The Christmas Holiday was a little sad being away from our son and daughter-in-law and everything we were used to, but the New Year we planned to ring in with my youngest sister, Gugge, in Paris, and that was something nice to look forward to! Gugge and I had been sending emails back and forth in planning when we would be arriving in Paris, and since it was quite a long way to drive, we figured it would take us four days to get there. We planned to stay in the city for three days and four nights, and then take four days in returning to Almeria in Spain, where we would start our journey from. Our friend Tom was going with us, and since he had bought a car in Spain, we would be using it. Car expenses would be shared; that way it wouldn't be too expensive for either one of us, and then we planned to contribute towards wear and tear of Tom's car.

Everything was all set for Tuesday morning December 26, and by 0925 the car was packed and we were leaving Almeria. It was pouring rain while we loaded the car, but once we had driven to the other side of the mountains, that are north of the city, the sun started peeking through the clouds, and the rest of the day the weather was good. As we were getting close to Granada, we started seeing high, snow capped tops in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and that was quite a surprise! Somehow I had not associated Spain with cold weather and snow! Farther down along the foot of the mountain, we saw a castle sitting on top of a small knoll, with a little village nestled at the bottom and around the knoll. Something right out of a picture book! Other sight like that we saw a few more times, but unfortunately they were too far away to capture on film!

As we left Almeria and drove northwest towards Granada, the landscape was very barren and dry; mostly rocks and red dirt were everywhere. When we got farther inland and away from the Sierra Nevada mountains, the landscape started to change and become much more fertil. Sometime we saw groves of tall trees, that obviously had been planted. They were some kind of Japanese trees, that grow faster then ordinary pine trees, and also are better in quality. The wood from these trees are used for making furniture. Then there was the olive trees of course! They grew everywhere it seemed; if it was a small patch of dirt available, an olive tree grew on it! Bigger fields with rows after rows of olive trees grew along both sides of the road we traveled on north of Granada, and sometimes as far as we could see there were olive trees. I was wondering how they harvest the olives, once they become ripe; by machines or humans? It didn't seem possible that machines would work, as lots of the olive trees grew on rather steep fields. Instead, it seems that on the ground under the tree, a small rim is made up of rocks and dirt, then the olive tree is beaten with a long stick, until the ripe olives fall down on the ground. From the ground the farm workers pick them up. I can understand now why so many people are imported from Africa for just this kind of work, as lots of people are needed for short periods of time. Besides, the wages for the African labor force is cheap, compared to hiring Spaniards! Very much like in the US with our migrant farm workers!

Along E-5 up to Sta. Elena the olive fields were plentiful, but there the landscape changed. Now all we saw were flat fields in all directions, but here they didn't grow olives or anything. As it was winter even here, it seemed the fields were resting for the next growing season. Towards the late afternoon we got closer and closer to Madrid, and the traffic jams began! We didn't know much about Madrid, except that it is a big city, and that alone is not very interesting, so we opted to take the highway around the city and start looking for a hotel for the night. We didn't want to travel once it got dark, in case we would miss some gorgeous scenery! By 1730 we had found a hotel along the road north of Madrid, and that's where we spent the night. When Dan and Tom checked into the hotel, they never asked if it was all right to bring our dog, Duke, up to our room, so we kind of smuggled him in anyway. Of course he barked and growled at all the new noices he heard, so all night I kept waking up to quiet Duke down.

