Day 34

Day 34 Decided to make the most of the sunny weather today ( rain forecast for rest of the week) and do some foot slogging sight seeing around Valencia in 29c heat. Very productive day .We also decided to take more time travelling back across inland Spain to the ferry and changed our booking from this Thursday coming to Wednesday week,Santander to Plymouth Started off visiting the silk exchange , the covered market , a church nearby , caught the bus to the city of Science and Arts, decided not to fork out 36€ each to visit the aquarium, iMax theatre and science museum.(Arts museums are all closed on Monday in Spain) We walked through the city park marvelling at the architecture, it felt like being on the film set for Logan's run Walked along the green belt /landscaped park /gardens running right through the centre of the city , like a pair of green lungs and re-entered the old city via the old city castle towers (Torres de Seranos) Panted up 207 steep spiral stairs of the Valencia cathedral bell tower 5 metres high for heat hazed views of the city , impressed by the OTT Gothic style cathedral. Back at camp site for 7, delicious veggie burger with English mustard (bliss) and found some sugar free biscuits in supermercado resembling light rich tea biscuits, so v happy bunny tonight .Mosquitos are out and about despite our citronella tea lights .

Day 33

Day 33 Drove 56 miles south , down the coast to Valencia via non toll roads , parked up in Valencia campervan camping park,12k from the town centre , 15e a night including wi fi and electricity, showers and toilets, laundry and washing up , cafe and restaurant , over winter storage and a summer time swimming pool , quiet spot near a seemingly closed psychiatric hospital . We took the metro into town 300 m down the hill and then caught the tourist bus around the port area to get our bearings around the city .Amazing mix of architectural styles. Delighted to meet up with a friend who moved to Valencia in January (previously a Triratna Sangha member in Shrewsbury ) for a welcome catch up over tapas and sugar free horchata ( made of tiger nuts ) and to hear about his new life in Valencia .Charlie's Spanish was very impressive ! Back to the van after twilight tour of old city

Day 32

Day 32 Sunny/cloudy 23c , cycled 10 miles on the excellent coastal hugging off road cycle track and back to next high rise resort Opresa del Mar , and swam there in wavy but tolerable waters. Walked along sea front back in Benicassim ,photographed the full moon on silver waves , and later walked into town to a free jazz concert given by the Scott Hamilton trio in a smart concert hall in the town centre , presumably sponsored by Valencia council .Excellent introduction to American swing jazz for both of us, we loved it , concert started at 10.30pm... We got to bed about 1.00am

Day 31

Day 31 Benicassim , Bonterra campsite Large British enclave wintering over here at the camp site and a few brave Dutch ... Lots of noise from local construction work and vigorous tree pruning (with some sort of loud pneumatic hedge clipper gadget )at the campsite .Took to the via verde behind the camp site  for some peace - a 10 mile off road cycle route along a beautiful coastline . Down to the beach for a quick swim in tumultuous waves for Andy ( end result of storm in Italy Andy guesses)We return to the campsite for a drink and me to brave a swim in the unheated pool ( the heated pool not ready to be used til Monday ) Warm enough to sit out and watch the full moon ,and walk down to the beach to watch the silvery waves ... Laundry day always leaves us content with everything so clean.. .Decided to stay another day as weather continues to be mild and sunny, and spend one night in Valencia Sunday

Day 28

Day 28 Full day in Barcelona, walked to Picasso museum, excellent showing of his early works , new respect , then red route to Sagrada familia church Gaudi s masterpiece which they just keep building onto ! , it's a complete fantasy ,jaw dropping, perpetually under construction , this visit we couldn't climb the steps into the Jesus tower , v v v crowded On the blue bus route in the rush hour , cold and damp and windy, not enjoyable , got back to campsite for 8 pm

Day 30

Day 30 Drove into Sitges, leaving this (slightly spooky in off season ) large campsite - Girrofer, with swimming pool,( closed) , v hot showers , primary colours toilet block and its v helpful reception staff .Walked along the handsome front , admiring the waves and the surfers ( on the Mediterranean ?) Drove to Benicassim campsite with an open , but alas unheated swimming pool 64k from Valencia our final destination before returning home . Spotlessly clean set of long sandy beaches but Benicassim out of season is a deserted holiday resort, unlike lively Sitges . However the campsite is full of campervans and quite busy some of whom I suspect winter over here .

