We bid farewell to Paris and started our long run southwest to Spain’s Costa del Sol. We made our way through central France to Bordeaux and then after crossing into Spain we followed the Basque coastline to Santander. A sharp turn south led us through the western region of Spain and then some outstanding Roman historical sites that date back to hundreds of years before Christ. At times it’s almost hard to grasp that this stuff is real and that it’s not some sort of purpose built movie set. In fact, it’s the other way around and films from “Ben Hur” to the “Game of Thrones” have used these archaeological sites regularly as movie backdrops. What a privileged gift to experience these sites that in some cases even date back to prehistoric times and all that beautiful and diverse countryside along the way, is like an added bonus.  

By the time we reached Gibraltar we had encountered plenty of positive, impressive and professional tourist related experiences but then, to balance things out, there was the not-so-appreciated tourist restaurant “rip-off” scam we encountered. We’ve prided ourselves on our ability to spot and avoid the endless attempts of unscrupulous souls to access our travel money, but now, after one false move, our confidence has been crushed. We decided to stop at a respectfully looking pub style restaurant for a mid day “Tapa” treat in Segovia. Saw a good looking anchovy dish and asked the waiter/bar attendant how much it cost, in his broken English and gesturing hands, he implied 13 Euros ($20). A bit pricy for a little fishy snack, especially when your beer is added to that order… but what the heck. We sat down and waited for our slivery treat to arrive and when it came it was very good. Then it came time to pay, we were shocked at the bill, our 13 Euro anchovies miraculously turned into 30 Euro ($50) Anchovies! Hand boned “Anchovies from the North” he said. I asked to see a menu and a bogus English menu was finally produced from the back room, it did say 30 Euros. Another lesson learned; “never order anything unless you see the price in writing first”. We think we can still hear them laughing at the dumb tourists who just paid $50 for $3 Anchovies. But even worse than this new lesson was our own self inflicted wound in Merida. We were staying at a nice Stellplatz within walking distance of all the Roman ruins when early on the morning we were about to leave, we somehow managed to lock all our keys inside the motorhome. What a fiasco! I could almost touch my freshly poured cup of coffee. With plenty of failed attempts from the great city parking staff of 5 to regain entry (without damage) I finally insisted on calling a Lock Smith. After a short time a young fellow arrived and produced some specialized looking devices that he expertly used to pick the drivers door lock. Yah! And no damage! And, a bargain (I think) at 65 Euros ($100)… Such a nasty way to start our day and sooo painful when you think that we could have had two orders of “Anchovies from the North” for the same amount. Ouch!

Would make an offer on this place if it had a bigger yard

Beautiful French countryside

Another privately owned Château (Castle)

The martyred village of Oradour sur Glane is preserved like it was in 1944

642 inhabitants were massacred here by a Waffen-SS unit

World famous Lascaux prehistoric cave art. 17,000 years old

The original caves are closed to the general public and only a small number of experts are allowed in for research each year

They have recreated the exact cave experience for visitors.  The large and impressive interpretation centre provides models for further explanation and photographs 

A nice one-of-a-kind cave Château

Closing in on Bordeaux

Nazi submarine base in the Bordeaux harbour

Basque coastline

Small Basque fishing village

Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. Designed by Canadian Frank Gerry

Gaztelugatxe.  Also known as Dragonstone Island from the series “Game of Thrones”

Arch de Santa Maria. One of 12 medieval doors to the city of Burgos

Saint Mary Cathedral in Burgos. Construction began in 1221

Our Stellplatz outside a bull fighting ring in Segovia. A very short walk to the old centre

This amazing Roman aqueduct in the centre of Segovia was used for 2000 years

Our $50 dollar dish of “Anchovies from the North”

Fantastic views from the castle Alcázar de Segovia

Part of the Segovia medieval city wall

A national dance competition below the famous walls of Avila

Avila at sunrise

Part of the 12th century 2.5 km wall protecting Avila with 88 towers and 2500 battlements

This is one very impressive wall

Birthplace, and now the convent of Santa Teresa

Somehow it fit through

The main square in Salamanca

The University of Salamanca founded in 1134 is the 3rd oldest in the world

Surprisingly some of our best and most relaxing meals have come from campground restaurants

The Roman bridge at Merida

Merida Roman theatre built between 16 and 15 BC with a seating capacity of 6,000. Still being used today.

