Fiesta Weekend in Pamplona

Friday 27-Sunday 29 September
As you've probably gathered, the Spaniards don't need much of an excuse to celebrate and this weekend saw a Basque Festival and celebration of San Fermin, the first Bishop of Pamplona and joint patron saint of Navarra.

Friday afternoon was the start of the celebrations but we feel it was the best.  It started with some children's games in the nearby Plaza de San Francisco followed by a bull run for children but, don't worry, it doesn't involve real bulls, but carts bearing a plastic head, horns and bells pushed by adults to chase the children up and down Calle Zapateria (shoe maker street).  They (and we) loved it and everyone gets involved!

Naturally, it didn't end there.  The whole of Pamplona seemed to be out en masse and we were entertained by various regional bands competing for the most flamboyant troupe.  We were also treated to the gigantes y cabazuelas (giants and bigheads) who parade around the streets to the lovely Basque music.  Lots of dancing and jollification all around. 

Parading gigantes & cabazuelas in Pamplona

But the piece de resistance: the man of fire, where some crazy guy dons a fireproof(?) rig bearing fireworks and runs through the city - no health & safety police here - and listen out for the backfire - hilarious!

The big finale on Saturday night was a fireworks display which did rival Macon (Bastille Day) in sound and display but, of course, neither setting nor friends.  We found ourselves feeling quite nostalgic for a huge Catherine Wheel firework - alas - you don't see many of these nowadays in the H&S-conscious UK!

And, just when you thought it was over, on Sunday. we happened upon a motorcyle rally by the Distinguished Gentleman's Club of Pamplona: a club of motorbike enthusiasts which tour together. There must have been 200 bikes of all ages, shapes and sizes: Norton, Ducatti, BMW, Vespas galore and one lone Lambretta - bearing a Millwall FC badge!  All riders were extremely well dressed in formal suits - one was wearing tweed plus fours and smoking a pipe and reminded us of Toad from Wind in the Willows - poop! poop!

So that's our news.  We've got a couple of day trips lined up for this week so we'll update you on that shortly.  In the meantime, we hope you're enjoying the blog and, until the next post, hasta pronto!

Pamplona Cathedral and more pintxos!

Thursday 26 September - Pamplona Cathedral
You can't visit Pamplona and not see the amazing Cathedral with its Roman ruins and fantastic Romanesque and Gothic architecture.  The overwhelming beauty of the interior is belied by a rather dull 18thC exterior (it had to be rebuilt).  Sadly, the piccies don't do it any justice - the Cathedral was dimly lit but I don't think I've seen anything as lavish and beautiful in my life.  Also there among the fabulous artwork was da Vinci's 'Last Supper' -  not sure if its a copy or original - perhaps you could let me know.

I can, though, show, the much revered cloister:

Pamplona Cathedral's Cloister

The Cathedral was located in a peaceful part of the city which overlooks the lovely hills and mountains - a real breath of fresh air if you feel you need to escape from the streets of Pamplona. 

Fliss was in pintxo withdrawal so we ventured out for another taste of the Pamplona nightlife.  On the list tonight was the fabulous Bodegon Sarria with its infamous jamon de Iberico bellota (Iberian ham from pigs fed on acorns).  It is the caviar of jamon serrano and you know it's good when it literally melts in the mouth - arggghhh!  Mick had some croquetas and fabulous morcilla (a gorgeous Asturian black pudding) - yum!

The fabulous Bodegon Sarria and the jamon!

So, another fab day in Pamplona and there's more to come so tune in soon amigos!

The Pamplona Pintxos Route and Olite

Monday 23 & Tuesday 24 September - Pamplona
We met up with our American friends, Cathy & Janet, and wasted no time in hitting the Pintxos Route.  On the menu tonight were three of the best in town: Cafe Otano, Bar Gaucho and Mo's Bar.

Jaime (the boss at Mo's) with the three lovelies!

