Bonjour from Brittany!

Bonjour from Brittany! Suffolk Branch is having a good, if rather damp, time and is pleased to report on activities to date.

We have all been reading the excellent Edmund Hillary biography kindly bought by Norfolk Branch, and this, together with the rocky Atlantic coastline, has inspired a spot of rock climbing. Isaiah is channelling his inner Tenzing Norgay with words of encouragement and advice to Polly and Kiwi as they try to ascend a difficult escarpment.

It was hot and sweaty work so Polly was first into the sea to cool off, with the bears and Kiwi close behind.

Then, once safely back at their camp, they decided to sample the local cider to see how it compared with the Breton Puffin beer! They preferred the Puffin beer but either their translation is wrong or else the magic ingredient is puffin wee! Who cares – it tastes nice! Santé to all at Norfolk and Warwickshire branches and à bientôt!

One of the 7 Wonders of the World?

The highlight of our week in Spain was undoubtedly our trip to the Alhambra. There was so much to see, and it was all so stunning, that it will fill a very long chapter in the Friendly Planet Guide.

We decided to pass on the organised HPB trip and arrange our own, so we could depart at a civilised hour. Trig, our trusty hire car, had a long run up to Granada but we enjoyed the scenery en route, especially the views of the snow capped Sierras.

Granada also looked a fine city as we drove through, but, on this occasion, the Alhambra was more than enough for us, so we ignored its charms.


Our timed slot to visit the Nazaries Palaces was at 2.00 p.m. so we made sure we were there early. The timed slots work well and we enjoyed being able to view these stunning palaces and courtyards without having to fight our way through huge crowds.

We had hired audio guides so we were able to hear lots of fascinating facts about the Alhambra, all in English! There was a lot to learn, but to be honest with you, we've forgotten it all now, so we won't spout any exotic names or dates. In any event, the Alhambra is a feast for the eyes, far more than a feast for the ears.

We particularly enjoyed the open spaces ...



... and Gio was thrilled with all the scallop shells at the entrance to the places, as they reminded him of his time walking the Camino to Santiago (the scallop being the emblem of St James).


Pedro and I were quite taken with the ornate niches, of which the following is a good example.


They made good resting places for bears and strangely enough they were always unoccupied, possibly as they were too small for humans. We liked the suggestion that, historically, they were places to leave your slippers when you went inside, although this probably is just a fanciful notion.

We hope you're beginning to get a flavour of the Alhambra and why we enjoyed our visit so much.

We've got lots more Alhambra pictures to share, so keep looking out for our next post.

Lots of love, George, Yorkie, Gio and Pedro

Down to Sea Level

As we digested the contents of our lunch box looking ahead to the sea, our destination for the afternoon, we remembered to take a look behind us to see where we'd climbed up from. We'd nearly missed this view in our eagerness to see what was to come ...


... this was the top of the delightful gorge that we'd just climbed out of. The path down was a lot easier, at least to begin with, because it was tarmaced and zigzagging, although still very steep.
See what we mean ...

It wasn't long before the smooth path ran out and we put our paws into four wheel drive to descend on the loose rock safely.

As we went down, the sea got closer and closer. When we reached it, we found it was a stunning stretch of coastline. We could see why it was a national park. Of course we do like to think our photography skills had something to do with it looking so good.

There was nothing for it, but to stop for an libation in the local cafe, so we could sit and drink in the lovely views.

We got a little lost trying to follow the path along the coast. It should have been easy, just keeping the sea on our right, but somehow it wasn't.

We did a bit of pioneering cross country trekking, to take us back to the road which took us up to an official viewpoint. This art installation made a lovely seat for us to rest our tired legs while we took in another fine view.

Because it was Spain, even though it was only March, we could bask in warm sunshine under blue skies.

From there it was a fast downhill march back to our mining town starting point, then back to El Pueblito for a relaxing sauna and swim.

Lots of love George, Yorkie, Pedro and Gio xxx

Golden Nuggets for Lunch?

After a few days of local walks, we decided our trusty trig (our hire bearmobile) needed a decent outing, and so we took a drive over to a scenic stretch of the Almerian coast. The area we'd chosen was the national park of Cabo de Gato.

In  the HPB library we'd found a rather interesting book of walks, which included a walk in precisely our target area. It sounded rather good as it took in not only the stunning coastline but also the historic mining area of Rodalquilar.

We'd barely started our walk when we came across the first of many mine ruins. Can you see us perched on the wall? 

These were no ordinary mine ruins, they were gold mine ruins. Gold mining had been very big in the area from the 1880s until the early 1990s. At the time of our visit though, it was clear that the mining was well and truly over, and, even more disappointing, there was no gold to be seen - anywhere!

Still, the cessation of mining activity meant that we were free to roam and explore. Very exciting it was too, especially as all the activity had taken place in an area of outstanding natural beauty. 

There were all sorts of tunnels, which we could see were perfectly safe to explore and play hide and seek in ...

... and there were loads of other relics of what had clearly been a major industry.

As we walked out of the main areas of mining activity, the scenery got even better and we passed sheep and rural farmsteads and giant cacti and other plants suited to an arid climate. Then we faced a big climb up and out of a gorge. It was hard but dramatic walking.

When we reached the top it was time for lunch and to ask the immortal question,  'what's in our lunch box?'

On this occasion it was cheese and chorizo bocadillos with crisps and bananas. This delicious lunch set us up nicely for the descent to the coast. We'll share this with you in our next instalment.

Lots of love, George, Yorkie, Gio and Pedro xxx