Excellent Campsite – DJmotortouring

Figline Valdarno (Tuscany), Italy May 2025 (Tour 11)

Being just 15 miles south east of Florence, the historic town of Figline Valadarno is only about 85 miles from Torre del Lago Puccini but; in terms of the weather, it was a million miles away as we arrived. The sun was shining; there was barely a cloud in the sky and; it was warm. Moreover, it was set to stay that way for the forseeable future.

I know I’ve been rather going on about campsites during the last weeks (which is rich coming from someone who used them only rarely in his early tours) and I’m sorry about that but; Vanya once again did us proud with the 5 Star Hu Camping Norcenni Girasole Club just outside of Figline Valadarno. I’ll write more about the Norcenni Girasole at the end of this blog (such that you can skip it and move on if you are not particularly interested in camp sites). For now it will suffice to say it is to be listed as an Excellent Campsite – only our fifth in the last 7 years.

Figline Valdarno is, for me, a quintessential Italian town; not necessarily for it’s landmark attractions and monuments (although it does have a couple of places of interest) but; for it’s pure Italianism. It’s one of those places where I’m content to lounge in the main square over a coffee; watching and listening to old men noisily playing cards at tables outside the cafe-bars and middle aged women chatting and laughing with neighbours by the fountains or haggling good humouredly with shopkeepers over the price of tomatoes – all of it so very Italian. I did just that for an hour. I sat in the early morning sunshine, sipping coffee outside a bar on Figline Valdano’s main square (the Piazza Marsilio Ficino) and revelled in it.

The Piazza Marsilio Ficino (named after a famous 15th century humanist philosopher whom, I confess, I have never heard of) is in itself one of the town’s principal attractions. It’s a large rectangular piazza (more like a trapezium really) which was designed to hold a large farmer’s market. It is almost entirely surrounded by arcades except for access points and one corner where the town’s 13th century Collegiate Church of Santa Maria holds pride of place. I cannot say for sure that the piazza is still used as a market place (it probably is) but the arcades are home now to a handful of bars, a few shops, some offices and, at the opposite end of the piazza to the church, a former 14th century hospital (the Spedale Serristori) which closed in 1890.

Alongside the Piazza Marsilio Ficino, near the church, is another much smaller town square, Piazza Bianchi. This holds the 14th century Palazzo Pretorio with it’s attendant tower. Originally home to the town council, it is now used to store town records but, for a short period in the 19th century, it was also used as a prison. At the foot of the tower is a small chapel dedicated to the town’s soldiers who fell in WWI.

Another significant building in the town is the Teatro Comunale Garibaldi. This 19th century theatre, named after Guiseppe Garibaldi, is used to host theatrical and/or musical performances and can accommodate an audience of about 500. Judging by the many old posters adorning it’s walls, especially on the stairwell, this theatre has hosted some quite spectacular events since it’s inauguration in 1872. I was unable to access the auditorium. The entrance was closed whilst, inside, a pianist was rehearsing a movement from Beethoven’s 9th (the Choral Symphony). It was a joy standing outside listening for a short while – an Ode to Joy, I hear you say. Sorry.

Teatro Comunale Garibaldi & Part of the Town Walls

Inside the Garibaldi Theatre (not my photo)

Outside, to one side of the theatre and underneath some of the old town walls, is a fenced off area which is used as a summer arena (music and theatre productions) and can accommodate an audience of up to 180 but, again, I couldn’t gain access.

I wandered the town for a while but, because I had spent so much time ‘people watching’ on the Piazza Marcilio Ficino and ‘eavesdropping’ on the pianist in the Teatro Comunale Garibaldi, I didn’t get to see much else but; I don’t regret a minute of it. I suspect we’ll return at some time in the future.

Okay, a little about Hu Norcenni Girasole Camping. It really is first class. From the moment we started the check in process until the moment we left, it was almost perfect. We booked in for two nights and almost immediately increased it to three so that Vanya could enrol in a cookery class and perfect her Ravioli. We would have stayed longer except we had already lingered in France for 7 days at Esterel Caravaning and we needed move on, deeper into Italy. Having said all that (and this is a postscript), we returned to Hu Norcenni Girasole for another night when retracing our steps through Italy.

