Day 114 – 118: The French Riviera

Day 114 – 118: The French Riviera

Place: Train headed for Barcelona Spain

Feeling like we were leaving a chunk of our hearts in Paris after such an epic visit with Emma and Denis, we dragged ourselves with ‘dropped lips’ and backpacks’ to the station and waved the stunning Emma goodbye.

The trip went smoothly and we arrived to the central station in Marseille, which would be home and our ‘lively’ bunch of gypsy neighbours. Craig and I dropped our bags and made our way back to the train station to grab a take-away dinner and reserve seats for the train to Monaco the next day.

 We knew beforehand that this section of our trip would be hectic as we would be doing a lot of running back and forth and fully expending every cent from our Eurorail pass.

The plan was to stay in Marseille as it was the only place close enough to the French Riviera that we could afford.

Plan in simple as follows:

Wednesday, 25^th July – 3hour train to Nice Ville + 25min train to Monaco + spend

                                             day in Monaco + get back onto 25 min train to Nice and

                                        finally get 3hour train back to Marseille.

Thursday, 26^th July -      3 hour train to Nice Ville + scope it out + get train to

                                        Cannes + hang out with the rich and famous + catch train

                                        Beach on French Riviera for an hour or two + get back

                                        Onto the train headed for Nice + catch final train to

                                        Marseille.

Friday, 27^th July -           45min train to Cassis + bus to Port Mieu + hike around the

                                       Coves + catch bus to train station and get train back home.

So as you can see; we were pretty swamped and the early mornings of waking up at 6am were not easy, but being as determined to see this magical coastline.

Wednesday, 25^th July

Our neighbours were on top form that night and in high spirits, which of course meant that we would hear every minute of the festivities and poor Craig didn’t get ANY sleep at all.

This made the 6am wake up even more difficult, but we both got up, dressed, smacked a coffee and breakfast and then tried to dose on the train.

4 hours later (delayed train) we arrived in Monaco and were welcomed by a clear blue sky, bright shining sun and the smell of money.

Monaco is a small city built around the harbour housing huge expensive yachts. We strolled along the port and headed to the tourism office to grab a map and see all the sights that Monaco has to offer, without spending much.

We were directed to the palace where we could visit with our lovely fellow South African, Charlene Woodstock Grimaldi (well just see her house from the outside) and also witness the changing of the guard.

Pristine men in white uniforms came marching by, as hundreds of tourists snapped away. Craig flung me onto his shoulders so that I too could see and take a couple of shots myself. They were exact and perfectly in line, hitting the guns on the ground, then back onto their chests and putting on a well-received show.

We then moseyed along the alleys scanning the souvenirs and food joints before grabbing a sandwich and headed to a grassy spot to sit and enjoy lunch with a view.

Refueled, our tanks were fired up to walk along the Monte Carlo Grand Prix route and gawk at all the passing Ferraris, Porches and Bentleys. Its quite remarkable how these F1 racers don’t have more accidents as the roads have ridiculous bends, up hills and downhill’s.

We ended up at the top of the hill where we walked passed the finest Gucci, Chanel, Prada and other fine stores before arriving at the Casino which is one of Monte Carlo’s best sights.

Although there is plenty of cash in this area and people go there to flaunt it, Monaco and Monte Carlo has a ‘humbling’ undertone to it. It is not arrogant or too flamboyant but has a lovely feel and plenty of history around it.

Thursday, 26^th July

Aaaaargh, 6am wake up again and it was becoming more difficult to get up, we followed the same procedure as the day before and headed for Nice.

A quick takeaway brekkie of fruit, yoghurt, and then a rooibos tea (from the MacDonald’s, can you believe it) for the train.

Craig and I are absolutely loving the trains as even though we are rushing around, trying to see as much as we can, the train allows us to see so much more and sleep when we need…and I can tell you that we seized every little bit of ‘shut eye’ possible.

Arriving in Nice, we walked down the busy streets and made our way to the extremely ‘disappointing’ beach. It looked as though hundreds of people had laid their towels on rocky gravel overlooking the beach.

Frustrated, we walked through the local market and for the first time I can say that the town was actually nicer than the beach.

So we headed back for the train station and made our way to one of the beaches we spotted coming back from Monaco.