The Merida Roman amphitheater built in 8 BC held 14,000 and was mainly dedicated to life and death shows between gladiators and wild animals

Roman road to Córdoba

The Old

And the New!

A re-created bedroom at the museum of Roman Art

Mithreo’s House. A very large and elaborate home that must have belonged to a VIP

Aqueduct with two birds nests

Chariot racing was a popular event in Roman Merida and this 233 metre racetrack could accommodate 30,000 spectators

Italica, just outside of Sevilla was the first Roman city founded on the Iberian Peninsula in 206 BC.  This is the Ampitheatre, recognize the Dragon Pit from the “Game of Thrones”

You can almost hear the gladiators preparing for battle

And hear the crowds and wild beasts roar

Can you see Africa

View of Gibraltar from the west

Calahonda!  On the Costa del Sol

We started our trip with cool and wet weather but later it was the wind that completely took us by surprise. As we moved Southward the strong winds intensified dramatically and they lasted for about ten relentless days.  

Our first significant stop after leaving the Netherlands was Mons, Belgium. The Canadians liberated Mons and it was here that the first shots of WWI were fired, and the last. In fact, the last soldier to die in the Great War was a Canadian named George Lawrence Price who was unfortunately shot dead two minutes before the ceasefire. Next was a repeat visit to the Vimy Ridge Memorial site where the wind gusts and driving rain were so strong that you could lean into them at about 45 degrees. Strangely, this really nasty weather seems quite appropriate in this setting. We were sure this second visit would be a relatively brief one but then we discovered the addition of a new interpretation centre, a 2018 Centennial addition, along with an interesting new tunnel tour. Our planned short but respectful visit was completely altered but, it was time well spent as we had almost forgotten how beautiful and emotionally stirring this monument is. I think it’s a place that every Canadian would benefit from seeing up close, in fact, some have argued that this is the spot that Canada became a nation. From Vimy Ridge we drove a short distance South into the heart of the Somme Valley. Ferocious fighting took place all along the Somme Valley in WWI as both sides “dug-in” and trench warfare became the norm. Nearby is the town of Wellington where the Wellington Tunnels are located. Here, from a few very old cave quarries, a massive network of tunnels, 20 kilometres in length, were hastily excavated for the purpose of a surprise attack. Those tunnels ran up too, and in some places beyond “no-man’s-land” to within feet of the enemy’s front line trenches. Prior to a massive allied assault in April 1917 (The same one that involved the Canadian’s attack on Vimy Ridge) 24,000 soldiers were crammed inside the Wellington tunnels awaiting the inevitable order. When it came, over 4,000 lives a day were lost during this five week battle. In this brutal war, successful forward achievement was usually measured in meters but with the overwhelming manpower and element of surprise, the progress of this operation was measured in kilometres and therefore making a huge impact on the final outcome of the war. This region is all about WWI and a short distance away we stopped at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland “Caribou” Monument to pay tribute to some other Eastern  Canadian heroes. The final WWI Monument that we visited was the massive Franco-British Memorial of Thiepval that is dedicated to 72,000 never recovered soldiers.  

Leaving the Somme Valley behind we drove to a very interesting and secluded place that was hidden deep in the Compiegne forest where in 1918 two trains met on parallel tracks, one German and the other French. This is the exact location where the armistice was drafted and signed bringing about an end to WWI. There is however an interesting twist to this story, years later when Hitler forced France to surrender and sign an armistice in WWII, he recreated the entire WWI scene in the same forest location in the same railroad car on the same tracks but this time he added much pomp and ceremony for the propaganda machine back home. After the French dignitaries signed the document, he ordered much of the historic site destroyed and had the railway car brought back to Berlin to put on display for all his loyal nationalists to admire. Just as Berlin was about to fall… somehow the original railway car accidentally caught fire. Some parts survived but the railcar now on display at the famous site is a sister car that’s been reconditioned exactly as the original.   

