Sunday
We had a slow start to the day and then we had arranged to meet up with Paul and Emma Egglestone who were in Sydney today for 6 hours doing the airport run. We set off about 11 and got the train into the city from Beecroft station using the Opal card that Marc left when he was here nearly 2 years ago. The fare was only $2.60 max for the day on a Sunday, interesting journeys people watching both ways;the French girl from Amiens on the way out being chatted up and the three young Aussie girls who had been to the beach singing beatles songs on the way back. We got off at Wynyard station and walked round to Circular Quay and on to the Opera House bar where we had a drink while we waited and watched what was happening around us. Paul, Emma and Charis arrived and we moved into one of the restaurants further down as it was too noisy to hear and extremely hot at the Opera House. We had a great catch up over lunch and then they left to go and meet Iona at the airport and we wandered down to a Homeground festival which was going on outside the Opera House. We sat and watched the native Australians dance competition for a while and then went into the weaving tent where they were making baskets, before heading back for the train home. As we were leaving we saw people arriving dressed up in all their finery to go into the Opera House; a day of different cultures, different races, different dress, different music, different beliefs and customs but all human beings under Gods heaven.

Monday
Cloudy day today so we set off with Graham, Lesley and Tim to go into Sydney on the train. We walked down to Circular Quay, watched the boats and then round to the Opera House on Bennelong Point where we booked in for a tour at half past twelve. The story of the planning and building was fascinating and the big concert hall was incredibly impressive. We wandered round the Rocks for a while before getting the train back and then jumping into the pool at Tims. We enjoyed a roast beef dinner together cooked by Tim.

Tuesday
We were off to the Blue Mountains today, David was driving as he needs 120 hours practise so he took Tim and Chris and we went with Graham and Lesley. We stopped at Bilpin which was the centre of apple country and had a brew and a piece of apple pie. Onwards and upwards into the mountains, where most of the villages and towns are on top of the mountain and you look down into the forested valleys. We stopped at Govetts leap and walked to Bridal Veil waterfall which was a lot further than the 15 minutes promised on the signs, a long way down lots of steps but worth it as we could see across to massive sandstone cliffs which were covered in moss, fed by water seeping out through the cliff as well as spray from the waterfall being blown across to us. We drove back into Blackheath and had lunch and then went onto Scenic World which was where we hoped to take the furnicular railway down into the valley. Chris said it had been closed for a while and they have rebuilt a lot of it and now the ticket covered the train, a cablecar ride, a skyway ride and a boardwalk in the valley, all for a cost of $39, no other options available. By this time it was getting near 3pm and there were masses of people queueing so we decided not to do this and drove round to Echo Point to see the Three Sisters across the valley. Went into Leura for a brew and a scone before we drove home slowly through rush hour traffic.

Wednesday
We drove to Palm Beach this morning, which took us about an hour and a half and stopped for a coffee overlooking the bay. We worked our way back down the coast past Dolphin Bay and Whale Beach and then onto Bilonga Bay, which was my Dads favourite beach. I could see why as it was very quiet herre with just a few surfers around, quite unspoiled. We had some lunch here and then went for a walk along the waters edge before setting off back home. We had a swim at home and got ready, then me and Graham went over to Jonathan and Katies for about 6pm and we went out for dinner to Banjo Pattersons cottage (a poet and the writer of Waltzing Matilda). We had a lovely dinner and a good chat, enjoyable evening.

Thursday
We had decided to go to Doyles at Watsons Bay for lunch but had some debate about how to get there. In the end we decided to get the train to Meadowbank and then the ferry down the estuary which stretches from the Paramatta river all the way down to Sydney Harbour. We all went up on top of the boat and then it actually poured down with rain for about 5 minutes. As good Brits we all ran for cover but by the time we had queued and got down the steps we were soaked. Back up on deck and the sun was shining again, soon dried out, long trip looking at all the houses, headlands, boats and coves, calling in at various places on the way including Darling Harbour, before going under the Harbour Bridge and into Circular Quay. We walked across the wharf and jumped on the boat to Rose Bay and Watsons Bay. We got off the ferry and had a look at Doyles on the beach but it was very busy and expensive so we decided to go to the take away on the pier, which now has a place to sit in and eat. I had Barramundi and chips and it was delicious. We walked up to the Gap and looked out at the Pacific Ocean, a beautiful, hot, sunny day. We grabbed an ice cream as we got back on the ferry to Circular Quay and then the train home. We used Opal cards and the price limit for the day was $15 so we had our moneys worth today, train to Meadowbank, Ferry to Sydney, Ferry to Watsons bay and return, train home. Another swim once we were back home.

