Bordeaux and the start of Spain

Monday, 9th September 2019
Today we decided to check out the local area of Bordeaux. And then we hit traffic, but it is the same in every country. It is  there everywhere. We meander and weave our way through the congestion, and follow our gps directions to get to the centre of Bordeaux. There is a lot of  road works happening in the city centre, and turns are missed, and redirected, but eventually we find a car park and set off on foot to explore the area. First we start with coffee at Starbucks. This is to be our landmark for our return. We walk about marvelling at the place and the combination of the old and the new, There are many ancient remenants still about, amid the hustle and bustle of the city life. Once again, endless steets that seem to go on forever, with them filled with people. Trams running through the middle of the heart of the city, all cohabitating along very well. There are no warning signs about the Trams, it is just a given that you will hear and see them coming. There are people on bikes, scooters, skate boards, all going about their business, and tourists taking in the sights. We decide to research if there is a hop on hop off bus service for the city, and yes there is one, but not hop off, a city sightseeing bus. Off we trot to find the office of Tourism to secure a seat on the bus. We have not done the bus tour thing again since our experience in Belfast. We get to the Kiosque to get tickets and board the bus within a couple of mins of it leaving. I am so glad we did do this bus tour, we saw so many sights and the commentary was very informative. And there was no stopping and getting off, it was great, plus the weather was once again perfect for the open top tour. As part of our tour, our ticket entitled us to a free Bordeaux treat, a Canele, a small French Pastry flavored with rum and vanilla with a soft tender custard in the center, which was very nice, but not on the diet, but still nice.
I find a couple of shops to look in, and then we make our way back to our place in Yvrac. A great day.

Tuesday, 10th September 2019
Ok, so today is going to be a lighter day of travel, visit a vineyard in the Bordeaux region. We had a particular Winery to go to, Chateau Talbot, due to the family associaton on Bobs side. This is an hour drive, and we pass many many wineries and vineyards. Vast areas of grape growing countryside. Some more elegant than others with their entrances, and their esteem in the wine world. We arrive at our destination only to find it is only open by appointemtn only. hmmmm oh well, next.
So we retrace our tracks to a flash looking place we past on the way, and stopped in. This time they were open, but were not doing any more tours for the rest of the day. This was at 1.15 pm. Ok, onto plan B which is our next destination, Le verdon sur Mer, a point of an inlet. We stopped and had lunch here, which was the largest salad I have had for a very long time, even Bob was almost beaten by the size of the salad. We start to make our way back to Bordeaux, when the plan is changed and we are now going to Chateau de Corens. Apparently they don't need prior appointments and they are open for the day. We arrive just after 3 and join a tour that is already underway. The guide doesn't speak English, but  we say that is ok, as we join the group, which is 3. Fortunately for us, there is a young man who is willing to help us understand and does a little translation for us. We get to finally do some taste testing after quite some distance travelled for the day, and the wines are very pleasant. Mission accomplished. We head back, grab something light for dinner and retire for the evening.
We leave the area tomorrow and leave France for a couple of months.

Wednesday, 11th September 2019

Today is a big day for the two of us, as neither one of us have been to Spain before. Bob is excited about this, something new for both. Although, he had not been to the UK or Ireland before either. We started our journey to Castro urdiales which is a 4hr trip,  with a waystop at Arcachon that will increase our time travelling. But, this is a good thing, as we have all day to get to where we have to be. Our trip is good, and we are amazed by the constant stream of trucks on the road, one after the other. We figure that they are not supposed to over take, but some do. They do however, have to stay in the one lane when not overtaking. Bob and I share the driving as we have done most of the time we have been away, and I get to drive in Spain first. Well, once again, there is no significant sign to say we have crossed the border. The only way we know we have is the road sign language has changed and we have looked on the road map to see where about the border is on the highway.
The area we are in, is close to the Pyrernees mountains, and we skirt around them to get to our destination. We arrive at our lodgings, and the mother of the host gets to show us to our unit. This is very interesting as none of us speak each others language. First of all, she asks with hand movemets if we have a car, so she shows us where to park the car, and with her guidence, Bob gets the car parked in the under ground car park. Next we go up to the unit. This lady shows us all the things we need to know, and we take what we can from her instructions, and showings, which we understand pretty much.  So after taking some time to rest, we decide to get our luggage, and assorted other things we need out of the car. We are on the 4th floor, and thankfully there is a working elavator. So we get our stuff, and get to our door and guess what, we can't unlock the door, and neither of us have our phones with us, as we were only going to the car. We try with brute force to try and open the door with the key, but to no avail.

 So with no phones, only my tablet in the car and Bobs new phone that has no sim in it, we head off to find a McDonalds or somewhere where there is free Wifi. We find Burger King, alais Hungry Jacks in Australia, and try to find a park, but we have no money as all the money cards are in the unit. So we park next to Burger King and use their wifi, in a side street with no parking signed on it. Cars come and go around us, some beep their horns and some just cruise past. We sit here for about 45 mins trying to log into the wifi and send a message to our host explaining what has happened, all the time with the hazards lights flashing. Eventually she replies and organises the mother to come over, after instucting us to try the door, but pull it as we unlock it, which Bob did before we left. So back we head to our unit, and presto, we get in, but not as easily as our host said, it was pure force and determination that got us in I am sure. Anyhow a message is sent back letting them know we got in.
So opening the door now, is a job soley for Bob, as I can't seem to manage it, and panic about no being able to unlock the silly thing. As a result of our ordeal, we now have to find something for dinner, and lucky for us there is a Mcdonalds just up the road, that we are able to walk too. Which incidently didn't show on our search when we were looking for resturants earlier, or I didn't scroll down far enough. So we take a walk to Maccas, and walk back, and hope like crazy we can get in again. Bob seems to have mastered the door now, thankfully. Day is done.

