A room without a viewLovely bedding but the rugs are the wrong colour!
We are staying in a beautiful airbnb gite in France, south of Poitiers. We always manage to find interesting places to stay and many of them offer us a little ‘home from home’ in the sense that they are in very quiet locations with plenty of garden and inspiring views. We arrrived at Sommieres-du-Clain later than originally planned, as the over-night crossing did not work out. There were no cabins available, and we cannot cope without a good night’s sleep. Hence we had to leave the UK at the crack of dawn on Friday morning instead. We arrived at our gite just after 8:00pm and found a most delightful home waiting for us. My task was meant to be preparing the dinner; I brought with us non-perishable food to cook, which meant pasta with a can of tomatoes and a can of tuna, enhanced by onion and some mild spices. Paul was bringing the luggage in whilst I made a start on the preparations. However, I went upstairs to choose a bedroom – there were three to choose from. I told Paul that although there was a lovely bedroom with a big window and a view to look forward to, I’d rather go for the other double room, as it had the advantage of an en-suite. It had a velux window though, so no view.
We slept well, but the next morning Paul went and looked more closely at the other two bedrooms. The middle one has bunk-beds. He informed me that there was an en-suite shared between these two rooms! How on earth had I missed it?! He was also lamenting the fact that we were not benefitting from the glorious view from the window. I must have been tired and muzzy-headed, as if I had thought more clearly I might have wondered why on earth a house would only have one en-suite and no communal bathroom or second en-suite. We decided that it would be much better to move into the nicer bedroom; this meant that Paul had to swap the bedding, as it seemed unfair on our host to have two sets of bedding to wash. Although the colours and design of the bedrooms is fairly simple and minimal, we noticed that in fact the rugs in each room match the colours of the bedding. Oh well, another task for Paul will be to swap the bedding back before we leave…. Our domestic division of duties means that Paul changes beds and I do the clothes washing and of course all the cooking!
The first two photos are of the bedroom we slept in first (but after Paul had changed the bedding round!) The next photos are of the room with a view that we moved to!
A Room with a view, with bedding which does not match the rugs A closer look at our view!
To return to our first evening and my attempts to make a quick, simple dinner. I was relying on using canned products and we usually buy cheap cans in the cash and carry with no ring pulls. However, every kitchen has a can opener doesn’t it? Well there was certainly a can opener in the cupboard, but it was well past its life of usefulness and did not work! Paul having already been to visit our host next door to find out where we might find matches or a lighter for the fire, he sent me on the next errand. Just like home, our gite was dark outside, not being on a street, and I was also greeted by very friendly black labradors. Unfortunately our host did not have a can opener as she, like most people, buys cans with ring pulls. However she was able to give me a can of tomatoes with a ring pull. She did not have any tuna, but gave me half a dozen eggs instead, from the resident chickens. So disaster averted and we had a lovely supper of spaghetti with tomatoes, topped with a poached egg.
Pasta salad for lunch made with left-over spaghetti dinner
I failed to take a photo of the first night’s supper, but here you have the next best thing.
Well it is now Monday morning and we have really enjoyed our stay at Belle Vue Gite. It did just occur to me that it was not actually necessary to make up the bed in the first bedroom with the wrong colour bedding, as tomorrow morning Paul will have to put it back on the other bed! Still, it was quite nice for my photo shoot session.
We had a lovely walk by the river and really appreciated the tranquil setting. The village is also absolutely delightful and has a very good alimentation shop with a good range of produce including fresh fruit and vegetables and a deli counter.
Belle Vue Gite The kitchen area at Belle Vue Gite; the downstairs is open-plan
Walking down to the river
The delightful stone shops and houses in Sommieres-du-Clain
This year we spent our long August holiday in Scotland. We spent much of our holiday on the islands of the Hebrides, including Iona, Lewis, Uist and Skye. This was a complete change from our usual jaunt to somewhere hot and sunny. Paul was keen to see this unspoilt part of the UK and to drive along quiet roads with little traffic. It is always a challenge to find somewhere relatively free of tourists in August, but it is possible. Paul is also very keen on archaeology and in particular standing stones; there are plenty of those in the Hebrides! Look at this stone, which is reputed to be the tallest in the UK! Somehow I did not find it that impressive, but you may call me a cynic!
Okay it is big, but not that big. Also, it had no pomp and circumstance and no visitor centre. In fact, it was just near a domestic dwelling.
To go back to the first picture, that is me on Iona. It was absolutely beautiful, a really magical place. However, the sea was freezing cold. My thought was, if it is like this in August, then presumably it is always too cold to swim in the Hebrides! I usually like to spend much of our summer holiday swimming, but this was not to be. In fact, the only swim I had was in the hotel pool in Buxton, on our return journey.
