We have completed our tour of the Canal du Midi and enjoyed many French villages and their environments. We were glad to finish. It was hard work. There is something special about the French countryside that I would like to further explore.
We flew to Barcelona and our crew went their own way. We visited the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona. We spent hours being absolutely awe struck at the amazing architecture both external and internal. The effect of the height and light inside was amazing. It is difficult not to believe in God after that. It is also difficult to do it justice by photo (attached) as you need to see it in the whole. Its architect Gaudi was indeed a genius. The engineering was revolutionary at the time. The aesthetics are inspirational.
Now we are touring Spain and I am terrifying Lorraine with my driving on the “wrong” side of the road. My Tom Tom GPS is now our best friend as we assiduously follow its instructions along the Cote de Sol in southern Spain.
We are resting at Marbella, a popular town for many English tourists and expats who are driving up the real estate prices. The water front of bars and restaurants is full of attempted glitz and glamour, young males full of piss and wind and minimally dressed females dodging families and retired couples. A sort of English Surfers Paradise with no surf. Moored yachts strain with the wind to explore the Mediterranean while would be sailors eat and drink.
There are of course the thieves. I have never been assaulted in a public place so I was amazed when for no apparent reason a young man punched me hard on the shoulder. Lorraine screamed at him and he ran away. It seems he aimed for my face and missed as I had unconsciously veered away with my camera. It left me shaken and sore and a lot more cautious.
From here we will make our way to Seville visiting various towns on the way. We’ll make another sojourn to the UK at Gibraltar on the way.
We watch the BBC news and noted that Australia has become infamous. There were two headlines in one bulletin, 'Australians stressed and fat' and 'Australia pays people smugglers'. It was embarrassing to hear the PM’s response to the latter.
Lou Hill and Lorraine Slater
