Your Escape Blueprint

I thought after driving in Italy for a month I saw all the crazy shit there was to see in the driving department.

The drive from Andorra to Mont Pellier France was interesting and at times absolutely terrifying!

The first part of the drive was the usual twisty mountain road, complete with precipitous drops, the kind of drops that would ensure a certain fiery death if a momentary lapse of concentration was experienced.

The real nasty shit occurred as we drove towards Perpignan along the narrow twisty roads. There were many pull outs along the way, more than I have seen anywhere in Europe. However the impatient drivers were tail gating so close that it was impossible to pull over safely without them plowing into the back of my Citroen C3. There were several instances where we were passed at extremely high rates of speed around blind corners.

Driving around corners is scary at the best of times because the oncoming traffic is at time stratling the centreline.

I kept thinking to myself – what makes these drivers behave as they do? – is it that they know the roads like the back of their hands? The black skid marks embedded on the roads strewn with glass and the constant stream of screaming ambulances would seem to dispel this theory.

I have come to the conclusion that these drivers are just plain insane. They take major risks to make small gains in time savings. These drivers are lulled into complacency due to the infrequency of spectacular fiery crashes (those events happen to other people). I have no problem if the gene pool of insane drivers is depleted through their actions and natural selection – I just don’t personally want to be involved in the process.

Having spent 3 days driving we set out to explore on foot, what a delight…….. we are in Soldeu, Andorra a ski resort high in the Pyrenees. The silent cable car and chair lifts sprout from the hillside below, stretching up the gentle slope. The town slumbers in the gentle summer heat; its visitors are here for the hiking, horseback riding and like us looking for a respite from the unusually high temperatures in Spain’s central regions. Wanting a bird’s eye view of the town we tackled the ski hill, a beginner’s slope but enough of a climb in the heat and elevation, 1710 metres or 5610 feet above sea level to be precise. It rewarded us with flower filled panoramas and the tinkling of cow bells from across the valley. A lower trail beckoned……. skirted with stone walls and festooned with flowers, across a icy brook it meandered, each turn a glimpse into this hidden valley.  The mountainsides gleam with swathes of yellow, dominated in patches with vibrant reds! Mother Nature has sown a garden to delight the eye! Dianthus, clover, violets, Armeria (Thrift), Saxifrage, Harebells, Aquilegia (grandma’s bonnet)…….. flowers that would not be out of place in a carefully planted English country garden are mixed with stunning structures of flower and form that are commonly known as “weeds”, rare and unusual creations surprise us at every turn. Down in the valley the roadside noise fades away, breezes rustle the grass, the scritch, scritch of crickets, droning honey makers, distant ripples of bells, gurgling stream……. the silence beckons to be heard. What a delightful day to be alive! To find this delicious trail, walk uphill to the end of town, at the last multi storey on the right follow the gravel trail that slopes down and away, watch out for the “live” wire on the right……. keeping the livestock in or us out? A second trail to Canillo can be found at the bottom of town, this one has a useful information board for identifying some of the species you can expect to see. If you get the chance go for a quite meander rather than a hike, you will be amazed at what you see and hear…… some things are not meant to be rushed, this is one of them! Happy meandering!  

Lighthouses, ruins and deserted beaches…….. all found at the southwest point of Portugal! Many visitors get no further west than Lagos, carry on further down the coast and head into a different Algarve!

Look closely at a map and just west of Sagres can be found S. Vicente this rocky point claws its way into the Atlantic. The most Southwestern point of Portugal is tipped by a large lighthouse which dominates this wind swept peninsula and when I say wind swept I mean it!!!! Many visitors like ourselves stepped from the balmy t-shirt and short weather of the beaches into what felt like a force 10 gale! Luckily jackets were in the car, never fear if you arrive unprepared the entrepreneur spirit is alive and well and you can buy wraps, jumpers and blankets from a strategically placed van!

The lighthouse has a small visitor centre and a WC or bathroom and the “Toilet Harridan” who has no mercy whatsoever! She does not give a damn if you are bursting to use the necessary and do not happen to have the 50 cents in your pocket! No money, no pee! No peeing on credit either! Lesson learnt I now carry 50 cents everywhere…….

The view from the lighthouse and cliff top are stunning, do be careful though as the wind when we visited had the power to move you, hopefully not over the top of the cliff!

We visited the lighthouse first and backtracked looking for a larger viewpoint of the lighthouse, each pullout had something of interest……. The ruins of an old fortress, crumbling and forgotten, the huge edifice of Fortaleza de Sagres dating back to the 15^th century,  a sometimes popular spot judging by the size of the almost empty parking lot.

One of those pullouts overlooked a plunging cliff face, which on closer inspection revealed a jewel gleam patch of blue ringed with white. We had inadvertently found Beliche beach! Access is by a steep, switchback stairway, not an easy climb……. especially going up. We had heard rumours and here it was……. a deserted beach! We shared the beach with a handful of people instead of the usual multitude, much to the dismay of shade renters.

Once again we find it pays to get off the beaten track!