Before I dipped my toes in the water that day, I had spent some time sitting in our pod (our accommodation for two nights) trying to decide what to do that morning. Paul had decided to go back to the mainland to fetch his laptop and some other provisions. It was windy and cold and I sat in the pod wrapped in a blanket and listened to an episode of The Archers! Thank goodness for a decent wifi signal! This is the question I posed to my helpful friends in my Archers Chit-Chat facebook group:
‘Paul has popped back to Mull on the ferry to fetch a few more things from the car. He needs his laptop to deal with some business. I have a book, facebook and radio to listen to including last night’s epidode. It is a bit wet and windy and the coffee I can make in a mug (taking the grounds off when it has settled) is not brilliant. Should I?
1) Stay in and have a cosy morning with a duvet over my legs and make more sub-standard coffee?
2) Listen to the Archers then walk to the local gallery and shop and get a decent coffee and some more shopping?
3) Go for a swim in the sea’
Of course there were all sorts of suggestions as to which option I should take, and in the end I decided to brave the weather and go and investigate the various shops and find a decent cup of coffee. Scotland has such changeable weather. One minute there is a gale blowing and you wish you had brought some gloves with you, then half an hour later it is blazing sunshine!
Despite the sea being really, really cold and the frequency of the rain and the wind, it was a really magical holiday with breath-taking scenery. The sea was also a really amazing turquoise colour, whatever the weather. The sand is white, and I assume the colour of the sea is related to the colour and nature of the rocks. These photos are of a beach on the Isle of Lewis. I just love taking pictures of rocks and pebbles.
One big advantage of going on holiday to somewhere which is not hot and sunny is that it is much easier to go for walks and appreciate the scenery. In hot places, I am constantly wanting to stop for cold drinks and ice-creams. So we did do much more walking in the Hebrides than on our average holiday in the Mediterranean. We took high quality walking boots with us, as well as waterproof coats, and a selection of jumpers. My favourite warm jumper is big and yellow and very cuddly (from Marks and Spencer if you are interested!) You can see it in the picture below:
I had not worn this jumper for months, but had the good sense to take it on our Hebrides jaunt. We stayed for one night on South Uist, which I found very bleak. We also hit a very bad patch of weather with wind and rain. In the morning, after checking out from our very pleasant but basic B and B, Paul decided to go for a walk to see some more standing stones. There really was a howling gale, but for me the last straw came when I realised that I had left my cuddly jumper at the B and B! I just gave in to my feelings and weaknesses and decided to stay in the car rather than go for a walk in the rain. I sat and read my book and made contact with my Chit-Chat friends on facebook. The happy ending to the story is that we had not driven that far from the B and B, so were able to go back and fetch my jumper!
Even my daughter Jess, who usually shuns my clothing, which is obviously only suitable for middle-aged people, took a fancy to my yellow jumper. Here is a picture of her wearing it.
Jess joined us for a week on our holiday, staying with us for one night on Skye and nearly a week on Lewis.
I have to mention our two night stay on Skye, staying at the Doll’s House, owned by my Chit-Chat friend Cheryl Mcculloch. It was lovely to meet her at last, and stay in her very well-equipped airbnb accommodation. See her facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/skyebirdsdollshouse
Jess stayed with us for one night at the Doll’s House too, and we even shared a meal in Cheryl’s home. We are not a dog loving family, but Jess fell in love with Cheryl’s dog Raasay and talked about getting a dog for herself in the future! See this picture of us enjoying a meal and getting friendly with Raasay!
In conclusion I’d say that the holiday was a complete success, even despite the incredibly cold boat trip we took whilst staying on Lewis. Jess had headed back home by then. It was wet from the sea splashing up all over the boat and then it started to rain. I could not understand to start with why we had to wear waterproof jackets and trousers borrowed from the boat hire company, as well as our own waterproofs. By the end of the trip, Paul said that he could not feel his feet! Actually it was a lovely trip and, as always, we had a very informative guide to point out all the birds and wildlife to us. Here is a picture of Paul before we set off on our trip, looking cheerful as he had not yet lost the use of his toes!
By the way, Paul and I both got hooked on Peter May’s books whilst on holiday in the Hebrides. They were recommended by one of my Chit-Chat friends. Many of them are set on Lewis, and I particularly enjoyed ‘Coffin Road’ and ‘The Blackhouse.’ I am on part two of that series, and Paul is reading part three. Peter makes the scenery come alive, with very evocative descriptions of scenery and places.
Yes the holiday was a success, but as an antidote we have booked 10 days in Croatia next August!
Does Sarah know that the Loch Lomond Monster is right behind her?
This little adventure all started originally because of an inadequate breakfast at our Airbnb on Skye. Let’s just make it clear that this was our second visit to Skye. Our first visit there was when we stayed at the Airbnb caravan owned by Cheryl McCulloch, an Archers Chit-Chat friend of mine, whom I finally came to meet. Breakfast at her place was good. We cooked it ourselves, and enjoyed eggs from Cheryl’s hens.
