One of the great things about motorhoming, is free camping in some of the most remote and gorgeous locations. In this case, Montserrat was our overnight backdrop. What we didn’t realise was that the locals also recognised this location as the local “park up”😘. The rest of this tale will have to be told by Mic in person, as this is a PG blog only 🤣.

So with a spring in our step, and luckily for us, we visited the mountain top of the Monestir de Montserrat (Monastery of the Serrated Mountain). The monastery is just 40km outside of Barcelona on our way to Zaragosa, with just a hill or two to traverse on the way. Nothing really changed on entering the premises either, except that the path to the top seemed to get steeper. A staircase to heaven maybe, or in my case pay back for eating too many pastries!!! And of all days for the Funicular de Sant Joan to be undergoing maintenance, I’d planned on wearing jangles. But just like any pilgrim on their far fetched journey to reach the top, I push on 🙄 with only another 250m to climb!!

So if you’re still wondering the height of these weird and bulbous like mountain formations, they are 1236m above sea level. I’m still not sure why all of the great monasteries were built on the side of such mountains, but what I know is for sure, they definitely heard me coming as I wheezed my way to the top.

The monastery is owned by the Benedictine monks and founded in 1025. Pilgrims come to this holy place to kiss the Black Virgin which is a 12th Century wooden sculpture of the Virgin Mary. Needless to say the statue now days happens to be COVID friendly, a little high for a peck on the cheek, and protected by glass. So, a simple bow and small grace will have to suffice.

Coming back down to reality and in desperate need of a small ale to quench my thirst we call into the tabernas (tavern) La Terrassa. A quiet spot where we can reflect on today’s events. Mic’s enjoying the local beer San Miguel, which tastes similar to a shandy and I’m topping up on a coffee as I’m overdue for my siesta. Can’t you tell!

There’s so many different aspects to Spain. One minute we’re enjoying another city, another castle, another church, another patisserie and the next we find ourselves in its countryside again.

However, if an opportunity arises to visit the back streets of Spain, as we did in Zaragosa, be sure to take on this maze of tubular sized alleyways as you’ll be able to hop from bar to bar. Soaking up the atmosphere of what the Spainards do best and that’s to feast on tapas and pintxos while sipping on your favourite choice of refreshment, maybe Sangria or Vermut. A little bit like a pub crawl, but livelier.

Our next stop just outside Zaragoza, is where Snow White finds the seven dwarfs. An enchanted forest with waterfalls, caves, art, architecture and nature. The fairy tale setting of Monesterio de Piedro may seem a little far fetched, but this place is 800 years old and recognised as an asset of cultural significance by the Council of Aragon. It’s an awesome day out walking around the park as you take in the scenery and then soak up the history of predecessors who have left a lasting impression on this landscape.

It’s a unique experience that we were fortunate to stumble upon. A definite favourite amongst the locals, that will be indebted to the Cistercian Order for many years to come.

Where do I start when trying to recall the events of the last week, in particular our first visit to Barcelona 🤔. Well … how about the Lego shop which I think sums it up perfectly. I ❤ BCN.

Barcelona, whilst not the Spanish Capital is home to some 1.6 million people and is probably best known for FC Barcelona, Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia and Picasso. So with my wish list in hand, we navigate this enormous city by bus, metro, cabify and some 75km on foot 🥵.

So, in fact the first stop is more on Mic’s list than mine, however, after the experience of watching a home game of the local “fùtbol” team, which just happens to be FC Barcelona, I would have to say this is a must see experience. The atmosphere was off the scale, with some 90,000 fans attending the largest soccer 🤣 stadium in Europe. I was surprised to also learn that FC Barcelona, known as Barca by the locals, is the second largest fan based team in the world, just pipped by its neighbouring Spanish Real Madrid revival. We were treated to a 2nd versus 3rd match up in the Liga league, where Barca beat Seville in the dying minutes, 1 – 0. Needless to say, the locals where very happy with the outcome, as were we as the atmosphere was eclectic.

Just as exciting as the game though, were the sight seeing experiences across Barcelona’s vast city. I’d have to say we were blown away with the treasure trove of museums, art galleries, monuments and architecture that was available to us. There is just so much to see we felt very overwhelmed and decided that on our first day we would just meander to see if we could get a feel for the lay of the land.

