The Hills are Alive…

..with the smell of summer (a strange mix of cattle and flowers).


Summer has been a little stop/start so far however we took advantage of some fine, warm clear weather and our fortunate geographical location to head up into the mountains (twice).

On the Saturday, we did not leave until 3pm but within 30 minutes we were at Les Plaines Joux, in the Vallée Verte. This was pure alpage, as green and as floral as it can be. It was rolling hills perched at about 1300 metres, dotted with little wooden chalets.



The views were spectacular too, especially as we descended back down the valley towards the fantastically named town of Onnion (no giant onion though, Neil) where Mont Blanc sat front and centre dominating the view. The unfortunate things was there was no where to park to take a picture so that view stays in the memory for now.


On the Sunday we went into the Massif des Bornes, near Cluses to walk up to Lac Bénit. The drive up was fun on tight twisty roads in dark forests, interdispersed by waterfalls and a gorge.



The walk itself was in a very picturesque location, although was hot, steep and rocky as we made a climb under the shadow of the huge cliffs of the Chaine du Bargy. The elevation was from about 1200m to 1550m, where at the crest we had our first views of the lake, and the mountains beyond.


A great spot for a picnic (baguette, cheese, what else?). Tiring but worth it..and not bad for someone who is nearly 5 months pregnant (not me although I am starting to look it … too much fromage)

Return of the Natives

At last. Holidays… a much deserved (well we think so) week or so at the ‘height’ of early summer, so we could unwind and recharge before the onslaught of prospective parenthood.

So what glamorous locations could we think of? The Maldives? Hawaii? ..or how about Plymouth and the Costa del Boy (sorry, Blanca) in Spain. Here’s the story of a whirlwind trip around Europe and everything in between:

6 June 2008
Happy Landings

So leg one of our trip (brought to you by Easyjet) took us from Geneva to Bristol. It was clear Geneva was on the verge of something big happening and was becoming very busy – I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I think it may have been football related. The football street lamps, the football shaped information desk at the airport and the conversion of the steps to the main post office into astroturf and a goal kind of gave things away.


So we arrived at Bristol airport to, wait for it.. sunshine. We quickly grabbed the hire car (not before grabbing some Cadbury caramel eggs) and headed south out of North Somerset in air-conditioned, leather seat, panoramic sunroof, cruise-control comfort past some lovely looking thatch cottages, green fields and not a chav in sight. The objective of this trip to England was to try and cram in as much as possible in 3 days and this included ‘the food we miss’ column. So with that in mind and a rumbling stomach we stopped at Taunton Deane services in search of a nice pork pie…no luck - the shop was being refurbished so not a great start.

Settling for a bag of Tyrrells cheese and chive crisps it was onwards towards Devon and the first views of the moors which were very heart-warming (mainly because we were glad they were not hidden under clouds). With the sun beaming down and a hole in our bellies we went for plan B, and turned off the A38 at Ashburton to taker a detour over the moors through Newbridge.





We stopped at Beltor Cross to take in some views and to annoy some sheep and ponies like tourists from France who had never been here before. It was weird to feel like tourists in a place we were used to call home. A mile or so down the road was the next stop – Dartmeet and the famous Badgers Holt tea-rooms. Food objective number two: Cream tea. Result: Success (it was sooooo gooooood).



We had to take a stroll along the Dart to walk it off, and there was not a soul in sight (thanks to it being a Friday). It was beautiful and calm and a real treat. It was also a bonus as we had not planned to do this at all and only decided to take the detour at the last minute.



So after Dartmeet we headed towards Plymouth with one more photostop near Leathertor, where Plymouth, Cornwall and the Sea (yes the sea – we don’t see that anymore) lay before us.

A final stop in Tesco for some more missed goodies (including that elusive Pork Pie) and a nice pub meal with Cheryl and Steve rounded off the day perfectly.



8 June 2008
Stepping Out

Saturday was spent re-acquainting ourselves with Plymouth City Centre so a slightly expanding Véro could raid the shops for some cheap maternity clothes (yes, clothes are much cheaper in England). Lunch was a much missed Cornish Pasty, however over-eagerness to eat it somewhat dampened the experience as it was a bit too hot. Never mind…Saturday afternoon we took a walk with friends around the Barbican and Hoe before returning to a few more shops. The weather was cool and cloudy and to be honest the sea front was not too impressive. It certainly felt very familiar and in that sense maybe lost some of its charm. Saturday was finished off with a party with many of our great Plymouth based friends in Staddiscombe where curry followed by Cardamon and Bread flavoured ice-cream was on the menu. Not to mention my first real Wii experience – the golf game rocks.

So, Sunday was designated as a day out with our niece, Bethany (plus Mum and Dad). With the sun once more shining and the mercury rising, we decided on a trip to one of our favourite (and already well featured) spots on the North Cornwall coast – Bedruthan Steps. Not only is it a beautiful place, it is also home to probably the best tea room and specifically, the best jacket potatoes in the world.






The tide was out and favoured a walk down the cliffs after lunch, exploring the rocks and enjoying the calm seas nudging the shoreline beneath holiday-blue skies. Britain does not get any better than this. The climb back up warranted a return visit to the tea room for a milkshake before the ride home.









