In search of spring, 28 February 2022

Mas Alart, Saleilles, France.

Well, you knew we would end up here didn't you? Got to buy some of the nicest wine in France! 

However, we started off by needing services, so we drove to what we thought was the Intermarche in Latour-bas-Elne, which had them. However, although it had all the other things it was supposed to have, no services. On enquiry, we discovered we were, in fact, at the Intermarché in Elne, not in Latour-bas-Elne. 

So a few minutes drive rectified that problem, and I shopped while the Swan Whisperer did the necessary, and then we headed on to St-Cyprien-Plage for lunch, and a look at the Med - as wonderful as ever, and as blue as ever!

After which, the SW suggested going to a "Village des Pecheurs" on the Etang du Canet Saint-Nazaire

that he had seen on the map, and which intrigued him. I wasn't too sure, when we arrived, that it wasn't a holiday let, but quite the reverse, as it turned out to be a collection of former fishermen's cottages built of reeds, and a nature reserve. 

We didn't see many birds except seagulls, which were beginning to pair off and courting rituals going full blast. There was a tiny museum, but it was obviously closed on a Monday. 

After a short walk, we realised the rather small car park was getting very full indeed, so we decided to head on more-or-less straight to Mas Alart, where we are parked up with windows and skylights open and enjoying not having to be wrapped up warm. As last time, the place is crowded, but we will be able to buy wine in the morning when the shop opens at 10.

In search of spring, 27 February 2022

What a lovely day! We didn't hurry out of bed, although the Swan Whisperer went for a short run - he has had an injury and this was his first run for a few weeks. After breakfast, he went on an explore, and then came back for coffee, during which he looked at the habitation door again, and appears to have fixed the lock, at any rate for the time being. It seems to have been a to matter of a spring that had got stuck, or something. 

At noon, it was time for church, and we logged on to the livestream from Brixton Hill; unlike other times, we could actually hear what was going on. Then a quick lunch, and then the main reason we hurried to get here - the Yellow Train!

This goes from Villefranche Vernet-les-Bains right up to La Carol Latour high in the Pyrenees. We only took it half way, though, as far as Font-Remeu. 

It was not the most comfortable of trains,

but certainly one of the most scenic, cutting through the mountains in tunnels and over bridges and viaducts and finally coming out on a wide plateau. The train stopped for several minutes at many of the stations, and and for half an hour at Fort-Romeu before starting its downward journey again. 

This train has been on my bucket list for awhile now, and I'm so glad we did it. Today was the last day of service for a couple of months as they are going to do track works, and it was also the last day of the winter fares - €5 per person each way (although nobody checked our return tickets; we could have got away without buying them!). 

Once back in the motor home, I got supper ready and then it was time for Bible Study (our church hosts a Zoom study each month). After that, supper, and now I am catching up and will then go and watch videos in bed! We don't think our leisure batteries would really like us to cast them to the TV when we don't have external electricity. 

There are (rather too many) more photos on Facebook. 

In search of spring, 26 February 2022

Another bitterly cold morning - this photo shows the frost clearing away from the bedroom skylight while I was getting up. 

Our first port of call was to the supermarket for diesel and groceries, and and then we drove down to the Garabit viaduct. I have posted pictures of it before, taken from the aire on the A75, but this was the first time I had seen it from the other side. It is really rather spectacular! 

More photos on Facebook. We continued down the A75 and stopped for lunch before Millau (we had hoped to stop there, but time was getting on). The habitation door lock now seems completely buggered, so matter how often we clean the contacts, but the Swan Whisperer had a brain-waggle and has used the steering lock to keep it closed from the inside! Easily removed when I need to get in or out, and we can get the lock fixed in Sussex when we go home. 

We went over the Millau viaduct. It is more spectacular seen from below, but we wanted to get to our overnight stop before dark so the SW could have a walk. And it is pretty good seen from on it, although you can't see over the restraining walls (just as well, perhaps). 

And on, and on, and on, down the A75 and the A9, past Perpignan and Prades to Villefranche-de-Conflent where we will be spending two nights for reasons which will be revealed tomorrow. The SW has had his walk and will be cooking our Saturday sausage and mash - only the mash will be Aligot, which I rather extravagantly treated us to - we were in the area; it would have been rude not to, really! 

We are definitely seeing signs of spring here - there were speedwells in the aire where we stopped for lunch, crocuses in the one where we stopped for tea, and many of the trees are showing green. This seems to be a fruit-growing area, and many of the trees were in blossom. 

In search of spring, 25 February 2022

St Flour, France. 

Another long drive today, but much nicer than yesterday! However, first thing in the morning it was bitterly cold - and the Swan Whisperer said it was only 6°C inside the van! So, of course, the gas ran out before it was warm enough to shower, so the poor SW had to go out and change the cylinder before we could get up properly. 

So our first port of call after breakfast was an Intermarché, where he got gas and I went shopping. Was very pleased to find snail grippers and forks - something that had been singularly lacking when we fed the boys snails last week - they had to use skewers and we were reduced to the tails of mustard spoons! Which, I may say, I did the job but it is good to have the proper equipment for next time! 