Thursday, 12th September 2019
After a nights sleep we are ready to explore the day around Castro Urdiales, after I have done some washing. So mid morning we head off on foot to look about this place. It is a very plesant place with boats and a marina, and lots of rocky outcrops exposed and raising out of  the sea aswell. There was a great park not far from where we are staying,  which fronts onto the Atlantic ocean with rock walls.  We walk all day, and explore the many streets, that seem to be mainly bar, and cafes. It is bright and vibrant, and there are lots of people out and about, with their dogs, meeting friends and having a drink. There is a lovely little beach with sand, that has lots of people on it, soaking in the sun. It's interesting to see all the people with chairs are facing the sun or they themselves are facing the sun, taking in all the sun they can get. I guess the heat here is different here to back home. Anyhow there are all sorts and body types sunbaking on the beach, with the occassional topless ones aswell, not just the men.
The walkway along the beachfront is paved and is nice and wide. Very pleasant for strolling. We find somewhere to have a bite to eat, and keep on exploring the area. We find that true to the Spanish culture, they have their seista in the middle of the day, and many shops close from around 12.30 to 3pm and some even later.
We go to an Orange phone shop to get Spanish SIM cards as we are going to be here in Spain for a couple of months. Of course we didn't bring our passports with us so we have to go back tomorrow. We head back to our accommodation and rest, then go out to get some essential foods for the next couple of days. Once again our phones get used to interpret what things are, and the pictures work well too.  So mission accomplished, we have our supplies and we head back to cook our  evening meal, then retire for the evening.

Friday, 13th September 2019

Ready for another day, did a little more washing,  then rested for part of the day. We went out to get the SIM card sorted, with passports. Success. To date we have had SIM cards from Canada, France, Ireland, france again and now spain. Each time we have had to change phone numbers. We have almost got this. Lol, we found somewhere to have  lunch after walking for awhile. Even though we don't speak the language, we are picking up the essentials, with the help of modern technology.  It is nice to sit back and watch the world and their dogs go by.

Saturday, 14th September 2019

Today we are off to explore the region  near to us. We start on our way to Santander, which is about an hour away. Beetling down the highway, Bob makes an executive decision to have a look at a place called Laredo. So we detour into this place, and drive around. trying to find the beach. We found somewhere we wated to stop at, but parking was a huge issue, so we just kept motoring on, then we found another place, and parked the car.  Had a quick wak about the cafes that were there and decided on one to have some lunch. We are trying to eat in a more healthier way, so we need to see whats on the menu. The place we settle for was great. The waitress spoke a little English and gave us a menu which has words that we understood. It was a good salad lunch we had, and the ambience of the place was great. There were a few locals there all seemingly very happy, and then a group of Danish push bike riders entered and added to the athmoshpere.
After lunch we strolled down the street, trying to find the beach again. We followed where others were heading and eventually found it. The beach was sandy, and there were lots of people enjoying the sun and children playing like all kids do. We head back to the car, and decide that is enough for one day, so we make our way back to the unit. All in all a very pleasant day.
When we get back to the unit after we have cooked and eaten dinner, we decide to see what our trip tomorrow is going to be like. Good thing we did this, because next trip is a 6 to 7 hrs trip. Hmmmmm, how did this happen. This means we have to leave a little ealier that first thought. We are heading into Portugal. So we start to pack up and take things down to the car that we don't need for the rest of the evening just to make it easier in the morning.

Sunday, 15th September 2019

Today we leave  on our long trip to Ponte de Lima, Portugal. We share the driving with me starting the first stint. There isn't a great deal of traffic on the road, and Bob researches the absence of trucks on the highway. It turns out, there is a ban on heavy vehicles on the roads on Sundays, from 10pm Saturday to 10pm Sunday. This makes it a easier trip although the trucks are not usually a problem, as they have their own lane to be in. After about 3 hours we start looking for somewhere to have some breakfast, and pulled into one place, and it was very busy, so we left hoping to find something else along the way. We stop to put some fuel in the car, at a service station, but not  just a service station, but a station with service. The guy came out to fuel the car, which took Bob by surprise, as you can well imagine. Something that has not happened for a very long time in Australia.  We had pulled up near to the deisel bowser and the attendantand gets set to put the fuel in, I jump out and say to Bob, to stop him as its deisel.   But he has it all under control. The service station is busy as there has been a detour from the main highway, so a few cars and and bikes were using the station aswell. So we get the fuel in, again with a language difference, but its  a normal thing, and we head off again. Eventually we get back onto the main highway again, but not until we have drive up a mountain, and back down again. We cross the border, and there is a portugese sign with the flag colours on it noting we are in Portugal. We find a place to stop and have something to eat. Again the languge is different, and one of the girls behind the counter speak a little english, so it makes it easier for us to tell her what we want.
Back on the road agian and Bob at the wheel now, we continue on our journey. Eventually we arrive in Ponte de Lima, a little ealier than anticipated, as we told our next host we would be here at around 5.30, but due to  Portugal having an hour time difference from Sapain, we are an hour or so ealier. We find a Mcdonalds to use the wifi so we can contct our host explaining and asking if we can gain access earlier. Unfortunately it was not suitable for us to get in much earlier, as he was out of the town area. So we wait for a whie at Mcdonalds then find our way to our next abode.  We get to the said address, after a couple of missed turns and can't find the number we are looking for. This requires some further investigating. so we hop out of the car to find the allotted number, and presto we find it. Now we wait for our host to materialize, and he does. He shows us to the apartment, and Wow this place pretty smick. Very flash. It will do us very nicely. All done out in black and white, air conditioned and with electric shutters that makes the place totally dark, not that that really stops me waking early.  We have a meal of left overs from the previous night and relax for the evening. There is large flat screen tv,  and a smaller one in the bedroom. AND pay tv is actually in English with portugese subtitles. Yippee, we can even watch normal tv shows.

