¿Qué es el sitio web?

https://www.facebook.com/261336877060864/

J&P MoHo Adventures, Alicante (2025)

21/05/2024

It has been almost two weeks since my last posting so I thought it was about time for an update. Not that there's a great deal to say!
My last post came to you from Aix-les-Bains in France, we spent a couple of nights there to chill and recover from our "mud" experience. This in-land beach and spa resort is located on the banks of the long & narrow (18x3km) Lac du Bourget which provides some great water sports and leisure activity.
Feeling refreshed we moved southerly with one last view of snow-capped mountains. Continuing to shun the expensive auto-routes we passed through some lovely French towns & villages. This was also a very agricultural area, not only with livestock but also acre upon acre of neatly planted walnut trees. We crossed the river Rhone once again before arriving in the small town of Viviers to pass the night in a Camping-Car Parks Aire. These are a network of simple low cost no frills aires. We paid €14.82 for the night including electricity, fresh water & grey/black disposal, probably the cheapest (paid) stay of our trip. The next morning we found a coloured drawing left for Pauline on the back of our MoHo by some Dutch neighbours we had met there. Pauline was quite touched by this lovely gesture. After breakfast we moved on and visited the town of Orange before continuing south all the way to the Mediterranean coast, spending a couple of nights on a site at Vic-la-Gardiole near Montpellier. The upside was getting some laundry done; the downside was the bloody mosquitoes!!!
From Vic we headed towards the Pyrenees and the border. This time rather than flying through on the motorway at high level we took the D900 winding through to the town of Le Perthus. This town is mainly French but the last 500m is slightly odd as on one side the properties are in France while the other side of the street is in Spain. We passed through the border without issue, the D900 became the N2, and just like that we were back on Spanish soil.
The first Spanish town you arrive at is La Jonquera, we parked in a supermarket carpark along with lots of other vans, did some shopping and made some lunch. Having done that we made our way to a one night stop at Pineda de Mar. The following morning (14th May) we continued south to the town of Le Val d’Uixo to spend a couple of nights on the same free municipal area we’d used on the way up. This time we had time to explore a little.
From there we travelled to Calpe where we had arranged to meet up with some old friends who were over for a holiday. Pauline has known Elizabeth for 49 years and we hadn’t seen her and Alan for 22. We had a great couple of days catching up with them. We are now at our final commercial site of the trip. It’s one that we found on the usual search platforms, but what we didn’t know is that the Dutch couple who own it have been featured on a TV program called “Ik Vertrek” about people moving to a different country. The place is called Het Kartonnen Huis, The Cardboard House, the programme follows their story of being tricked into buying a house built solely of MDF!
That’s it you’re now up to date with everything.

06/05/2024

Delayed posting as camp WiFi is only at reception!!! 😡 Also we’re currently not in the EU so subject to higher data roaming charges.

Anyway, yesterday we continued our journey in a South Easterly direction very rapidly crossing the border into Switzerland. The countryside around us turned into rolling green pasture with cows, sheep and horses grazing. The weather was dry and the sun was out so it made for a pleasant drive. We passed through several villages and small towns with typically “Swiss looking” buildings.
For a lunch stop we had chosen a place called Wiedlisbach, a small picturesque town with houses built on a steep slope. The fronts on the main street and the back coming lower. Everywhere there were beautiful gardens and flowers. In the distance were the high slow capped mountains of the Alps.
Being a Sunday, it was all very quiet and the one open restaurant was to busy to feed us so we had a sandwich in the van.
We continued on, arriving late afternoon at our site on the banks of the river Aare to the south of Bern. We will be visiting the city with our free transport ticket when the heavy rain lets up.