The site is super pet friendly and has all the facilities you could need and more. It provides a regular shuttle service into Figline Valdarno and coach trips to Florence and Siena when demand warrants it. We have stayed at three Hu Campsites in total and all are good but Hu Norcenni Girasole is very much a step above the others. The service ethos from it’s staff is as good as I have seen anywhere (and that includes some of the world’s top hotels) and it operates two features which set it apart from the others: a well stocked enoteca and well informed sommelier (where we chose to drink wine most nights, in preference to the more crowded and noisier bars) and; a top chef who offered cookery lessons to small groups. Under Chef Mario’s tutelage (the chef has worked all over the world and even cooked for the late Queen Elizabeth II), Vanya was able to perfect a home made ricotta and spinach ravioli which even I enjoyed (and I’m not a great one for pasta and have never been keen on spinach).

Oh! And the cooking…

Saint Raphael (Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur), France May 2025 (Tour 11)

Esterel Caravaning proved an excellent and enjoyable campsite in terms of facilities and nearby places to visit. The town of Saint Raphael, however, was to be our last trip from the campsite this year. It was almost time to move on into Italy.

Saint Raphael was never on my radar as a place to visit but it is now. It is a sizeable, lively seaside town (perhaps the largest in the Var Department) and it offers most everything you would expect of a decent French resort on the Cote d’Azur: a wonderful climate; a wild rocky coastline (especially the Esterel) with magnificent beaches and a beautiful turquoise sea; colour and culture; style and elegance; glitz and glamour; history and monuments; world famous food and restaurants; festivals and fetes and; of course, close proximity to plenty of other exciting resorts on the Riviera (e.g. Antibes, Cannes, Menton, Monaco and Saint Tropez to name but a few).

We parked up at the Convention Centre adjacent to the Port de Santa Lucia at the east end of the town (Nice one, Park4Night!). The Port de Santa Lucia is Saint Raphael’s second port and more of a marina really for recreational boats (the original old port is to the west of the town) but; it has a fair range of shops and restaurants and from there it is just a short palm tree lined walk to the old town.

We didn’t get far walking the ‘marina’ before being seduced by a smart little fish restaurant right on the water’s edge, the ‘A La Maree’ restaurant. We were spoilt for choice by so many interesting fish dishes. It took a while to choose but I opted for a mixed shellfish entree from the restaurant’s ‘La Mer sur un Plateau’ menu. The dish was out of this world and included two different oysters, being 3 Fines de Claires no4 and 3 Creuses de Bretagne no2. The latter, when washed down with a good Sancerre were perfect. Vanya was equally pleased with her dish; one of the day’s specials, a duo of St Jacques et Gambas a la Provencale. There was a wide range of desserts to choose from and we both selected the highly recommended Soufflet au Grand Marnier. We had seen another customer order one and it looked great. Moreover, the restaurant claimed it as “notre specialite depuis 30 ans”. The souffle itself was without fault but there was such a strong taste of Grand Marnier, Vanya couldn’t finish hers and I’m certain I must have screwed my eyes up at least twice. Having said that, I’ll not let a surfeit of alcohol cloud my judgement, we enjoyed an exceptionally good lunch in a wonderful setting and then; it was time to explore Saint Raphael.

Just waiting for coffee now and a liqueur courtesy of A La Maree.

We ambled in the direction of the old town centre along what the Italians call a lungomare (which proves we’re in Italy now and I’m almost two weeks behind with the blog) but which in Saint Raphael is known as the Promenade des Bains. This promenade leads from the ‘marina’, past the town’s primary beach (the Plage de Vaillant) to the Jardin Bonaparte (and the nearby Ferris Wheel) and then on to the town’s Old Port on Le Pedegal River. By the way, the Pedegal separates Saint Raphael from Frejus.

The Plage de La Vaillant is a fine beach (one of many on the Cote d’Azur) but, to my mind, the best parts of the Promenade des Bains are the Jardin Bonaparte (a pleasant well designed English landscape garden which serves too as an area for outdoor concerts and shows) and, most especially, the Old Port. This is the original harbour where Napoleon landed upon his return from Egypt and, later, where he embarked from to take up his (temporary) exile on the Isle of Elbe. The Old Port is also the place to watch a local sport known as ‘Provencal Water Jousting’. This sport takes place between late May and early September and entails two opponents, each on their own boat, jousting (with shield and lance) from a platform mounted at the stern of the boat until one is tipped into the water.