Day 29

Day 29 Sitges film festival ' star trek' day , Also a local schools holiday with Sunday bus service only into town so took a taxi to hotel melia and queued to get in to see Star trek Huge cinema,1, 500 capacity Presentations to Walter Koenig ( Chekov in the original star trek series and movie ) and to the directors of the digitally remastered film from '71 Still slow and ponderous, but much more visually beautiful Raining heavily on way back, purchased umbrella( that makes3) and walked along Sitges Passeig in pouring rain, took an hour to get back Very heavy rain continued for the rest of the day as evening, so read and felt grumpy, claustrophobic and a little homesick in the van Booked economy Brittany ferry on 20 th October for a return home via Bilbao.

Day 27 Sitges

Day 27 Sitges Arrived in Sitges night before , just 10 mins before reception closed at 8.00 pm early night after long day Very helpful campsite reception staff excellent English . Went to find LPG gas refill, navigated to other side of Sitges , raining, eventually figured out how to refill the gas canister with help from the attendant , went shopping at a nearby Carrefour and damaged the van step , which had not automatically retracted as usual , whilst driving up a short ramp. Came out by the hotel melia, site of the Sitges film festival and bought 2 tickets to see the directors cut of ' star trek the motion picture ', on Wed morning Caught express bus from outside campsite into Barcelona for the afternoon, bought 2 day tourist bus passes and tickets to the Picasso museum and Sagrada familia.(expensive !) Completed the Red route, cold damp and windy on top deck , salads in placa real, large courtyard with performers Abandoned green route and got home at 8.30 pm .One hour journey from Barcelona to Sitges only costs 4€, state subsidised?

Day 26

Day 26 Packed up and felt sad to be leaving la gaviota camp site Called in at Figueres to try to visit Dali's theatre museum but no parking for vans available on a Sunday,( mostly underground car parking with 2.1 m height restriction) .Initially decided to stay at a beautiful countryside camp site with animals about 9k from Girona , but having heard the sound of many squealing pigs nearby , fended off swarms of flies and encountered strong farm yard smells, we decided it was not for us Found Sunday parking in Girona instead under the overhead rail track and walked into town, outskirts of G are very run down, graffiti covered and deserted , v sad to see , however old town interesting, large river, Jewish quarter many brightly coloured buildings , eventually located entrance to old town tree -top castle walls walk way and were rewarded with sights of Girona spread out below us .Then drove onto Sitges in the evening .

Day 25

Day 25 Cycle to Roman/Greek ruins nearby Empruria , fascinating archeological excavations of the 2 trading ports, but such a tiring day !

Day 24

Day 24 Laundry day ,swimming pool , relaxing , evening meal in restaurant on site , delicious food friendly staff. Andy went off beach running, Annette went cycling to Sant Pere

Day 23

Day 23 Drove to La Gaviota campsite 10 mins from Santa Pere Pescador,Gulf de Rosas, across the border into Spain . What a find! On the edge of a nature reserve, small very pretty , v clean campsite , v friendly reception staff , swimming pool (v cold) sea with a few jellyfish washed up on the beach whilst we were there , hiking /biking trails Booked in for 3 nights , bat walk at sunset

Day 22

Day 22 Found a lovely safe Aire situated just outside camping la cite campsite in Carcassonne, only a few minutes walk from the old city along a pretty stream for 10 mins ( Carcassonne was where Robin Hood with Kevin Costner was partially filmed) Carcassonne is a fortified mediaeval walled city with a castle (reconstructed in 19 th century with Disney - esque castle turrets ) Lunch out in the old city Sunny afternoon back at the Aire but too many flies soon drove us indoors

Day 21

Day 21 Andy went for an uphill 10k run along a disused railway line and we then set off for the Cirque de Gavarnie a geological basin 'wonder,' but found the road leading to it was blocked off ( roadworks?) Decided to go up the Col de Tourmalet instead , to take the cable car up to the Pic du Midi, 9000 feet high, there were stupendous views on our drive up, got there to discover cable car was closed for maintenance ( 38€pp! ) Andy 's disappointment neatly matched my relief Donkeys searched vans parked up for food Came down again in a higher gear than wise to for the brake pads , warning light came on, Plans adjusted we left mountains early to enable us to get them checked our in the next big town on the coast ie Perpignan Drove on a very hot day 29C on toll routes for faster journey- passed Toulouse by and when 40km from Carcassonne , found a lovely free Aire (Navrouze) in flat countryside running along side canal du Midi, great for cyclists, retired early to avoid mossies . Want to return here sometime v hidden, v authentic rural France, Autumn would be lovely.