Friday
The 4 of us set off to Brooklyn to go on the Riverboat Postman trip today. A drive of about half an hour up the coast to the Hawkesbury river and then onto the boat for a three hour round trip. We had coffee and Anzac biscuits in the cabin as we set off to call at 7 settlements on islands up the river, which have no road access. At each place we stopped, the person collecting the post bag and giving the boatman a postbag in return, got an Anzac biscuit as well. We had a running commentary from the Captain about the history, the crossings, bridges and buildings of the river. We went up on the top deck for most of the journey; it was very hot and sunny but with a bit of a breeze, which was very welcome. We had a very nice ham and cheese salad with a big bun for our lunch. The last place we stopped was Milsons Point, population 11, where we were welcomed to the Republic by the President who sat in his throne at the end of the jetty. A jolly good trip. Home and another swim before getting ready for an evening out with David in Newtown. As David said the morning after, “What happens in Newtown, stays in Newtown”. Suffice it to say, we had a few drinks, ate at a Vegan restaurant and had a good evening.

Saturday
We went off to Parklea market for a browse around and Chris was buying some food for a big family BBQ tomorrow. Graham and Lesley went back home and we went on to visit Joan in her new care home. She was just sitting down to lunch when we got there so we sat at the table with her and had a chat for a while. She seemed to be on good form and the place and the staff seemed very good. Chris and David stayed on for a while but me, Graham and Tim went to Carlingford Mall for a bit of lunch and to do a bit of shopping. We arrived home about 3 pm as the rain started, we have been so fortunate, it has only rained a couple of times briefly in all the time we have been here, the worst was the day on Philip Island, when it was just drizzle all day. This was real rain, pouring down, so time for another swim I thought as I sat down with a brew and then woke up an hour later. Out this evening to Chalio Thai restaurant in Beecroft.

Sunday
Of to church this morning and then went for a walk down the reserve again. A warm and sunny day. Made some lunch and started getting ready for a family BBQ and get together later on this afternoon. Greg, Di and Nicky arrived first, shortly followed by Jona, Katie, Nate and Charlotte and Kathy. Joint effort in preparing and cooking dinner, enjoyed by all.

Tuesday
We packed and set off at 9am to drive across country to Ballarat, which was founded in the 1850s, based on the gold rush. The centre of the town had many old buildings which had all been built on the wealth that had been created at that time. We had a coffee and went to see the Anglican Cathedral, which was very high church, someone was practising the organ and then walked down to the end of the street to the old gaol, which was only a facade with three flags flying, the Australian flag, the Eureka flag and the Aboriginal flag. We drove out to the old gold rush township but decided not to go in as we didnt have much time to look around. We went to get some lunch, but this took quite a while and then drove onto Melbourne, arriving about 4pm. After messing about with car parking and getting our bags into the Prima Tower, where we were staying on floor 52, we went up to the 67th floor infinity pool for a quick swim and a lookout over the city. We then got ready and set off down to the Southbank of the Yarra river to find some dinner. We settled on an Italian place which was enjoyable and walked home through the Crown casino, being amazed by the amount of people, mainly chinese, playing roulette and on the Pokies (fruit machines).

Wednesday
Graham and Graham went to move the cars first thing (before 7.30am) to a car park from parking on the street overnight. We then went for a swim in the lengths pool on level 9. We set off to walk into the centre of the city which is just aross the bridge from Prima Tower where we are staying. We walked down Flinders street to Federation Square which is surrounded by funky buildings, had a coffee stop at one and then went into the Ian Potter Art gallery which had some amazing art and also some very dodgy and strange art. It was cool in here in more ways than one, a hot day of 32 degrees around lunchtime so any shade was welcome. We then went on the old tram round the city to the harbour area and found a cafe for lunch. We walked to the Harbour Mall but were disappointed to find a half finished mall which had been opened 9 years with 3 different owners and was half empty with lots of building work still going on. We quickly moved back to the tram and headed to Spencer Street mall for a browse round the shops. Back to the ranch or 5208 Prima Tower for a wash and brush up before out for a meal at TGI Fridays and a chat over dinner.

