Madrid to France (part 3)

Week 25 – 19th to 25th November

With the last 2 weeks in the villa having quickly passed by, we now have just 2 weeks left of our European Adventure. We have a fair distance to cover so will be moving pretty quickly, but we wanted it this way so we could spend as long as possible in the warmth of the South!


Madrid

We left the villa on Monday and made the 500km drive to Madrid; we also left the good weather behind and it was now cold and chucking it down with rain! It didn’t manage to rain itself out over night so our day in Madrid was a wet one. It was a shame and meant we didn’t really get to appreciate the city so it will be on the list to come back to some other time.

What we did see seemed pretty nice; some elegant architecture, wide streets, grand art galleries (according to the travel guide; we didn’t partake of course!) but they say it is the vibe and atmosphere of Madrid that is its main draw so perhaps a party weekend here would be the best way to go.

Plaza de la Cibeles (home to Madrids main Post Office!)




The Cathedral (Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almudena)




France – Part 3!

Another long drive the following day took us just back over the border into France. The rain had cleared up, the days clear and the nights cold. At this time of year there are very few campsites open so we are using the Aires; if you are not familiar, these are free (or a couple of Euro charge) stops for motor homes and there are many across France. Often located in small villages, they provide the Aires so you are encouraged to spend in their shops etc. We did a week of this before we left France previously and so feel a little more comfortable with it providing there are one or two others about; however during winter there are far fewer people touring so we shall see how it goes.


St-Jean-Pied-de-Port

We actually stayed at the Aire in this small town on our way into Spain, only this time we managed to take a look into the town itself! It was the eve of England’s football match to qualify for Euro 2008 but this place is too small to house and Irish bar showing the occasion; perhaps that was a blessing given the debacle in the end!

Just a convenient stopping point really, but a pretty little town in the Pyrenees all the same; at the foot of a pass into Spain, enclosed by walls, with a cobbled street forming the old town and the River Nive running through.

The Bordeaux Wine Region

The wine producing area forms a semi circle to the North, East and South of Bordeaux; there are 195 châteaux/vineyards in the area East alone, so if you want to sample local wines a plenty then this is the place to be! Some of the Châteaux’s are very grand and in warmer weather I’m sure a meander to a couple would be a pleasant way to spend a day or two.

St-Emilion

We headed to St-Emilion in the East; a pretty medieval town. Châteaux Gerbaud is kind enough to provide a free Aire, so we spent the night right in the middle of the vineyard. We were the only ones here but it felt safe and the owner didn’t mind giving us a little tour and insight into his winemaking, including a taste of course. We bought several bottles so everyone was happy.

La Rochelle

Having given Bordeaux itself a miss (it was too complicated trying to find a park for the Lunar) we headed to La Rochelle; said in the guidebook to be the most attractive and unspoilt seaside town in France!

Bizarrely, I recall I had a school trip here, though I have absolutely no recollection of the place; even after walking around it, it rang no bells, lord knows what we were doing on that educational experience! As such, I kind of expected it to be nothing special but it turned out to be a lovely town: an unexpected surprise.

It’s an Atlantic port town with the focus very much around the Vieux Port; many boats and yachts were moored, even at this time of year, and the surrounds full of cafes and restaurants. The main shopping street is lovely; the shops set back under the archways and the street lined with 18th century houses.

Actually, if it were located in slightly warmer climate, around here would be a nice place to live.

The Loire

By Saturday we have moved into the next region. This region is home to a huge number of châteaux’s; we wanted to only look at a couple!

Azay-le-Rideau

The village is hyped in the guidebooks and said to have one of the loveliest châteaux in the Loire so we thought this would be a good place to start. In truth we were a little disappointed; the village itself was nice enough but nothing special and although the châteaux looked very nice, there was a 7.50Euro charge to even gain access to its grounds so we declined. That may seem a little tight but if all of them charge similar amounts then it would end up an expensive excursion! So we had to peek through the hedges…

There was an Aire here but just in a car park, so we decided to travel further on to the very small village of Ange. Turned out there was a fair here; quite possibly the smallest one we have ever seen, comprising of a kids merry go round, dodgems, hook a duck and that cuddly toy grabbing machine. Spending just one Euro, Andrew did manage to grab me a ‘quality’ teddy in a dressing gown on his first go! This was actually quite special since he has been trying to win me such a gift since the first day I met him.