All posts by markbartlett_741k1tjl

Do you know the population of France?

You may ask, “What is the population of France in 2014?” In short, A LOT!! …… 66 million and we know where they all are!!?……

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Yep, they are down here with us in the South of France at the beach, in Cap d’Agde! Don’t know what the sand looked like as you couldn’t see any! Beach umbrellas and bronzed bodies everywhere! We managed to squeeze Bruce into a camping spot for one night & whilst we enjoyed the summer holiday atmosphere, we soon ventured inland again!

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Theses legs are made for walkin’

IMG_8793On Friday morning, feeling euphoric after experiencing the Tour de France “parade” but also sad to say “au revoir” to our new friends Lise and Arnold (Norway) and Jon and Fin (UK) we descend the Col du Tourmalet. IMG_8471What a change in weather! The day of the Tour was near perfect conditions for cycling – contrasting with today’s rain and low clouds!

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Another tick for the bucket list

Tally – Ho Bruce!!….. onward and upward and upward…. and upward!!!!

IMG_8004The roads become narrower and zig –zag their way up the mountains!! We are in the Pyrenees – Sud Ouest (south-west) France.

Heavy morning cloud makes visibility very difficult as we approach our camping destination; La Mongie, in the Haute Pyrenees. Pulling off the road we can only see 10 metres ahead and make a judgement call not to go any higher. This is where we will wait the three days for the Tour de France!! Bruce finds a suitable position in an aire (free car park really), 1.5km from the small ski town of La Mongie. The book says “room for 100 camping cars”, we counted 152 on the first night, but when the Tour de France finally descended upon us, we guess close to 400 in our “spot”.

Continue reading Another tick for the bucket list

Fireworks welcome us

Fireworks welcome us to the medieval World Heritage village of Saint Emilion in the heart of Bordeaux vineyards! As well as our arrival, they are also celebrating Bastille Day!IMG_7683IMG_7738

The large “Kings Tower” where the fireworks were launched! Can you see us up there?IMG_7694IMG_7631

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A day in the life…

A day in the life of the intrepid travellers!! Mmmm…… Firstly, there are no alarm clocks…… we wake up hen our bodies have had enough “shut-eye!” Long days with the sun setting late …. IMG_4275It can be 10:30 before it is dark & much latter before we can seep! All this sight-seeing & exploring can be pretty exhausting at times…. No joke!! (We sometimes plan and research late into the night about where our next destination is and the route, etc. Continue reading A day in the life…

Biking to Birthday Ballet in Biarritz

It’s bucketing down here – raining “cats ‘n’ dogs”! So much for Bev experiencing her first “summer” birthday!! Managed a two hour beach walk before the heavens opened……. It is still a pleasant 23° C though!

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Gare du Midi Theatre – Biarritz, France

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Basking in Basque

Bruce bravely ventures along “challenging”, narrow, winding mountain passes as he heads to northern Spain. At times we have to breath-in & pray when we approach oncoming traffic! Cliffs / rock overhangs, with many blind corners and bus/trucks rounding the bend at any moment!! With such large rock overhangs it is impossible for Bruce to hug his side of the road!?!

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Specatular surprise as Bruce rounds the bend

Hola!   Hola!   We couldn’t wait a week to share this blog with you…. How could  a place be so intoxicatingly awe inspiring!?! Bev has taken soooo many photos the camera wants to go on strike!! (actually Strike if we were in France – but Siesta as we are in Spain!) Ha!! Choosing the best ones has been near impossible, hence there are many!… Hope you enjoy the picture show!… This has to be our favorite “find” to-date!IMG_6936

Continue reading Specatular surprise as Bruce rounds the bend