With very mixed feelings about entering the final stages of our European tour and bringing to an end this whimsical Gypsy lifestyle, we’ve now focused our headlights north and from Lisbon started the long journey back towards Germany. We can hardly believe that it’s been ten months since we started this whimsical road trip and though we really miss our family, and friends, we’re certainly not bored with this relaxed way of living and exploring. Traveling in this fashion has been such an amazing experience with the luxurious freedom of time, transport and private accommodation. Europe has certainly not disappointed us either, there is just so many fantastic things to see and do over here that I’m sure we could reverse the direction of this trip, see all new things, and have a completely different experience along the way. But now it’s time to focus our attention on the next stage of our adventure and start putting together some sort of an exit plan from Europe and a new scheme for returning home via Asia-Pacific.
As you know Margot was completely immobilized with her badly sprained ankle in Lisbon and so we think of this first part of the trip North as our medical evacuation phase. We were unable to stop and explore in detail the more interesting places along the way so we quickly adapted our travel methods and became very content with rumbling along and just enjoying the scenery through the front windshield of our motorhome. In hindsight, we figure that we missed about five days worth of interesting tourist “exploratory-stop-overs” including one or two more days checking out Lisbon, a day in Porto, Portugal a day in Santiago de Compostela, Spain and a day in Bordeaux, France. But, we drove through some very beautiful Fall landscape all along the way and our only real issue, other than keeping the ankle iced, was the lack of open campgrounds. There must be at least a thousand great camping sites along the coastal route between Lisbon and Paris but at this time of the year, only a few remain open. We did however manage to make it back to Paris having only spent one night sleeping in a shopping mall parking lot; which did have it’s advantage of great proximity to McDonald’s coffee first thing in the morning. Besides all the painfully negative aspects of Margot’s injury, if this was going to happen, she chose the perfect time and place. You see, the original plan from Lisbon was to focus our efforts on a multi day “bee-line” drive back to Paris, and therefore much of Margot’s down time was spent resting in the passenger seat with her foot elevated on the dashboard. Turned out to be a great way to recover and make positive mileage progress at the same time. We did drive through Le Mans, France to pay tribute to this racing Mecca and actually got a good look at the track that was in use by a racing school. We also watched with interest some very talented “Go-Cart” racers perform on a professional skill training track next to the main track. Some of these young kids that were driving these “not so ordinary go-carts” were driving at exceptional speeds and I’m sure that some of them will probably go on to be the future drivers of Formula 1 at La Mans. I would love to see this place during race week! Somehow we ended up spending more time in La Mans then planned and had to resort to the high-speed six-lane expressway to drive into Paris before it got too late. We don’t often use toll roads as we prefer the more scenic and leisurely pace of the secondary roads but when we got to the pay booth about 110km away we were reminded of another reason for using back roads as we deposited close to $50 into that mechanical highway bandit.
We pulled into the same great Paris campground that we stayed in last June. It’s only a short trip to the Arc de Triomphe and Des Champs Elysees. Now that most of the leaves have fallen, we can actually see the Eiffel tower from our camping pitch. Paris is an amazing city no matter what time of year but seeing it with all the fall colours has been a real treat and if Christmas markets are your thing, you should experience the humongous one that runs along the entire park on both side of the Champs Elysees. Strolling along through this colourful display of craft booths and food carts with a glass of warm mulled-wine in hand, listening to Bing Crosby singing Christmas carols from the speakers above, will become a permanent and cherished memory of our trip.
We plan on spending a few more days here in Paris and if Margot is feeling “up-to-it”, then possibly doing a quick backpack trip through the Chunnel to London for a short visit there before carrying on to towards Holland again. Our final motorhome destination is Dumo Reisemobile in Dulmen-Hiddingsel, Germany and that’s not far from Amsterdam. We really are starting to feel the vibration from that ticking clock.