This approach seemed to work a treat as we joined a long progression of similiar minded people exploring the most talked about boulevard, La Rambla. But the real magic happened when we went exploring some of the numerous side streets. Unbelievably, we managed to find our way to the Barri Gotic district which is one of Barcelona’s oldest quarters. This area is a maze of medieval streets, markets, tapas bars and cosy coffee shops. I’m in heaven, if only I could slow Mic down, I’d stop for a coffee or two, maybe some tapas, a Sangria and some of that amazing ham called Jamón in Spanish.

The other area of interest is L’eixample. An art nouveau area referred to as Modernisme by the Catalonian’s. This area transformed Barcelona in the early 20th Century as the development was an expansion of the city. Architect’s like Antoni Gaudi were commissioned to build masterpieces for wealthy families and businessmen alike. Casa Milà, Casa Batlló and Casa Amatller are some of the more famous houses located in this district that are truly unique and are great examples of this modern architectural technique.

Crossing off my extensive list of places to visit is Park Güell. It’s a definite must see attraction. You would think we just stepped inside an oversized amusement park. The park is as fanciful as it is astonishingly beautiful. Who could believe this landscaped garden with ornate buildings was destined to be a residential development site for the wealthy? Unfortunately, for the developer Count Eusebi Güell it was a major flop. Gaudi had put his heart and soul into the development creating irrigation systems, roads, footpaths, steps, a plaza and two gate houses. Although it was never accepted by the wealthy Catalonian’s, thankfully in 1922 the city bought the estate as a public park.

Now when in Spain another popular spot just happens to be the Museu Picasso. It’s a magnificent collection of Picasso paintings from his formative years and subsequent periods there after. The collection was a donation by Pablo to the City Council of Barcelona.

My favourite series of paintings in the gallery was Picasso’s take on Las Meninas. A famous painting by another Spanish artist Veláquez. Where Picasso, a little tongue in cheek repaints this masterpiece in his cubism form. There is a subtle message in this piece where Pablo highlights the importance of the artist by painting the artist almost twice the size and gives the artist two palettes to work with instead of one. It’s an artist’s individuality, creativity and their interpretation of the world that creates art in its purest form and this is why it is my belief that Picasso was such a genius.

Our final destination and my highlight of the trip to Barcelona was the extremely famous cathedral of La Sagrada Família, or the Cathedral of the Sacred Family. A magnificent piece of Architecture by Antoni Gaudi who dedicated 43 years of his life to creating this beauty and who has left his inspiration behind for the spirit of the people to complete. I cannot begin to explain how extraordinarily beautiful this Cathedral is and what it meant to both Mic and myself to be able to visit it in real time. It is such a humble, spiritual, symbolic and welcoming Cathedral and on the day we visited incredible light and warmth was casting patterns over the walls of Cathedral which in reflection looks like an image of the sun coming from the stained glass windows.

Although they say they anticipate to finish this structure by 2026, recognising 100 years since the death of Gaudi, it is my belief that this Cathedral will never be finished and that, in itself is an amazing concept, as the Cathedral will be given eternal life by those who continue to create it & visit it.

We hadn’t planned it this way, however, we had timed our visit to Spain perfectly to coincide with their biggest religious festival, the Semana Santa … which we all know as Easter.

The festival was used as a way to explain to the lay people, the story of Jesus. And with Spain being mainly catholic, they have done a great job in converting the population. Also, given the size of the crowds and the parade participants, it still has a very important place in Spanish life. A beautiful tradition that has made us rethink about the essence of Easter and being able to spend this time with family and friends.

The festival usually runs for a week, commencing the Sunday before Good Friday. Street parades can run back to back with each church having its own costume colours and timeslot to parade through the streets. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that the Church can even get fined if they are running late, holding up other parades and of course, the excited crowds. The parades feature members of the religious brotherhood. They wear penitents’ garb with tall, pointed capirotes (hoods with two small holes cut out so you can just see the eyes). Music is also part of the parade, although at times this is very solemn and symbolic. Sounds are made to represent the dragging of chains and drums thunder to stir souls, like soldiers marching.

