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........

Slovenia - its shaped like a chicken....

Ljubljana is the capital of and largest city in Slovenia. It is located in the heart of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. We headed through the Karawanks Tunnel, unfortunate name, crossing the Alpine Karawanks mountain range which separates Austria and Slovenia. The tunnel itself has a total length of 7,864 m, 8,019 m enclosure between the portals.

We stayed in a campsite just outside the city centre and headed in via a very handy bus that stopped just outside the campsite. The city itself seemed quite small with a great mix of contemporary and old buildings and it was spotless with no litter or graffiti.

 Every Friday there is a regional market selling produce and cooked food from all the surrounding towns and areas, the meat kebabs caught our eye, the smell was amazing. A meat skewer with a lovely mix of herbs and spices cooked over a charcoal fire and of course some local wine and beer to wash it down. The local beer is Lasko, which those film buffs amongst us will know this is the legendary crime fighting monk. I have no idea if there is an actual link but hey the beer tastes good unlike the the film which was rubbish.

The city is separated by a small river that facilitates a number of small bridges to cross from each side. Each bridge is different and each has its own name, the cobbler's bridge, the butcher's bridge and the three pronged bridge.

The butchers bridge

The cobblers bridge

Part of the old town.

Klagenfurt Austria

Klagenfurt.....why Klangenfurt.....is it something to do with Sacha Baron Cohen's camp Austrian fashionista Bruno....No. It's because the fastest Ironman course in the world is there...oh and Minimundus a very large model village and that's about it really.

Philippa was a little distressed that she didn't actually see the leaning tower of Pisa close up, but when you have Minimundus who needs the real thing........sorted.

The Ironman course starts in the lake and down the canal past the Tram bar...then heads of on a two loop course of the lake..very flat then a multi loop run up and down the canal path and through the Europark, which is a posh term for the tennis courts and Minimundus complex around the east end of the lake. The run is flatter than the surf at Bournemouth and would, in my opinion, be really boring.

 The Ironman run along the canal path.....

The lake - which was very very clear. The mayor drinks a glass of water straight from it each year to show how clean it is.

Klangenfurt centre was about 5km from the campsite along the canal path. The city centre has a nice pedestrian section with bars and cafes to sit in. On reflection it could be any town centre as all the main shopping brands have a presence, unlike France and Italy. We saw this little fountain, not too sure what the relevance is but it made us laugh.

Italy Summary

Having spent a short period of time in a small area of Italy the summary may be a bit biased  - though what we can say is the food is fabulous, meat, cheese, pasta, ice cream all exceptional. We really love that in Levanto everyone rides their bikes to the shops and the beach, 80+ Italian ladies in their heels looking amazing cycling with dogs in their front baskets - cliched but true. The tapas with your drinks another big plus. The campsites are horrendous, small, poor facilities and the most expensive we have encountered in our 4 months. The road system especially up North is shocking too, road surfaces and joins in bridge sections are particularly poor they shake your eye balls out your head. Road works on every road but with no actual work being done. As you drive you see rubber shredded from tyres on the side of the roads and cars with punctures on the hard shoulder as a result of poor surfaces. Fuel prices are ridiculously high some reaching 55% higher than France. On average we paid €1.89 a litre, 60 cents higher per litre than France and when you have an 80 litre tank to fill that's €48 more a tank. It seems that the Berlusconi era has certainly done more harm than good, as our Bologna campsite manager passionately told us, Italians are now having to pay 60% tax rate but with no physical sign of improvement. The saving grace Italy has over say Greece, is a tourist trade based around great cultural centres though these may become priced out of reach for most of us in the future. Would we return..... yes but not to camp.

Now onto Austria......................