The Purples abroad: August 2005

Greetings from Avignon

Hallo to everyone. We are having a fab time on our moonhoney. We left Bilbao to go to the Basqua area of the Pyrenees and stayed at a lovely campsite in Lekunberri between San Sebastian and Pamplona. Very beautiful area both cities well worth a visit and great walking in the mountains. Next on to Pechon camping on a cliff edge near lovely beaches. Pechon near to Santander. After this further West down the coast to Foz, very disappointing and really bad storm. Then on to Santiago de Compostela. Very beautiful and interest place and great campsite and food but too many hysterical pilgrims for Sam. Next to Portugal to try to do some walking. Fundeo very lovely area but no information on walking and risk of forest fires. Sam also got bitten by a large mosquito and her right foot and ankle swelled up so she couldnt walk anyway. So gave up on Portugal and will go back with more info. another time. Travelled back in to Spâin to Cordoba. Excellent place, lovely little hotel, good food, nice people and interesting buildings. Then on to the mountains of Malaga to stay for a few days with Sams friend Andrea and her family in a lovely villa. Very relaxing and fun. Surroundings beautiful. A big thanks to Andrea and her sister Fiona. Next to Valencia briefly thank goodness for Hotel Ibis. Valencia looked lovely by night and we intend to go back again in the future. Our most exciting journey then occured when we got caught in the Pyrenees in a violent hail storm. Stayed in Girona which was great but quite flooded particularly the backstreets which were about a foot deep in large hailstones and the firebrigade and police were trying to shove them down the storm drains.
Finally in to La Belle France to Perpignan. Interesting place great food and booze and people very nice and hospitable. We got very drunk in a locals bar and then had very bad hangovers the next day. Now in beautiful Avignon about to go exploring. A big thanks to Annette, Troy and Timothy for the Wedding Photos. More photos of our trip to follow a.s.a.p

Dave's story

Well I am on the same honeymoon but I am having an alternative experience.
Never refuse to give a gypsy woman money when she asks for it.
We were having a great time up to Cordoba when a gypsy was showing off her drugged up baby to the tourists and expecting some money. She probably has more money than me and was certainly better dressed! However we probably looked an easy target buying ice creams. I plainly refusze her rather aggressive begging. However there were to be consequences.
1; later on that day or earlier the next morning after arriving at Andrea,'s sister's villa in Competa (ouside Malaga) Bob and had a masterclass in diving. Quite fun but a sober onlooker would have been amazed at the olympian dives into a 3m by 4m pool. Needless to say that I am now sporting a small scqr on my forehead. The pain was shortlived and I tucked into my next cerveza by 6pm the following afternooon.
2; Constipation. Not normally experienced by me as I am an olympic standard pooer being vegetarian. Obviously as the result of some sort of black magic.
3; Wasps. Normally wasps are my freinds. I don't trouble them and they just lick or kiss me. Not after black magic gypsy woman however. We stopped at a Spanish parking:mugging area on the motorway and i had a sudden burning on my leg. I thought I was on fire. It was a wasp sting!!!! I have never been properly stung _ thye normally just crawl over me.
4; Biblical hailstorms. Just outside Girona. Hailstones the size of golf balls
That was all due I'm sure to not pleasing the gypsy woman. So from now on I shall carry a piece of lucky heather to give to the next begging woman with baby.
So luck has now turned for the better after purchasing some magic French pooing potion and drinking many "Felicitations" with the owner of La Casa de L'Art in Perpignan and his wife, two children and assorted freinds. Wer went in for one drink around 8pm but after sampling every drink we finally left about midnighty and I can't remember getting back to the hotel. Certainly Sam arrived way before me for some reason.
Now we are in Avignon. Not sure if I should drink today but with all these bars it would probably be rude not to. Let's see what adventures unravel today!!!!

A bientot

Dave