Clesse 2nd to 8th September

Monday, 2nd September 2019
 Today the school children go back to school, as this is the start of their school year, We decided to take a drive to Poitiers, a journey of about an hour, and 65kms. After I make some facetime calls to my children and Friend, we hit the road. The weather is once again perfect, and the trip to our destination is hassle free. Deciding to have lunch at Subway, we make this our first stop, and find over the road is a Hyper market, which we duly note, as we do have some shopping to get before we leave the town. After we have eaten, we head for the centre of town, and find it, but do go up a streets that we couldn't go to far on, as it had a bollard in the middle of it, unknown to our gps Karen. So after backing back a small distance, we try again for the car park, and manage to nail it with out to much issues. We find ourselves in the middle of the old part of Poitiers, where there are lots of restaurants and Cafes, some are open, and some are closed due to the time of the day. We pass by the Eglise Notre-Dame La Grande and take a look inside this building. Inside the church the walls and columns are brightly painted and there are great stained glass windows. Once again, the mighty statues and ornately carved wooden furniture is always present.
We move onward to explore the maze of streets, and open areas, and find the Salle des Pas Perdus - Palace of Poitiers. This was not open due to refurbishment work that was going on, but it is a large hall, that Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine's palace, and up until recently housed the Palace of Justice, and dates back to the 9th century. We continue our walk about the streets, and find the most wonderful city square, that has the most beautiful building all about it. One of which is the Hotel De Ville, dating back to 1875. Such a grand building, I guess it would have to be the Place to be way back then and even now.

We walk on further, now looking for the local Orange phone place, and head off, in what I think is the right direction, following my gps on the phone. Alas we seem to be getting further away from our destination, so I hand the phone to Bob and let him sort it out, and next minute, a man steps up to us and asks if we are lost. Hmmm did it look that obvious,lol. We tell him where we were aiming to be and he tells us to follow him, he will show us as it is not far, and he says this in very good english.  Very nice of him to do this, and we try to engage in small conversation, of which we learn he is a nurse, and has lived here all his life. So after a short walk, we are pointed into the right direction, and off we go. Turns out, we were closer to it, before we started on our walk about the centre. So all ends well, and we head back to the car, and stop to do our shopping and head back to our accommodation to do battle with the flies.
I know we have flies  back in Australia, but they have them here too, and with no screens on the houses, it is very annoying, but Bob has sharpened his fly swatting skills, and is now very good at getting them, and the evidence is on the floor, but first on the shopping list is fly spray, as we used the last of what was here, a few days ago.

Tuesday, 3rd September 2019
A quiet day today, lots of resting, and chilling.  We decided to have a picnic tea, at the local park just out of Clesse. It is a lovely spot, and we where the only ones there for a good while. We walked around the pond there, that is used for fishing at the right times of the week. I saw a couple of fish jump clean out of the water, which was really good. It was a very peaceful place, and was good to have a meal with out having to battle with flies. A couple of people came later to walk their dogs around the area, and that was all we saw.

Wednesday, 4th September 2019
Today we went for a drive to Thouras, which is 42kms, 38 mins trip.This is another old city, with buildings dating back  to the 13th century. The most notable building was the Chateau des Ducs de La Tremoille. An amazing building built on the river Thouars, in the 17th century and was one of the most important castles in France, with a facade of 110 meters long. You can still see most of the walls that were built around it.  We took a walk about the streets, and took in the other sites of the area. We took a walk about the centre of Thouras, and found again many little streets to wonder about. We  found a building that must have been a church at some point in time but now it was being converted to a something to do with wine barrels and music. The lady who we approached about it, was ever so helpful, and even though we both spoke different languages, and didn't understand each other, with the help of drawings and a hand gestures, we got the general idea.

Thursday, 5th September 2019
Today was a day of washing, as we are leaving our abode on Saturday, and taking advantage of having a washing machine, seemed a sensible thing to do. We have found that some places we stop at don't always have a washing machine. In the afternoon, we take a drive into Bressuireto hand back the airbox that has been on loan to us. We also try to find a special cable for the external drive, because we have come across very old tvs that don't have usb ports. Remember the big old square ones, probably a early nineties model, thats what i am talking about. Anyhow no luck finding the cable, except online.

Friday, 6th September 2019
Day of sorting things out, and getting stuff repacked again. After being in one place for 3 weeks, we have to gather our belongings and place back into suitcases. I do the last load of washing. After lunch, we decide to drive into Clesse for the last time and have a beer at the local bar/general store.
Our time here is drawing to a close, we have explored most of the local area, and other villages, it has been good, and relaxing.

Saturday, 7th September 2019
We leave Cleese after doing a bit of cleaning and the usual stuff that needs to be done. We are on the road by 9.30 and have a 2hr and 30 min drive and thats without a couple of waypoints that we have tailored into our trip. This first one is to a place called Rocheford. We grabbed a bite to eat, then did a bit of a drive aroud. Found a huge bridge, which is still under renovation. It is a  platform between two uprights and itis the visitor tourist center.  It is called the Transporter Bridge, and virtual trips can be taken there.
Next scheduled stop is Cognac. We figured as we were passing the area, we might aswell check it out. After some research, we find the Remy Martin boutique, and are given directions to the chateau, and we got there in time to catch up with a tour that had just started. It was very interesting, and lots of great aromas as we entered each building. Some of the barrels that they use are well over 100 years old. This place had 150 000 barrels in strorage, and an interesting fact, is that they lose 5000 barrels to Angels tears. Meaning that evaropation is takes those 5000 barrels. We got to the end of the tour and then to the taste testing. I guess it was a good thing for the bank balance that I didn't really take to the taste of Cognac. Some of the more high end products were over $5000. But when you understand that ageing process and the quality of the decanter that it is sold in, it makes it a little more understandable. The decanter of one of these items is made from Baccarat crystal, and has gold on the lable. Not to shabby.
Our next destination is a little place just outside Bordeaux, called Yvrac. Our host was here to meet us and what a great little place we have secured. Our host, Kristoff, was a very frendly man, who made us feel very welcome, going though everything that we needed to know, and showing us how the coffee maker works. His thoughtfull touches made it very easy to relax after our day of travelling.

