Paris - 19/07

Mainland Europe - Day 85
Dijon --> Paris

Paris was our last stop before heading back to Dublin. In most other cities we did as much as we could in 2 or 3 days, but in Paris we decided to give ourselves 5 days so we could enjoy the city but also chill out and have some quiet time before hitting hectic Dublin.

We had discovered from other cities that nighttime can be the best time to see all the sights as they are lit up with lights and the streets are filled with locals having fun. Paris was no different. We strolled along the Siene stopping to see some amazing street performers and dancers along the way. The next couple of days were stinking hot so we chilled in our hotel, snacking on chocolate croissants and coffee until the afternoon coolness.

We had heard about the rude Parisians so we were not expecting to meet any locals. Things couldn't have been more different. On our second night we ducked into a bar to escape the hail and ended up drinking with a bunch of locals for the rest of the night. When they discovered Dave was Aussie they kept calling him 'Kangaroo'.... pretty funny.

The following day we thought we should go to the Lourve. We didn't get there till about 2pm. We were told we couldn't possible do it in a day but 3 hours later we had covered most of it and were ready for a beer. Again we had a great night chatting to locals and tourists in the bars.

On our last day in Paris we got a visit from Shan. He flew from London just for the day. We mosied around the city, enjoyed some brekkie and beers and a very non French but delicious kebab before he had to leave.

With our final city done we headed north to catch a ferry back to England and then on to Ireland, stopping off along the way to fill the car with cheap French wine to bring home.

So long Europe. I hope we are back one day, but until then I will miss the great cuisine, amazing sights and fun people.

Bionaz - 13/07

Mainland Europe - Day 79
Aosta --> Bionaz --> Ollomont --> Bionaz

Surrounded by the beautiful Alps we decided to tackle one of them. There were plenty of 3 hour walks but decided we would be well able for a 5.5 hour walk. God knows why we thought this as throughout our trip we had a threshold of about 3-4 hours of sightseeing.

We set off loaded with enthusiasm, sunscreen and snacks. The scenery was stunning but We soon started hitting the snow line and looking straight across at the peaks in the distance.
By the time we reached the top we were both knackered but delighted!! After a lie down we commenced the decent, which was no easier then then accent.

Next thing the track we were walking on hit a glacier about 30 meters wide. Further down we could see it was melting and a stream was running underneath it. There had been no mention of this when we popped into the local tourist office that morning. Yikes...!! basically we were shitting ourselves. I was terrified that if we walked across we could fall through, Dave was more worried about slipping and hurtling down 300+ meters of sheer ice. The thought of walking back up the mountain was not appealing either so we gingerly padded across the ice and thankfully we made it to the other side. By the time we finally finished our walk it had taken us 7.5 hours, we were knackered and stinky. We went to the first bar we could find and got a couple of beers. One more problem.... we had to get back to our car. We had missed the last bus so we had to hitch. Luck was on our side and the second car that passed picked us up. Good ol' Italians come up trumps again. The lovely lady even went out of her way to drop us back.

There was a hostel near buy in restored old stone building. The guy who worked there was in the local pub so we had a couple of beers with him and then headed back to rest our exhausted bodies.

I could barely walk for the next two days but it felt great to have climbed our very own alp.

French-Italian Alps - 12/07

Mainland Europe - Day 78
Val Cenis Lanslebourg --> Val d'Isere --> Aosta

Leaving our hostel we stuck to the main roads and headed for the famous (so Yvonne tells me) ski mountain of Val d'Isere. You wouldn't believe the number of people we saw cycling up this crazily steep mountain. And to top it off most of them were grey haired and 50+ years old. Amazing!

When we left the riviera and headed for the mountains, we were really in two minds. We weren't sure whether to stick to the coast or to drive into the alps. But after reaching the top of Val d'Isere we knew we had made the right decision. The coastlines in Europe can be stunning, but in all honesty Australia's coast is every bit as beautiful, if not more.

The alps on the other hand can't be compared to any mountain range in Australia. There is something almost mythical about these giant peaks that stay snow covered all year round. They are simply breathtaking.

At the summit a bunch of fellas on dodgy little motorcycles asked me to take a group picture. They were a funny looking bunch so I grabbed on our own camera too :)

By now Yvonne and I had the mountain bug, so we headed over the Italian border into the town of Aosta. Our guide book recommended this as a good place to base ourselves for some mountain trekking. It was time to put motorised assistance aside and tackle a mountain one on one.

