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It has been a little while since we last wrote, but our Internet access has
been erratic and so much has been happening. We left you on the Costa Del Sol
about 3 weeks ago. From there we headed to Granada for a dose of English weather
(rain, grey, rain!). Tourist note: if you're going to the Alhambra, book ahead.
We queued for two hours in the pouring rain. The palace was beautiful, intricate
Islamic carvings and water flowing everywhere. However seeing as it was designed
to maximize the natural air-conditioning on a scorching summer’s day it
didn’t quite work in the grey, rainy ‘english weather’.
From here we drove straight to Barcelona (900 km/500 miles). For those of you
who are interested, it was our longest drive of the trip. We spent a few days
here indulging in the warm sun and Gaudi (especially the unmissable Sagrada
Familia cathedral which is still under construction 90 years after Gaudi’s
death). We also tried the real cultural experience of a bullfight. It was interesting
but more than a little disturbing, with the death toll ending up toros 6, matadors
0. The bulls don’t have a chance, even if they win the fight they still
end up dead. Also because of the post-BSE EU controls on beef, they can’t
even be eaten but are just cremated, although certain body parts may be given
to the matadors as a reward. On the way out of Spain we stopped at the Dali
museum - crazy!
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Then back to La Belle France and the enchanting little fishing village of
Collioure (made famous in the paintings of Matisse). We then skipped up to Provence
and Arles in search of Van Gogh and sunflowers; instead we found thousands of
flamingos on the Camargue (the marshland where the Rhone meets the Med). We
paid a quick visit to the Pont du Gard, a massive 3 tier Roman aqueduct over
a gorge – more than 2000 years old but still in pretty good shape - those
whacky Romans!
Then on to Vaison la Romaine in deepest Provence, where we spent 5 relaxing
days at La Domaine du Maillet courtesy of our fabulous hosts Andrea and Michael.
Not only did we get to stay in their beautifully renovated farmhouse, but there
was also a magnificent pool and great food, accompanied by an endless supply
of the excellent home produced wine. So here is a blatant plug - if you see
Domaine du Maillet - buy a case - or if not, ask your wine store why they don't
stock it!
All good things must come to an end; fortunately we had La Cote d’Azur
to ease the pain, except for the unmentionable traffic around Cannes from the
film festival. However, Nice was nice! We missed out on Monaco due to the Formula
One Grand Prix, but now we're in Italy where every day on the road is our own
Grand Prix. We are in Tuscany for a week and have a wonderful cottage with a
swimming pool on a farm in the rolling countryside, with our friends Teresa
and Olga. We are relaxing and touring the sights of Siena, Firenze, Pisa etc.
making frequent stops at pizzerias and gelaterias for refreshment. It's a hard
life but someone's gotta live it.
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