From the park and the port it is easy to find the old town. We simply turned inland and headed towards the 19th century Basilica de Notre Dame; it’s dome easily visible from the shoreline. The full name of the church is the Basilica de Notre Dame de la Victoire de Lapente and it is one beautiful church inside and outside. It’s built of pink sandstone which I thought was quarried from the Esterel but, no, it seems the sandstone was actually brought from Provence. And the origin of the church’s name? It was named ‘de la Victoire de Lepante’ in recognition of the huge naval battle in 1571 (the last major battle between galleys) which saw a Christian fleet soundly defeat an Ottoman fleet. That’s the Battle of Lepanto to us Brits and it was the battle in which a young Miguel de Cervantes (he who wrote about “The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha”) lost his hand.

Basilica de Notre Dame from the Old Port

From the Basilica we headed into the narrow well shaded streets and alleys of the old town (or old quarter as it is more often termed in Saint Raphael)…

… and came across a former 7th century church, the presbytery of which houses the Musee Archeologique de Saint Raphael. You’ll rarely see me in a museum unless it’s raining but I’d have entered this one, were it open, just for the views from it’s 13th century medieval tower (the San Rafeu Tower). It supposedly offers one of the finest 360 degree views in Saint Raphael.

On the way back to the Van we passed another museum (the Louis de Funes Museum) which showcases the life and career of France’s greatest comic, Louis de Funes. He died in 1983 and yet he is still recognised as France’s greatest ever comic. He was ranked No.1 in the country’s box office figures for the best part of 20 years.

We enjoyed our brief visit to Saint Raphael town. I think there’s more to the old town than we actually saw and I would very much like to experience the town at night. Yes, Saint Raphael is a little touristy but that is to be expected on the Cote d’Azur.

The French Riviera has no shortage of beautiful places to visit and Saint Raphael is deservedly included amongst them. We stayed 7 days at the excellent Esterel Caravaning campsite and enjoyed chilling by the pool, wandering the Esterel Forest and taking day trips out to various places along the Riviera. I’d do it all again. I think also that, next time, I will make a point of walking part of the Sentier Littoral around Saint Raphael. I was advised the stretch from the Port of Santa Lucia to the Fournas Cove is a ‘must’ but there’s also Maubois Cove and, further along the coast (past Agay), is the Ile d’Or from Cap Dramont. We simply have to return (next year).

Esterel Massif (Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur), France May 2025 (Tour 11)

After selecting the Esterel Caravaning site as our next stopover, Vanya is now in charge. This 5 star campsite, on the outskirts of San Raphael and alongside the Foret Dominiale de L’Esterel (Esterel State Forest), appears to have all the bells and whistles you could ask for in a campsite and looks as if it could beat any of those we have used in the last years, except perhaps the one in Serignan (because of it’s food). Time will tell but, enough about campsites! You can google Esterel Caravaning if you want to know more.

That’s what I wrote almost two weeks ago (although I didn’t finish writing the blog) and I’m now playing catch up from somewhere in Italy. We stayed at the Esterel Caravaning site for an almost unprecedented 7 nights (not least because the weather was great) and we used the place as a base from which to make various sorties in the Van. These included visits to Figanieres (which involved driving through Callas, Bargemon and Montferrat; not all of them by choice), Agay, Port Grimaud and, of course, Saint Raphael itself. I’ll write separately about those visits. For the moment I’ll concentrate on the Esterel State Forest.

Esterel is a 250,000 year old volcanic mountain range (hills, really) of some 32,000 hectares, which includes almost 6,000 hectares of colourful natural forest (the Foret Dominiale de L’Esterel). The forest is criss-crossed by trails for walkers and mountain bikers and there are a few roads (built by the occupying German forces during WWII to provide easy access to the hinterland) but, the use of these roads is restricted particularly during the high season.

…and this large pond – and all before breakfast.

I made three visits to the forest and it is a beautiful place to walk although, even out of season, you will rarely have the place to yourself. You’ll stumble across the odd local walking his dog and it’s very popular with mountain bikers (one day I saw hordes of them) but; stay away from the wider trails or, better still, follow some of the many narrow gorges and/or deep ravines and you can avoid most everybody. There was one occasion when I felt I did have the place to myself. I was following what I at first thought was a dried up river bed but it led me to various small pools (complete with fish) and then a stream with some quite fast flowing water which ultimately disappeared underground. I was tempted to take a dip in one of the pools but the water was too cold. It’s pleasant stumbling across such places in what is a mostly arid park.