Road Ramble: Medication Disorder:

Why is it so hard to find what we consider basic “off-the-shelf” medication in Europe? You can’t even purchase “once-a-day cardio baby aspirin” without a prescription from a doctor yet down the street you can buy a bottle of your favourite expensive Scotch Whisky at the local supermarket. Finding pharmaceutical medication of any kind in a convenient shopping location is just not possible. One must actually hunt down a special drug store for even the most basic of your needs, and don’t forget you prescription. When we left home we thought we had a good supply of the basics such as Ibuprofen but sure enough with all the walking we’ve done on aging joints that are in need of attention, and now with Margot’s swollen ankle, we’ve run short and can’t easily get more. It’s a good thing we don’t need anything more serious, like Viagra. More importantly, if your used to traveling in Mexico and are now planning a trip to Europe, make sure you bring along all the necessary meds you think you may be need because Europe is definitely not Mexico when it comes to finding readily accessible medication. If you do forget your pain medication and have an emergency situation, I would highly recommend heading to your nearest grocery store outlet and choosing from the wonderfully huge selection of quality alcohol beverages at your disposal. Not sure what to suggest about a sudden case of diarrhea.

I realize it’s only been a few days since my last blog posting but I thought it would be good idea to update you on our latest little misfortune. Check out the Road Ramble below.

As for the travel update… After leaving our campground in Albufeira, Portugal we headed west to Sagres which is as far west as one can go on the European continent without falling off. Very beautiful and rugged area much like the Oregon coast with its giant waves, fantastic cliffs, and miles of deserted sandy beaches. We spent the night at an impressive “4 star” campground resort just outside the cool little harbour town of Lagos on the south coast. As we drove north towards Lisbon we passed numerous other idyllic surfer style beaches along the way but what caught my attention in this area was the abundance of wild “cork” trees. I’ve never seen a cork tree before and I just had to stop and get a closer look. In the pictures you’ll notice how they harvest the cork (bark) from only one half of the tree trunk at a time because If they remove more than that it will kill the tree. Growing cork is not a fast process as it will take a tree at least ten years to replace what has been harvested. All over Portugal we have found a fantastic assortment of cool cork related products such as hand bags, wallets, hats, and even shoes.
The final drive into Lisbon was a bit crazy and it was not made any easier by the heavy rain and darkness. When we finally located our huge campground inside a large city area park we found ourselves parking the motorhome during the biggest downpour we have seen so far but, for some reason, nasty weather like this always makes our confined space feel that much more cozy. Lisbon is a very interesting city with tons of history as well. Without a doubt you can see the strains of the recent financial pressure on the Lisbon infrastructure but it’s still a great place to visit and we never sensed a depressed feeling at all, we only experienced pleasant and up-beat people. The impressive Castle S. Jorge proudly overlooks the old walled village next to it and the main city centre and harbour below. At night with all the feature lights on this view is even more splendid but if you plan on exploring Lisbon in the dark, beware of those dangerously deceptive shifting curbs.

Road Ramble: Ouch!

Even the lives of amateur explorers can be filled with excitement, danger and unexpected adventures. Margot decided to experiment with all three at once on Tuesday evening by running across a busy Lisbon Square bravely leaping over large puddles and tall curbs as she raced to catch our late night bus. Unfortunately a tall curb got the best of her and she went down hard with a badly twisted left ankle. With all the painful markings of a bad sprain Margot was understandably upset and we both agreed that this was not a fun way to end such a great day. As this happened right beside our bus stop we decided to carry on,”hop” aboard, and head for home. Unfortunately Kristen wasn’t around to practice her new nursing skills so I did my best and thankfully we had others there willing to help; this is where the story becomes a little more “upbeat”. You can really tell the true nature of a city and it’s people by the way you’re treated by total strangers when the going gets tough. When Margot fell, a young skateboarder dude instantly jumped into action to lend a hand while a nearby restaurant waitress scrambled for some ice. But, the most amazing gesture of all was from the bus driver who helped us onto the bus and then when we reached our stop got up and announced to everyone that he was going to make a slight detour… for us, and then proceeded to drive off his designated route to drop us right at the front gate of our campground. I don’t think we’ll ever forget the heart-warming image of that big bus pulling away with the bus driver and most of the people aboard waving goodby and wishing us well. Did I mention the lady on the bus that was so helpful. At the campground office we had a better chance to assess the damage and ultimately decided it prudent to check things out at the nearby hospital. The concerned campground staff also jumped into action and arranged for a taxi to take us to the hospital, then provided us with an extra big bag of ice to get through the night. When we arrived at the rather confusing emergency department we hadn’t even exited the taxi before a very nice fellow and his daughter surprisingly sprung into action there, running off to get a wheelchair and then helping us with Portuguese translation for our entire visit. The doctor and all the hospital staff were fantastic and when the X-rays confirmed it actually was a sprain, we were on our way back home again with instructions to take things really easy for a few days and after a couple of weeks things should be getting back to normal. We both agree, that for us, the most significant “upbeat” part of this unfortunate little story focuses around the wonderful people who came from nowhere to help total strangers and how that’s left us with such a positive impression of the Portuguese people in general. It’s amazing the impact that a few small gestures of random kindness can have on ones opinion of an entire country. Almost two days later and you’ll be happy to know that the swelling is now starting to subside and the patient is on the mend. Unfortunately, our freewheeling mobility has taken a sharp hit, but with lots left to see and do, rehabilitation will become our main focus over the next few weeks.

