October 21, 2013 - Exploring the Dordogne

Bonjour mes Amies,

Breakfast at the chateau does not start until 8: 15 but we were up and ready to go early.  We were first to arrive and the buffet table looked delicious.  Ham and other cold cuts, cheese, yogurts, fruits and cereals and juices.  We were asked if we would like eggs.  I asked for one egg and tell her how I would like it cooked.  She cooked it perfectly.  Fred had 2 eggs.  The young lady asked us what we had planned for our day and gave us even more suggestions of what to visit in the area. Teeth brushed we headed out to Beynac-et-Cazenac an hours drive away from the Chateau.  Beynac is a commune in the Dordogne that was first mentioned historically in 1115 when Maynard de Beynac made a gift to the sisters at Fontevrault Abbey.  We parked in town and started to walk up to the Chateau.  The picture on the upper right was the point where we stopped and Fred returned for the car.  We had paid for parking for a hour and we had already wasted 15 minutes walking to the chateau which was no where in sight.  It was a good thing we decided to return for the car as the drive up was longer than we thought.  We paid our entrance fees and enter the chateau to explore.  We spent a good 1 1/2 hours walking around the chateau more than we had intended but there was a lot to see.

The stables in the chateau were used in a Joan of Arc movie filmed in July 1998.  From the top of the fortress the view down into the valley was fantastic and you can still see the mist hanging in areas. The picture on the left is of the Chateau du Beynac.  Additional pictures can be found on our Flickr site to really appreciate what we saw here.

The picture on the right is a view of the valley and the Dordogne River.  Our next stop was Sarlat-la-Caneda a short 15 minute drive away.  Sarlat is one of the best representative towns of 14th century France and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  When we arrived most of the shops were closed.  We were warned that the French close down between 12:00 - 2:00 pm for lunch and as it was not yet busy we took the opportunity to explore and take pictures.

The town  developed around a large Benedictine Abbey and has a medieval cathedral as well dedicated to Saint Sacerdos.

The picture on the left was taken from the square.  In the square we located a small cafe and had a late lunch of savory crepes, salad, fries and a carafe of red wine and water.  We then headed off to shop.  There were so many Foie Gras stores and they all had offers on as it is the end of the tourist season, so we are spoiled for choice. We purchased some Foie Gras then wine before heading off to our next stop, Chateau de Castelnaud.  We only took a couple of photo's of the chateau as the sat nav chick got confused as there were road closures.  We were hoping to go into the town and check out a restaurant that Andrew, who we met in Spain,  told us about as it had some spectacular views but that was not to be.

Our final stop before heading back to Chateau les Merles for the night was Bergerac.  Bergerac is a market town and has two statues of Cyrano de Bergerac one an old stone statue and a newer more colourful one. Interestingly enough Cyrano never lived in Bergerac.  The historic part of the town is undergoing some major renovations and we or rather Fred did not really check out what there was to see or what the major points of interest were.  Our Frommers Guide had nothing at all to say about Bergerac and Wiki also had very little to say.  We explored a bit of the old town rather handily taking pictures.  It was now rather late, after 5:00 pm and we headed back to the waterfront where we had parked.  The sun was starting to set and the reflection on the river was amazing.
The picture on the right is of one of the bridges in Bergerac over the river Dordogne.  We picked up a ham and cheese baguette for our supper and a chocolate eclair as we had had such a late lunch and were not really that hungry.

Once back at Chateau les Merles we repacked yet again as we now only had 2 nights on the road so there was no need for the big suitcase.  Once this was done we headed down to the bar for a glass of wine.  We purchased 4 cases of the chateau's wine, three red and one white, in hindsight we should have purchased more as one can never have too much wine.  Tomorrow we will start the last leg of our holiday in France as we head back to the UK.