There is an art to eating pintxos apparently: have a glass of something with one or more pintxos and move onto the next place.  We didn't have much of an appetite to start with despite the lovely creations on offer so only ate at Mo's.  Here we had a glass of Galician speciality wine, the very slightly sparkling Albarinho (divine!); we had pulpo en bano (octopus in a bath with potatoes and a smidge of wine and olive oil - yum!) and calves cheeks in a beautiful red wine sauce - really tender and beautifully presented.

Carrillera Iberico y patata (Iberian calf cheeks & potato)

Mick had a lovely chorizo creation topped with a quail's egg; Cathy had a mini hamburger (no ordinary burger though); and Janet had Airbags (she works for an airline which makes it a natural choice!)  These were chicken goujons in a lovely breadcrumb and dips.  We made light work of all of that before moving on only to find that places were closing.  We didn't realise it was so late (12.30am) so we said our buenas noches and called it a day.

Pulpo en bano (octopus in a bath - on the shelf) and Cathy's mini hamburguesa

Janet and the Airbag pintxo

Wednesday 25 September - Olite
We were sad that the girls were moving on as they're great fun but San Sebastian beckons, never to be the same again!  We decided to take the bus to nearby Olite, a little medieval town famed for its fairytale like castle, built by King Carlos III for his family as their summer retreat.

Birdseye view of town from the castle

So that was a lovely day and we finished that with a little pintxo in the town before getting the bus back to Pamplona.  We headed out a bit later that evening for a couple of drinks and pintxos at La Granja (another bar on the Pintxos Route) and had some fab, unadulterated boquerones (a firm favourite) and soaked up the very real buzz of one of Pamplona's busiest streets, Calle Estefeta.  

Thursday night on Calle Estafeta

 So, until the next post from Pintxo & Tapa, pasatelo bien!

Anniversary Dinner & Rioja Wine Festival

Saturday 21 September - Pamplona
We had ideas of getting to Spain for my birthday in August but, for several reasons, that didn't happen so we were determined to get there for our anniversary on 21 September - we just about made it! 

Whilst watching Rick Stein's series 'Spain' some years ago I've longed to go to Cafe Iruna in Pamplona so this was another reason to start our trip here.

Cafe Iruna and, indeed, Pamplona was put firmly on the map by Ernest Hemingway after he saw a bull run here.  He often frequented Cafe Iruna with friends to soak up the ambience and people-watch.  Not much has changed since the 20s and people still come here to do exactly the same.  It is on the Pintxos Route so there was no better place to celebrate! 

Happy 11th Anniversary!

Cafe Iruna, Pamplona

Sunday 22 September - Rioja Wine Festival, Logrono
It didn't take long for us to get onto the wine trail!  In fact, we've pretty much missed all the summer festivals and so we were determined to get one or two of the later ones in!  So off we went for a 2-hour bus/coach journey (really good coaches) to Logrono in the adjacent Rioja region.  We bought our entrada (ticket) which entitled us to a glass, unlimited vino and 4 pintxos each - fabulous!  One of the bars there was Campo Viejo - a well known brand in the UK - great to see it here.

Whilst queuing for salchicha (baked sausage) we met a couple of fun American women, Janet & Cathy with whom we shared the day and we had a fab time. 

Cathy, Campo Viejo vintner, Janet, Fliss & Mick enjoying a copa

Cathy's a real Spain aficionado (I thought I had it bad!) and has been coming here for years to explore the culture, food and wine!  Janet has become a fan too and the two of them travel together - Spain will never be the same again!

Cathy's rather partial to a drop of 'Campo Viejo'!

So, after a long day drinking, eating and making merry with the girls it was sadly time to get the bus back to Pamplona but we discovered they were passing through for a couple of nights (en route to San Sebastian) and would show us the Pintxos Route - happy days!  So, until the next post, hasta pronto!

Hola de Pamplona!