Anyway, I digress. After some rather dull sliced white toast and a strawberry mousse at our over-night stop, we decided that it was time to move on and find something better. We had also not had any coffee, as it was too much bother and mess to make it using our bag of fresh coffee with no proper facilities and not even a jug. Paul quickly had a look online, and decided that we should head for a cafe in Portree http://cafearriba.co.uk/
I have to say that the breakfast there was superb, with an excellent menu choice, with options for a full breakfast or pastries and filled croissants. I went for a croissant filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese, and Paul chose the waffles with fresh fruit and maple syrup. The coffee (we like ours strong and black) was very good too.
One of my faults or strengths (whichever way you look at it!) is a tendency to engage people in conversation – be it strangers on trains and buses, or hotel and restaurant staff. Where we come from in the South East, this is more unusual, although I do not agree that people on public transport are unfriendly! Our waiter, Josh, was very friendly, and I took the opportunity to tell him that we were travelling to Loch Ness to have more of a touristy day. Having spent many days in remote locations with the wind and the rain beating down, for me this was to be an exciting diversion. I love tourist tat, and was keen to investigate paint-your-own Nessie monsters, maybe even a blow-up Nessie for the bathroom.
This is why it is so good to talk to people! Josh then told us a funny story, and I asked his permission to reproduce it here. He has lived in the area for most of his life, and for 22 years he visited Loch Lomond, hoping to catch sight of the Loch Ness Monster! His family did not take the trouble to explain to him that the Loch Ness Monster (apparently!) resides in Loch Ness, not Loch Lomond!
Of course after visiting Loch Ness, we went to Loch Lomond to see if we could spot the monster there; we have named the Loch Lomond Monster Josh, and you may catch a glimpse of him in some of these pictures.
If you go to the Scottish Isles, do take the opportunity to visit Josh at the Cafe Arriba, and at Loch Lomond of course!
The pattern of our long jaunts in Europe for the past few years has been to spend a week travelling and staying in hotels (we did try camping a few times, but have reverted back to hotels now!), two or three weeks in a self-catering villa or apartment and then another week travelling home staying in hotels.
I am always responsible for booking the self-catering accommodation, as I have exacting requirements regarding the kitchen and swimming pool. Paul plans our routes using the Atlases and Google maps, so he books the ferries and hotel accommodation. He always books a range of hotels, some of which are very cheap and some of which are mid-range or upmarket. Booking several months ahead means he can find some excellent deals and discounts. He has been in the habit of booking somewhere really special and more upmarket for our last night. For instance, last year we stayed in a Parador in Spain, which was an incredible experience!
We arrived at Maison Ailleurs late afternoon on Friday 25th August. We could tell immediately that this was going to be a completely different kind of experience. Yes it was our treat, our posh hotel, but this was not a hotel with a restaurant or bar or grand public areas. There was no pool or spa. This was truly a home-from-home, although nothing like our modest cottage! Madame Valerie Genique came out to meet us, and we were able to park the car very conveniently in the courtyard. She explained to me the next day that they do not believe that it is good practice in a small hotel to have reception staff sitting at a desk, rather that the greeting process should be more personal.
The Staircase at Maison Ailleurs
Valerie showed us our suite, which is one of three in the hotel, Chambre Le Jardin. As you can see in the photos, the decor is beautiful, and the colours happen to be my very favourite, a blue/turquoise reminiscent of the sea. The suite comprises a large bedroom, a walk-in wardrobe, a separate toilet, a dressing room/shower room and a kitchenette. The ceilings are very high and the beautiful turquoise curtains are floor-to-ceiling- maybe about 15′ high. As we live in a cottage in which we can touch the ceilings without standing on a ladder, this was a bit of a novelty. There are such beautiful, personal touches everywhere: proper glasses and a welcome bottle of water by the bed; large towels, dressing gowns, a choice of seating and a writing table and beautifully wrapped soap. In the kitchenette you could make yourself a decent cup of coffee with the machine provided, or even prepare some simple snacks before going out for dinner. I do welcome fridges in hotel rooms. It amazes me how many hotels in the mediterranean provide extra blankets, but no fridge. What I really want after a hot journey is a long, cold drink and the facility to chill more drinks.
The Dressing Room in Chambre Le Jardin at Maison Ailleurs
The Bedroom at Maison Ailleurs
Valerie explained to us that breakfast would be served either in the room or out in the garden if the weather was fine. She also told us that in Chartres throughout the summer season there is an amazing festival of lights around the city, and pointed out on the local map the best place to look for restaurants.
We had a wonderful night’s sleep, and were pleased to make use of the excellent shower twice; many hotel rooms have really inadequate showers, and many a time have I flooded floors or stood under a freezing or too-hot jet of water. By the morning Paul had persuaded me that I should interview Valerie for my blog piece. I was feeling more confident about my French speaking skills, as always happens when we stay in the country. In fact the owner of the previous hotel had complimented me on my language skills.
