Graham's email address has changed to
glec57@gmail.com
You will not be able to send emails to his old address as they will bounce back.
Thanks xxxx
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to all. We hope all your resolutions are achieved. We are still in Portugal waiting for the rain to stop. About three weeks now ... A little sunshine breaking through today but Annie is still to get a line of washing dry. We figure that there is no point moving on until we are dry. We donot want to dissemble a wet awning and according to all reports, it is also raining in Spain.
Sunday, 27 December 2009
We're dreaming of a dry Christmas!
17th – 22nd December
We have made a more permanent base of the Algarve and will stay here until just after Christmas. The awning is up which gives us more space. We have also played tennis and been for a couple of runs. The weather has been disappointing, lots of rain and thunder. However today has been warmer and the rain interspersed with bright sunshine.
Krista has made the momentous move onto solid food - a thimbleful of runny baby-rice every night just before bed. She consumes it as if it is the first thing she has eaten for days. This is not the case but good to see that she already loves her food so much. She has quickly got to know her red and yellow spoon (that cost €5!) and the pot I mix it in and squeals and kicks whenever she sees me with them. I feel a little mean to show them to her in the morning when baby-rice is not on the menu just because I can’t resist her reaction!
At nearly 4 months we are moving into delightful territory with her. Aside from cooing, growling and kicking, she has learnt to give those lovely open mouthed, dribble-filled baby kisses when we ask her to ‘fais bisous’ (yes she does it in French). She has also fallen in love with the soft toy ‘Nemo’ that Graham won on the pier just before she was born. It must be the fact that he is a fellow red-head and that she can hold him in her own hands to give kisses.
The time has passed quickly here. We’ve done a lot of pottering and a little exploring. There are many beautiful sandy beaches in both directions from us towards Albufeira and Port Mão and something poetically ghostly how calm everything is out of season. Morrissey eat your heart out.
23rd December
In which the awning which was up, is down.
With gas and a problematic currency card finally worked out, Graham uttered the fateful statement ‘that’s everything sorted then’. Annie couldn’t help warning him off such utterances cynically sure, that the next crease would soon present itself for ironing.
So after a day of increased sunshine, fewer showers and a line of washing that was almost dry again; our hearts sunk to hear the rain return and the wind whipping up as we went to bed. Difficult to sleep with it battering down so hard on the caravan, we were awakened completely at three when it began to rock. The billowing and banging sounded far too close for comfort. Graham got up to look at the awning and was horrified to see that it had worked its way loose from most of the pegs and looked ready to take off with the next gust. All the things we had been so pleased to clear out of the caravan were soaked and covered in the gritty, sandy mud of the ground here. ‘I don’t know what to do’, said Graham, knowing full well that we needed to get dressed quickly and get the awning down before it caused serious damage to us, the caravan and itself.
There followed a hairy 30 minutes in which we battled in the midst of close thunder and lightning, and heavy wind and rain to get all our stuff into the caravan and the awning dismantled.
At first we thought it might be necessary to get into the car for safety, so bundled a for once sleeping Krista into a blanket. She was very pleased about the unscheduled wake-up and greeted us with a huge beaming smile. But maybe she sensed the urgency of the situation and when we realized we were in fact fine in the caravan, went soundly back to sleep. This was quite amazing for a girl who is always ready for a drink, particularly after waking.
Damp and wired, we were back in bed in about an hour. In the continuing storm we slept uneasily amongst dreams of hurricane and disaster until morning.
In the morning the clean up and damage assessment began. We were relieved and amazed to see that an awning we imagined throwing away had in fact escaped completely undamaged bar a few mud stains. While Graham cleaned and laid it out to dry, Annie and Krista set out on a mission-like stroll around the campsite to check out damage others had suffered. Not wishing similar misfortunes on others, it was just to reassure ourselves that it wasn’t completely due to beginner’s incompetence that our awning hadn’t survived the night.
I was well satisfied in this spirit with the number of awnings flapping on washing lines and the knock of tent pegs echoing through the air. Hurrying to deliver the news to Graham, I was further pleased when our sympathetic English neighbour Peter regaled me with his own heroic tale of holding onto his tent poles for three hours to prevent a similar disaster on his pitch. A jovial spirit reigned and as if having survived a bombing raid, campers from all the over the world bonded over tales from the night before and surmisings on how to best to repair the damage.
