It's a biggun....

One of Antonio Lopez's grand children's heads...

Well, just what can you do in a scant few days...? Quite a lot it seems...

For a start the very last goodbyes to Valencia, this was accompanied by a farewell dance past at our table at dinner on the last night...

Hasta Luego!

Such eclectic choices...

Very sporting of the locals, Gracias guys!

 



Also, after all my time looking at the "Valenbici" free bikes around town stands everywhere, with Trish as my able side kick we gave it a "redhot" blast. 

This is a fabulous system that has just been 

introduced in Queensland (I believe) you pick a bike any bike and ride it around until you've had enough and then stick it back in a bike station closest to you (when you're a bit pooped)...anyhoo in theory "fabulous darlings" but a couple of points to ponder, Sunday morning there will be NO bikes anywhere because people have ridden them to parties and not bought them back, Sunday evening, there may be no where to put your bike back because all the hungover revellers have returned them and taken up all the spaces...We rode about eleventy hundred miles through the Botanic Gardens and then about about two hundred more trying to return the bikes...anyhooo, it was V nice to have a ride in Spain...

Then, it was off to the South of France... we travelled by train (that smelt faintly reminiscent of Fremantle Ports and sheep ships) 

shades of the gates to Valencia

to Pepiggnan just over the Spanish border, we then caught a bus (which in the continuing theme of livestock transport smelt faintly of sweat... what is it with public transport or was it just the name of the town? :0) 
We were delivered safely to a bus "shed" by the side of the road, picked up by my beautiful Suzie and Bill and taken immediately to a little local bar in down town Arles-Su-Tec, where we watch the locals tearing up the dance floor to a bit of ACDC karaoke, all accompanied by a rather "frisky" local rose, no complaints here!

We spent a fabulous few days in a six bedroom four story restored Mill House, with the Pyrenees mountains as a back drop, a beautiful running river at the bottom of the garden and a big fat swimming pool!!!! Brilliant, wine food and reading books, heaven on a couch...

We did venture out to enjoy foie gras and the french accent, seriously they had me a zeee (madame, zee item you seek eez over zzere...swoon) and here was where something incredible occurred...it happens that the locals in this area also speak Spanish, and dare I say it...I was delighted!!! a common form of communication!...I think (despite my shaky grasp of verbs) I may well be on to something!

French Floral

Thank you to a beautiful family for opening their lovely home and sharing a part of their holiday with us! Yet again, I am left to wonder at how lucky we all are and in the words of my beautiful friend Bab's, "What lives we lead"...

We then headed to Madrid on a VERY delayed train, a word of warning, do not trust small Spanish men in an unfortunate shade of green shirt with a badge that says "Customer Service" at the Barcelona train station...they are fibbers...

We arrived in Madrid (eventually) and were welcomed to our hotel "Room Mate Mario" by the spunkiest reception boy who was so worthy of a "Pablo the Pool Boy" title...sadly he wasn't very clever with WiFi stuff, but it was a sight for sore eyes after a big day on the trains...and you dont get arms like that from computer work...:0)

Five days in marvellous Madrid deserves it's own story...coming soon


and as always, Thank you for sharing xxx