The Big Move

Couple of days to go and I'm revving up the blog again. I missed rabbiting away about all and sundry, so as this will be our longest and possibly last real Road Trip, I'll get back on the keyboard.
We're moving a lot of stuff to Benidorm as we will be using our new caravan as a base for the winter. and when we get there, we have a lot of sorting and converting to do. It will be traumatic, funny and interesting, so I need to keep a real record.

Anyway, away on Sunday 6th, over to Amsterdam again on the 9th for a few days and then a wander though the countryside.Life is good.

For the Record

Found some time to update this work in progress, which will be read in time to come and smiled at, I'm sure.
We stayed the winter in Benidorm and just before we departed, we bought a little static caravan and awning on the Raco site. The idea being that we will winter here in moderate comfort, washing machine, cooker, flushing loo and use the van to visit other places in Spain as and when the fancy takes us. We'll see how that goes, but I digress. We left Spain in March and had 6 weeks at home in Orkney before setting off on our trip to Italy and Germany.

In retrospect, publishing as many photos on our Facebook page as we could when internet allowed, was an ok decision. We managed to put a lot of stuff up and comment along the way. But there's nothing like a blog for saying it how it was, so a few reminders are warranted.

Italy. I cannot put into words how we both fell in love with this country. The food, the people, the places are all gonna be ingrained in our minds and hearts forever we hope. It's not cheap by no means, although eating out is very good value and we did this as often as we could. We didn't have a bad meal anywhere in Italy and ate piles of pasta and full nets of fish. We mixed with local people at almost every campsite we visited and were treated to noise and laughter and families doing what Italian families do best. Enjoying life. They have a passion for it, from the smallest child to the oldest member of the family and it's something I delighted in watching and being a part of whenever it happened. The small towns were a joy and the cities marvels to the senses. The history, the architecture, the buzz and the vibe of people congregating together was a wonderful experience. And of course the weather. Not a drop of rain, wall to wall sun, although for the period from arriving in Rome back to Florence, the temperatures got to us as did the humidity. But, six weeks of absolute joy for the pair of us.

Switzerland. Nice tunnels.
No seriously, I'm sure the Swiss are fine people and they have Alps and cheese and stuff, but I got the overriding impression that we were not really wanted there. Not us personally, but tourists in general. There is a certain looking down the nose from their 2015 Lamborghini attitude going on and frankly, I don't think we will be back.

Germany Rhineland. Overall we enjoyed the experience, the scenery is fantastic and the people are friendly enough. But after Italy it all felt a bit flat, which is a terrible way of viewing things but after the Lord Mayors Show really. We met up with some friends who started their road trip the same time as us and they are still doing it. We've all changed for the better I feel and life on the road has done us good mentally and physically.

This is our route, first down to Spain, then round the Med into Italy, up through the middle into Switzerland and Germany, then back home.

So how did we do in the van. Well, we drove 5,726 miles for a start. That's the longest trip we've done at one time in the van. It performed wonderfully and apart from a couple of fridge defrosts, no problems were encountered. We averaged 28 m.p.g. at a speed of 41 m.p.h. which was slightly better fuel economy than previous trips. Our total driving time was 125 hours and 35 minutes, which, over 82 days isn't a large amount of road time really.

This has been our favourite European road trip and will probably be the last big one. Next, it's back down to Spain for the winter again. Gotta love that Beni Bounce.

Getting It All Together

As I put this down in words, we are in the van and down in Spain again. Getting round to kicking part three of the blog into gear has been an effort on my part, mainly due to burnout after the North American sojourn.
We didn't realise how shattered we were on reaching home soil, we kinda knew that the final couple of weeks in the US were taking its toll on our ability to party everyday, but wow, it took till now to really chill again.
So where were we? Arrived back in Orkney, unpacked the cases, got the car started, the van wouldn't start due to a flat battery and began the job of preparing to leave again in just over two weeks. We had a deadline to meet as we had tickets for Blackberry Smoke in Glasgow on the 16th October and a ferry to catch on the 17th out from Newcastle. So hurry, hurry, hurry, get everything done, clothes cleaned, van repacked, house sorted again, feet don't touch the bloody ground. And then all of a sudden we are behind the wheel and away.

First stop just outside Inverness and meet up with good pals who will join us down in Beni after Christmas and no doubt cause madness and mayhem again.

Then, zoom down to Glasgow for the concert. We love The Smoke and we love spreading the word about how great they are. 

The boys in full flow.

Charlie doing what he does best.

Charlie and Paul.

A great great evening to start our journey.

Next day, we heave our way down to Newcastle and on the ferry to Amsterdam. Three quick days here and then a mad dash through France. There aren't many campsites open in France in October, so we decided to drive 400 miles a day and get to the Spanish coast as soon as possible. Mind you, our first night in France was spent at a wonderful site in a Medieval walled town called Langres.

