Chris, Melle, Homer and Roxy on Tour

So as I write this we’re on our way home, we said goodbye to Andalucia yesterday and spent last night on a campervan stop in a suburb of Madrid.     But before we move on I want to review the last week which has had many highlights while we toured around the Córdoba region. The Puerta del Puente Arch, a striking and historically significant feature in the centre of the city of Cordoba After the highs of Seville the week before we needed a few days rest and we spent a bit of time in a little independent site run by a couple from Holland on the edge of Ureria.    This was a lovely clean site in the middle of olive groves and as well as all the services and a lovely little swimming pool they also offered an evening meal and drinks which was a great opportunity to meet some of the other touring guests whilst enjoying someone else’s cooking!!  You know how Melle and I enjoy a chat and a drink or too!? A little oasis of peace in the middle of the Andalusian olive grov...

It was always intended to be the crescendo of the Andalusia adventure and Seville didn’t let us down. Not only was it hot hot hot (over 35 degrees some afternoons which was a bit too hot tbh) but Seville is also very beautiful and atmospheric even on an ordinary day I suspect. But our visit was more than an ‘ordinary day’ as it was also timed to coincide with the Spring Feria (or Fair) which is basically one long party mainly for Sevillians, which is really rather cool but more of that in a minute. Melle and Rosie just as we were leaving the fair - no wonder we missed our bus!! The main gate or entrance to the fairground Each year the gate is decorated in a new style and lit up at night - it creates quite an entrance! We also had an extra special treat of our eldest daughter visiting us for the week so we got to experience the whole thing with her. And a double extra treat was my niece from USA Kirby also currently doing a semester of her University degree in Seville so we got to meet ...

This week, possibly as a result of the dramatic differences we have experienced on this trip, Melle and I have been discussing the difference between adventure and holiday. We’ve also introduced the terms ‘tour’, ‘experience’ and ‘exploration’.  And we’ve concluded that they’re all part of a big Venn diagram of interconnecting parts. Homer having a rest after his driving ‘adventures’ of the last 7 weeks Clearly the climate has changed as we’ve driven south through Spain but it’s not all about the temperature and sunshine although that is a significant impact on local life as well as our day to day existence. We always meant our visit to Andalusia to be an adventure but it’s clear that it’s a different kind of experience to skiing and alpine life in the mountains. You might have read Melle’s take on the adventure that is skiing in the last blog? And clearly travelling through Spain and Andalusia doesn’t pose the same immediate physical risk and emotional high it does still offer cha...

Doing something with someone you love 💙 Chris and I both discovered skiing as teenagers with school ski trips at secondary school.  I absolutely loved these trips both for the physical skill of skiing, being a sportswoman, and the social aspect of skiing with a gang of friends.  I went three times with school and again at university.  Chris went six times with school! However, we had never been as a couple due to money and sporting ties, until much later when we took the family to Austria in 2015.  The girls had been with school, Chris and I felt it was important they had the same opportunity to experience skiing as we had had and then decided we should try it as a family 'just once'.  After this holiday, where we'd had such an amazing time,  our new love affair with skiing began.  We went again and again on family holidays, with friends and by ourself until Chris decided after he left Energize, he wanted to go for longer and the van has helped us do...