Val Cenis Lanslebourg - 11/07

Mainland Europe - Day 77
Sospel --> Val Cenis Lanslebourg

We left Sospel quite early and it was lucky we did. Our rambling route through the alps found us climbing a huge mountain on what turned out to be a dirt road. We weren't quite sure what a road category of 'other' meant on our map, but it this instance it turned out to be 'very rough practically off road terrain'.

This all said, it was more than worth it. It did take us nearly 4 hours to cover less than 50kms, but we discovered some amazing landscapes with the sort of views you see on tourism commercials.

Even though the weather was warm there was still plenty of snow around, so we made the obligatory stop on the side of the road for some snow eating and a quick snow ball fight.

We ended the day in the town of Val Cenis Lanslebourg. A ski town in the French Alps that offers all year skiing, glacial in the summer. Our budget conscious habits found us staying the night in a great international hostel, half the price of every hotel in town. With breakfast included ... yeah baby!!

Sospel - 10/07

Mainland Europe - Day 76
Biot --> Sospel

We said goodbye to the French Riviera and headed back to the Alps. We were on the road for less then an hour when we started to hit the first of the mountains. And before long the overly winding roads became all too common. Roads like this make for seriously slow going, but also provide seriously beautiful views.

We weren't really sure where we were heading ... just into the mountains. But when we came across Sospel we knew we'd found our home for the night. Sospel is a cute little town with all the things that make mountain villages memorable (well at least for us). A river running through the middle, an old bridge, a couple of pubs, a few restaurants and cheap accommodation.

We only stayed the one night but it was just what we were looking for. We had a few beers at the local pub and lovely meal in a tiny restaurant. I think Sospel might actually be some sort of historically significant place, but we never really worked it out. All I can really confirm is that it was a great place for an overnight stay when you're heading into the French Italian Alps.

Aquasplash & Marine Land - 10/07

Mainland Europe - Day 76
Biot

After the glamour and glitz of Monaco Yvonne and I both felt like we should get back in touch with our inner child. And what better way then at a the mother of all water parks, Aquasplash. I'm pretty sure that we were the only adults there that didn't have children, but it didn't stop us :)

The slides were amazing and I pushed urban myths, about razor blades wedged into cracks, from my mind. After about 4 hours we were 100% Aquasplashed, so we headed over to the adjoining Marine Land to see the shows.

I'd never seen Killer Whales in action before and I can tell you it's not something that I'm likely to forget. They were beyond amazing. I was mesmerised by these massive animals. It's so hard to believe that they can be trained in such a way. If you've never seen them before, put it on your list of things to do.

When the show finished we rushed to the next venue, where we were equally amazed by the dolphins. I hate to say it but Flipper had nothing on these French dolphins. They were not only faster than lightning, but could be ridden like surf boards, throw a man 10 feet into the air and even toss huge balls into the audience. So cool!

Nice and Monaco - 09/07

Mainland Europe - Day 75
Biot --> Nice --> Monaco --> Biot

Nice for lunch and Monaco for dinner! Yvonne and I both had to laugh about our plan for the day. It sounded like something from lifestyles of the rich and famous :)

We once again made use of the rail system and in less then 30 minutes we were in Nice. I'd have to say that we were both quite surprised with what we found. Nice is simply lovely, not that I was expecting something awful. I guess I just didn't have any expectations at all. But a sea side city with such a beautiful beach, full of people sun bathing, swimming, para-sailing and playing beach volleyball, was always going to impress.

We strolled along the beach, ate some lunch, wondered through the old city and bought a few souvenirs. We passed by so many beautiful little restaurants that we started doubting our plan for dinner in Monaco. But it's not often that you can say "Let's pop over to Monaco for a bite to eat", so we said goodbye to Nice, jumped on the bus and found ourselves in Monaco 45 minutes later.

Monaco is the worlds second smallest country, but it must have all of the worlds largest boats docked in its ports. We spent a good while just wondering around the port, in absolute awe of the size and number of the boats to be seen. The decks of the larger ships held everything from jacuzzis to basketball courts. I couldn't start to imagine how much money was floating there on the coast of Monaco.

We walked a bit, but soon discovered that all the buses were only 1 euro a trip, so we also took a few bus rides. As the evening set in we found ourselves at the doors to Monte Carlo Casino. In our shorts and thongs we were never going to get in, so we joined the hundreds of other tourists and gawked at the million dollar sport cars that lined the entrance. The wealth on display in Monaco was simply amazing.

As it turns out we didn't even end up eating dinner. Our day of sight seeing had left us both tired rather than hungry. As there were no guards we stole a free trip home on the train. Which made for an interesting journey, with Yvonne and I both nervously looking over our shoulders for inspectors. Nice and Monaco were both beautiful, but I'd probably say Nice was more my style. Besides I'd never cut it in Monaco with my Toyota Corolla.