European military history is as fascinating as it is endless and no matter where you travel in Europe you’re never far from impressive structures and stories of inspiration, horror and surprise.

Before we arrived in Paris we made two interesting Château stops. One was a Middle Ages “Disney Land” looking  Castle called Château De Pierrefonds and it was an impressive site sitting high on the ridge overlooking the town and valley below. This Castle has been used in a number of movies over the years and it’s images have also graced the pages of many books and comics as well. The other impressive Chateau was Domaine De Chantilly and yes, this is the origin of Chantilly Lace. The last owner of this cozy little country home was the Duke of Aumale; who would have been King of France if his father King Louis-Philippe had not been overthrown during the French Revolution. The Duke himself was one of the greatest collectors of his time and spent a fortune purchasing paintings, statues, books and many other rare items. His collection at Chantilly is second only in France to the Louvre in Paris. Lucky for the rest of us, when he died without heirs, he bequeathed his entire estate to all the people of France for them to enjoy in the wonderful setting of his home/museum.  He also loved horses and he had almost 300 of them. To properly accommodate his four legged friends he built a “Grand Stable”. This palace-like stable is considered the finest in all of Europe and quite possibly the world. We watched an impressive demonstration here from the large centre domed ring. As you would expect, the surrounding race track, parks and other facilities are just as impressive.       

Our first day in Paris was spent grocery shopping and washing clothes. This relaxing down day was just what we needed because the next day we walked 16 kilometres through the centre of  Paris past many of our favourite sites. We had no real desire to visit inside the famous sites again, it was just nice to stroll past them in an unhurried and relaxing way and just experience the Paris atmosphere… including the aftermath vibe and “Yellow Jacket” damage on the Champs-Élysées.

We’re now heading towards Southern Spain with a few interesting stops along the way that I’ll report on next.  Hope all is well with everyone at home

The Grand-Place of Mons

Rub the monkey’s head with your left hand for a week of good luck.

Beautiful Mons Church, Saint Waltrude Collegiate

The Golden Carriage, inside the church

Belfry of Mons

Vimy Ridge Memorial, approaching it from the back side

The Figure of Canada overlooking The Tomb

Grange Subway 1,230 metres long. One of 14 tunnelas at Vimy

Wellington tunnels and some New Zealand miners

Thousands of soldiers ran up “Exit 10” stairway and directly into hostile machine gun fire.

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

A small part of the battlefield with trenches and shell holes still visible

France-British Memorioal of Thiepval. 72,000 never recovered soldiers

Armistices of 1918 and 1940

Forest of Compiegne

The railway car

Chateau De Pierrefonds

View from the Chateau entrance. Can you find our motorhome?

The draw bridge

The Worthies room with the Nine Worthies above the two fireplaces on the end wall

The Village of Pierrefonds

The Pierrefonds 1%

Chateau Chantilly

Part of the Duke’s rare book collection

Art in the hallway 

Tapestry in the dining room

Rare art in the galleries

A nice cozy home

Chateau on the right and one half of the Grand Stable on the left

PARIS  Arch De Triomphe

Champs-Élysées and 25 police vans on the move with 6 officers per van ready for any “Yellow Jacket” action

Damage from the Yellow Jacket protesters

A snack near the Louvre

La Seine river

Such a beautiful city to walk

We landed in Frankfurt, Germany and after a sleepless night in the economy class of Air Lufthansa we boarded a German “ICE” train from inside the airport terminal and traveled north to Dulmen, close to where we picked up our motorhome. Onboard the smooth running ICE train I noticed my ears popping and it seemed to correlate with our apparent high speed, I said to Margot that we must be be doing at least 200 km/hr and just then the notice board posted a train speed of 291km/hr, needless to say the rail system throughout this part of Europe is nothing less than amazing; our anticipated 4 hour trip only took 2.

