Sunshine!

Farewelled Porto, a very charming and allurig city.

At its core it is a beautiful place with people likewise. A bit like an attractive older lady- back in the day she would have had boys lining up. Now, with a few wrinkles and fading colours you can imagine what she would have been like. It appealed to both of us.

Highlights... Tiny, intricate and patterned cobblestones, vibrant and mixed use of paint and traditional Portuguese tiled facades. Washing hung across the front of terraces and over streets. Graffiti on what were grand old buildings and public art. Plaster and paint faded, cracked and coming off in parts. Gutted old mansions now used as closed gardens.

Headed to the Duoro Valley to see the terraced port vineyards. Took an audio tour on an ipod- they love their prerecorded tours here.

The vine rows look like the contours on a map. Funny that it is called Port, not Duoro. It was the sunniest day by far- chocolate melted in the car.

Visited a very famous vineyard at the eastern end of the valley on our way to Spain. The views were amazing.

Painted tiles in Porto / The view from the top of Quinta Vargellas, Duoro)

Room service?

Rip cord in our bathroom in Portugal. Does late night room service count?

Porto shopping

Based on our limited experience (shops and restaurants), the Portuguese are lovely people. They bend over backwards, nothing is too much trouble. A lot of handshaking and pats on the back. They are very welcoming with a big smile.

Our shopping budget was recovering, until today. Picked up some vintage port after our visit to Taylor across the river from Oporto. We were disappointed to find the markets closed back in town but stumbled upon the nearby shopping district.

We picked up a lot of super authentic portuguese souvenirs. Most impressively were the little hand sewn leather shoes (Rach only, but Trav tried hard to fit in to a size 45).

Dinner was amazing and very cheap considering the flavor and service and what we are used to back home in Aus.

Off the beaten track, it is where the locals head for a family cooked meal. A recommendation from the concierge, she even wrote a card with 'alergico a farinha'.

View from Taylor's looking back towards Oporto/Did someone say 'shoe sale'?/Happy campers after dinner

Wild country

On the road through Spain to Portugal we had our second lot of jamon for the day from a deli in a massive but deserted Spanish roadhouse where everyone looked at us like exotic animals.

Is it that obvious we are not Spanish? Jamon from nearby Leon was a good driving snack- Vegemite like richness. Quote of the day: 'ham tastes so much better in spain' (Rach).

So many tunnels through the mountains and motorways that zig and zag accross each other. We counted at least 40 birds of prey.

We apparently picked the day when everyone was back burning. Fires and smoke on the horizon. We drove past one with flames licking the road that was obviously out of control (water bomber flying overhead and police on the motorway). They waved us through the smoke and flying ash but scary none the less.

The sunset after fire is a cruel joke. It makes for some amazing colours, contrasts and designs.

Nice digs in Porto.

Food San Sebastian style

Arrived late on Sunday in San Sebastian and fit in some pintxos in the old part of the city. Pinxtos is Basque for tapas, and every bar has plate of finger food lining the bar.

Great drinking culture and we could have bar hopped all night to try the tasty morsels.

The swimming beach in the bay was the highlight for us. Had breakfast on the Harbour after visiting a very expensive jamon boutique and collecting ham, cheese and bread (rice cakes for T :).

The cheap one, at 35 euro a kilo was amazing but we wonder how good the 135 euro one would have been. A good breakfast jamon- nutty, buttery, delicate.

Bordeaux

Visited 2 very different wineries on Sunday in Bordeaux- not many open on sundays but managed to get in to see Lynch-Bages in Pauillac and Château Maucaillou (Moulis-en-Médoc).

The L-B was what I have come to expect from the 04' vintage. The Moulis was elegant, had lifted fruit and was well integrated wine. Did not have the power of L-B but really enjoyable and far better value.

Drove the D2 to see all the mega brands along the water. You can see how they have the better location from the road- highest points in the commune, on gravel mini-hills for good drainage and a view of the water to regulate temperature.

Trav@LB/understated elegance @ Ch. Margaux

In line for steak

After landing on the gypsie side of Bordeaux and wondering where all the wine was we found our nice hotel near the train station.

We drove direct from Bourges today after realizing that traversing the whole of the Loire Valley would take much longer than thought.