Thursday
We set off for the Victoria markets today by tram in the north of the city and had breakfaast there. WE had a wander and a browse and then mid morning the boys set off for the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a tour and the girls bought food in the market for a picnic before heading to Fitzroy gardens on the tram. We had a look round including the fairy tree and model village and conservatory full of hydrangeas and fushias. We met up with the boys and had a picnic lunch. We went from here to the old treasury which was built to receive and store the gold from the gold rush of the 1850s. There was an exhibition about bushrangers including Ned Kelly and also the gold rush and the growth of Melbourne in the 1850s onwards. Me and Chris went shopping in the lanes and arcades, lots of individual shops with interesting things for sale. We eventually walked back home and went for a swim and then out for dinner to an irish pub complete with live music.

Friday
Set off on the drive towards home. We were heading for Wagga Wagga, a lot of the way down the Hume highway. Once we were well on the way out of Melbourne, we thought we would stop off at Wodonga for lunch so we did. the first cafe we looked at was shut with a sign saying it was Ian’s 60th birthday, the second one said shut today, the third one said shut because of Wodonga races so we asked someone and they said “Oh everythings shut today cos of the races” We carried onto Albury, across the border into NSW and had a late lunch. We drove onto Wagga Wagga and checked in at the motel and went to the Thirsty Crow brewery next door for dinner.

Saturday
And back to Sydney, stopping at Gundagai for breakfast and then at Berrima for lunch. Berrima is a pretty town with lots of crafty and gift shops and cafes. We were back about 4pm and it was good to be back in Sydney at Tim and Chris’s house. Tired after a lot of travelling and ready to stop for a while.

Friday
Up early and off to Sorrento, which is only 10 minutes up the coast to wait for the 9am ferry. A beautiful, sunny, warm day sitting out on the dock after all the rain yesterday waiting for the ferry to come in. Once we were loaded onto the ferry, it was a 40 minute ride across the entrance to Port Philip bay. We unloaded at Queenscliff and drove onto Torquay, which is the start of the GOR. Had a look at Danger Point which is on the corner between Front beach and Back beach. This is major surfing territory and we carried onto Bells beach which is one of the famous beaches used for major competitions. The waves here made the ones at Bondi look quite tame. We drove onto Anglesea for a quick lunch and then to Lorne where we are staying for the next few days as we explore the area. We are in a great house on the front overlooking the ocean. We unpacked for the first time in a few days and shopped for a barbeque this evening.

Saturday
We decided to go off to explore the twelve apostles today even though the forecast was a bit mixed. We drove down the coast to Apollo Bay and stopped for a coffee and a browse round the outdoor market. We had been driving down the coast to here but after this the road went inland, first through rainforest in the Otway park and then into flatter and more open farming country. We were heading for the Twelve Apostles although there are only 8 left but as we approached them the mist rolled in from the sea and stayed with us for the next couple of hours. We had a picnic lunch at the Razorback and decided to go onto Loch Ard Gorge where it was still misty. We then went onto London Bridge, about 8K further on. As we were approaching this area, the sun came through and we walked down to the beach. The immmense ciffs of sandstone, the waves breaking that you could feel as well as hear and the stacks of rock looking rather forlorn were an amazing experience.
We went back to where we started at the twelve apostles and they were clear, although overrun with tourists walked down the Gibson Steps to the beach and took some photos. We then had a two and a half hour drive back, calling for fish and chips in Lorne on our way home about 8pm.

Sunday
A slow start to the day today after a long day out yesterday. We set off late morning to walk along the beach into Lorne, a hot sunny day again, walking at the edge of the ocean. A little wander down the main street, this is a small tourist town with a hotel, post office, small supermarket and several small shops, coffee shops and cafes. We walked back down to the beach by the swing bridge over the river at the end of town and stopped for a bit of lunch, I had a smashed avocado and apples, walnuts and chilli on wholegrain toast, Graham had poached eggs and bacon on sourdough, before walking back to the house. We then went for a drive up to Erskine Falls, about 10k out of town and walked 236 steps down to the foot of the falls and then back up again. We were thinking about the development of these falls in the mid 1850s and the similarities with say Aira Force and the opening up of some of these natural highlights at similar times on opposite sides of the world. We called at Teddys Lookout on the way home which looked out over the next bay on from Lorne to the West. Home for a roast lamb dinner courtesy of Tim and Chris.

Monday
Set off this morning to drive to the Otway National Park and onto the Otway lightstation. We stopped off for a coffee at Apollo Bay and then through miles of winding roads up into the forest before arriving at the lighthouse, along with the mist coming in again. We had a picnic lunch in the grounds and then walked up the tower, the lighthouse is no longer in operation, there is a lower light that shines still as a warning, powered by solar and fully automatic. We drove onto Otway treetops walk which was an amazing construction of metal walkways set in the trees sloping gradually up to a height of 47 metres. there was a tower at the end with a spiral staircase to take you to the top and then a cantileveer arm reaching out from here, which was far too wobbly, even though it said it could take the weight of 14 elephants. It was amazing to be up in the top canopy of the massive red mountain ash and beech and eucalyptus trees.