Exactly as we pictured the French Riviera; speedos, pebbles, château’s on the surrounding hills and vines with fuchsia coloured flowers growing up on the walls, not to mention the many beer bellies and boobies hanging out.

It was the hottest that I have ever been and I went into the ‘refreshing’ water more than a record 3 times in the space of 2 hours.

Eventually the sun had taken its toll and I couldn’t wait to get into some shade, so we gathered our goodies and made our way back for the long journey home.

Friday, 27^th July

Yes, alarm goes off, and this time its 8am and we are headed to Cassis. Cassis is a small town closer to Marseilles, which allowed us the little sleep in.

Not having a super detailed game plan as I didn’t pay enough attention to Denis when he explained how to get here, we arrived in Cassis and stumbled upon our destination of Port Mieu and the start of our hike along the top of the Calangues.

Cassis, what a little gem! 

This is such a cute little coastal town with so much to do. We sat on the wall of a square and watched the ballies play platongue  (French version of lawn bowls) as we ate breakfast.I could feel that this morning I was a ‘bottomless pit’ and if we didn’t go walking soon, I would eat anything and everything I could get my hands on.

So Craig and I made our way to catch the shuttle, which would take up to the starting point of the hike.

After a few minutes wait, the bus came passed but was full, so Craig and I decided that it didn’t look that far and would walk it.

I am so happy that we did, because it was a short ‘hop and skip’ away and we arrived within a few steps and minutes.

Right, hiking shoes (running shoes) on, water in hand, snacks in backpack, sunscreen lathered on and camera on …we were ready for what lay ahead.

A scorching sun, white reflective gravel road, sweat beading down our backs and faces we walked up, down, over and around the mountains and coves. 

It was beautiful, the colour of the water changing every step we took and the scenery was enchanting. We found a little beach hidden along the hiking trail and knew that we would be back for a dip on route home.

Stopping every now and then to take in the views, catch our breath and have a snack, we made it to the point which made it all worth it.

I cant quite explain what we saw in words, so take a look at the pics and you will see.

All in all, the French Riviera has been so wonderful, in fact, France has been one of the highlights for me on this trip as it has exceeded all expectation and we have managed to see a little bit of everything…mountains, farms, beaches, Bradley Wiggens win the Tour de France, and probably the biggest blessing – being able to experience Paris with our French/Finnish friends.

Emma and Denis have been a super highlight of this adventure and we cant wait to share another adventure with them in somewhere in the near future.

Oui Paris

The last 4 days in Paris have been incredible. I have been so lucky to share this fantastic time with my beautiful wife – waking up with her on the first morning was very special as we both were very excited to explore this historic and beautiful city. We would not have been able to see Paris the way we did if it wasn’t for our amazing and generous friends Denis and Emma.  Just a quick reminder that these are the friends we met in Goreme, Turkey. A phenomenal couple with a zest for life and a passion to travel every square inch of the earth.

We were welcomed into their home just outside of Paris city centre, in a quiet neighbourhood and completely blessed out our socks. Denis and Emma took us around Paris and showed us all the trademarks which have made Paris famous.

Starting with the Arc de Triomph and a stroll down the Champs Elysees. There was some activity on the Champs as people prepared for the finish of the Tour de France. We walked through a park and went to a grocery store to buy some lunch and wine for a picnic on the banks of the Seine. Bagette, ham, cheese, wine, chocolate and macaroons – a 5 star picnic, with a 5 star view and 5 star friends.

Denis and Emma.

An electric car that goes only 180km/h - it looks like it goes 300.

Mon cheri!!

A quick stop at the Louvre.

Lunch on the banks of the Seine.

After lunch we lazily ambled down to the next sight where our senses would take another beating from the Notre Dame Cathedral. There was a MASSIVE line so we didn’t go inside but the outside was good enough.

We walked on to another park where the Parisians laze on the lawns, soak up the sun and lap up the wine…

Dinner was at 5e Cru – a brilliant little restaurant with a huge selection of wine. The area in which you sit is surrounded completely by bottles and bottles of wine. Racks from floor to ceiling of wines from local producers and some smaller farms which are less well known and you can’t buy in supermarkets or bottles stores. The owner tries to stock these different wines and so his restaurant becomes a place to explore new wines each time you visit.

It was just before 11pm and we decided to wrap up dinner and wine an head for the Eiffel tower which would start blinking its lights on the hour. A pretty awesome sight – the tower lived up to its name and put on a brilliant show.

