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On our way!


Tony Jones

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Just moving out of Portsmouth aboard Brittany Ferries Cap Finistere, bound for Bilbao! Two weeks in Spain, then a week meandering back through France for a Dieppe-Newhaven return. Oops, realised just before boarding that I left the V5, MoT and insurance certificate at home! Never mind, it's Fathers Day so devoted offspring will find and post to relatives in Spain!
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Hi Tony andLiz

I guess you have arrived by now. We are currently in Spain, and it,s getting hotter. We shall be moving north by wednesday, so I shall look out for you. We may cross paths . Have a good trip

PJay

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Guest JudgeMental
flicka - 2013-06-17 9:44 PM

 

JudgeMental - 2013-06-17 10:07 AM

 

You call mid to high 20's to hot........lightweights :-D

 

32 deg in Barcelona for the MOTOGP yesterday ;-)

 

Thats a start I guess......heatwave on the way next month apparently :-D

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Hi all!

First free wifi so far, so here's the update.

Weather so far has been GRIM - and I speak as a Lancastrian! This afternoon is the first time the temp has crossed the 15 mark, and that's only because we kept the nose pointing South. At Pamplona at lunchtime, it was bucketting down and aroun 11 degrees, as it had done at Bilbao yesterday.

 

We stayed in Bilbao when we disembarked because we'd booked a visit to the Guggenheim Museum. The Aire overlooking Bilbao from the hillside was closed and roped, but there wsas a carpark next to it where a few people with caravans had made themselves at home. Couldn't tell whether they were holidaymakers or travellers, but no white vans and no trouble. We left our van there and used public transport into town.

The Guggenheim is a fantastic building, which IMHO deserves some more intersting exhibits. The two exhibitions running at present I didn't find specially inspiring, but maybe that's just me.

 

As I mentioned, it was cold & wet this morning as we headed for Pamplona, and showed no sign of changing anytime soon so we only stopped briefly to make make some cheese on toast for lunch, then kept going. We're now on an ASCI site south of Villafranca, stayign for one night. First time we've been able to sit with the sliding door open - oops, wrong again! SWMBO has just decreed it's not warm enough.

 

Zaragoza tomorrow, then eastwards to meet people at Sitges (and hoping to find those 30degree temperatures!).

 

No.1 Son has agreed to post the van's birth certificate etc, so we should meet that next week!

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Guest JudgeMental
Sitges is lovely but suffering the same weather pattern as France at the moment but temps decent at 24 deg c. you need to go south a bit for decent weather
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Finally found the decent weather, so we're staying an extra night (which meant a bottle of cold white wine at lunchtime!)

We're at the ACSI site by Lake Caspe, very busy doin' nothing'.

Tomorrow is soon enough to head East again, meeting family at Sitges.

And we LIKE ACSI, now that SWMBO is retired and we're not stuck with school hols anymore.

Much more use to us than CC or CCC. Sorry Henry!

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Just to keep you up to date, we're now at Sitges where the weather is gorgeous. Arrived this afternoon.

The "Aire" is really only suitable for "passing through" or for those who carry bikes, as it's just a carpark with a tap, on an industrial estate WELL a\way from the town and beach, and no sign of any public transport. So we're on "Camping Sitges," paying €24 a night (through gritted teeth) for 2 nights. Nice site though, pool, shop, etc all ok, and a bus-stopoutside.

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On Monday we moved on down here to Albir, where we're staying on yet ANOTHER campsite while visiting relatives in the area. Not bad though - right on the front and €16 a night (inc EHU and Wifi), even though it's not an ACSI one.

 

(NOTE: The Aire between Albir and Altea is closed and locked up. I'll try to glean any info about re-opening, and post a new thread if I find anything.)

 

We stopped off at Valencia on the way down - beautiful city with plenty of old/new contrasts, well worth a visit. No idea about camping/overnighting as we only stayed for a long lunch (and tour) with friends.

 

Currently waiting for Liz's niece and hubby to arrive for coffee (and probably lunch). They're takling us for a Chinese tonight, then on to a quiz night (mostly in English apparently!).

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Guest JudgeMental

Nice one Tony, sounds like you're having a great time.......Enjoy! :-D

 

Oh don't rush back weather poor.....

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Tony - Welcome to the sunshine!

If you're up Calpe way in the next few days, I've got two gigs on there this coming weekend:

 

Friday 28th June - "Aleman Bar", Calle La Cometa 2, Calpe (near the Imperial Park Hotel).

All You Can Eat BBQ - superb food, with live music from The Nomad from 8pm, in a lovely outdoor setting.

Table bookings: 622 298 257.

 

Saturday 29th - "Taberna del Port", in Calpe Port next to the Puerto Calpe Hotel, 9pm.

Snacks and food available all evening.

Table bookings - 965 838 825.

 

Kathy will be at both gigs too as driver/roadie!

 

 

The info I heard about the seafront privately run "Aire" between Albir and Altea was that the council shut them down a few months ago as they kept breaching the "no MH's allowed to stay for more than 48 hours" rule in their Licencia de Apertura.