They know us now at the small family run hotel Van-Lendt in the village of Buldern, just outside of Dulmen, so despite the hotel being closed for renovation Herr  Hendrix insisted that we come and stay with them anyway. We did and we had a very nice visit, when finally heading off to bed at about 8:00 pm, we let him know that we would be down for breakfast around 8:00 am as we had lots of motorhome duties at Dumo Reismobile (RV Dealership) to attend to the next day. We closed the blackout blinds in our room and in the blink of an eye, the clock read 12:03 pm… 16 hours had passed!  What a shock, what a panic, what a way to start our trip. But, everyone was cool and very forgiving, Hendrik’s hotel  breakfast/lunch was delicious, the “pick-up” from Dumo was reset for 1:00pm, and that was followed by a nice reunion with Michael Tyson (owner of Dumo Reismobile) and the rest of our friends at Dumo. Later  we drove away in our 2018 Burstner Lyseo TD690 Motorhome but we didn’t drive far, we did some grocery shopping then stopped for the night at a Stellplatz in Dulmen. (Stellplatz: A designated overnight motorhome parking area with minimal services and matching prices. Usually located near town centres or attractions where the locals do hope you will spend some of your money).  The next day we shopped at a familiar mega sized camping store called Obelink just across the border in Winterswijk, Netherlands. We picked up a few camping supplies then stopped for the night at a close by campground to try and get ourselves organized before moving on. It usually takes us about a week of living in a motorhome before we really start feeling settled.  

The following day was Friday and we made a bee-line to Leiden, near The Hague, to reconnect with some very special people. Invited to stay with Hedy and Kees, we abandoned the RV out front and spent the next three nights as house guests in their beautiful home. A full day of impressive local tourist attractions was expertly planned by Kees for the Saturday and as if that was not enough, we got the opportunity to share all this time and experience with Jan & Marije, and Nynke & Joost as well.  Such a wonderful day. We really enjoyed seeing Anneke and we got a chance to visit her nice new home. Just before heading out, we squeezed in a very nice visit with Els and Aad as well. What a fun and action packed 3 days it was, hopefully we didn’t wear everyone out. Margot and I can’t tell you guys how much we enjoyed spending this time with all of you and we thank you sincerely for everything you did to entertain us, feed us, and make us feel at home. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we have an opportunity to repay your kindness.  

Monday afternoon (March 11th) and we’re on our way again. On our drive to Paris we’ll be checking out a few more WWI monuments and a few Château’s as well. I’ll try and post a second blog on this part of the journey ASAP so until then, hope everyone is well at home and know that we’ve comfortably settled into the gypsy mode again.

Thanks for the delivery Cam!

And finalley we’re off!

My bag was filled with electronics, and who do they check ???

The Rockies waving us goodbye

Our “ICE” bullet train from the Frankfurt airport

Our Burstner Lyseo T690G at the Stellplatz in Dulmen

We should have house cleaned first

My ALFA WiFi Booster

And… Antenna

A perfect Dutch road with just the right amount of traffic

The centre of Government

More of the Government buildings in such a beautiful setting

So nice to visit with Anneke and see her new home

A cold and windy day but a warm and friendly sendoff from Jan

A nice visit with Els and Aad

Thank you Hedy and Els for the beautiful “send-off” flowers!

After completing our three month motorhome trip to Florida in the spring of 2017, we briefly checked in at home before heading out again across Canada to celebrate our country’s 150th Birthday. We had a great drive Eastward visiting many major destinations before turning 180 degrees at Sydney, Nova Scotia and driving back West again. We returned via the US cutting through Maine, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and the vast Mid West before stopping in Portland Oregon for a visit with Kristen, Erik, and Everett. Considering we started this trip with a few days of family camping together, this was a very appropriate way to end our trip. We had a wonderful time driving across both of these vast and beautiful countries and we’re definitely planning on doing a similar motorhome drive again someday, if only for the opportunity to chow-down on more of those great big delicious PEI lobsters.

On our return home we got so busy that the travel blog was set on the back burner and ultimately forgotten about so I never did complete a posting for this RV trip. Then life got even busier… Cam and Lia introduced us to baby Peyton in December 2017 and Kristen and Erik delighted us all with babies June and Elliot in June 2018. Somehow an entire year just slipped by us in a flash.