I mentioned the roads. Short stretches of them are open to the general public all year round. Some lead to small ponds or lakes; others to local tourist attractions, whether it be an old hermit cave or, the one I eventually picked up and which took me part of the way up to the Rock of Saint Pilon on the Pic du Cap Roux.

Objective: Saint Pilon on Pic du Cap Roux

… so I used the road which comes up from Agay.

Okay, some photos and a few words about Esterel Caravaning. They operate a very impressive campsite. The first photo, below, is an official publicity photo providing an overview of the site. The others are mine and, to some extent, they capture the mood of the place…

Sitting outside the bar in front of the pool complex…

The view out over the forest from our allotted parking space… until Vanya moved us…

… no, not to this one (but we did have our own bathroom).

There was a nice looking restaurant (two actually but, it being out of season, one was closed) although, in truth, the menu didn’t particularly appeal to Vanya. The wine selection in the restaurant is phenomenal – forty pages of wines, many of them very fine wines, including a Chateau Lafite Rothschild Premier Cru 2012 at 980 Euros a bottle. Sadly, that is well beyond my price bracket. The main bar was excellent, albeit a little expensive, but ‘happy hours’ (one at noon and another in the evening) made it very good value.

Of course, campsites are not just about a prime location and decent facilities (although you would have to go a long way to beat the natural beauty of the Esterel Forest and the broader Cote d’Azur and; the facilities/options at Esterel Caravaning are many, varied and, believe me, quite excellent). It is also about what you make of the opportunities while you are there. We were very fortunate in that during our stay we were able to visit some interesting and attractive places (I’ll write about those when I have more time) but, equally important, we met a pleasant and well travelled couple in Jan and Ian and they very much helped complete our stay whenever we met them during the ‘happy hours’. My goodness, I learned a great deal from Ian about Stoke City Football Club’s halfback line of Pejic, Smith and Bloor but; nobody and certainly not a Stoke City supporter (no offence Ian), will ever convince me that Gordon Banks actually saved Geoff Hurst’s penalty at Upton Park in 1971 to deny West Ham a League Cup Final appearance against Chelsea. I was there at the time; standing directly behind the goal in the North Bank and; I saw the ball bounce off Gordon Banks’ head.

L’Ametlla de Mar (Catalonia), Spain April 2025 (Tour 11)

We returned to L’Ametlla de Mar.

We were here just a few months ago, during Tour 10, and enjoyed it so much that we stayed for three nights. Rather than risk repeating myself too much, if it’s a brief description of the town and it’s principal attractions that you want, you should read my earlier blog on the place. I will say however that Vanya and I were very pleased to be back. The town doesn’t have a great many tourist attractions but; there are plenty of other places in Catalonia that do, if that is what you want. No, L’Ametlla de Mar remains a friendly Spanish fishing village at heart with a genuine and honest feel about it. It is a nice place; a place to absorb Spain.

We noticed a few changes about L’Ametlla during this our second visit but; nothing detrimental. The Nautica remains a recommended campsite but even more so now that they have cleaned up the small beach of Playa Pixavaques. Vanya actually used the beach for some sunbathing this tour although the water was far to cold for her to contemplate swimming. The company down by the harbour offering Tuna Tours is still operating and I am keen to give that a go but not in April. I don’t like cold water either.

Needless to say, we returned to Bar Pica Pica which, despite a change of bar staff, was as welcoming (and busy) as ever. The bar does not do good tapas and yet it’s tables on Placa Nova are invariably filled with locals. We got to talking with a very pleasant couple, a local man who spoke fervently about L’Ametlla and the surrounding area (and with whom Vanya was able to practise her Spanish) and his partner from Stuttgart (with whom I was able to practise my German). We also tried a couple of different restaurants this time around and weren’t disappointed. One was the Restaurant-Bar Nino on Carrer de Sant Joan (another bar very popular with the locals) but, sadly, I cannot remember the name of the other one which actually did the better food (too much wine).

L’Ametlla’s street art continues to flourish. Indeed, I found a new one and the town is now promoting them as an ‘urban art festival’ and has produced a map to help visitors search them out.

Yes, we stayed another three days and enjoyed the place just as much as before. We’ll be back again.