Cannes - 08/07

Mainland Europe - Day 74
Montpellier --> Biot --> Cannes --> Biot

We had a very slow start after our night out in Montpellier. We'd loved every moment of the Tour de France, but it was now time to explore the French Riviera. We'd heard that Cannes, Nice and Monte-Carlo were super expensive. So we decided to base ourselves in Biot, a much less ritzy town, right in between Cannes and Nice.

The first campsite we tried was full, and the second had just a single cabin left. When the manager asked if we had called earlier enquiring about vacancies and asked him to hold it we naturally said yes. Unfortunately, whilst we were checking in the actual people turned up. Very awkward, but we got the cabin :)

It was a stinking hot day so we spent the afternoon on the beach. No sand to be found, just rocks and more rocks. But it was still very nice all the same. The train station was only 100 metres from our campsite so we ditched the car and took the train into Cannes for the evening.

Cannes was very cute. We found the most gorgeous little street, absolutely jam packed with restaurants that had their seating on the pavement. The street was on a bit of a hill so all the tables and chairs were on platforms to keep them level. Having already eaten we just a had a few drinks and people watched the night away.

Montpellier - 07/07

Mainland Europe - Day 73
La Grande Motte --> Montpellier

The fourth stage of the Tour de France was a team time trail event around the city of Montpellier. Our search for sub 50 euro accommodation found us staying quite a bit out of town, so we had to walk a fair distance to get into the action. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and scored big time with all the promotional freebies. If anyone in the Data Services Team is reading this, don't be expecting any fancy memory key gifts like Teddy brought back from China. You'll each be getting your pick from my Tour de France freebies :)

We found what we thought was a good vantage point and settled in for the fun. It wasn't long before we started chatting with two of our neighbours, Jim and Steph from America. We learnt that it had been many years since a team time trials event had been included in the Tour, so true cycling enthusiasts were quite excited. Jim had worked in a cycling shop for years and Steph was in love with Mark Cavendish (a British rider on Team Columbia), so between the two of them Yvonne and I almost had our very own pair of commentators. Which was perfect.

The day was sort of divided into thirds. The first part being spent near the start line, where once again Aussie flags and Bonds singlets were a very common sight. When Cadel Evans passed by we were even treated to an Aussie, Aussie, Aussie ... Oi, Oi, Oi :) The second part of the day we perched ourselves literally 2 metres from the finish line. We had the most amazing view of the action and were only a stones throw away from the podium for the end of day presentation.

The third part of the day was spent eating and getting quite drunk with Jim and Steph. We had a great Tapas meal, loads of beer and plenty of wine. Unlike Yvonne and myself, our drinking partners had to be up at 6am to get on a train to Paris. But that didn't stop them from boozing and keeping us company until well past midnight. Steph summed it up by saying, "We've both been to college, so we have lots of practice".

It took us about an hour to walk home. We either didn't see a cab in the whole time, or were too drunk to notice. Montpellier had delivered a fantastic day. Beautiful weather, great cycling and fantastic company. Our time chasing the Tour de France was at an end. But I really think we'll have to do it again, because I'd love to see a mountain stage.

Arles and La Grande Motte - 06/07

Mainland Europe - Day 72
Lepinassiere --> Arles --> La Grande Motte

After spending 2 days at a nice hotel in Lunel watching the Wimbledon Finals, we were ready to make the switch from tennis to cycling. We were perfectly positioned for the third and forth stages of The Tour De France, Marseilles to La Grande Motte and the team time trials in Montpellier.

We chose Arles as our viewing point to watch the tour go by. It is a small town about 3/4 of the way along the route from Marseille to La Grande Motte and we discovered on our arrival that it has a strong Spanish influence. In fact when we first arrived in town we were asked if we had come to see the bull fight or the cyclists. They even ran a bull down the main street (the same street the cyclists used a few hours later), but even though we were watching the whole thing we somehow missed seeing the bull :(

After a coffee and a bit of sight seeing we got in early and made claim to a section of brick wall on corner in the main street. As the hours passed (slowly) more and more people appeared. So to did dozens of promotional cars and trucks throwing freebies at the hundreds that lined the street.

National flags were prominent, but to my surprise the Aussie flag was the most common by far. We had a chat to one flag bearer who turned out to be the sister of Mark Renshaw, an Aussie cyclist on the tour.

When the tour finally came through it all happened very quickly. There was a break-away of about half a dozen riders, followed a minute or so later by the peloton. There was lots of noise, a last minute crush of people, the blur of cyclists and then it was passed.