We are now about to begin a another motorhome adventure in Europe from March 2019 until mid June. In order to keep our travel blogs consistent and in order, I’m now about to backtrack somewhat and fill in the Canada 150 RV trip void. I want to maintain a consistent flow to my blogs because I have actually located a wonderful book publisher called “BlookUp” that will capture personal Blogs and then print them into fantastic hard covered books. Our plan is to have a complete set of these books that mirror all of our past travel adventures and provide us with one more opportunity to enjoy the memories.

5 wonderful grandchildren in under 3 years… thanks Mom’s and Dad’s

Nice campground in Southern BC

The Wawa Goose!

Kakabeka Falls, Ontario

Terry Fox Memorial and Lookout. A true Canadian hero

Lake Superior

Beautiful sandy beach

Centre Block on Parliament Hill

The Chamber – Canadian House of Commons

Rideau Canal Locks in Ottawa

Rideau Canal

Quebec countryside

Downtown streets of Montreal

Montreal Corned Beef Sandwich, Poutine and a cold beer… The perfect lunch

Sandy beach along the St Lawrence River

Fairmount Le Chateau in Quebec City

Old Quebec

Confederation Bridge to PEI (12.9 km’s long)

Summerside, PEI

Who needs veggies or salad, This is what Margot’s food guide looks like

Guess who ate the bigger one?

Near “Ann of Green Gables” heritage farm in PEI

Fort Louisbourg Historic Site near Sydney Nova Scotia (Founding, 1713)

St Peter’s Canal

Halifax Town Clock

Parked on the back side of the Citadel

Halifax Harbour

Theodore Too

Beautiful Peggys Cove

The Bluenose II docked in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Some Fall colours starting to pop out

Our campground in the Bay of Fundy

More Lobster!

“High and Dry” near Digby Nova Scotia

Getting pointers from an award winning “Town Caller” from Victoria BC

Fort Anne National Historic Site in Annapolis Royal, NS

“Long Pond” on Howard Dill’s farm in Windsor, NS is considered by many to be the birthplace of hockey. Played by staff and students from neighbouring King’s-Edgehill School that was established in 1788

Hopewell Rocks Park in the Bay of Fundy

50 foot tides, twice daily, produce the highest tides on our planet

“At the ready” since 1812

Bar Harbor Maine

Along Lake Ontario in New York State

Niagara Falls!

Impressive “Dignity Statue” overlooking the Missouri River Valley in Chamberlain South Dakota

Badlands National Park near Rapid City South Dakota

Mt Rushmore in the Black Hills National Forest

Deadwood, SD. Burial place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and other notable figures of the Wild West

Stunning view from a “Bighorn Mountain” lookout in Wyoming

Missing my Harley Davidson Motorcycle right now

Yellowstone National Park

Bison are the largest land-dwelling mammals in North America

Old Faithful!

The unpredictable “Beehive” Geyser

Local traffic enforcement

Montana

Rolling along in our Mercedes ERA 70A Winnebago motorhome

Approaching Portland, Oregon

What a great trip!

Because my “Florida-to-Victoria” Blog is significantly past it’s due date I seriously considered skipping this final entry and moving directly to our new travel adventure. But, for some reason this “loose-end” void has got the better of me and I feel compelled to “sum-up” the Florida trip with at least a few words and some photos.
Our time in Florida was fascinating in a number of ways with alligators along the roads, endless pristine beaches, famous Key West, impressive Kennedy Space Centre (NASA), historical St. Augustine, and much more. The speedy return home from Florida was also filled with interesting and often breath-taking-beautiful sites along the way as we passed through the following states: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma,Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Some especially memorable locations included Montgomery and Selma, Alabama (Civil Rights Movement), BB King’s home town, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Route 66, Las Alamos, Mesa Verde National Park, Grand Canyon NP, Las Vegas, Zion and Bryce NP. All of this was pleasantly capped off by having a wonderful visit with Kristen, Erik & Everett in Portland before completing our long but very enjoyable trip home to Victoria.
Our Mercedes motorhome proved to be a fantastic platform that carried us about 18,000 Km in 3 months with very few issues. We’re now about to embark on a fall trip across Canada to Sydney Nova Scotia and back. We’re very excited about spending some time exploring our own country and hopefully our motorhome will perform as well as it did in the spring.

