Beech's Euro Tour Part Deux (3 Viewers)

[Helen Ariel]

Arrived safely in Blaye after an overnight on the sea wall in San Sebastian Donasta and a booze stock up at Mercadona and Lidl before leaving Spain.

Great shout Jimbohorlicks we're staying at the free aire in the grounds of the châteaux! Will update more tomorrow but it's a lovely spot.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Super,it's a 10 min walk to the Citidal ,just out of the road to the chateau and keep to the right,straight up past the fire station .a slight incline and the Citidal is at the top of the road.
It's a side entrance .the main entrance goes out to the town of Blaye.The Citidal history is fascinating and the same style of build / fortification was favoured in many parts of France.
The market day is Wednesday unfortunately so you may miss that ,it's not an overly large market though.
The chateau do some wine tasting and a tour of the wine storage,((there aren't any cellers( caves) as the river floods,))and it was only 10 euro for a couple of bottles,cheap enough as it's a free Aire. They also do a horse drawn carriage ride but you need to check whether they are still doing that .
Take a photo of the black swans

 

[Helen Ariel]

We went for a walk round the citadel to stretch our legs. It’s awesome! Much bigger than expected. Thanks again for the heads up Jimbohorlicks

Beech had energy to burn after the long drive. Couldn’t wait to get in to the Citadel.

Wine tasting tomorrow and will buy a bottle or two as it’s a great place to stay. We are loaded to the gunnel with Spanish booze though!
The paid aire opposite looks good too, but it’s very busy.
Up early for fresh croissants beforehand, then maybe a meal out as we may stay for the day. It’s a nice forecast.
Not sure where our next stop will be. Possibly around Le Mans somewhere as we’ll probably drive Angouleme - Poitiers - Le Mans - Rouen - Calais.

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[scousebird]

Some years ago we stayed at the site inside the Citadel at Blaye which was novel. The aire on the riverside had flooded.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Some years ago we stayed at the site inside the Citadel at Blaye which was novel. The aire on the riverside had flooded.

Ah we saw the signs for that but thought perhaps it was tents only as looked like a tight entry for motorhomes! Looks like it's open from May.

 

[scousebird]

Ah we saw the signs for that but thought perhaps it was tents only as looked like a tight entry for motorhomes! Looks like it's open from May.

It was tight getting in, I had to get out and guide Alan through the archway.

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[busby]

We camped there in a tent in 2000,entrance did seem a bit tight..Lovely spot though.BUSBY.

 

[2657]

Ah we saw the signs for that but thought perhaps it was tents only as looked like a tight entry for motorhomes! Looks like it's open from May.

We have stopped there a couple of times in our PVC

 

[Helen Ariel]

Well we didn't find any moules but had to make do with a lovely menu de jour for 14 euros in a bustling with locals bistro off the main drag. Soup and bread, rare steak and the best fries I've had in all our time in Spain, finished off with apple crumble. Lovely friendly staff and nice to be able to speak a bit more of the language. Gawd I do love France!

Morning croissants also didn't disappoint. Thanks to Paul for collecting.

Heading off early tomorrow morning to get 5 hours driving in. Aiming for Le Mans area.

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[Helen Ariel]

After an unusually early 7.30am departure we cracked on with the driving and got to a nice place to stop by about 12.30.

We're in a lovely, quiet free spot near a town called Le Lude. Gorgeous sunny day so we went for a walk by the river and Beech was very happy to get a swim and i got in a bit of sunbathing in my chair.

Earlyish start tomorrow and it's a 3.5 hour drive to Bourg Achard where we have the vets booked as the vets in La Mailleraye-sur-Seine weren't able to see Beech then but this is their sister practice.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Vets done. 28 euros. Another quite big drive and we're in the lovely aire on the banks of the Seine.

No restaurants open and we're very low on supplies so going to try the takeaway pizza place.

