me (Julieanne) leaving the 'White' Cliffs at Dover

Rob, ponders, will the 914 make it to Spain...

Rob's Fourteen, first stop just south of Le Mans

La Hunauderie

the Gang - Bruce, Bernard, Maurice and Rob

Gina ponders the map, we head South again

Woody, our longstanding Mascot, a gift to us at the Hamburg International

view from my balcony at La Reposeraie, Chatel Guyon

Bruce took me to the Casino, we played a weird version of Roulette that used something like a squash ball!

heading to the Millau Viaduct

Bruce, and a few dead flies

Bernard and Kevin

the worlds tallest bridge, designed by Brit Norman Foster, the French are very proud of it

we stopped at the visitors centre where we discovered that the bridge is taller than the Eifel Tower and I tried to take some 'arty' shots

back on the road again

Maurice and Gina

it was a challenge to be a vegetarian on this trip

Rob gets out the axle stands, cause for concern?

it looks worse than it is, only a loose exhaust stud :-)

Kev suprises us with *another* new Fourteen

Its Ravena Green, my fave colour, painted by Jonny Abbot of www.vwjava.com fame

at the Les Mas II hotel in Cabestany we met up with the other half of our UK posse - Kev, Brian and Joy, Dave and Richard, Tom and Lorraine

B A R C E L O N A !

at last we are close to our final destination, the Hotel Rigat in Lloret de Mar

the reward for our efforts: a perfect view of the Med from the terrace at the Rigat

we all got a goodie bag stuffed with goodies, here is the rally plaque

Jardins de Santa Clotilde

Tom strikes a pose, he could be a Model, dont ya think?

beautiful views from the Garden

me, somewhat less model-like but enjoying the sunshine nonetheless

What do you call a Mermaid with two tails?

Melusine (or Melusina) is a figure of European ledgends and folklore.

we returned to the Rigat by train

and later a meal at El Trull - Rob, Tom and Bruce

Lorraine, Anne and Joy

Brian, Richard and Dave

our Spanish hosts have provided a most exciting drive along the coast for us - check out those CURVES!

our first stop to take in the breathtaking views

even the cyclists didnt spoil our fun, we had great admiration for their stamina (well I think that was what I liked about them!)

next stop and Rob is trying to outdo Tom's posing, what do you think?

then, DISASTER - Tom's suspension has collapsed

the organisers have provided a Mechanic and support minibus

but, alas, a roadside repair will not be possible, Tom and Lorraine will be flying home and the '14 gets sent home on a transporter :-(

at Sant Feliu we enjoy lunch and a chance to look at our photos

then we head back along the FANTASTIC costal coastal curves, it was an excellent '14 driving experience, just like Playstation (apparently!)

our Dutch friend Ronald is making a Dutch Movie, should we be worried?

later before our evening meal we enjoy cocktails and canapes on the terrace at the Rigat, we scrub up quite well dont you think?

'ahh, this is the life..'

yum!

lovely food

and a 914 cake too

we make a toast to Roger 'Please dont sell your 914!'

a gift to Carlos our host from the Spanish 914 club

Carlos and Bruce

Ronald makes a presentation on behalf of the Netherlands 914 club and an announcment that the International Gathering in 2007 will be in Groningen

Tom was awarded a special prize, I think it was for being the only car to need the breakdown crew, tee hee.

we all got a bottle of 914 Carva, I love Bubbles so it HAD to be drunk right away :-)

We head back north, our first stop is at Carcassonne, famous for its unique Roman and Medieval fortifications

JUst outside the city walls we found a carousell, oooh, what FUN!

Maurice and his Friend

Yum! We found a lovely Bistro within the walls of Carcassonne and everyone had a wonderful meal, I liked the look of mine so much I took a photo

our day of Castles and Chateaus

finally we arrive at Chateau de Grand Branet, near Bordeaux

Rob wastes no time sampling the Chateau's own wine

yep, its NICE!

Calais, sniff, its nearly over...

the ferry to Dover was 'livley' turning me a nice shade of green, however it wont spoil the memory of a GREAT 914 roadtrip, roll on next time!

The gardens, of 26,000 square meters, were designed at the beginning of century by the architect and city planner Nicolau Maria Rubió i Tudurí and are located in a natural amphitheatre with views to the sea.

This space, with typically Mediterranean vegetation, was made following the Italian Renaissance style, with gardens staggered in terraces, ample outer views and sculptures in all the corners. The escultóricas pieces appear throughout the route creating different points from interest, like the group of bronze sirens of the artist Maria Llimona in the main stairs. In the seats and viewpoints busts of classic inspiration are on pedestals covered with ivy. Along with the sculptures, the sources are one of the elements that characterize this green zone.

She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish (much like a mermaid) from the waist down. She is also sometimes illustrated with wings, two tails or both.

L-R seated: Gina, Anne and Lorraine

Standing Kevin, Julieanne, Bernard and Maurice

Some question Carcassonne's heritage after it was "restored" by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the latter half of the 19th century but we enjoyed wandering around the cobbled streets, towers and ramparts of this medieval cite, which first came to prominence in the 12th and 13th centuries