We had a delicious breakfast; yoghurt, granola, a superior strawberry smoothie, a small, delicious cake, croissants and plenty of good quality bread with butter and jam. We turned down the offer of eggs. Oh, and not forgetting a generous cafetiere – I do love my coffee! This was all served by Monsieur and Madame in the garden.
Paul enjoying his Petit Dejeuner dans le Jardin de Maison Ailleurs
I chatted to Valerie in French for about 20 minutes after breakfast. We sat in the beautiful garden. What is most appealing about the garden is that it is divided into little rooms, rather than having an expanse of lawn with beds. It was a great compliment to me that it emerged from the conversation that her husband is in fact English! He made some coffee and left us to it, and she did not speak in English at all. Maison Ailleurs has featured in magazines and guides, including some of the Alastair Sawday guides (excellent source of high-quality hotels and B and Bs).
The couple have four young children; we did not see them at all. They obviously take up a lot of time, but Valerie still has time to run an amazing establishment with her husband. They bought the house in 2012, and started living there in 2013. They completed many renovations and redecoration of the house and have three rooms for paying guests. Chambre Le Jardin, the suite we stayed in, is in fact the smallest. There are two other suites, Chambre L’Eveche on the same floor as ours, and a family suite, Chambre Charles V. This suite apparently occupies most of the second floor and is very extensive and ideal for a couple with a baby.
Maison Ailleurs is open all year round, but there is a quiet period from November to May. Usually the family takes a holiday for one week in July and one week in August.
Valerie and Sarah in the Garden of Maison Ailleurs
During the conversation, the other English couple who were staying came over to say good-bye, and I had a friendly conversation with them. I felt I had to tell them that I had photographed their car, as for us it was a rare event over our 4 week holiday to see another GB registered car!
Obviously the Geniques employ a housekeeper and gardener, but it is clear that they are very hands-on and that this is what makes the hotel so personal and unique.
By the way, we did go to the Lumieres show, which was spectacular. See the pictures below.
Chartres Cathedral – Les Lumieres
Les Lumieres by the water in Chartres
If you travelling through Chartres or even plan to stay for longer, I cannot reccommend this hotel highly enough. It is a little bit of luxury that I think we all need from time to time! Have a look at the website to make a booking: http://www.maisonailleurs.com/index.html
Some Roman Bridge or other in Alghero with a bit missing
Whenever we drive right into the middle of a city along a cobbled street which looks as if it should not be accessible to cars I always say, ‘oh well we’re tourists!’ Not that anyone has ever challenged us. We once famously drove right under the aqueduct in Segovia, Spain, completely unintentionally. Although there seem to be fewer pedestrianised streets in Southern European cities than in the UK, driving under the aqueduct was not meant to be an option! We think that locals are so bemused by seeing a UK registered car in such unlikely places, that generally they take no notice and do not challenge us!
Anyway, back to my original question. I decided that my best place for research would be amongst my Archers Appreciation friends on Facebook. They are such a lovely, witty, intelligent and friendly bunch of people that I often turn to them for ideas. Okay, I am a librarian by profession and know about the value of reliable research and what a wide range of sources there are. However, this article, like most of those on my blog, is meant to be fun and light-hearted. I shall not be referencing using the Harvard system.
At the end of July, the beginning of our long summer holiday, I asked them: ‘What is the difference between a tourist and a traveller?’ I agreed that I would quote their comments and mention them by first name. These are some of the responses I had. I shall then decide whether on balance their responses can prove definitively whether Paul and I are indeed tourists or travellers!
‘Travellers are nice people like us, tourists are other people.’ (Andrew)
‘A traveller is a pretentious tourist.’ (Jean)
‘Delusion.’ (Gina)
‘I travel, you are a tourist, he is a day-tripper.’ (Kate)
‘A traveller thinks they are better than tourists and thinks they are keeping it real! Travellers may wash less often – unless I am travelling! (Niki)
‘We like to think of ourselves as travellers – probably a bit pretentious I know – because we tend to travel for long periods and get close to the lives of real people as we go, rather than just going to see some attraction. I usually take the trouble to learn at least a little of the language if possible.'(Les)
‘A tourist is someone else, making the crowds bigger and the queues longer; a traveller is me, not part of the crowd or queue, just caught up in them.’ (Jamie)
‘A tourist pays for their holiday, a traveller has it paid for by their parents.’ (Dinsdale)
Reply from Helen: ‘Even in middle/old age?’
Reply from Jamie: ‘Oh god no, those yoof backpackers are decidedly tourists.’