In France we have spent more on motorway tolls than diesel. Today, our biggest one yet, was 31 euro. They save a lot of time, but this is something that we have had to get used to. It would cost more in fuel to drive around the toll. User pays.

Took the advice of our concierge (and our good mate Adam) to check out l'entrecôte. Both warned us of the lineup- an hour outside before we got a table.

The famous steak sauce was very moreish, and the all you can eat shoestring fries to soak up the sauce some of the best yet in France. A big claim, they take their fries very seriously here. Their desserts are massive (pic).

Made some new friends in line which meant the hour passed quickly. They were very kind to talk slow French to us. Many thanks!

Massive sweets @ l'entrecote/Matt- you are falling behind ;)/on the quai @ Bordeaux/someone used Tom Tom in a carpark/

Doors are taller but the tables are smaller....

Thursday...
Paris- Just when you think that a city accommodates tall and slender gentlemen you encounter the tables in restaurants. Getting one leg under a bistro 2 seater is interesting.

Australia is very clean, even though it is a nanny state in a lot of ways. The driving laws in Paris and dog poo everywhere on the footpaths attest to the benefits.

Visited a street market today and bargained with a man over the price of some forchettes (forks) and then over his adding up. Got him down from 40 to 24 as he was packing up for the day. Score!

Angers- need a traffic control degree to get around it. Pop up bollards for local traffic only. Thanks for trying to rip the engine out of the Pug from the bottom Tom Tom.

Thanks Jo and Damien for a great dinner recommendation. The cauliflower and foie gras soup was out of this world delicious and the rest of the set menu was faultless. We had our first butter foam experience. Out of control!!

Our hosts were so passionate about their food and making sure everyone has a great experience. Very humbling- it was like we were being hosted in a home rather than a restaurant. Lucky for us our hotel was just accross the road and could stumble back- he had a good wine list by the glass.

Pics: Notre Dame/yummy fish with rabies/our fancy digs in Angers (purchased cheap online at McDonalds-free wifi).

Culture Shock

Friday...
Last night we left Paris, and we seem to have left behind everyone who could speak English.

From Angers on instead of everyone talking to us in English our pleads for 'vous parlez anglias' are met with blank looks and shrugs.

Buying a French sim this morning was the most exhausting travel experience yet.

We got there in the end though- our 6 foot french beauty of a sales assistant persevered for 20 minutes to take our 15 Euro.

We are not 100 percent sure that we got the service we wanted but we can (texto) each other. Tres bien!

At 10am, and in need of a stiff drink, we set out for the lovely Loire Valley wine town of Chinon. We called ahead to a winery (making a booking in French is harder than it sounds) and was met by the winemaker who opened many fresh bottles for us.

Great to meet someone who understood the challenges of learning a second language- it was part French, part English and part charades.

With our confidence up we called ahead to another winery and headed east to Vouvray to a favorite winery called Marc Bredif.

The ancient cellars wind their way into the side of the hill and under other properties. They had vintages going back over 100 years in perfect cellaring conditions. Even here it was noticeably cold and humid.

Have just arrived for a quick stopover in Bourges- will hit Sancerre and Pouilly Fume early in the morning and then on to Bordeaux for the night.

Ch. d'Angers/on the Loire @ Chinon/old booze @ Bredif

Un grande jour in Paris

Much to fit in to our last day in Paris (for a little while) so braved the subway (Le Metro) to cut down walking time.

The information person at the station was very nice to keep trying to understand our french until a line formed behind us.

First stop was Sacre Coeur above Montmatre. Great views of the city, a memorable cathedral and a cool little area of town.

Back on the Metro to Arc de Triomph. Had a punk teen try and pull the same 'gold ring' scam. We wish we had good enough french to say 'met your dad yesterday, we didn't fall for it then either'. Must be a franchise.

Walked down to the Louvre through the very white jardin (it is almost all clay and rocks). Rach had her first croque monsuir- check the pic for the cheese attack. Yes, chips again. Every meal, french fries. They are usually hand cut though making them healthy;)

The crowd at the Louvre was insane. Like a tidal wave, thousands of people pushing to see the Mona Lisa just to say they have seen it. Very few a took the time to appreciate it, although an italian man proposed to his girlfriend in front of the heavily guarded masterpiece. She accepted. The many screams, alarms and camera flashes took away from the experience. Saw about 10 percent of the massive place in 3 hours.