We didn't waist any time ourselves, running back to the car hoping to beat them to the finish line in La Grande Motte. We probably would have done it too, if some stupid organisers didn't close off every road going into the town :) We did get to the finish line in the end, and only half an hour after the cyclists. There were lots of spectators still wondering around and lots of roadies packing up equipment. We were lucky enough to score some free canapes from a over catered fancy marque.

All in all our first Tour De France experience was great. It was a long day, but a good one. Full of anticipation and excitement. Now onto Montpellier and the team time trials.

Lespinassiere - 02/07

Mainland Europe - Day 68
Barcelona --> Lepinassiere

Back when we booked this house six months ago Dave and myself were delighted we would be staying near a 'Walled Medieval City". In the end, the house that we stayed in was so amazing that we didn't even venture out and drive to see the magical walled city ... shameful really. But after seeing walled cities all over Europe we were more impressed with the renovated country house and all the extras including swimming pool, tennis court, table tennis table, BBQ, masses amounts of space, three TV rooms, games rooms ... etc. And of course the wonderful company.

Each day would usually start with ungodly early starts for the Mum's and Dad's, don't know how you do it!! The rest of us would surface at a more reasonable time and Paula would make everyone eggs. Then down to the pool for the day. There was a bar by the pool, so once the fridge was stocked there was no reason to leave. Wimbledon was on so some days we would squeeze in an afternoon game (or maybe a nap). Then once it was getting dark the cooking would start.

As I said to Andrea on the phone, the cooking has been taken to a new level. Each night was had such a delicious meal, and none of the boring stuff. Deep fried calamari, chili prawns, steaks, roast vegetable and goats cheese salad, stuffed mushrooms, roast chickens. I don't know why I was surprised when my clothes were tight by the end of the week.

So much fun was had, it was great just to chill and enjoy the company and of course the sun.

By the time the week was over we didn't really know what to do with ourselves. After over 2 weeks of holidaying with friends and not having to think about where to sleep the next night, we weren't sure where we wanted to head next. There was only one thing we did know. The women's and men's finals were on over the next two days so we needed to find somewhere with cable TV. Easy!

Barcelona - 27/06

Mainland Europe - Day 63
Cabopino --> Barcelona

I thought my days of flying with a rotten hangover and only 3 hours sleep were over. But no!! For our last night in Cabopino we went for dinner and of course did the dog on it an polished of more wine afterwards.

Our flight back to Barcelona was at 6am, which meant a 4.45am start. We made it but I am pretty sure we were still drunk. We had left our car on the outskirts of Barcelona. The plan was to pick it up, drive into the city and check it our for a few hours. Then hit the road and drive for about 3 hours to Carcassone in France were we were meeting up with the rest of the gang.

All went smoothly, we got the car, headed into Barcelona and hit the streets. Hunger was setting in...fantastic; and another excuse to eat Potato Omlette, delicious. I have been to Barcelona before but it was good to see the sights again. We jumped on the Big Red Bus Tour and jumped off to see some interesting Gaudi architecture (and buy some bikini's. In our drunken exit myself and Ger had left ours in Spain.. doh!!)

By 4pm it was time to go. We got back in the car and headed north. We were all very excited. We knew Orla, Peter, Paula, Dave, Liam (and the kids) had already arrived and done the first monster shop. The wine would be open and the beer chilling... fantastic.

Vejer de la Frontera - 23/06

Mainland Europe - Day 59
La Barrosa --> Vejer de la Frontera

After enjoying the cool of the coastal breeze we headed in-land again to see the 'White Villages" of Southern Spain. From afar they look magical. Clusters of white perched on top of rugged, barren cliffs. From within they look great too. Gorgeous little cobble stone streets and cute little courtyards between houses.

As they day got hotter and hotter the locals became few and far between. It seems 'Siesta' is very much a part of life around here. The streets were deserted, shops closed and shutters pulled.

By the time things started to open again we were starving and parched. Once again we sat down for some tapas. They are so good, I could eat them forever; olives, potato omlette, garlic mushrooms, spicy sausage, tomato and cheese salad. As evening was settling in we decided to head back to 601 rather then find a hotel for the night. It was a beautiful two hour drive over the mountains to get back to Cabopino.

Our two night jaunt was very successful. We had city fun, coastal relaxation and of course delicious food everywhere we went. But it was also lovely to get back to 601 and of course Wimbledon is starting. Can't miss Wimbledon!!!

La Barrosa - 22/06

Mainland Europe - Day 58
Seville --> La Barrosa

Seville was HOT, HOT, HOT, so once we were done we decided to hit the coast. Geraldine had done her research so with the added luxury of her GPS we sat back and hit the road.