Sunday, 8th September 2019
A day of exploring the local, and ended up being not so local area. Our plans were to head to Bergerac and check it out, but unbeknown to me, Bob had another destination in mind, only we had to find it on the gps. Anyhow, Domme was found  and we twisted and turned our way  down some narrow roads and found Domme. But on the way, there was some awesome views of dwellings built into the side of cliffs and villages on the River banks. All thriving and bustling with tourists and locals having a day out, as the weather was perfect. After we make our way up the side of a mountain, we come to Domme. Wow, what an amazing place nestled up on the mountain side, and overlooking some serious cliffs. This is a village that is bustling inside a stone wall, dating back to  1281. Interesting fact, in 1307 the Knight Templars were imprisoned in Domme during a trail against them.
There are many and endless streets filled with shops with  all discriptions of wares to sell. From art work, jewellery, ice creams, wind chimes, clothing and bags,  foods stuffs  and all manors of gourmet delights, all in French, of which I have no idea what some of them were. After a light lunch, we decided to go into the caves and see the world of stalagmites and stalactites. It was interesting, even though the tour was done in french.  Our guide was able to speak english, but diidn't have the time to translate everything for us, he did however, answer any  questions we had, and also warned us of low clearance areas, which was a bonus for Bob, although there were some areas where everybody had to duck.  A worth while tour. Back above ground, we head back to our abode, with a detour to a grill for dinner. We missed a turn and had to travel about 3  kms to get back to the resturant, when it was just virtually over the road from us, but it was worth the added kms.

Clesse France 19th to the 25th August

Monday, 19th August 2019
Today, we went to a place recommended to us by the lovely woman ( Sophie) at the Orange phone shop, called Largeasse. It was a 20 mins drive from where we are, and it a very nice area, with picnic tables and toilets there. It has large granite boulders all about that have been exposed due to weather eroding away the soils over hundreds of years. There was a small stream running though the park area, which added to the peacefulness of the park. We could imagine how busy this place might get over the weekends and in the perfect summer days.
Next we went onto a place called Coulon a drive of 58kms, and takes 59 mins. This i21sts another wonderful little town, with a lovely canal running through the town, of which there are small boats you can hire to paddle through the canal system, or you can get a Gondolier to do the hard work for you. We were happy enough to stroll along side the canal and take in the views of locals and French visitors. We had a perfect summer day, and found a Café, which was very good, and offered light lunches, and little English, so we have to make do with Bobs knowledge of French and decide what to have. We ended up with a great lunch, something like crepes but savory, Galettes. These are made with buckwheat which makes them different for crepes, anyhow they were very nice.
After lunch, we walked around the myriad of streets and laneways, which are a common theme throughout France which also includes shops closing at 12 and not reopening until 2 or 2.30 pm.

Tuesday, 20th August 2019
Today was a quiet day, nothing much done. Took a drive into Clesse and walked about the village. In the centre of the town roundabout there is this great little windmill and water wheel setting.

Wednesday, 21st August 2019
Today we travelled to La Rochelle, a distance of 122 kms, and travel time of 1hr and 47 mins approx. Once again the weather was wonderful, and this place was a good place to travel too. So much history and many old buildings still about after some 500 hundred years or so. We found what appeared to be a man made beach, where you can hire a deck chair for the day, inclusive with a beach umbrella, and nice golden sand, but still, not quite the same as our fabulous Queensland beaches. There were people in the water, sunbaking, kids playing, all things everyone does at the beach.
We toured the old towers, which protected the harbour back in the day and took in the music from the man that was playing some sort of bag pipes. He was very good. We climbed up the towers, Bob, went up to the top of other first one, I didn't go up there, then I went up into the second one, and Bob stayed at first floor.
After exploring the towers, we meandered through the market that was on, and took in many of the artworks that were on display by locals, and some of the work was very very good, in unique styles. We walked down to the old part of the town street which dates back to the 1300's. Pretty amazing stuff.
Another interesting fun fact, or not so fun if you don't have the coin, is there are quite a lot of places where you have to "spend a penny" or euro, to use the public facilities. We just take for granted back home so the need to have a few coins in your pocket is really quite important over here. But we are getting a bit smarter, and looking about restaurant's that we use, and using that phrase, "Never let a chance go by" is really quite legit here for us. A very pleasant day indeed, and it's always good when we learn something about where we go to.

Thursday, 22nd August 2019
A chill day. Took a drive into Bressuire to get a few things, and discovered that the car has decided it doesn't want to lock.
Took the external drive to a computer repair man in Bressuire to get fixed as we can't access the movies and tv series that we have got on it. We are to pick it up on Monday.

Friday, 23rd August 2019
Rest day

Saturday, 24th August 2019
to be updated
Sunday, 25th August 2019

to be updated

The end of UK, starting of Clesse, France.

Monday, 12th August 2019
Today we leave Montacute, it has been an interesting and very enjoyable time spent here. It is has historical significance,  been a source of absolute amazement, and surprise. We join the younger Hockeys and travel on to Stone Henge. A trip of an hour, and we find we get there on time for when our ticket booking are for. There is a small wait at the ticket counter, then we advance to wait in line for the shuttle buses that take people to the stones. Fortunately, we don't have to wait that long, as buses leave every 5 mins. We get to Stone henge, and I am in awe of the formations that are before me. These rocks, were placed here 4000 years ago. There are two types of stone here, Bluestones and Sarsen stones. The largest of the Sarsen stones weighs 50 tonnes, as was transported 25 miles from where Stonehenge is.  The Bluestones, came from Wales, a distance of 140 miles away, and they weighed 3 to 5 tonnes each. Blows one mind to think about how they managed to get them here let alone stand them on their end. Another interesting fact, is they are not just sitting on top, they have been sculptured so that when they are in place they are jointed together, with holes having been carved out so that the pointed piece fits securely into the carved out hole.  In the fields around are mounds of land, which are burial sites called Burrows. There are around 300 of these bronze aged burial sites within 3 kms of Stoneheng. It was a most fascinating place, and full of wonder.
This is where we say farewell to Sam, Marnie and Angus, as we each have different ways to go. Sam, Marnie and Angus are going to Paris this afternoon, and we to London. Arriving in London, we check into our motel, just before a deluge of rain, then we take the hire care back to where we picked it up, and head back to our room. It has been a good day, but the end of our UK adventure. I have loved England, and more so Scotland and Ireland.

