1 Week ... 4 Countries

6fartsinacart
Dec 22, 2016
3 min read

Thursday, 15 December 2016: Tuesday we trekked from Andorra into France, today we will be trekking from France into Spain again to take the road to Costa Brava. Our sleeping spot last night at Viladrau is a real delight. It is a peaceful spot situated at a nature reserve and provides us with free Wifi. Before leaving, we decide to update the blog. Therefore we leave later than usual and stop soon after at a viewpoint outside Tossa de Mar, looking out across the ocean, to have lunch. Afterwards we move on to St. Feliu de Guixols, our stop for the night. After a two and a half hour stroll to town, the beach and harbour, we return to Merzy for some 'shop bought' pizzas, spruced up with our own cheese and toppings.

Friday, 16 December 2016: Our route takes us past Castell de Quermanco, a castle ruin approx. 5km outside Figueres... a trip down memory lane for Mum and Dad after visiting this sight for the first time in 1997 when an incident with some Spaniards (with long fingers) resulted in them returning home earlier than planned. Perfect time to hang around for lunch. Then we cross the border back into France. We mosey on to Leucate but can't find the camper-stop, which results in us carrying on to Gruissan, arriving somewhat late. But we are thrilled with our parking at Gruissan-plage with views across the ocean.

Saturday, 17 December 2016: The Lord's timing is perfect - always. As we work our way out of Gruissan towards Narbonne-Plage we find a Lidl. As our provisions are totally depleted, we park Merzy. We are very pleased and thankful with the Laverie situated right there in the parking area. So, our bag filled up with dirty washing is being washed and dried while we stock up and have an early lunch. We travel inland to Aniane where the town centre is closed off for a Christmas fair and bustling with activity. We stop at the area designated for motorhomes and go for a walk. Afterwards we settle down and have a hearty turkey casserole to warm ourselves up.

Sunday, 18 December 2016: We set off early and stop for lunch next to the Le Rhone 10km before Avignon. In Avignon we park Merzy just outside the town centre (walled old town) on the other side of the river (Le Rhone), which runs through this idyllic town. Avignon has a wonderful atmosphere of history and culture. We stroll through the narrow roads and alleys, admiring the beautiful cathedrals, museums, and architecture. Among them, the Palais de Papes and Eglise Saint-Pierre. After a two hour tour d'foot, we leave Avignon and move on to St Paul-les-Durance. After a quick meal we tuck ourselves in as it is very cold. The ground outside already white with frost.

Monday, 19 December 2016: Waking up to frozen stalactites hanging from the roof of a cave just outside Merzy. Brrrrr. After a walk down to the waterfall and river below, we leave and head for the coast. Our theory... it's warmer on the coast than inland. Between Ginasservis and la Verdiere we have to make way for a herd of sheep and goats (rush hour). We reach le Thoronet lunchtime, use the dumping services and fill up with water while filling up our tummies at the same time. Then we head for St. Tropez where we have a quick stop for some photos. We carry on along the coast through famous Cannes to an Aire at St Laurent du Var. After a long day of driving - and feeling knackered - we are happy to find a spot specially left for us.

Tuesday, 20 December 2016: From St Laurent du Var, we take the coastal road through Nice (with grand hotels lining the road, overlooking the Mediterranean) and cross into Monaco, going through its famous capital, Monte Carlo. It's a hub of high-rise buildings on the one side and yachts on the other. Half an hour later we're out of Monaco again. Piacere (Hello) Italy!! We continue to San Remo where we spot some motorhomes parked together next to the turquoise waters of the Med. We've got the best 'room' with the best views in town! We end off the day with a fine meal of Cordon bleu ... and French apple tart a la Keith (merci!) for a sweet treat from our in-house chef.