24th December
In which the awning is back up.
It’s a bit like the psychology of getting straight back on a horse when you have come off. An awning needs to go back up when it has come down. We have learnt our lesson and it is securely battened down with extra pegs and securing straps we spent €16 on at the European version of B&Q. See pictures of awning mark 2.
It continues to rain vigorously so Graham has also dug one of the trenches we’d judged our fellow campers far too serious for doing only a few days back… I always said camping was fine as long as it didn’t rain, hmmmmmmmm.
25th December
Merry Christmas. I think I’d prefer snow… Krista asleep, Annie listening to Lenny Kravitz, Graham refining his trench.
We have made a more permanent base of the Algarve and will stay here until just after Christmas. The awning is up which gives us more space. We have also played tennis and been for a couple of runs. The weather has been disappointing, lots of rain and thunder. However today has been warmer and the rain interspersed with bright sunshine.
Krista has made the momentous move onto solid food - a thimbleful of runny baby-rice every night just before bed. She consumes it as if it is the first thing she has eaten for days. This is not the case but good to see that she already loves her food so much. She has quickly got to know her red and yellow spoon (that cost €5!) and the pot I mix it in and squeals and kicks whenever she sees me with them. I feel a little mean to show them to her in the morning when baby-rice is not on the menu just because I can’t resist her reaction!
At nearly 4 months we are moving into delightful territory with her. Aside from cooing, growling and kicking, she has learnt to give those lovely open mouthed, dribble-filled baby kisses when we ask her to ‘fais bisous’ (yes she does it in French). She has also fallen in love with the soft toy ‘Nemo’ that Graham won on the pier just before she was born. It must be the fact that he is a fellow red-head and that she can hold him in her own hands to give kisses.
The time has passed quickly here. We’ve done a lot of pottering and a little exploring. There are many beautiful sandy beaches in both directions from us towards Albufeira and Port Mão and something poetically ghostly how calm everything is out of season. Morrissey eat your heart out.
23rd December
In which the awning which was up, is down.
With gas and a problematic currency card finally worked out, Graham uttered the fateful statement ‘that’s everything sorted then’. Annie couldn’t help warning him off such utterances cynically sure, that the next crease would soon present itself for ironing.
So after a day of increased sunshine, fewer showers and a line of washing that was almost dry again; our hearts sunk to hear the rain return and the wind whipping up as we went to bed. Difficult to sleep with it battering down so hard on the caravan, we were awakened completely at three when it began to rock. The billowing and banging sounded far too close for comfort. Graham got up to look at the awning and was horrified to see that it had worked its way loose from most of the pegs and looked ready to take off with the next gust. All the things we had been so pleased to clear out of the caravan were soaked and covered in the gritty, sandy mud of the ground here. ‘I don’t know what to do’, said Graham, knowing full well that we needed to get dressed quickly and get the awning down before it caused serious damage to us, the caravan and itself.
There followed a hairy 30 minutes in which we battled in the midst of close thunder and lightning, and heavy wind and rain to get all our stuff into the caravan and the awning dismantled.
At first we thought it might be necessary to get into the car for safety, so bundled a for once sleeping Krista into a blanket. She was very pleased about the unscheduled wake-up and greeted us with a huge beaming smile. But maybe she sensed the urgency of the situation and when we realized we were in fact fine in the caravan, went soundly back to sleep. This was quite amazing for a girl who is always ready for a drink, particularly after waking.
Damp and wired, we were back in bed in about an hour. In the continuing storm we slept uneasily amongst dreams of hurricane and disaster until morning.
In the morning the clean up and damage assessment began. We were relieved and amazed to see that an awning we imagined throwing away had in fact escaped completely undamaged bar a few mud stains. While Graham cleaned and laid it out to dry, Annie and Krista set out on a mission-like stroll around the campsite to check out damage others had suffered. Not wishing similar misfortunes on others, it was just to reassure ourselves that it wasn’t completely due to beginner’s incompetence that our awning hadn’t survived the night.