Wednesday, December 27, we were on the road by 0840 and it was not quite light yet, but light enough for us to see! Behind the hotel we noticed snow covered mountains, and evidently we were pretty high up. As we were going through a pass in the mountains later on, we saw the first snowflakes, but they didn't last very long. Our friend Tom, who has spent the last seven years in Florida, hadn't seen snow for many years, so he was quite excited about it! The flat farming fields continued on the other side of the mountains and up to Burgos, where the wine seemed to take over. From then on and way up into France, that was all we saw; wine plants in various shapes, sizes and colors. Our trip continued to Burgos in Spain, where we followed the road towards Vitoria and to San Sebastian along the Bay of Biscay. As we drove through steep valleys leading to San Sebastian, the houses looked different then in the rest of Spain. Now they took on a much more German or Tyrolean character, where they clung to the steep mountain sides. It seems San Sebastian has a deep ocean port, as big ships lay tied up along the pier. We couldn't see any small boats or sailboats from the road, where we were travelling! Closer and closer to the border between Spain and France we drove, and we followed signs that said "Francia". Even so we weren't sure if we were in Spain or France, when we stopped for lunch in the afternoon! The waitress informed us that we were still in Spain, but across the river lay France! When we had finished our lunch, we set off again, around one of the numerous "circles" they are so fond of in Europe. Does the traffic flow better with these circles than with traffic lights? Anyway, after a couple of turns around this particular circle we drove, before we decided that the road we took led towards France. The road signs are not very good either, but it seemed after awhile that we hade chosen the right road, and we were now in France. Because of the European Union, the borders between member countries are now completely opened up, so we weren't stopped to have our passports checked! Along the road towards Biarritz in France we drove, but then the road started to curve more inland again and we followed it towards Bordeaux. Before we reached Bordeaux, we decided to drive smaller roads northeast up to Langon, where we hoped to find the "Canal du Midi". We wanted to see what it looked like, and if it was wide and deep enough to accomodate our boats? As it had gotten dark by the time we reached Langon, we just checked into a hotel, where Duke was welcome to stay with us in our room.

Thursday, December 28, we were ready to leave the hotel at 0835, but before we could drive off in the car, we had to scrape frost from the windows. We didn't have a scraper, as Tom's car was not outfitted with such tools, but our Shell gas credit cards worked wonders and soon all the windows were clean. The heater in Tom's car worked pretty good, but to begin with we all froze, until the engine had warmed up and passed the heat along to the inside also! Soon we found the Garonne river and crossed over to the other side, but as it was still pretty early, the fog covered the land and we didn't see much. Even so we found the river and the "Canal du Midi", which are one and the same from Langon out to Bordeaux. A few canal boats lay tied up to the docks along the river in Cadillac, where we stopped to have a look! The river/canal looked wide and deep enough for our boat right there, but we would definitely have trouble with our height. Even after our mast is lowered, the arch, with all the antennas on it, is too high to fit under most of the stationary bridges. The highest spot on our boat could not exceed 3 meters, which is about 9.8 feet! Dan has measured the height of our arch, and it is about 12 feet from the waterline, so we have come to the conclusion that the French canal system is not for us!

Part of the town of Cadillac is surrounded by a high and old wall, with portals here and there in the wall, and it sure looked mediaeval to us! A nice place to stop and take some pictures! The streets were very narrow inside the wall, and houses were built together. In the middle was the town square, and farther up the castle sat with another wall around it, to keep the ordinary people out, I suppose! From Cadillac we drove along a scenic route farther up into the wine country and turned around at the small town of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne. It seemed everywhere we looked, we saw signs that pointed to "chateau" this or that. After awhile we realized that "chateau" is a designation for the wine label; it does not necessarily mean it is a beautiful castle or huge mansion! Of course there were plenty of those also, as France seems to be filled with famous chateaus! By mid day we were in Bordeaux! It sure was an old and very impressive looking city, the little we saw of it, as we crossed the big bridge twice trying to find our way north. We followed along the Gironde Bay to the small town of Bourg, where we stopped to sample some authentic French food. The town was very quiet and not many people were about, so we had to walk downhill quite a long way, before we found a restaurant that was open! It was worth it, as the food we ate was deliscious and the service great. Maybe that was because we were the only guests after awhile! The lunch menu was made up of specials and that was what we tried; the appetizer consisted of lobster pate', the main meal of salmon and white fish grilled on sticks, and served with rice and attractively arranged zucchini and carrots. French bread accompanied the meal, as well as a local bottle of wine. For dessert we enjoyed the most scrumptious chocolate cake with strawberry cream between the layers and chocolate frosting covering everything! Two hundred eighty francs the entire meal cost, including tips, and we estimated that to be about $40.00! Not bad for such a wonderful meal! Soon after we left Bourg, we headed north towards the city of Saintes, and there we got onto a toll road that brought us farther north to the city of Poitiers. Seeing we were getting pretty close to Paris by then, we decided not to go any farther, but stop and get a hotel for the night instead.