Monday
Set off on the next stage of the adventure going down the coast. Today we were travelling to Huskisson on Jervis Bay. We drove slowly out of Sydney through busy traffic and slow traffic light changes and our first stop was at Sea Cliff bridge which was opened in 2005 as the old road was blocked with a landslip. This is built out on posts in the ocean to avoid any more problems with falling rocks. We must have driven along the old road last time we were here, 23 years ago. We then drove on a short way to Scarborough and stopped at the hotel there for morning coffee in the garden overlooking the ocean. The bonus was seeing a whale off shore slowly turning and showing its dorsal fin, we presume a humpback, travelling south back to the Antarctic for summer.

We had a brief stop at Kiama to see the blowhole but it was not co-operating today, probably combination of low tide and fairly calm sea. We then moved on to Ulladulla and stopped for some lunch. We arrived in Huskisson about 4pm and checked into the motel then went straight out down the coast about 15 minutes to Hyams beach which has white sand and turquoise sea.

We moved back towards Huskisson, to where the Moona Moona creek comes into the sea. This is where we had stayed previously, although the place we stayed in had been knocked down and replaced by some modern units (flats). We saw Kookaburras which were very tame, although we couldn’t get them to laugh. We walked out onto the rock pavement which extends out into the ocean, beautiful place, although there were no dolphins around today.

There was also a Father Christmas on the beach with a crowd of people around him, which seemed a bit bizarre at this time of year but reckoned they were doing a photo shoot for some Christmas campaign.

Tuesday
We set off quite early to travel down to Eden, first stop at zzzzzzzzz, then Tilda for lunch, which is an old heritage village with all the houses made of wooden boards, rather quaint. We turned off the main road to Pebbly beach which used to be a dirt road but is now tarmaced, since we came here last time. We found some Kangaroos and Joeys at the end of the road as well as a beautiful quiet cove, quite remote and lovely. We spoke to a man who has lived there for 33 years and he rents out cabins for tourists on his land.

We arrived in Eden about 4ish and went down to a lookout where the whalers used to set out from, spent a bit of time looking round the port. The whole town is very much a fishing place, it looks a bit run down, maybe there isn’t as much money in fishing as there used to be.

Wednesday
Woke at 4.30 this morning, the whole sleeping thing is strange, we seem to have adjusted quite well to the jet lag but some nights are disturbed and others ok. Sometimes, during the day, you find yourself drifting off at odd moments, the sleep just overtakes you. Mind you, I don’t know if this is too much different from at home. Had a shower about half 6 and went for a walk round a couple of blocks, which is probably about a mile and picked up a coffee on the way back. Everything is on a huge scale here and this reminds me of America, wide open roads with little traffic once you are out of the city, large houses set in large gardens, lots of space. Longer drive today but made good progress this morning and stopped at Orbost thinking we would have lunch but it was only about 11am so had a coffee and bought some butties for lunch later. We took a detour to the Gippsland Lakes entrance and walked across a bridge onto a spit of land that was the back of ninety mile beach. We sat under the shade and ate our lunch, watching the black swans and Pelicans on the lake. It has been a very hot day today, 32 degrees at times but the clouds were gathering and we had a couple of sharp showers later on. We arrived at Traralgon about 5pm and checked into the motel, then walked into the town for dinner at the Ritz on Horam.

Thursday
We set off to drive to Philip Island but stopped at mmmmmmm for a coffee. We set off and we were riding shotgun, Tim and Graham went through the lights on the way out of town but they had changed to red so Graham braked but the woman in the car behind didn’t and ploughed into the back of us. We pulled over and looked but there didnt seem to be any damage but took her details anyhow. We drove on towards Philip Island but the rain started and as we approached the bridge it turned quite misty and grey. Not the best day for seeing the island but we drove onto the motoGP Grand Prix course and had a quick look, but not a day for hanging around outside. We went onto Nobbies, which is an eco centre at the end of the island but it kept on raining so it didn’t seem worth walking down to the blowhole and the seals seemed to have disappeared and so we went into the Antarctic exhibition instead. The best bit was the films of whales, seals, albatrosses and other wildlife on massive screens.
We drove into Cowes for some late lunch at a rather weird Danish place, Graham had the best choice of meatballs with lingonberry jam and a ton of coleslaw, happy Ikea memories. And on to Blairgowrie for our final stop before the start of the Great Ocean Road. We went out in a minibus to the RSL club in Rye for dinner before an early night.