Tuesday, 13th August 2019
After a light breakfast at the motel, we check out, and cross the other side of the road to hail a cab, as the man in the motel reception said that would be the quickest way to get one. After about 10 mins we manage to hail one that is empty, and make way to the Victoria Bus Terminal. We have an hour to wait for the bus to leave at 10, so we just watch the world go by. Once on our bus, we are on our way to Dover. This is a 2 hr and 45 min trip. with a couple of stops on the way. The bus started of 3/4 full, but by the time we get to the P&O Ferry terminal, there are not so many onboard.
We check into the ferry terminal, and the lady asks us if we want to catch the next ferry, as we are in time to take it, and we wouldn't have to wait and hour for the next one, so this is done. We go through the customs and get our Passports stamped, which is a bonus, as getting ones passports stamped these days is a non event when you enter into another country. Our Ferry trip is a two hour trip, and the waters are calm, and the trip was pleasant. It was awesome seeing the White Cliffs of Dover. they are something to be seen,
When we disembark from the Ferry at Calais France, we have the man for the car yard waiting to meet us, to take us to collect the car we have for the next 169 days. It was organised that he would be there with Bobs name waiting, and he was. Bob has never had that happen, so it is now ticked off the list. As we wait for our luggage to catch up with us, he suggests he bring that car over. And while he does that our luggage arrives, and when we turn around to find our man, he is driving a black Hummer. This is our ride from the terminal to the depot where our car is waiting for us. Trust me, this was a real buzz for me, and Bob, another thing to tick of the list, even though it might not have been on it to start with, it was now and ticked off.

Ok so to the depot, we to collect out car, a Dacia Sandero Stepway. We go though the paperwork, and set off for our next stop, a motel in Calais. With this done, we settle in, have some tea at the restaurant, and call it a day. 

Wednesday 14th August, 2019

Today we have some distance to travel, and set off after breakfast, onto our next stop for one night in Valframbert. It is a 4 hr trip, and that's not with fuel and food stops.as the car didn't come with a full tank and we are making a detour to Dunkirk. So we put into the navigation system fuel stations, and get to the first one, ok, its only for trucks , next fuel station we go to doesn't take visa cards, and same thing with the next station we go to. Who would have thought that getting fuel would prove so difficult. But we did strike this problem when we were in France before. Eventually we find a station and refuel. We get to Dunkirk, have a bit of a look about, and head off.  Once on our way again, we continue to our destination, and check in. Once again, the room is small and the shower is even smaller, but all we need a somewhere to sleep. 

Thursday 15th August, 2019

Today would have been mums Birthday, so she has been in my thoughts today. August, in particularly this week is a very busy week for birthdays.

We have breakfast at the motel, and head of for our next place to stay for a month. We are both looking forward to being able to relax for a while with out having to pack up every couple of days, and just to relax. Clesse, is our next destination, this is roughly a 2hr trip. Next stop we make is at

Le Mons, the 24 hr racing circuit. Today is a public holiday apparently, so there is next to no one here, we walk though to the race track and observe there are bikes racing, and figure it must be a practice day. For those who do not know, like I didn't, this is where they hold a 24 hr formula car race. On the road again, continue onwards towards our destination. The roads become narrower and narrower as we get closer to Clesse. With today being a public holiday, it is strange not having much traffic on the roads. We get to Clesse, and it is a very tiny village, and as we drive through, don't see anything in the way of shops or even pubs.We wanted small villages and this is what it is.  Anyhow onto where we are staying, and it is 3 kms out the village. We find the place, and we have arrived early and not everything has been done, but that is ok, we wait. Once we get in and take the luggage out, we have to go into somewhere to get some groceries for the next few days. We ask our host and she suggests Parthenay. So off we go to find a shop that we are able to get some supplies. Parthenay is about 20 mins from where we are so not to far away, but the shopping centre we find is just one huge shop. All is good. we get what we need, and head back, have some tea, and settle in. Our host called in on us while we were eating dinner, and gave us a bottle of Apple juice that they make on the farm here as it is an apple orchard were we are staying, 

Friday 16th August 2019

A morning of washing, and just relaxing. 

In the afternoon we went for a drive into a place called Bressuire. A nice place, and as we were walking along the shops we asked  a lady who was stacking boxes outside ready for the recycle men to collect, if she could tell us if there was a local grocery store near. And in her perfect English she gave us directions for the shopping area. She was from London, and has been here for 14 years. 

Saturday 17th August 2019

Bit of a rainy, windy day today. Didn't do much throughout the day. A day of forced resting.  We did however drive back into Parthenay to find some tea. So we checked out what wss about,  and decided on Vietnamese. Set the gps and tried to find the Resturant. Couldn't find it,  even though we tried three times. But w know where the Gendarmerie station is. As that is where the gps took us each time. So we scraped Vietnamese , and decided on Chinese. Turns out it was a great choice.  This place,  the  Panda Wok, is huge. It is a all you can eat Buffett, including drinks and desserts. Wines, beers, soft drinks, juices, and many other drinks on offer. It is sort of something like a sizzler set up, and line ups just as long.  Luckily for us, we were second through the door, as we were waiting for the place to open.  There was so much food, and if you knew hood top speak French,  you could select raw meats and fish,  and the chefs would cook it for you.  

Sunday 18th August 2019

Another day of forced rest, as the weather is not favorable to be out and about. Rainy, and windy. 