‘A tourist takes a photo every 5 minutes, a traveller is content just to look.’ (Joan)
‘Travellers never stay at all-inclusive resorts, they are strictly for the tourists.’ (Louise)
‘I would say a tourist wants to look at places, and a traveller wants to experience places.’ (Sarah)
‘We are travellers; they are tourists. Probably working class. Or American.’ (John)
‘Tourists go where they are led. Travellers go where they will. Tourists seek comfortable situations. Travellers put up with whatever comes their way.’ (Di)
‘I spent 7 days in Petra and visited the site 5 times from different angles and loved talking to the Nabataean; they realised I wasn’t going to hire their donkey so used to just chat about life and drink mint tea.’ (Rachel)
‘Round here, travellers set up their caravans in the local park and leave mountains of rubbish and human poo behind when they depart several weeks later.’ (Deb) – As Les pointed out, this could be the wrong sort of traveller!
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions and contributions from my lovely Archers’ friends. In a way I think that Andrew, Kate, Jean, Gina and Niki have hit the nail on the head. I don’t like to think that we are better than other people. Paul and I talk about ourselves being ‘travellers’ in a jokey way. I do like to visit the attractions of the city, the places that everyone else wants to go to. For instance, when we arrived in Bilbao at the beginning of our journey, we spent several hours in the Guggenheim museum. According to Joan, I am definitely more of a tourist than Paul, as I do take a lot of photos. For our 4 week holiday this year, I have probably taken about 1000 photos, and it is going to take a long time to sort them out! I also like to do silly things, such as standing in the same pose as a statue and getting Paul to photograph me!
Flowery Dog outside the Guggenheim
Sarah with Garibaldi in Palau
We do like to plan our holidays, and always book accommodation in advance. We wash every day, and always eat in restaurants or I cook proper meals in our villa. We do not eat street food or walk around eating – something to do with my upbringing I daresay! I actually love the look of street food, but just want a table and chairs to complete the experience! The planning is partly because we like home comforts, and partly because we often travel at peak times – getting decent accommodation in August last minute is not easy! We also like self-catering, and this is really not practical or even possible to book last minute.
Louise points out that a traveller would never stay at an all-inclusive resort. Okay, at this point I had to make my confession to my friends that we did do this for our honeymoon in Cuba! (July 2004)To be honest, I think that most of the hotels in Cuba are all-inclusive, and it may have been difficult to do otherwise. We did love the holiday, but it is the only time we have ever stayed in a hotel for 2 weeks and not done any cooking at all! I am not sure we’ll ever do it again, although one of my ambitions is to go on a cruise; my dream holiday is a world cruise for several months! If Paul reads this, there is a great one advertised in the back of the Radio Times – 120 nights departing in January 2019. Passenger 1 pays from £15,999 and passenger 2 goes free!
Rachel’s comments about her experiences in Petra sound very much like our idea of making the most of a place. We often return to a favourite city, and sometimes just wander the streets, not visiting any museums or cathedrals. My favourite activity is to sit in cafes and restaurants and watch the world go by. When we went to the Alpujarras a few years back, we went to Granada several times at different times of the day; once we went early morning, and another time we went in the evening just for dinner. On another visit we did go to the Alhambra Palace, although the intense heat nearly defeated me!
However, when it comes down to it, I know that I am more of a tourist than Paul is. I adore tourist shops and buying souvenirs and gifts to take home. I send about a dozen postcards to friends and family whilst we are away. Paul is in his element when visiting archaeological sites, and has a particular passion for Visigothic sites (okay, my little joke! I believe there are not actually that many Visigothic sites world-wide!) I am convinced that an interest in the Visigoths is not common among tourists! This summer there were many interesting archaeological sites to visit in Sardinia, and I do enjoy these experiences, just not in the heat! Paul very kindly found places for me to rest and amuse myself whilst he went exploring. Luckily he was usually able to find me a beautiful beach with crystal clear sea, and my favourite activity on holiday in August (yes, it even comes above going to the shops!) is swimming. Now, would you consider swimming to be a tourist activity? Certainly on our travels, we came across very few UK visitors, and we did not see another GB registered car for many weeks (not until we reached Chamonix). However, there did seem to be a lot of local tourism.
Les makes a really good point about learning the language. I do feel less of a tourist in France because I speak French (could be fluent if I made the effort!) In fact, I was very pleased to interview our host at our final hotel in France, conducting the entire conversation in French (watch out for my future blog post about Maison Ailleurs). Paul also speaks French (not as well as I do!) and has a smattering of Italian. We both speak a few words in Spanish and can just about manage menus in Italy and Spain. We picked up a bit of Portuguese too, last year. Sometimes I get utterly confused and have spoken short sentences partly in French, Italian and Spanish!
Our mode of travel is probably unusual to some. We very rarely fly (I cannot remember the last time we went on an aeroplane – maybe 7 years ago?) This year we went on 5 ferries – Portsmouth to Bilbao, Barcelona to Sardinia, Sardinia to Corsica, Corsica to Genoa and finally Caen to Portsmouth. On ferries 2, 3 and 4 we were the only UK travellers as far as we could make out! Ours was certainly the only GB, right-hand drive car on these ferries, something which did confuse some of the ferry staff! Now, I ask you this, would a tourist travel all that way by 5 ferries and hundreds of miles of driving?! My daughter came to join us in Sardinia for a week, taking the more conventional route from Heathrow to Olbia!