Canet en Roussillon and Saint-Genis des Fontaines (Occitaine), France April 2025 (Tour 11)

A major change of plan. From Chateauneuf du Rhone we were intending to drive down into Provence for a few days and then head for the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. However, the weather forecast for those areas is not good – rain and/or strong winds. Instead we are going to make our way to the southwest of France and then on into Spain. We’re on tour for the best part of three months and will therefore have plenty of time to catch up on Corsica and Sardinia later.

It was Vanya’s idea to book in at Yelloh’s Brasilia over the Easter Holiday and a good idea it was too. We usually book campsites one day at a time during our tours but at weekends we invariably book both the Friday and the Saturday because, so popular is motorhoming in France, it can prove very difficult to find empty spaces on a Saturday. Vanya suggested it could be the same over the Easter Holiday weekend and so reserved a space in Le Brasilia (located just outside Canet en Roussillon) for the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. It was an inspired thought because the place proved to be packed all over the Easter break with French and German holidaymakers. Of course, Le Brasilia is also Vanya’s most favourite campsite of all those that we have visited during our tours and it came as no surprise when she later booked us in for the Monday night too. No problem. What’s not to like about the Le Brasilia?

Canet en Roussillon is not one of my favourite places but the weather forecast for the area was promising and it does serve as a great place from which to take day trips out. On this occasion we visited nearby Le Barcares, Elne, Saint-Marie La Mere and, of course, Saint-Genis des Fontaines; although the latter was business in that I wanted to buy some wine from my favourite wine producer in the area. I do it every time we are down there.

No more about either Le Brasilia or Canet en Roussillon (you can refer to earlier blogs for further information on those those places) but, since I have not done so before, I will make brief mention of Saint Genis-des Fontaines. Individual blogs on Le Bacares, Elnes and Saint-Marie La Mere can follow.

We have visited Saint-Genis des Fontaines at least four times before (probably five) and never mentioned anything other than that I favour one of the local wineries – Les Vignerons des Alberes.The most significant building in the village (after the winery) is the Abbey of the Saint Genis which dates back to the 8th century. There’s not a great deal left of the original abbey but the cloister is remarkably well preserved and the lintel above the front entrance, which I understand dates to the early 11th century, is supposedly one of the oldest traces of Romanesque art anywhere.

So, here are a few photos.

The restaurant with the amazing sign is on Avenue des Ecoles, almost opposite Les Vignerons des Alberes. It’s name is “Y en aura pas pour tout le Monde” which translates to “There won’t be enough for everyone” – there’s confidence.

That’s the entrance to the winery, Les Vignerons des Alberes. While we were in there, a Pays de Catalan Choir entered and started singing. I don’t know what that was about but as they they left, they were gifted a couple of boxes of wine. We saw them later in the village exiting a small grocery store with a couple of boxes of eggs.

As for this year’s wine, I took away some boxes of the usual Cotes du Roussillon Rouge (Vanya added a couple of boxes of Chardonnay) and a few bottles of two reds recommended by a local; the first being a Premium Cotes du Roussillon Rouge and the other a Cotes Catalan Grenache. I’m looking forward to tasting those.

Canet en Roussilon (Occitanie), France October 2024 (Tour 10)

We were back in France at the small coastal town of Canet en Roussillon, to the east of Perpignan. We had moved north because of the impending bad weather in Spain and because Vanya wanted to chill for a few days at the ‘Le Brasilia’ campsite before it closed for winter. Le Brasilia is part of the Yelloh chain and with it’s five stars is one of the top campsites in the Languedoc Roussillon area, if not the whole of France. We have used Yelloh before and never been disappointed.

As for the town of Canet en Roussillon, it’s not for me. It’s divided into three very distinct parts being, the old town, the beach area and the marina.

I passed the marina on my way to the old town but there’s not much there other than some very beautiful (and expensive) sailing craft. There were a couple of absolutely gorgeous catamarans.

The old town of Canet en Roussillon is the most interesting part. It’s a small but busy little place with it’s two most prominent features being, the 14th century Church of Saint Jacques and a 14th century castle ruin known as the Viscount’s Castle (which was abandoned during the French Revolution). Both were closed during our visit but, to be fair, the holiday season here is almost over.