Friday, December 29, was the day we would arrive in Paris, but before that could happen, we needed a better map of the myriad highways leading into and around the city. We were approaching Paris by way of Rambouillet and Versailles, and before we knew it, we were caught up in thick traffic from every direction heading for the city. Dan was driving by then, and I must say that he kept his cool, even though we had no clue as to where we were going! When we saw a sign that said "center" we took it, and immediately the traffic seemed to thin out. Soon we were travelling along the Seine river heading for the heart of Paris, and that was just as well. Maybe from there we would find our way to northern Paris and Montmartre quarters in particular, where my sister lived! We sort of stumbled along, drove back and forth plenty of times on one way streets, but by 1400 we had found our way up to Montmartre and were parked illegally along a narrow street. We looked at a map over a local bus route, and got some information from a Spanish lady who was very helpful, so soon we set out again to find the particular street my sister lived on! Once more we drove around in circles, but when we finally found a parking place along one street, Dan pulled into it. He and Duke stayed with the car, while Tom and I went to look for a phone booth to call my sister! Like Sweden, there are no coin operated phone booths longer in France, and since we didn't have a phone card and we couldn't use our credit card, we were stuck! Now what? Luck was on our side, because when I looked up to the next street and saw the name, it sure looked like the name for my sister's street! Tom and I set off to find out for sure, and it was! Soon we stood in front of the portals to number 21, and another hurdle became obvious. In order to open the door you needed a code, which I didn't have! The building was five stories tall, and I didn't know on which floor my sister lived, so shouting was out of the question. When a young lady came to visit a friend in the same building, and she had the code to get in, I started babbling something about my sister, and could she please let us in also? Finally we stood inside, and all we had to do now was to locate Gugge's name and ring her buzzer, so she could buzz open the inside door! What a relief it was to hear Gugge say "allo", before we both reverted to Swedish. Only four long circling stairs separated me from my sister, but after a lot of huffing and puffing we could finally hug each other, and I felt we had arrived in Paris.

Gugge returned with us to get Dan, Duke and the car, and soon we had found a parking place on Gugge's street. Since it was Friday afternoon, we had to pay for a parking ticket that would be good until 1800. From then on and all through Saturday, Sunday, and since Monday was a Holiday, the parking was free. To wind down after the harrowing experience in finding my baby sister, we all went to a cafe' for some strong French coffee. The car was soon unloaded, and we walked with Dan and Tom to a nearby hotel, where they were going to stay, while Duke and I were going to stay with my sister. Her apartment is very small and could only accomodate another person and a dog for overnight stays! As soon as the guys had checked in and gotten settled, we all went over to Gugge's apartment for some aperitifs, before getting ready to go to a Chinese restaurant to eat dinner. Later on, after Dan and Tom had gone to their hotel, Gugge and I started catching up, and into the wee hours of Saturday Swedish was spoken!

Saturday, December 30, was a day to do grocery shopping for our New Years Eve dinner, so that is what we did to begin with. Once that was accomplished, we set out do some sightseeing! As we would be using the Metro to get around the city, Gugge thought it would be a good idea if we bought a block of subway tickets. That is what we did, so from then on we could just stick our ticket into the machine, and once it was stamped, we could go through the turnstile. The Metro system in Paris is quite nice and clean, and easy to follow, and even Duke soon became used to getting on and off the trains. This afternoon we headed downtown to have a look where Gugge works. She works for United Airlines in an office along with quite a few other airlines, which is called "The Star Alliance"! After meeting some of her coworkers, we walked to the next subway entrance. Our walk brought us by the newly renovated Opera, with its gilt statues gleaming in the sun! The subway soon brought us over to the river Seine, where we planned to take a cruise on the river in a canal boat, but before that could happen we needed some nurishment. We found seating upstairs in a very busy restaurant and ordered our food. The food arrived soon and it was good, but when we wanted to pay, we couldn't get anybodys attention. Seemed only the head waiter could prepare the bill, and he was busy having a temper tantrum. He was throwing food around in a small room, slamming dirty dishes down hard on the counter or on top of other dirty dishes, and swearing and screaming. Actually, it was quite comical, and obviously the gentleman was very stressed out! We never got his attention, so we ended up paying downstairs on our way out! By that time Dan hade taken Duke out, and they were sitting outside along the sidewalk. Dan had my backpack, with our cameras in it, with him, which he had placed on the chair next to him. When we were ready and called to him, he walked off and left the backpack on the chair! Luckily we noticed it almost right away, so Dan walked back to get it, and the backpack was still sitting on the same chair. We were very lucky! Across the Seine we walked to buy tickets for a canal boat ride, and we were just in time for the next cruise. Since I wanted to film and take pictures, I wanted to sit on top of the boat. It was freezing cold in the wind, but Dan, Duke and I braved it the entire cruise, which took about one hour. Tom and Gugge disappeared downstair after awhile to warm up! The current was very swift in the river, but the canal boats are made to handle it, and soon we had turned around and headed with the current. "The Louvre" was the first building on our right. It seemed to stretch along the river forever, and over the years it has become the largest museum in the world. Under "The Royal Bridge", or "Sun King Louis XIV Bridge", we soon went, and it looked newly renovated also, as the statues on top glimmered of gold. Paris has 34 bridges across the river Seine, but we only went under seventeen! The river tour continued up to "The Eiffel Tower", where it turned around and headed upriver again. What can I say about the Eiffel Tower more than it is huge and very impressive up close! The last famous building we saw, was "Notre-Dame". I almost expected the Hunchback to come swinging out of the belltower as we went by! By the time the canal boat docked, we were so cold and couldn't stop shaking. Maybe a walk over to see Notre-Dame up close would warm us up? Guess it did some, but no way were we going to be able to go inside the church. Long lines wound their way out from the church, so we just went close to it and that was enough! Shivering, we made our way to the Metro and back to Gugge's apartment, to absorb everything we had seen during our tour, and to rest up for the evening!