Hello blog fans.  Sorry for the delay in the update but it's not easy to set up internet in Spain so after exhausting all lines of inquiry and with the help of savvy friends we've sorted ourselves out with the Spanish version of the Orange Domino - brilliant! - so without further ado:

We've been in Pamplona for almost a week.  The trip here, naturally, wasn't without event: the French train was late into Barcelona meaning we missed our connection! With my best Spanish and the backup of 4 other travellers in the same boat I managed to negotiate a free transfer via Zaragoza to Pamplona which included a trip on the uber-fast Spanish AVE trains - nothing like travelling in style!

Waiting for our connection in Zaragoza

We did, though, arrive in Pamplona 3 hours later than planned but the lovely Isabel, from whom we've rented an apartment, was fine with that and met us at the station with her family.

Our apartment is fab.  Apartamento Berria is a 2-bedroom apartment with all mod cons in an old building - we just love la puerta (entrance).  It's in the Calle Nueva (New Street) in the Old City just a stone's throw from where all the action is and is ideally connected to travel a bit further afield by bus and train which is why we chose it.  Here's a couple of piccies:

Street entrance

Lounge/kitchen diner

Main bedroom

Doors off lounge

As I'm sure many of you know, Pamplona is famed internationally for the encierros (bull runs) where people run alongside the bulls in celebration of San Fermin week - some are seriously injured or killed - not for the feint hearted.  It has such a following that accommodation is virtually impossible without a year's notice and people even go as far as renting balconies for the week - only in Spain eh?  Sadly we've missed that crazy week in July but I've got a feeling it'll be on next year's agenda! 

Pamplona is a beautiful city which maintains much of its old charm with narrow streets, countless individual shops and pintxos (Basque for tapas) bars.  Yes, there's a very strong Basque influence here and it is proud of its heritage.  The pintxos are truly fantastic and for euro 10 you can buy a couple of glasses of wine each and 3-4 pintxos - divine!  Navarra is fast becoming a gastronomic centre of note, many winning several awards year after year.  There are about 14 pintxos bars on the Pamplona Pintxos Ruta and, to date, we've been in 7! 

Bodegon Sarria - fabulous jamon and regional wines

Just loved the bulls' heads in this place (not real)

Mo's bar - with pulpo en bano (octopus in a bath!)

Pamplona is the capital of the Navarra region (previously a kingdom) which is known for its wine - white, red and rose and, naturally, we've been savouring the tastes of the local grape!

So, we're happy and glad to be here for a month.  I'll do separate posts for each of our trips around the outskirts of Pamplona as there's lots to show you. xx

Farewell to France

Well dear readers, in the words of the inimitable Mr Sinatra, ...'and now, the end is near, and so I face, the final curtain ...' and cramming our rucksacks!   Yes, this'll be our last post from France.

And what can we say about our adventure to date?  We've travelled the length of the country (some 1000 miles) on our beautiful yacht "Reward"; traversed 219 locks of all shapes & sizes; seen some beautiful countryside; passed some huge barges; met some lovely and equally crazy people; sampled good food and wine; and eventually arrived at the French Mediterranean port of Frontignan.  We got to within striking distance of the Spanish border but the ever present winds made it increasingly difficult for us to continue so we returned to trusty Frontignan.  Indeed, we're getting a tremontane per week as the summer ends - and it feels very different when you're on a boat rather than terra firma.

It's fair to say we're almost a part of the Frontignan furniture.  First Mate knows most of the No. 12 bus drivers, as well as the lovely Chantal in the local launderette (who runs the spotless 'Le Lavoir').  We're missing Fabienne who resigned from our favourite watering hole, the Barracuda Bar.  For us, he is Frontignan.  The long-suffering folk at the tourist info recognise us and have helped with all kinds of random questions and we've got to know the Captainerie (not least Pascal) pretty well with all our boating/mooring requirements.