Au Revoir,

Sandy & Fred

Oct 18-19-20th - Leaving Spain and Exploring France

Hola All,

Today we left the resort and headed off towards France.  Our first stop after driving 6 1/2 hours was Alcala de Henares just outside of Madrid at an AC Hotel.  The staff at reception was very laid back.  We were given free parking and free WiFi and when we checked out we found that we were not charged for the drinks we had, but we owned up to them.  The following morning, the 19th we were off by 8:30 am before sunrise.  The picture on the right is of the sunrise taken while we were traveling in the car.  We have not been off and out this early since our working days which was 7 years ago.  The next leg of our drive was 7 hours through some very rugged Spanish country with fields of solar panels which looks like they are growing them as there are so many of them.  The Spanish make good use of mother nature as a power source also using windmills high up in the hills. We headed into Basque country which is very green and full of trees.  We also saw some bridges that still have signs for independence as the Basques want to be separate from Spain.  The towns we pass through look very poor and rundown compared to other areas we have seen in Spain.  France is lush and green and from what we saw has a logging industry.  We pass an area where the logs were stacked and being watered very curious.  We arrived at the hotel in Bordeaux took a short stroll to stretch the legs, then had dinner and an early night.

I'm excited today as we headed out to explore the Dordogne.  At 8:00 am it was still dark.  Our plan was to be on the road by 9:15 with the sun up by then.  It turns out leaving Bordeaux was no easy task.  The highway we needed to take was closed and there are markers for the deviation that you were to take.  Well the detours took us in a circle.  We realized this after following the signs around twice.  Fred found a place to pull over and reprogram the sat nav chick to avoid highways.  We finally got going in the right direction but have wasted 1/2 hour, which

would have had us in Saint Emilion our first stop of exploration.

Saint Emilion is surrounded by vineyards and is on a limestone plateau overlooking the Dordogne Valley.  The wine made in this district has been called "Wine of Honor".  I am surprised that there are things open as it was Sunday and the start of the low season.  The picture on the right is of the Bell Tower of the Eglise Monolithe, the largest underground church in Europe carved by the Benedictine monks during the 9th to 12th centuries.

The roads in Saint Emilion were very steep.  The picture on the left is an example of the narrow steep streets.  Fred manages this hill quite easily but it took me a good five minutes to negotiate the steep incline thanks my knees and sciatica but as they say no pain no gain and I was not about to let anything get in the way of enjoying this vacation.  We spent a couple of hours exploring the town taking in all of the old structures and the wine shops.  To really appreciate the beauty of the town you will need to check our Flickr account.  I have also posted pictures on Facebook as well.

After our visit to Saint Emilion we headed off to Monpazier about an hour and a half drive away.  Monpazier is a 13th century Bastide town begun in 1285 by King Edward I of England who was also the Duke of Gascony.  It is considered a model Bastide even after 7 centuries.

The picture on the right is an entrance to the town.  Sadly, almost every thing was closed.  There were only a few cafes and stores open.  We spent around 45 minutes walking through the town and taking photos. We stopped for a panini of ham and cheese from a little sandwich shop in a side street.  The owners of the shop were very friendly and spoke very good English.  We were joined by two cats one black and white and the other white and tawny.  The black one kept its distance but the tawny one decided that it liked me, rubbing up against my legs as we sat.  I don't know how cats know that I am not a cat lover but they always seem to gravitate to me.  The picture on the left is of a very old grape vine that was growing in the centre of the town square.

Next, we headed to our hotel for the next two nights, Chateau les Merles. This was a short 1/2 hour drive through some very pretty countryside covered with vineyards and Chateau's.

Our home away from home for the next two nights is a golf and country  hotel with its own vineyard.
We were welcomed with a glass of champagne and an amuse bouche of carrots and cucumber sticks with a mustard flavoured mayo, smoked salmon pasta and seranno ham with peppers.  Yummy.  We were then shown to our room after this lovely respite.  The picture below on the right shows our little taste of yumminess. 
 
We settled ourselves in and our room was large and spacious as was the bathroom.  Our room overlooked the garden and the pool.  We headed down to see where we could get a drink and enjoyed a glass of wine in the garden by the pool.  Our red wine was from the Chateau's own vineyard and was very nice.