So, what do you think? Are we tourists or travellers? Does it really matter?!
I am trying to write a daily blog whilst on holiday, which is quite a challenge. I discovered that my own laptop has a non-functioning battery, so will only work when plugged in. Fine, I can cope with that. However, on arriving at the apartment in Sardinia, we discovered that the internet connection is non-existent inside. So we have some further potential problems – I am only able to blog by using Paul’s laptop, as I can take it out to the public areas of the apartment block and not have to plug it in. This of course assumes that he will not need it at the same time that I do. Also, there is the question of heat – how long is it possible to sit at a steamy laptop writing great words of wisdom with no air-conditioning, in temperatures of 85 degrees plus?! Then there is one more issue, of where to put the laptop. Okay, so Paul’s model is lighter than mine, and you could possibly actually use it on your lap, but I find this makes me work slowly and end up with a crick in the neck, pains in my calves and an ache in the behind! Right now, there are Italian children playing on their ipads, and listening to Christmas music very loudly!! Why?!!
Part of the solution would be to find a table to work at, as the table-height logs are in full sunshine for most of the day. Our apartment has two tables – a dining table which cannot be carried outside, and a coffee table of the wrong height. You would think it might be simple to go to Bricofer, the local DIY Store, and buy a camping table, but no, nothing suitable was available – unless you count the wooden table and chair set, which we did not really need, or the plastic table with removable legs which would not fit in the car with all the luggage for our return journey. It was whilst investigating the possibility of using an upturned laundry basket that I suddenly remembered the ironing board which our host’s mother had brought for us the day before! Perfect! Many people sit down to do their ironing, so it would be possible to adjust the height and have a novel laptop station, with room for my camera, mouse and glass of wine!
So here I am in the public area of the apartments La Perla del Mare writing my blog at an ironing board, listening to very loud Christmas music…… I’ll have to ring Paul in a minute to ask him to help me carry all this paraphernalia back to the apartment….
I love cooking on holiday more than eating out. Those who know me well will know that I am ever amazed at the lack of vegetables in meals in Southern Europe on restaurant menus.
I look forward to cooking in our self-catering accommodation, and spend a lot of time and money buying local produce. Admittedly we do tend to use the supermarkets more than the street markets. From a practical point of view, markets tend to be in cities, and so, apart from buying non-perishable goods and really firm fruit and vegetables, the question of how far it is to dash back to the villa to get the food into the fridge. This year we are having average daily temperatures of 85 degrees plus; no joke when you need to keep food fresh.
All of my recipes are a blend of Southern European, with a touch of Modern British and some Indian and Asian thrown in for good measure. The pictures above are of the first dinner I made in the apartment: Pasta with roughly sliced Italian sausages, canned tomatoes, fresh fennel, courgette, onions and garlic, with some white wine and fresh parsley and basil thrown in for good measure.
I also cannot resist making my version of Spanish tapas. Whether or not these are entirely authentic does not matter to me. I always think it is worth taking some good base ingredients, and a wonderful concept such as tapas, and creating a snack that you really enjoy. The other night we had a meal entirely composed of my tapas recipes. In the following pictures you see:
Tuna and Chick Pea Salad with Fennel and parsley, dressed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Olives with feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and some mushrooms from a jar, in olive oil
Egg Mayonnaise
Warm Ratatouille
Squid cooked with Chorizo and Hot smoked Paprika
We ate all of these with thin Italian bread, which is a speciality of Sardinia
I’ll be posting more holiday recipe ideas as we continue our jolly jaunt in Sardinia!
Dinner provided by Ainsley on our first evening in El Nidito
Fun in the pool at El Nidito
I first found this villa four years ago when doing my usual internet search for interesting, out of the way properties to let in Europe. The first thing that struck me was the amazingingly good value rental cost; no difference between coming in April or August. However, the properties (there is a larger one called El Nido) are obviously so popular that the couple letting them get repeat business so you really have to plan ahead. So I found another villa in Spain and forgot about El Nidito. Last year soon before we were due to set off for our holiday in Southern France, for some reason I remembered the little villa in Orgiva and made enquiries. Because of the good price, we made a provisional booking for three weeks in August of this year. We have taken to travelling in Europe by land and sea, so the journey is all part of the holiday and we see much more of the country than we would if flying.
Anyway, back to El Nidito. It is in the Alpujarran town of Orgiva, and is the area of Spain made famous by Chris Stewart of ‘Driving over Lemons’ fame. Paul is much more travelled than I am and was enthusiastic at the prospect of visiting this part of Spain again. After travelling across Spain via Cherbourg, St Nazaire and Gijon (our two ferries, more of which I’ll tell you in another piece) we reached Orgiva on Saturday evening. We had left England early on Monday morning. There are three properties next to each other, and Clare and Ainsley live in the largest house and are on hand if guests have any problems or questions. The properties are reached up a steep, rough track just out of the town. It is a ten minute walk into the town with its wide selection of shops, banks and restaurants. If you are as unfit and vulnerable to the heat as I am, you might find the walk back really tough, and not to be attempted between 10:00 and midnight without a bottle of water!