My understanding is that they are hoping to re-open this coming autumn (October?); I assume they WILL only allow short term (ie 48 hours max) stays from then on.

 

I had thought their €16 a night price was a bit steep for essentially a gravel carpark with some basic services, compared to other places in the area where you'd pay about 10 or 12 euros, but it is right on the edge of the sea, albeit on a fairly busy road.

 

 

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Tony Jones - 2013-06-22 7:26 PM

 

Just to keep you up to date, we're now at Sitges where the weather is gorgeous. Arrived this afternoon.

The "Aire" is really only suitable for "passing through" or for those who carry bikes, as it's just a carpark with a tap, on an industrial estate WELL a\way from the town and beach, and no sign of any public transport. So we're on "Camping Sitges," paying €24 a night (through gritted teeth) for 2 nights. Nice site though, pool, shop, etc all ok, and a bus-stopoutside.

Tony, right next door to Camping Sitges is El Garrofer which is ACSI and very informal and well placed. Worth a try nex time you are down that way, we love Sitges and will use this site again.

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BGD - 2013-06-26 11:58 AM

 

The info I heard about the seafront privately run "Aire" between Albir and Altea was that the council shut them down a few months ago as they kept breaching the "no MH's allowed to stay for more than 48 hours" rule in their Licencia de Apertura.

My understanding is that they are hoping to re-open this coming autumn (October?); I assume they WILL only allow short term (ie 48 hours max) stays from then on.

 

I had thought their €16 a night price was a bit steep for essentially a gravel carpark with some basic services, compared to other places in the area where you'd pay about 10 or 12 euros, but it is right on the edge of the sea, albeit on a fairly busy road.

 

 

That would fit. the sign on the gate (which I had chance to read properly today) says they're re-opening on 15 September. Cynic that I am, I thought the local campsite people had nobbled the council to get it shut during their season. €16 IS steep for an "aire," as that's exactly what we're paying on Cap Blanc campsite - which is just as close to the sea, with an actual beach, and nearer to restaurants etc.

 

Tomorrow's our last night here visiting our relatives, back to Sitges on Saturday for a final bit of family stuff, before the rest of the trip is all our own - back through France for 10 days.

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Sitting in Macdonalds in Purley, car thermometer says 14.5C, clients flew in from Mumbai this morning for a long weekend at Wimbledon, with visit to family in Croydon on Sunday, 4 days "as directed " at £40 per hour.Luverly jubbly as they say.

Client came through, bought a paper, read the weather forecast, cancelled the Wimbledon trip and asked me to take them direct to Croydon and cancelled the rest of the booking. They did agree to pay me up to 5.00pm today, but when they asked me if I could pick them up on Monday and return them to Heathrow, just a standard job, I declined impolitely and left. I like to maximise my reasons for being grumpy.

So it's freezing cold, raining, no work for three days, and the muppet who was supposed to come and view our old van with a view to buying has cancelled because he has a cold, after I spent 2 hours in the rain yesterday evening washing the wretched thing, and you can bet that Murray and Robson will lose today, I'm not happy, and all you lot can do is gloat about Spain and warm and sunny.

AGD

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Guest Peter James

Have a Great Holiday!

Incidentally, when I was in Albir in February there were motorhomes wildcamping on the riverside opposite the Mercadonna Supermarket in Albir. Nice and quiet, but a mile walk/cycle through the town to the seafront. :-)

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Fantastic evening last night at the "Nomad's" gig near Calpe. It was great to see BGD & Sparkle again after so long. Both looking very well: Bruce is now a non-smoker AND a non-Baileys drinker, and I'm not sure if it's OK to say so but I'm ALMOST certain Kathy's lost some weight in the last 5 years.

Thanks both of you for a terrific "last night on the Costa Blanca." Northwards today to meet more family, then France tomorrow.

We'll TRY to bring some of this weather home!

 

PS Couldn't downsize pictures to post on this little machine, will do so when possible!

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Tony Jones - 2013-06-29 8:18 AM

 

Fantastic evening last night at the "Nomad's" gig near Calpe. It was great to see BGD & Sparkle again after so long. Both looking very well: Bruce is now a non-smoker AND a non-Baileys drinker, and I'm not sure if it's OK to say so but I'm ALMOST certain Kathy's lost some weight in the last 5 years.

Thanks both of you for a terrific "last night on the Costa Blanca." Northwards today to meet more family, then France tomorrow.

We'll TRY to bring some of this weather home!

 

PS Couldn't downsize pictures to post on this little machine, will do so when possible!

 

 

 

 

 

Great to see you both last night Tony: thanks for coming along, and well done for the great dancing display!

 

Likewise, the photo I was going to post ain't tiddly enough file-size-wise for this websites server, so I'll have to get Kathy to resize it before I can upload it.

 

"Muchas felicidades" for your 40th Wedding anniversary together, and have a great and safe onwards trip in Roxy!

 

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