The beach area, a 2 kilometre walk from the old town, is a family holiday resort of mega proportions. In the holiday season it is all about swimming, sunbathing and water sports. Outside of the season, it is a massive empty Blue Flag Beach with numerous empty restaurant-bars souvenir shops – almost soulless. The irony is that I can’t imagine it being any better with crowds of people. The tourist website ‘FranceVoyage’ say everything you need to know about Canet en Roussillon when they conclude in their blog- “A slot machine arcade as well as restaurants, cafés and discos provide plenty of night-time entertainment”. Not for me, thanks.

Back to Le Brasilia. We’ve stayed at a few Yelloh sites during our travels (with the one at Chateau Lanniron near Quimper deserving special mention) and this one in Canet en Roussillon is as good as any we have stayed at not least because, even in low season, it continues to offer all the facilities normally available during high season (right up until the moment the site closed).

The chain prides itself on employing friendly helpful staff and this certainly proved the case all across this still lively 15 hectare site. I’ll not go into detail about all the facilities available at Le Brasilia (you can google that) but I should perhaps make special mention of the restaurant-bar which served a wide range of good, fairly priced food; the swimming pool complex with it’s selection of 5 different themed heated swimming pools (including a hydrotherapy pool) and; best of all, the facilities set aside for dogs which included dog runs, walking areas and a nearby dog friendly beach.

Nala and Beanie loved running around (hopping in Nala’s case) and playing on the large sandy beach (which meant Nala didn’t need her walking wheels and boots) although, Nala would be equally happy on a pebble beach where she can dive for the largest possible stones.

And in the evenings.. karaoke nights and a very competent Queen Tribute Band.

In the end we stayed for three nights until the campsite closed for winter (we were one of the last to check out) but if the place hadn’t been closing for winter, I think Vanya would have stayed on longer. The increasingly cold weather at night, however, reminded us that it would soon be time for us to return to the UK.

Footnote: I cannot imagine why (because I can see no similarity between the two towns) but Canet en Roussillon is twinned with Maynooth near where our son’s wedding was (and where we were just a few weeks ago). Now there’s a coincidence.

L’Ametlla de Mar (Catalonia), Spain September 2024 (Tour 10)

Joy of joys! An unspoilt fishing village which has not given way to tourism.

I’m not sure what made us choose L’Ametlla de Mar for a 2 day stopover. I suspect it was because Vanya was seeking another stop on the coast over the weekend (i.e. Friday and Saturday night). Even out of season, almost every campsite on the coast in Spain (and especially France) fill up at weekends, such is the popularity of motor homing these days. Whatever, it was an inspired choice of Vanya’s because we enjoyed L’Ametlla de Mar and the campsite so much we stayed on a third night.

Camping Nautic, together with it’s very good restaurant, is located at the northern edge of the town on the tiny Playa Pixavaques. That’s not a beach I would choose to swim in (it’s rocky with too many sea urchins and jellyfish) but it’s pretty and close enough to where our Van was parked for us to hear the waves lapping during the night. It is also the starting point of a seafront promenade which leads to the town’s principal swimming beach Platja de L’Alguer (a 5 minute walk) and on to the harbour (another 10 minutes). The old town sits immediately behind the promenade.

*Platje de L’Alguer is a Blue Flag Beach*

The coastline here comprises 20 kms of crystal clear waters and beautiful unspoiled coves and beaches backed by a series of low cliffs and pine forests. Many of the small coves and beaches here are without names although there are 5 Blue Flag beaches in the immediate area. There are excellent coastal walks both to the north and south. Indeed, the GR92 Mediterranean Path runs along the entire Costa Dorada and beyond. The walk south from L’Ametlla de Mar to L’Ampolla was recommended to me but I didn’t have time and had to content myself with the much shorter walk north from Playa Pixavaques to the pebble beach of Platja de L’Estany Tort. It was delightful and I had it completely to myself.

Back to L’Ametlla de Mar. A walk down to the port area in L’Ametlla de Mar is a must. It’s inevitable that tourism will edge it’s way into the town but, for the moment it is first and foremost a fishing port and where better to experience that than down at the harbour, Port de l’Ametlla de Mar.

Most of the harbour is given over to working boats. There are leisure craft in the harbour but relatively few compared to the fishing fleet. Throughout the day, fishing boats of all shapes and sizes were making their way in and out of the port and some it seemed were destined for quite extended trips if the small crowds which had gathered on the quayside to wave them off was anything to go by. My favourite time is late afternoon, watching the more local element of the town’s fishing fleet unload their catch and auction it off in lots. Many of the fishermen then repaired to the port bar and started spending their hard earned pay in a very loud and raucous manner. I had a drink in the port bar on just the one occasion and, believe me, it was loud in there.