Have just returned from dinner at a place called The Two Maggots. A hangout for Hemingway and his mates the service was woeful but the duck breast with caramalised pears had us both trying to be polite sharers.

Hit the road again tomorrow, towards Spain and Portugal. Will be sad to say goodbye to Paris- we have only scratched the surface of what makes this beautiful city tick.

Subway/frenchie cheese toastie/chandelier shopping @ Louvre

Belle Paris

Visited a very nice brasserie down the street for dinner last night- very cliche Paris. Mirrored walls, tables touching each other, mozaic tiled panels, dark wood, very professional waiters in suits.

Slightly hungover we hit the streets of Paris. Our bad french is much better in the morning, so we had a shot at ordering breakfast. The waiters are very polite- they sometimes giggle at our poor attempts to speak their tongue but our efforts are largely appreciated.

A clear winters day. On the way to the Tour Eiffel we were hussled by a few people. The first a deaf charity collector, the second a man who found a gold coloured ring on the street in front of us and wanted us to have it for a small fee of 2 euro for a sandwhich.

Climbed the Tour today, the line for the escolator was hours long. The top floor was closed for renos, so we took the short line and braved the stairs to the second floor- it provided a great view of the city. Very white buldings.

Also had a few shots at finding a Metro map for our good mate. I feel we may have embarked on a witchhunt!

PS- To our family, trying to find a new phone card. Will call soon X

Inside the Tour Eiffel...

At Lipp Brasserie...

Paris and scratch free Pug

It is always a great way to get a feel for the wider city by driving in to it.

In short, we can not believe that we arrived in one piece, and scored the cutest room yet.

We passed many tourist attractions, not that we could take a second to look at them.

Drove across on the Pont Neuf, passed the Louvre, d'Orsay, the palaces and drove the Champs Élysées.

Thank god Tommy did not take us on the Arc de Triomphe roundabout. Looking at the map we only just missed it. Thanks Tom Tom.

Very Parisian little hotel in the 6th with windows looking into a small courtyard.

The bathroom is amazing, not just because we avoided a shower at our two star number on the other side of the ditch. The only question is: bidet, or not to bidet?

Hitting a bottle of Tattinger in the room before we find a place to eat.

Shower and Champagne- a just reward for a hard, and sometimes breathless, day's travel.

Running late for the boat

Tommy had a really hard time in Folkestone- all the one ways, veering, roundabouts and dual to single lanes.

All in all our 40 aud hotel room, overlooking the harbour and white cliffs of Dover was an experience worth having.

Sure, the cordial being passed off as juice and the tea so black that the line between the two is blurred was demoralising, and we did not use the shower by choice. But the staff worked with what they had and for most guests their stay was special.

Rushing to the train is heart starting in the morning, but rushing to the boat to France is nail biting when your guide is cold and grumpy (Tommy that is).

Arrived in one piece, just, to navigate the many lanes (ours being lane 204) to customs and dock. The ship is like a floating hotel- one which we would have preferred to spend the night at anyway!

Nous allons a France!!!!!

Bingo!

Set out early from St Ives to the other side of England to Folkestone so that we are close to the channel ferry at Dover tomorrow morning.

On the way we walked over to St Michaels Mount at low tide just off of Marzian. Due to UK govt cutbacks the castle was not open in winter but we still got a look around the grounds and to do the causeway walk which is the best part!

A long drive followed but a stop in Devon (home of the Mandini) for a Sunday carvery lunch helped out.

Cheapest hotel booked so far tonight. $30 but we upgraded to $40 to include full brekkie for us both. Whilst Rach will be keeping thongs next to the bed for any bathroom trips the bed appears clean...

Hanging out in the front bar with the oldies for bingo. Trying our luck :) Also Miss European seems to be on here tonight, lots of glam English gals (no other EUs but maybe its the first stage) swanning about. When we say glam remember the hotel is 2 star.

Back to the sea!

The best place to have bad accommodation is St Ives- a hilly posh fishing village in the lower south west of Cornwall, England. The basin is the bedside table.