But now it's time to move on.  We arrived in Frontignan in full swing: the water joust, the floating jazz band, etc., so its a bit of an anticlimax now.  The holidaymakers are gone; the kids are back to school; the beaches are all but empty.  So, how can we capture the essence of our time in France in a page?  We figured a Top 10 would be spot on - not 'arf pop pickers! - with the most forgettable at No. 10:

10.  No surprises here: the French showers and loos leave much to be desired.  We are in the 21stC guys so, come on, get a grip, please!

9.  Whilst at first it we didn't understand, now we accept the dejeuner: a lunch break of 1-2 hours between 12.00 and 1400 during which everything pretty much stops, including automated locks (yes - it's true!) and some bars and restaurants - in which you want to eat lunch!

8.  The winds - from whichever direction!  Tah-dah to the tremontane, mistral, marin or scirocco.

7.  Bumper boats - yes, hire boats are the scourge of the canals in holiday season.  We won't miss you - except, from afar, their attempts at mooring!

6.  The French obsession that is fishing but moreover, the choice of where to cast your line (or four).  Usually a harbour entrance, a narrow canal, a marina - but we never did see a fish on the end of a Frenchman's line.

5.  The beautiful outdoors and the French people's love of it.  We've passed hectares of woodland and forest; canals; majestic rivers; beautiful towns, villages and cities; mountains; lakes; sea - France has it all.  And cicadas... we'll never forget the volume that those guys produce!   But better than that: the French love the outdoors - age & size irrelevant (many middle-aged men wear their Speedos or, failing that, their underpants!) whilst making the  most of the sun.  They're mad for sailing and watersports - brilliant to see.

4.  French cafe society: and their bread, cheese, wine, aperitifs, raspberry tarts (divine!), coffee and croissants.

Cheers from Le Bar Central, Frontignan

3.  French fiestas: Bastille Day in Macon (unforgettable!); the water joust; the insanity that is the Toropiscine and the brilliant floating jazz band.

2.  Our friends and family: cheers to our cruising companions - Alan & Carole; Ken & Katie; Alan & Jacqui; Robert & Carole - it wouldn't have been the same without you and we'll see you again soon.  To our visitors, Dave & Roche from Whitstable - great to see you and thanks for a great time in Paris.  And then there's our family: Mum (whose been keeping an eye on the post and forwarding all kinds of stuff to us in France) - you're a superstar Ma. xxx; Chris & Pam for their support (and storage!); Claire & Lol (and their lovely neighbours) for help with more storage; and to all our other family and friends who've supported us countless ways - including a special thanks to Uncle Bertie who came to us in our hour of need - thanks a mill. 

But -wait for it - straight in at the top spot is:

1. The French! Yes, a surprise entry to us - and no doubt many of our fellow Brits.  We won't forget how well we've been received and how warm, generous and accommodating the French have been.  Yes, we really like France and would recommend that you spend some time here.  Do, though, learn a bit of the language - it goes such a long way (and rightly so in our book) to creating bonhomie. The French seem to be happier with their lot.  They acknowledge one another and - very often us - with a 'bonjour' or 'bonsoir'.  And it ain't just in the south where the sun shines - the north too.  We've heard the family plays a big role here and long may it last.  To sum it all up: a French couple who we met briefly at the crane on Tuesday and watched first hand the events of the last couple of days unfold came by last night to say 'au revoir et bon voyage' and brought with them a bottle of wine - produced by their father.  I mean, where else would you get that from virtual strangers?

So, if you're wondering about whether to spend some time in France, we'd say 'book it Danno'!

We hope you will join us for the next part of our journey.  So, until the next post from Spain (First Mate can't believe we're actually going after 5 months in France) - hasta pronto!  

We interrupt this transmission ...

Hello blog fans, a quick update from Frontignan as there have been a few developments since the last post.

Two months ago we arranged a hard standing winter mooring (one that's out of the water) at Frontignan, which has been checked several times since, only to find out at the 11th hour on the day of lift out (Tuesday) that the boat park's cradle on which she would sit for 6 months wasn't strong enough to take the weight of the boat - caramba!