I was well satisfied in this spirit with the number of awnings flapping on washing lines and the knock of tent pegs echoing through the air. Hurrying to deliver the news to Graham, I was further pleased when our sympathetic English neighbour Peter regaled me with his own heroic tale of holding onto his tent poles for three hours to prevent a similar disaster on his pitch. A jovial spirit reigned and as if having survived a bombing raid, campers from all the over the world bonded over tales from the night before and surmisings on how to best to repair the damage.
24th December
In which the awning is back up.
It’s a bit like the psychology of getting straight back on a horse when you have come off. An awning needs to go back up when it has come down. We have learnt our lesson and it is securely battened down with extra pegs and securing straps we spent €16 on at the European version of B&Q. See pictures of awning mark 2.
It continues to rain vigorously so Graham has also dug one of the trenches we’d judged our fellow campers far too serious for doing only a few days back… I always said camping was fine as long as it didn’t rain, hmmmmmmmm.
25th December
Merry Christmas. I think I’d prefer snow… Krista asleep, Annie listening to Lenny Kravitz, Graham refining his trench.
Monday, 21 December 2009
from Lisbon to the Algarve
15th December
It was raining hard, so a perfect day we thought to explore Lisbon. We debated whether to take a bus but with the baby as an excuse opted for the car. We didn’t want to be soaked waiting for buses we didn’t know would turn up. Lame but true. We are staying in at a campsite just across a huge suspension bridge from the city in a town called Costa de Caparica. (A gorgeous beachside resort, deserted now but I imagine amazing during the season. Long, clean sandy beaches periodically dotted with trendy wooden bars and restaurants. Tasteful, probably a surfers’ paradise and not over-developed, I would definitely recommend this place as it has one of the most appealing beachfronts I have come across).
It didn’t take long to get into the centre and more time was taken finding an underground parking spot. We walked through a few pedestrian areas before we found our way to an indoor fruit and vegetable market recommended in the guide book. We’ve not quite mastered the order of the Southern European day as yet and arriving around lunchtime found all the action on pause for siesta. Vowing to get our timing sorted, we bought a few over priced apples and a fennel from the one stallholder taking his chance on out of hours northern European tourists.
We took in a few of the large squares that typify the city before getting cultured and initiating Krista into the 'Hard Rock Café' experience. We‘re not ashamed, we love it. Plus I know that I will get the best veggie burger every time! The Lisbon branch didn’t disappoint. After that we were full up and pretty much done, so we headed home. Lisbon is definitely on the list of places to return as there are a wealth of museums, galleries and palaces we would like to visit when Krista is older.
Back at the caravan Annie went for a run not wanting to leave Caparica without taking in the beach one more time. We spent the evening chilling, planning our next move and Christmas stop on the Algarve. Fingers-crossed for a return of the sunshine and a few degrees increase in temperature.
16th December
Another long day in the car and we arrived in the Algarve around 4pm. We checked out a campsite just outside Alberfeira but settled for a second we preferred in the nearby town of Armação de Pero. We plan to stay here until after Christmas and after being the lone campers in so many sites, we were glad to find some friendly fellow campers. We have French, English, German, Dutch and Portuguese neighbours, all members of what for us is a newly discovered breed of the professional semi-permanent camper. These people tend to be retired and to treat their caravans or campervans as an equivalent to a 2nd home in the sun. They are set up like incredible homes from home with highly elaborate awning structures, flood prevention systems, flowerbeds, garden gates, washing machines, tumble dryers, you name it! A walk around the campsite is a entertaining and amazing experience and we have both already spent a considerable amount of time just wondering at the possibilities (see photos). Will we end up like this we ask?!
It was raining hard, so a perfect day we thought to explore Lisbon. We debated whether to take a bus but with the baby as an excuse opted for the car. We didn’t want to be soaked waiting for buses we didn’t know would turn up. Lame but true. We are staying in at a campsite just across a huge suspension bridge from the city in a town called Costa de Caparica. (A gorgeous beachside resort, deserted now but I imagine amazing during the season. Long, clean sandy beaches periodically dotted with trendy wooden bars and restaurants. Tasteful, probably a surfers’ paradise and not over-developed, I would definitely recommend this place as it has one of the most appealing beachfronts I have come across).
