Quick update

Hi All
Just to say we're in Mojacar, sunshines lovely as are Lynne and Tony and I'm househunting! Will be in touch again soon.
Jx

Last one for now

Sorry there are so many but  have been to so many places - and this my friends was the icing on the cake- Caceres in Extramedura - if you're a fan of medieval cities then this is the one for you- its hard to describe- just perfect because its not a museum piece, there is life going on in all the plazas, the new town is bright and buzzy and the Plaza Mayor, the biggest one is just fantastic- doesnt come alive until 9pm and then keeps on until the early hours (so I'm told - would have loved a date those nights) Its well known for its fiestas and processions especially at Easter, there is also a Womad there in May- free of charge and evidently at the smaller plazas people are climbing up the walls to see the bands- must be fantastic.

Anyway, left there after a couple of days and headed east for 100k's to visit Guadeloupe - yet another pilgrimage site, and that was an another amazing place to visit- its right up in the mountains, the town is small and quite scruffy, quite poor I think but then there is this amazing monastery - a lovely area and not well off the tourist map I think- well I didnt see another campervan for 3 days.

And now, the other end of the spectrum - after a very long day driving I finally arrived in Cordoba yday. At the municipal campsite at 31e a night! but am only 2 k's out of town and it does include wifi and electricity so am charging up everything I can find!
  Have spent the day looking round the city and unsurprisingly I am now starting to feel weary - running the danger of everywhere merging into one so am going to make my way to Granada and then after then to Mojacar to visit Lynne and Tony and have a stop.

So thats me, still having a great time and just really grateful that I have the opportunity of seeing all these amazing places but am really looking forward to chilling out. Bye for now

Tomar and a farewell to Portugal

 So, if you've been paying attention you'll know that the big draw is the Convento de Cristo - the most complete Knights Templar castle in Western Europe. It sits on top of the hill overlooking a very nice town, with a very good municipal campsite with a little bread van at 9am (how civilised, normally its 8am so its a mad scramble with everyone in their pj's)

This photo is of the church, got very excited when i saw it then very disappointed to learn that the interior is closed for refurbishment - and I'd come so far. Yet another of my travel disappointments - got to Cairo -the tutankhamoun exhibition had just moved to London, Moscow- Bolshoi ballet in London, Amsterdam - Van Gogh exhibition in London. At least this time the rest of the building could still be visited - and it did live up to expectations -bit of useless information for you -  they built the churches so high so they could attend mass on horseback.
I had a really enjoyable couple of days in Tomar, the weather was really pleasant and I just pottered about- v nice

Then it was time to leave Portugal and head back to Spain. I had enjoyed it and the countryside was lovely but the people seem to be very grumpy- I was told this by an English couple who said once you got to know them they were lovely but seemed very standoffish- maybe I noticed it more cause I'm travelling on my own so tend to smile at people in the street or exchange a couple of pleasantries, then again the language doesnt help - definately sounds Polish or Eastern European. Though I did meet some nice English people on the campsite so that was good. ( Sorry if I've offended any Portuguese people .)

Portugal continued, but I'm in Spain

 Have you missed me? Just discovered that its 10 days since i wrote and lots has happened so I'll try and catch you up.

Knowing my audience and the fact that Autumn has hit thought you would prefer a nice beach scene rather than a monsatery- but dont worry there's more of them to come.
This lovely place is about 150k's north of Lisbon just outside a place called Nazare, stopped here for a couple of nights on the way to Batalha. Went there because it has an amazing monastery but that doesnt really do it justice- the interior may be plain and unadorned but the exterior is remarkable- think its called Manueline - a Portuguese architecture which is light with spiral columns, lots of curlicues and looks amazing on Gothic architecture. After there I was heading for Tomar, but on the way stopped at Fatima. It was one of the important dates in the calendar- evidently the 12th ad 13th of each month are special dates for pilgrims so the roads were full again as I drove along but when I arrived there must have been several thousand cars, tents, caravans, you name it, in the car parks but when I got into the main area it looked empty- thats how vast it is- and dare I say it, completely soulless. Really couldnt get my heard around it for some reason and beat a hasty retreat.

Next photo coming up so time for a new page

Lots to catch up on. Part 2

 So, the next day the weather started to improve- hurrah!! and so i had a quiet day pottering around and then set off for Finisterre- yet more stunning scenery but this time with the sun peeking through. Arrived to find a nice little town with proper harbour and a little castle( which is now a fishing museum) and this little beach which is the true end of the Camino. The pilgrims come here and tradition is that they either burn or wash their socks on this beach. (They used a different one in The Way - this is the real one). So after that my Camino route was over - wheer to next I hear you ask.