After about 2 hours we came to La Barrosa Beach in Chiclana de la Frontera, a resort town filled with Spaniards escaping the swelter of Seville and Cadiz. We found a little hotel and enjoyed an afternoon at the beach. Unlike the Mediterranean beaches, Spain has golden sandy shores which are a bit easier on the feet.

Later on we had a fabulous seafood dinner in a local joint. We then returned to our hotel were we persuaded the owner to sell us a bottle of wine. We were sitting down by the seafront drinking our wine when suddenly the beach came to life........not with partiers but with dump trucks moving loads of sand from one end of the beach to the other. We found out the next day that the beach is eroding and they move sand every night in order to maintain it.

It is a loved beach ... that's for sure.

Seville - 21/06

Mainland Europe - Day 57
Cabopino --> Seville

Seville is about a 2 hour drive inland from where we were staying at Cabopino. Geraldine had booked us in for walking tour that started at 9:30am, thus we had quite an early start. We made good time on the freeway, checked into our hostel and even managed to pick up an extra (Aoife, a lovely Irish girl who was staying in our hostel), all before 9:30am.

The walking tour was very good. Our guide was actually English, but had been living in Seville for something like 10 years. It was one of those tours that you walk away from going "Wow, I really didn't pay attention in class". Apparently Seville is where Christopher Columbus left from when he went off and discovered America. And for many years after Seville was Europe's gateway to America. Which made Spain very rich, but enough of the history lesson.

We ended up having a bunch of beers with our guide after the tour was done. Then as the heat kicked in, went back to our hostel for a siesta. At 6pm we all resurfaced and headed out for some tapas. We had a few recommendations from our tour guide, but they were sadly all closed, so we just picked a place at random. It was a good meal, but not as good as the tapas in Marbella.

After a few drinks in fancy river side bar we called it a night. Our stay in Seville was short and sweet, but with the temperature getting up around 40 degrees, we were all keen to head back to the coast.

Marbella - 20/06

Mainland Europe - Day 56
Cabopino --> Marbella --> Cabopino

Marbella is only about a 15 minute drive from Cabopino. It's a beautiful coastal town with great beaches, restaurants and bars. Geraldine had a little local knowledge and found the free parking (I love free parking), then we walked for while and enjoyed the lovely evening weather.

Like many of the towns we've seen in Europe Marbella comprises of an "Old Town" and a "New Town". Geraldine needed to pick up some jewelery for her sister in the Old Town, so we headed there first. We were keen to try some Tapas so we found a cute little place and took a seat on the street. The food was good and we drank a jug of Sangria, simply because it seemed like the right thing to do.

The night had set in now and we moved on to the New Town. The bars and restaurants by the beach were packed and so as not to feel left out we sat down once again for some more Tapas. Our second dinner was probably a little better then the first, but both were delicious. Geraldine was driving so we kept things sensible and headed home to our beloved 601 for a few nightcaps.

Cabopino - 19/06

Mainland Europe - Day 55
Pisa --> Barcelona --> Cabopino

The ferry trip to Spain went smoothly and we spent a night in a camp ground just south of Barcelona, near the airport. After putting the car in long stay parking we hopped on a plane and flew to Malaga, on the south coast of Spain. Here we met up with Geraldine for the start of our holiday within our holiday.

Geraldine's folks have an amazing apartment in Cabopino, a coastal town about 30 minutes from Malaga. It would be hard to imagine a more idyllic and relaxing setting. Amazing apartment, beautiful grounds, stunning pool, perfect weather, and cheap food and grog to top it off. The apartment number was 601 and it has now become our benchmark for any place that we stay, for example ... "this place has a nice pool, but it ain't no 601!".

The original plan was to spend 9 nights in the south of Spain, using Cabopino as a base for day trips and a couple of over night forays into the country side. However, the longer we stayed in 601 the less we wanted to leave. Our days comprised of late starts, fruit salad breakies, a few hours by the pool, Wimbledon on the big screen, book reading, napping, beer drinking and dreaming up what we were going to eat for dinner. Geraldine and Yvonne are both great cooks and we had some of the best seafood meals of our entire trip in 601. Mussels, calamari, tuna steaks ... yum.

There were a few rare occasions that we managed to tear ourselves away from 601, dinner at a local restaurant and even a couple of days on the road, but it seemed as if 601 was always there, like some drug or the call of a siren beckoning us home.

A big thank you to Geraldine and her folks for spoiling us and letting us stay in their little piece of paradise. Not only have you given us the "601 accommodation rating scale", but also some of the most memorable and relaxing time on our holidays.