It didn’t take long to get into the centre and more time was taken finding an underground parking spot. We walked through a few pedestrian areas before we found our way to an indoor fruit and vegetable market recommended in the guide book. We’ve not quite mastered the order of the Southern European day as yet and arriving around lunchtime found all the action on pause for siesta. Vowing to get our timing sorted, we bought a few over priced apples and a fennel from the one stallholder taking his chance on out of hours northern European tourists.
We took in a few of the large squares that typify the city before getting cultured and initiating Krista into the 'Hard Rock Café' experience. We‘re not ashamed, we love it. Plus I know that I will get the best veggie burger every time! The Lisbon branch didn’t disappoint. After that we were full up and pretty much done, so we headed home. Lisbon is definitely on the list of places to return as there are a wealth of museums, galleries and palaces we would like to visit when Krista is older.
Back at the caravan Annie went for a run not wanting to leave Caparica without taking in the beach one more time. We spent the evening chilling, planning our next move and Christmas stop on the Algarve. Fingers-crossed for a return of the sunshine and a few degrees increase in temperature.
16th December
Another long day in the car and we arrived in the Algarve around 4pm. We checked out a campsite just outside Alberfeira but settled for a second we preferred in the nearby town of Armação de Pero. We plan to stay here until after Christmas and after being the lone campers in so many sites, we were glad to find some friendly fellow campers. We have French, English, German, Dutch and Portuguese neighbours, all members of what for us is a newly discovered breed of the professional semi-permanent camper. These people tend to be retired and to treat their caravans or campervans as an equivalent to a 2nd home in the sun. They are set up like incredible homes from home with highly elaborate awning structures, flood prevention systems, flowerbeds, garden gates, washing machines, tumble dryers, you name it! A walk around the campsite is a entertaining and amazing experience and we have both already spent a considerable amount of time just wondering at the possibilities (see photos). Will we end up like this we ask?!
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Porto and beyond
After a three hour drive down the North-Western coast of Spain we have arrived in Portugal. The weather seemed to turn as we crossed the border, Portugal greeted us with clear blue skies and warm sunshine. As the SatNav led us higher and higher into the mountains we began to wonder if we should stop telling it to avoid toll-roads. Doing so has already led us into several very stressful tight-spots with the caravan! We hope also that the Portuguese are getting on better with their road systems than the Spanish. Highways that seem suddenly just to end in sections not yet built really confuse the SatNav and leave us wondering if we will ever get to our destination. It’s incredible that the moment you get a SatNav you just stop being able to read a map and find an address in the good old fashioned way. We find ourselves blindly following ‘Peter’s’ instructions as he leads us off in directions our common-sense is screaming at us not to go.
Despite the circuitous route we arrived at tonight’s campsite late afternoon in good time to pitch up before dusk. Once again we are right next to the sea in a small town/large village on the outskirts of Porto. The campsite is an interesting one, mainly inhabited by Portuguese campers who have pitched their caravans here on a permanent basis. We have not had a chance to look around the area properly but imagine by the number of Portuguese choosing to holiday here it must be desirable for some reason or another.
We have found so far that people speak relatively little English and feel pleased to be getting by with the little Spanish we have learnt, quite a lot of French and now our phrasebook Portuguese. Krista is travelling well and slept most of the way in the car. When awake she is becoming more and more playful and chatty by the day. She is grabbing at her toys and just yesterday learnt to make a growling sound. Today she has enjoyed alternating that with some dribbly raspberries. Exhausted by our adventures and a meal out at a local fish restaurant tonight (we are out of gas for the moment) she is now asleep in the ‘bedroom’ while Graham and I are reading in the ‘lounge’!
Tomorrow we will explore Porto then perhaps go for a run and do the washing. Monday we will search out some gas before heading south towards Lisbon.
13th December
We liked Porto, it has an appealingly fraying ornate quality. It is clear that a few years have now past since a grand heyday there is no longer the money or the inclination to maintain. As Graham noted there are many interesting juxtapositions of the very cheap and very expensive everywhere in the architecture and general life of the city. Walking around, we found the Ribiero District down on the waterfront the most attractive. Lined with old waterfront residences, the area is coloured with the typical Portuguese tiled frontages and lots of unashamedly billowing washing. No regulations about hanging that out of windows and on balconies here. To the contrary, due to the character it adds, the tourist board probably insists upon it.