At 2100 we had reservations in a local French restaurant to eat dinner, and we expected Gugge's friend, Enzo, a Swedish speaking Italian, to join us. Enzo was very nice and friendly, and he spoke Swedish real good with a cute accent! As soon as Enzo arrived, we walked over to the restaurant; even Duke was allowed to come! The food and the wine were superb! We even got to meet the young chef, so we could compliment him on the deliscious food. After we closed the restaurant, we continued to a bar, where Enzo hangs out, and where he knew a lot of people. The guys played pool, and Gugge and I watched. I was talking with a young man from France for awhile, but when he started trashing the American people and the American way of life, I got real angry and told him, that what he had heard was just not true. He had never set foot in the US, but had gotten his information from a friend, who had visited the United States, so he based his opinions on hearsay! The evening still ended pleasant, and at 0200, when the bar closed, we left. Dan and Tom disappeared to their hotel, Enzo to his apartment, and Gugge, Duke and I to hers. We still had more to talk about, so we stayed awake until 0400, when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

Sunday and New Years Eve, December 31, last day of year 2000 and our son's 30th birthday. Once again I was reminded that something important was going to happen without me, but a phone call back home to Rhode Island was better than nothing at all. Everybody was a little sluggish after our late night of eating and drinking, but when Dan and Tom finally showed up at Gugge's apartment, we all headed for The Eiffel Tower. We were hoping to go up to the top for a gorgeous view of Paris. Seemed every other tourist thought the same, as there were enormously long lines both for the elevator and the stairs! Actually, we didn't know you could walk up, but even if there had been no lines, I believe, I would have had a hard time to convince Dan to climb the stairs to the top! The tower is more than 1000 feet high and weigh about 6,400 tons. Fifteen thousand metal sections are held together by 2,500,000 rivets, and every seven years the tower is repainted, using 45 tons of paint! The Eiffel tower has three floors with shops and restaurants, which we never got to see! We had to be satisfied by walking under the tower and marvel at its enormity, before walking back to the subway station to find some heat and a bathroom for Dan. What Dan remembers most of Paris is the awful bathroom he had to visit in the subway station! In order to use the small cubicle that contained the toilet, he had to pay and get a ticket. Then, before he dared to sit on the rim, he had to line it with toilet paper, as it was gross from people throwing up all over it. Finally he could do his business, all while hearing other people gagging and coughing from the stench. No wonder he looked a bit green when he emerged!

Soon we were on the Metro line that would take us to "Arc de Triomphe", and the stop brought us up next to Avenue Des Champs Elysees. It was lots of people around the Arch and along the Avenue, but we made our way under the wide street that circles the Arch and came up in the center. The Arch is decorated with many smaller statues, and a grave for "The Unknown Soldier" is located in the middle. We were shivering in the wind and the cold, so soon we walked back under the street and followed Champs Elysees all the way down to where the Obelisque is situated. A huge Parisian wheel was lit up as it turned, and that view was a fitting ending of our sightseeing that day!

