Fleas that tease in the high Pyrenees

That's the only line we can remember from school. Hi All. Yes we crossed from Spain into France through the Pyrenees  this afternoon. Very little has happened to keep you informed or entertained in these closing days of our trip.
Having left the site in sun this morning ,we arrived here at St. Marie de la Plage under a cloud. Muggy and mosquitoes is the best way to describe our environment, oh and a long walk to the sea. Tomorrow it's St. Pierre for us and a return to a special Aire.
Returning to the border crossing, where all the old customs buildings still remain, we were fascinated by the number of people and cars thronging the streets. The French had come for cheap Spanish clothes and the Spaniards had arrived for French wine even cheaper than that provided by Lidl.
 After Morocco, Sue has had so few photo opportunities, that she has now resorted to taking photographs of colourful insects, which are splattered on the windscreen and the rampant and very loud albino peacock ,who is "serenading" us this evening,.

A few final thoughts about the Spain that we have experienced. It's mostly litter free and clean. The roads are brilliant and many are toll free, which we hope will be the case when we come again. The campsites have been way better than our expectations and the beaches are long, not overly crowded and in our case, frequently naturist!!

 

Sangria for breakfast!

Oh dear, the Innocents really got it wrong this morning! We decided on a healthy breakfast of fruit juice, coffee and croissants. The fruit drink tasted so good, we had another! So smitten were we  by the fruitiness, we checked out the ingredients. Alcohol can be a very pleasant start to the day.
Later, once the giggling had subsided, we strolled across the headland, through the trees and lo and  behold, a naturist beach.

There are 8 faces and a shoe on this piece of bark!

The views from on high were spectacular. No, not those folk without clothes but the photographs Sue took. No, not of the naked bods but sail boats and tree bark!
Finally tonight, before we get our teeth around dinner, we would like to share with you, our take on how the locals go camping here in Spain.

* first you select your plot, preferably with a shade tree
*then invest in a sheet of green or blue plastic flooring
*buy a caravan and a full width awning

Spot the smiley caravan.

*set up a small but tall six by four foot tent on one corner of the flooring and install a fridge freezer, a sink, cooker and microwave as this will be your kitchen.
*add a table, chairs, TV and electric fan inside the awning
*erect a series of windbreaks for a fence so that the world knows that you are camped here

*find a couple of bikes because it's a long walk to the shop, shower and toilet
*bring your flower pots and hanging baskets from home as there won't be anyone there to water them

* a guard cat or dog or even a parrot in a cage for security
and here you have it ... a home from home by the sea just waiting for the kids and school holidays!

Life's a beach!

Hello we are on the air again!
The last several hundred miles has taken us past acres of greenhouses, bursting with tomatoes and salad crops; there have been vineyards, orange groves and peaches too., but the lasting memories will be the long , clean beaches. Wherever we have parked Delfin, the sound of the sea has been there in the background.

Here at Las Palmeras, we have walked the length of the beach to the headland and once there, we wandered through the pine trees, where the winter rains have carved deep gullies and exposed the ancient root systems, which curl and coil around the pathways like an octopus on "speed"!
Once again we are about 20 metres from the beach where the sand is pale cream and the sea, a deep turquoise. It is clean and free of seaweed and each morning a man in a tractor comes to iron the sand. Like naughty kids we leap on to the smooth surface, leaving footprints galore.

There was laughter this afternoon when the sea emptied itself of bathers as a shoal of jellyfish hurled themselves on to the beach!
Not a lot gets done in our days when we are not on the move. We wash, clean, cook, read and wander. But we have discovered a use for those white plastic patio chairs.
You take them to the edge of a busy main road, complete with sun umbrella, wearing your best sparkly sun top, short dress and make-up. You wait for a customer and if lucky, a passing trucker or biker will avail himself of your services!!

Barcelona was to be our next stop-over but the receptionist here has advised us not to go. She said that it has never been a safe city to visit but now, with all Spain;s troubles, it is not a good or safe place to visit. So coming from a native Spaniard, we intend to follow her advice.
From here we 'll take the toll motorway over the border to Perpignon and if we can access Wifi then we'll bring you up to date.
These days are flying by, as the return dash through France looms closer and suddenly we no longer feel like adventurers but just plain holiday makers.

Beer and crisps

Not much happening as we potter along the Costas.From the small site experience, we are now having the huge site experience.
  Short of nothing here at Mazarron. All bells and whistles and a gentle stroll to a glorious sandy beach. No large-scale developments, just a small town and plenty of friendly people.
Mid-afternoon so time for a cold beer straight from the fridge to wash down the crispsWe are steadily working our way towards the French border and feel more as though we are on holiday rather than having a big adventure. Sun, sites and beaches, but all in beautiful sunshine. Today we are at Bolnuevo, a lovely sleepy sea side town, with a long promenade to wander along in the evening sun. It also has an amazing rock formation in the centre of the town's car park and a promontory covered with small, neat holiday homes.