We made a dinner reservation at the hotel and had quite the gastronomic experience.  Fred ordered a bottle of Chateau Terre Vieille Pecharmant, a very nice red wine for our dinner.  We were given an amuse bouche of mini tart with peppers in it.  My starter was salade "maison" de chevre gratin (grilled goat cheese salad ) that was a meal in itself and absolutely delicious.  Fred had champignons de Paris aux herbes et poireau fruit (mushroom salad).  My main course was escalopes de veau Viennoise, salad des legumes au citron sale risotto.  Fred had "steak au poivres" salade et pomme frites.  The portions were quite large and the food was gourmet.  I am too full for dessert but Fred enjoyed a creme brulee avec vanilla glace.  We were again given another amuse bouche this time a tiny scoop of vanilla ice ceam with chocolate bits and two local pastries.  I asked for coffee American style and explained about my previous experience with coffee, a tiny cup of pure caffeine, far too strong.  The waiter delivered a perfect cup of coffee.

Our day has been full and we headed back to our room to plan our next day of exploration of the Dordogne armed with suggestions from the staff.  Our plan changed a bit as we had wanted to visit  Rocamadour but found out that it was a two and a half hour drive from the chateau so we adapt.

Au revoir,

Sandy & Fred

Oct 16 - 17, 2013 - Lazy Days in Estepona

Hola All,

Our last two days at the resort were for total relaxation with a minor exception.  As Marriott owners we attended an update meeting to ensure we are getting the most out the programs offered.  To be honest, it is really a soft sell to get you to buy in Europe.  We listened to the whole spiel and got prices that were quite attractive had we still been working.  A tempting offer that we refused.  Now on to more important business.  Sunning and swimming for me, shade and reading for Fred.  We had a late lunch of wings again and drinks a large San Miguel for Fred and a Cava Mojito for me.  After 4 hours of sun the flies were again a pain so we headed up to our room.  I decided to get the laundry done before we had our cheese, crackers and Serrano ham for supper.  I thought British washing machines were bad but the washing cycles on these machines were unbelievable.  One machine washes for 1 1/2 hours and the other an hour no matter what cycle you select.  The only redeeming factor was the dryers were North American style so they do dry.  It was a small room and humid so I damp dried the shirts and took them up to hang to finish drying so no ironing. The balance of the laundry was dried and done in about 40 minutes.  Thank God!

The 17th was our last day and I headed down to the pool early.  It was an overcast day to start but still very warm.  We had a snack at 2:00 Quesadilla du Pollo which we shared, to tie us over until 8:00 pm for our dinner and the Flamenco Show.  The pictures of the flowers are of plants on the resort which were taken on one of our walkabouts.  Andrew and his wife Valerie a couple we met from Yorkshire at the owners cocktail reception were leaving and gave Fred 3 beers that they had left over.  We said our goodbyes and headed up to shower and pack as we will be departing on Friday morning.  Once packed we headed down to the pool bar and enjoyed a pre-dinner drink.  My new favorite cocktail a Cava Mojito and a Large San Miguel.

Our seats for the show were right in front of the stage so we had a great view.  Sadly the pictures did not turn out as the dancers movements were fast and it was fairly dark. The food was delicious,
Fred had a small paella to start which was large for being small, stewed pork cheeks with puree potato and cream.  Something was lost in the translation as the meal was not a stew as stated on the menu.  I had a taste and they were very good.  I had shrimp to start and a serrano ham and wild mushroom penne pasta. Very delicious. We also had a Spanish wine a 2003 Ondarrea Reserva Rioja. A rich deep red wine.

The only down side was a stupid British women decided to sit in front of our table with her misbehaving kid to watch the show.  She was directly in front of Fred so he could not get decent pictures.  I was not aware that she was in the way until after the show because I would have told her to move.  Fred did not, he was hoping the waiter would come by so he could ask him to move her.  It is people like her that give Brits a bad name.  All in all we had a great last night, staying up way too late when considering we were to be up bright and early at 7:00 am, 5 1/2 hours after finally hitting the sack.

Adios amigos we hope you enjoyed this portion of our adventure.