How nice it was to get back to Gugge's apartment to thaw out and to warm up with some more aperitifs before our dinner. Most of the food we had chosen was already prepared, like goose liver pate', smoked salmon, Swedish herring, and different kinds of French cheese with bread. The only food we had to cook was mushroom filled tortellini and sauce with mushrooms, and that was just about the only food Dan liked. I believe Duke ended up with most of the goose liver pate'! After we had eaten our dinner, we got ready to walk up to Sacre Coeur, where we planned to watch the Eiffel tower, as it changed the color of its lights for the new year. From being freezing cold earlier in the day, it had warmed up and started raining instead by the evening. As soon as we stepped outdoors, we became soaking wet, even though we were using umbrellas. Duke was of course like a sponge and sucked up the water from above and from below! Along narrow streets we walked and climbed numerous steps, before we finally came up to the artist's quarters around Sacre Coeur. We were not the only people who had the idea of watching the Eiffel tower from the hill; hundreds of people were already there and more streamed in all the time. Duke was getting nervous with so many legs and feet for his view, so Dan and he started their climb back down to Gugge's apartment before us. Tom, Gugge and I stood in the pouring rain amongst screaming and shouting revellers, and not a glimpse of the Eiffel tower did I see, just the back of other people's head. Well, the new year arrived anyway! Soon we also made our way back to Gugge's apartment, and Duke needed to be dried off, before he was allowed to enter. Maybe ice cream for dessert wasn't such a good idea, since we were all wet and cold, but it sure tasted good and was soon gone! More drinks to toast in the new year with, but by 0300 I couldn't stay awake any longer, so I left Gugge discussing life with Dan and Tom!

We all got a very late start this first day of the new year, but it didn't matter as we had seen most of the sights of Paris we wanted to, and this day we were just going to take it easy! After calls home to our parents, brothers and sister in Sweden to wish them a happy new year, we got together with Dan and Tom and left for a small corner restaurant to get some lunch. It was still raining outside, so the streets were wet and it was not very nice! The restaurant was a bit crowded, but we managed to get a small table inside the door and close to the bar. In France, as well as in Spain, you are allowed to smoke anywhere in a restaurant! In France the restaurant owners are not allowed to put ashtrays on the bar where people stand to drink a cup of coffee, a beer, a glass of wine or a drink, so everybody throw their cigarette butts on the floor. Does that make sense? In France they also have three different prices for a cup of coffee, depending on where you are standing or sitting. The least expensive price is charged when you stand at the bar; the next price level is charged when they have to bring your cup to a table inside the establishment, and the most expensive price is when they have to bring your cup of coffee outdoors to the street! Heavens forbid if you should buy a cup of coffee at the bar and then carry it yourself either to a table inside or outside; you will definitely get hollered at! Well, our food soon arrived, and I had ordered a hot dog! What a hot dog; it was at least 10 inches long and fat, and it looked more like a sausage, but it was good and I ate the whole thing, as they don't give doggy bags either in France!

After the lunch we all needed to settle our food, so a walk up to Sacre Coeur would do us good. It was still drizzling, but that didn't stop the artists from displaying their paintings in the square next to the cathedral. Lots of people were milling around in the square and spilling over into the church. We wanted to have a look inside Sacre Coeur, so Tom, Gugge and I pushed our way in amongst all the other people, that wanted to do the same. Dan and Duke waited outside, as no dogs were allowed in the cathedral! As soon as we had squeezed through the big portals, the walkway opened up wide and we were inside the big church. Almost immediately the most heavenly sound reached our ears! Up in the sacristy there were lots of nuns in white robes, and they were singing. With the great acoustics inside the cathedral, the nuns singing sounded very soothing and relaxing! The thousands of small candles lit everywhere, also helped in creating the soothing and relaxing atmosphere. Just what we needed on this first day of the new year! After enjoying the sights and sounds for a few minutes, we walked all around the cathedral. From this walkway around the sacristy, we could see other rooms off to the outside walls. Some rooms were small chapels, others seemed to be memorial rooms, rooms for historical purpose and information, and of course the souvenir room. Soon we arrived outside in the grey dusk, that were settling over Sacre Coeur and the city, and found Dan and Duke. It had stopped raining finally, but since it was getting dark, it was time to go back to Gugge's apartment and prepare for our departure the next morning.