It's the first hitch we've had - but a big one - and, with two days to go before departure to Spain (yep, we have tickets to ride) we had to make a very quick decision.  We tried all the marinas along this stretch of the coast but there are literally no moorings - especially at this late stage of the season - so we decided to lorry-load her back to Dunkirk - where we started our journey!

It's amazing what you can achieve when you have to with the help of professionals, good friends and family.  We were given a great lead from Mr Ackermans on 'Narvik' who was moored behind us waiting to be lifted out and low-loaded back to Holland.  With time of the essence Skipper wasted no time in making phone calls and within 2 hours we'd arranged for the excellent Dutch firm Van de Wetering Transport to collect our lovely "Reward" at 9am today.  Skipper also contacted Bleu Marin, the firm that demasted us in Dunkirk all those months ago, to arrange a hard standing for 6 months.  First Mate did all the backup work: bank transfers, emails, gallons of tea and moral support, etc., so it really was a team effort.  It also meant that we had to be demasted - again! - to enable safe transport on the lorry so Skipper & First Mate worked like trojans Tuesday and Wednesday to ready her for a 9am collection today.

Paul, the best boat crane operator in France!

 

"Reward" on the lorry

Although unplanned, it's good in several ways: we won't have to bring her back the way we came which we didn't really fancy for ourselves as we've seen everywhere we wanted to visit; we didn't fancy putting the boat through the rigours of ascent up the Rhone against 4 knots of current; plus it gives us other options for cruising next year and while the upfront cost is painful, in fact, we'll be in pocket in the long run.  So that was a wake up call!  And as I type, "Reward" is on the lorry somewhere in France en route to her winter resting place in Dunkirk ...

So, that's what we've been up to for the last couple of days!  So, until the next post shipmates ... 'over'.

France: tying the loose ends...

Hello readers from Frontignan.  Yes, we're still here - just about.  Since we returned from rural France last weekend we've been planning our departure from France and arrival in Spain.  Things like arranging for the boat to be pulled out of the water for her hard standing mooring where she'll be for six months, packing the rucksacks for Spain and organising travel and accommodation in Spain.  Thankfully we have a steady internet connection via the brilliant Orange Domino - a fabulous piece of kit - thanks Claire for putting us onto that. xx 

The weather here is changing: its still sunny and warm during the day but we've had our heaters on morning & night as its much cooler then - so much so that Skipper has taken to dressing for bed!  It really feels like time to head south for some late summer sun.  We've worn shorts since June and we're not planning to quit just yet!  That said, we still get a swim in most days - here's our favourite cove:

One of many coves on Frontignan beach

Rather boringly, we've had yet another tremontane this week - NW5 & 6 winds - they become more frequent in the latter end of the year so we've only managed one sail and another sign that summer is coming to an end.  It looks, too, as though another mistral will be making an appearance this weekend which means we'll probably not get to sail up the coast as planned but that's OK - we'll go by other modes of transport.  We plan a couple of day trips next week - Marseillan-Plage and possibly Le Grau Roi.


So we'll soon be out of the water and onto terra firma which in some ways will be nice and others not.  We've got used to our floating home and we'll miss the independence and comforts that go with her.  Equally, though, a change is as good as a rest.  We're planning to travel by train from Montpellier into Spain - we do love a picturesque train journey, i.e. ones that aren't a standard London commute!  If we're too late it'll be by bus or hire car - flights are exorbitant!

Our outline itinerary for Spain so far is to base ourselves in Pamplona (sadly the bull run has long gone) for a month so we can get to the Rioja Festival in Logrono which is a week-long extravaganza.  This is about the last full-on festival in the very active Spanish fiesta calendar so 'toca madera' (touch wood) all falls into place for that.  After that we'll tour around the Basque country before heading south to Madrid and then further south via Valencia and Malaga.  There we'll catch up with Ken & Katie of "Stardust" fame as they've rented an apartment in southern Spain for 6 months.

