Sorry for missing weeks...

First of all the problems encountered in Portugal, this time in visual format:


























Managed to blast through Galicia and the whole north coast of Spain in two days so that we were in time to meet Rachel and Dan in Bordeaux, sadly unable to sample the culinary delights as much as we had hoped, but squeezed in an afternoon in Santiago de Compostela (sneered at by pilgrims because of our lack of bags and staffs etc and obvious tourist demeanour!) and had lunch in rather nicer place than our usual efforts in San Sebastian, despite the pouring rain. This is the facade of the Cathedral in Santiago:



Rain followed us in fact all the way to Bordeaux and beyond, though I did have a lovely birthday and it was really cool meeting up with my family even though it was just for a few hours - made up for that with lovely dinner and much wine, mmmm.

Got some prezzies too, which I was allowed to open despite being technically the night before my actual birthday, but I'm sure the time difference made that OK...






Didn't see a lot of Bordeaux as it rained the entire time and we couldn't park anywhere in the centre, so headed north east through France to Chartres, which was beautiful, and then Versailles which was gaudy and wrong, some kind of MTV cribs pastiche way ahead of its time. Impressive though, if just in scale. Proof we were in France: the mighty Johnny Hallyday, in tat format. And Dan.

We love Portugal

But it doesn´t love the van. We couldn´t get started one morning so had to call a mechanic the next day (obviously they don´t work on Sundays) and then after we were finally on the road again we had a blow-out on the back right hand tyre just as we were about to cross the border into Spain. Luckily some really nice Portuguese people (who spoke English AND were handy under the bonnet) helped us out each time, otherwise we would have had to stay there for good - not so bad, on the Atlantic coast... Photos to follow. So basically had to bomb it back through Galicia, only stopping briefly in Santiago de Compostela and over night in San Sebastian (which is wetter than Bristol, though people are still swimming in the sea) before heading up to France again. Will let you know if we get there! Love to all K and W xx

Photos so far

Finally found somewhere to do photos, so here are a selection, up to September 9:



Toledo cathedral



Will at Benicassim campsite



Charlie, Will and Ben at Pacha in Torrevieja



Kate eating pudding with what looks like washing up liquid poured on it



Meal out with Will´s cousins in Tossa de Mar



Will "El Capitaine" driving the camper

Salamanca

Have just about recovered from almost a week in Torrevieja with Ben and Charlie - had a really good time and even managed to persuade Will to come to Pacha! Lots of late nights though, as they don´t shut their bar until the last person leaves... But since then we have been to Toledo which was fantastic, and Madrid for an afternoon - got pissed off with hecticness and traffic, plus parking the van was a nightmare! Maybe another time we´ll go by train. Also decided not to go to Lisbon for the same reason, so now we are heading north west to Galicia, spending last night in Avila and a couple of hours today in Salamanca. They are having some kind of fiesat which means everyone is dressed up in traditional garb trying to peddle "authentic" tat - my kind of scene as you know. Still no photo facilities here, sorry, but will try to send some soon.

Van is doing OK but has developed a certain odour over the last few weeks - not sure entirely what this is due to but I have my suspicions (Will+Thetford=mayhem). Sorry to have missed Dan and Simon´s birthdays, hope all had a cool time. Weather is still boiling hot, and we had a cool electrical storm the night before last - although we were out in it so had to speedwalk home - I can´t run in soggy flipflops. Love to all, K&W xx