A winter walk on the beach

January 31, 2012November 19, 2014 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

I wanted to drive to the sea.

On a ‘normal’ road. Not something with three lanes and everyone driving at 100 km/h.

If you come out of the house and turn left and drive straight down Joan Prim you will arrive at the sea – at Masnou. Except you can’t drive down Joan Prim as it is one way so you have to do a little dog leg around by C/Girona and then straight down to the coast.
For many people it is better to go on a fast road but for me it was heaven and it took us past familiar landmarks like the church at Palau which Tiffany sees as she takes her early morning walks.
Unfortunately once at Masnou we couldn’t find a way to the sea. All along this coast there is a railway line blocking access from the road and you have to know in advance where you’re going to cross over. So we ended up going to Cabrera de Mar and via an underpass, found the perfect car park for Blue to launch herself straight onto the sand

There were no fights today. We kept either Bonnie or Duna on the lead while the other ran free

The sunset was incredible and we even had tea in the van so could sit and watch the colours change

Blue walked all the way to the other end of the beach and back, stopping for a long time to eat something unidentifiable hidden in the rocks.
Others had been there before us

The drive back was on another ‘normal’ road. This one goes straight from Mataro across the Corridor through the Coll de Parpers. We didn’t meet a soul from one side of the mountain to the other. Bliss.

Back in Granollers I parked the van in her new underground parking space and as we unloaded the dogs I made the mistake of leaving my fingers in the wrong place as the door slammed shut. I never knew I could scream like that – luckily the place is soundproof and there was noone else about. It’s quite a primal experience that sort of pain and thank goodness some superhuman instinctive reflex made me pull my hand free just as the door arrived. Otherwise I think I would be like the woodcutter in the joke someone told me in the street this week.
He went into a bar and held up his hand saying ‘five beers please!’

But let’s not finish with this gruesome image – here’s Bonnie taking a rest from digging and chasing sticks in the waves
These are the best moments with the dogs.

Trips out from Granollers

January 22, 2012December 30, 2014 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Saturday
We cycled along the river path in the direction of Barcelona, with Bonnie and Duna running along beside. Bonnie is new to this so we walked through the town part and only started cycling when we arrived in the park. Duna is more practised and can do the road as well, doing a rapid walk rather than break into a run. They really feel like part of a pack when we are all speeding along together and don’t even glance at the other slower pedestrians – human or canine

There is a Viena restaurant further along the river – it is a Catalan chain of fast food restaurants which has been going for 40 years. It’s a good place to stop for breakfast, as I did with Tiffany last week, or lunch as on Saturday

Sunday
This time we took the van out of its parking space and I drove to Montseny and up the steep windy narrow road to Tagamanent(1056m). The top of this little mountain can be seen from Granollers and looks flat but it actually has an old disused monastery up on the summit.

Blue had a potter around the lower slopes and then happily settled into bed in the VW while we fitter ones climbed to the top. There are amazing views over to the snow capped pyranees

and a deep silence enfolds you when conversation pauses. The sun was shining straight into the chapel and illuminating the statue of the Virgin Mary

The shadow creature beside me is Bonnie.
Which reminds me that last week a small child pointed at us as we walked by, saying, ‘lobo, lobo!’ The mother said ‘no mi niña, es un perro’
How wonderful to be that age when it is possible a wolf walks past you in Granollers!

the longest day

August 7, 2011December 8, 2014 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

We were so relaxed after the beautiful swimming pool that we couldn’t get the necessary push to do our 300 km the next day. So we travelled 100 instead to Nice and met up with my sister and family who were also on their way to Tuscany and the birthday party. The campsite at Cagnes Sur Mer is nothing special but our luck held out and they found us a place although they were full!
The next day we paid the price of our ‘pausa’ and had the longest journey of the trip so far. My sisters family took a sardine tin train trip to Ventimiglia on the Italian side of the border.
We drove there and also got caught up in the weekly market crowds

Driving through Genova was another mistake – a futuristic nightmare of tangled roads on stilts which never ended. I was the passenger and spent most of the time with my eyes closed.
We were aiming for the Cinque Terres – five small seaside towns which are part of a marine nature reserve.

If I say the words bends, mountains and tunnels perhaps this will give an idea of this part of the journey. There was a series of tunnels only the width of a car which was exciting at first but became claustrophobic when the darkness never ended.
The road was beautiful and different from anything else on the trip so far

but time was racing on and as darkness fell we still didn’t have anywhere to camp.

Some sites were full. Others said ‘no dogs’. I felt my heart sinking with each rejection and was impressed by Pep’s never ending optimism. At time like these it is good to have different personalities.
Just as we began to accept the idea of sleeping in the car we found the campsite Saint Michele – thanks I am sure to the same benign saintly presence who takes care of Penzance and Sant Michaels Mount.
Lovely people, dogs welcome, a relaxed and hippy atmosphere and although all our tents were tightly packed into a very small space, it felt like the best campsite yet.

There is something about camping that feels medieval to me – the footsteps passing in the night, sounds of voices and snores and wheezes and sneezes, walking to the communal areas for water and washing, sleeping on the firm ground with your dog at your side.

Finding this place was like a miracle – finding somewhere to lie down at the end of a long day of spinning round corners, creeping through dark tunnels and careering down hills chased by Vespa scooters can not be felt as anything other than miraculous!
And to top it all, this place was the only campsite we found with hooks on the toilet doors – something so simple can make all the difference. No need to pee while balancing my bag on my knees.

We woke to the sound of church bells echoing around the Tuscan valley – beautiful.

Salernes just west of Cannes

August 4, 2011November 30, 2014 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

Just in case yesterdays photo failed to show how beautiful the bathing pool is here at the campsite I thought I’d show you another one this morning.

I am working on the computer which is balanced on a rubbish bin outside the toiletblock by our tent. My mobile phone is also plugged in recharging and lying on the edge of the drain!

First two days on the road to Italy

August 3, 2011December 8, 2014 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

I’m on the road and the b****** mobile won’t let me send blog posts so here is a quick one sent from the most wonderful campsite in the world!
Or that is how it seemed today when I was swimming in the river.

Here are a few photos from the trip. Hope to connect again soon from the next wifi zone!
Day One

It all starts with my first cup of hot chocolate in France! It’s runny! The ones in Catalunya are thick

We stayed in a campsite by the Midi Canal – they were friendly people and let us set up camp on a patch of ground by an unused cabin as the site was actually full. It is August in the south of France so each night is a test of faith in the angels who watch over us. And I give thanks for the blessing of Pep who does the asking!
The walk along the banks of the canal was lovely with a mixture of barges – some deluxe with a swimming pool on top and others just simply beautiful