The Wonders of Travel

Just for a change I thought I wouldn't jump on anybody's case, but do something different.

Today, travel is second nature to the majority of people, and we do so over huge distances unheard of in times gone by.

I have just arrived back in Holland where I lived for many years before moving to Spain, a journey of 2253 kilometres which I covered in approximately 26 hours. I did it by car, mainly because I enjoy driving.

I left home at 16.15, heading north out of Marbella along the coastal strip that is the Costa Del Sol, before turning inland through the mountains in the direction of Granada. It is well known that the Costa has a unique climate, and the mountain chain stretching along the coast 20 or so kilometres inland is the reason for this.

Once through the mountains I found myself in an agricultural area that is dotted far and wide with small communities.

Reaching Granada is somewhat of a shock because one hears so much about this famous city and it's beautiful architecture, but from the motorway it does not look impressive at all, but of course from there, you do not see the beauty of the city itself. I will certainly return one day and look for myself.

Continuing on, one must pass Juen before getting to Madrid, the capital. What a huge sprawling city it is, like most capital cities I suppose. It can be a bit daunting to drive through without an in-car navigation system, thankfully my Lexus has an excellant one. At several points through the city you find three or four motorways flowing parallel to each other. Imagine 16 to 18 lanes of traffic seperated into four motorways running side by side, and you have to get in the correct lane to get onto the motorway you want! You need to have your wits about you, and that's no understatement.

Eventually we leave Madrid behind and find ourselves in the heartland of Spain. Strangely enough, it looks a lot like the countryside south of Madrid, because the one thing that struck me the most was this; Olive Trees! From horizon to horizon, covering every available patch of ground, were olive trees. I really would not like the job of carrying out an olive tree census in Spain.

It is a particular pleasure when travelling in Spain, to stop off somewhere for a Caffee con Leche (milk coffee) and a Tapas, which is a small snack such as Tortilla (potato omlette) or a small salad, or baguette. These are available at any roadside cafe or bar and are delicious, and very cheap. I recommend them to any traveller in Spain.

Still travelling north we come to Burgos, one of the coldest parts of Spain, before entering the Pyranees and the Spanish Basquenland. It is general knowledge that a very small minority of the Basque people have been trying for years to break away from Spain proper, and driving through the region I can't for the life of me understand why! It would seem that everything they have, they get from the Spanish Government; like the new motorway through the mountains. The old road was a typical torturous mountain road with hairpin bends, a true nightmare, especially for trucks. Now, with the new motorway you go through tunnels etc, and by comparison, hardly notice the mountains at all, driving-wise that is. It has cut the Pyranees travel time by half at least, all thanks to the Spanish Government and tax-payers.

The only downside to all the new motorways being built in Spain is that many are becoming Toll Roads, a trick they learned from the French no doubt!

Anyway, onward to the border with France. The first thing you notice after crossing is 'Peage'!! The direction I need to go i.e. Paris (all roads in France lead to Paris) is for the most part toll roads. We head for Bordeaux via Biarritz, that French coastal resort so loved by the English Victorians. If you ever visit Biarritz you will find a fascinating number of walkways, small islands and decorations along the seafront, all installed by the Victorian English.

It takes about two and a half hours to get to Bordeaux from the border, it never looks that far on the map. This French town was of course infamous during the Second World War because it was used by the Nazi's as a base for part of their U-Boat fleet. You can still see the concrete submarine pens constructed by the Germans during the war. They have not been torn down because they were built to withstand bombing attacks by the RAF, and with true Deutsche "Grundlichkeit", are indestructable.

Once past Bordeaux you enter France proper, with fields stretching for kilometres either side of the road, areas of woodland and quaint little villages, all very picturesque. The motorway is studded every few kilometres by parking places with strange names called "Aieres" (not sure about the spelling). You see Aiere de Sant Villiers, Aiere Le Chagnastie and many more.

Of course there are the usual petrol stations and coffee shops, but a word of warning, don't drink the automat-coffee in a petrol station shop. For 1.20 Euroes you get 12 millilitres (2 sips) of muck that I wouldn't give to my dog if I had one! Driving through on a Sunday, you will find all of these Rest Stops packed out, with every parking slot taken. I can only judge from the facts that it appears to be a French thing to go for a day out to one or other rest stop, even in winter.

After about 530 kilometres its time for the big one: Paris! This city is perhaps the biggest nightmare for travelling through anywhere in Europe. The drivers in Paris are crazy, and you need eyes in the back of your head to see where the next one is coming from. I almost got crushed into the barrier by a huge truck pulling out to overtake. Luckily he saw me in time to prevent an accident.

Having said that, the motorways through Paris are not too bad and you can get through without too much hassle, providing you plan well ahead any lane changes you need to make for exits. Mine from Paris was via Charles De Gaulle Airport, and I must say, it was fascinating to watch a 747 taxi over my head as I travelled along the motorway.

On leaving Paris you hit the toll road pretty quick, and then its heading north-east for the border with Belgium through the lush green fields of northern France. Once again, beware of the coffee if you want to stay healthy.

On hitting the frontier you are immediately surprised to find the Customs post still intact, even though internal borders were swept away years ago by the EU. They may not be manned, but they are still there. Its not like travelling between, say Holland, Belgium or Germany, where you don't even slow down for the border because its not there anymore. France has kept its border posts for some reason and it is neccessary to go through at 10 km per hour! Crazy Huh! Ah Well! The French have always been a law unto themselves!

On into Belgium and its suffering motorway system. The road surfaces are not all they could be, being constructed of concrete slabs which, while extremely durable, are very noisy. Unfortunately it seems that many motorways in Belgium are now at a stage where the surfaces are in desperate need of repair. But once you get used to the thrumming of the tyres its not too bad. Night driving in Belgium is fine because all the motorways are lit at night. I would hate to have to pay the electricty bill for that lot.

It takes but a couple of hours or so to cross Belgium via Liege and then you pass a sign saying you have entered Holland. The sign is the only way you would know you have crossed a border.

It has been approximately 26 hours since I left Marbella travelling at a steady speed, and stopping a couple of times for sleep, not counting the other stops for coffee, toilet etc.

This is just one example of the modern day miracle of fast travel. Five Hundred years ago, this journey on foot would have taken just over 35 days to complete, estimated at a steady 8kmph for 8 hours a day. Even with a horse, it would still have taken more than 20 days. Amazing what technology can achieve!