From Palm Springs we zipped through Phoenix (we tried to contact you Oslynn) and then landed in Tucson, Arizona. We were quite impressed with Tucson and all the tourist things it has to offer in the area. The old Tucson movie “studio” (outside of Tucson) is the location where dozens of great Westerns were made over the years and it did make for a fun afternoon. The Tucson highlight for us however was a visit to the massive “Pima Air & Space Museum” which also included a trip through an aircraft “Bone-Yard” where 4000 decommissioned military aircraft sit proudly in the Sun awaiting their destiny with a crusher. During our visit we had the privilege of meeting a truly amazing man. Retired US Air Force Colonel Richard Bushong who became a B-17 pilot at 20 years of age and then flew 28 missions over Europe during WWII. He ended his combat career flying F-4 Jet fighters in Vietnam and then became a test pilot where he flew aircraft from 0 speed (helicopter) to Mach 2.1. At 94 years of age, he now volunteers every Thursday afternoon at the Museum’s B-17 hanger display where he truly is considered a local celebrity and hero. We spent over an hour with this very entertaining gentleman listening to some of his incredible stories and enjoying his company. He has written a memoir of his service years called “My Wars” and yes… he did sign my copy. Another very interesting visit was a trip to the only remaining Titan II ICBM missile Silo in existence. The other 53 were destroyed around 1982 as part of President Reagan’s nuclear modernisation program. But, Silo No. 571-7 (1 of 18 outside of Tucson) was kept as a Museum. Touring through this incredible and thought-provoking structure (that included a simulated launch) made me realise I should have been much more frightened than I was as a young boy in the early 60’s when we practiced hiding under our desks when the community “air-raid” sirens sounded. Exploring this one small component of the much larger nightmare scenario helps drive home the freakish concepts of “Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)”, Nuclear Apocalypse and Nuclear winter in a very chilling way. Unbelievably this many years later and international leaders are once again talking about the use of strategic nuclear weapons… makes me fearful, and sad.
From Tucson we drove to Tombstone for a look at the place where Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday had their famous shoot-out at the OK Corral. On our way to El Paso, Texas we passed the location in “Skeleton Canyon” where Geronimo surrendered in 1886 thus ending the Apache Wars in the South West. San Antonio turned out to be a pleasant surprise with its impressive downtown river walk and of course, the famous Alamo. A nice drive to Corpus Christi and our first look at the Gulf of Mexico. Driving East along the outer coast past magnificent beaches we could hardly believe the number of oil refineries dotting the coastline and casting there dark shadows on the sand. No question about it, oil is big business in Texas. We were also surprised to see thousands of beach homes and buildings built on tall stilts for protection against storms and high water. Not my idea of a solid foundation, Through Galveston and on to Louisiana where we discovered that “road-kill” now includes small Alligators that unfortunately and unknowingly wander onto the road from their safe swampy ditches. We’ve just pulled into exciting New Orleans and now we’re looking forward to sampling more Cajun goodies and exploring the jazzy French Quarter.