*A lull before the storm in the port bar*

The old town is built around a hill and looks down on the harbour. During our first day in L’Ametlla I spent a fair time wandering both the harbour area and the old town looking for a decent restaurant for the evening. There’s no shortage of restaurants and bars but I prefer those at the top of the town. They proved better value. Our favourites are up on the Placa Nova – a very welcoming tapas bar which goes by the name of Bar Pica Pica (and which fast became our local) and the Restaurant Placa Nova which served us a fine meal of deep fried baby monk fish followed by a seafood paella for Vanya and a cheese & octupus stew for me. Delicious!

Needless to say I visited the town’s primary church, L’Esglesia de la Mare de Deu de la Candelera on Carrer Jaume Balmas but, having been completed in the 1960’s, it’s a fairly modern church and doesn’t have the same character as so many others. i’ll say no more about the church.

It is the unusual street art in the town that I found most attractive. They are colourful murals with a marine focus which fill the whole sides of buildings in the town centre area. I found eight wonderful creations but there may well be more further afield.

Just one other item – the Tuna Tours. We’d seen posters advertising tuna tours and just ignored them. It was only on our last night in L’Ametlla that one of the staff at the Pica Pica told us about these particular tours. She made them sound so exciting. It seems that for 55 Euros per person in the high season and 45 Euros in the low season you can sail on a modern two deck catamaran some 5 kilometres to and from the Bluefin Tuna pools of Balfego where you will learn about the Balfego Tuna, swim with them and then eat some at a nearby restaurant. Apparently, this excursion is “an adventure, an education and a gastronomic experience all wrapped up in one”. Now I don’t know much about Balfego Tuna but the waitress described the experience as a really spectacular day out not least because the tuna you are swimming with can grow up to 3 metres in length and weigh up to 600 kilos. That is top of our list of things to do when we return to L’Ametlla and; hopefully, that will be sometime next year. I hope I can still fit into my wet suit.

It’s Cambrils tomorrow but we’ll be stopping at Miravet on the way.

Candas (Asturias), Spain September 2022 (Tour 6)

So, we have made our way back to the Asturian coast to Candas and to the same campsite as before (Camping Perlora). Hey, we needed a rest after the Fiesta at Sanabria.

And what do we return to? Another fiesta!

We arrived in time for the Festival of Santo Cristo de Candas. Fortunately, this fiesta was not of the same intensity as that at Puebla de Sanabria.

I’ll not take you through everything we did upon our return to Candas and anyone wanting to learn more about this town need only refer back to the previous entry of a little over a week ago. It will suffice to say that the weather was once again kind and we enjoyed the same bars and restaurants as during our earlier visit and… here’s the proof:-

And the food was as good as ever. I went back for those langoustines

We stayed two nights so as recharge our batteries and then we were off to France for more of Vanya’s Cremant; pausing on the way in Cantabria at both Lierganes and San Roque de Riomiera.

Sasso di Bordighera (Liguria), Italy August 2022 (Tour 6)

The dogs were suffering in this year’s very hot weather (for weeks, even in the foothills of the Alps, the temperatures have been up in the high thirties) and so we decided to make our way west from Italy to the north of Spain where they are currently in the mid twenties. Sasso di Bordighere was chosen by Vanya because it took us quite a way west (into Liguria and within a few miles of the French border) and because the campsite reads very well. My gosh, what happened to all those wild camps I used to do in the Balkans? We seem to be using campsites nearly all the time now.

I’m not complaining; leastways not about A Bunda which was the name of the campsite Vanya had chosen. It is a small, shaded, tranquil site carved out of an olive grove near the tiny hamlet of Sasso di Bordighera. It offers decent sized pitches and wonderful views across the valley and the guy who runs it with his family, Alessandro, is as friendly and helpful as they come. He’s particularly proud of his gardens (with good reason) and the scent of rosemary is everywhere.

The views across the valley from A Bunda’s terrace were pleasing and best enjoyed with a bottle of Barolo

As for Sasso di Bordighera itself, it is an ancient fortified village high up on a rocky ridge, overlooking (part of) the town of Bordighera some 4 kms away on the coast. Sasso is Italian for stone or rock; hence it’s name. The village is little more than a hamlet with just 200 inhabitants, surrounded by olive groves and orchards. There is a tiny shop, a church and, just at the edge of the village, a small restaurant.