Thursday
Well we are here after a 14 hour flight from Abu Dhabi, with no sleep. that was not from choice but we just didn’t feel tired. Arrived in Sydney just after sunrise at 6am and straight through to meet Tim and Chris and find the shuttle bus to pick up our hire cars. We drove back through rush hour Sydney, over the harbour bridge and arrived at 17 Welham Street, Beecroft, which is about 10 minutes further on from Epping. The beautiful weeping, lilacky, purple Jacaranda tree is out in the front garden.
We had some toast and a brew and a conducted tour and then settled in to our new home. Tim and Chris have been very busy getting ready for our arrival. We walked into Beecroft, which feels like a village centre with a Woolworths grocery shop, a few rows of coffee and various individual shops, We stopped and had lunch at Chicken and Fishhead, strange name but good food.
The afternoon passed in a haze, trying to stay awake, sitting outside in the sunshine, unpacking and sorting through things. We had an early dinner of chicken and salad and went off to bed about 8pm.

Friday
A reasonable nights sleep with some time off duing the night, although Graham and Lesley had a bit more of a difficult time. We took Tim to Epping and had a wander round before going for a coffee. Back home for some lunch and Chris went to pick up the children from school. Jonathan and Katie came when they had finished and we went in the pool for a swim. We then had a family barbeque with a lot of fun and laughter.

Saturday
Jonathan had suggested we had a walk from Bondi to Bronte so we set off this morning to drive to Bondi beach, about three quarters of an hour away. We walked along the coastal path towards Tamarama but made fairly slow progress as it was very busy and didnt get too far as we had to get back and move the cars. We went for lunch to Moo, a burger bar overlooking the beach and then decided we had to put our feet in the Pacific Ocean for a paddle. Unfortunately, we got a bit more than our feet wet when a huge wave came up and soaked us, especially Graham and Lesley who were further down the beach. The beach slopes steeply down into the sea, which makes the big waves for surfing but the sea is really scary with the power especially seeing how much sand is churned up and feeling the undertow pulling you in. The lifeguards were blowing whistles at one or two foolish peole who had gone in swimming, which is not allowed here.

Sunday
Up and ready for church at 9am at Epping Baptist. Lots of people coming in late but very friendly place. Talked to a few people afterwards over a brew and then home by 11ish. Did some washing and in the afternoon I had a walk down the reserve at the end of the road, still lots of areas of bush even in the city. We decided to go to Hillsong so had an early dinner and set off about half 5 to drive to Hills. A good evening with a huge arena full of young people praising God.

Monday
Set off from Manchester at 8am to fly to Abu Dhabi, an 8 hour flight. We arrived about 8pm local time and after a fast taxi ride into the city along six lane highways, checked into the Jumeriah hotel, very impressive fabby dabby lobby with massive windows looking out onto the city and coastline all round. We dropped our bags and went back to the lobby to get a taxi to a restaurant. Our taxi driver, Oliver, did not seem to know where we were going even though we had said the Havana restaurant, near the Marina mall. She got quite cross with us and kept muttering , I think wanting us to get out of her taxi but when we didn’t, turned round in a car park and drove round until she found the right place to drop us, grumbling all the while. We had a kebab type meal and watched some of the people around us, obviously a locals place with couples sharing a hookah and drinking soft drinks. Back to the hotel and headed to bed for some sleep.

Tuesday
We had decided to get a big bus ride round the city to view the sights. The city is very modern and clean with large open roads, lots of coastline and still lots of building going on, including the Biryani, a massive new block of apartments and shops near our hotel. We travelled through the city with many impressive modern skyscrapers and out to the Grand Mosque, an impressive, massive white building set to show off the immense power and wealth of the culture and religion. We had to go in at Mens and Womens entrances and the women had to put on robes with a hood to cover their heads. They were rather unflattering grey or brown polyester, hot, clingy garments. We then walked across acres of white marble and at the entrance to the mosque had to take off our shoes. They were telling us about the fantastic chandeliers, 10 feet across and the hand made carpet which took 10 years to weave and many facts about the building of it. After lunch in the cafe, which was selling camel milk ice cream, we carried on with the bus tour, past many fabulous modern buildings until we got to the old souk where we got off the bus. We discovered that they had knocked the old souk down a few years ago and built a new mall to replace it. What a disappointment, another generic shopping mall so we caught the next bus and on with the journey. We came back down to the waterfront and had a sail for three quarters of an hour on an old wooden dhow in the Arabian Gulf. Back to the hotel for a quick wash and brush up and then out for dinner.