Beth was her usual crazy lively self, however could not come to terms with the fact that she would only see us for one day. A shame for us too, that we could not stay a few days longer, however that’s the sacrifice we made last year. So with a stiff upper lip it was onwards with the short weekend break in Plymouth.






9 June 2008
Plane boring

Another sunny Monday morning was spent with some admin and some more shopping in town, before we separated and had lunch with our respective work colleagues. Again yet another short and sweet encounter however it was really nice to see as many people as we did over the entire weekend.

Monday afternoon it was with packed (and somewhat heavier) bags we trundled back up to Bristol to say goodbye to the nice hire car and take the second leg of our journey (once again thanks to Easyjet) on to Alicante. All began well, the guy at the check-in desk saw Vero’s bump and gave us priority boarding. Great! We jumped on the bus to the place only to held on the bus in soaring temperatures next to the plane for what seemed to be like an eternity. It turned out that Bristol’s fuel tanks were not working very well and they could not guarantee they would have fuel for our flight. Anyway we boarded the plane and sat there in cattle class seats for another 45 minutes before finally taking off. Bye England…hola Espana (although not until midnight) where we were greeted by two zombies who drove us back to their casa ready for a few days in the sun.

10 June 2008
Brits Abroad



So warm sunshine greeted us on Tuesday morning and our first day would be spent with a trip inland to the town of Orihuela, as Bob needed to perform some admin there. We tried to visit this place last year however found nothing touristic, only narrow streets and no parking, so quickly left the place behind. Since then, Mum has found the better parts and promised us we would enjoy it. We actually went in convoy with some of their Friends who either also had admin to do or were just coming along for the ride, so it was a British invasion that was going to swamp this typically Spanish town.



Orihuela is at the foot of some very arid, rocky yet awesome hills. Our approach took these hills in as we climbed around the back of the town we saw last year, though a mountain and came out on the other side we did not see. This side had many more traditional buildings and churches however we chose to park next to Burger King in the shopping centre car park. We then walked into the town and I could see what Mum meant. There were plenty of churches and other buildings with colourful domes, ornate bell towers and some interesting and sometimes disturbing sculptures. Old was dotted with not so old in narrow streets. Little plazas would appear from nowhere, with decorative water features and tall palms.

After the admin and a coffee, we even convinced the oldies to take some exercise and climb up to the oratory that overlooks the town, where we could take in views of the surrounding mountains and Murcia in the hazy distance. As for our first taste of Spanish cuisine, forget it. Lunch was BK… Oh well.

The afternoon was spent relaxing in the pool back at the house, drinking San Miguel whilst watching Euro 2008 (Spain were on) and then eating Mum’s classic lasagne. The Rioja was also opened. Aaaaahhhh….



11 June 2008
Gasolina

We awoke to the news that due to the global rise in fuel process, Spanish lorries were on strike. This included petrol tankers and suddenly petrol stations were not getting their deliveries. How long this would last would affect how much we could travel on day trips so after finding some diesel in Quesada we decided on keeping it local.

We spent the end of the morning walking up and down the golden sandy beach of La Marina. We enjoyed visiting this beach last year however it had transformed a little, with the opening of beach concessions blasting out some Spanish music TV, and dozens of sunbeds with those stereotypical ‘natural’ looking parasols. Then add those annoying individuals trying to sell you sunglasses or offering massages.

However, if you look beyond all the trimmings of the full summer season on the Costas, La Marina still remains fairly unspoilt, with dunes fading into hammock and scrub before you even have any signs of civilisation and the inevitable cranes. The beach stretches away from the busy part so you can also take a stroll along the shoreline dipping hot feet into the still cool Mediterranean sea. Last year we went all the way to the end but this time, with the bump in tow, Véro kept it limited. We did not even reach the playa nudista which was probably a good thing given some of the sights that were walking up and down.

Anyway, we tried to find a Spanish restaurant at lunch time in the village of La Marina, and it is fair to say we had some of us had some more typical (if not high-quality) half-Spanish food. After lunch we took a ride through a couple of local towns, one of which was Dolores which was a bit like Orihuela on a smaller scale (see pic), before skies darkened and a nasty thunderstorm moved in and prematurely ended our day out. Oh well back to the beer and Euro 2008 then…

12 June 2008
Touristas

So, with the truck strike still in full force we headed out on another local trip however when we passed a local petrol station there seemed to be a normal operation so Bob decided to take a risk and head further afield to Guadalest, a small village perched upon a rocky outcrop in the mountains that surround Benidorm. So on the way we had our first look at the much maligned resort from afar and I can see why it gets a bad press. Tower blocks everywhere and certainly a real eyesore on what is a quite spectacular coastal landscape

Guadalest itself was a great escape, not very big but very interesting to look around. Plenty of tacky tourist shops all selling the same old stuff, however the setting was really nice. The views were stunning too in all directions. We went all the way to the small castle at the top which was really worth it. Picture postcard stuff.







That evening we ate out at a typically Spanish restaurant (i.e. British) where steak and ale pie and apple crumble was on the menu.

13 June 2008
Rancho Relaxo



Our final day was spent literally doing nothing, mostly around the pool. So far it had not been too hot but today was the hottest day of the week. Once I had mastered the inflatable crocodile I decided to float around in the sun for a few minutes unprotected. Whoops sunburn. Needless to say the following week was a little uncomfortable…ouch.

So a nice trip, and it was lovely to see everyone. We just wish it could have been longer