The fortified nature of the village is clearly evident

These three photos are of the principal alley into and out of the village

The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul

The views from the village towards the coast are stunning; those from the restaurant, even more so. I reserved a table for us on the restaurant terrace for that very evening.

We enjoyed it very much.

Lenti (Zala), Hungary July 2022 (Tour 6)

Pausing only briefly in Heviz, we headed for Lenti, still in Zala County (named after the River Zala) but further west near the borders with Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. We were committed to going back to Austria at the weekend because our daughter Rohan would be travelling to Enzesfeld (and we were keen to both see her and pick up on where we left off with the Dedic family) but we had to keep our options open. Keszthely didn’t make the same positive impression on Vanya as it did on me and she remained unsure about this part of Hungary. As it happened, we needn’t have worried. Lenti proved a great place to visit and Vanya enjoyed it so much that our planned one night stopover was extended to three nights.

We were going to Lenti for a specific purpose. The campsite Vanya chose sits alongside a spa complex known as the Lenti Thermal Spa & St George Energy Park and guests of the campsite are given free access to the spa for the duration of their stay.

It proved to be a really good spa complex. Vanya rates it better than any of those she used in Budapest. According to the blurb the water is a 40,000 year old sodium-hydrogen-carbonated water. Okay, fine. The spa comprises 5 outdoor pools, 7 indoor pools and 1 pool which is half inside and half outside. We favoured two of the outdoor pools being, the medicinal pool at 36-38 degrees centigrade and the adventure pool (with the lazy river, water jets, bubbles and big slide, etc) at 26-28 degrees centigrade (but which was closer to 30+ degrees because of the hot weather).

What we particularly liked about this complex is that the spa pools are spread across 8 hectares of lawn around which are bars, restaurants, food kiosks, etc and we didn’t once feel crowded despite the place being busy.

Another unusual feature of the complex is the Energy Network or Earth Radiations, more often referred to as Saint George Lines or Dragon Streams. It seems that sometime in 2002, ‘Earth Radiations’ and ‘Crossing Points’ were discovered in the area of the Lenti Thermal Spa and, according to certain authorities, “the energy radiation here harmonizes the flow of energy throughout our bodies and triggers positive processes that can restore our physical and mental balance”. The Spa has marked the Crossing Points of the Lines with columns or posts and guests are invited to spend between 20 and 30 minutes at these posts to maximise the beneficial effects of the spa.

I know very little about Saint George Lines and Crossing Points but I do know that time spent in the spa complex was time very well spent. We used it every day and found the whole process very relaxing. Sated would be a more accurate feeling. I think if I were to visit the place again I would stay in the 4 star Balance Hotel next door to the Spa Complex. This comment does not reflect badly on where we stayed but the Balance Hotel also provide sauna rooms and massages. That would have been cream on the cake.

Doughnuts also make me feel sated and there was a kiosk selling warm doughnuts on the complex

But I haven’t talked about Lenti itself. It’s a small quiet town of just over 7,000 inhabitants. We didn’t see much of the place during our stay (preoccupied with the thermal baths, I suppose) but, I walked into the town centre a few times for a ‘look see’ and to replenish our supplies from two local mini-markets and we both took the dogs into the town for a meal one evening.

It’s a tidy town, almost Slovenian or Austrian in many respects (although the roads in this area by no means match those in Slovenia or Austria). There are a couple of small but nice squares and small parks (funded by EEC money judging by local signage) where a number of locals seemed to congregate as the day cooled. The largest of the two squares we saw was the one in the town centre where St Michael’s Church and the War Memorials are situated.

St Michael’s Church and the 1914-1918 War Memorial

The people we met in Lenti were very welcoming but none spoke English and the fall back language was definitely German. Our Hungarian is non existent. What really impressed us about the place was the low prices. In one bar opposite where we were staying, three pints of lager and five glasses of Irsai Oliver (a very respectable Hungarian wine) cost just 9 Euro. That is £7.56 at today’s exchange rate. We used that bar more than the once and we’ll no doubt be bringing some Irsai Oliver back from Hungary.

* Typically, Irsai Olivér wines from Hungary are dry, medium bodied, with low acidity and a pronounced aromatic fragrance giving it a Muscat-like character.