Le Lavandou

We went into Lavandou to look for a suitable site to move into and preferably the one we stayed in on honeymoon. It was after all my mad idea to return to Lavandou for our 15th Anniversary. However we couldn't find it and only one of the 5 we looked at was possibly as good as the one in Cavalaire and so we decided to stay put. It didn't stop us having a drink in one of the sea front cafe/bars.

On the way back we went up the road from Pramousquier to La Mole. I've always come to the Cote d'Azure from La Mole. You leave the motorway and drive through the pine forest, up a fairly steep and twisty road. At the top you suddenly get this fantastic view of the Mediterranean laid out before you and views across to the Poquerolle Islands

Took Sophie for a walk along the ridge.

Decided we had to have dinner out in Cavalaire. Well Nicky needed her shot of Moules Frites.

Ventimiligia to Cavaliere-sur-Mer Monday

Woke with a slightly muzzy head. The camp rules were we had to be away by 10.00 am. So although we didn't put the awning out etc. it was still going to be a rush. The site did not sell fresh bread, but the guy in the bar said there was a shop 200 meters outside the site that did. He gave directions, which I thought I followed, but after 10 mins walking found no shops of any sort. So I turned back and we had toast from yesterdays bread. It annoyed me that I had wasted valuable time. We got away by 10.00 though as this was the camp rule. Very bossy lot. The road to the Italian border is through the mountains and there are lots of tunnels. The traffic coming from France to Italy was being separated he lorrys stopped and cars being diverted. The queues went back for miles, thank goodness it wasn't our side. Although we had lanned to camp in Lavendou I had seen a site in Cavalaire-sur-Mer, which is no a hillside overlooking the town and sea. We found it easily, but the entrance was a bit difficult and rather steep, but we did get in. The placements are nice and big and well shaded. The only draw back is having to climb 30 odd steps to get to the loos. We had a look round the harbour and a drink in one of the bars. Sophie was amased by the fish in the harbour that kept jumping out of the water. Some people were feeding them bread.

Sunday Lake Garda to Ventilimiglia

Got up early to start packing up. It had dried up , but was still windy and cloudy. Anyway we were ready to leave by 10.30, see how practice improves performance! The we hit traffic and did 6 miles in 40 mins. Our destination is a good bit further than we would normally expect to do, so any hold-ups could make things really difficult. Wind and cloud were forecast with 20% rain. All stress after our lovely break, that's probably why I didn't listen to Trixi ( Sat Nav) and missed our turning to Genoa off the Milan motorway. We ran into rain. The roof light was open as I still did not trust my makeshift cover. Anyway now was the time to test it, so I stopped under a motorway bridge and fixed it. If you've never tried stopping under a motorway bridge on a fast motorway in the rain I recommend you don't. It's not so much the side draught from the vehicles moving so fast as the near impossibility to accelerate fast enough to get back into the traffic stream where no one seems prepared to give way. The makeshift held, I discovered my mistake and we headed back for the right turning ( where is was not raining and had not rained).

Going through the mountains it did actually chuck it down for an hour so my efforts were rewarded in a funny sort of way. We headed for Ventimiglia near the Italian French border. It has been a long run 280 miles further than we would normally expect, but we got there at 5.30. It's a nice site clean and level, but rules, rules, rules!!

We had a meal in the restaurant and after a German and his wife invited themselves to come and sit with us Gerhardt I think his name was and his wife was Polish apparently. He was my age and a big lump, she had to be 20 years younger and attractive. Anyway he kept plying the wine and he and I did get a little drunk. Nicky being the sober girl she now is followed the conversation and as she said in the morning started to get ready to run when he mentioned the War!! Anyway it all went off very light hartedly. He said he didn't know his father, who had been killed on the Russian front when he was 3.

Saturday Lake Garda

Decided to have a lazy day today. Went to ther beach and of couse Sophie swam. An talian lady was 20ft away when we started and looked very unhappy about Sophie getting out and shaking. How ever as the sun moved and caught in shadow she moved nearer to us and nearer until I thought she was going to sit on me. This of course made it very difficult with Sophie. Nicky said don't care. Sophie eventually did splash her a little bit. She smiled wanly and moved to the other side of the shadow well away from us and interestingly near to her children who were playing in the water.



You see how relaxed we are now getting interested in real trivial stuff. We stopped off at a cafe/bar on the near by port and had a Campari Soda. We've been in Italy for over a week and this was the first!! I must be slipping.



As the evening drew on the louds gathered and we had one almightly thunderstorm and a good bit of rain. Poor Sophie did not like it and Nicky let her stay in the Van for the night.

Friday decided to stay at lake

WE wanted a quiet day and made te decision to stay until Sunday. We heve relly fallen for Lake Garda, and so has Sophie. As soon as we leave the tent she pulls toward the path down to the lake.

Anyway we collected Sophie from the kennels as promised at 10am. She was happy to see us and although the kennelmaid said she had been good, her front was wet from saliva and she was breathing heavily, so we guessed she was stressed. We went round the lake to Lazise as we had promised ourselves. It is a very pld walled town still with a castle that is lived in by the family. There are two churches, one very old with some wall paintings that have been uncovered, the other more modern as the previous one burned down. Lazise is very popular with tourists and is on the lake side. It also boasts a huge number of restaurants. I think every street has at least one and the streets near the lake are one after the other.

Rain is promised for tomorrow, and it could do as it is very warm and clammy. Caught up a bit on the Blog and downloaded AVG, Picasa and skype. Phoned Carol to see if it was working.

Venice

Thursday 26th. We decided Sophie, Venice, Boats etc would not work so we put her in the kennels found for us by the camp reception. It was OK but not wonderful. Off to Venice. Got there about 11.30 and the boat across was noon. I hadn't realised how far from the mainland the main islan was. It is totally built on a mudflat, who would do that? and how did it beome such a rich and powerful nation state in the old days? I think we saw all the things 'to see' on the main island. The bridge of sighs stuck out between two very large adverts. wWe wanted to go on a Gondoler, but the charge for a short trip was 80euros and for the full tour 120 euros. Gues what we didn't go! We took the water bus up the grand canal though and that was nice. Photos tell all

Wednesday - Boat trip round the lake

Yesterday I decided we should take a boat trip around the lake. The boats criss cross from place to place and it seemed like fun. The trip round the whole lake would take a day, so I thought a half day would be fine and back to the beach for a late swim. It also meant I could go to the computer shop to ask him to down load from the net, the Belkin softwear I needed. We queued for our boat tickets, to be told Sophie could only travel if she was muzeled. No muzzel no local pet shop = no boat trip. So with suitable Anglo-Saxon expletive I deided we would go by car, in any case the rain had left the air very thick and visibility was very poor. The trip was fantastic. Great views where the road could be on the edge of the lake and some incredible tunnel work on the parts of the lake where the edge was shear cliffs. Hope the photos explain. Stopped at Limone, famous for it's styalised lemon groves and its famous lemon liqueur. Once a thriving industrial town now lives on tourism. On to Riva at th top of the lake and then back down the east coast of the lake. Decided of all places we would like to see Lazise with it ancient walls.