"It's Tuesday - it must be...!"

.. probably Barcelona.. or possibly Athens!
This year we needed a swift migration to Crete, so the key was the new flight from B to A (and back) provided by Vueling - Iberia's low cost airline. So the route was from Girona airport by Bus to Barcelona's coach station, and a short walk to Hostal La Isla, which we had booked on line but had trouble locating in reality, as it is quite new and hidden in a residential apartment block. It is ideally located though, and we took a stroll down to Plaza de Catalunya (left) in bright sunshine, popped into Las Ramblas and then went for very pleasant tapas with a Catalan flavour. Next day we took a bus down to Catalunya and the airport bus to Terminal 1. Vueling's bag drop was instant, and despite the cheap price there are allocated and comfortable seats. A good flight, somewhat under 3 hours! We are fans! We took the airport bus directly from the terminal to the Crete gate at Piraeus port, and whilst Ruth logged on to the port's free WiFi Bob visited Lidl for French wine:- likely to be our last for some months! We had treated ourselves to a better cabin, and were allowed to board early, so it was all very relaxed, but a bit chilly on deck as the sun went down and we partook of ANEK gyros, as is traditional! Reveille at 4.50 am is also traditional, but as foot passengers we were able to hang around and disembark at leisure before getting the 7 am city bus into Chania. The bus station building has had a minor facelift and is now - of course - smoke-free, but the 8.30 bus departures are chaotic with more services and very large vehicles. We arrived in Paleo at 10.15, and were safely installed in our home by 10.30.

"Bonne Navigation!" & "Au Revoir, La France!"

 Despite attempts to avoid it and stick to sunbathing there was eventually no alternative! We had to do the (slightly) serious à deux cycle ride! We drove back up the coast to Port-La-Nouvelle, and parked next to this rather lovely mural depicting the past glory of the town. We then negotiated some repair works and found the towpath alongside the Canal de la Robine and went up and back a 13km stretch. This runs through the newly designated Nature Reserve of L'Ile de Sainte Lucie.

The topography here is intruiging! With the sea on one side and the Etang on the other the narrow spit of land at points is not much wider than the parallel canal, railway line and towpath. We saw a lot of water, some birds, a couple of cruisers and a few other cyclists. Our turning point was the lock at Mandirac, which we have previously seen by road. There is a delightful bar-restaurant there, next to a very old Dutch barge, which we wish we had known about before packing the picnic. The ride back was with a cold side wind, which unfortunately masked the very hot sun. Ruth had forgotten to put sunscreen on her face, so the next few days featured pain and disfigurement, as well as well-used leg muscles! A stupid beginner's mistake!

For our last few days in France the weather became a bit more "iffy", with a heavy rainstorm and some very high winds. Bob went exploring in a different direction and found the largest solar farm in France, and a pleasant resort with large marina at Sainte Marie. We were leaving on the Monday, so went there by car on the Sunday for a lunch of moules and assorted Catalan goodies, and in the (very chilly) evening we went to the promenade in Canet and made a quick choice of restaurant, which turned out to be a good one - except that Ruth sampled one of Bob's oysters! Oh dear!

We left La France on Monday 16th May. We crossed the Pyrenees on the E15 in fairly good weather, and went to the Fiat dealer near Girona, which had confirmed in an email that they could supply a rear windscreen wiper. The mechanic there was really helpful, and sorted it all out, and we took Yvette back to her winter home, so that we could go to Barcelona.

Fête de la Victoire

(and Greyrocks has found a way to insert accents!)
We enjoyed some more sunny weather - although as yet tempted by neither pool nor sea - and made good use of the bikes. On Monday 2nd, which is not a holiday in France, we took the A9 south to Canet en Roussillon, near Perpignan. We had arranged ten days at Le Brasilia, which is a huge but delightful 5* campsite, and a real favourite. We had to pay the full seasonal price for two nights, but then a lower one kicked in and we got a great deal on a bungalow, like that used for emergency shelter when we were victims of a storm in 2008. This one is named Perdrix, and is perfectly fine :- if old; and since last year the whole site has WiFi, so Happy Days! Early days were very busy - particularly with Dutch, but it is now quieter.
The weather has been excellent, and just ambling by bike down to the long seafront via the newly extended marina is a joy. On Sunday May 8th we veered round a bend and saw tanks and tents! We had missed the publicity so this was a complete surprise. A full replica of a World War 2 army camp was installed on the beach, and some sixty or so vehicles - including a Sherman tank - were on display along with enthusiasts dressed as everything from US General to tarty French maid! Later as we consumed our moules a fair number of the vehicles paraded past. Much tooting and waving, and finally a Glenn Miller tribute band on the prom!