We headed home after a very fun-filled and long day.

Sunday morning started with a hard run along the Seine and a chilled walk through a small village near to where Denis and Emma stay. Breakfast and coffee down and it was off to see more of what Paris had to offer.  An amazing start only to be hijacked by having to wait in a queue at a train station for over an hour to reserve seats for Marseille on Tuesday.

After that ridiculous wait, we went and drank wine on a hill overlooking Paris with a Mont Matre behind us. 

We walked towards the Champs Elysees to watch the finish of the Tour de France. With Donna on my shoulders we managed to get some pics of the front runners. With almost 1 million people gathered around the circuit we decided to move on and leave the finish to the masses. We will remember the great vibe on the Champs!

We then walked through the business district in Paris and stopped in a mall to buy some Macaroons for pudding after supper.

Denis and Emma put together an amazing spread for us including a Bordeaux red wine from 2004 and duck slivers and duck liver pate – unbelievable tasty! Followed up with cheese and white wine – a real treat. And of course the macaroons for pudding. After all this Denis brought out a liquor that he makes himself from flowers he and his brother picked from the Alps near their home in Provence. This was a real privilege! A tasty drink and very strong – so we sipped it slowly. Then came out the Vodka from Finland – very pure and very lethal. After we made a serious dent in two bottles it was most definitely bedtime!

A slow rise the next morning, except for Denis as he had to go to work, and a run was not on the cards as we all waited for the fuzziness in our heads to clear. Coffee, coffee and more coffee did the trick and kick started our day. Emma had some things planned for us, which included a walk along the Tour de Eiffel. And a look at the opera house – which is very impressive!

Then it was homeward where we would later see Denis and Emma put on another amazing spread for supper. Cheese, melted on a small pan and cold meats and of course some wine. Then another bottle and then champagne and lots of talking then another bottle of champagne and then vodka and then fast asleep!

The next morning we woke up very early to say goodbye and a massive thank you to Denis as he left for work – I think my eyes were still glued closed by all the wine and vodka the night before. I don’t know how Denis made it through work that day.

Donna and I spent the morning chilling with Emma at the house and then headed to Paris Gare de Lyon to catch our fast train to Marseille – the journey took us 3 hours and we are staying across the road from the train station with gypsys as neighbours as they have camped under some trees across the road. Its really funny as during the day they are quiet as they are getting over their hangovers and then night time comes and out comes the booze followed by clapping , singing and hysterical laughter. We are looking forward to exploring the French Riviera and Donna will update you soon.

Day 105 – 109: Viva la France

Day 105 – 109: Viva la France

Place: La Closeraie Hotel, Lourdes, somewhere in the Pyrenees in France

Well into 100 days of travelling, Craig and I have become experts at listening to our bodies and have used this in the planning of our itinerary so far. It was no fluke, or coincidence that Sunday turned out to be miserable...it was an absolute gift from God as it is far easier to stay indoors when the outdoors are very uninviting. 

And that’s exactly what we did!

Sunday 15^th July

Craig and I are craving regular exercise and after 3 months of overindulging, our bodies are begging us to get back into a healthier shape and stay away from junk for now.

We started the day with a slow and easy jog through the little town and stumbled into a lovely French village with beautiful cottages with attic windows peering out from the roof with colourful shutters, fields of grass, growing heaps of manure and the odd ‘moo and baa’ from the their pets.

After a shower we (well I) got back into pajamas and intended on staying that way ALL day. A late hearty breakfast of muesli, fruit and yoghurt was welcomed into our bodies and we lay on the bed completely lured in by the TV and ‘Tour de France’.

Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions by Bernadette Soubirous, which is said to have occurred in 1858. Nowadays, busloads of people come to Lourdes in search of healing or as a pilgrimage of the Catholic Church.

This is the reason that it is a bustling little area but not much to see.

Reason enough to use it as a base to get to and from the surrounding areas… and the first point of call was Pau, where we would again take part in the ‘Tour de France’ Festivities as they would finish the stage in this gorgeous city.

Monday 16^th July

After an attempt to catch the 10am train to Pau, we rather enjoyed a slower than anticipated start, and only caught the 14h00 train. It was first class all the way as we passed the natural beauty of the mountains and the cute little villages inbetween.

