2009 Trip

Brian brought the motor home to the house the day before we were leaving, my dear friend Tina helped pack it with me.After a lot of hard work we decided on a cup of tea, as I went to the house for milk I got back to the motor home just in time to see Tina going to pour a bottle of Gin into the kettle instead of water, as neither of us drink can you imagine the state we would have been in, dancing on the top of the motor home I shouldn’t wonder. Any way I thank Tina for her help.Up next morning and getting the last bits in and away we go.We drove to a place called Aguilas for the night, we found an Aires by a small cove.We were parked next to the beach, it was beautiful, there were about ten motor homes there, and some looked as if they were there for a while but most only use the Aires for over night stops. The beach was very small and being in a cove the sea very calm, perfect for the children there.

Off we go next morning sorry to leave this spot and travel to Granada I have been before but it was Brian’s first time. We visited the Alhambra Palace which dates to the times of the Moors. Around all the rooms is a tiled border with Arabic writing on it which reads Ali be praised. The gardens are beautiful with ponds, fountains and walnut trees.In Granada we visited a church where the tombs of Queen Isabel and Fernando lie (these were the parents of Katherine of Aragon who was the first wife of Henry V111). Queen Isabel drove the moors out of Spain then started the Spanish Inquisition.This is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. The Aires we stayed on was in the Sierra Nevada where there was still a lot of snow on the tops of the mountains

Next on to a place called Calbra again this was on an Aires and very beautiful, it is in the olive region. This Aires was very quiet and peaceful; we were parked with six other motor homes beside the Auditorium, where out door concerts are held. The native bird here is the Stork, their nests were so big and on chimneys, electric pylons and on tall poles that were put up to encourage them, They were feeding young so were in and out of the nests.


Another new place, we arrived at Caceres after lunch.Caceres is an old Moor’s town with many old castles still there. We enjoyed this town as we love historical places and spent hours walking around all the old buildings some dating from the fourteen hundreds. We moved onto a place called Palencia another place with the WOW factor. The Aires lies beside the river with a beautiful park on the other side of us. This is a roman town with a Roman fort still in existence; the bridge that the Romans built is still used as a foot bridge across the river. We liked this place so much we stayed two days to explore it, only the modern shops bring you into the present and on the out skirts of the town where new building has occurred.

We are now in a very small village called Legazpi , the drive here was stunning with such different views, up mountains and through woods. Each house we passed on the mountain road had a sign post with it’s name on and the distance to the house, some times you could not see a house for the trees although they were no more than a hundred metres some only twenty metres from the road. All though this is just a small mountain village it still provides an Eires for motor homes with all the facilities

This is our last night in Spain tomorrow it is into France, We have seen many different aspects of Spain from the orange and Lemon groves of our area, the plastic greenhouses stretching for mile after mile, the olive groves, grape vines, agriculture land with field after field of grain and wheat then onto land for cattle and finally the forests where they were doing logging. This is indeed a very big country and very a beautiful one.On our journey through Spain we travel 1150 miles before we crossed the border into France.

Portugal Trip

We decided to go on a trip to Portugal with friends who also have a motor home.

Our first stop was for two days in Gibralta,I had read a lot of the history of Gibralta and was looking forward to seeing it for myself, I was not disappointed. For miles we could see THE ROCK in the distance as it got nearer my excitement grew

WE parked the van in a motor home eires on the Spanish side and walked into Gibraltar. We use these aires a lot as they are specially for motor homes to stay on over night free of charge.

We went round the shops first, all duty free and had a meal. The next day we took the official sightseeing trip round the Island wow it was great. We were taken up the rock to go into some caves they were very much like the Blue John Caves in Derbyshire

From there we went father up the rock to see the Barbary Apes they were wonderful to watch and so funny.Brian beside one of the Apes, I hope you can tell which is which?

This one would not let the taxi pass it just sat there untill the drive got out and chased it away

As you can see they get plenty of food.

This family was so cute they were on the wall at the top of a drop down to the see a long way down.

We asked the driver if they had to keep the number of Apes down and he told us they Kept them down to 200 but none were killed they sent the older ones to Zoo’s around the world.
After pulling ourselves away from them we went father up the rock to the tunnels.
These have been used in the First World War British soldiers had cut them out, they

went a long way into the Rock and the troops live in them while protecting the Gibraltar Straights.

On the island is the Hundred Ton Gun this points out to sea but has never been fired in battle.

This is the shell for the gun.

This is the view from the rock down to the sea.

This is the motor home aires on the Spanish side from a window in the tunnel (no glass in the windows just holes cut5 out of the rock).

Well it was time to leave Gibraltar and head for Portugal.

We will be paying another visit to Gibbraltar again it was so interesting.