Spain -16 to 23 October 2007 (1st Leg GR1)

Hola Amigos from GR1! Spain saw the return of a familiar knocking under Tipperdee. Arriving from the SW part of France into San Sebastian was rather worrisome as the noise grew louder quickly. Needing a base we headed for the only campsite, and a Swiss angel alerted us to a loose left rear wheel that sounded exactly like the centre bearing problem in Sudan ! Two of the wheel bolts had broken off and the wheel was held on by a few threads! Toyota to the rescue the next day and the repairs gave us time to enjoy Donostia's vista's, especially from Monte Urgull, with its castle and statue of Christ. The walk up the hill and around shell-shaped Bahia de la Concha beach was just the relaxation we needed.

The evening though was for the buzzing Parte Viega (Old Quarter) and temping pintxos (Basque-style tapas). After sampling different decorative goodies we had to end the evening with churros and hot melted chocolate. Balancing the budget we spent that night in a car park near the old city and were forced to dash off to Bilbao early the next morning. The Guggenheim museum which many feel revitalize modern architecture was inspired by the shapes of ships and fish and is covered in Titanium scales. Another night amongst trucks along the road and we were in Castro-Urdiales to meet the Garlochs from Cape Town . This old Cantabrian coastal town had a magic atmosphere, especially the charm of the old town and gothic 13 th century Santa Maria Church located next to the castle lighthouse overlooking the Bay of Biscay .

We spent 2 days with Chris, Nadia and Laith Garloch from South Africa exploring Castro and the surrounding coastal area east to Bermia. The cherry on top was a great party in a local bar, fully adorned with SA flags (thanks to Bridgette Brukman) , as our rugby team were crowned champions of the world! Reversing our route through Spain to meet great friends was rather sad as we soon departed south to Madrid on the 21 st October.

After a stressfull 2 hours trying to find the only campsite without a GPS in a maze of freeways, we were eventually relieved to find our way as the sun set. Madrid , the capital since 1561 had some striking architechure - the 18 th century Palacio Real, Catedral de Nuestra Senora and buildings around the plazas Major, Sol and numerous others. But we were rather disappointed as the Moroccan consulate we walked to for hours, could not issue our visas. So as massive cities are not really our thing, we drove west to the heart of Spain , Castilla I Leon, and Avila which sported a magnificent Gothic Cathedral and city walls with turrets. Heading on, we spent the night in some car park in Salamanca and saw many el toros (bulls) on the plains of Spain before crossing into Portugal .

Adios!

Gary , Jo-Anne, Jade and Dane (GR1)

Spain - 5 to 18 November 2007 (2nd Leg GR1)

Hola again from GR1 - Spain was immediately more hectic, the roads, traffic and what seemed as an uncontrolled expansion of new buildings. We went straight for Andalucía's highlights - Seville , a seductive city with a history to match. But first, we had to endure a 2 hour search for a camp site which had closed down before ending up 20 minutes south of the city at Camping Villsom.

A French couple - Jane and Matthew joined us the next morning and after an eternity of searching for parking, we enjoyed the narrow streets and to my delight, seafood tapas at an authentic local market! Again, sad farewells and we were back into hard-core sightseeing. Our highlight after seeing the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world and La Giralda Tower (the 12 th century mosques minaret), was Alcazar. Founded in 913AD as a Muslim fortress, this palace still remains the official royal residence. Adapted by centuries of rulers it's a fascinating mix of Moorish, Gothic and Renaissance architecture amidst manicured gardens.

At sunset we took a cruise on the river Guadalquivir from the golden tower which was used to store gold from the Americas . The evening we were mesmerized by a pure classical flamenco show in the patio of Casa de la Memoria before a long hike back to our parking spot (we counted over 1000 footsteps to the car) along the highway to Granada . The capital of the Moorish Kingdom at the feet of the Sierra Nevada Mountains proved to be equally enjoyable. Granada 's heyday was from the 13 th - 15 th centuries until 1492 when the Christian Monarchs took possession of Alhambra . This monumental complex built from 1238 on a red hill (hence its Islamic derived name) demonstrates how architecture and nature can exist in serene harmony. It took us the full 4 hours to explore the different areas - the Alcazaba (fortress), Generalife ( Palace Gardens ), Medina and the centre-piece of the complex - Nasrid palace with ornate marble walls, arches and patios amidst flowing water, fountains and gardens - truly splendid!! The complex also integrates the later renaissance palace of Carlos V effortlessly. Exhausted, we used Tipperdee to see a bit of the old city as we headed down to the coast and our overnight spot at another filling station - the filling stations in Europe has really proved well worth their while!! The 8 th November our first views again of the Mediterranean Sea along the Costa del Sol coast welcomed us as we made our way east to Almeria .