Pau caught our attention immediately, as it is neat, clean and a superb setting for the ‘Tour de France’.

As we always do; Craig and I followed the crowd and this took us to the tourist information centre where we got a map and programme for the day.

With time to wander around, we went to the church, took some pics and then made our way to the hotel where all the cyclists would stay.

It was sweltering outside, we fell victim to the deliciousness of 3 scoops of vanilla, meringue and amaretto ice cream wrapped in a sugar cone… we continued walking.

As we reached the finish line, we quickly learned that in order to get a good spot, we should have been there hours before. So we scanned the area and made our way further down the road. Eventually we pushed our way between the crowd and managed to secure a great spot about 300m from the finish.

Even though the sun was beating down on all of us, the atmosphere was filled with excitement and every person was ready with camera in tow to catch a glimpse of their favourite cyclist.

The leaders came in comfortably and no last minute chase was to be seen, however as the pelaton came through, it was a mad rush of ‘shwishing’ sounds passing us…. so awesome to experience these speed racing pros.

Tuesday, 17^th July

‘Toulouse or not Toulouse, that is the question.’

After a day in Toulose, we decided ‘Not Toulouse’. After reading up on what was described as a ‘funky medieval city’, we were less than impressed and became bored quite quickly unfortunately.

When Craig mentioned that we walk into the Bascilica, I knew that he too wasn’t impressed and just looking for things to see and do in this city.

Don’t get me wrong… its not a bad place with nothing to see, I think that Craig and I have been completely spoiled by the unbelievable sights of previous towns and cities, that we arrive with unrealistic expectations.

Here are a couple of pictures of our days exploring.

Wednesday, 18^th July

We went for a jog in the middle of the hot hot hot day (a first for me) and made our way back home for a very late breakfast at 13:00.

With every intention to head down the street to see the 3 sights which are what Lourdes is know for, we procrastinated and procrastinated and after discovering the amount that we would have to spend in order to see the Church and castle of Lourdes, we quickly agreed that a day of rest was yet again in order as we have a hectic couple of weeks ahead… an amazing decision and a wonderful day of nothing was lapped up by our bodies.

We used this time to skype friends and family; which is so rejuvenating and loved hearing how life is moving forward to wonderfully for everyone.

Thursday 19^th July

Since the day we arrived, my bearded husband and ‘man of the mountains’ was yearning for just that…..MOUNTAINS.

So we planned that we would go to Cauterets which is a tiny mountain village well known for its natural springs and skiing.

After such excitement for this day, we awoke to a misty morning with grey clouds looming low. Staying positive, or maybe just determined, Craig pushed me out the door, to the bus and after 1.5 hours, to a dark, wet and gloomy village of Cauterets.

We headed for the cable car office to find out any information on whether we should sit it out and wait for the clouds and mist to hopefully lift.

We were greeted by a cheery French woman who didn’t seem deterred by the horrible weather. We enquired about the hikes and prices and her honest opinion of if it would be ‘worth our while’ to buy the tickets for the cable cars. She reassured us (with live footage on a webcam) that the hike was above the clouds and that it was in fact beautiful and sunny. My initial thoughts were that she is an incredible sales woman or actually telling the truth.

We took the chance and without fail, God provided us with clear skies, green mountains with long and scenic paths leading to a stunning lake.

It was an epic walk and Craig was in his element.

Horses, cows, sheep and the clanging of their bells created a melodious soundtrack for the day.

Once we reached the lake, it didn’t take long for Craig to drop his pants and jump in the icy water. Craig felt invigorated with the walk, the beauty and the final dip in such an amazing setting that I could hear his heart sing and his smile was bigger than I have ever seen.

A brilliant day enjoying the outdoors in the splendor of the mountains, we took final pics before heading back on order to catch our bus home. During the walk Craig went ahead and took pictures of the gigantic cows eating, leaving me isolated and in a perfect position to be chased by a huge white bull (bringing back visions from Pamplona) and lets just say the shock catapulted me up the mountain in record time and I waited at the top for Craig for about 15minutes…that’s how fast I ‘balegged’ up the mountain.

Tomorrow we are heading north to Paris to visit our new and great friends Emma and Denis. They have been so kind in hosting us for the next 4 days and we cant wait to get to know them more and make future plans to meet up with them in another exotic location somewhere in this wonderful world.

