0443 End of this blog

The time has come to close this blog, and start a new one for the next part of my adventure.  This blog has covered the past 10 months in Europe and N Africa, and I hope I have managed to convey some of the fun we have had over here, not only exploring new places, but also previously visited ones, and more importantly the pleasure of spending some time with close friends and family who I see rarely.
My new blog starts effective immediately and can be found at http://qthelongwayhome.blogspot.com
So please bookmark this address now so you don't lose me and can continue to share my adventures with me. They promise to be exciting ones - Iceland in April where I am hoping to see the Aurora Borealis, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in May, Niagara, and then crossing Canada back to the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and finally to Alaska in about August where I hope to see bears fishing for salmon in the rivers and moose with a full rack !  My mouth is already watering at the prospect of all this !!
If you wonder why I have the letter "q" at the beginning of my new blog address, or why I leave "e" or other letters of my other blog addresses, it is because it is often hard to get the name you want for a blog - A bit like when you try to get a new email address and they keep saying "Not available".  But by putting in a "q", or leaving out an "e", you can often get the rest of the name you want !
So in closing this blog, thank you all for being there and supporting us and sharing our adventures for the past few months - If you have enjoyed it even a tenth as much as we have, then you have had fun !  See you "on the long way home" !!

My other blogs, in case you have lost them !  :-
http://elsiefrombottomtotop.blogspot.com    Around America and to the Arctic in my Lotus in 2012
http://imgoingonanadventur.blogspot.com    Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 2014 / 2015
http://explorineurope.blogspot.com               Europe and North Africa in 2015 / 2016
http://qthelongwayhome.blogspot.com          Iceland, Newfoundland, and back to Alaska in 2016 

0442 Around UK during March

March 2016
Funerals, friends, and family

Since arriving back in the UK in mid March, I have been running around the SW of England. I only have a month or so until I ship the car so I wanted to spend some time with some long-time friends (not allowed to call people "old friends" anymore !), and generally take time to prepare everything for the next stage of my trip.  

0441 Bordeaux to Cherbourg and UK

11^th & 12^th March 2016

Pretty boring driving, really……

Not the most exciting day of the trip – Basically I just drove up through France, and much of the day was on toll-free freeways that did little to excite one scenically.  But the purpose of the day was to get as far north as I could so that Cherbourg would be within easy reach tomorrow.

0440 Near Teruel, and through the Pyrenees to Bordeaux

10^th March 2016

Mountains, snow, skiing........ and car problems !

What an amazing day – One that makes trips like this so worthwhile and full of memories that will last for ever.

I woke up in my little gorge, the temperature right on freezing, and slowly packed up while having my breakfast. It really had been a perfect spot – Quiet, scenic – And best of all, free !  As I drove through the rest of the little gorge, past some great rock formations, and then into the little village of Villel, there was quite a lot of evidence of some snow last night – A few cars coming towards me had several inches on their roofs.  I knew it had been cold !

0439 Albir Lighthouse, then heading North

6^th-9^th March 2016

A lighthouse walk, work on car, then N. to Teruel

Sunday 6th March was sunny, but very windy, but since we had chores to do tomorrow, Jill decided we needed some exercise so took me down into Albir where we went for a 2.5 km walk out around the headland to the Albir lighthouse.  The views back into the bay are superb, and apart from nearly getting blown off the path, it was a really good walk.  Many locals do it, especially on the weekend, so there were plenty of people on the trail.

0438 A climb up to Confrides Castle

4^th March 2016

A hike in the hills on a sunny day

Jill belongs to a group who go walking around the area where she lives, and as Friday is a walking day, I joined in.  We met up in a car park down in Albea – The others are all regulars so after introducing myself we headed off in a convoy to drive up to the hills.  Confrides Castle is also called Benifato Castle, as well as Alfofra Castle – Each are towns below the castle that lay claim to naming the castle !  It is a Moorish Castle, probably built in about 1000 AD. Despite the Spanish taking control of much of the area in the 13^th C, the village of Confrides (and other nearby villages) remained in Arab hands until the 17^th C. We climbed into the hills to find out what was left of it.

0437 Archez, and then on to La Nucia

1^st & 2^nd Feb 2016

Exploring in the hills, Top Tapas, and endless plastic greenhouses

It had been a late night last night, and it was a late morning this morning !  But it was a lovely sunny morning, although the wind was blowing a bit hard so as I hung my washing out on the line I was a bit worried some might end up in the pool !  But by the time we had finished breakfast (with some great local fruit and strawberries - And a perfect boiled egg !) not only were all my clothes still on the line, but it was already dry !   We chatted and drank coffee and generally recovered from a late night, and it was after noon by the time we set off in the car so Pete and Astrid could show me around their local hills.