Clare and Ainsley are an English couple who have lived in the area for over 20 years. They are very in tune with the needs of holiday makers, and as well as the usual welcome pack of wine, butter and yoghurt and a well-stocked cupboard with spices, olive oil and vinegar and local eggs from their neighbours’ chickens, we accepted their offer of a starter veg box. Also Ainsley cooked us a two-course dinner to make it a little easier for us arriving on a Saturday evening.
The kitchen cupboards are well stocked and there are plenty of saucepans and bowls as well as useful utensils such as a vegetable peeler, sharp knives and a corkscrew. I was also impressed by the inclusion of kitchen scales and a good lemon squeezer.
The layout of the house is all on one level; a single and double bedroom each with an ensuite, then one kitchen/dining room. Of course most of the living and, for us, dining, takes place outside in the summer and there is a lovely big table outside under a gazebo/awning construction. As the property sleeps only four and there are only three of us, the space is generous. I sometimes find that if properties are for small families or groups, tables can be very small and there are never extra chairs. Not so at El Nidito, which has plenty of dining chairs, and also extra small tables outside so that you can sit in different locations depending on where the sun is shining. The pool is small, but just right for a family of three as we are. Paul keeps saying he will go for a swim if it gets warmer! Jess and I swim several times a day which we consider necessary to our sanity and well-being.
There is a washing machine in the garden, which I use frequenntly. We have found that in smaller holiday properties there is either a dish-washer or washing machine, and I much prefer the latter given the choice. There is also an excellent charcoal barbecue which heats up really efficiently. Personally I can only barbecue later in the evening given the intense heat. Last night I lit it at about 7:45.
The pool is filled up and cleaned every day, which is very pleasant. I am used to spending much time pool cleaning as we have an above-ground one at home.
Finally, the main bedroom has an air-conditioning unit, which is great if you are hot and weary during the day, as you can just sit and be blasted by cool air. It is far too noisy to use during the night, so we leave the doors and window open; there is a bead curtain and mosquito net to deter biting bugs. Happy to say that in this part of Spain there are fewer horrific insects and mosquitoes than for instance in Tuscany, where Paul acquired some truly ghastly bites.Also we could not eat outside in the evening as much there.
We have just over a week left here at El Nidito and can truly say that it was a good choice, whilst being a very economical option for a three-week break in August!
I am not a fan of Spaghetti Westerns, but Paul enjoys them. I tend to fall asleep with boredom but quite enjoy watching the inevitable scene in the Saloon Bar, which always ends with chairs being thrown around after a rowdy drinking session and game of poker. However, when he explained that they were filmed in Spain’s only desert in Almeria, within driving distance of where we were staying in the Alpujarras, I liked the sound of visiting one of the film sets as a day out.
There are three sites to visit, and we chose Fort Bravo, which is probably in between the other two in terms of size and variety of activities. Naturally in August anywhere in a desert is going to be hot, so we would have to leave early and pace ourselves. I was also attracted by the fact that there is a swimming pool on the site; nothing to do with Spaghetti Westerns but an excellent idea for a hot day out in the desert! The largest site, Oasys, we were put off from visiting as we read reviews on ‘Trip Adviser’ from visitors who were distressed by the large number of animals who seemed to be kept in hot cages with little shade or roaming space.
I was absolutely bowled over by the film set. Most of the films were made in the 60s and 70s; for instance ‘Once upon a time in the West’ was made here. Given then that the set is now at least 50 years old, it is in remarkably good shape. Most of the buildings I should imagine would be used just for the outside shots, and some of them you cannot go into, but there are many buildings which you can still enter and walk around. For instance the Saloon Bar is still used as a bar for visitors; it is also the scene for one of the re-enactment shows which run throughout the day. All of the bar maids were dressed in grisette-type costumes and after serving drinks to the public they also took part in the show. Their main role was to dance the can-can. We assume that actors were employed to take part in the show. Some of them, particularly the dancers, were not very good. They were out of time with the music, and one poor girl nearly fell into us as she tripped and we were standing at the side of the stage. However, given that Spaghetti Westerns are a spoof and not to be taken seriously, this all seemed in keeping with the general feel of the event. Most of the visitors were Spanish and enjoyed the bar scene, which included some shooting and I believe some minor chair-throwing (although we did go out for a breath of air and to wait for the restaurant to open and did not actually see the latter).