Southern Portugal is known the world over for its stunning beaches and its boisterous, brash reputation, like the “Costa’s” in Spain it is well loved by hordes of visiting tourists every year! I have to be honest even though I lived for many years, just a short plane ride away the “Costa’s” never appealed! Mainly because of the reputation that hordes of my fellow countrymen had given it………… A place to get burnt on the beach, while sleeping off the hangover generated by the previous night’s bar crawling!

The “Costas” and the Algarve still attract many visitors from across Europe and the globe and yes there is definitely a big bar scene, along with a preponderance of English fry up’s for breakfast, fish and chips, in fact, chips (french fries) with everything! There is also another side, if you look for it.

Our first stop in the Algarve was at the eastern end Tavira a cute old town where fishing boats still ply their trade. The Algarve is rightfully proud of its seafood, try the grilled Dorado……

We didn’t find what we were looking for in Tavira so moved on to Cabanas where we found a roomy apartment with the closest you can get to a sea view! The towns of this area are separated from the sea by a river and estuary, there is a beach, not in walking distance though, unless you want to wade through the mud at low tide! Not to be denied their claim to beach access the hotels in the area have a shuttle system set up. Boats run from 9.30 am to 6pm with a break for lunch of course! The walk to the boat meandered through mosquitoes & sandy scrub land, a short boat ride and another concrete walkway and there it is.

The beach is long narrow and barren not a tree to be seen! If you plan to stay all day, plan on bringing food, water and shade or the means to rent some. It is a great beach for walking, no hassles, un crowded and full of interesting people!

We had an itch for a room with a view and after a chance encounter with another Yvonne in a local supermarket we headed off to the western end of the Algarve, to Portimoa. This is more typical of the Algarve, long stretches of beach dissected with boulders, cliffs and fanciful water carved rocks, walls and caverns. It is also more typical of the Algarve, with more non Portuguese visitors, more bars, shops and beach vendors.

It took a little longer to find the perfect spot, after discarding rooms with great views over noisy bars, expensive clinical hotel rooms and downright dingy rooms.  My last name on our list came up trumps, a fifth floor fully equipped apartment, amazing ocean view and at the quiet end of town! We also arrived mid-week and planning to stay up to a week…….. all good bargaining points in what is a depressed economy right now! Needless to say we got a great rate……… Funnily enough we got exactly what was on our wish list including the price, talk about the power of intention!

I have heard Thailand referred to as “The Land of  a Million Smiles”, and as one who has travelled there I would say this is a relatively  accurate description (based on my own unbiased observation).

During my travels in Italy, Spain and Portugal,  my observation has been that it is “The Land of a Million Scowls”, the people I have seen in restaurants, walking down the street or parked on the beach have facial expressions that appear downright  miserable – it looks like the entire population has just downed a large mouthful of unsweetened lemon juice.

I am not sure if the scowl is purely cultural, a fashion statement, or even a reflection that life here really sucks!

I have found that smiling at people in southern Europe results with looks of indignation or discombobulation.  I am try not to be judgemental I am only making an observation and interpreting through the lens of my background and experience. When it comes down to it everybody has the right to flex their facial muscles anyway they desire.

Maybe I am a relatively rich tourist who is out of touch with the every day reality of life in southern Europe, or maybe I am misinterepting the facial expressions of so many people who live here.

It has been my experience that the outward happiness of a countries people is inversely proportional to the wealth of that nation. Nepal one of the poorest nations on earth has some of the friendliest, most outgoing people I have ever met. Europe and North America, some of the richest regions on the planet “appear” to have the some of the most miserable people on the planet.

Keep Smiling!

I am sure it is as complicated as the human animal itself (or as convoluted as this shop window sign in Tarifa, Spain).

As my friend Sam always says – Keep smiling! You never know you just might make someones day!

What else could Gibraltar possibly be called? It is a huge chunk of rock, extruded from the tip of Spain at La Linea. The seaward end is the biggest, apparently plunging steeply into the sea and topped of course with the famous “Top of the Rock” it is also topped with a colony of apes, who will grab any bags considered to be food worthy, they also bite and spit…. be warned!

The Rock

Gibraltar has been fought over for centuries; it began with Tariq ibn Ziyad who landed here with a 7,000 strong Moorish army in 711 AD. Since 1309 and 1506 it changed from Moorish to Spanish and back   many times. It was not until 1704 that the British became involved, it was captured by a Anglo- Dutch fleet, Spain was never able to recapture the stronghold and eventually ceded it to Britain in 1713. That is not to say that is has not been coveted by others, including a certain German called Adolph!

Gibraltar is classed as a UK overseas territory; it is a mini Britain, complete with red telephone boxes, double decker buses, English pounds, cultured British accents and British Bobbies! All dressed up with sunny weather, ocean breezes, palm trees and Spanish laughter. What a blend!

The Union Jack

It is a major tourist destination, the line up to clear the border (yes it still has a border, despite the EU coming into effect in 1993) faded into the horizon….. Tip of the day… park the car in La Linea and walk in! Passport control is a cursory glance and you are there …. Gibraltar! Not officially another new country, however The Travellers Century Club class it as significantly different, so we are adding it to our world score! Yvonne 53 countries visited, Michael 36, the gap is closing fast here.

The Constant Mist