And like Easter back home, they have some special Easter treats to devour during the festival. In this case, we were fortunate enough to visit Fantoba, a high end pastry shop that dates back to 1856. I haven’t been able to spot a hot cross bun in sight, however, the Easter tradition here is to devour Torrijas. It looks very much like French toast, bread soaked in milk, honey, eggs and fried, then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. It’s delicious! I promise to make this for my family in our next Easter celebration and hope I can do it justice.

Further on in our travels in Madrid, we arrive in time for Good Friday. Like back home most shops are closed, however, the locals are out in droves. All to celebrate the real meaning of Easter. But don’t be surprised to be told, in no uncertain terms, if you are standing in someone else’s way. Mic later found out he was told to move because he was too tall and a pair beside us were really having a war of words .. ahh the catholics. Needless to say Mic didn’t move as he tried to convey “Yo no hablo espanol” (that is he couldn’t speak Spanish and looked like a deer in headlights…that being a large stag to say the least😂).

It was a real treat to be in Spain during Easter week celebrations. The atmosphere, colours, sounds and incense aromas really represented the true meaning of Easter.

Although we are unable to make it home for our traditional Easter celebrations, with our family and friends this year, we are dedicating this post to you all and hope that you have a safe and happy Easter spending time with those that love you most.

The north-eastern reaches of Catalonia Spain is commonly referred to as the Costa Brava region and with picturesque seaside communities dotted along its length, we decide the slow road to Barcelona is the go!

Rose’s is our first stop, and you can really picture the coastal boulevards full with tourists during peak summer periods. For us though, we’re happy to do some sight seeing without the crowds and try out our Spanish on the locals. Luckily for me, he couldn’t talk back 🤭.

A little inland we strike Girona, known for its celebrity appeal because in season 6 of Game of Thrones it served as a major setting for the city of Braavos. I just happened to be standing on the very steps that a blind Arya Stark’s was when she was performing the begging scene before being attacked by the waif. I know I should try a little harder to pop into character to make it more authentic and believable but we’re on the trot today hoping to make our 10,000 step challenge real, plus there are some other important landmarks I’d like to visit, such as the walled old quarter (Barri Vell), the coloured houses beside the river Onya and those famous old baths known as “Banys Arabs”. Oh, Girona what a stunning, warm hearted city with plenty of history and cobbled pathways to fuss over!

Moving on to our next overnight stop is Tossa de Mar, another beach side destination and getting there we are reminded of the Great Ocean Road back home, as we weave in and out of coastal settings along the Costa Brava Rd.

Tossa de Mar was once a traditional fishing village but today it’s tourism that provides its economic stability. It has three main beaches and each are well kept having been awarded the blue flag for meeting the stringent environmental conditions. It would be a great place to go snorkelling, if only I’d remembered my flippers and snorkel.

Better still why not pretend to be a “princess” of the medieval castle and enjoy a bird’s eye view of all the goings on below. Now where’s my king?

Continuing our journey south, Toulouse, the capital of the Occitanie province, is our next overnight stop. As it happens, we park in the free camp across the road from the Cite de L’espace, a site devoted to European space endeavours, which just happens to exhibit an Ariane 5 rocket, standing 55 meters tall and used by the European Space Agency up until 2017.

This is right up Mic’s ally and maybe it’s the real reason we are parked up in their car park with 50 other free campers, however, it’s a nice change of pace from the many historical sites. In fact, Toulouse is also an aeronautical hub, with Airbus’s headquarters just across the motorway. We had hoped to do a public tour, but unfortunately our dates didn’t align with the English tours. So Mic just had to settle for a flyover of the massive Airbus Beluga, aptly named for its whale like shape, designed specifically to transport Airbus’s parts across Europe back to Toulouse’s assembly line. Is it a bird, is it a plane…no wait it’s Beluga!! I’m still revelling in the fact that something so big and heavy can actually take to the skies.