After leaving Portland we drove to historic Astoria on the North West Oregon Coast and visited the interesting Fort Stevens State Park (Thanks for the travel tip Steve). This fort was first established during the American Civil War and was in constant use until after WWII. It was the only location on the West Coast to be fired on by the Japanese. No casualties, but after the war, that didn’t stop the submarine captain from presenting the local community with his “family sword” as a token of his regrettable action.
As expected, the entire West Coast was amazing and beautiful with endless rugged beaches. The Redwoods were spectacular and yes Brad, Brian and John, we did stop for a fantastic lumber camp cooked meal at “The Samoa Cook House” in Eureka, California. Truly the best restaurant experience in the entire North West. As we drove along the coast we could hardly believe the number of rain related mud-slide repairs we encountered. In fact just south of Crescent City we were turned around for the night because of a big mud slide event that happened about 10 seconds ahead of us on the narrow winding highway, this according to a road-crew flag-man that was working very close by.
It was a quick drive through the Napa Valley and San Francisco but we slowed down somewhat and spent some time in the Monterey / Carmel area. We checked out “Pebble Beach” golf course for you Cam and we may even have a souvenir for you. We tried to continue our drive southward along HW1 but were turned back about 20 Km south of Carmel due to a bridge being washed out and as a result we had to switch over to HW101 thus making our way inland to LA. Warm sunshine and perfect surfing beaches is the name of the game in this part of the world and lots of people take full advantage of both. The rowing regatta on Mission Bay in San Diego made me think of you Kristen and our trip down with the Victoria City Rowing Club for the same mega regatta when you were in High School.
We’re in lovely Palm Springs now where the daytime temperatures are in the 30+ degree range, the sunsets are spectacular, and the evenings are perfect. The RV park we’re in is within walking distance of downtown and thou the RV park is a bit dated, it’s got a great “laid-back” feel to it and the people are friendly. In fact, the only reason we found a space here at “Happy Traveler RV Park” was because on the morning we arrived about 20 “SnowBirds” “bugged-out” for their spring migration northward. We’ve been pleasantly surprised with the Palm Springs area and very impressed with the surrounding desert landscapes. A days excursion through Joshua Tree National Park was a highlight and provided us with plenty of proof that deserts can be bursting with life and colour too. A note to Cam, Bert, Keith and all our golfing friends… dozens of amazing looking golf courses all throughout this area with apparently only one issue, no golfers on them. Just saying… If “playing-through” is a priority, come quick and golf Palm Springs.

With a desire to continue our motorhome travels in Europe we surprise ourselves by opting for a travel North America plan instead. This was a difficult decision considering how much we love touring in history rich Europe with its amazing “points of interest” and great camping infrastructure. The travel America plan involved making a substantial expenditure in a touring appropriate motorhome. This costly action would only make economic sense by utilizing it over a number of years and somewhat restricting our travel to mainly the US and Canada for some time. We decided to purchased a 2016 Winnebago ERA 70 on a Mercedes Diesel Sprinter Chassis. The fuel economy on this unit is excellent but more importantly it’s “drive-ability” and parking “access-ability” are outstanding by motorhome standards. Both very Important if you’re planning on driving high mileage and visiting populated areas. Furthermore, with full amenities, six-foot three headroom and king sized bed, it’s a relatively “live-able” unit as well.
After a few alterations and much preparation, we hit the road on March 10th settling in with Kristen, Erik and Everett in Portland for a while before we strike out Southward towards the Palm Springs, California area via the West Coast 101. From there we’ll head Eastward and play it by ear with plans to be back in Victoria sometime in June to take full advantage of our own West Coast summer.
Despite our excitement about venturing forth to travel and explore our own beautiful continent, our dream of a return camping trip to Europe will never fade and we’ll continue to work on that plan as we drive along the back highways of Canada and the USA.
From time to time we’ll post a progress report to keep those that are interested, informed.

