What we liked (that you cannot get elsewhere, at least not in the same quality)
French cheeses
French panna cottaFrench flan
Other French pastries and desserts
Pear crepe
French sauces, especially the buttery ones!Brittany caramels and house-made caramel sauces
Spanish tapas (the idea, rather than the execution; some of the cheap, tiny portions of potatoes or sausages were pretty sad)
A more expensive selection in Barcelona: eggplant and goat cheese
Gazpacho—sooooo much better than at home
Oysters caught daily on coasts of Atlantic and Brittany
Daily haul at Bay of Arcachon, Atlantic coast, France
Wildflowers of every color; spring was a cool yet beautiful time to be here!
Ile Grande, Brittany, France
Our first night in Paris: Amber, Michele, Ann, Sally
Old castles, houses, Roman villas and bridges, and whole medieval villages made of stone
Eze, Cote d'Azur, France
Ile de Brehat, Brittany, France
St Emilion, Dordogne, France
Grapefruit, oranges, and avocadoes fresh from the trees on farm in Spain
Big, golden yolks of just-laid eggs on farm in Spain
2-euro bottles of wine in both France and Spain
Ancient winery at Chateau St Martin in Provence, and their expensive rosés and "cooked" wine (similar to port or sherry)
Not your typical California rosé!
Amazing marinas and harbors on Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, which Pope wants to return to!
La Rochelle, Atlantic coast, France
Crowding boats into tiny harbor on Belle Ile, Brittany, France
High quality and friendliness at small, independent,
inexpensive hotels found on TripAdvisor
Hotel Launay, Ploubaznec, Brittany, France
View from our window
High quality of hostels in Barcelona
Salt-water pools instead of chlorine
Iron work on balconies and windows
Poodle plants and other eleganct touches in formal French gardens
Barelona walking tour with neweuropetours.eu
Picasso's home in Barcelona
What we lamented (or put up with)
Finding stores and restaurants closed, again and again and again!!!
Scarcity of croissants aux amandes, one of the
primary reasons Amber goes to France (these are not ordinary American-style
almond croissants; they are moist, melt-in-your-mouth conglomerations of
butter, sugar, flour, eggs, rum syrup, and almonds)
Failure to find one of the elusive human pyramids (castellers) during Spanish festival of Saint Joan
Weak wifi everywhere
Complicated and inconsistent car rental contracts and insurance coverage
Failure to find one of the elusive human pyramids (castellers) during Spanish festival of Saint Joan
Inserting the tube; face of farmer obscured by photographer
The site of our only pickpocketing experience, in Barcelona, which had a happy endng and several unanswered questions
What we learned
Don’t trust bus schedules/maps. Ask the driver.
You MUST MUST MUST flag down the bus driver if you want the
bus to stop for you. How many times did I shake my fist at the back of a bus
before I figured this out? Your effort
must be vigorous and sustained: once I waved at a bus; the driver put on the
turn signal and slowed down, then kept right on rolling!Schengen visa laws are at least somewhat lax; no one was around to stamp our passport re-entering France from Channel Islands, so no one will know how long we’ve been here. (But we still wouldn't take chances and overstay.)
Intermediate language skills are not sufficient to conduct business beyond accommodation and transportation--such as renewing a cell phone plan by phone; understanding recordings on answering machines; negotiating a refund; filing a police report.
Two months is enough to be on the road. After that things went downhill; afer two and a half months, we were tired of traveling and ready to go home.
Dancers are friendly everywhere!
Mon Dieux, but think of your readers. Are you sure there isn't something else to explore? (Surely, you'll at least let us know about the medical bills when and if they turn up.) BUT, thanks for the vicarious view of France and Spain!
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