P.s. Not to mention being romanced by the magical city of Paris

Everyone say Ole...

Everyone say ole, andele, ale hop… and you get Sangria, Tappas bars, topless beaches and the running of the bulls. Yip this is Spain. A crazy culture with a perfect balance between fiesta and siesta. I could easily live here!

But getting here was a bit of a trek. We left Geneva and took a train to Paris. Then from Paris to Vittoria on an overnight train which arrived at 3:44am. Then another train from Vittoria to San Sebastian from 4:44am to 6:34am. We arrived okay and feeling a bit tired but not too bad.

We were greeted by a beautiful city and a very quiet morning. Except for a few youngsters dressed in red and white on their way to Pamplona for the festivities, the streets were empty. Not a good thing when you need to catch a bus and you are tired. So we got to the bus stop mentioned by the hotel and we waited…and we waited…and we waited some more. Eventually 9:15am came and we realized that the bus wasn’t coming so we took a taxi, which was only 5 euros more than the bus would have cost. Stoked, but in a foul mood I jumped into the taxi and off we went. My mood lightened the closer we got to the hotel. With glimpses of one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. This town really has character!

We got to our accommodation – which is a university residence used as a hotel during the summer months as the students are not there. We were tired and wired and needed to shower and to sleep hard. BUT, nooooooo, the receptionist said we must only check in at 1pm. This took me over the edge as there was no negotiation with regards to this. It was 1pm, take it or leave it! No discussion with the cleaning staff as to how far they were with the room or perhaps the room was ready for us now or in an hour. Just a stock standard 1pm check-in. 

Our accommodation.

With the mutters we chucked our luggage into the luggage room and headed up the road for some much needed coffee(pronounced personality) and some food.

We were served BIG mugs of coffee for great prices and the sandwiches were great. We decided to then go back to the hotel to use their wifi(pronounced non-existent). There is probably not much which irritates me more than getting to a place that says they have wifi but it doesn’t work or it is a major hack to try and get online. Well, I can tell you that even Bill Gates top notch tech guru would have pulled his hair out trying to get this right. So before I lost the plot I started playing Texas Hold em poker on my cell phone – which I am getting pretty good at.

After what seemed like a century, 1pm came and we were given permission to approach the reception desk to check in. We gathered our bags and walked upstairs to our room only to be greeted with a dirty room. They hadn’t even started to clean it. With big sulky faces we went back downstairs and butted in the queue of impatient 1pm-checking-in-people, and calmly, but sternly, relayed the state of our room. Then something miraculous happened. The receptionist picked up the phone and spoke to one of the cleaning staff to highlight the problem. Once the phone call was over she apologized and asked us to please wait and she will let me know when our room will be ready. So we waited and after 15mins, YES, FIFTEEN BLOODY MINUTES, she said that our room was ready. NOW, why couldn’t she have done that 3 hours ago???!!! One phone call is all it would have taken.

A beaut park on the San Sebastian promenade. 

Anyway, after a great sleep and some supper we were chilled and back in the zone. Up around 10am the next morning, went for an awesome run along the brilliant promenade overlooking La Concha beach – the 7km jog and salty sea air set us up for the day, helped along by strong and tasty Spanish coffee.

We had a long walk on the beach and ended up in town where all the busy Tappas bars buzz as patrons ravenously help themselves to pinxtos from the bar counter and honestly pay accordingly. An honour system that has been operating for years in this Basque section of Spain. We thought of opening something like this in SA, but we would be bankrupt in a week as students would probably plunder our bar and pay for nothing when we weren’t looking. The Spanish people seem to be very honorable people. Another example of this was on the topless beach of La Concha. I saw a man having a conversation with a beautiful, young, topless woman and he looked her in the eye the whole time – amazing!

A spread of tappas in our favourite bar near the town hall.

Walking around we bumped into friends of Donna’s from Texas and joined them for drinks on a square near the town hall. We chatted about the running of the bulls in Pamplona, which they were going to do the next day and us the day after. We swapped strategies and hoped that we would all get out alive.