So with that fortunate sighting over, it’s time to ride into Toulouse’s city center, to explore it’s vibrant modern city. With that said, we can’t seem to escape Toulouse’s aeronautical roots as we discover “La Mucca”. It’s an interesting print gallery that creates and produces grand images, not just of Air France but other subjects too. Although, we find ourselves particularly interested in the posters designed by Air France. They happen to be part of their marketing campaign from the beginning and are not only great prints of popular tourist destinations, they are quintessentially French, in that they link well with France’s image of being both creative and elegant. They are magnificent and won’t take up too much space or weight in my suitcase. Now the more difficult task of which ones I like the most and convincing Mic, I must take home a selection!!! 😉

With the shopping out of the way, we return to our sight seeing route which brings us to the front door of Toulouse’s Cathedral. This beautiful Basilica is in the heart of the city and was specifically built to honour Saint Sernin. A martyr Saint who had been dragged through the city streets by a sacrificial bull for his strong beliefs. The exceptional popularity of this martyr soon contributed to an influx of pilgrims and to this day it is known to be another major stopping place for pilgrims as they make their journey to Santiago de Compostela. It’s certainly one of the prettiest churches I’ve been in and there’s a strong sense and belief that this church is responsible for connecting the people of Toulouse to its community and vice versa. There are also other interesting facts that make this cathedral steeped in history and one such fact pertains to the six chapels in the lower crypt, containing the shrines of several apostles.

Moving on, our next stop was the Capitole Building of Toulouse and its magnificent square which was abundantly full of life. But don’t be mistaken, behind the grandiose external facade of this building, there is more life and vibrancy to be found. It’s hard to believe, but you can get married here, go to the Opera and obtain your passport. They also celebrate great sports people, artists and entrepreneurs. And when local laws need to be made, they’ll even decide on public policies here too. Stepping inside was like walking into a palace with beautiful frescoes adorning the walls, marble balustrades, parquetry flooring, mirrors, chandeliers and the most comfortable bench seats I’ve ever had the priviledge of sitting on. Super comfy!

Finishing off our time in Toulouse, we cycle home via the Canal du Midu, a Unesco site for its 240km canal link between Toulouse and the Mediterranean. Phew 😓, it’s been a great day and well worth the visit. It’s a truly vibrant city, proud of its identity and shows incredible optimism for its future.

Our final stop in France before we say our Au revoirs is Carcassonne. It’s a medieval town perched on a rocky hilltop with zig-zagging battlements, stout walls and spiky turrets. It’s the perfect time of year to explore as their are few tourists. We manage to make it into the old city, “La Cite” following some young recruits from France’s Defence Force. Their drill involves walking around the fortified city with heavy back packs. It certainly adds another dimension to the outing as I imagine returned soldiers crossing the draw bridge after fighting in a fierce battle defending their local lands. But it’s easy to get carried away with the fairytale nature of this place as the castle has all the elements of a children’s story book with dungeons, secret passage ways and moats.

Au revoir France, until next time 👋.

So plans are meant to be broken when you travel by motorhome and how could we drive past France’s champagne route with the old boy’s 50th birthday later this year. And after we purchased that special bottle, we continued to enjoy the rolling hills of mid France.

Next stop was Reims, the home of Reims Cathedral where Kings had been coming since 1024 for Coronation. It’s a beautiful cathedral resembling the elegance of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. I love how much light enters this cathedral through the beautiful stained glass windows. Not to mention the intricate statues of which there are more than 2,300 of them. It’s easy to be mesmerised by the gothic detail but if there’s a statue you must not miss to admire it’s the famous smiling angel.

After a day busily exploring the city streets of Reims. It’s time to bunker down for the night and we choose the rural area of Gron. A small commune in north-central France. A free stop for the night. Stepping out for a local stroll through the village we encounter a few woolly locals, lawn mowers with ravenous appetites. They’re absolutely beautiful creatures and I wish we could get closer to give that gorgeous coat a scratch but the local farm dog is warning us not too!!!

Furthermore, as we continue to travel south, we’re keen to stop on the river Loire to soak up some sunshine and grab an opportunity to go for a short stroll along the tree lined east and west banks. This quaint town was heavily destroyed during the second World War. However, since then many of the buildings have been rebuilt and it’s easy to delineate the new from the old. The multidisciplinary teams that have refurbished the Chateau de Gien have done an exceptional job marrying up the intricate geometric patterns in the brickwork.

