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‹ Previous (24/10/2006) MONTH Next (2006-12-23)› ‹ Previous (2006-11-15 - Germany) COUNTRY Next (2006-11-28 - Spain)› France Versailles (see on map) 23/11/2006:
On Thursday in the morning it rained and was windy , despite everything we have gone out to admire the palace and the gardens of Versailles. There were many parts in works, logically beacuse there were less tourists in winter. Despite everything, the Japanese were present. Afterwards we have gone towards Rouen, which we have visited in the afternoon. It is a lovely city, with paved streets, homes with structures of wood in sight, galleries, antiques shops, beautiful churches, a magnificent cathedral that reminded me of Barcelona and a lot of history. Rouen is the city where the heroin of 19 years called Joana of Arch died burned in 1431, accused of heresy during the war of the a hundred years. St. Malo (see on map) 25/11/2006:
Yesterday we arrived to the north coast of Normandia, on the beaches where the allied troops disembarked on the 6 of June / 1944, the famous day D. we visited In Particular the small village Arromanches, where during the allied disembarkment they constructed an immense floating artificial port. During three months , 2,5 million men, 500,000 vehicles and 4 million tons of equipment disembarked in this artificial port. At present can be seen immense blocks of cement and floating metal in the distance and some other remains on the beach. Around the village there are cliffs defended by ancient bunquers that reminded how complicated was the disembarkment and the great number of death that suffered the allies. In the afternoon we visited the beautiful town called Bayeux, the first town freed by the allied troops. We have spent the night in an area of rest of the motorway. The area was in an elevation where the wind blew very strong, so that in some moments we thought that it would take away the Hymer with us inside. awakening we have followed the road towards Mountain St. Michel. We have stopped before Mountain St. Michel in some small village to make some photos from far away. While i focused the camera I have heard the mews of a desperate little cat. I have searched among the herbs and have found a little cat, that ran scared when seeing me. I found it in a pipe where it has continued miaowing. But finally, incited by Alexandra, I have reached it. The cat was wet and trembled with cold. Was also very hungry and so we gave some milk with bread. We would had taken it away , but it had to be quite complicated to travel with an animal. for another hand, my parents have many cats in the farmhouse where they live. We have left it eating the bread with milk with the hope that it will find the mother later. From far away, the Mountain St. Michel offers a magical vision. On an immense plain that periodically comes off partially flooded for the tide some beautiful village and an abbey walled are lifted. The only way to arrive to Mountain St. Michel is by crossing a high road on the plain, at the end of which there is an immense car park with payment. We have strolled over the walls inserted into the rock that stands out of the sand, and for the streets of the village full of very expensive shops and restaurants, and full of tourists in spite of being winter. In the afternoon we have gone towards St. Maló across a small road that crossed several villages made of stone houses. We have arrived when was already dark, advancing for a very long street without any attractive things. But finally we have arrived to St.malo wich is the main touristic destinations in Bretagne. on a beautiful beach it rests a small fortification, a town surrounded by strong walls and a big port . The tide was low and we have been able to walk towards the fortification. Afterwards we have walked through the beautiful town build in British style. Spain San Sebastian (see on map) 28/11/2006:
Sunday we made few quilometres and we did not visit any village or city. We were all the morning talking about some changes that we had to face before pioneering the journey to Africa. In the afternoon we were driving in the direction of La Rochelle, but we did not arrive because Alexandra started to have a strong headache and preferred that we stopped in a small town. Monday we visited La Rochelle, an ancient port which long ago was defended by a big chain that prevented the entry of enemy boats. At present the two towers at the entry of the port among which the chain was clamped have been restaurated. The rest of the town is interesting, with many stone arcades, homes also made of stone and painted in white... The architecture every time is more similar to the one of my land. In the afternoon we followed the road to south. We had planned of stopping in Bordeaux to visit the city, but finally we decided to continue the journey. There were days now since we visited villages and cities without having any contact and started to be a little boring. The new visited places did not bring us anything new. for another hand, after visiting the beautiful place of Mountain Saint Michel and St. Maló the rest of the places seemed to lose all the charm. Today we also had thought of stopping in Bayonne but in the end we did not,and we continued with the intention of entering soon in Spain to see my parents and friends. We wanted also to visit San Sebastian more calm (or Donostia in Basque). i had been in San Sebastian. The last time was a sunny day that it coincided with a demonstration in support to the terrorist group ETA. Today, San Sebastian was covered. Only the sea seemed to break the calmness with waves of one or two metres that some surfers considered profitable. Anyway, the sea on the famous beach Concha was calm, since it is closed in a big bay. Aside of strolling for the maritime promenade also we strolled for the beautiful ancient helmet at the foot of the mountain Urgull. While i was making some photos of the Constitution Square a homeless man came to me and started to talk to me. he explained to me that had traveled all Europe and that now he was on home land again. I asked him if life was complicated in the street and he commented me that it depended on the time. Finally he asked me to make him a photo and in arriving at home to send it to his daughter who was called Ainhoa and who lived in some city... I saw him off giving him some coins and coming back to Alexandra that I had been calling me for minutes. Vic (see on map) 29/11/2006:
Today we have visited Zalba Caldú company in Zaragoza that has been sponsorizing us all this time and they have offered themselves to follow in the same way during the African adventure. It has been a very cordial meeting. They have shown us all insurances and assistance (among her health worker) that they could offer us. After having lunch with them we have followed the road towards home, Vic. It is well to travel through your own country with somebody foreign because this person can observe important aspects that until then i did not observe, like the many paintings on the road: "living ETA ETA asesinos", "living communist cuba", you "do not vote VCT" (I do not know who they are), and Nazi and anarchist symbols. Finally, when we crossed the Monegros, a desert region, Alexandra pointed to the great number of trucks that circulated. In few minutes we have counted out a hundred and only ten cars. We have been some hours more through better known roads, until finally we have arrived at the house of my parents. With a strong embrace we have finished this first part on the journey. Now I will leave the diary in white until the following stage: Africa! ‹ Previous (24/10/2006) MONTH Next (2006-12-23)› ‹ Previous (2006-11-15 - Germany) COUNTRY Next (2006-11-28 - Spain)› |
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