Leaving Italy, we hoped to enjoy a final Italian pizza before we crossed the border, and arrived in a small town looking for a good pizza restaurant. Google advised us of one nearby but, arriving at the location, discovered that it didn’t exist any more. We turned up another street and saw a pizza sign and decided that would do for us, but sadly we were let down in so many ways… firstly, after asking for a specific type of pizza that we had enjoyed previously, and pointing to it on the menu so there was no confusion, we were then served a calzone with completely different fillings. The ambience of the cafe was average to say the least, service was barely acceptable, but the icing on the cake was to be charged the “service charge” that usually meant you have been served bread with your meal, no bread, no special service! Remonstrating with the owner, her Italian explanation was that because we sat down at her tables, she could charge us. We didn’t have the Italian or the inclination to point out that we didn’t even get what we asked for – it was a very disappointing farewell to Italy! However, crossing into France was such a relief – as soon as we crossed the border, the traffic chaos calmed and we felt much more relaxed as the drivers seemed to be more obedient to the road rules and speed limits. We enjoyed the views of the coast from up high as we wound our way towards Nice. We had plans to revisit Cafe du Cycliste on the waterfront – we had been here in 2018 and their cycling apparel is amazing (and expensive) but I owed Chris a birthday present, it was good for him to be treated. The traffic in Nice was not crazy and we enjoyed a scenic drive around the coastline towards our overnight stop at Cagnes-sur-Mer, and then to St Remy de Provence for another night. Our next day’s travel took us via Arles and further around the coastline to the tiny village of Peyriac-de-Mer. These stops allowed us to enjoy wandering the coast and to savour french cuisine again. The weather was starting to cool slightly, it was mid-autumn by now and temps were in the low 20’s (C), but definitely still comfortable enough for shorts.

It is always great to be selected for a housesitting assignment, and seeing one in southern Mediterranean France advertised while we were in England, we were sure it would fit with our itinerary for our final month in Europe. We were welcomed to arrive at our temporary home, half an hour out of Perpignan, by Willow’s family. The village of Villelongue-de-la-Salanque was small and the house very old and quirky, but comfortable. Willow was a wonderful companion, able to walk off lead in the local countryside, and especially happy to run free, ball chasing on the nearby beaches. She absolutely loved the water, but even better, she loved rolling in the sand afterwards! We enjoyed 10 days here, able to explore the region finding walks with amazing views along the coastline and inland with our furry friend, with a couple of excursions south across the border into Spain. One of these was to catch up with British housesitting friends Sandy and Rob who we first met in NZ in 2018, then in Mexico in 2019 and, although our paths didn’t quite cross in England this year, we finally managed to connect in Spain.

Because we were so close, we decided to spend a couple of days in our happy place of Spain after this housesit, staying at a rural B&B near Banyoles, but easy access to our favourite coastal walks along the Costa Brava, particularly Palafrugell and Tamariu. We love this area; this was our fourth revisit to this particular part of Spain. From Banyoles, we drove a route via an overnight stop in Andorra to return to France. The mountains became more rugged and the roads reminded us very much of NZ as we climbed towards the tiny independent state in the Pyrenees. The temperatures dropped to single figures, but at least the sun stayed shining. Andorra really didn’t grab us, the city was full of shops, all much of a muchness and, as we departed the following day hoping to see some sights, we discovered that there was not a lot of touristic information on the roads. We did climb to a view point that gave fabulous views back to the city clinging to the valley below, before joining the line of traffic heading towards the French border.

Our destination was Carcassonne, which we had been recommended to visit, and it did not disappoint. Our apartment was situated in the old town (Bastide) as opposed to the Medieval Cite (citadel) that we could see in the distance. We were able to walk to the Cite, over the bridge and inside the walls, accessing the castle with views back to the Bastide and beyond. Although busy with tourists, it wasn’t as crowded as some places we’ve visited recently. We enjoyed a few days exploring before it was time to head west yet again.