Well, for those of you who have been paying attention you will know that the plan was to head down into Portugal to vist Tomar - a small town abot 150k's north of Lisbon so off I set.
Except that there appeared to be lots of nice places before there so I have been pottering along, stopping where I felt like it and have seen some lovely old towns, driven along the Douro river- stunning!- been up and over mountains heavy with vineyards and watched the men harvest the grapes the old fashioned way, transporting them in barrels on the back of tractors, been to one of the oldest university towns where the students still wear black cloaks and berets.Been on a date for coffee and port, got a great haircut for 10e and am now on the coast enjoying wonderful unseasonal weather-  I tell you its been a geat week.

so tomorrow will set off back on the sightseeing - heading for Tomar but stopping at a couple of small towns that have unesco world heritage sights both monasteries - but said to be stunning, and you know me- I'll be letting you know.

So, bye for now. See you soon

Lots to catch up on! Part 1

 Well, feels like a long time since i dropped into your inboxes, lots to say so pull up a chair!

As you can see I got to Santiago - and the weather was atrocious! Rain was horizontal and the wind was howling but all along the roadside the pilgrims plodded on- it takes a huge mental commitment to walk the whole way- have been told that it is the camaraderie that keeps one going but I dont know- getting up at 6.30am knowing that you have to walk another 20odd k's then find a bed, do your washng etc then do it all agin the next day- takes a special kind of person.

anyway, back to me- as you know I didnt do that- I did walk 2k's in the awful weather to go to the pilgrims mass which was very special for many reasons, one of them being that they lit the huge incense burner and swung it- anyone who saw The Way will know what I am talking about- it was great! Takes 7 young men to swing it- obviously there were some visiting priests taking the mass as they started smiling and taking photos so everyone else did too- wit a huge round of applause that was the end of what had been a very solemn mass. And the end of my visit to Santiago - had been there before with a good friend from Canada so didnt need to do any more sightseeing in that weather so after a warming and hearty lunch set off towards the Galician coast.

And wow- that is some coastline! Similar to Brittany - huge cliffs,wide beaches and little coves- waves crashing - just what sea ought to look like. And lots of little towns, all unspoilt with lovely golden beaches- guess its packed in the summer but now it was totally peaceful. Popped into A Coruna and found a big city with a beach so popped out again and found myself a little aire overloking a tiny little port and peace and quiet - lovely. And ate some of the best mussels ever-freshly plucked and cooked in sea water -delish!

Bit more!

This is the Gaudi designed 'palace' in Astorgas . But I also wanted to tell you about Ponferrada - a large provincial city with a university - probably the same size as Croydon. When I arrived I went to the tourist office to ask where I could park for the night- the policeman there took me into his office and switched on his computer with translation and told me that I could park anywhere in the city and not to be concerned because there would be no trouble anywhere.
So I have been parked very happily in a car park by the river,, with nobody paying the slightest notice apart from to say holas when we're out. Good eh??

Back on the road

Hello All

Really not sure where to start –I know I’ve only been on the road for 5 days but St J seems weeks ago. Will try and condense it but maybe tea/wine time again.

Adrian survived the trip over the Pyrenees, Betsy was her usual star but there was a distinct smell of something burning when we stopped at the top for a look- luckily it was downhill from then.

 Roncesvalles was an odd place- very historic- goes back to Charlemagne, site of a big battle that turned the war (dont ask me – its all in Spanish!!) Huge pilgrim hostel, a couple of restaurants and that’s it- and I realised that’s what made it feel odd- no-one lived there – everyone was just passing through. As did I, following the camino as closely as I could which meant I was doing my favourite thing- pottering along back roads seeing the real Spain and what sights I have seen- too many to mention but a few favourites – stunning scenery – alternating between massive hills, huge plains – some barren, some cultivated and green, flocks of buzzards, mountain rivers, ochre coloured towns tumbling down hill sides always with a church in the centre and empty roads that go on for ever – and always the pilgrims- on foot, on bikes – plodding along to the next stopping place where they congregate and share stories.

One morning I stopped to pick up a pair of hitchhikers, originally from Spain- Eva could speak English very well which was a huge bonus, Franco and I just smiled at each other a lot. She had developed tendonitis on the shin, a common complaint – evidently something to with the stresses climbing over the mountains – anyway, we had lots of laughs and spent  very happy day together. We visited a monastery, next door was a bodega which had taps providing wine and water for the pelegrinos so we stocked up.

Have been doing quite a bit of sightseeing along the way – most of you know that I am a bit of a fan for Gothic cathedrals so i am really in the right place – must say that all of the ones I have seen so far the one in Leon takes the biscuit- I have never seen stained glass like it either in quality or quantity – even beats Chartres, if you discount the Rose window- the other thing I loved about Leon was discovering that the word for senior ( as in concession) is Jubilados! Isnt that fab? Any political party that include that in their manifesto would have my vote. Only thing I wasn’t too jubilados about was that he didn’t question whether it applied – ah well.