We decided to take the bull by the horns and buy bus tickets for Pamplona. With that under the belt we planned the following day carefully. We would sleep in late and have a very chilled morning. We would be back in our room at 2pm at the latest and sleep until 8pm to prepare ourselves for the all nighter we were just about to pull. You see, the running of the bulls is at 8am every morning while the festival is celebrated. But the first train out of San Sebastian only gets to Pamplona after the bulls have finished running in the morning. AND the last bus runs at 9:30pm the night before. The next bus is at 8:15am the next morning. So, if you don't stay in Pamplona and you don't have a rental car, you have to pull an all nighter - when I was 18 this was easy.

So that afternoon we slept as much as we could and eventually caught the 8pm bus to the San Sebastian(SS) main bus station. Booked return tickets from Pamplona to SS for the following morning and then boarded our bus, mentally preparing us for what lay ahead.

When we arrived in Pamplona we were floored by the amount of people, clad in red and white, that filled the streets and bars and cafes. It was unbelievable!! We had both never ever seen anything like this.   

We grabbed some coffee and some dinner and then went upstairs for one of the best fireworks displays we had seen.

With map in hand we decided to stroll to the start of the course - known as Corallilos. This is where they keep the bulls until such time as they scare the crap out of them and they stampede up Santo Domingo, horns down and furiously focused.

We saw these massive bulls looming behind the wooden gates and decided to move on. We walked the route and came up with some plans to have fun but still stay alive. After all we still had 3 months of travel left. After our strategy session we walked to the bus station in search of a warm place to sit and bide the time. BUT, as we thought they had closed it to prevent drunken mayhem taking over the station.

We then went to a bar for more coffee and sat there until 1:30am and then went for a walk. This was short lived as it was now getting cold and Donna was taking strain. We found some warmth in a bus shelter where we waited until 2:30am. We then walked across the road to another coffee shop for another cuppa. We waited here and consumed massive amounts of caffeine and hot chocolate until 5am. We bought croissants which we dipped into our hot chocolate - something we learnt from the locals. They have a product called cola coa(hot choco) which is hecticly rich but phenomenal and a real win with a croissant.

As the clock struck 5am we decided to make our way to the streets where the running would take place. We were told that people started queueing up from this time and we didn't want to lose out. But it wasn't a queue as such, it was just getting into Santo Domingo(the first street of the route) and chilling there until all hell breaks lose. 

While waiting in the section where we had decided to start, we met 2 aussies and 2 americans. They were awesome. It was great chatting to them and hearing their strategies for the race - which was most likely to change as the raging bulls can have that effect on a person. The time flew as we laughed and joked to appease the nerves - swapped stories of our travels and learnt some spanish from the americans. By 7:40am we were barricaded inside the streets and were now solidly committed to this maniacal feat.

7:50am - some important(pronounced in your BEST Spanish accent) people entered the scene carrying the San Fermin.  From wikki:  (Fermin is said to have been the son of a Roman of senatorial rank in Pamplona in the 3rd century, who was converted to Christianity by Saint Honestus, a disciple of Saint Saturninus. According to tradition, he was baptised by Saturninus (in Navarre also known as Saint Cernin) at the spot now known as the "Small Well of Saint Cernin" ^[2][3] Fermin was ordained a priest in Toulouse and returned to Pamplona as its first bishop. On a later preaching voyage, Fermin was beheaded in Amiens, France; and is now considered a martyr in the Catholic Church.^[3] It is believed he died on September 25, AD 303. There is no written record of veneration in Pamplona of the Saint until the 12th century. Saint Fermin, as well as Saint Francis Xavier, are now the two patrons of Navarre.^[3] At Pamplona, Saint Fermin is now sometimes said to have met his end by being dragged through the streets of Pamplona by bulls, a fate more commonly attributed to his mentor, Saturnin.)

They hold the San Fermin and the whole crowd sings a song to the San Fermin 3 times asking for a blessing. The very immmporrrtunt people then leave with San the man and a silence then ensues as the crowd crap themselves in the quiet. Then the Spaniards try and get the blood to their legs by jumping up and down in anticipation. BOOOOOOOM...the gun fires and the bulls are let loose. In seconds the bulls are upon us and okes are running everywhere. Some are climbing up poles, hanging on balconies or bailing over fences. Donna and I hid in a doorway and watched these beasts, afraid and wide eyed and SHUNTING like their lives depended on it! As they past we bolted only to be reminded of the steers that follow the 6 big angry bulls. Many have made this mistake and have been rear-ended as they casually stroll behind the aftermath thinking that they are clear of any danger. We waited in our spot as these geriatric steers with bells on, came casually trotting past us - and then we chased them. But Donna kept getting lost in the crowd of red and white so we ceased our chase and strolled instead to soak up the atmosphere of this incredible tradition.