We had a very hard time leaving Calahonda and could have easily spent an entire month or more in this very interesting and service rich area. After two busy weeks here we leave with still things to do on our agenda, like spend a day relaxing on the spectacular beach a short walk away. As we drove into this deceptive area our first impressions were not that great because it seemed so excessively commercialized but the longer we stayed the more we began to realize and appreciate why this is such a popular destination. Everything we needed was a short walk or journey away and from groceries stores to restaurant choices the food selection is exceptional. For short daytime excursions to places like Gibraltar, Ronda, Tangier, Granada, or Cordoba all we needed to do is walk to the front of our campground complex and hop on the appropriate pre-arranged tour bus. On halloween day we took the tour bus to Gibraltar and explored this impressive British rock from top to bottom. Great views all the way to Africa and despite a little “monkey business” up top, we managed to get a quick look at the famous WWII tunnels and still have time for some main street shopping.
The following day we took another bus trip to the beautifully situated city of Ronda where you’ll find the oldest, and one of the most famous, bull fighting rings in the world. Notice the great and very risky picture I got of “Margot-Olay” demonstrating one of her own outstanding defensive techniques in the ring. The deep defensive gorge that separates the old Moorish part of Ronda from the new(ish) side is quite spectacular and since the mid 1700’s the impressive “Puente Nuevo” bridge has connected the two sides. For much of this day we were thinking of Joanna and Lloyd as we nervously watched a major climbing competition progress using the bridge and surrounding cliffs as their playground. I think all the competitors made it home safely, but I’m still having nightmares. All in all we had two great bus tour days exploring this beautiful region of Spain and now totally understand why it’s such a great location and destination for so many northerners to weather away the winter.
After a rather lengthy good-by to all our campground friends we pressed on up the coast line to the city of Cadiz where Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492. From Cadiz we drove cross-country to pleasantly surprising Sevilla and settled at a campground just outside of town. Sevilla’s beautiful city centre makes for a great place to wander about and explore. This is an inland port city with a long rich history and some very interesting buildings of which many are covered by marvellously colourful ceramic tiles. We drove across the border into Portugal on Thursday and have set up camp at the great little beach resort town of Albufeira. We think this is a sleeper area that will become much, much more popular within the next 10-15 years. From here we plan on driving West to “lands end” at Sabres and then pointing our bow towards Lisbon. It’s hard, and sad, to think that our trip is quickly coming to an end and our sights are focussing on Germany again as we head into our final European stretch.

Road Ramble: People do make a difference

Tomorrow marks the beginning of our eleventh month on the road and we thought we’d done a pretty good job of learning to function in our tightly confined living space, but then, in Calahonda we met our campground neighbours from Finland. Wow, a family of six living together in a similar sized unit for more than half a year. They certainly put us in our place and made us appreciate all that expansive and luxurious real-estate accommodation that we’re living in. Such a warm and welcoming family they are and despite our extreme language gap, we managed to fumble through a number of spirited games of Uno and Dominos together. The two little girls tried desperately in vain to school us in Finnish from a kindergarten picture book but finally gave up on us and resorted to the good old “Pictionary/Charades” approach to foreign communication (Finnish is hard!). What a great family adventure they seemed to be having. Part of the real enjoyment a trip like this is getting to meet all these amazing and interesting people along the way. We’ve had countless conversation with friendly people from all around the world in stores, restaurants, campgrounds or just in passing and the best part of these conversations is realizing that despite the obvious differences, our family priorities are very much in common. Hopefully over the next couple of months we will continue to meet many more diverse and welcoming people as we start working our way back home to our own loving family.