04/05/2024

This morning we walked to the local station and took a commuter train into Basel. Having arrived we walked to the exit and I see a sign for Customs. At this point I think 🤔 hmm, we’ve popped into a different country, should we have brought our passports? Fortunately Switzerland is in the Schengen area and there are no checks.😅
We took a tram from the station to the Markplatz and got off opposite the most impressive town hall I have ever seen. The building structure on its own would have been quite impressive but what really elevated it was the decorative designs on the walls and the statues.

From there we walked to the Cathedral, constructed of red sandstone from 1356 following the destruction of the previous structure by an earthquake. The roof has distinctive coloured tiles and the facade is dominated by a sculpture of St.George giving it to the dragon.

After lunch (ridiculously expensive) we decided to visit the Botanical Gardens of the University. On the way we passed the Spelantor, one of the medieval city gates. The Botanical Gardens had many beautiful blooms from all parts of the world.
After the gardens we walked down to the river, the Rhine again, and across the Mittlere Brücke bridge which has a small chapel in the middle.

Our day of “popping in” to Switzerland done we took tram and train back to camp.

03/05/2024

This morning we packed up to move on once again, but not until I had assisted some Spanish compatriots in a hire van, they were having trouble getting the water filler cap off. I’ve had the same problem so lent a helping hand. It actually came off as soon as I touched it but the timing was such that they were grateful for me “fixing” it.
After topping up the LPG in the small town of Oberried we started climbing up hills into the heart of the Black Forest. The road took several hairpin bends as it climbed rapidly. Below the road, running alongside there were many streams with melt-water tumbling frantically down. As we neared the high points of our road (about 1040m) there were the occasional remnants of winter snow. At some points we could see the broad green pasture on hills cleared of trees. The nearby chairlift machines indicating that a few months ago they would have been covered with a blanket of snow with people enjoying the winter skiing.
The land came down more gently on the far side giving us views across nhabited valleys.
Eventually we arrived out our new home for the next couple of nights. We’re in Lörrach, a town still in Germany but close enough for us to “pop in” to Switzerland for the day tomorrow.

02/05/2024

Day in camp cleaning, laundry and chilling.
Cooked a proper meal with vegetables.
Oh, and it’s raining again.

01/05/2024

Late morning we took the 15 minute walk to the local tram stop and went into the city of Freiburg-im-Bresgau. We got off at the stop nearest to what Google Maps had marked as the “Altstadt”.
By comparison with some of the other old towns we’ve visited, this location was quite modern. There were however some individual older buildings that confirmed we were in the right place. The other thing we very quickly noticed was that we were in the middle of the commercial center with many familiar high street shops. Unfortunately, or fortunately from the opposite point of view, we had not taken in to account the May Day Holiday and none of the shops were open!
This main street was dominated by the tower of an old city entrance gate, “Martinstor”. This old gate has two modern day additions. Tracks to allow the passing of trams and if you zoom in you will see that it also houses another familiar name.
We had a coffee close by at a café just by the Market Hall. Also closed, which I did find disappointing. From there we walked to the Freiburg Münster, a grand Gothic cathedral with a huge tower. So huge that I couldn’t get it all in one picture. The clock has only one hand which moves slowly from on hour to the next. I took the picture at 10 past 2, maybe not accurate to the second, but then it’s so blooming high up it’s hard to tell. We had a sandwich lunch and continued our wanderings. The cathedral square also contained some fountains with curious golden statues. One of these turns out to be of St George standing triumphantly on the slain dragon. After another hour or so of wandering we had another coffee and then it was declared home time as there wasn’t much else to see, i.e. shops were closed.
We retraced our tram ride and walk and were back in camp in time to sit in the late afternoon sun.
Tomorrow we’re having a camp chores and rest day so I’ll update you again in a couple of days.

30/04/2024

Moving swiftly on, as they say, this morning we drove deeper into the Black Forest. We arrived firstly at the town of Gengenbach, a small town with a central “Altstadt” of charming timber frame hoses full of character. One of the main road accesses is through an old arch that still has a portcullis ready to close it off. We wandered the streets, many of which were full of brightly coloured flowers.
After lunch and later coffee we continued our drive winding through the forest, up hill and down dale. Finally, shortly after passing through a tunnel we came to our next stop at Freiburg im Breisgau which we will explore tomorrow.