Wednesday
Early start, meeting in the hotel lobby at 5.30 for a taxi to the airport. Feeling good that we have had some sleep and ready for a 14 hour flight on to Sydney. Fully expecting to have a 7 hour day and then a 7 hour night on the aircraft but there seemed to be no desire to sleep so watched another film or two and ate another meal or two. Landing at Sydney 6 am on Thursday.

Monday
We moved on this morning for a few days in Provence to finish the holiday with a look at another area of France that was on our list to visit. However this will only be a quick visit to one small part of this region.
We set off after breakfast to a small village called Mondragon, chosen because it was in Provence but also on the way back up north. We had intended staying here for 4 nights but when we arrived the site was rather a mess, and also was a lot further from Orange and Avignon than we thought. We had a brew, looked at alternatives and decided to set off about half past 4 in the car to see what else was available so that we could move on in the morning. There were 2 sites in the centre of Avignon and 2 sites out of the centre, which we thought we would have a look at first. It took us ages to find the first site after it seemed we had been driving round and round in circles, over, under and alongside the motorway. It was so remote and inaccessible, we said no, off to the next. This, when we got there had changed it’s name and was c!osed for the winter. Into Avignon and eventually found the other two sites next to each other on an island in the middle of the river Rhone. By this time it was half past 6 and at least we knew where we were heading in the morning. We had a quick look and decided to head back to the caravan via a supermarket that we had seen on the way in to get something for dinner. It took us a while to get back to the supermarket and then do a quick shop and when we came out it was dark. We drove back through the small villages until we arrived at the sign for Mondragon, but nothing looked familiar. We drove up and down the main road, the N7 that bypasses the village but couldn’t see any signs for the campsite. We kept turning round and driving back over the same patch of road. Eventually we turned into Mondragon but there was no one around. We had noticed before that the french have their evening meal and then go inside at dusk, shut the doors and shutters and close down for the night. So french villages in the evening are like ghost towns or observing a blackout. Beginning to panic, just a bit, thinking we could sleep in the car, the dogs in the back and so is her food, oh we haven’t eaten and I am rather hungry, we’ve got a bag of sweets in the car but no other food and no drinks apart from some wine but no corkscrew, maybe we could check into a hotel, but there don’t seem to be any hotels around here, we will have to drive to Bollene, but its nearly 9 pm and nothing will be open. Where is this jolly campsite!
Then I saw it, at the far end of the village, a little sign on a post saying Camping Pinede. We followed this back into the village and the campsite was 200 metres through the other side, we had been on the wrong road, the bypass instead of the road through. Rubbish navigating but at least we were back and it was only 9pm Made some dinner n collapsed into bed, it had taken us 4 and a half hours and 150km to checkout 4 campsites and do a bit of shopping.
Tuesday
Off to Avignon which in the light and knowing where we were going took us about 50 minutes.
There were some reminders of Saumur, a campsite on an island in the river, walk across a bridge and straight into the city. This must be prime location for development but obviously these islands are kept as green as possible, with a few campsites and a farm or two. We had a bit of a tidy tidy, some lunch, remains of pizza from last night, then a snooze before walking into the city. Ellie was again not sure about all these people and all this traffic but we enjoyed a stroll through the walled completely enclosed city centre with its massive Palais des Papes at its centre. We wandered through narrow medieval lanes between towering golden stone walls and then stopped in a square for a drink but didn’t really want a meal so headed back to the caravan about 8pm for cheese and biscuits.
Wednesday
We had a walk up the island in the morning with Ellie and round onto a very nice promenade that runs down the river side to the bridge that leads into the city. We got a good view of the other bridge, the famous Pont d’Avignon, which was partly washed away in the 17C so only has four arches left, stretching half way across the river Rhone to Ile de Barthelasse. We cooked lunch and enjoyed the sunshine and I finished book 4 of this holiday which is a very poor record for me. Later on we walked into the city, explored a bit more and had dinner at an Italian restaurant. It is beginning to get a lot cooler in the evenings here, autumn is here.
Thursday
Our last day in Avignon and starts with a trip to the vets to fulfil the passport requirements for Ellie of a vet overseeing her taking worming tablets. We decided to book her in here rather than leave it till the last minute at Calais. She got checked out by a female vet and then gobbled up her worming tablets. All done, just another big bill! We then walked into the city again and went to the market for a look round. We then went to l’Epicerie for a lovely French lunch. Had a conversation with a couple from California on the next table who asked us to explain Brexit and apologised for Trump and a french guy on the table beyond who was enjoying eating here after working as a kitchen hand over the summer. The American woman asked him where he was from and what he wanted to do, as in with his life, which he didn’t know how to answer except this is what I am doing. Back to the campsite to plan routes back and packup. It has turned cloudy and therefore cold today, no sun so it feels like real Autumn. Time to go home.
Friday
Traveling up country past Lyon, Reims and Dijon, staying overnight at a farm site then on up to Calais on Saturday. Sunday morning off to catch the ferry and then driving back home.