We crossed the bridge to another town Gaia and while waiting for a tour of the Sandeman Porto cave had some lunch. We’ve had mixed experiences with food so far and prefer to cook what we know we know we enjoy in the caravan. Due to lack of gas however we have been eating out more than usual. Last night was a pretty disastrous experience with some ‘grilled’ cod served swimming the oil it had clearly been deep-fried in. Today we thought we’d be pretty safe with what was described on the English translation of the menu as ‘Soup-bread’. All I can say is that it was lucky that I was in the toilet when it arrived. Soup-bread turned out to be what in all its constituent parts I would have to name as my worst idea of a dish. Bread soaked soggy in soup with a very yolky fried egg laid on top. The waiter brings the concoction to the table with the egg sitting like a prize on top. He then mixes it in front of you before serving a generous portion of the sloppy mix onto your plate. The sight of it even made Graham feel sick. As I say I only saw it on my plate so was just able to force myself to taste it. I admit that it was actually quite tasty and, as hungry, I managed to eat a good portion. However my stomach is still turning at the idea so we won’t be ordering that again.
Delivered in French, the port tour was informative and the generous samples we got at the end did a good job at helping us to digest our eggy lunch.
14th December
Most of today was spent on the road as we travelled down to Lisbon. Our search for a propane gas bottle and the correct connection took us on an interesting detour into deepest Portugal and added several hours to the journey. To add to dodgy GPS sagas, the coordinates given on the caravan dealer’s advert were completely out and led us right to the centre of another very narrow roaded village. Once again French got us out of our tight spot when we found a car mechanic with perfect French to send us back the 20km in the correct direction. Still without joy when we arrived for the second time where we thought the shop ‘should’ be, I ventured boldly into a local bar filled with a large group of who at first seemed ‘intimidating’ Portuguese farmers. However as soon as I had made myself understood by showing the advert for the shop they fell over themselves to help. One jumped on his bike to fetch his car then, with an enthusiastic friend along for the ride, led us to a place we would have still been looking for now without their assistance!
Once we had waited an half hour for the shop to open, with all the stress, I didn’t dare ask Graham if he had found what we needed when he returned from inside. All I will say is that we are now once again cooking on gas!!!! Oh the simple joys.
Friday, 11 December 2009
11th December
We have moved into Galicia and are heading for Portugal. We don't intend to stay in Spain for much longer as it is a little wet and deserted. We struggled to find an open campsite last night as we arrived late from Santiago de Compostela. Graham being the hardy adventurer he is did not give up when we found our destination closed but scrambled across the fields in the dark towards a light. Before he knew it he had fallen down an open drain hole - the Spanish donot have the same concern for health and saftey as the Brits. Annie was beginning to wonder what had happened to him when he returned wet to the waist. We finally found a campsite after a friendly local cafe owner searched through her phonebook to help us. Once again it was the Biscuit who saved the day by connecting with the woman's 2 month old! She looked on with the maturity of a 3 month old as her fellow baby began to cry for food. "Why is the baby crying" she seemed to say, "I never do that".
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
4th - 5th December
4th December
On arrival in Bilbao we debated whether to head straight for our first campsite or to drive the caravan into the city so we could visit the Guggenheim Museum. We didn’t want to have to drive for four hours so chose the latter option. Miraculously we found parking right outside the museum along with a friendly parking attendant who worked the machine for us. Thinking that there was nothing wrong with the world, we practically skipped into the museum and spent 3 hours learning about the work of Richard Serra, Frank Lloyd Wright and others.
However returning to the car and caravan we were faced with our first challenge… the caravan window had been prised open and our stuff ransacked by thieves! We couldn’t believe it and sat amongst the mess in shock. But as we gathered our senses and assessed the damage, we realized things could have been a lot worse. Apart from some slight damage to the window nothing much had been stolen. The thieves had clearly been looking for money (of which there was none). Every cupboard had been gone through and all our stuff tipped out but all that was taken was G’s leather jacket, the camera (minus charger) and a bag to carry it in. I was most concerned about Krista’s red-book that had been in a pocket of the bag but was relieved to find that they had even left that.
We tidied up and then set off on our way determined that this incident was not going to upset us. Rather more it served as a good warning of what could happen and the fact that the caravan was not at all secure.