Tuesday, January 2, 2001 was a work day for my sister, and we had to start our journey back to our boats in Spain. By 0830 our belongings were stowed in Tom's car, we hugged my sister and waived goodbye to her, as she disappeared around the corner and headed for the subway and her job. We had gotten pretty good directions from Gugge on how to get onto the Perifernick, the beltway that encircles the city, and the road that we wanted to take. Just a couple of turns and we were heading towards the Perifernick on the north side of Paris. We passed the entrance the first time, but after turning around and going slow, we finally ended up on the beltway and headed into the rising sun. Once we were on the Perifernick, all we had to do was keep a lookout for a sign that said "Orly Airport", as we wanted to take the exit off the beltway and head south towards the airport. It sure was much easier getting out of the city than into it, and soon we had left Paris behind and drove south on the toll road. We were driving towards Lyon on the motorway, and it was very boring as all we saw was the road and mostly high banks on either sides. Once in awhile we glimpsed some nice views, but that was not often! It got better when we left the motorway, shortly after we passed through the city of Lyon, where we took a smaller road that wound up and down along the river Rhone. There along the river, we saw the mountain sides divided into terraces, and on those terraces, on every spot imaginable, the grape vines grew. As this was winter time, the wine growers were trimming their vines and preparing them for the next growing season. Quite often the branches, that got trimmed off the vines, were burned in the fields, and that helped in putting a haze over the surrounding countryside! Towards evening we started to get hungry, and when we saw a MacDonald sign, we followed the directions to its arches! Somewhat of a confusion developed when I was ordering our food. I don't know how, but I ended up with two Happy Meals for kids and two orders of Big Macs with french fries and cokes; no chocolate shakes to be had! Anyway, we ate what we could and the rest was saved for Duke! By now it had gotten dark, so we started looking for a hotel for the night. When we found one along the road in Montelimar, France, we stopped for the night. The car engine was killed for the day, and that was when we noticed smoke coming from under the hood. Dan and Tom investigated the smoke at once, and found it to be steam; the engine was overheated from lack of water!

The following morning Dan and Tom added water to the radiator, and that seemed to fix the overheating problem. After we had eaten breakfast in the hotel, we paid our bill, loaded our luggage into the car, and were on the road again by 0930. Along the river Rhone we drove until the road split; to the left the road continued to Marseille eventually, and to the right towards Montpellier. We took the right fork! By now we could feel the change in the climate, as it was getting warmer the farther south we drove. Since we hadn't seen the Mediterranean for some days now, we opted to drive down along the coast south of Montpellier. When we arrived in the port at Sete, we decided that it was time to have a break, eat some lunch, and just stretch our legs. Tom and I enjoyed a fish soup as appetizer and our main meal consisted of local seafood, which we couldn't figure out what it was. The food was eaten with French mustard and it was quite good. Dan was very disappointed in his steak, which was thin, over cooked and tough as a leather sole! Our visit to Sete didn't last long, and soon we were driving again. We continued along the Mediterranean until we reached Perpignan, where we decided that we needed to see some more mountains. From Perpignan the road started climbing towards the Pyrenees the farther away from the coast we drove. Since it already was getting dark in the valleys we drove through, we decided to look for a hotel in the small town of Prades, France. Almost every night in the hotel rooms we took into, we luxuriated in a tub full of hot water. How nice it felt to be able to just lay there and let the hot water relax you. Quite a difference compared to the quick showers we take onboard our boat!