Our second night is spent at Remoulins, a place famous for the Pont du Gard, a massive Roman bridge and aqueduct, that still towers over the river after almost 2000 years. What have the Romans ever done for us.......

And then a final days hard driving brought us back to the Spanish Costa's. Gonna be here till March, but may stay around Benidorm for a lot of it, so this blog will not be as updated as often as the US one. Although having said that, it's Fiesta time again and the Fancy dress day is coming up, so be warned!!!!!

Pulling It All Together

The thing about 'The Blog' is that it's for us, that is me and Jake, but now when it's all fresh and new, then it's for us, that is all of us. I know that one day when all the colour slips away, it'll be the little stuff that will send rainbows of recollection into our brains. And really that's what it's about, stuff to remember, friends along the way, friends rediscovered and people that you will love forever.

So to do an overview of the trip, I'm gonna split the USA thing up. Only way I can reassemble my brain.

1. The Road Trip.

Thank you Ford for delivering us safe through the country of your birth. When the Ford meant something, The Model T, the Thunderbird and the Mustang, it's young sibling the Focus got us all the way along 3,500 miles of highway and byway with just enough aircon and seats that kept you comfy, it was a fine wee motor and is still USA through and through. Your highways are a joy you lucky yanks. No one uses them anymore and some of the towns are just amazing.
We travelled 17 States on our trip, from the so damn organised and truly wonderful North, down through the middle of this great country into what became a slow burning, hot and amazing meander through the South. The people are what they are. Ordinary folk going about a days business and thankfully this trip has given us a chance to see how it happens. City life, country life, seaside shenanigans.
Your fuel is so bloody cheap. Your driving is crazy. Your country, or at least the half we've visited is energising. Three things to note alongside all the roads. Car sales. Used, new, doesn't matter, there are 100 dealerships for every person in the USA. Pharmacies! What is it with all the pills and drugs. The
only commercial enterprise more numerous than selling cars are the shear amount of pharmacies. Incredible!!!
Finally, churches. Boy do the Americans like to pray. Every town, village, hamlet or roadside trailer has a least five places of worship within walking distance. In fact churches are the only buildings constructed that don't need a car to get to.
So my observation along the highways and byways, is that the bulk of the USA is car, god and pill reliant. I am also amazed at the standard of driving here. Cars are not driven, they are aimed! No left or right flashers used, vehicles pull out yards in front of you and cross the road from the suicide lanes in the middle daring you to hit them. Speed limits on roads are ignored, traffic lights are for indication only. Drink driving is normal. Drivers still text as they go along and what is it ladies, with doing the make up as you attempt to steer in a straight line!!!

2. The People.

What a mixed up bunch of immigrants you all are over here. Most of you are Scots, or Irish, or from somewhere South. But mainly you are American. From the US of A, proud of the flag, that you fly everywhere with absolute pride, and having no clue of what happens outside your borders. Now I say that having eaten in places where the waitress almost dialled 911 because of our accents. If her jaw had dropped any further when we spoke, well it couldn'a happened. Obviously there are those of you who are well read and believe that you are well informed, but you still don't show the bloody Premier League, so you ain't there yet mates!
 9/10 for friendliness, what a bunch of 'have a nice day' folk you are. And yet you really mean it and so did I and it was wonderful wishing we all had a nice day and meaning it. You know, the UK has become a bit miserable in its old age. Been there, done that, printed and exploited the locals to get the T shirt. But you guys over here, well, you're on your way. A young country with massive talent and a great attitude to life. Have a great time, I'm sure you will. Just take it easy on the pills!

3. Friends Along the Road.

Half of this trip woulda happened if it hadn't been for the friends and family that we are so lucky to have on this side of the pond. Don't expect me to single anyone out on this gig, oh no siree. We have been blessed with our people is all I'll say. Thank you all so much for giving us a peek into who you are and how you live.
People become friends and friends become family. And I hope that everyone who has challenged us and taken the piss and poured scorn and generally made the time on the interweb so much fun have enjoyed being along the road with us. Just doing what we do. Finally, to all our new friends that this trip has allowed us to meet. We had so much fun with you all, thanks a lot for the laughs.

4. USA, Is It Worth The Fare?

Ha! You think!!!! There's nowhere that's not worth being. I suppose if a wide eyed Arkansas boy was dropped into London or Glasgow, he would've felt much the same as we have at various points along the way. I get the whole, don't need to leave the USA thing now. The world lives here and you visit the world every day as much as you will allow yourselves.

Negril in Jamaica was integral to almost all of this trip, as it happened. Most of everyone we know, is because of Negril. We have been visiting this wonderful place almost all the time we've been together and as it turned out, celebrated our 30th anniversary in our spiritual home. Soon come.

