Five...Banos de Fortuna

 Banos de Fortuna is East of Murcia and in a dust bowl - why would you go here???? Well....this small village boasts some natural thermal springs which the Romans developed and the small campsite we stayed at had taken full advantage of them as had the rest of the village with its Spa centre and treatment rooms.
The campsite itself is just outside of the small village, which itself is quite remote, so the campsite felt very remote. It was desert like though just past the reception area there was a large thermal pool with hot water spouts and water jet beds.....marvellous.

 The campsite..interesting.

The van on our pitch with our very own shower and toilet block.

 The water spouts 36 degrees lovely.

Jacuzzi time

On one of our excursions, we stumbled across a German bar where they were celebrating Oktoberfest so it seemed rude not to sample the beer of the day

Four .....Guardamar del Segura

Stop number four,  Guardamar del Segura is a municipality of the province of Alicante located at the mouth of the river Segura in southern Valencia, Spain. It is a Mediterranean resort, with a large pine forest abutting an 11-km-long white sand beach. Historically an area of fishermen and farmers. This site was the first time we had encountered the over-wintering Brits in their massive rigs and their death rays.....We also met Suzie and Keith and Paul and Wendy two really nice couples. Paul and Wendy Broomfield come from Romsey and Paul went to school with one Chris Fletcher-Jones.....spooky. We all went along to the onsite bbq and had a great afternoon

The campsite was about 3km outside the resort of Guardamar which was reached on a cycle path. With our location being so far south our satellite system could not pick up any UK signals hence the size of the dish in the above picture, nothing under a 3 metre dish works this far south. So we decided to walk into town to have a look around and see if we could buy some DVD's from the local supermarket. Sitting outside a bar we got chatting to two Brits who quickly pointed us in the direction of a bar where we could buy 4 DVD's for €10, bargain....but not quite kosher. The bar was small and dedicated to Celtic Football club and owned by two Glaswegians. We explained to the bar man that we had been sent on the recommendation of a certain individual to buy some DVD's. Well it turns out that the person who recommended the bar was an ex-policeman...enough said.

Anyway....the bar was great with very friendly ex pats. One Gordon Pittendrigh would have felt very much at home here.

Three...Oliva and Kiko Park

Stop three was another coastal resort, Oliva. The resort however was shut so there was nothing to do apart from sitting on the beach. It was tough......

We met some great people form London, Steve and Jackie Chamberlaine and the found out that they own a cycle shop in London and Steve was a mechanic on the Tour de France. He even had Frome's bike in his shop the other day as they were raffling it off for charity.

 This is me reading to Harley why E=mc2, however he got lost on the gauge symmetry part....

Two to Tarragona........

Stop number two, Tarragona, was taken from the New York Times book. The location of the campsite required a small train ride into Tarragona. Tarragona is famed for its large number of Roman ruins which have meant that it has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

 The amphitheater at Tarragona 

 

A statue of the human towers that are also popular in Tarragona.

 The van on our pitch, Eucalyptus and Palm trees surrounding us.

The fantastic coast line just along from the campsite.

Down and Around We Go....Ole starting with number 1.

So we arrived in Spain on the 20th September and as you can see from our route we have made the most of our time in this country so far. As at the 19th October we have stopped in 9 different areas. So the stops from 1 to 9:

1) Sant Pere Pescador. A small town just inside the border. The main industry in this area is fruit in particular apples. Our campsite was sandwiched between the surf and Royal Gala apples. The large open beach was a mecca for kite surfers. The campsite was also near a bodega and a tapas house which was fantastic. 

A short walk along the beach and you arrive at the coastal town of L'Escala and just before lie the ruins of the ancient Greek colony of Empúries, founded in 575 BC. This is where wine was first imported from Greece into Spain. We stumbled upon a great wine shop owned by a chap from Newcastle, unfortunately he was unwilling to sell any of his Newcastle Brown, so we just got some great reds.

 L'Escala

 An Olympic statue celebrating the Olympic Games of 1992

the ancient Greek colony of Empúries

That term that sailors use........

So next up Spain.....so how does one get from Croatia to Spain?????

Okay well here goes.

We headed up to the Slovenian border (its shaped like a chicken don't you know - Big River Man reference, in case you have forgotten) and then through Trieste, Italy (watch out for the smell of sulphur) then back round to Genova, this is where we tied the knot or some other sailing term to depict us crossing our outward track and sad but true the route back home...boo, hoo. Well anyway then its a push on through North Italy to lLke Garda. We stopped one night in Italy and again were horrified at the quality of campsites and the price of food and fuel. After one night we hightailed out of Italy and into France.