Sandy & Fred

October 15, 2013 - Mijas

Buenas Dias All,

We were up and out early as we headed off to explore Mijas.  Fred commented that this little town is one that his Aunt Doreen just loved when she was here many years ago.  We decided not to take the toll road which was a big mistake.  The cars are traveling at 80 kph and some much faster.  There are numerous interchanges, really no more than side streets, all along the highway for cars, trucks, buses to come into the oncoming traffic from either a standing start or very short slip road/exceleration lanes.  I had a couple of holy shit moments as some of these vehicles crawl on and at one point two cars came on together and basically stopped.  Could have been very disastrous.  We finally get on to another highway and the traveling was better.

Mijas is located high up in De La Sierra and the ride up was steep and winding but the views are awesome.  Fred located the parking lot which only cost 1 Euro for the whole day.  We walked up the hill into town and as we got into the centre we came across the smell of donkey and horse poop.  The picture above is of one of the donkeys that pull around the Donkey Taxi.  The taxi's originated in the 1960's when a group of workers returning home with their donkeys were stopped by visitors and asked too take pictures and have a ride on the animals.  The tip the workers received was more than the days wages so a new enterprise was born.  It is now a major tourist attraction for the town with over 60 donkey taxis being available.  The taxi's are little 2 seater carts that the donkey pulls while the owner walks beside the donkey.  The owners surely stay fit as it is a very hilly town and involves a lot of walking. The animals themselves are well kept with shaded stalls, plenty of water and food and everything is kept clean.

There is a metal donkey statue in the area for tourist to sit and get a photo.  Fred and I did not pass up this opportunity and you will be able to see the pictures on my Facebook page or our Flickr account once Fred has posted them.  The tourist board hands out a great map and which outlines a walking tour that takes in all of the towns major attractions.  While it is hilly the walk was easy.  After passing the donkey taxi stand, our next stop was The Shrine of The Virgin of The Rock as pictured on the right.  Inside are some beautiful silver staffs and gowns worn by some of the dignitaries of the church.  At this location there is also a view point of the valley below and on a clear day you can see to Malaga.  It was a somewhat hazy day so the views were not that clear.  We continued our walk which took us to Constitution Square.  The fountain and stone benches in the square were made by the marble cuter Galiano from marble rocks that were left by the flood of November 2,1884.  It was in this square that we stopped and had lunch in the middle of the square.  Wine and hamburgers.  I bought a leather purse for  12 Euros and we then enjoyed some awesome ice cream as dessert.  We took photo's from the lookout at this location.

Apparently, on a clear day you can see Gibraltar and the coast of Morocco.  Not a very clear day but still a beautiful view.

We continued exploring, following the map.  The Parish church, known as the Immaculate Conception has existed since before 1492.  Again a simple church but also some ornate ceilings in the   specific shrines.  The picture below on the right is of Calle Carril a good representation of the beauty of this town.

White houses, blue flower pots with all sorts of geraniums dot all the streets, mostly red geraniums but also some pink ones as well as different types (upright and trailing) of them, as well as various ivy and cacti.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our day in Mijas and I would recommend anyone visiting the Costa del Sol visit Mijas if you get the chance.
Check out my Facebook page  and our Flickr account for more pic's of the beauty and quaintness of this lovely little town in Spain.

Adios,

Sandy & Fred

October 12 - 14, 2011 - Estepona

Hola all,

We decided to head out early after breakfast and take a direct route to Estepona.  We hoped that our room would be ready early so we could get sorted and check out the lay of the land.  On arrival, unfortunately, the room was not ready yet but we were well accommodated with a key to a locker room and beach towels as well as having full use of all facilities.  We had a late lunch after walking around the property.  Fred had a bacon and tomato sandwich and I had a chicken quesadilla with Fred enjoying a large San Miguel and a strawberry daquari for me.  The portions were huge and satisfying us to the point we just bought some ham, cheese and a baguette for our supper.

The gardens are well maintained and the flowers are very beautiful. The picture on the left is a Bird of Paradise.  On the 13th we had a day of relaxing by the pool to catch some much needed sun.  We continued to relax and changed our plans for exploring Spain.  The drive to Sevilla which we had hoped to visit was just far too long, a 2 1/2 hour drive.  Personally I thought Fred had driven enough and needed some relaxation.  On the 14th, because we are owners with The Marriott Vacation Club we were met by a representative with gifts and of course a request to meeting to update us on the the programs.  This is the only thing I really dislike about being an owner as they are always trying to get you to buy more time.  We got our free bottle of wine and then went for a walk with a map they gave us that supposedly directs us to some of the local restaurants.  Needless, to say the restaurant we were interested in going to was not walkable but we did see some amazing properties.

