Some of you know that I just do not like holidays. Can't help it, try my best, but find that Home is best.
This years holiday is Driving to Barcelona. We leave on Sunday morning for Fokestone and Eurotunnel to Calais for the overnight stay. Next Morning, it is several hundred miles down through France to stay overnight at Portaloo?? (not sure of this spelling LOL). Tuesday we are going to look at that New Bridge before crossing over to Barcelona where we are staying for 3 nights. We come back up the the Dordoigne taking 3 days to meander back to Calais. I do hope I get through this without any Dramas, which usually happens to me on holiday. Any tips on where we should visit?
I just adore Barcelona. But with the way you are travelling it rather depends on just where you can park up.
You will almost certainly need to go in to the city by train or bus.
Just find the tourist information place nearest to where you are is your best bet. They are very good and will give you all the help you need.
You could spend a month there and not get bored. Well I know I could.
Hi Carol,
We have not long come back from staying near Perpignan and OH and boys went to Barcelona for a couple of days. They bought this...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eyewitness-Top-Travel-Guide-Barcelona/dp/1405347120/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281772628&sr=8-2
and said it was really useful, a friend who had lived there recommended it. They also didn't drive in Barcelona as the metro system is so good they just bought a travel card, and driving not good - they were bumped into as they arrived at the hotel! Watch out for pickpockets, but I think that is true in any city these days. The coast between Barcelona and Perpignan is beautiful and my friend had suggested they come back slowly stopping along the way and they said it was well worth it, they were glad they had taken her advice.
I love the Dordogne too, if you are stopping there Sarlat it a lovely place, some nice builings and the Saturday market just amazing. Domme is nice too.
Have a lovely trip and safe journeys.
T.
I love Barcelona too. I went there for the weekend when I went to the Spanish Grand Prix it is really a fantastic place and there is so much to do. The metro is great and it is easy to get around. Be especially careful in Las Ramblas not just with pickpockets but your handbag as bag snatching is rife especially when you are eating in a cafe and are distracted.
Personal favourites were Goudi's unfinished church,the Picasso museum,the fish market (food is always high on my list) and the great shops.
Have a lovely time and safe driving
Linda
Thanks for the tips on BArcelona. We have been told by numerous people about the pickpockets and thieves so I bought myself a bag that can cross over my chest and OH has bought himself a wallet on a belt for round his waist. Our Hotel is in the middle of the city and wont be using it while we are there. We will be going to the usual attractions, think we are going on a tour bus. Sarlat is on the list for 'must go there' we are also visiting Poittier (spelling).
All I want really is to see the Sun, its been a dull summer up here.
Thanks again.
I loved Barcelona, I particularly liked the 'town' made up with copies of houses from all over spain Poble Espanyol
I liked the park Quell. I also like Tarragona which is not far from Barcelona.
I just loved staring up at the amazing buildings the organic shapes quiet amazing.
I have just returned from the holiday in Barcelona and touring in the Dordoigne. We had a very nasty experience as follows - As a warning to other travellers.
We were travelling on the Motorway and about 20 miles from Barcelona when something struck the car with a thud. Hubby looked int he mirror and saw something land on the road. A car drew alongside us at speed and gestured for us to pull over pointing to our back wheels. We pulled over onto the hard shoulder and the other car stopped in front. One man got out and put on his safety jacket, OH put on the warning lights. The man was going mad pointing to underneath our car. By this OH was out the car and looking to see what was wrong. I stayed in the car until the man came to me and gestured to get out. He was acting frantically as if something terrible had happened. He then pulled me out the car. Lorries were whizzing past me, quite frightening. The Driver then got out the car and you have guessed put his hand into our car and off with my handbag. They then ran off into their car and off. OH chased them but they were gone.
Luckily, we were prepared for the pickpockets of Barcelona and had already split the euros. however, we lost 300E a Credit Card, Mobile phone and various personal items. I managed to get the Credit Card blocked within half an hour and Vodaphone notified. I contacted my Bank because one cheque was in my handbag. Not a nice experience and a warning to anyone travelling on motorways anywhere**. We reported it to the Police as soon as we got to Barcelona. They said they had never heard of such a crime taking place on a Motorway but I have my doubts.
Sounds terrifying.
Had the opposite happen here in UK. Past a car who had flames coming out of the back. Another car forced them off the motorway but they were too terrified to get out of the car. I also stopped and it took us sometime to pursuade them we were genuine and to get out of the car. Finally one guy got out of the car and when he saw the flames got the rest out. By the time the fire brigade arrived it was burning nicely.
What an awful experience for you Carol and to have been pulled out of the car into the road must have been terrifying.
This type of theft often happens in France or Spain but normally with people towing caravans or driving motorhomes. I belong to a caravan talk website and
similar experiences have happened to people on there.
We have narrowly escaped being robbed. In 2002 we were flagged down by some travellers in a remote area of France. We locked the door, slowed down and opened the window slightly. They asked for money and had we have stopped they probably would have surrounded us but we just kept going.
Last year we stopped at an Aire in the late afternoon. We were the only caravan there but there were two cars driving around and the drivers were taking a keen interest in us. One of the cars parked up about 50 yards away and a man got out and walked towards our caravan. When he saw we weren't having a sleep, he turned on his heels and walked away. We got out of there very quickly. We had heard so many stories about people being robbed whilst asleep in their caravans and even being gassed. We weren't going to stay to be victims.