A cloudy Lake Garda, its there just over the hedge..........

Sean (Philippa's cousin's husband) often spends time working in the South of France so we managed to hook up in a little place called Cagnes Sur Mer near Nice. We found an Oasis of a campsite in the mayhem that is  Cagnes Sur Mer and spent a great evening with Sean.

Harley loves Sean.

Next day it was the long trek across the South of France, some stunning scenery and strong winds go hand in hand in this region. 

 

Our target was the Camargue. We had ventured here earlier but came under attack by sand flies. We really loved Saintes Maries De La Mer and its strange blend of Franco Spanish charm. We also tried the small town of Arles but were disappointing with the location of the campsite in relation to the old town so pushed onto Saintes Maries De La Mer. We weren't disappointed, no sand flies, hurrah.

 One of the beaches at Saintes Maries De La Mer

 A traditional Camargue house part thatched and shaped like a boat's hull at the back to protect it from the strong off shore winds.

 Coffee at the Poets Bar, our favorite

 The plot at Saintes Maries De La Mer

Full moon madness

 Bull fighting is still a common sight in these parts

MMmmmm and this little stowaway Mantis seemed to have made himself at home whilst we were out. This chap made it from France to Spain and that was after I threw the blighter out of the van but he sneaked back in on our outdoor chairs. He's now quite happy living in Spain and sends me regular updates on how he's doing.

Night Time Fun

What do you do at night???????? Play dominoes

Croatia Part 2

Our second stop in Croatia was in the Istria region and at a campsite called Polari, about 4km South of Rovinj. 

Rovinj is situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 14,294 (as of 2011). Located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, it is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port.

Rovinj was already a settlement of Illyrian tribes before being captured by the Romans, who called it Arupinium or Mons Rubineus, and later Ruginium and Ruvinium. Built on an island close to the coast, it became connected to the mainland much later, in 1763, by filling in the channel.

 Rovinj was one of the most important towns in Istria governed by the Republic of Venice. During this period three town gates were constructed and Rovinj was fortified by two rows of defensive walls.  Nearby the Rovinj pier you can find one of the old town gates, the Balbi's Arch, dating from 1680, and a late-Renaissance clock tower. Oh yes and Philippa eating an ice cream.

Rovinj has a strong Italian influence and this is evident in the food and architecture.

The walk to Rovinj is probably one of the most scenic strolls you could take. It takes in pine and olive trees, small coves, Roman ruins and a few naturists.......well there's always a compromise.

 The pitch at Polari was not as close to the sea as the last but it was under 100 paces

The local area is a matrix of rough cycle paths which turned out to be ideal for long walks with the dog to isolated beaches for cooling swims.

Croatia

The drive from Slovenia (which is shaped like a chicken) to Croatia is an interesting one. Once you head off the highway onto the border crossing road it's as if you have been transported back in time. The single track road winds its way through small villages and countless numbers of small hostelries cooking suckling pigs on spits over open fires. The smell of charcoal and roast pig permeates the air..lovely.

Once through the border the roads then open out again onto large dual carriageways that are empty. Our first sight of the coast was stunning, shimmering sea with white limestone mountainous islands.

Our first stop off was on the largest island of Croatia, Krk, which is crossed by a toll bridge from the mainland. A number of the campsites in the area are associated with hotels and this means that you can take advantage of the hotels facilities, like tennis courts, bars, spas, etc. Our campsite was camping Njivice smack bang on the coast. Well it was 60 paces from van door to sea.

 I'd heard that the sea in Croatia is unbelievably clear and I can confirm that where we were this was absolutely true, it is the closest thing to swimming off the big island of Hawaii. The lime stone pebbles make the water quality very high as there are no sand particulates to cloud the water. But it also means that getting in and out of the sea is quite painful on the feet, however this is solved by purchasing a natty pair of beach shoes for 50 Kuna (£5) which are simply a more up-to-date version of jellies.

Njivice is a small fishing village with a number of bars and restaurants all overlooking the sea and ranging from contemporary looking to converted caravans, this gives a good mix and the prices are very very cheap, two meals wine and beer £8. The language is very different from the rest of Europe with a most pronounced Russian twang to it.

 Sea View from the jetty bar

Now this is recycling at its best. Once your empty your water bottles you walk up to the onsite wine shop and get them refilled with red or white wine, this little lot was 1.60€ cheaper than the water........