The picture on the right is of a pretty little fountain that is a marker
for a roundabout.  Our walk did take us down to the beach and we decided to walk back to the hotel along the beach.  Sadly the beach at this point was not that great,  rocky in places and  extremely soft sand that was hard to walk on.  Once back at the resort we arrived in time to check out the demonstration on how to make paella and sangria.

The paella being made was chicken and seafood and it took about 40 minutes to cook which did not take into account the prep time.  It smelt delicious and Fred and I partook in a rather large portion and a drink of Sangria for a nominal fee.  It was as tasty as it smelt. The mussels and clams were tasty and are not shell fish I have enjoyed before.  We relaxed at the pool then had a very late lunch. We enjoyed the best wings we have had since leaving Canada.  We end our day by attending the owners cocktail hour at which tapas and copious amounts of wine are served.  We met a number of the resorts senior staff and we were questioned about our thoughts on the resort,  our expectations and what we thought could be improved.  We also met a lovely couple from Yorkshire.  Supper for us was bread, cheese, Serrano ham and salami with wine.  It was a great relaxing day.

We decided that tomorrow we would head out and explore the town of Mijas which is a short drive away.

One thing we found very weird was the sun did not rise until around 8:30 am so while we depending on the sun to wake us, we have had to rely on our body clocks or an alarm.

Adios,

Sandy & Fred

Oct 11, 2013 - Granada

Hola All,

After a very Mediterranean breakfast we were off early to our next stop Granada.  Once again the roads were not busy except around major centres so the drive was again an enjoyable experience.  The terrain was quite hilly and we were now traveling through olive and wine country.  The picture on the right is of a olive grove that extended all the way to the top of the mountain.  It was also very arid so I imagine good for growing these crops.

We arrived in Granada just after 1:00 pm, checked in to the hotel, dumped our luggage and headed out to explore the city.  The staff at the reception desk recommended we take a bus so off we headed.  At the bus stop we seem to wait forever and then a bunch of students arrived.  I asked if we were at the stop for the Number One Bus and through what little English they knew and sign language we finally get to the correct bus stop.  We were heading to the Cathedral and keep looking for signs of a large church where we needed to get off.  The driver finally notices we were still on the bus and told us that we needed to get off now and walk back.  The Cathedral was not on the main road and street signs are rather difficult to find.  Fred tried to locate where we were using his phone but had not used the Map App since it had been updated and he got very flustered with himself.  I spotted a couple of older people with the same map we had and asked if they knew where the Cathedral was?  Once we got sent in the right general direction and with a bit of playing around with the phone map app he had the GPS sorted and we were once again back to Fred the Good Old Navigator he is.

The picture on the left is the top part of the Cathedral while ornate at the top it was rather small and most of it is nondiscript.  Picture taking was not allowed inside so I purchased a couple of postcards to scan when we return home.  The Cathedral is the burial place of the Catholic King and Queen Isabel and Ferdinand and another queen and prince.

We continued our exploration and walked up to the Alhambra.  We did get turned around again and ended up in a dead end street outside some homes but had a great view of the city.  Once on the right track again we walked up to the Alhambra hoping to get some pictures of the outside.  Entrance into the Alhambra is restricted to about 350 per half hour and when the tickets are sold that's it.  We arrived late in the day and had not pre-arranged tickets so we were not able to get into the Alhambra.  Unfortunately, there is really nothing to see from the outside so we headed back down.  It was a nice walk that was relatively easy even though it is a steep hill to walk up and it was nicely shaded so no worries about getting overheated.  Once we were down into the city we decided to have supper in an outdoor cafe.  We saw tapas on the menu so instead of asking about the portion size I went ahead and order 4 tapas, Albondigas, Calamari, Chicken Skewers and Serrano Ham with Cheese.  Having had tapas in the UK did not compare anywhere near what we got in Spain.  Each dish was a meal in its own right, far too much food for two people.  Lesson learned never assume.  Fully stuffed we decided to walk back to our hotel as it was about 2 miles and the sun had gone done. so a lovely evening for a walk.  It was Friday night and very busy.  We are able to take some photo's along the way, the last photo is of a helicopter that is a marker for a roundabout.  It has been a long but enjoyable day as we
had done more then just drive.  Granada is definitely in need of a return visit as we really did not do the sites any justice.

