Terrassa and Blanes,Costa Brava, SPAIN

Travelled: 222km La Bloulou to Terrassa/28 June
               : 195km Terrassa to Blanes,Costa Brava/29 June
               : 40km Terrassa/30 june
Stay: Wild/park in street

Had an easy drive into Terrassa, Spain, on the motorway most of the way. Arrived at my childhood friends home and spent a pleasant afternoon catching up and then went to have a look at the local weekend festival. Enjoyed watching the older people do a traditional dance whilst having a beer and Tapas in one of the squares.

The next day we went to a lovely beach near Blanes on the Costa Brava coast. We enjoyed a swim in the Mediterranean and a Paella lunch at the beach restaurant. 

Le Boulou

Travelled : 0 km

Stay: Le Boulou - free parking, € services N42.52719 E2.83704

Decided to stay put for the day. Went to the local market in the morning then spent the rest of the day cleaning up, listening to the football and a walk to the shops.

Bluey's new curtain. Hopefully it will keep the flies out!

Port Vendres

Travelled: 102 km

Stay: le Boulou - free Aire N42.52719 E2.83704

You never know what the day will bring when you wake up in the morning! 

We set off to the coast to Collioure, as the Aire was quite a distance away from the town, we decided to have a drive along the very picturesque coast to Argelès sur Mer, then back south to Port Vendres. 

We took a walk around the port and bought some seafood for lunch.

 As the Aire was full, we parked in a spot along the road, but were later told that it was designated for the port labourers ( even though there was no signage), so we moved on again. This when we noticed that poor Bluey had sustained an injury to his back corner. 

So now we spent the remainder of the day trying to patch him up and find a supplier that had parts. Not having much luck, we decided to call the importer who we bought it from and he said he would find the light fittings and the two panels for the corner bumper bar. So having lost enthusiasm for the coast we headed back to the Aire we were at last night and even got our same spot! 

Céret and le Perthus

Travelled: 72 km

Stay : le Boulou - free Aire, € services N42.52719 E2.83704

Travelled through some beautiful countryside and villages with great views of the surrounding mountains on our way  down to Céret. This is a lovely town with a strong Spanish influence and large trees along the roads. 

After a walk through the centre, we headed to the border town of  le Perthus which is another shopping town like the one in Andorra. 

We bought a plastic fly curtain for Blueys door and whilst that was being made we visited Fort Bellegarde. Quite a large structure with great views into Spain and across to the Mediterranean coast. 

Villefranche de Conflent to Boule d'Amont France

Travelled: 78km

Stay: Boule d'Amont - free carpark   42.5797, 2.61623 

Drove further down the Têt valley to Villefranche de Conflent, a quaint fortified town with pink marble paths, where you can walk the ramparts. 

We decided to walk UP the track to visit Fort Libéria constructed in 1681 above the village, offering great views of the valley. 

We enjoyed the self guided tour and then walked back to the village via 1000 steps down through the underground passage. Quite amazing. Not sure how the legs will feel tomorrow though! 

We then enjoyed a Skype chat with our friends, Bob and Robyn back at home. Its a great way to keep in contact with family and friends.

We then drove through Vernet les Bains, well known for its hot spring baths, and stopped to visit the St.Michel de Cuxà Abbaye. Founded in 878 by the Benedictines, it had a a fascinating crypt and beautifully carved 12th century pink marble columns in the cloister, ( half of which is in the cloisters museum in New York!)

Next stop was Prades, where we managed to park outside the laundry mat. Whilst the clothes were washing, we took a quick walk and visited St.Peter's Church and its amazing sculptured Alterpiece that took 3 years to make and is reputed to be the biggest in France!

After filling up the cupboards, shopping, we headed out of town along a very narrow windy road towards Céret. We spotted a place to stay in a parking area in Boule d'Amont, a very small village in the middle of nowhere, but with a decent restaurant and hotel! The homes were also very well kept, many having had recent renovations. Had a walk around after dinner and chatted to a couple of fellow French motorhomers. Amazingly we were not on our own.

Carança Gorge France

Travelled: 39km

Stay: Carança Gorges - Aire at parking 8eu   42.52425, 2.22656 

Had a lovely drive down from Les Angles. Stopped at Mont Louis and walked around to small fortified village looking at the Brocante market stalls. 

Then continued to the Carança Gorges. We walked for 4 hours along the river and up and down rocky tracks. There were suspension bridges and metal walkways attached to the rock above the water. A very unique experience.

We then walked back along a narrow track that was created in 1943 to access the worksite of the tunnel channelling the Carança water to the hydro electric station of Thuès.