Monday, 5th August, 2019
Today we are exploring the coastline of Cornwall. We start by finding Sennen cove, with lots of other people and traffic every where. It is a very busy, humming, happening place, so we don't stop, as finding a parking spot is highly unlikely. Next we go to Lands End, which is the most westerly point of Cornwall and England. As to be expected, there are many people here, but the place was not what we were expecting. It had many gift shops, and cafes, and a bakery, and assorted other shops. I was thinking it would be an place of where you could wander, with no buildings. But no, which did disappoint somewhat, but we did buy a Cornish pastie, because, we are in Cornwall. But in saying that, there was a bit of information about all the ship wrecks that were out in  the ocean just of the coastline. The coastline is peppered with rocks jutting out of the ocean, and that was only the ones we could see. There would be a lit more at low tide, that sailors in the early times would not have seen. This coast line had the Spanish Amanda sail by it. The channel  between Lands End and the Marin headland claimed 300 ships. 3 are still visible at low tide.
Next we head for Levant mine and Beam engine. Once again, we travel down so dubious roads, all twisty and turny, and at some places, just wide enough for our small hire car that we have. But the narrow road opens up to a car parking place, and it is, as all of them are, a pay and display park. But we were greeting by a nice young lady, who directed us where to park  and gave us some idea of what was here. This done, ( displaying the parking  ticket) we head off  down the hill to gain admission to the mine and Beam engine. A tour guide tells us the history of the place and what life we like for the folks back then. The life expectancy for men in the tin mine was about 40 years of age. The mine started in 1748, and the most astonishing thing is that the tin and copper was mined from underneath the sea bed. And did so for a great number of years. They employed both men and women, as well as children from as young as 8.  We watched the stream beam engine operate, and also I went down into the mine to see where the shaft was. I was fascinated by a clock on the wall in the engine room, as it didn't have numerals on it, but rather the fathoms of where the barrels would be, when they were coming up and down. It's what is called a level indicator which works on cables.

Tuesday, 6th August 2019

Today, we are going to walk the Cobbled causeway to St Michaels mount. Naturally, we have to wait for the low tide, and find the car parking place. When we get to the car parks, there is so many people we see crossing the causeway. It's like a constant stream of ants weaving their way along.  Again we pay our dues to the parking people, and set off to make our crossing. The island has always been accessible at low tide by foot, but in recent years, a cobbled pathway was laid. There is a very strong seaweed odour  as we walk across. We get to the island, and look about the surrounding area. The line up for tickets is long, and we decide to make our way back,  as I am not feeling so well.  Must be from the smell of the seaweed. We go into St Buryan and grab something to cook for tea. 

Wednesday, 7th August 2019.

We leave our bnb accommodation today, and make way to Monacute. This has special relevance to Bob, as it is where his forebears came from. The trip is a 3 and a half hour  trip, but we have got a couple of points of interest to go to on the way. We pass by the RAF seahawk base,  then onto the first one,  Lizard point. The road is up to the usual standard, although, it seems a tiny bit smaller, and a couple of times, someone has had to back up to allow us to get past.  The road winds and we come upon the carparks with the usual parking requirements.  Lizard point is the most southern point in England. There is a working lighthouse, and a few walks if one chooses to do them. It also has a seal colony, of which we veiwed a few. It is amazing to look out at the coast line and see all the jagged rocks, and you just think of all the ship wrecks that are resting out there in the ocean. Back on the road again, and given we still have a way to go, we make one more stop for lunch, until we get to Monacute. Finding our next accommodation is good, and after we check in, we explore the township, starting with the church next door, and the cemetery. During our walk we meet a couple, who live in the town and they tell us some things about the area. We go to tea at the Kings arms, and are enjoying our meal and a Guinness shandy, when I notice some people walk in, and I recognise the three of the 4 faces. They  are a family from my childhood school days. It was my old bus driver Mrs Zerk, and her two daughter, Janeene and Anita. Of which I have not seen for decades. How obscure is that, that here we all are across the other side of the world for a catch up.  My memories flood back of my school memories, and when they settle at their table, I get somewhat emotional, and tear up. Memories of Mum and Dad, and the years that have past, old school days in our little tiny school of Muckadilla, of which my sister and I attended for our primary school education. Each grade had no more than two or three in it, and just the one teacher, and a teacher aid. Mrs Zerk and her family are here doing what Bob is doing, chasing family ties. But it does get weirder, it turns out that Mrs Zerk has a Hockey in her family line, and Bob has a Chant, which is Mrs Zerk's maiden name. Very bazaar. After I finish my meal, I go to say goodbye, as they have a busy few days chasing up records, so no time to sit and chat. I am flabbergasted as to whst has happened,  and will continue to shake my head for a while to come.

Thursday, 8th August 2019

We start the day planning to catch the bus into Yeovil, so check out the historical place. Our host come up and asks us whst we want to breakfast,  Bob had a full English breakfast,  and I have poached eggs on toast. Our host brings up everything, including proper cloth servettets in silver servettet rings. I live using cloth servettets, but don't use the rings, but my grandmother used to,  every day.  So after our breakfast,  we catch the bus into town, and get off in the centre of town. Again it is a bustling place, with musicians playing in the street. It adds to the atmosphere, and we stand for a moment soaking it in, wondering which way to go. We see a sign for the tourist information centre, and head to that. Eventually we find it, and they are very helpful, and direct us to where we need to go. So we now head to the historical place that has been suggested, via a pharmacy, to try and get a script filled that was written in Ireland, but with no luck. Inside the historical place, the lady was very helpful, and remembered emailing Bob at times. Ok, so that mission is accomplished. Bob will come back tomorrow, and do research on his family, and check what he has with records that are here. Next we stroll into the shopping area, I now have a mission of my own, as it is Bob's birthday in a couple of days, I want to sort out the gift I wish to get him. I have done some research, and find the jewellers I was looking at online, while Bob is taking a pit stop. Now, I know I will have to consult him at some point, so I coax him into the store, and tell him what I am getting him. Just to get him to go in was difficult enough, anyhow long story shortened a bit, I want to buy him a eco drive watch, so he has to choose. Choice made, now come the time to pay for it, after Bob says the watch won't fit, so he tries it on and presto, it does. The gods are with me so far, but now they abandon me. I use my card to pay via the contactless method, and nothing, I try again and it gets voided again. Third time, I try my other card and use a pin. The ladies say they need to make a call to verify the transaction. Hmmmm. So off they go, and come back to say it didn't go through, meanwhile, I check my account, and the transaction has gone through as the money is taken out of my account. I show the sales lass this, and she asks if we have any shopping to do. So we go and get coffee. I go back to the store, and check my account, and the money is back again, so I ask where the closest atm is, go and get the cash, and watch is paid for. 

We catch the bus back, and decide to take dinner at the other pub in town, get there, and settle in for our meal, and guess what? Yep, you guessed it, the Zerk family walk in. Who could credit that. 