We arrived at our first campsite (El Mirador de Llavandes, Columbres) late afternoon. Feeling after the events of the morning that all we wanted to do was set up, eat and get to bed, getting the car well and truly stuck in the mud did nothing to lift the mood. Having enlisted the help of the site staff we did manage to get it out and elected to park up on the track rather than any of the very soggy pitches.
Eventually settled and ready for our first night in our lovely new home we walked down to the bar to celebrate arriving just about one piece with a cool glass of Leffe. This was our type of campsite. It even had a pond as Annie discovered experientially when nipping back to the caravan, foolishly without a torch, she wandered right into it. Luckily the Leffe helped her see the funny side!
5th December
The caravan is warm and the bed comfortable. After the best night’s sleep for quite some time we got up in a leisurely fashion. The original plan had been to move on immediately as the campsite, although pleasant set amongst Asturian mountains, was very wet and muddy. But the priority was to make a police report within 24 hours of our burglary.
With an excellent challenge for the Spanish language ahead, we set off to the nearest town of Llandes to do so. We found the local police with the help of the GPS. They then directed to the Guardia Civil to make our ‘denuncia’. Having told us off for entering the compound without invitation and treated us to many raised eyebrows of disapproval for having left the caravan unattended in the centre of Bilbao … the guardia took our statement. Greatly softened by the redness of the Biscuit’s hair and my pre-prepared full Spanish script, they even managed a little polite conversation in a mixture of Spanish and broken English.
Job done we got quickly to a bar where a by now desperate Krista could have a drink!
On arrival in Bilbao we debated whether to head straight for our first campsite or to drive the caravan into the city so we could visit the Guggenheim Museum. We didn’t want to have to drive for four hours so chose the latter option. Miraculously we found parking right outside the museum along with a friendly parking attendant who worked the machine for us. Thinking that there was nothing wrong with the world, we practically skipped into the museum and spent 3 hours learning about the work of Richard Serra, Frank Lloyd Wright and others.
However returning to the car and caravan we were faced with our first challenge… the caravan window had been prised open and our stuff ransacked by thieves! We couldn’t believe it and sat amongst the mess in shock. But as we gathered our senses and assessed the damage, we realized things could have been a lot worse. Apart from some slight damage to the window nothing much had been stolen. The thieves had clearly been looking for money (of which there was none). Every cupboard had been gone through and all our stuff tipped out but all that was taken was G’s leather jacket, the camera (minus charger) and a bag to carry it in. I was most concerned about Krista’s red-book that had been in a pocket of the bag but was relieved to find that they had even left that.
We tidied up and then set off on our way determined that this incident was not going to upset us. Rather more it served as a good warning of what could happen and the fact that the caravan was not at all secure.
We arrived at our first campsite (El Mirador de Llavandes, Columbres) late afternoon. Feeling after the events of the morning that all we wanted to do was set up, eat and get to bed, getting the car well and truly stuck in the mud did nothing to lift the mood. Having enlisted the help of the site staff we did manage to get it out and elected to park up on the track rather than any of the very soggy pitches.
Eventually settled and ready for our first night in our lovely new home we walked down to the bar to celebrate arriving just about one piece with a cool glass of Leffe. This was our type of campsite. It even had a pond as Annie discovered experientially when nipping back to the caravan, foolishly without a torch, she wandered right into it. Luckily the Leffe helped her see the funny side!
5th December
The caravan is warm and the bed comfortable. After the best night’s sleep for quite some time we got up in a leisurely fashion. The original plan had been to move on immediately as the campsite, although pleasant set amongst Asturian mountains, was very wet and muddy. But the priority was to make a police report within 24 hours of our burglary.
With an excellent challenge for the Spanish language ahead, we set off to the nearest town of Llandes to do so. We found the local police with the help of the GPS. They then directed to the Guardia Civil to make our ‘denuncia’. Having told us off for entering the compound without invitation and treated us to many raised eyebrows of disapproval for having left the caravan unattended in the centre of Bilbao … the guardia took our statement. Greatly softened by the redness of the Biscuit’s hair and my pre-prepared full Spanish script, they even managed a little polite conversation in a mixture of Spanish and broken English.
Job done we got quickly to a bar where a by now desperate Krista could have a drink!