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Monday morning and the trip back to France. We drove up to Argeles sur Mer on the French coast south of Perpignan. A lot of campsites are closing down at the end of September and we booked into La Chappelle until Saturday, when it closes at lunchtime. We set up camp and later on walked across a wood to the beach.There are no dogs allowed on the beaches here at all, although there was one beach marked a lot further down the coast where dogs could go. We found it difficult to walk anywhere with Ellie off the lead in Spain,  but here was a large pine wood and then a quiet road with no traffic and then a wide promenade that seems to go for miles along the front so we had a good walk down there. We then carried on into the town for some dinner, there were a few bars on the front that looked lively but when we looked for a meal, the places we had earmarked were closed, in fact it seemed a bit of a ghost town. We picked one restaurant that was open with a couple of people in it but had a poor meal, probably the worst we have had in France. We had said that everywhere we went, the standard of food was really good, even in very touristy places. The waiter couldn’t even print out our bill as the machine was not working so we had to go to the till to pay in cash and he couldn’t find enough change for us.

Tuesday

A disturbed night Pourquoi? I have no idea but we were both awake in the night for a while and le chien aussi. She has been sleeping in her cage in the awning and seems very content in there, although we do not fasten her cage and suspect that she sometimes goes for a little wander early morning before coming and talking to us through the fly screen to say its time to wake up and by the way its my breakfast time. She was shaking her head a lot and licking her paws again so I think it might be allergy to something round here. She also , after chasing the ball, started limping again, so is quite lame, but doesn’t understand the rest command. We spent some time today looking at campsites and routes onward and even (Oh no) planning our journey back home. We made a big !unch and had a snoozy afternoon.

Wednesday

We drove up the coast to Port Valeres, a very pretty village and harbour and had a wander round before having lunch. I had one of the fresh fish that the waitress brought for me to see that were from the fishermen across the road at the harbour. We had an interesting chat to the couple on the table next to us, she was French and he was English and they had been living in Essex for the last 30 years, here on holiday, but he had promised her that when they retired they would return to France.  She did say that the driving was much better in England than France, not sure about that but we have been cut up once or twice by stupid overtaking. We then drove up to Fort St Elme on the headland between Port Valeres and Collioure, which was a massive fortification built in the time of Charles V and was full of armour and drawbridges and weapons. He apparently ruled most of Europe and a good chunk of South and Central America in his day. There were some amazing views from the terraces surrounding the fort. We then drove onto the next headland where there was a lighthouse and enjoyed the views along the coast and down to Spain, which is about 20 Km away. We were amazed at the amount of boats and yachts on the sea, it was a beautiful sunny warm afternoon. Went to the bar on site for a drink later, there are lots of crying babies on this site, those two things are not linked.  So interesting stories of people now and people from the 1500s.

Thursday

We had a drive round the area this morning and a trip to the supermarket where as well as a few bottles of wine I found some frogs legs, which I had been searching a!l over for. Not to eat or buy but just because its so French along with snails, offal, pate, gesirs,croissants and baguettes to say nothing of the wine. Each region has its specialities and we have sampled some of them. We went to the supposed dog beach which had a no dogs sign so we went on the beach which also had naked people on it and there were no signs warning about that. Ellie enjoyed a romp in the sea. We drove to Colliour which has a very pretty harbour and had a fishy lunch. Lovely.

 
Roundabouts, I counted 40 on the map of argeles sur met, which consists of a Ville, town centre inland and a long sprawl of seaside development by the plages. All round the town, the local road planners seem to have bought a job lot of roundabouts (if that is how you purchase roundabouts) and scattered them at every possible junction whether they are needed or not. This made driving in down to the front with the caravan a masterpiece of manoeuvring, especially as at least twice between each roundabout, there is a pedestrian crossing, where people lie in wait, jump out into the road and expect you to stop.We have carefully worked out an escape plan for Saturday that involves the least number of roundabouts to get out of this place.
Friday
We spent the morning on the beach as after driving further down the coast, we finally found the dog friendly beach. Lying there with your eyes shut, listening to the short waves rustling the small stones at the waters edge on the steep beach and also the birds tweeting in the background, feeling the warm sun on your face; bliss.
We went back to change and then drove up to chateau Valmy for lunch at La Table, their in house restaurant. We had a delicious 3 course lunch with a glass of their rose wine. After lunch we indulged in a little wine tasting and purchased a few bottles. Later on we packed up the awning and as much as possible to get ready for off tomorrow morning first thing. The whole campsite is closing tomorrow and it feels quite sad as the end of the season is here.