Friday, 9th August 2019

Today is a bit of a quiet day. Bob went into Yeovil on the bus to go do some research on his family history. I stay back and just chilled. Made a reservation for tea tomorrow night. Took a walk about the village, had a cuppa at the tea house. Went  into the church as I wanted do some quiet sitting, and taking in the church. As i was about to walk in, I  noticed there were people inside. Anyhow i ventured in, and it was the Zerk family yet again. We chatted for a while, and then they left, and I reflected on things that were. I came back to the unit did some needle work. I took a drive into Yeovil and checked out the hobby shop.when Bob got back we went for a drive around the local area, and grabbed something to heat up for tea. 

Saturday, 10th August

Bob's birthday. 

Spent the morning relaxing at the unit. Sam and Marnie and Angus arrived just after one. It was really great to see them. We all went for a little walk, checked out the church again with Sam and Marnie and looked through the cemetery with then. Sam and Marnie checked into their accommodation, which is just around the corner and up the street a bit, it is a barn that has been converted. Very nice. We leave Sam and Marnie and Angus, for a whole, and arrange to meet them at 6. We are running a little late, and when we get to the pub for tea, we discover that as we are late it may make it difficult for the chef, as there is a party of 27 coming. So we choose to find somewhere else, and after some time we do. We had a good meal, and enjoyed having family with us for this special occasion. 

Sunday, 11th August 

Today we have plans to walk up  St Micheals hill and then  check out the Monacute house. We walk the hill and up on the top there is a building of some sort. St Michaels hill, has a story about it, that there was a historical cross found on the hill. There are wonderful views of the town and country side. We go down the hill, and make a stop at the children's playground. There are a few people out with their dogs, walking them up the hill. We continue back into the village, and make a bee line to Monacute house. I never seem to be amazed by the amount of people who are at attractions. Monacute is a small village, but the car park if full up almost, and people are lining up to get in. After we grab a light lunch, we go with the tour to get the information on the house. This is one very impressive building. It was built by a man, Sir Edward Phelips, who was a lawyer, member of Elizbeth 1's parliament, speaker of the house of commons and was involved with the Guy Fawkes trail. then went on to become Master of the Rolls. He inherited land from his father,and it was built in 1598, one would think the house was built by royalty, or nobility, but not this one. It is very decadent in appearance and that was why the whole building was built. The third floor is the longest galley room in the UK. It was a place were guests would go to walk off their meals and exercise. There is a large amount of glass windows, and back in the day, glass was very expensive. The front of the house has about 40% glass. The whole house was to impress everyone who came to it, and it still does today, and not to mention the gardens. It certainly was a wonderful place to go and see. We eventually make our way back to our lodgings, and together again at 6.30 for a meal at the pub at the top of Ham Hill. Ham Hill, has  hamstone quarry, of which the stones are used for building. It is also a place were locals go to walk and exercise their dogs also. This pub, is out in the middle of nowhere,  but is doing a lively trade. It has been a great day. 

Ripley's Believe it or Not - This Cannot Happen!!

BACKGROUND: Roberta went to Primary school at Muckadilla, Qld from the age of 5 until 12. Muckadilla is a small town in western Queensland with a population then around 25. The Primary school served the district and had around 20 students across all grades. Mrs Zirk was the school bus driver picking up the kids for school. The school "bus" was a Ford Station Wagon set up to carry 8 kids. Mrs Zirc had 2 girls and 2 boys of her own. She picked up Roberta and her sister Linda from their farm every school morning.

MOVE FORWARD 40 YEARS: Roberta and I are in Montacute, Somerset, England, a small village of 831. I came here to chase my ancestors who came from Montacute. Last night we are having dinner at one of 2 local pubs, the Kings Arms, when in walked Mrs Zirc and her 2 daughters, Anita and Jannene, who also came for dinner. Roberta spotted Mrs Zirk and "all hell done break loose"

Screams, tears and hugs abounded with the odd "this cannot happen" thrown in.

I sat on the sideline as the conversation flew back and forth reliving those happen days back then.

BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE: Mrs Zirk was in the area chasing her ancestors. Her maiden name is Chant - my great, great,.... grandmothers maiden name is Chant.

WTF!


POSTCRIPT: The one and only Muckadilla Hotel was totally destroyed by fire today. We had a beer there at Easter this year.

Ireland

29th, July 2019
Today, we explore Waterford a little more, but we begin with a tour of the House of Waterford. What a wonderful place to go and see. All the lovely Crystal, but the process of how it is made, is very interesting. We are told about the history of Waterford Crystal, and about the workers. It take 5 years to be a cutter, or a person who blows the crystal, and then a further 3 years to become a master cutter or blower. An apprentice cutter has to sit an exam at the end of their apprenticeship and cut a bowl. This uses ten different cutting wheels, and uses 4 different cutting techniques But the amazing thing is, they only have 8 hrs to complete this. It was a truly great and  very informative tour.

After the tour, we head off to find the Viking things about the town. We found Reginalds tower built by the Vikings, but was rebuilt by the Anglo-Normans,  and stepped into 1000 year old church, Christ church cathedral, which has had a cathedral on the site since 1096.
After we finish exploring Waterford, we leave the town and head for our next stop for a couple of days, a place called Kilmacanogue, which is a 2hr drive. Kilmacanogue is 25kms away from Dublin. After we settle in, and talk with our hosts for awhile,we take a drive into Bray, which is a lot bigger than I expected to be, and we get some essentials for the next 2 days.

30th, July 2019
Our host provide breakfast for us this morning, and it was great to sit and talk about a wide variety of things. Bob has a chiropractor  appointment, just to keep his back in check, and then we venture on into Dublin. I want to go to the Jameson distillery and learn about the Irish Whiskey and how it is made. Once at the distillery, we take the tour of how it all happens. Once again, our guide is very informative and entertaining. We get the pics and make a purchase, and get our free drink and sit to enjoy. As we leave, it starts to team down with rain, so we sit for a few more minutes, and decide to brave it to the cafe across the road and have lunch. By the time we are finished eating, the rain has stopped. We head for the car, and check out the ferry terminal where we are leaving from on Thursday. Then we are back to the lodgings to retire for the day.