This once in a lifetime trip of ours started with the passing of one of our 'turtles', Betty you will be missed as much as you were loved, but as Karma often provides, it ended with the arrival of a new turtle, baby Marley. She will be loved by so many people.

Planned for most of our lives that we've shared together, it's been memorable.

Big City Blues

Arriving in New York and staying in Brooklyn was bittersweet. We had reached the end of our wonderful road trip, arriving back at the point we began in July and were also revisiting a city we had  spent some time in 25 years ago. The weather was different, up till now we had experienced six weeks of hot and humid 'Southern' climate, but here, the sky was blue and clear and there was a definite coolness in the breeze. Fall was setting in and we were going home.

Brooklyn is a great place to stay. It is a massive borough of the city and has both good areas and bad. We stayed in a kinda middle ground part, in a good hotel, but the street was pretty run down. No matter, we have a subway station outside the door and taxis running past every ten seconds.

We caught the train to Times Square and for the first time in almost three months, met with shattering noise and a mass of humanity. Forgot what that was like!

This whole trip of ours has been about music and people and we have stayed with so many great folk. We have also met with many new friends on the road and even sitting in a bar in Greenwich Village, we meet someone who will no doubt remain friends in the future.

Brooklyn has some really nice streets

This is typical of the area around Smith Street and Court Street.

I mention these two streets as they are hidden gems in the Big Apple. Both streets run parallel with each other through the Northern part of Brooklyn and are packed with bars, restaurants and designer shops. If you are visiting NY, try and get to this part of the city, it is great.

Of course it wouldn't be New York without the problems.

They have a massive rat problem.

There are a lot of aliens in the city

Even Liberty has to make a dollar nowadays.

We came across a wonderful little cinema, called the Cobble Street Theatre, a throwback to the tiny street picture houses of the fifties.

http://www.cobblehilltheatre.com/

We watched a great movie called Boyhood for $5 each, wonderful value.

The murals on the walls of the cinema were wonderful.

Bella and Boris.

All too soon it was over and the US road trip was ending. We were ready to go back and get sorted. Three months living out of two suitcases can be wearing at times and we look forward to 'normal' food again. Not looking forward to the weather or the two days travelling either.

Rainwater Beach

The idea was to spend some beach time with good friends who both lived in the area and had also travelled from the West Coast to coincide a trip with us. Arriving in, not so Clearwater, we hoped that the rain that had followed us from Naples would soon pass. Wrong! Evidently a tropical storm had created a rain cloud, hundreds of miles wide that decided to slow down as it reached the coast.
So for the first two days this was the view from our window.

It had to happen eventually, after all, we had gone 10 weeks had had not seen any daytime rain at all. But rain it did and all thoughts of doing much evaporated with the sunshine.

Fortunately on the third day we awoke to this

so normal service was resumed, until the next day when it didn't stop again until we left. Some pictures of birds in the garden is all we could get.

They looked miserable in the rain too.

Of course we also got to visit our good friends Raul and Shauna, who had brought wee Marley into the world just the week before. She is gorgeous and no doubt will grow into a beautiful girl.

Jake doing her auntie bit.

Ooh, I'm so tired.

Although we didn't get out much, we did enjoy wonderful evenings with all our friends and once again, thank you all so much for your hospitality and fun times. We will have to return in the sun and do it again one day.

Heading North

It was time to start heading back up the way and our first overnight was again in Key Largo. Both of us have agreed that this is one of our favourite places on the trip and should we venture down these parts again, it will definitely be on the stopping list.

We crossed the Florida Everglades, which has Highway 41 cutting straight lines through the middle. Along this highway is the Miccosukee Indian reservation and associated, gift shops, airboat rides, casino and tribal village highlight. There is also a Miccosukee Indian restaurant which we stopped at, but we were a bit disappointed they didn't have any Balti or Curry dishes!

At the edge of all this natural wilderness and it is a massive piece of land, we arrived in Naples. We checked into the Cove Inn, a gem of a place overlooking the harbour and marina. All for less than $80 a night.

We were given a wonderful room, recently renovated and classically decorated. We couldn't believe our luck in finding this place, so decided to stay a couple of days.

South of Naples Bay are some of the most amazing homes we have seen. Most of them have been built in a pseudo Italian mansion style and looking at the real estate windows, nothing sells for less than $3 million. It's not just how the other half live, it's how most live in this area. We thought it could have been Mafia money from back in the day, as this whole area of Florida has Italian names and connotations. 

The wonderful Naples beach.

The view from our balcony. Wonderful!

As we travel, we find places that really make the trip a pleasure and adventure and Naples is one of those places.

Our next stop is Clearwater and our final meeting place with old friends. The road to Clearwater takes us across some amazing bridges and roadways.

We've come across bridges like this all over the place and we are still amazed at the construction involved.

So next stop is Clearwater.