Next, we drove about 20 kilometers to Saran, and used the services there, which Park4Night told us were open all year. The only reason we didn't go there last night was because it also said it was apt to be full, and indeed it was! But we drained, flushed and refilled, and so set off properly down the A71. I was delighted to see the old Aerotrain test track, and a TGV line (which superseded it) both parallel to the road. 

We stopped for lunch in an aire somewhere, near Bourges, we think, and again about an hour later as there was supposed to be a great view of the Auvergne volcanoes.

To our horror, we discovered that the hab door wasn't locking, and had to wait while the SW queried the wisdom of the Internet, which soon solved the problem - dirty contacts, apparently. Once we had solved that, we found we needed a cup of tea so had that, and then headed off again, this time down the A75. The SW decided he would rather stop at a Camping-Car Park (all right for him, but do you see him giving me the money to refill my card?) so we did another very quick stop to reprogramme the satnav, and now we are here, plugged into electricity and we can use the services again this morning, which is good as we won't have them again until Monday. 

It is going to be another very cold night, but we will programme the heating to come on at 07:00!

In search of Spring, 24 February 2022

Well, we may have set off in search of the spring but it most certainly wasn't in France today! It rained. It rained. And it rained. 

We had a very long drive today; the satnav said that the quickest way would be via Paris, but the Swan Whisperer decided not to do that, but and we came via Rouen instead, which was about two hours longer. 

Our first port of call was at a Lidl, where I bought one or two bits - blood oranges here are a lot cheaper than at home. I have a lovely But the Swan Whisperer texted me to say he needed milk and the one thing Lidl France appears not to sell is fresh milk! So we went across the road to an Intermarché or E Leclerc, I forget which where I got milk, drinking water, and beer and cider. And a Paris-Brest each for lunch pudding as they were on such a special offer it would have been rude not to, really! 

And so we went on, stopping for lunch in an aire somewhere, and again for diesel, off-motorway (it took some finding, but we got there in the end). And on and on and on, passing Chartres Cathedral, of which I singularly failed to take a photo. And there was a rainbow, a which was lovely. 

And so to this aire at Artenay, which is the car park of a public swimming pool; as this is open-air, it is not open at this time of year. There are no services, but we can get them tomorrow. Which will be another long drive, as will Saturday. 

In search of spring, 23 February 2022

Merlimont, France. 

So another adventure begins; we are heading back to the South of France to see if it is beginning to be spring there! 

Normally, we would be parked up at Sangatte for the first night, but our batteries were a bit flat, so we thought we would go to a Camping-Car Park place just south of Le Touquet where there would be electricity.

Unfortunately, I misunderstood what the ap was telling me and it was full when we got there, so we are parked up with no electricity in the station car park.  At least we are an hour down the road for tomorrow's trip! 

We will be going to bed very soon to save the battery; if we have to drive for 20 miles tomorrow morning before we can have a shower, so be it! 

I have just given myself a fright because I couldn't find my medications for the morning, but they were there, just not where I thught they were!  Phew!

A Valentine's Day Excursion

 Actually,  Valentine's Day had really nothing to do with it - I just couldn't think what to call it.

Over the past few days, I'd read posts from Ian Visits and Londonist about a new electric bus that is being introduced on to route 63, with various experimental features that may or may not be included if and when they get funds to renew their fleet.  So I wanted to go on it, of course, and the Swan Whisperer was, if not keen, willing to accompany me.

The sensible thing was to go to King's Cross by Tube and catch it at the start of its route.  Getting to King's Cross was fine,

but we took a long time to find the correct bus stop, crossing the Euston Road several times and eventually ending up almost beside the Tube exit we'd come out of!  Then, of course, the next two 63s that came were the old buses - I gather the entire fleet will have been replaced by "spring", but at the moment less than half has.  However, eventually a new bus came along, and we got on.

I didn't really get a chance to look round the inside, but upstairs was very grand!  

There is a skylight, which I gather is tinted to stop it being too hot in summer, and, as you can see, there are windows that can be opened, although the bus is air-conditioned.  

We started off sitting right in the front, but then the Swan Whisperer's phone needed charged, so we moved back a seat to get access to the charging points and phone holders: 

The actual route was new to us, too - from King's Cross the bus goes down Clerkenwell Road, past Farringdon Station and under Holborn Viaduct (such lovely lamp-standards):

We crossed over Blackfriars Bridge, and so on to St George's Circus and the Elephant.  I suggested leaving the bus there, and getting a 35 home, but the Swan Whisperer said that we would stay on until the end.  However, after it stopped for about 15 minutes in the middle of nowhere (somewhere near Burgess Park) "to regulate the service", and then again at Peckham Bus Garage to change drivers, I firmly said I had had enough and would go to Morrison's and then get a 37 home.  So that's what we did - I wanted fresh pasta for supper.  

It was a fun outing, covering a large triangle of London.  Rather pointless, really, but I'm glad to have experienced these new buses.  We both liked the "wooden" flooring but I regret to say I didn't notice the modern passenger information screens - I have a feeling that our one wasn't working.  They have them on the P5, though - as, indeed, they have power sockets - so I have seen them.  I do hope TfL gets proper funding so it can roll out these buses, or very similar ones, over the whole network.