aigues-Mortes