Spring Break

There nothing we like better than a bit of a road trip. We have done quite a few in Australia, France, UK and of course Spain. We still have a lot of Spain to see and whenever we do plan a trip we always look for hotels in Spain online. its such a great way to find what you want. its so easy to search via location, facilities and price. We have found that Hotels in Spain have been pretty bang to rights with online descriptions and if you google map the address and but the wee man on the map you can also see exactly what the local area is like. That can be very helpful when you are arriving too as you have a clear picture of what the place looks like from the outside. Whether we are looking for a simple hostel or a little bit of luxury we have always found it via an online search. We also look at places to eat near the hotel and places of interest in the town we are going to stay in. Often hotels will serve good food too and not to over the top on price either. So excuse me the sun is shining and I think I will just do a bit of surfing, the web that is.

Senonches to Ruffec

We started off on another dreary morning, driving through flat countryside on narrow country lanes, The grass verges are very soft so if there is an oncoming vehicle you have to be carefull as the wheels sink in. we pass through some nice villages with amazing architecture and chateaus. For a Sunday morning we see more people around than usual, most have been or are off to the bakery for their baquettes. later although we are on a minor road, it is so straight that at one point we can see for 5 kilometres along it. The weather  cleared a bit and we arrive at the bed and breakfast accommodation mid afternoon, there are four other guests so our evening meal is enjoyed with plenty of wine and good company.
today we travel from Ruffec to Anglet near the Spain/france Border.

Trip to The UK

Tomorrow we start our journey to the UK, we are driving up through France over 5 days and will explore a bit of France on the way, hopefully will be able to post any events and highlights of our trip. so will keep you posted. Tomorrow night we have a hotel booked at Huesca which is roughly 600 kilometres from Blanca and we hope to leave around 8.00 in the morning. Our son Jude is house and pet sitting while we are away and really would like to come and live in Spain so he will have the chance to check out the possibilities.

Does your Motorhome Czech out

I would guess a few people will be checking out there motor homes if they bought on the Costa Blanca within the last three years. The Guardia Civil, have revealed that staff from Alicante ITV vehicle testing stations have assisted in the selling of written-off motorhomes as new. This follows the arrest of 27 people. Twenty one of them are vehicle inspectors at the ITV stations.

The 33 Motorhomes were amongst more than 400 which had all been sent for scrap as unfit to be on the roads. They had all suffered serious damage in floods which happened in France in 2008. The Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that a Czech company which bought the vehicles, supposedly to break up for spare parts,instead repaired them and fitted them with new plates and vehicle identification numbers.

33 were sold on to an Alicante company for 9,000 € each and then theses were given false vehicle inspection . The vehicles, which posed a serious risk on the roads and for their occupants, were then sold as new, some 10,000 € below the market price.

The total amount defrauded is put at more than 1 million €.

No news on whether or not the buyers have all been informed but I am hoping it was a top priority to remove them from the roads.

Here we are again

HAPPY as can be. So nice to be back home in Spain after the grey and frantic UK, we do choose some funny places for our hols! I mean every road seems to be a slow moving car park. Nice trip up to the ferry though, France is so tidy and so expensive, though the diesel is less than in UK. All the places we saw on our trip, with hardwood trees, looked lovely though. The heart of England does have some lovely pastoral countryside and charming little towns and villages. So does France for that matter with quieter roads, it was really very cold in France though. The SATNAV was a great help though I do like to have a map too, it gives you useful and interesting info of what you are seeing. Two memorable stopover where Rouen in France and Cariñena in Spain. The architecture of Rouen is breathtaking; we also had the best meal we have had in France since we where in Briar a few years ago. Call me bias but we have consistently had far better food in Spain than France though the French cheeses are legendary it’s true, they also seem to be sold at just the correct ripeness. In Cariñena we stayed at the El Vino hotel that is part of a local winery, well appointed rooms but lacking any Spanish character I thought. The tapas in the town lacked nothing tasty fresh and large amounts plus a price that did not give you indigestion. As I said good to be back though, we are still able to swim in the sea here its that warm. even the nights are not really cooling down. Now if only the flies would disappear, still you can't have everything can you

Spain the cheapest

A survey published recently in Britain has named Spain as the cheapest holiday destination in the Europe.

The Post Office Travel Service compared the cost of a selection of holiday goods including drinks, a meal for two and sun cream in 18 countries in Europe.

Spain at €75.34 was cheapest while France at €87.95 was dearest amongst the Euro currency destinations.

It would be interesting to know what other holiday goods they compared the prices on to make up €75.34.