Later on there was a wonderful show outside, mainly with cowboys on horseback. This was superb, and we really did feel as if we were extras in a Spaghetti Western film. What I really liked about the whole experience was that it was almost a community event. When the shows were taking place, you could not buy lunch or get a drink at the bar; nearly all of the day’s visitors were standing around watching at the same time. laughing and clapping. It had a really good atmosphere and feeling that everyone was enjoying the show together. Despite our Spanish language skills being very limited, we could still enter into the spirit of it. There are some amusing touches on the set too, such as a building named ‘Sky Sports.’ You could also go and pretend to hang yourself on the noose and stand behind bars in the jail. I did consider dressing up in a costume and having a ‘Wanted’ poster made of myself, but in the end resisted, because of the cost and the thought of dressing up in temperatures of about 90 degrees!
The buffet lunch was not available until after the midday show was over, and that was perfectly acceptable, and as always in Spain, a very reasonable cost at 10 euros a head for three courses. After that I went for a swim in the very welcoming cool water of the pool. Next to the pool area are some bungalows which you can stay in over-night, if you are really keen to spend maximum time at the site. I’d say that the experience is really suitable for all ages. We went with a 16 year old, but it would be great for young children too. The only activity we did not take part in which I should have quite enjoyed, was having a ride around the site on a horse-drawn carriage. We were too late for an early afternoon ride, as the afternoon, outdoor show started at 2:30 and there would be no more rides until 3:00; of course we are talking Spanish time here, where everything is relaxed and ‘manana’ and it was getting exceedingly hot, so we headed off before the end of the show. It was a very impressive affair, with wonderfully evocative music and extremely skilled horsemen riding across the desert sand. In fact there was a lot of music played during the day and particularly for the shows; even as a non Western fan, I have to admit that the music is very atmospheric.
This is a place worth visiting if you are in Almeria in Southern Spain, and want a change from swimming, beaches and visiting the fantastic city of Granada and the beautiful mountain villages.
This year we are taking our long summer holiday in Spain and Portugal. We spent a week travelling through Galicia in Northern Spain and arrived at our villa destination for a two week stay at Casa Linda. We booked the villa about a year ago,and ever since the misunderstanding with one of Linda’s paintings, which was in our possession for a short while earlier this year, we have been facebook friends. Linda is an artist and runs painting courses from her Pink Buddha Studio,but we just booked the villa as a holiday retreat. We have had the benefit of admiring original artwork in all of the rooms in our villa. Next plan is to have enough money to buy one of them – not that they are astonishingly expensive as art goes!
I am becoming quite an experienced booker of villas in the peak season of the school summer holidays – no-one will ever overcharge me or offer me some inferior deal just because I happen to work in a school! This villa has to be the best one we have booked so far in terms of location and facilities available. For me, the kitchen is so important, as we like to self-cater properly so I need all my home comforts. The kitchen in the villa is excellent and has most utensils that I need; I have also felt relaxed enough to go downstairs to Linda’s studio and beg/borrow anything extra that I have needed. This is a big contrast to our villa in Tuscany four years ago: when I asked if we could have some sharper knives, our host suggested that we could go and buy our own in the village!
The villa is all on the top floor of the house, up some marble steps and is so spacious. There are three bedrooms which are all a good size and two of them have air-conditioning, which has been most welcome. The kitchen is separate from the living/dining room, which is not always the case with Owner’s Direct properties – many just have one main room. The living/dining room also has air-conditioning which has been great. Our first week was particularly hot and humid and we have really appreciated this luxury. We do like to have a bit of a home-from-home and a villa which is more than just a base for days out. I am currently sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, something I would love to have at home. One other luxury has been having both a dishwasher and a washing machine – many properties for holiday lets have either one or the other and I have learnt from bitter experience not to go for the dishwasher-only option. We seem to get through so many clothes on holiday. This villa also has a tumble-dryer, but I am not a fan of these – nothing like drying your clothes in the fresh air.
Apart from all the wonderful facilities, including a big television and a selection of DVDs – so far we have used this once, although our young visitors last week also made use of the wii last week, it is lovely to have such attractive furnishings, adequate space for storage, and as I mentioned before,the original artwork on the walls in every room.
Last of all of course I must mention the swimming pool. For me a pool is an essential part of my holiday, and a private one is the preferred option. With this exceptionally hot weather it has been most welcome, and I had a lot of fun playing silly games in the pool last week with the girls. My daughter and her best friend visited for a week and were made to feel just as welcome as Paul and I have been. Being only about 30 miles from the airport at Porto has been a big advantage too, as it made it possible for the girls to visit without our having to travel too far to the airport. Linda keeps the pool clean and ready for use every day, and is also very relaxed about when we make use of it. I have had experience of being asked not to use the pool too early in the morning or late at night at other properties.
So, what are you waiting for? Come and visit this beautiful part of Portugal and stay in a villa which has all the facilities you could possibly need for a holiday long or short, whether you just want to relax and spend most of your time reading and swimming, or visit some of the beautiful cities and beaches nearby.