I'm already thinking of Christmas flights home so better get my finger out.  However, we'll be back in Spain for the unmissable doce uvas (the 12 grapes) - an Andalucian tradition where you have to swallow a whole grape on every strike of midnight - with champers - otherwise the coming year will be unlucky.  It started after an exceptional grape harvest many moons ago and, not surprisingly, has been continued by the fiesta-mad Spanidards! 

So, that's pretty much been our week so far... xx

A visit to rural France

Hello blog fans.  As promised here's an update on our visit to Skipper's cousin Claire and her hubbie, Lol.  They're kindly looking after all the things we are not be taking with us to Spain until we return next Spring.  Skipper's Dad had mentioned Claire had a big place in the middle of France but that was about it.  We tried to catch up with them earlier in our trip but we didn't pass that closely to them and they've had a houseful of friends & family stay throughout the summer so this was a great opportunity.  So, hire car packed to the gunwhales we set off for a small village near Agen.

The drive was great - the French motorways are fast and easy and once we got used to the tolls it was plain sailing.  We stopped at La Cite, Carcassonne, a beautiful medieval walled town.  Photos can't really do it justice but here goes:

Entrance to La Cite, Carcassonne

And here's Skipper with another relative we met there - can you see the resemblance?!  xx

Skipper's (not so) distant relative!

After a 3.5 hour drive we arrived at the rendezvous where Claire met us in her bright yellow Fiat sportscar in which she turned a few heads.  What we didn't expect to see on arrival at their place, though, was a sweeping upwards driveway, between two lakes, up into the hills.  Yes, Claire & Lol are proud owners of a 350-acre 'domaine', complete with sunflower crops, a chateau, an orangery, an aqueduct and Roman spa.  Also a disused fruitery in which the famous Agen prunes were once processed but the plum plantation has long gone.  Claire's research has revealed many historic links: Carmelite, Basque and Knights Templar.  She believes it may be on the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage Route and some friendly locals are helping to fill in gaps - they are also helping to manage their land.  Most of the hard graft, though, has been accomplished by Claire & Lol which has uncovered many hidden treasures.  It isn't beyond the realms of possibility that one of the several wells on their land may be a source of a famous (patented!) herbal tonic.

The chateau which they want to develop into guesthouse & restaurant

There are also plans to build a circuit on which vintage vehicle owners can drive their cars.  There are ideas to turn another outbuilding into a spa/retreat, complete with treatment rooms & accommodation.  We loved the stables, too, complete with plaques bearing the stallion, mare and foal's names and dates of birth.  They would make brilliant gites or chambres d'hotes for which folks in Whitstable (and beyond) would go bonkers!  We wish Claire & Lol all the best in getting their project off the ground - it really is a remarkable place.

Skipper & Lol outside the stables

We were later shown to our billet - the converted pigeonerie - a 3-storey stone building with steepled roof, bare oak beams and contemporary design features, to include a unique log & hardwood staircase - again, piccies don't do it justice - sorry readers! We had dinner with them at home tonight with which we consumed several bottles of vino collapso and retired to our loft at 3.30am - a challenge after a few bevvies!

Oops, I've gone and done it again!

Cousins catching up ...

We were up fairly early and no sooner had we said 'bonjour' we were whisked off for a tour of the land we hadn't seen yesterday, accompanied by a friendly local in the Land Rover.  We were shaken, rattled and rolled after which First Mate didn't know which way was up! We needed to eat badly - and we wanted to thank Claire & Lol for the help with storage so headed into Moissac for a slap-up lunch.

Claire & First Mate

Moissac is another beautiful medieval town, complete with 11thC Abbey. Our friends, the Lewises, would love it - and no doubt teach us a thing or two about the architecture - but from my crash course with them in Paris I reckon Romanesque with early Gothic, complete with beautiful hand painted walls - not seen that effect before, quite Arabic in style.  The adjoining Cloisters are home to a unique 'open bible' - 76 chapters depicted in carved stone - each one telling a different story and different from the others.  The design reminded First Mate a little of Alhambra but without the water features and mosaic - an incredible place.