29/04/2024

During our trip planning, back in January, we would have Google maps up on the computer screen. We had placed pins in various places/areas that we had thought to visit, Lyon, Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam, Strasbourg etc. Then zooming out and looking at an area the size of … well, Europe, Pauline would say “While we’re there, we may as well pop into Germany”, or Switzerland, or Italy, whichever country took her fancy at that hour of the day. Because it is obviously just around the corner isn’t it?
Strangely though, we never thought, at that time, of “popping in” to Luxembourg. As I said when we were there, it wasn’t on the plan until the rain sent us looking for less inclement weather. In hindsight, we are glad we did go.
Anyway, enough of this digression. The whole concept of “popping in” to another country somehow just feels totally unreal. Maybe it’s an English thing? Growing up and living in the UK where going to another country, from most parts, involves international air travel and is a major expedition. Even when I lived in Kent and took the occasional day trip by ferry from Dover to Calais, it was an exceptional day out. Now, we live in Spain. Another country. Yet as we are so far from a national border, I still have no concept of “popping in”.
Anyway, all this rambling is of a result of the very final part of Pauline’s reminiscing. While on her previous visit to Strasbourg she had taken a train to the nearest town, a place by the name of Kehl where she had shopped at a familiar high street store, Woolworths.
We could have taken the tram from the campsite and just “popped in” to Kehl and returned. However, we were ready to move on and the Strasbourg site didn’t have a space for another night. So we drove to Kehl, it took about 20 minutes. In the process however we had to cross the River Rhine again and, just like that, we had “popped (back) in” to Germany. We did a bit of supermarket shopping and went to our new site. After lunch of a ham roll & mug of tea we walked into the town center to find out what a German Woolworth (they are still quite prolific here) has to offer. We found it to be a cheaper end store than Pauline remembered, certainly didn’t have the characteristic Alsace glasses that she had bought previously. She did however find a couple of useful items.
Although having a pleasant enough center, Kehl is clearly an ordinary working town that, judging from the number of low cost discount stores, I suspect may have been hard hit by the downturn in the German economy. The other thing I noticed was the number of French voices I heard, along with others. I wonder how many of them had just popped over to Germany for a bit of shopping. I can’t help but wonder if it is this inability to pop to another country that has, thus far, prevented the full integration of European unity into the psyche of the British public and caused so many to reject the ideals.
Anyway, enough of this social commentary.
The walk to & from the town took us through a local park and along side a lake which was once the Old River Rhine, there’s water all over the place here. There was a very high structure made of silver fur tree trunks it is 44 meters high and has 210 steps, although I counted 199 up and 199 down. 🤷‍♂️ The top has an excellent view of the surrounding area but the swaying was a little disconcerting!! 😬
On the way back we caught sight of something odd in the lake. When we could see probably it turned out to be loads of turtles or terrapins (possibly) basking in the late afternoon sunshine.

The site has a good restaurant so we took advantage on our return. Pauline had Turkey Schnitzel in mushroom sauce with wild potatoes and I had pork medallions in mushroom sauce with Spratzle which are a thick egg noodleS. Again both good meals as was the refreshment to wash it down.