Friday, 4 December 2009
Portsmouth to Bilbao
2nd December
Pat and Sue didn’t believe all the stuff blocking their hallway would fit in the caravan but after a day and a half of resolute packing most of it did … I think Sue was a little disappointed, hoping for a far more generous donation than a superfluous plastic colander and a few tennis balls for her boot-sale. A few hairy moments and a very last minute dash to a Chichester Caravan shop to purchase essential items the savvy European caravanner Bill informed us should NEVER leave the UK without, we were just about ready for the off. (NB: We are not that caravanner and will be sure to pay further for the fact that, to Pat’s absolute disbelief and horror, we hadn’t as yet read the Bailey Caravan manual … we thought the 35 hour ferry crossing would give us plenty of time for that). Graham believes that he should be winning some kind of prize for having only one small tub of clothes and some spare space in his storage area. Krista and I are thinking, more fool you, when shall we start spreading out? Krista continues to prove her superior position in the pecking order by getting the most stuff past the censors to take up lion’s share of the caravan.
So we waved goodbye to Pat and Sue at about 4.45pm feeling extremely grateful for their help, support and hospitality. Graham was feeling understandably nervous as we pulled away into the dark rainy night with what is going to be our home and our lives following behind us. But since the caravan was still there as we drew into Portsmouth Harbour, some of those nerves began to give way to the first thrills of excited anticipation.
It was great to see the familiar figures of Katherine and Tim who had come from their boat in Gosport to wave us off were waiting for us. Rather worryingly the check-in staff gave us the option not to travel as it was going to be bumpy … and there was a moment when I thought well … But no after a coffee in the terminal and a chat with seasoned water-rats K and T we even rejected the travel sickness bands. Waving goodbye to K and T we passed through security and drove onto the boat, finally believing that the tour was now a reality.
3rd December
Lulled by the rocking of the ship, Krista slept like a log (for once). Annie and Graham did not. After making bold efforts to get up showered and breakfasted both crawled back into their bunks feeling horribly seasick as the boat continued to bump and rock in the choppy waters. It wasn’t until about 11.30 when the captain decided to turn the ship that we could even consider returning to the upright position and venturing from our cabin to the deck. We knew that fresh air was really the only way forward but getting there was the problem! We finally made it and were pleasantly surprised by the mild temperature and sunshine that greeted us. Refreshed we found ourselves a good spot with a clear view of the horizon to sit in for most of the day. Moving around was not really an option as this quickly brought back the nausea. A stroke of luck as our fixed position meant we had a prime view when a huge school of playful dolphins came to swim alongside the ship, a sight apparently a little more unusual at this time of year.
Pat and Sue didn’t believe all the stuff blocking their hallway would fit in the caravan but after a day and a half of resolute packing most of it did … I think Sue was a little disappointed, hoping for a far more generous donation than a superfluous plastic colander and a few tennis balls for her boot-sale. A few hairy moments and a very last minute dash to a Chichester Caravan shop to purchase essential items the savvy European caravanner Bill informed us should NEVER leave the UK without, we were just about ready for the off. (NB: We are not that caravanner and will be sure to pay further for the fact that, to Pat’s absolute disbelief and horror, we hadn’t as yet read the Bailey Caravan manual … we thought the 35 hour ferry crossing would give us plenty of time for that). Graham believes that he should be winning some kind of prize for having only one small tub of clothes and some spare space in his storage area. Krista and I are thinking, more fool you, when shall we start spreading out? Krista continues to prove her superior position in the pecking order by getting the most stuff past the censors to take up lion’s share of the caravan.
So we waved goodbye to Pat and Sue at about 4.45pm feeling extremely grateful for their help, support and hospitality. Graham was feeling understandably nervous as we pulled away into the dark rainy night with what is going to be our home and our lives following behind us. But since the caravan was still there as we drew into Portsmouth Harbour, some of those nerves began to give way to the first thrills of excited anticipation.
It was great to see the familiar figures of Katherine and Tim who had come from their boat in Gosport to wave us off were waiting for us. Rather worryingly the check-in staff gave us the option not to travel as it was going to be bumpy … and there was a moment when I thought well … But no after a coffee in the terminal and a chat with seasoned water-rats K and T we even rejected the travel sickness bands. Waving goodbye to K and T we passed through security and drove onto the boat, finally believing that the tour was now a reality.