Going to do a shop for copious amounts of French cheese tomorrow and a few other French supermarket delights then planning on trying the new secure aire in Calais as we have a morning train on Saturday.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

And the best fries you have had in all your time in Spain?
They would be better cos now they are "French Fries"

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[Helen Ariel]

France..the country where not only can you eat the most calorific thing in existence, Tartiflette, but you can have it as a pizza topping for maximum artery narrowing!

 

[Just smiffy]

France..the country where not only can you eat the most calorific thing in existence, Tartiflette, but you can have it as a pizza topping for maximum artery narrowing!

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You only live once….

 

[Helen Ariel]

Sunrise over the Seine yesterday morning was glorious.

We left late morning for the final leg of the drive to Calais and as I still hadn't had my moule fix we picked a town on the coast for a lunch stop. It turned out to be a town that we had cycled to at the very beginning of our 1st trip away in 2020, Valerie sur Somme, where I had been very excited to forage some samphire.

Sadly our happy memories of the place were tainted after we had the worst moule marinaire I've ever had. They appeared about 2 minutes after we ordered which is never a good sign in my experience and were dry and shrivelled with nothing on them apart from an inch of cloudy water with bits of celery at the bottom of the large pot. I never leave food as I hate waste but I gave up on these halfway. When asked about our meal by the restaurant we politely said it was very disappointing and they just said no one else has complained! Not acceptable in my opinion as they were not a cheapy place at £17 euros per dish and £4 euros for a 25cl drink!

Oh well one star Google review for them!

All was soon forgotten when we visited our 1st French supermarket in nearly 5 months a huge E. Lecerc in Outreau. Paul was very happy with the beer selection and I got my 1st decent cider in ages.

Fresh Strawberry and raspberry tarts, duck and pistachio terrine and a couple of kgs of French cheeses and the bitter taste of the moules were long gone (the cheese is to take home and share with friends i should add!)

We then headed to a free aire at Sangatte which was almost full with mainly French vans and the odd German and Brit. A quiet night and today we were at pet passport by half 8 and all through passport control no issues.

The train was very quiet so we had a carriage all to ourselves.

Very excited to be back and pleased it's a beautiful day.

Thanks to everyone who's followed us and your help and encouragement along the way. It's really nice to have that connection with others when far from home for so long.

Love from Helen, Paul and Beech x

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[scousebird]

Welcome home

 

[Shandyman]

Thanks for a great read and trip.

 

[rolosroller]

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[busby]

Sunrise over the Seine yesterday morning was glorious.

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We left late morning for the final leg of the drive to Calais and as I still hadn't had my moule fix we picked a town on the coast for a lunch stop. It turned out to be a town that we had cycled to at the very beginning of our 1st trip away in 2020, Valerie sur Somme, where I had been very excited to forage some samphire.

Sadly our happy memories of the place were tainted after we had the worst moule marinaire I've ever had. They appeared about 2 minutes after we ordered which is never a good sign in my experience and were dry and shrivelled with nothing on them apart from an inch of cloudy water with bits of celery at the bottom of the large pot. I never leave food as I hate waste but I gave up on these halfway. When asked about our meal by the restaurant we politely said it was very disappointing and they just said no one else has complained! Not acceptable in my opinion as they were not a cheapy place at £17 euros per dish and £4 euros for a 25cl drink!

Oh well one star Google review for them!

All was soon forgotten when we visited our 1st French supermarket in nearly 5 months a huge E. Lecerc in Outreau. Paul was very happy with the beer selection and I got my 1st decent cider in ages.

View attachment 599427

Fresh Strawberry and raspberry tarts, duck and pistachio terrine and a couple of kgs of French cheeses and the bitter taste of the moules were long gone (the cheese is to take home and share with friends i should add!)

We then headed to a free aire at Sangatte which was almost full with mainly French vans and the odd German and Brit. A quiet night and today we were at pet passport by half 8 and all through passport control no issues.

The train was very quiet so we had a carriage all to ourselves.

