Safe travels, Emily, and thanks for sharing another stage of the Labratour. Ireland is simply stunning. I must visit one day. When I fancy being perpetually soggy
I don't care how soggy it is, I will always love Ireland! I've got a few bits and bobs I'd still like to post before I declare Labratour Part III officially over, but for the next few days it's driving, driving, driving so we'll see when I get to digging out more photos. Poor little Tardis is going to deserve a long hot bath, vacuum and a good rest once we hit Cadiz!
If it wasn't so soggy it wouldn't have that verdant emeraldy-ness about it. It's one of the things that I find so striking after I return from a sunny clime and get back out into Scottish countryside - even in a Scottish summer, everything looks so green it almost hurts your eyes.
Oh, exactly. Plus if it was somehow sunny all the time it would be overrun with tourists and look like the Costa del Sol with all the concrete high rises. The constant drip is a pain in the behind, but it does do its part to keep all those spectacular beaches so pristine. That's also why I don't complain (too much) about the Levante (high winds that blow up from Africa) where I live on the Costa de la Luz in Spain. It may blow sand in every nook and cranny and make you batty with the howling, but it also means large chunks of the year where you can enjoy a (very windy) beach all to yourself!
Boy oh boy, could I use the inspiration of SuperLab coming to save the day. It's been two very long drive days. Yesterday's surprise was Sean (yes, I've named my SatNav) guiding me into central London for some mysterious reason. I was so tired (I'd started in the Yorkshire Dales) that I didn't even realise what was happening until I was in the Docklands. Yikes! Then today's drive (Calais to Bordeaux) was snow, snow and more snow. Although I got lucky apparently, as the Paris area was nearly shut down by the white stuff. I'm now ensconced in my dog-friendly yet slightly prison-like Ibis Budget. Tomorrow it's across the border into central Spain and then finally Friday evening I will be sliding into home. Whew! Today I hit 6.000km since I left Germany. Turns out that Ireland ISN'T on the way to Cadiz. And just because this post needs a bit of levity and SOMETHING to do with a doggie theme, here's a favourite pic of Brogan (and me) that I don't think I've posted yet. This is us on a tour of Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco. I love the look on his face: "Mom, this whole visit-a-prison idea is a pretty dodgy - what if they make us stay here?!"
I have been worrying about you and your drive through France. I get French news notifications on my phone and it's all "black ice and snow and closed roads" Terrible timing! I'm seriously wondering whether you need to pink slip Sean. He hasn't been looking out for you this trip! Our gps lady is called Scarlett. She's American. We used to have a lovely English lass who was only known as "bossy lady". Safe drive through Spain!
Man seems like EVERYONE is getting snowed on this year!! Glad to have some company in the battle with the white stuff. No fun to drive on icy roads, though. Stay safe Emily!!
Actually I was really lucky as the worst was cleared by the time I went through - it was still hitting Paris but Calais-Bordeaux had already seen the worst of it. There were a lot of disabled HGV (big rigs) on the sides of the road though. None too reassuring. Mainly it just meant a longer drive as for the majority I was going about 80km/hr and needed frequent stops to de-muck my windscreen and mirrors. Poor Sean! Strangely enough, he has countries that I know I need to take him more as an advisor than as a rule. Does great in Germany, Spain and Ireland but he's dodgy as heck in Italy and highly questionable in the UK and France. I knew I'd let myself get overtired when I didn't even notice that I was headed into central London until I recognized the area around the ExCel centre. Serious operator error!
Phew, Emily, I hope Sean sorts out the rest of your journey better than the London bit! (I don’t think he can be blamed for the Ireland/Scotland detour, though!)
Ah, you should have come through the middle of France and popped into Andorra to see us - what's one more country on your itinerary?! At least Andorra is geographically a little more on the way from Germany to Spain than Ireland is I hope you've still got plenty of hours of podcasts left in the tin. Drive safely xxx
You know I would have begged for a Fiona, J and puppy visit, but I was actually trying to AVOID snow, not drive right into a ski resort.
Today's drive was again seriously snowy, especially the area around San Sebastian. No photos of that - I kept my white knuckles on the steering wheel for that exciting portion of the drive. Then just north of Burgos, the blue sky came out, fluffy clouds appeared overhead and suddenly it looked like the Spain I know, despite still being an eight hour drive away from "home" in Cadiz/Chiclana. But no matter, one more drive day tomorrow and I can unpack the Tardis and settle in for the duration. Tonight I've stopped just outside Salamanca. I didn't stop IN Salamanca as it's yet another place that I think of as Brogan's. He and I lived there for a rather miserably cold two months. I went to Spanish school and worked, he generally charmed the locals but got his ear ripped up in a dog park and developed a serious dislike of the conical hats sported during Semana Santa processions. It's a beautiful city but small and not an easy trip without a car to other places. Our little flat was on the main pedestrian street and incredibly noisy approximately 22 hours a day, which drove me batty. However the saving grace was that I discovered that I could take Brogan out for a walk at about 9:30 at night - between the paseo at 8ish and the start of dinner time at 10ish - and enjoy the lit up old buildings in relative peace and quiet. I have very good memories of those magical walks with Brogan and for this trip still couldn't face an evening walk in the old city without him. So what to do? Well, I used the Forum for inspiration, of course! In honour of the last night of the Labratour, I've splashed out and switched my lodging them from prison (last night) to castle (tonight). Yes, an honest to goodness and DOG-FRIENDLY castle hotel. Eat dinner in the stables with your dog, walk your dog in the moat or the maze and cuddle up to him (and/or your human companion) in a castle turret. All I needed to really make this a proper dog adventure was the actual dog. Oops! The (grassy) moat for dog walking... Friendly neighborhood cows... That's my room up there on the front with the balcony... Indoors is a little over the top with the cherubs... Inner courtyard... Spanish sunset... And finally in honor of my buddy and our Salamanca walks, here's Brogan in the Plaza Mayor...