A speedy motorway drive eastward from the Italian Riviera brought us to one of our favourite 2014 campgrounds just a short water-bus ride away from St. Marks square in Venice. Lucky for us the streets of Venice were seasonably above water and when you see the massively impressive water control system that’s being constructed (over many years) it should soon remain that way permanently. We could not believe how crowded with tourists Venice was considering it was only the middle of May. Unfortunately a few important venues and campgrounds throughout this trip were, in our opinion, relatively overcrowded for this early time of year. The reason for this could have something to do with school holidays. It seems as if somehow we unknowingly coordinated our travel calendar perfectly with many school districts spring breaks from mid March to the end of May. It all started in southern England where the schools let out in extra early spring and as we drove north hoping to outrun the junior invasion we just kept pace with the more northern districts later dismissal bells. We mistakenly thought that we could escape all this by returning to Europe but instead we ran into a similar situation as we drove southward. It seems that many districts in Europe stagger their semester school terms and therefore we were extremely surprised to discover so many enthusiastic camping families on the road. In addition to the school spring holidays some areas of Europe seem to enjoy a large number of holiday weekends as well and therefore we found ourselves in retirement travel stress mode at times. It’s interesting that we didn’t run into this phenomena in 2014, I guess location and timing is everything. Despite these somewhat busy conditions we continued to enjoy our motorhoming lifestyle and really had very few negative issues of any kind.
Driving north through the Italian Alps we were surprised at how much the area resembled Bavaria in looks, atmosphere and the personality of the local people. There truly is a striking difference between northern and southern Italy even though the distance separating them is not that great. The Black Forest in Germany is one of our favourite places and driving through this majestic region is like stepping into the pages of a fairy tale book. I’ve decided that my “bucket list” now includes a motorcycle ride through the Black Forest. We continued our drive north along the “Romantic Road” which passes through some amazingly beautiful German towns like Nordlingen, Dinkelsbuhl and Rothenburg (our favourite). We had a nice stop in Heidelberg before striking out along the mighty Rhine river passed all those castles and vineyards on our way to another favourite camping spot just outside of Cologne. In 2014 we regrettably missed seeing Gent in Belgium and so this time around we made sure to save time for a good visit to this often overlooked little gem of a city. As expected it did not disappoint us with its historic and bustling old town centre. Gent’s nice mixture of canals, castles and cathedrals made for a very interesting strolling experience but with the addition of a few open markets and well-appointed chocolate shops, we had a really good day.
Back in Holland we were once again treated like royalty by our new Dutch relatives. Thank you to Anneke, Els, Aad, Hedy, Kees, Jen and Nynke for such a wonderful time and visit. We’re already looking forward to the day that we can reciprocate your kindness in Canada.
As we pack our bags and ready ourselves for our flight home we can hardly believe that four months has passed by since we started this eleven thousand kilometre trek across Britain and Europe. We have had a fantastic time exploring many new lands in our comfortable little motorhome, we’ve seen countless amazing sights and met numerous wonderful people. But I must say that we’re now really looking forward to returning home and spending some quality time with our two magnificent new grandsons, Everett and Benson.

Our strategic Normandy landing via Calais was a complete success, but for some strange reason, driving on the “proper” side of the road now seemed surprisingly wrong. As we drove along the countryside we were reminded of how beautiful this part of France is with its rolling green hills, beautiful cliffs and sandy beaches. We manoeuvred our way through Rouen heading towards Paris and stopped long enough to get a good impression of just how fantastic this old city is with its vast and well-preserved tudor style buildings. After watching some impressive boat racing on the river, we left thinking Rouen does not get the full traveler attention it deserves. Paris is amazing! We didn’t do a single touristy venue kind of activity this time, we just leisurely strolled through the beautiful parks, magnificent boulevards and along the Seine river for days. The sidewalk cafe’s, interesting people, unique shops and fantastic architecture are seemingly endless and we again walked for miles and miles just soaking it all in. After spending a total of over five short weeks (both trips combined) exploring Paris, we’ve decided that this is our most desirable big city of all. Heading south we stopped in Lyon which also turned out to be a very pleasant surprise with its old Roman ruins overlooking the Rhone river and beautiful ancient city below.
Moving south through the lush green wine district of Burgundy there was no shortage of vineyards, little towns and old castles sprinkled throughout the hills to admire. We stopped overnight in Avignon, a favourite spot from our last trip, and once again paid homage to the famous little bridge that leads into the equally famous walled city. From Avignon we made our way to the French Riviera and arrived in Cannes just in time for the opening of the Cannes Film Festival. Unfortunately we just missed meeting George Clooney and Julia Roberts and we’re convinced it had everything to do with the policemen who refused to allow us to drive our motorhome along the waterfront and past the grand “red carpet” festivities. Oh well, possibly we’ll have another chance some day to meet them at the Victoria Film Festival. Onward from Nice through a high altitude breathtaking coastal drive to Monaco where we took a wrong turn and almost found ourselves trapped forever on a tiny hillside street between two rows of old and very tall buildings. Thank you to all those patient Monacon drivers for avoiding excessive use of their Vespa and “little-car” horns. Margot is still recovering. Venice is our next big destination and then northward towards Amsterdam we go as the last days of this trip are quickly ticking by. Signing off with a Happy belated Mothers Day to all our favourite Mum’s out there (especially our new ones) and an early Happy Fathers Day to all you Dads as well.