3rd December
Lulled by the rocking of the ship, Krista slept like a log (for once). Annie and Graham did not. After making bold efforts to get up showered and breakfasted both crawled back into their bunks feeling horribly seasick as the boat continued to bump and rock in the choppy waters. It wasn’t until about 11.30 when the captain decided to turn the ship that we could even consider returning to the upright position and venturing from our cabin to the deck. We knew that fresh air was really the only way forward but getting there was the problem! We finally made it and were pleasantly surprised by the mild temperature and sunshine that greeted us. Refreshed we found ourselves a good spot with a clear view of the horizon to sit in for most of the day. Moving around was not really an option as this quickly brought back the nausea. A stroke of luck as our fixed position meant we had a prime view when a huge school of playful dolphins came to swim alongside the ship, a sight apparently a little more unusual at this time of year.
Monday, 30 November 2009
Moving out of Brighton
Graham, Krista and I have had one of the busiest weekends of our lives moving out of Park Lodge. You can never account for just how much work is involved and just how much stuff one (or three) can cram into a small one bedroom flat. I described it like Mount Vesuvius erupting, the larva just kept on flowing out of those cupboards... Please remind me never, never, never to buy anything ever again. Although we were beating ourselves up about the fact we were not finished by our already many times extended deadline of 12 O'Clock on Sunday, I remind myself and anyone else who ever 'moves out', the job is never complete until the very last second. Then you still end up whirling around like a dervish just throwing things in random bags and binning anything that doesn't fit; however precious it once seemed. Those are the things about which you spend the rest of your life wondering, 'just what did we do with that ... we used to have?'
Part of the reason for the deadline of 12noon was as in our wisdom we decided to have a little get together at Sue and Anton's to say a few final goodbyes. It seemed mad at 4am Sunday morning and indeed again at 5,6,7,8, 9, 10, 11,12 and 1pm ... to have even entertained the idea. However it was great. Both Graham and I commented on the amazing fact that we both managed (temporarily) to forget that we had not actually finished before the first guests began arriving and had a lovely time. The biggest THANK YOU to Anton and Sue for being the best of friends and sending us off in such style and also to everyone who popped round to wish us well on our way.
Another big THANK YOU to Di, Ali and Leon who got so willingly roped into returning to the flat to help finish with the packing and cleaning. I and perhaps Graham too would definately have first had a nervous breakdown, then still been working until @2am without your help. As it was, having been so well looked after by Anton and Sue, we were all tucked up safely in bed by about 10.45.
Part of the reason for the deadline of 12noon was as in our wisdom we decided to have a little get together at Sue and Anton's to say a few final goodbyes. It seemed mad at 4am Sunday morning and indeed again at 5,6,7,8, 9, 10, 11,12 and 1pm ... to have even entertained the idea. However it was great. Both Graham and I commented on the amazing fact that we both managed (temporarily) to forget that we had not actually finished before the first guests began arriving and had a lovely time. The biggest THANK YOU to Anton and Sue for being the best of friends and sending us off in such style and also to everyone who popped round to wish us well on our way.
Another big THANK YOU to Di, Ali and Leon who got so willingly roped into returning to the flat to help finish with the packing and cleaning. I and perhaps Graham too would definately have first had a nervous breakdown, then still been working until @2am without your help. As it was, having been so well looked after by Anton and Sue, we were all tucked up safely in bed by about 10.45.
Sunday, 22 November 2009
10 Days to departure
We've just had a coffee and are revving up for another day of packing. The most stressful part of our imminent trip has been the preparation. Our aim is to sail into the sunset on the 2nd of December without a worry or a care ... Watch this space. I think I should go off and write a few more lists.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Post tour jitters?!
Just over a month to go before Krista, Annie and Graham set off on the Ginger Biscuit Tour of Europe. The caravan is bought, the ferry between Portsmouth and Bilbao is booked. A lot left to do before leaving day and the only one that doesn't seem worried is Ms.Krista... She's already booked the lion's share of space in the caravan. With all her new outfits she's determined to leave nothing behind whereas Annie and Graham will be strictly rationed to the bare essentials.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)