My summer road trip adventure
As we started to plan our summer holiday in Spain, we were keen to avoid airports during peak school holidays and an idea of a road trip came up. The trip would start in London and would finish in Campoamor, a small coastal town resort on the edge of Mar Menor in the province of Alicante (Spain).
Google maps informed us that the journey will take 19 hours. We took on the challenge and to make the most of the suggested route while travelling with kids, we stretched the itinerary to 4 days to combine sightseeing, lovely meals and seeing friends.
We set off on a Monday morning heading for Eurotunnel not sure what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised by a very smooth check-in, passport control and boarding process. Certainly, better than at an airport. Half an after leaving Folkstone we arrived to Calais and in no time we were on the road to our first stop for lunch in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, a beautiful town on the French coast and a major fishing port. Parking just outside of the old town surrounded by a medieval wall wasn’t a problem, but we nearly missed French short lunch window with many places closing around14.00.
After our first meal on the French soil we drove to Versailles, in the outskirts of Paris. It is best known for The Palace of Versailles, but it is also a very nice and wealthy part of the city often overlooked by tourists. Time for dinner – a lovely treat we booked weeks in advance. Hidden in a picturesque part of town is the Waldorf Astoria Hotel – a lovely place to spend an evening enjoying culinary delights and excellent wine before heading back to our hotel for an early night. The rain travelled with us from the UK. We stayed at the Novotel – modern, clean, kids friendly and affordable place within walking distance of the Palace.
Tuesday morning – time for some culture and a visit to the Palace booked in advance. Still raining, but the forecast is promising. We had a 9.30am slot together with hundreds of others – no wonder the Palace built for the Sun king (Louis XIV) in the 17th century is one of the most visited attractions in the world. Aim for an earlier slot before coaches deliver large groups mid-morning. We counted over 40 coaches outside.
Needless to say, the place is beautiful if you can ignore crowds of people slowly making their way through rooms with you. The Hall of Mirrors is impressive and views across the garden are breathtaking. The weather was improving so we headed to the gardens (separate entry ticket was required but can be purchased at the entrance).
As the gardens are huge and we were on tight schedule, we decided to hire a golf buggy (€38 p/h + need a driving license) – a big hit with the kids. It allowed us to cover a lot of grounds including the Petit Trianon (a small Leisure palace commissioned by louis the XV for his mistress, Madame of Pompadour, and the place where Marie Antoinette was when the people of Paris stormed the palace in the brink of the French revolution), take lovely pics and have a lot of laughs along the way (you have to as you drive at 5mph). Quick, less than satisfying lunch in one of the cafés in the Palace and we were off for the next leg of the journey. Time to catch up with friends in Burdeaux. 5 hours drive wasn’t as bad as we expected and French service stations exceeded our expectations.
Wednesday – Spain awaits. Driving through the stunning Vasque Country spread across both France and Spain, you can be forgiven for thinking you are in Switzerland. Next stop – San Sebastian – well known among foodies as it has the biggest concentration of Michelin stars restaurants in the world not to mention its architectural beauty from gothic to belle epoque style. Rude not to stop and taste the best pinchitos at La Espiga and have a stall along the famous Playa de la Concha which can be admired from Mount Igueldo.
Time for another 4h drive to the medieval City of Burgos for more catch ups with friends over tapas. Burgos is still a hidden gem for tourists, but well known among Spaniards for its incredible gothic style cathedral and important stop on the famous pilgrim’s route, El Camino de Santiago.
Thursday- last day and we are off to Madrid with an essential stop in one of the most famous wineries in Spain, bodegas Portia which was designed by Norman Foster and where you can taste and buy the famous Ribera del Duero wines (http://www.bodegasportia.com/en/). Beautifully designed, contemporary place was a cool heaven in 37C heat. Tours and restaurant can be pre-booked but the shop is accessible to all.
Madrid is well known for the food (worth to try the traditional madrilene tapas called Callos which is basically the stomach of the animal but prepared in a delicious way. Amazing), architecture and for its amazing night life. One of the best cities in Europe. (avoid August – way too hot).
Another lunch with friends and it is time for the last leg of the road trip – just over 4h to Campoamor through changing countryside and endless plantations of oranges around Murcia.
We reached our destinations around 11pm, tired, but with memories to last a lifetime.
Next stop – the beach (and for the foodies tigres & tinto de Verano, i.e. muscles with bechamel sauce and iced red wine with lemonade)
Bernardo Calero
