Super San Sebastian and Bonkers Bilbao

The bay of San Sebastian

 Mama had always wanted to go toSan Sebastian ever since she worked with a waitress from there called Arginy.  She and Mama were friends and Arginy used to talk to Mama about her 'billage'.  She loved her 'billage' and every now and again her family used to send her an emergency food parcel from her billage stuffed with tuna in olive oil and chorizo and Mama used to go round and help her eat it.

The old town

It is a very beautiful city.  The sea is very clean and the sand yellow.  And they have ice cream and pinchos.

A church

And churches and statues.

A statue at a church.

 We stayed in an aire up by the university but it was quite a walk into the old town.  I did it though.  My pram seems to have disappeared.  I think we should have gone on bicycles.

The Spanish Cafe

 We were very happy to get back to the Spanish cafe and cortados and churros.  I wish we had stayed longer but we set off the next day along the coast road to Bilbao.  It was very beautiful.  We stopped the night in a carpark over looking the sea in a place called Deba. 

View for the night

It hurled it down but in the morning there were big waves and lots of surfers out in the bay.  We left for Bilbao and daddy was worried he might not find the aire because it is a tangle of roads like spaghetti but in the end he took us straight there.  We stopped in an aire right above the city and we had a fantastic view.
Mama wanted to see the Guggenheim and we could see it from the aire.

Our view

 We took the bus into the city and I loved the Guggenheim.  Inside and out.

Guggy wuggy

 They had a display that looked like I was under water

Underwater

But best of all they had these telephones that you couyld type a number into and it talked to you about the painting.  I ran around with my finger up my nose and daddy said I looked like a trader.

Trader Joe

 There was a big exhibition upstairs which I liked but it was policed by some grumpy women in black.  I tripped over a barrier and they came and told Mama off even though it was an accident.  I saw Mama stick her tongue out.

My favourite picture of a crocodile

 And then I dropped the telephone.  It made a big bang and the batteries fell out and rolled across the wooden floor.  All the women in black started tutting and shaking their heads.  Mama gave them a big smile but I got upset.

The problem exhibition

 Mama took the broken telephone and gave it to daddy to mend.  Everyone was looking at us.  Daddy ten dropped it and all the batteries rolled all over the floor again.  Mama started laughing so we had to leave.

The spider

 Outside was a great big spider which Daddy said he had seen in London.  It was great.

Dry ice

And then they let lots of steam off.

Spider eggs

And there was a giant dog made of flowers which I started to play in and then Mama realised that it was 'art' and removed me before the police came.

Dog art

We had a splendid view at night from our front window.

View from inside Nona at night

And we are off now to Portugal.  Don't think we'll get there today though.

The Best Campsite in France

Yes it's true

 We came to Itsas Mendi to stay for 3 nights and it is now day 7 and we are still here.  We love it.  All of us.  The is a jumping castle

Jumping castle

and a beach and a sunset and it Mama says it smells tropical.  It just smells of warm sea to me.  And flowers.

The beach

 We picked walnuts and ate them

Another walnut?

 and went down the water slide hundreds of times

Time 378

 and went routing about in rock pools.

Catching crabs

 I climbed a tree like a goat trying to make argon oil.

Goaty goat goat

And they drank beer.

Eki Thump

 And they tried to drown me in the swimming pool.

Letting go of my shorts

 We paddled in the sea

Brr

 and made flowers in the sand.

Flower

 

 

And then they tried to drown me some more.

Glug

Oh and we saw a man on a paddle board and a cormorant next to him so Mama took a picture.

Man paddle and bird

Puy de dome, Bourboule, Mauriac, Figeac, Cahors, Bastide d'Armignac, Blahblahblah

La Lauze

 So the No Funs decided to hoik me up a mountain.  They drove me back the way we came on a road which made the brakes smell.  They did buy me cake though.  It was a lava biscuit and was very very tasty.  We parked at the bottom of the volcano and it is was bright and sunny and prepared for our accent the next morning.