Dancing in the streets around midnight. This was a traditional spanish dance - majority of old people involved. Was very festive.

4am came and we conquered.

There were 2 aussies, 2 americans and 2 South Africans...

Tension mounting...

These things can do a lot of damage. Weighing on average 600kgs. 15 people have died since 1910 - and all of them spaniards.

Phew, we made it!

Donna found this guy - he must have had a great time. Looks like he is still having a great time.

 The running of the bulls is a sad and cruel tradition though. At 4 pm each day the Matador kills a bull in the ring - we thought that this had been banned but much to our disapproval it hasn't.

We cruised around a bit as our bus was only leaving at 9:45am. We ducked into one of the cafes to watch the rerun on the TV and to be involved in a bit of the banter. The atmosphere was terrific. No one has died in this event since 2009. Hope it stays that way. Because we will be back with our friends and family!

We were glad to get onto the 9:45am bus back to SS, as we had foolishly booked the return ticket for 11:15am not thinking how broken we would be. Although we were now running strong on caffeine and adrenaline - but still keen to get home, shower and sleep like never before.

I dossed the whole way from Pamplona to SS - it really was beautiful. We then climbed into bed, scrubbed clean, at 11am and after being swallowed by our beds we woke up at 6pm feeling much better. But at 34 I struggled over the next couple of days as i dealt with the after effects of pulling an all nighter.

Lucky for us, the next 2 days were amazing. The sun was shining warm on SS and that meant only one thing. On with boardies and bikini and off to la Concha beach. We had been craving a beach day for a while and this was one perfect beach day! We didn't move. Except for the occasional swim or lunch in the tappas bar we loved so much. We lay in the beach for almost 4 hours and soaked up as much as we could. We were completely in our element.

Supper at Cafe di mario near our spot and off to bed. Only to be greeted by another PERFECT beach day. I am so glad that we decided to book another day. We were on the beach by 11am, tappas for lunch, back to the beach and aaaaaaahhhhhhh...realaaaax. I went for a long swim in the bay. It is so flat and i didn't see a fish let alone anything like a shark that would feed on the fish. So people swim far out and make the most of the massive, natural swimming pool on their door step. 

This beach has many topless woman, from VERY old to younger ones. It seems to be a way of life. Nakedness in europe is very much accepted. Not sure why but it just is. But who am I to stop them.

Back to our hotel after a very relaxing day on the beach and it was now time to get ready for the next days trip to Lourdes in France. We fought with the tumble dryer, struggled to find 50 cents coins and went out for supper.

Below are some pics of the river running through the town. Absolutely terrific!

Town hall in SS.

The morning came and we jumped on the bus in the nic of time outside our hotel, went to Euskotren, jumped on the train for Hendaye(France) with 4 mins to spare. Not a problem if we didn't make this train as they run every 30mins. But who wants to wait when you can sprint a bit and prevent that?!

When we got to Hendaye we booked got info for the train to Lourdes. We would catch a train to Dax and then have a 1 hour wait and then catch the train to Lourdes. Luckily for us we had managed to get accommodation at a hotel called La Closeraie, which is 100m from the railway station. Such an unbelievable blessing. After a 7 hour trip, the last thing you want to do is struggle to find your hotel or get ripped off by a taxi driver who has sensed your desperation as you stepped off the train.

We arrived in Lourdes at 5pm, walked out of the station, surrounded by the majestic Pyrenees and strolled to our hotel where we were greeted by a friendly, young lady who efficiently checked us in with no hassle at all - a real breath of fresh air! 

But the best part was when we walked into our room. It is massive and has a well organized kitchenette where we can now make our own supper and lunch and breakfast and each fresh food and veggies. This place is a real gem and for only R573 per night for the room. In places like this you save so much when you travel. We look for them all the time but aren't always so lucky.

With a great fridge and facilities we headed for the grocery store to fill our new pad with some much needed quality chow and tea and coffee that we don't have to pay restaurant prices for. We will definitely enjoy the next 6 days here. It is quiet, beautiful and 'good wine country'! Cheers.