28/04/2024

We started our last day in Strasbourg with some forward planning for our next steps.
Late morning we again used the tram, €11.50 each for three days of tram and bus rides, and headed into the city to relive the last of Pauline’s reminisces of her previous visit, apart from visiting M&S which is now closed 🙏!
What we were heading for was a boat tour but first we needed lunch. One of the local snack meals that we had read about is a “Tart Flambé”, I thought I should give it a try. It turns out to be rather like a very thin pizza (the base mixture is perhaps slightly lighter) with a variety of toppings. It turned out to perhaps not be one of the most memorable local dishes we’ve tried. The dark beer however was excellent!
From there we walked to the Batorama moorings on the island bank of the river l’Il (l’il) opposite the Quai des Bateliers. The ancient center of Strasbourg is built on an island formed by a division & rejoining of the river l’Il. It is approximately 500m wide by 800m long. Archeological excavations have revealed that it has been a settlement since the Celtic age. The whole of Grand Île was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.
Most of the buildings are from the 14C onwards when the rapidly flowing water channels gave rise to the tanning industry. One of the oldest buildings still has the ventilation openings in the roof where the hides were hung up to dry.
The city did not extend much beyond the Grand Île until the late 1800s when it was transferred to the German Empire as part of the treaty to end the Franco-Prussian war. The Germans set about developing the city on a grand scale to demonstrate the greatness of the Imperial German Empire. These grand houses formed the Neue Stadt (New City) which stretches out to the park we visited yesterday. The city did not return to French rule until after the First World War. Finally the tour arrived at the water basin around which many of the modern European institutions are based. The European Parliament that we visited yesterday is on one side. Opposite it is the European Council and on another side the European Court of Human Rights.
Since the end of the Second World War Strasbourg has been a symbol of European unity and has a unique place in the history of the continent.
We have very much enjoyed our time here in this charming and historical city.

28/04/2024

Upload issues last night, but here it is.

Today we fulfilled a dream for Pauline. Since the earliest days of our desires to travel Europe Pauline has wanted to retrace a trip that she made almost 37 years ago. Back in the mid 80s Pauline was working in the UK parliament as an assistant to two MEPs who subsequently became MPs. In 1987 she accompanied them on a 4 day trip to the European Parliament. This morning we again hopped on the tram which took us to within a 10 minute walk of the distinctive building. By chance we had timed our visit for Europe Day. There were many exhibitions and activities going on promoting the history and the work of the EU and encouraging people to vote in the elections in May. Unfortunately voting rights are based on citizenship and not place of residency, so even though we live in the EU we are disenfranchised.😡 The building was busy with people of many nationalities, both visitors and staff. We spoke with a Spaniard who works for the EU in Brussels, an Italian who works in Luxembourg and in the parliamentary chamber the political makeup of the members and processes of legislation were described to us by a Lithuanian who works there in Strasbourg. All of them spoke excellent English and we were made to feel very welcome despite our personal lack of EU membership. Although it was not possible for Pauline to see all the areas of her previous visit (she doesn’t have the All Access Pass anymore 😂) there were certainly parts that she definitely remembered visiting - the Members Bar - which we passed but it was closed!
By the time we had gone around all the displays we were ready for a very late lunch. The proletariat café/bar was open and we found pasta & mince available, it wasn’t bad. We also found Apple Tart which is another of Pauline’s memories of the place.

After lunch we walked to the nearby Parc de l’Orangerie where Pauline remembered seeing monkeys in a zoo. Walking as if by instinct she found the right place. Most of the animals are now gone, the zoo having been closed in 2022 after some years of campaigning. The area is now an animal education center. There was however one form of wildlife in abundance. The park is a regular nesting site for herons and there are many trees that appear pruned specifically to aid their nest building. The park itself is full of different colours of deciduous trees and ornamental planting. The good weather of the weekend day had bought out many people to enjoy the amenity. Having walked through the length of the park we found a bus stop on the correct line to deliver us back to camp in time for supper outside.
Another good day of new and relived experiences.