On Thursday morning we sampled the last of the French food; coffee, juice, and bread with marmelade. Soon we had packed up our belongings, and as soon as we came outside the hotel, we could see both high and higher mountains all around the town. What a secluded spot! The road twisted and turned along the steep mountain sides as we continued our journey, and hairpin curves we manoeuvred, as we constantly climbed higher up. Here and there on either side of the road or below it, a small village seemed to cling to the side of the mountain. All the houses were built of stone with cement as the finishing layer, so they all had the same dreary grey collor. What the houses lacked, the beautiful views made up for! Electrical lines threaded their way along the river at the bottom of the valleys, and the power from the water was harnessed here and there to drive turbines that supplied the electricity. Some waterfalls had been contained and redirected into pipes that brought the water to the hydro electric station hundreds of feet below! As we were getting higher up into the Pyrenees mountains, we started to see snow on the ground along the road, and now and then it was snowing. The real thick snow on the side of the road and on the road itself, we encountered after we had driven through the town of Bourg-Madame in France and crossed into Spain. We had chosen the scenic route into Spain, which meant that we had to cross a pass at 5900 feet, instead of the faster route through a tunnel. Once we had conquered the pass and seen snow covered tops, void from any vegetation, all around us, it was down hill from then on until we got close to Barcelona. Not many areas in Spain are flat, not even close to the Mediterranean; hills and mountains in various height are the common sight! Barcelona we bypassed and drove instead out to the Mediterranean and stopped in Villanueva y Geltru, where we ate supper. Villanueva has a big harbor where lots of local and some transient boats lay tied up. The city was very quiet, but you could tell it would be very busy in the summer time with tourists, sun lovers and yachtsmen. Back on the road south again, after our short visit to Villanueva, and we continued driving until we found a hotel along the motorway, that could accomodate us and Duke. That would be our last night in a hotel room, so a last hot, relaxing bath was definitely on the agenda!

Friday, January 5, we got up and got going as soon as we could. It was going to be our last day on the road, and I think we all were a bit anxious to get back to Almeria and check our boats. After we had checked out from the hotel in Burriana, we got back on the highway again and followed the toll road all the way to Valencia, where we veered away from the coast. At once the terrain became much more interesting to watch! Hills and mountains we saw all around us, dried up river beds, groves of orange and lemon trees, and the plastic covered green houses. Both the oranges and the lemons were not quite ripe yet, but the trees seemed loaded with the bright colored fruits, so it wouldn't be too much longer until we could buy them at the Farmer's Market in Almeria! Here in Spain they utilize plastic as cover on top of and on the sides of green houses. In some areas that is all you can see; either white or green plastic for miles and miles. People say that all the fruit and vegetables for all of Europe come from Spain, and I am starting to believe it! Even United States are supplied with tomatoes and green peppers from here!

All morning and into the afternoon we continued driving south, and by 1500 the scenery started to look familiar. We had arrived back in Almeria again after being gone for eleven days. It felt good to be back in our city, which we had been calling home since December first! The car was soon unloaded, and we carried all our stuff out to the boats, but before we got to them, we were met by Rene and Wendy. They are a young couple from Holland, and they had been watching our boats while we were gone! So good to see them also and to top it off, we got invited for Dutch pancakes for supper later on! Sounded yummy to us, so of course we didn't say no! Our boats had fared well in our absence; only one line from the stern of our boat to the dock had broken, and Rene had retied it with one of his lines! Soon it was time to go over to Rene and Wendy's boat, "Mrs. Jones" and eat Dutch pancakes. I had never heard of Dutch pancakes before, so this would be a first! The pancakes are cooked in a skillet on top of the stove. Before the batter is poured in, small pieces of bacon are put in first, then the batter. When one side is cooked, the pancake is flipped over and cooked on the other side. At that time Dutch cheese is added on top to be melted. Dutch syrup is poured over everything and then it's finally time to enjoy! The pancakes were delicious, and I ate two all by myself!

The entire trip up to Paris and back to Almeria, Spain, the way we drove, was 2,595 miles. Paris was just about half way; only 37 miles longer on our return trip. Most of the roads we drove on were great and the speed limits varied a lot. Through smaller towns and villages, it could go down to as low as 25 miles per hour, but on the toll roads, where access was limited, the speed limit was 130 kilometers on dry roads and 110 kilometers on wet roads. That corresponds to about 80 and 68 miles per hour respectively. Dan, of course had to do a little better at times, but the most I saw the speedometer rise to, was 140 kilometers per hour and that was too fast for me! While Dan and Tom took turns driving the car during the day, Duke and I sat in the back seat observing everything, and one thing I could see clearly was the speedometer. The gasoline prices varied quite a bit also, but in Spain they were a lot cheaper than in France. We paid from $2.69 to $2.76 per gallon for gasoline in Spain, and in France between $3.29 and $3.96 per gallon. What was even more expensive for the car then the gasoline, was motor oil. We paid a little more than $6.00 for just one liter! Overall our trip to Paris and back was a great adventure. We got to see a little of both countries, experience new tastes in food, adjust to new customs, and meet nice and friendly people. A very pleasant adventure that we wouldn't forget in a hurry!