Adios,

Sandy & Fred

Oct 8-9-10, 2013 - Liverpool to Portsmouth to Bilbao to Chinchon

Greetings All,

We are finally on the road again for a bigger trip since our year has been kind of screwed up thanks to my gall bladder issues.  We headed off at a decent time and took the direct route to Portsmouth where we had an overnight stay before boarding the ferry to Bilbao. Our hotel was right by the university so we were in the heart of where the kids go to eat and drink.  After checking in, we walked around the area a bit to get a sense of what the of the town was like.  The picture on the upper right is of the Guildhall, Portsmouth. This is definitely a city to be revisited as there is a lot of naval history and so great sites to visit which time has not been allotted for on this trip.

The following morning we headed out to board the ferry fairly early and when we arrived at the dock there were a number of cars and camper vans already in line.  We were boarded in a specific order as they have a plan to ensure weight is properly distributed in the ship for the trip.  We ended up in a position where we would be last off the ferry but no worries.  The ferry ride is an overnight trip so Fred had booked us a cabin.  It was like a mini cruise complete with complementary drinks, a fruit basket and fancy macaroons.  We booked for supper and had an amazing dinner of surf & turf with a different combination, lamb and shrimp.  We also treated ourselves to dessert which was to die for.  The picture on the left is Fred's dessert not bad for a ferry.  We did a walk about after dinner and checked out the dog kennels and exercise area.  The poor pups were locked up for the night.  They were all very sad but happy to see us as I had a chat with them. Probably not a good thing to do as they were all missing their owners.  These dog owners where not fortunate enough to have a dog friendly cabin so into a kennel they went for the trip.  Check out my Facebook pics to see these poor unfortunate dogs.

The ferry ride was very smooth and the channel and Bay of Biscay was fairly calm.  I personally would have liked a few more waves but a wonderful start to the trip. The picture on

the right is of a sunset on the ferry somewhere while we were still in the Channel.

We were as expected last off the ferry and the weather was horrendous.  I had hoped that it was not an omen for the drive ahead.  I am not a good passenger at the best of times and when it is lashing rain does not make things any better.  The travel God's were on our side, the weather cleared as we headed inland and we were on a highway with next to no cars.  The best way to travel a highway, all to ourselves.  Maybe the light traffic is because it is a toll highway and since we traveled the full length of it, the cost was 21.05 Euros well worth it to me, and Fred for his sanity having me a passenger.

The picture on the left is of the road we traveled.  The landscape changed dramatically as we headed to Chinchon. It is too bad we could not book the resort in Estapona earlier in September because the fields we passed by were full of sunflowers well past their prime and it would have made a beautiful picture.  Our first stop in Spain was Chinchon, where Fred had booked us into a Parador hotel. Parador's are historic sites that have been converted into hotels. This particular one was a convent and the rooms are absolutely huge.  After checking in we took a quick walk around the immediate area where the Parador is located to stretch our legs after a very long drive of 4 hours and a bit.  There were a few sites to see but unfortunately we do not see much as it was after 6:00 pm when we arrived in Chinchon.  Had we been a few days later we would have been able to see a bull fight though I am not really sure I am into the sort of spectacle given the
pain inflicted on a poor animal.  The picture on the right is of the arena set up in the centre of the town square for the bull fight.  Normally you can drive through the town square.

We had our supper at the Parador and the ingredients are sourced locally, as was the bottle of wine that we had.  We both had a lamb leg with potato puree and peppers.  The lamb must have been very young the leg was very small but absolutely delicious.  The local red wine was also very good and of course enjoyed by us both.  A night of rest and we headed onto our next stop Granada.

Adios,

Sandy & Fred