Van on the run: June 2014

Thursday 29th May 2014

Ok…I know I've missed a day, but, it was just a day of catching up, doing 3 loads of washing….that took nearly all day in itself…some shopping, organising internet, food, travel to Palma on Saturday etc…..

Today was a very busy day…we completely stripped out Bluebelle…cleaned everything, transferred clothes and all the paraphernalia to Windekind for the next chapter in our adventures….

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Did we really fit all of this into Bluebelle[/caption]

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Our beloved Windekind[/caption]

We are considering whether we might take Mango Tango with us on the next leg of the journey…it's just a question of how we might carry her from Barcelona across to the Balearics…or whichever way we end up sailing in July. We had a play trying various places, but no firm plans yet.

BT had a great day tinkering on Windekind…changing batteries, checking the engine…you know….boy stuff!!!

Bluebelle now has a lovely new home for the next month until we return in July. She is having a holiday of her own at our friend Roderigo's house up in the hills behind the port. Roderigo and Bibiana and his gorgeous family very kindly invited us to stay with them for the night…

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Gadea,Roderigo, Aurora, Simon[/caption]

Friday was spent on Windekind…more tinkering!

Saturday we caught a flight to Palma, Mallorca, where we are to spend a week in Pollenca with the family……we are not intending to blog much this week…just enjoy our time with the family.

On saturday 7th June, we all go our separate ways….the children all return home, BT goes to work on Bubbles…..

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Bubbles[/caption]

…and Billy goes home for 3 weeks.

We will return at the beginning of July when we will be boarding Windekind for two months of sailing whichever way the wind blows.

Thank you all so much for reading our blog and for all your lovely comments….we really do love to hear from you and it makes the writing and sharing of our adventures worth the effort.

See you in July

Tuesday 27th May 2014

So you remember we had found a wonderful idyllic spot by the beach last night? Well, not only did we hear the trains running through the night, and the fishermen...who seem to like the wee small hours...coming and going but at 8am, workmen, in huge dumper trucks, diggers and lorries began work on the area we had chosen to stay in. Not only that, but they were merrily hammering huge great big stakes in cordon off an area to resurface...blocking us in completely......well...we have never got out of bed so quickly!!! We threw clothes on, chucked everything from the front seats into the back before making a hasty retreat before getting completely hemmed in for the day! I managed to take a very quick photo out of the window before we fled the scene.....that was a narrow escape!

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A narrow escape[/caption]

We had heard that the weather wasn't to be too good for this morning so we had planned to take the train into Barcelona, take a look at a few of our favourite shops...one of them being the travel book shop...Atalia....and then return to Bluebelle to make our way to Port Ginesta. The train left at 10.15...leaving just enough time for a coffee stop in town....and we arrived in the city an hour later. For the most part, the journey was really lovely...much like the Newton Abbot to Exeter line...right by the coast....until the outskirts of Barcelona...which left a lot to to be desired! The station at Sant Pol is right on the beach...literally! One minute you have sand between your toes and the next you are treading on the hard concrete of the platform!

We spent a lovely morning in Barcelona….hopped back onto the train to Sant Pol and then made our way to Port Ginesta. Whenever we have been to Barcelona, we have seen, up on a hill behind the city a church which we have always wanted to visit…so we did. It is awesome. Tibidabo is a mountain just northwest of Barcelona, crowned with the Church of the Sacred Heart. But the mountain's main draw is the Parc d'Attractions, a more than one hundred year old funfair….and the view from here over the city is amazing!…it was well worth the trip up another very windy road!

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View across the city[/caption]

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Looking towards the airport[/caption]

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This massive mast is seen for miles around too[/caption]

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Church of the sacred Heart[/caption]

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Looking towards the Sagrada Familia…still unfinished![/caption]

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The old and the new sitting side by side[/caption]

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The entrance to the church[/caption]

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This is one of the attractions at the top of the mountain…it is L'Avió, an airplane that has been flying in circles since 1928…giving flyers an uninterrupted view of the city[/caption]

I am fascinated by the Gaudi architecture here….who wouldn't be, it's so unique, wacky, weird, colourful and fun! Last time we visited Barcelona we went to the Sagrada Familia which was absolutely stunning…it still isn't finished, but the vision that Gaudi had for it is amazing. The stained glass windows scatter light in a myriad of colours throughout the building, the 'forest' that holds the man structure in place just takes your breath away…..well worth a visit if you ever come this way. Neither of us had been to Parc Guell…It was a bit of a mission trying to get there as we suddenly released we were trying to navigate our way through the city in rush hour!!! BT was very calm as we dodged cars and tried to understand our trusty Tom Tom…do you mean here???? Anyway, it was worth the trouble….

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