What’s interesting about this building is that it’s a museum dedicated to hunting and animal art. A signature to past and present hunting pursuits. In fact there is a majestic looking Stag featured on the front lawn. It’s a bold statement but with populations on the rise since Covid hunters must cull numbers during the season to prevent rooting around crops and ramming the many Renault’s.

Of a softer more delicate nature is the Faiencerie de Gien created in 1821. A manufacturing facility which pays homage to the potters of the past centuries. To this day they continue to create fine earthenware for today’s living while continuing to draw inspiration from their archives. It is exceptionally good quality, exquisite to look at and I’d love to have a piece to take home but something tells me it may just not make the distance!!!

With grand plans to get on the road quickly, travel south and find some of that famous Spanish warmth (oh the mirage of driving off into the sunset), we were reminded that our home on wheels required a bit of TLC after sitting for so long in storage. I think in the end, it was a combination of user error and that we’d simply forgotten the intricacies of motorhoming in Europe.

Needless to say having low battery voltage, implicated our ability to power up our equipment and with it being so cold, we’d iced up overnight meaning no internal heating and no hot water!!! 🥶

However, in the true Davies spirit we accepted challenges 1, 2 and 3 and kicked into gear that engineering brain. To complicate the process we decided to undertake some home improvements. And on the run installed a new pump to increase shower pressure making bath time that bit more enjoyable. Crazy, huh! But worth it. 👩‍🔧

Also, the slow start allowed us to explore a little more of the Netherlands and Belgium (spelt Belgie over here), in particular the canals, Chocolatier shop in Hillegom, the nursery with miniature animals, marina, florist and gorgeous parks exploding with beautiful bulbs. And most importantly, gave us sufficient time to get reacquainted with our beloved motorhome. 😍 ❤

Now with all the cobwebs blown out, the tank fully fuelled up and just a few treats on board to get us going. 🍷🍫🥮🧀We’re powering on. I’d even go as far as saying Mic’s used to driving on the “right” side of the road. And I’m getting better navigating the different languages, even the machines at Aires that refuse to accept my credit card. 😂😂😂

After two and a half years away from our European motorhome, we’re saying our final goodbyes to our gorgeous kids, son in-law Louie and newest addition, Little Miss Bean at the local burgery in Ascot, before we board our long awaited plane to Amsterdam.

It’s a bitter sweet occasion as it’s never easy to say goodbye to family 😔, but as always we’re in high spirits talking about the good fortunes and opportunities 2022 will have to offer us all 😊. As you’ve always got to look on the bright side of life right!!!

And although we are pretty confident we’re Covid free, after taking recent RAT tests and testing negative, we’re required to undertake further testing at the Histopath lab at the airport. We desperately need these tests to be negative, otherwise we’re required to activate plan B (probably should have mentioned we don’t really have a plan B) except for possibly hi-jacking Ryan’s spare car and sleeping under the stars. Sounds, romantic huh. 🤔

It takes approximately 90 minutes before the results come through and it’s a nerve racking wait. I’ve almost managed to nibble my fingernails down to the bone 😬 when the text message is received. We’re both -ve. There’s an immediate sense of elation, maybe a yippee, yahoo or two at top lung to make all other traveller’s jealous …. but wait, the international airport is a ghost town.

And just in case you think I’m joking, I got my trusty photographer on the job. However, as those who know me, I’m already scheming and can’t help but feel that this could be one of the best long haul flights in ages. We’re travelling on the A380 Airbus and maybe flying economy will have a benefit after all, given that there are lots of extra seats and there’s nobody here.

The flight to Amsterdam is the most memorable to date, as the first leg was almost passenger free as predicted. Both Mic and I slept comfortably on three seats each. However, the 2nd leg from Dubai was a reminder that the rest of the world is just getting on with life.

Finally, we arrive and going through security at the Schipol airport we are armed with serious paperwork to prove our credentials to enter this foreign land. To our surprise, the authorising officer was friendly, efficient, biding us farewell and wishing us a wonderful holiday. Serious, no checks at all??? Ahhh…the Dutch and their happy cookies 🍪. Anyhow, what a relief we made it! What were we worried about? (Oh, maybe the fact it’s minus 2 degrees celsius at night and we are in a motorhome … I’m hoping I packed enough woollies). 😂

And now …. the real journey begins!!!