We are off to France shortly and will be taking as many precautions as possible.
I can understand your wanting to remain at home Carol. I think if we have another incident we will not be going back to France.
I am glad you arrived home safely, Carol.
That is horrible Carole when it happens to you.
Years ago we were mugged, in Spain, we had been warned about it being a problem and I carried a 'spoof' handbag with only rubbish and a purse with a little small change in it. My oh thought the spoof bag was a silly idea. The rest of my stuff was either in the hotel safe or in a body belt.
The odd thing was we were with a couple who were also at the same hotel who had everything with them in the wife's handbag. They were about to go back to the hotel alone but we decided to leave the bar at the same time and went with them, thinking that there was greater safety in numbers.
A car pulled up and we all knew, but where we were there was no where to run, the two men, one with a knife came out of the car.
I suppose that the fact they grabbed my spoof bag and got nothing of value, then drove off was the better situation. If those two we left with had been on their own and had tried to fight them off, who knows?
The police? Well they were not interested in the car number when we reported it they were more keen to point out that these were not Spanish people but Gypsies who come to Spain just to rob people.
After that the owners of the bar where we had been, made sure that they took every one back to their hotels themselves at the end of the night, using their own cars. It meant that they still got customers.
Yes, it was a nasty experience. We kept thinking what if? what if they had taken the car. What if? they had had weapons and so on. When we reported the incident to the Police, the policeman who spoke English had never heard of this scam. OK holding up people at petrol stations but not actually on the take ona motorway. The car they were driving was an E Class Mercedes in gold with no number plate. Probably stolen.
It will take some pursuading to get me away next summer.
:( :(
Purple Heather, I intend carrying a spoof handbag with me in the front of the car when we are travelling in France. I have also been told to have a camera handy to snap at anyone who drives alongside indicating that there is anything wrong with our car or caravan. It can, evidently, put them off.
A few years back we stayed overnight on a site that had been taken over by gypsies; they all had Mercedes cars. I was really scared. The pitch that was allocated to us was right in the middle of them yet.
I found this in the August edition of the Caravan Club magazine.
The link I put in was illegible so try this. Click on it below and then click on it again when it is in my album page. You should then be able to read it.
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x311/7stephenson/th_CC.jpg) (http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x311/7stephenson/?action=view¤t=CC.jpg)
A perfume spray in your pocket is always handy
I have been mugged and I think a spoof handbag is a great idea. Scan and print out a wad of 'banknotes' and hide some razor blades in the corners where they are going to rummage. Preferably dipped in Tabasco!
I've witnessed two pickpockets at work. One in the Paris underground stepped off the train and as she was rubbing past my friend she began to unzip my friend's pocketbook which my friend had thought was safe since she was clasping it to her chest.
Not so. The bold pickpocket had it half unzipped when my friend slugged her! Funniest thing I'd ever seen as my friend is a small , non-violent Danish gal. Then she pointed at the pickpocket and yelled out loud, "She tried to pick my pocket!". The pickpocket jumped back on the train just as it was pulling out of the station and got away with eyes as big as saucers.
The police aren't the least bit interested in cases like that.
The second case was in Rome where a woman with a little boy was getting off the subway ahead of me and I watched his little hand slip into a woman's purse as the woman was also exiting. The mother noticed I'd watched what happened and quickly steered her son a different direction. It didn't look like he'd stolen anything fortunately, but how sad that a mother trains her child like that.
I travel with a money belt, a pocketbook strapped under by arm then wear a coat on top of that, a passport in a bag hung around my neck, a change purse hung on a metal loop inside my slacks. It is a major pain getting money out! And one day the metal loop which I'd forgotten about set off the airport alarm and got me frisked which was only part of a long story of what not to do in an airport.
The dummy handbag sounds excellent.
Carol that sounds like an awful experience. And the only good thing I can think of was that you were both unharmed and got back home safely :)
Carole don't give up. Learn
That is life.
My dear departed mother had a friend whose husband would not leave the house in fear of what could happen to him. He got so scared of everything that in the end he got ill and died.
His wife, in her later years, free of his restrictions had a wonderful time going away with friends.
I can say that I have been all over the world and disregard all the warnings, I have been to places where they say I will get robbed and kidnapped but they seem to reject me. (no jokes you lot)
I will walk the streets anywhere at goodness knows what time of day or night and there is always some one who will look after me. Yes I have had a nudge and wink of 'don't go there come here'. I accept it gratefully if it happens.
I even accept free lifts of stranges and have never been raped or robbed.
Spain and France are actually very safe. What happened to you there could happen any where not far from your home even. In fact it is a classic scam you sadly fell for.
I was opening the gates on my allotment site one day and a 10 year oldish whipped my bag with my sandwich and drink in it and ran off.
I was so bemused I could not do anything but laugh. I realised, straight away that he had heard about stealing this way and thought he would give it a try. Can you imagine how disapointed he was with his haul. A peanut butter sandwich and a flask of hot water I was going to convert to coffee in the shed.
A copper who also had a plot on site told me that I had to report it so I did and the police who came round to get details, seemed more keen to find out something about their colleague they could rib him about than solving a theft.
Why are you going by car?. Please do not say it is because you are too scared to fly.
Just get out there and enjoy life please.
We are all going to die eventually why waste your life staying in waiting for it to happen?