Bob then cycled further along the front to get to St Cyprien, which was also en fête- having a little carnival!

We are Republicans - get us out of here - perhaps to Socialist heaven!

The French bit of the Spring Migration has turned out to comprise 10-day stays in each our current two favourite locations in the Midi :- Agde and Canet. The weather has been wonderful - a bit of wind, chilly evenings, but gloriously sunny days and rain only in an odd night! The only blemish has been dramatic clouds of white seed stuff from some unidentified but prevalent tree (marine pine, cottonwood, poplar?), which gets into everything including orifices! And on the subject of getting up one's nose....
How wonderful not to be in the UK! We got a good deal on WiFi, so have been listening to BBC Radio 4 until even it started on the fawning and infantalising advance coverage of that wretched and expensive wedding on April 29th! Enough! We declared the day as a BBC-free day and went for a drive to look at other towns on or near coast and canal. Pezenas was very pleasant:- rather Bohemian and with free live jazz in the main square!
One day Bob did a very serious canalside bike ride to Beziers and back. Here are some of the images:

He arrived back at the ranch just as it started to rain!
Later in the stay we both rode a section of his route - taking the bikes on the car as far as Villeneuve de Beziers and using the excellent path to get to the famous 9 (now 8) locks at Fonséranes. The place was heaving with tourists arrived by bike, car, coach and boat. We watched many skillfill manoevres over some Beaujolais and baguette de saucisson  from our picnic bundle, and then rode back!

Another trip was to the wonderful city of Montpellier. We had heard of the delights of this regional capital from George and (RIP) Penny, but had never been there! We went by train from Agde, and - yes - this was so much better as an experience than anything British! Clean, punctual, well-staffed, . etc! As for the city - you step from the train to the tram, and can travel all day for 5 euros. (Well you can if you have coins and not a note.. but that is another story less flattering to the French!)

The historic city is grandiose - with wide boulevards, and a particularly lovely cental place, where the original egg shape is outlined in marble. A huge part of the inner city is completely pedestrianised, with a bike-loan scheme and the two excellent tram lines (soon to be three, despite the crisis!) Its cathedral is a bit dull, and it has no significant ancient relics, so what is the charm? Well, it's the modernity! A rampant Socialist mayor got on and did things for the public good. He fell out of favour, then died, but the legacy is all around - in the naming of streets and places, the transport system and the amazing public buildings:- particluarly in the Antigone area, where the regional offices are in this Defence-type arch by the river, and surrounding huge edifices are stunning!

 

Ah! Cuisine francaise - but perhaps not as we know it!

A really easy getaway from the parking lot. They are SO good!
Then we drove over the Pyrenees and straight to Le Grau d'Agde and Les Mimosas, where we thought it would be trivial to get a mobile home for a week or so. Not so! They did a lot of fiddling and then found us 3-bedroom one at 2-bedroom price! Madame in fact did remark on the potential for conjugal arguments! Jolly fine too, so at the end of the week we took three more nights. We had pretty good weather throughout - (just one wet evening!) - and - as praised last autumn - there are the three zones well-linked by cycle tracks, and all with great restaurants. But - of course - this isn't a holiday, so restraint must be exercised, with a good proportion of home catering and cheap cafeterias!
On the first night we went down to the nearby Hyper-U and its Crescendo cafeteria. We picked up a bowl of mixed salad and went to a neighbouring table for dressing. Bob thought something looked like a thick vinaigrette and poured on copious amounts. It wasn't!

To paraphrase:

"The dressing that's a blessing smells of mustard - not of custard!

Tho' no label there's a ladle for the brew that is true!"

(We still wonder if the bowl we hid at the back of the counter might have emerged and given a punter a shock!)

Later in the week we decided to risk THE OYSTER!

Ruth has been reluctantly avoiding them since two very nasty and messy incidents in the Vendee and Whitstable in 2004 and 2005 respectively! So with baited breath and confronted by wonderful displays of seafood beside the marina in Cap d'Agde, we bought a mixed plate. Totally delicious - especially with the local Picpoul de Pinet! And the good news is - no allergy!