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Very excited to be back and pleased it's a beautiful day.

Thanks to everyone who's followed us and your help and encouragement along the way. It's really nice to have that connection with others when far from home for so long.

Love from Helen, Paul and Beech x

Good aire at Sangette but it's always busy..Very handy for the tunnel..Great trip Helen,,really enjoyed it..BUSBY.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Enjoyed the journey with you. All the best for your homeward trip in good old blighty.

 

[Borisski]

Have really enjoyed following you and given us plenty of ideas for our next trip. Thank you

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[Kurt and Ko]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us, I have really enjoyed reading about your adventures.

 

[Dutch 68]

So it turns out we were actually staying in a place called Getxo, opposite where the ferries dock. Stunning location to park up watching the sunset and the ships, with views along the Basque coast.

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Early start today as we cycled into see the Guggenheim. It was just over 10 miles from the park up to the museum along the river. Excellent cycling infrastructure made it a really nice ride with loads to see including the Puente de Vizcaya which is a UNESCO listed bridge.

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Beautiful buildings along the banks too, and loads of boats out on the water.

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Came across a car show as we span along the river. A real mix of metal on display including some lovely old Seats.

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Not too many GT5 Turbos left now!

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A very original 911 Turbo

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Spotted an amazing lion sculpture atop a building.

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Guggenheim lived up to expectations! A simply fabulous piece of architecture.

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The Jeff Koons “Puppy” was excellent too.

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Found a lovely cafe for lunch. 2 cracking toasted sandwiches, a huge slab of tortilla and a coffee for €10.

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Ultra modern football stadium dwarfs the traditional buildings below it.

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We rode back quickly to let Beech out as it was a very balmy 22c today. She was in top form!

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Checked the Med coast forecast and we definitely made the right decision to come up north. Wet, wet & more wet on the Med!

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May I ask who you use for health and travel insurance? We are soon off for a minimum of a year and health insurance and data for computers and phones seem to be difficult issues , to get value for money is not an easy task

 

[Mikey RV]

Welcome home thanks for a great blog and great photos of your trip.

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[namwaldog]

Thank you for sharing your adventure, places, food and of course Beech. Really enjoyed reading and virtual travel with you. Thanks for some lovely reminders of some of your places we'd visited years ago. Great you are home safe.
Margaret and Barry

 

[Helen Ariel]

May I ask who you use for health and travel insurance? We are soon off for a minimum of a year and health insurance and data for computers and phones seem to be difficult issues , to get value for money is not an easy task

Go2, single policy bronze. Was about £120 for the 5 month trip. Phones we have older contracts with Vodafone they worked for 4 months away with 25g each but we'll get a lobster sim for future trips i think.

 

[tony_g]

How many days were you away in Schengen?

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[mubob]

Well after 7 months back in the UK residing on my Mum's front garden, working hard all summer and catching up with friends and family, today team Beech hit the road again.
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We are currently camped up in Folkestone ready for our morning Chunnel. It's a great spot at a dead end and right next to a nice park for Beech.
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Paul fancied a farewell curry so I did some Googling and came up with something a little different, a Nepalese restaurant that had great reviews and it didn't disappoint.

I've always loved dumplings of any variety so this meal was a winner and amazing value.
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We're up at 6am tomorrow then a big days driving to make a dent in crossing France, hopefully around Orléans tomorrow and carrying on towards Girona over the next few days unless we change our minds last minute. I'm hoping we'll find a pleasant French town with a nice free or cheap aire, a boulangerie and restaurant for our 1st night away. Any suggestions welcome.

Hi there
Might see you on the road tomorrow, we are heading for Chartres where we will stop for the night , There are three of us traveling together , give us a beep if you pass by.
Have a great trip
Bob & Muriel

 

[Shrimp]

Moules are never good early spring, I think they use frozen ones!
Hope you enjoyed your trip as much as we have, it’s been lovely to see your photos!