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Diary This is Jan's diary. If you want to receive this diary by mail, write your mail on the contact form.
‹ Previous (09/01/2006) MONTH Next (2006-03-10)› ‹ Previous (2010-06-01 - US) COUNTRY Next (2010-06-15 - US)› Spain Girona (see on map) 04/03/2006: This afternoon I have seen off my family in home of my parents, the Teularia, in Orís. Afterwards in the Tse-Tse of Torelló I have made a dinner of farewell with my friends. We were not meeting all since many time ago and it has been close. We have been drinking until passes three of the morning of the barrel of beer that has given us the Tse-Tse. And finally I have seen off the few friends who remained. I have turn on the Hymer with the intention of stopping to sleep in any place. But I have kept on throwing Vic direction. Afterwards I have taken the Eix direction Girona and I follow. I have started to count out the first kilometers of the more than 150.000 that I will have made after three years. I was leaving behind road that I knew well, a road by where I would not drive in much time again. I was leaving behind many good friends, the family, and many good moments. The kilometers consumed slowly and the melancholy kept on impregnating me. But at the same time outcropped the illusion of being pioneering this journey which I dreamed so much time ago, this journey that I had prepared with so much dedication. Also the illusion about these uncertain good friends that I will know, these very good moments that I will live. Finally the slept has started to win me and after an hour and half of driving in the darkness I have stopped beside a gas station and have started to sleep. Bascara (see on map) 05/03/2006:
This morning I have awakened without sleeping my eight hours and maybe because of the illusion or because of the coffees of yesterday I have not been able to sleep again. I have token a shower and I have gone out to buy the newspaper The Periodico because a report of my journey appeared. I have been reading it while I eaten some of the excesses of the meal of yesterday in home of my parents. In the afternoon I have been sorting more things in the Hymer and finally have gone out direction Bàscara, where my uncle Jordi lives. Halfway I have noticed that there was the open door of the bath and it crashed. I have parked beside the road with the four blinkers and I have gone towards behind to close it. At once, a rare sensation of seasickness has taken me, as if I went in boat, and I have commented, north wind blows very strong. But then I have looked thought the window and have seen that the selfcaravan was moving behind. I have jumped towards ahead and I have pulled the handbrake. The Hymer have stopped in knock. I had forgotten to putting it. Luckily the selfcaravan had not occupied many space of the roadway and no accident had happened. I have proposed myself to sleep all the necessary hours from now and to drive with four eyes. Little later I have arrived to the farmhouse where my uncle lives, but he was not there. I have been all the afternoon with the Hymer parked in front of the era organising more things (and it is still lacking me a lot). I have decided that the following day I will go towards Perpinyà. When already I was thinking to go to sleep Jordi has arrived with Elisenda and Quim. I have met them a while and we have been speaking a little of everything. France Narbonne (see on map) 06/03/2006:
I have had a good bread with tomato and cold meats for breakfast with Jordi and Elisenda. Afterwards Jordi has let me use its connection of Internet and have been rectifying some subjects of the page globetour.org and unloading mails. I have become happy because yesterday 500 unique users connected on the page and I have also received many answers to the interview. Late in the morning I have gone towards France. There was a lot of north wind but I I have kept on going slowly. I have decided to leave Perpignan behind me and to make night in Narbonne. At midday I have stopped to the Air of Chateau des Sauses to have lunch. I have observed once parked that quite near a quite interesting castle raised. After having lunch I have gone there with the camera of filming and photographing, even though I have not made any photography because once there I have noticed that I had forgotten the camera ignited. Visiting the Chateau des Sause, at least from outside, is worthwhile. Its sleep walls are impressive. Mid-afternoon I have been towards Narbonne but before entering there I have gone towards Gruissan, at the foot of a lagoon, where I have been making some photos. While I was focusing, a dog, an Alsatian dog, has turned up. It seemed without owner and it did not stop following me everywere. But when I have climbed to the Hymer it also has wanted to go with me. But I haven’t leave it and it has started to bark me from the window of the driver. I have regretted it, but I could not take it away with me. I have started off, slowly, but the Alsatian dog did not move from the front of the selfcaravan and when at last it has moved back I have sped up. For the rear-view mirror I have seen how it pursued myself. But finally, poor dog, it has gotten tired. In Narbonne I have parked in a public car park near the center where there were other selfcaravans. Already it had gotten dark, but I have unloaded the bicycle and I have started going towards the center, but immediately it has started to rain. Misfortune, I will see if tomorrow it is sunny. Mont-Pellier (see on map) 07/03/2006:
When awakening, after eating breakfast and having a shower, I have been working with computer preparing messages to send, editing images, writing the diary... Afterwards I have unloaded the bicycle again and I have gone to make a stroll with both cameres. Narbonna is an interesting town, pity that there was not too much sun to make good photos. I have found a cybercafe, but it was very expensive (5€/hora). I have been searching and ask for other, but it seams that there was not any other. Narbonna seems not to have too much immigration and perhaps this could be the motive. In the afternoon I have gone towards Montpellier. With the help of the GPS I have found the home of Bruno a friend that it had made through the portal couchsurfing.com. But he has sent me a message that he was with his girlfriend and that today we would not be able to meet. I have gone to eat a kebab and afterwards I have paid entry in a bar to see the match Barcelona-Chessea in a giant screen. They were the majority of Barça and we all have celebrated the step of the play-off. I am happy, I believe that I am adapting myself quite fast to the journey. Now I will start to contact people across Internet in the cities for those that I keeps on passing and I will start to activate the project of taking the pulse to the world. 08/03/2006:
I thought that sleeping would have been more difficult to me. Yesterday I parked the selfcaravan in a street with quite pending -although near Bruno home - and practically I have slept with the head a pair of handspans down the feet. But I must have slept well, because I have not awakened until before 9 hours. Tomorrow I will put on the alarm clock again, I believe that I already have retrieved the lost sleep on the before days. In the morning I have gone out to stroll a while but there was quite lot of wind and I had not protected myself very much and I have come back to my sweet home. After having lunch I have headed again to the center making quite a lot of photos and filming. I have received a message of Bruno to meet at 8 hr in the Pub le Abreuvoir, but I have gone before to a cybercafe with my laptop. But the boy of the local has not known how to help me to configuring the connection. I have tried to connect with their computers but it has been horrible. Many of the letters of the keyboard were changed: the a for the q, the ñ for the m, the point for the point and coma... I have disconnected immediately but not without reading a mail of a girl of Montpellier that I replied from Couchsurfing. She had given me the number of her cell phone and I have sent her a message proposing her to find ourselves in the same pub than Bruno. In the pub, Bruno was with his group. We have been talking calmly and we have been play a card game. A pair of hours later Sophia has arrived, a very nice girl. We have spoken a little of everything. She has explained to me that she was Greek and that she was in Montpellier studying an Erasmus of languages. It seemed that a special magic among us was being produced when her boyfrien has arrived suddenly. Misfortune... 09/03/2006: Tonight I have slept the other way round, with the head over the feet, and I believe that I have slept better. I have been selecting photos while I had breakfast, I took a shower, I have written... The truth is that already I feel like at home. This motorcaravan is a wonder, it has all what I need: a bed, a table, a cooking, a sink, fridge, freezer, bath, WC, shower, heating and many cupboards where I can fit everything. All this in 11 m2. And there is someone who complains for the flats of 30 m2... Little before noon I have come back to the same cybercafe of yesterday. There was the owner and he has been able to configure my portable to connect to Internet. I have only been able to unload the mails and to reply one or two, because Bruno has sent me a message to the mobile saying he was already at home (we had remained to have lunch together). He has cooked some frozen rice and also frozen hamburgers. I have excused him because I sometimes also cook the same. In beginning I felt anxious, because it had eagerness to connect to Internet again and to carry out the heap of tasks I had to do. But little by little I have calmed down and we have been able to keep a conversation well relaxed. After an hour Bruno had to go to work and we have said good bye who knows if forever. I have connected to Internet again. I have been there 3 hours: replying mails, translating the diary with the software translendium, editing the magazine, consulting statistics... I have come back to the Hymer exhausted but happy for the made work. I have pulled a while, have eaten some toasts of rice with cheese and have gone out of Montpellier, but very slowly due to the traffic. To the outskirts I have stopped in a supermarket and I have bought a little. I wanted to buy a hose for loading the motorcaravan of water, but I have not found any. I have gone towards Nimes through the motorway, but I have stopped halfway in a service area. I have asked the attendants where I could load water and they have indicated me a tap, but they did not have hose. I have asked to a boy who went out of a motorcaravan if I had and has replied me that he has not also. Finally I have parked beside another motorcaravan and I have picked its door. A couple of some fifty years have gone out and I have asked them if they had "une lance" (I had looked at the dictionary before). And they did not understand me. Until after a lot of time making gestures and expressions theyhas exclaimed "Ah! Une lance!! and they have lent me a hose they had... I have loaded the Hymer of water in the gas station and I have parked again in the same place, where I have had dinner and have slept. Nimes (see on map) 10/03/2006:
This morning I have arrived finally to Nimes, have given a turn for the centre with the Hymer and seeing which it was impossible to park there, I have come back for where I have come and I have parked in an artery of the city, beside some attractions that were riding (with the hope that at night they did not have them ready, for the noise... or with the hope already that they worked, for the ambient...). I have not gone out of the motorcaravan until after having lunch. In fact I have had lunch early. I have unloaded the bicycle and I have kept on pedalling towards the centre. I have stopped to a roman temple I have been taking a lot of photos (of which two have only been saved). Afterwards I have gone to the touristic information centre to search a map and in going out a media idea of mines has occurred to me... I have risen to the bicycle with the camera of filming hanged in the neck and taking the handlebar with one hand and the camera with the other one I have started to appeal all the streets of the centre and to visit the main monuments of the city. Some three hours later I have come back to the motorcaravan exhausted. I have had dinner, even though there is someone who has lunch at this time. And on ending I have come out with the computer hanged in the back again. I have gone to a cybercafe that they have not let me connect the portable. Afterwards I have gone to another that either have not left me!! And after appealing all the city without finding any onemore I have come back in the first. I have checked out that they had the the same keyboard as that of Narbonna, with all the letters changed, but they have said me that they would configure the American keyboard for me. But the American keyboard has not just coincided with the Catalan keyboard, that of all the life!! And I have not been able to work at all. I have come back to the motorcaravan and I have already been there until the time of sleeping, eating more, taking infusion, listening to music, writing, eating again (I must have burning a lot with the bici) and for the first time in the journey, looking a film that it had recorded in the computer. ‹ Previous (09/01/2006) MONTH Next (2006-03-10)› ‹ Previous (2010-06-01 - US) COUNTRY Next (2010-06-15 - US)› |
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