More Ups and Downs, and A Bigger Splash!

Part 1 of the Spring Migration was two weeks in the Sud-Ouest - namely on the Languedoc-Roussillon coast. Rationally this would have been first Canet and then Lattes, but Camping Brasilia would not open until 23rd April, so we expended extra miles and diesel carrying on up the A9 and then coming back down for the final 5 days. As soon as we arrived at Camping Le Parc we realised there was something different about the prevailing conditions! It was busy.. very busy and we are used to real top-and-tail of the season desertion! Two thirds of France was having school holidays until at least the coming Monday, and half of them - including the local area, would have all of the following week as well! There was a bitter North wind, but the sun was shining, and indeed our campsite friends had filled the swimming pool, and hardy sorts were using it.
 A shopping trip to the huge Grand Sud Carrefour confirmed that this was not going to be a quiet week or so!

The original Alain Delon film

After the great car-clearance and associated tasks Bob took himself off for a bike ride and exploration of how the A9 improvements were affecting cycle routes into the city. Ruth promised to try her bike the next day. This proved to be deeply depressing! In spite of eventual success in Fuerte she just couldn´t get onto the saddle of this bike and then turn the pedals. We borrowed tools and tried all manner of saddle heights but it was in vain. In deep despair we went instead by car to Palavas by the sea in Yvette. The town was heaving with visitors - entirely French - and the wind was cold, but manged some moules frites and a short stroll.

Next day being Sunday Greyrocks went for their treat of a trip by tram to Montpellier, a late lunch near Comedie and a discounted entry to the cinema for a V.O. film. In contrast with seaside locations the city was almost empty! We had no trouble getting into the usual restaurant, enjoyed a good feed and the only "fly in the ointment" was that they had run out of discount cinema tickets so we had to pay the full EUR7 each! We saw "A Bigger Splash" in great comfort and enjoyed it!

On a different evening we followed up an advertising postcard we had acquired and took the tram for a couple of stops past the station in Montpellier in order to find a music venue. The are turned out to be predominantly Arab, with few likely bars or restaurants, but lighted upon a Moroccan place and had a wonderful meal. Afterwards we got a good seat at Plein Lune and eventually saw Lazy Sundaze, which was a ten-piece band playing "UK Funk" and was very, very good.

In terms of daytime activity luck was not with Greyrocks, and by the time Ruth was riding adequately the weather had turned. The big achievement was a ride into Lattes itself for a menu du jour lunch. That went very well, as did a ride round the marina, but we parted company for diffent routes back to the ranch (easy and harder) and the heavens opened. The next few days were dogged by such weather.

Then it was south again for the opening day at Le Brasilia. We had booked a cheap mobile home, but it had been renovated and was very comfortable. The site was very busy with Dutch families, so not exactly peaceful, and there were gale force winds, so again cycling was largely limited - until the last day - to solo excursions by Bob. There was a bizarre incident in a promenade restaurant which had run out of food, but we had two excellent meals on other occasions.

After being in France for two weeks we had not spoken English to a single Anglophone and we had seen fewer than ten GB cars  - including on a number of autoroute jorneys. This was to change as we headed for Charente at the end of the month!

Ups, Downs and a Big Splash!

Impressive waves off Bristol Playa

After the disappointing weather over the main Easter holidays there was a steady improvement, and during Greyrocks´ final week there were some beautiful days, but also impressive surf conditions and high winds. One evening we were eating at La Luna next to an Irish family of which part were regulars to Fuerte (in fact the parents of Ed Byrne) and part had come over from Lanzarote for the day and had been stranded by the Armas ferry being unable to dock.

Ruth contined to grow in confidence on the bike. We were keen to use as many spa sessions as possible before departure - having purchased season tickets that would expire soon after our planned return, so on a coupke of occasions she rode to the Bahia Real and back:- something that would have seemed unthinkable until late March!

So there was legitimacy to that theme of the party Greyrocks had arranged:-

 Forty or so people attended on a sunny day. In view of the restricted space the catering was limited to pizza and finger-food from Pronto round the corner plus empanadas from the bar itself and yummy muffins made, as ever, by Eileen. The best pictures are on the Blue Rock Facebook page (sorry about that.. no.. we don´t do it either!)
but here is one of Pete and Dave who also did us proud, playing all afternoon - with a few numbers generously also offered by Mel and Johnnie Dale.

Then it was the run-in to departure. Head colds and a range of other niggles, put paid to the plan for several spa sessions, but the sun did shine and we managed some lazy afternoons at the The Rock with friends, some modest bike rides, and some classy meals of the Canarian variety. The migration itinerary was also refined to a high level of precision. On the day itself such was the state of readiness that we went for a stroll, watching the dramatic swell off the promenade, and taking a swift half at La Lonja. We looked out at the blue sky and beautiful scenery and said it was good to be leaving whilst wishing we weren´t. It all seemed very relaxed!

We strolled back to the apartment and started to get things down the stairs. This included our new luggage carefully chosen at one of the Chinese shops in town and - admittedly - rather cheap. Windows Dave arrived and helped us finish off and we set off for the airport with oodles of time, but well after Parque Hollandaise Bob realised he had left all is worldly wealth on the dining table. We were on the bit of road with no possibilities of last-minute turning, but Dave managed to get us back home and then down to the airport with about five minutes until check-in would close.  We had had to negotiate school turn-out time and swarms of beach-bound hire cars so it was a tour de force!

Then it was Ruth´s first security check with the new knee setting off the metal detector! No real problem!

In Barcelona we had to stay at a different hotel, which was closer to the airport but came with mediocre reviews. Our key cards didn´t work and we were up and down in the lift numerous times to get that fixed. They also don´t offer reservation of the airport shuttle and the breakfast price was extortionate, so we had some more stress before arriving at vthe airport very early to start on our experiment with the Sagales coach. Once a day (at 10 am) it is possible to go all the way from Barca airport to Girona airport in one cheap journey, so we did. A neat move, and within two hours, with no Line of Fear and easy luggage handling both ends we were within eyeshot of Yvette! Ruth insisted on walking, rather than calling the minibus, and during this little stroll a wheel came off the case! This is addition to the faults developed the previous day on Bob´s version: lost stud meaning a protruding nail and a ripped security strap, and Ruth´s cracked plastic. As we limped into the office at the parking they knew what had happened and it was clear we were not the first clients who had fallen foul of a case of Chinese case failure! Yvette had been lovingly cared for, as ever, and we headed off France-bound, but at the toll-booth on the Spanish side of the border we sat for a long time frustrated that the credit card wasn´t being accepted by the machine. Understandable:- this was the bank-note hole!! Grr! Calm down! You´re on holiday! The rest of the journey was without event, and we began our French sojourn!