Driving along the dramatic coastline and semi-desert landscape of the Cabo de Gata promontory to Mojacar was beautiful. Bush camping at this former hippie enclave with the med lapping near Tipperdee's wheels and enjoying the company of the Brits and an Austrian couple in perfect weather was a joy. The kids thoroughly enjoyed dashing about on the rocks and the nearby golden sand beach while Jo-Anne spent hours preparing mails to be sent to family and friends at a nearby free internet coffee shop. But onwards the next day and the 2 day retreat at Fortuna north of Murcia in rural Spain was just what the ‘doctor' ordered!! Camping Fuente with its hot 36 degree mineral pool and jacuzzis and the most authentic market with loads of fresh produce made the drive amidst scattered villages a highlight of Southern Spain .

The 11 th of November was for Alicante and a leisurely stroll along the Playa del Postignet and palm fringed boulevards with the imposing Castello de Sante Barbara keeping a watchful eye, was simply delightful! We at least had a chance for a great Moroccan lunch here seeing that we missed the country! Because this was the Costa Blanca with fine white sand beaches, it necessitated a bush-camp just 20km east at El Campello!

The next day again we again only managed 30km to Benidorm where we spent the next 3 days and nights in a side street near the old town. We arrived at 2pm with daytime fireworks and traditional parades and as luck would have it, it was Benidorms annual major fiesta in honour of the Virgin of Suffrage - according to tradition, it follows a mid 19 th century vessel which washed up ashore with dead crew and was burned due to the threat of the plague, but miraculously the virgins statue at the bow survived. What entertainment - bands, fancy dress and solemn processions, fireworks, music and dancing - all for free including foods and all kinds of drinks! Even a children's playday and young bulls at the bullring. The Spanish can party and we joined the craziness, especially the 1am moving fire and sound show where one dances behind behind great music while a procession moves through the old town and you have to run and dodge the sparks from fire wielding samurai looking maniacs shooting crackers wildly into the crowds. The kids really enjoyed the amazing float parade collecting the hundreds of strewn sweets and chips. The final evening's fireworks display was the 'crème de la crème'. Still ecstatic, we departed for beautiful Valencia and spent a good few hours searching for parking near the old town before eventually seeing the 1238 Catedral de Valencia built on the site of a former mosque and before that, a pagan Roman temple.

The Romanesque - Gothic church is home to the chalice Christ used at the Last Supper and taken to Rome by St Peter in the 1 st Century - history or legend, it's the only Holy Grail recognised by the Vatican and a moving experience to see. As night approached, we needed facilities by now and spent the night at Camping Bonterra Park near Castello. After teaching we had to get the Catalonia area and Barcelona , driving the 280km through countless alluring destinations along the coast.

We fell in love with vibrant Barcelona with its stylish boulevards, despite negotiating hectic traffic at night. Firstly, classy La Rita, was the perfect spot to celebrate Jo-Anne's birthday with creative gourmet cuisine. At midnight we found our spot for the next 2 nights a few meters from Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece 'La Sagrada Familia' - a temple to the sacred/holy family. He may have been eccentric, but his genius unfolded as we were guided through the live construction process that began in 1882 and is currently 50% completed. The symbolic references to nature, intertwined with religion and amazing geometry had us in awe. We spent hours gawking at the towers, facades of the passion and the nativity and learning about his life. We ended up searching for more of his modernist art and saw La Pedrera and Casa Batllo before being entertained by street artists in the pedestrian boulevard, Las Ramblas. Walking from Placa de Catalunya to the waterfront we popped into the colourful market De la Boqueria with the freshest produce and tastiest veggie snacks - one called a 'vegetarian orgasm' which we had to try! From Columbus statue, the long hike back through the Gothic quarter with its looming cathedral and royal palace (which contains the most extensive and oldest manuscripts in the world) had us in bed and oblivious of all the traffic by 9pm. We left Barcelona after another view of Gaudi's wonders and views of the city from the hilltop park and castle Montjuic. Walking took up most of the day and after driving along the Costa Brava , we spent the night in the car park just outside Medieval Girona. What a chill - Tipperdee's temperature was just 3 degrees inside, so we headed straight on via Figueres, Olot and La Seu d'Urgell for Andorra . The drive west along and through the Pyrenees was a 150km pass-like road dotted with old stone villages as the last of Autumns reds and oranges struggled against Winters icy grip.

Adios Espana, 3 and a half weeks just gave us a great taste of what you have and we hunger for more!