First Mate @ The Cloisters, Moissac

We were also invited to have aperitifs with Claire & Lol's French neighbours and friends and we spent a lovely evening with them in that truly French pastime but not before we'd been shown an amazing personal collection of Trench Art.  We hadn't heard of this before and for those of you that haven't, Trench Art is created from spent gun and cannon shells whilst the soldiers were in the trenches between battles, to help them, perhaps, focus on something other than the horrors of war.  The artwork we saw was truly breath-taking - amazing that something so beautiful could be created from such destructive weaponry.

After last night's debauchery we were all a bit weary so Claire & Lol introduced us to an amazing '70s musician, "Rodriguez", an enigmatic American singer songwriter of Mexican descent whose life story has been shrouded in mystery.  All I can say is, buy the DVD about his life story: "Searching for Sugar Man" - and then buy his music.  Thanks, guys, for introducing us to the great Sixto Rodriguez.

And, that, as they say is all folks.  Sadly, we had to leave early the next morning as we needed to return the hire car and Claire & Lol needed to ready prepare for their next visitors.  It was a short, but very sweet visit and we all had a great time.  So, safe journeys Claire & Lol to the UK and see you again soon.

Over & out for now pop pickers!

Still in Frontignan!

Hello blog fans from Frontignan.  Yep, we're still here but not for long.  We haven't done any sailing since the last post as the marine forecast hinted at another tremontane (though milder than in Gruissan - we are more protected here) so - what to do?  All you can do - take each day as it comes as forecasts change overnight so a case of wait and see.  In the meantime here's a summary of what we've been up to:

Monday 2 September - Frontignan
A task looming for some time has been to clear the boat for our forthcoming hard standing mooring and departure to Spain.  So far, this has involved sending 4 boxes of DVDs, CDs and books to my brother for storage (cheers Chris!) and Skipper's cousin who lives near Agen agreeing to take the rest until we get back to France next Spring (thanks Claire!)  As those of you who know us well, once we get into a mindset we find ourselves on a roll but after two days we figured we'd done enough.  It's amazing how much stuff we did have on board - "Reward" has good stowage.

The boat itself is in fine fettle.  Skipper (being a marine engineer and surveyor) has always believed in regular maintenance: 'a stitch in time' and all that, so nothing much to do there.

Tuesday 3 September - Frontignan & emergency dentist!
So, with chores done, we decided it was time to head eastwards up the French coast BUT Skipper's tooth broke last night so today involved a trip to the dentist for him.  Fortunately we found a great dentist who fitted a temporary crown.  All OK for now - never a dull moment eh?  It wasn't all work, though, we have a swim each day in our favourite cove nearby.

Wednesday 4 September - Montpellier
First Mate beavered away at car hire as Skipper's cousin who has kindly offered us storage space while we go to Spain is returning to the UK this weekend to bring her family to France so we thought we'd do a flying visit to them - we've not been to their place before so it was a long overdue visit.  First, though, car hire at the nearby city of Montpellier - a short train journey - at half the price (or more now that fares have risen - yet again) than in the UK.

Montpellier centre ville

Our visit to Claire & Lol (short for Laurence) would be our first trip onto terra firma since we left the UK in May and our first night off the boat.  We organised a great deal with Easycar and picked up a stylish Opel Insignia diesel which was great to drive.  This has given Skipper an idea to buy a car in the UK which we may use for our trip around Spain - we'll see...

So that's a quick update.  I'll do a separate post on our visit to Claire & Lol as there's so much to tell you!  So, in the words of the immortal Fluff Freeman, ...'until then pop pickers here's Bachman-Turner Overdrive's 'You ain't seen nothing yet'.