The old boats litter the beach at low tide, and the narrow cobblestoned roads with cars keep you weary.

Every tourist town in England sells fudge. In Cornwall it is pasties (although they also sell fudge here too, trying to convince Trav to try the clotted cream one). Every second store is a bakery offering many varieties. We even found a gluten free one at a health food store.

Does clotted cream fudge sound like a recipe for heart attack??

Cardiff and Cornwall

Ended up at the wrong hotel in Cardiff last night, no matter, only 5 pounds more and lux! Hit the gym and pool this morning to burn off a few English breakfasts- they have them even in Wales. No kidding.

Tried another of the UK chain restaurants last night, wagamama (Thai) before heading to the cinema to see Man on a Ledge. The name says it all and we can't tell you more without spoiling the show. Audience was laughing at the less than subtle boob shots. Funny.

Got lost on the way 'home' with a lot of development happening in the 'bay' part of Cardiff. Its potential is clearly being realized, another example of gentrification going well around a port. Over the top initial govt investment is all it takes to shift perceptions and get private investment rolling.

Today we checked out the Cardiff Bay Harbour (and another chain, cote brasserie which provided good risotto for a late lunch)- good public art and statement buildings using local natural materials (wood and slate).

Have just arrived in seaside St Ives, Cornwall, to what is our smallest room yet, up the most and narrowest stairs yet, one of the most expensive yet. White Van Drivers overtook us all the way on the road- they are insane here. Both will get us prepared for EU.

Snowdonia

After a great nights rest in a Victorian era guesthouse we went on a hill walk to a lake at the top of a mountain range.

Beautiful views, well worth the walk. We wish everyone would agree on a hiking guidance system- sometimes we take the difficult path and find it very easy, while sometimes they promote an easy walk and we end up watching every step out of fear of falling in to the gorge below.

About to set of for Cardiff now. Hopefully they have a launderette as we have a load or two that need seeing to.

The kindness of strangers...

The thoughtfulness of our guesthouse hosts in Windemere repeatedly surprised us.

-Baar-bara the sheep (on our pillow),
-Maps brought to our room when the other guests had returned them,
-Breakfast: 2 types of gf toast,
-Welcome: offered to help us with our bags late at night in pygamas,
-Box of chocolates on our bed for valentines,
-Unfinished cooked breakfast 'I noticed you did not eat all your pancakes, can I cook you something else?
-Banana cake (see pic below...)

Being away for so long, we both long for the feeling of 'home' and the familiar. Our baguette and omelette chef in NY provided this, now our hosts in Windemere.

Yesterday- Went for a 'wee fell' up a hill in Bowness. A pretty little lakeside township popular with tourists. The view was much better than the smell. Sheep roam the national trust site.

Today- Visited Chester. A lot in common with York with its walled city and medieval buildings. A little more fashionable though.

Drove to Conwy Castle in Wales- a huge medieval ruin in the middle of a sleepy fishing village. Beautiful views across the town, with the fortress winding its way through the buildings.

On the way to our accommodation in Snowdonia we drove through the town with the longest train station name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Now in Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia. A lovely Victorian era b&b. Had a great dinner at a local bistro that specializes in traditional Welsh dishes, local produce. The lamb was so sweet.

A good place to be a signwritier- all the signs in Wales are written in both the native language and English. Saw some of this in Scotland, but here they seem to be making even more of an effort to preserve the old ways.

The other West Lakes....

Left Newcastle-upon-Tyne in search of the 2000 year old Hadrians Wall.

Built to keep the 'barbarians' of the North out of the Roman conquered South, the stone wall once ran the entire width of the UK.

Nowadays it better functions as a prize in a scavenger hunt as you try and find its remains.

After a slow start we found the remains of a fortress part of the wall high up on a hill overlooking two valleys; ideal for keeping a watchful eye on invaders.

Lucky for us, it was free as the museum was being renovated (for Olympics......).

Now in a cute b&b for a couple of days in the Lakes District, west England. From what we have seen on the way in it should be called the mountain and snow district. Hopefully the Lake is easier to find than the Wall.

The toy sheep came with the room. For 8 quid you can spend the night with Baa-bara and take her home.