31st, July 2019
Our hostts cooked breakfast for us again this morning. We said our goodbyes and thank you's to our hosts at breakfast, knowing we had a 5.30 start in the morning.  Did a bit of chilling afterwards, and the  at the suggestion of our host, we went for a drive to a local spot, called Sally Gap. Again, it is a windey road, but not as much as the Healy Pass road, but still narrow, and mostly one lane. It took us up through the bog lands and up mountain sides. But the views were great, and some of the lakes in there were wonderful viewing.

1st August, 2019

An early start today, as we are catching the ferry and leaving Ireland. I have enjoyed our time here in Ireland, enjoyed it's rugged country, and many streams and green grassy paddocks. We arrive at the ferry terminal a bit early, and get some breakfast. 

We line up to get onboard the ferry with the car,  and don't have to wait to long until we are boarded. Then it's a mad scramble to get good seating, but as we have  had priority boarding, we get to use the club lounge, and there is no shortage of ideal seating spots. The trip across from Dublin to Holyhead is a 3hr 40 min crossing, and the ocean is very calm.
When we have disembarked from the ferry, we are in Wales, and we find a place to study where we are heading to, and to plot the course. Our next stop is at Aberystwyth, a 3 hr journey. Once again, the country side is green and looks beautiful. We arrive at our destination, and check out the lodgings for the night. Parking is at a premium, so it is first in best dressed. We take a stroll around the township after a rest, and discover the beach, a brass band practice, the Aberystwyth University, which was founded in 1872, and it is currently placed in the UK's top 50 out of 154 universities in the UK. It is an amazing building, built much like a castle. Then across the road is the ruins of  the castle, which was constructed in 1277 and completed in 1289.
We walk back to our place we are staying and have some dinner in the Resturant, then retire for the day.
.
2nd August, 2019.
We pack up our gear, and head off to our next stop, Bristol. Our journeys is a 5 plus hour trip, plus stops. We take in the views along the way, and call into Cardiff, so Bob can see the big stadiums that are there. Unfortunately, we couldn't get as close as he wanted to, but he was still able to view these stadiums.  We cross the Prince of Wales bridge, which is quite a large bridge, and enter England. This is the only time we have seen a welcome to sign when we have crossed the borders. Driving into Bristol, and just like many places we have been in, with streets to small for the volume of traffic try g to access them. Cars  have to pull into driveways, when there is oncoming traffic, and parked cars are along the streets, again, it is a first in best dressed situation in the residential areas.
There are rules, but drivers seem to be very aware of each other, and don't seem to take advantage if the situation, and most let will let you in, without any annoyance. Unlike Australia. But it is very nerve racking at the same time.
We find our digs, and after working out that to off street parking for the unit, isn't available, we settle for a park out the front, and hope for the best.

3rd August, 2019.
I have had a very learning day, but also most interesting.
We started the morning with a visit to Brunets SS Great Britain. Our navigator, alias the GPS, alias Karen, took us the round about way, in which we crossed the same river, about 6 times, to get to the attraction. Once we get there, it was worth the crossings. The ship, is a former passenger steam ship, and was the longest in the world from 1845 to 1854. The ship sailed 1 000 000 miles in her time,  and has been restored into an amazing display. It is so well done, with interactive things to get kids and adults involed, and increasing their knowledge, both young and old. This ship is in a dry dock, but because of her age, rust has gotten to bits of het, but they have got the dry dock area humidified, to stop the rust, or at least slow it down. Then when you get on the viewing deck, you can climb the ropes, with attached safety harnesses. Also on deck, there is a line painted that showed where only the first class passengers only were permitted.  Downstairs are the bunks, and steerage, and first class quarters. It was all very enlightening, and the spaces were very small. The first class dining was very  smart, and proper. 
After a couple of hours exploring, we then went onto our next point of interest, the Suspension Bridge. This bridge, was desigend by the same man who designed the SS Great Britain. Isambard Kingdom Brunel. This man was a mechanical and civil engineer. He built dockyards, the Great Western Railway, steamships, important bridges and tunnels. The Cliffton Suspension Bridge, spans the Avon River, and has been there since 1864.
Next stop is Aerospace Bristol. A complete history of planes built by Bristol aeroplane company. Again, an amazing place. Filled, once again with interactive things for the children of all ages. There are planes and parts of planes, and lots of information of it all. Then we go to the Concorde that's on display. It is really cool. An amazing day all round.

4th August, 2019
Today we leave Bristol and make our way to St Buryan, which is a 5 and some hours trip. But we have points of interest along the way, so, it is a full day of tripping about. Our first stop is Bath, which is 25 mins into our journey.  We are a bit early like an hour until opening t tint,  so we wander the streets after we have a cuppa at Costa. While there I had the unfortunate experience of having  to go to the toilet there.  I was forewarned by the lady who came out. She sided up to me and said,  just letting  you know it's a bit smelly in there, I thought ok, fair enough. But when I got I  there,  it was like the eyes watered, and the pungent aroma off urine almost took the breath away.  I know it's probably not something people write about, but our trip is about experiences, and that was one,  anyhow, the coffee was good. After that we walked about the streets and filled in time.  Taking pics of the Bath Abbey, that was founded in the 7th century. Then we went into the Roman Baths, which was the main reason we went there.  It was wonderful experience, and I just marvel at the way these people engineered and built things. It was all so simple, but it worked, and is still standing now.  The hot springs were known about before AD67 as that was when Romans settled in Bath. The hot springs are caused by water coming up to the surface from the earth core, going through layers of minerals. The water is very warm,  and we got to taste it. There were coins that were found and many artifacts from the period all displayed and explained. It was a very good few hours learning.

After here, we get on our way again, and stop a couple of hours later for lunch. We have a carvery meal, as Sunday seems to be the thing all pubs are doing, and we had a great meal. I got to have Yorkshire pudding for the first time, and it was ok. On our way again, and we motor on roads of all different sizes. We take a detour to Port Issac, then get to our destination after travelling down some very, very tight squeezey roads.