26/04/2024

We hopped on a tram late morning (having done some laundry) which took us into Strasbourg city center. We got off near to the cathedral on the basis that it was probably the most focal point. As you approach, catching glimpses of the Cathédral-de-Notra-Dame-de-Strasbourg between other buildings, one very rapidly becomes aware of what a huge imposing structure it is. Not until you get right up to it though, does the sheer enormity of it sink in. Bearing in mind that it was started in 1180 and finished in 1439 it has to be acknowledged that this is a masterpiece of medieval engineering. The central tower stretches up to a height of 142m and remained the tallest building in Europe until the 19th century. The intricacies of the stone carved facade bear testament to the skills of the masons of the time as do the stained glass windows to that of the glaziers. The true brilliance of these windows is not seen though until venturing inside where they can be seen with the sunshine behind. We didn’t spend long inside however as (a) I look at them in terms of architectural rather than religious masterpieces and (b) it was time for lunch! We wandered away from the overpriced restaurants within the cathedral square and found one offering food of the local Alsace region. Pauline opted for Knuckle of Pork slow roasted in a Honey & Beer glaze. I selected a dish that was translated as Sauerkraut with Sausages. It turned out to be a veritable meat feast!
After lunch we took a ride on the tourist train through the streets listening to the history of the many 16th & 17th century buildings. Having done that we strolled and browsed the shops, purchasing the obligatory fridge magnet. We’re gaining quite a collection! We came upon a convenience store and went looking for milk that we needed. It turned out that the shelves were quite a maze and had initially hidden what we now realized was a fairly big supermarket. We left with my back pack full and also a carrier bag. As it had now turned six o’clock and we were close to the tram we decided it was time to return to camp.
The end of our enjoyable first day in Strasbourg. Tomorrow Pauline is looking forward to revisiting her past.

25/04/2024

Today we left the rivers behind and drove further south towards a city that had been on Pauline’s list from the earliest stages of planning.
On the way we had decided to stop for lunch in Baden-Badén a city at the northern edge of the Black Forest. Thanks to our motor homing apps we found a parking location within 10 minutes walk of the center. We found a Bavarian themed restaurant for lunch. The waiters were dressed in lederhosen while the young ladies wore frilly frauline dresses. I had a dish of meat loaf with Bavarian cabbage and fried potatoes. Pauline had a turkey steak with (loads of) vegetables. Both excellent.
After lunch we walked into the Altstadt and to Leopoldsplatz which appears to be the city center. It appeared to us that the city is quite a pleasant open place with trees growing in abundance.
We returned to the van and plotted the route to our destination for the next few days. Having selected to avoid tolls we taken uphill winding through leafy forested countryside and through numerous delightful small towns and villages.
Finally we descended and came again to the mighty Rhine River which we crossed at a wide combination of weirs and locks. The level on the upstream side was a good deal higher than the downstream. Then, just like that, we were back in France and soon arrived in Strasbourg where we shall spend a few days.

24/04/2024

Our camp for last night and tonight is on the banks of the Neckar river, another tributary of the Rhine and the third referred to in yesterdays diatribe. We are near the town of Heidelberg into which we took a bus in time for lunch. This we found at an Italian restaurant. After lunch we walked along the Hauptstrasa, a main shopping street, sheltering from a hail storm on the way to the Kornmarkt. From there we took the funicular railway up to the castle. We had thought the railway would be fun and have some good views as we climbed. We were rather disappointed however as it was mostly enclosed. The 9€ return ticket also included entry into the castle. This is of 16th century construction and in ruins since it was destroyed by lightning in 1764. There are some lower parts remaining which house a “small” barrel and a really, really BIG barrel. The terrace provides excellent panoramic views of the town and river below, including the Alte Brucke (old bridge) with its distinctive white towered gate. We elected to take the stairs back down to the town and took the bus home.
All in all, we weren’t overly impressed with Heidelberg. It didn’t really float our boat, more chance of the heavy rain and hail doing that.

J&P MoHo Adventures

21/05/2024

06/05/2024

04/05/2024

03/05/2024

02/05/2024

01/05/2024

30/04/2024

29/04/2024

28/04/2024

28/04/2024

26/04/2024

25/04/2024

24/04/2024

Dirección

Página web

Notificaciones

Atajos

Compartir

Categoría