Big hill

 And the next morning it rained.  The clouds were so bad we couldn't even see our noses.  But they hoiked me up there anyway.

Puy de dome in the rain.

 Everyone told us not to bother but we had to go anyway.

I hated it

There was one other person up there and he took this picture.  Volcanoes pff I say.  Mama tried to make them sound exciting and drew pictures of them spouting fire and molten lava and coloured them in with crayons but pff I say.  Volcanoes pff.

We passed through a few spa towns on route and mama was desperate for a thermal spa but they were all a bit snotty about camper vans.  Shame as France has been so accommodating with its aires.  Mont dore was particularly difficult.  Mama's French suddenly became fluent and noisy as she got fed up of people complaining about us stopping in a car park to buy some bread. 
Anyway we soon got to gorgeous Mauriac and found a tiny aire in a wood next to a lake where the sun came out and the people started to smile at me.  Do you know I have spent several weeks saying 'Bonjour, Bonjour, Bonjour' and people ignoring me!!!

Bonjour Mauriac

 We had a lovely time by the lake.  Lots of mushrooms and berries and walnuts andbig fish jumping and fat men jogging.

Le Lac.

 We got up early in the morning when there was a big mist everywhere like smoke on  the water........  I told Mama that the grass was full of glimpses.  She said it was called dew.  Mama and daddy said they were going for a jog around the lake and I asked if I could come.  They said yes if I could keep up.  I said I would go on my bicycle then.  We set off I decided I didn't want to cycle but I preferred to run so Daddy buried my bike under a bush.

Glimpses

 I worried all the time we were out jogging but Mama said it would be OK.  We got back in time to see a lorry about to drive off.  Daddy ran up and before he could say anything, the driver produced my bicycle from his cab.  I gave them a big Merci for looking after it for me.

Figeac ma belle

 When we arrived in Figeac, all clouds lifted and everyone looked pleased to see us.  I got a few Bonjour Bonjours and Mama started skipping.

Here too hot for hats

 I wished we had stayed longer in Figeac but unfortunately they were digging up the centre and it was difficult to park.

Cahors

Cahors was amazing.  Most of France had been closed when we were driving through and that was because everyone was in Cahors. 
My most favourite place was Bastide d'Armagnac.  Tiny and beautiful and not quite so closed.  We went for a bike ride and came back after 10 minutes because the hills were too big.

Bon apetit

 Instead we had a fabulous lunch of foie gras and armagnac.  I loved it.  There seemed to be so much going on for a population of  692.  There was a harpsichord and a cello playing in the church, an opera in the evening and an art exhibition.

I liked the guy with a big chin

 It looked like something out of a film.  Mama thought about buying a house here.

Quick run

 Until she started being buzzed by the local NQR (not quite right) on a motorbike.........

Big Cheese. Saint Nectaire

Dolmen

 So we are finally here in the Massive Central.  And very nice it is too.  Cold but nice.  Lots of trees and things.  Blackberries and wild raspberries and Mama made us a stew with sorrel for dinner.  We found an old house on a hill which daddy said was a dolmen from 5000BC.  Mama said show me that vine leaf stuffed with rice. 

Another church

 There was a big church on top of a hill which I said I didn't want to go into if I had to be quiet.  Mama said she would leave me outside then so I went in and practised whispering in a loud voice.

Same church.  Another picture

There are lots of trails through the woods and we have seen a dead skink and a dead snake and a live woodpecker and this morning a blue tit was in the van eating the crumbs from the floor. Mama said to invite him more often.  Also, a bird fell from the sky and lay on his back kicking his legs up in the air.  Mama went to pick it up and held it until it died in her hands.  I was very sad.  It had a small mark and blood on the back of its head.  We buried it and then all the way home I pretended to be a little dying bird until Mama got annoyed.
We also saw a hummingbird moth.

Hummingbird Moth

 It had a ginormous tongue.

Monkeying around

We also found this tree climbing palaver in the middle of a wood so we played for several hours on that.

The town

We are on a great campsite Camping Le Viginet but it closes next week so we are going off to explore some mountains.  In the rain.