‌Thursday and the drive to Spain across the Pyrenees, although we were already at a height of 700 metres at Ax les Thermes. I remember Graham saying “Take the caravan across the Pyrenees, you must be joking!” and so here we are. We hitched up the caravan and drove up the wooded steep sided valley with hair pin bends for about half an hour and then through a 5 Km tunnel coming out the other side near the border town of Puigcerda, just into Spain. The valley opened out here and we continued to drive towards another range of mountains and through another tunnel and then onto a very quiet, new looking motorway, which took us all the way to Barcelona. After a couple of hours we could see another mountain range in the distance, which looked very steep and jagged. According to the map this was a national park of Montserrat, whose name seemed familiar to me. We pulled in at a deserted service station which was like a ghost town with all the buildings shut up and the petrol station abandoned, but with a good view towards the mountains in the distance. We ate our picnic lunch and then travelled on, the road getting much busier as we drove through cities on our way down to the coast. We turned off before we got into Barcelona to go to a town about half an hour north along the coast called Mataro, and a campsite just north of the town.

I looked up Montserrat and it is a British Caribbean Leeward island, which is where I had heard the name before. The link is Christopher Columbus, who named the island after the mountain range back home in Spain. Apparently the volcano on the island erupted in 1995 and over half the island became uninhabitable, causing a lot of people to leave, there are less than 6000 people who still live in the north of the island.

Friday

A slow day today, sitting in the sun, reading, writing, sewing, downloading photos, a few jobs. Drove into the town later on and had a walk on the beach although dogs are banned from most Spanish beaches until 30th September but there were few people about. The N11 busy road runs in front of the campsite and then there is the train line right on the coast, which goes from Barcelona to Girona. It took us a while in the town to find the underpass that you can drive through to get to the promenade and the beach. We arrived back at the campsite to eat in the restaurant just as the storm which had been threatening all day broke, spectacular lightning, a little thunder and eventually heavy rain.

Saturday

We drove into Mataro again this morning to find the park. Despite the campsite being dog friendly, there don’t seem to be many places to walk a dog except sandy tracks right next to the trainline ( no security fences or barriers of any kind) or alongside dusty farm fields with tractors buzzing around. We were woken up yesterday morning at 6.30am, before the sun was up by a farmer spraying his maize crop next to us, it sounded like a  helicopter about to take off. Graham took Ellie for a run round the park and I walked into the market to buy some fresh food, getting completely lost on the way back to the car park and keeping them waiting. We then drove round to the beach and went to a restaurant on the front that didn’t seem to have any signs or menus up but looked ok and we were confused about where several places were that we had been looking for. Anyhow we had a really nice lunch of paella.  All this area is very much Catalan, the yellow and red flag is everywhere with Catalan being the first language and Spanish second.

Sunday

We had come here to visit Barcelona and especially the amazing Sagrada Familia cathedral. When we arrived at the campsite on Thursday and checked in, there was a notice up saying there were no tickets available for Friday, Saturday or Sunday as it was fiesta weekend. All tickets were free and of course had all already been prebooked for the next three days. We debated whether to stop till Tuesday but discovered that there were only tickets after 4pm on Monday and it would be difficult to leave the dog in the caravan for the afternoon and evening. We decided to go anyhow into Barcelona on the courtesy bus at 9.15am on Sunday and try and get a train back mid afternoon, which we did. We seemed to spend a huge part of the day travelling, bus, then tube, tube, sagrada, tube, lunch, tube, train, taxi but it was amazing as always. We only saw the outside of the cathedral but they are still making huge progress with new parts being added since we were there last December. We went down to the beach for lunch and there were hoards of people, street sellers and market stalls, interesting buzz going on everywhere. When we got back to the caravan mid afternoon, Ellie was pleased to see us but had obviously had a snoozy day on the bed in the caravan. A lot of travel and a busy day and a reminder of how long it takes to get around the city. Packing up and moving on again tomorrow after our brief interlude in Spain.