MORE ADVENTURES IN GR3

 

It’s travel time again We fly into Munich the day before John & Elizabeth who have been using GR3 leave. They have spent nearly 4 months travelling through Morocco, Spain & Portugal. It was great to get GR3 back in one piece and looking sparkling-clean. Now it is chilly in Munich with snow everywhere, so they are looking forward to heading back to sunny Queensland, while we are planning to head to Sete in France for our ferry crossing to Algeria. After saying our goodbyes, we spend the rest of the day unpacking, resorting and restocking with food ready to hit the road the next day.

We are off, through snow covered countryside towards the even snowier mountains in Austria. Even the lakes are frozen over making it a winter wonderland, but a tad chilly for us thin blooded Aussies. At Innsbruck we turn and head south towards Italy. Switzerland would be the faster route, but tolls for the truck are complicated, so instead we head towards the Brenner Pass and the Dolomites. The views are stunning (if a little gray and cold) as we head down a narrow valley surrounded by vines and towering cliffs. We pull over for the night at Bolzen where there is a scruffy camping area opposite the cemetery.

The next morning, we head off early back onto the Autostrada. The tolls are relatively cheap and as it is Saturday there are fewer trucks on the road.  After a few hours the sun starts to peak out from the clouds and the valley widens out so we decide to stop at Verona to explore the old town. There is an incredibly convenient motorhome parking/camp spot right beside the town walls, so it is an easy walk. We head along the old Roman road that runs right through the centre of the old town to the lovely piazza’s surrounded by the stunning facades of the old homes. We even brave the throngs of tourists to pop into Casa di Giulietta to see Juliets Balcony (I don’t need to tell any of you who Juliet is?) Then wander more streets and piazzas before heading to the huge Colosseum which is currently being prepared for the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics. We top off our visit with pizza at a restaurant that is full of locals. I can’t believe that they all eat a massive pizza each! We share one! 

Back at GR3 we decide to continue our drive, although it takes us ages at the barrier to work out how to get out of the carpark. We finally exit and continue along miles of flat countryside with farmland stretching for miles. There are plenty of massive farmhouses, many in various states of decay. The plan is to reach Genoa, but this proves to be too ambitious, so we find a spot in Tortino. This involves us navigating through town and winding up a hill to a spot beneath the old castle walls. Not much remains but it will be perfect for the night. Well not quite so perfect. Despite the cold night locals park nearby and crank up their music. Oh the joys of free camping!

We head off through early morning fog back to the motorway and continue south through miles of more flat farmland before we reach the mountains. Then it is tunnel after tunnel. In the short gaps between each we get misty glimpses of villages huddled on the slopes. Finally, we reach the Mediterranean and continue along the coast through tunnels and over huge viaducts. We have decided to head down to a town to hunt for a campspot near the waterfront and we score big time in Imperia. Our App has shown us a spot in a carpark between the sports fields and the marina, but we spy an empty block of land right beside the Mediterranean, so we pull in there for the night. No one bothers us and we spend a few hours exploring the Marina and admiring the rows of sleek expensive boats.

We have decided to head straight to Sete without making more stops just in case there are any hiccups. So we are back to the motorway with more tunnels and viaducts, and before we know we are in France. The only difference is the large increase in tolls! Eventually we leave the coast and head on though the lovely farmlands of Province to the even flatter region near the port. We arrive in Sete by 4pm and find a huge free carpark with a gap beside the height barrier for us to sneak in. Bonus! Except a truck comes and downloads a new barrier. Panic averted when a local tells John where he can remove a barrier to get out. We head off to get groceries but get sidetracked exploring the town that has more canals than side roads. Then indulge at an early dinner at a waterfront bar.

The next morning we finally get our groceries before we head to the wharf. We arrive by the 11am requested time. Our ferry has just started unloading. The streets are snarled with traffic and can’t cope with all these extra vehicles, so it is a slow process.  We sit in our queue waiting and watching the chaos! Finally, by 4pm we are on the ship and head up to find our cabin. Obviously, most of the locals don’t pay extra for a cabin. They have set up sleeping mats, airbeds, or even spots straight on the carpet to sleep for the night. It is NOT a luxury vessel. Our cabin has 2 narrow beds, a basic shower and toilet. We have 24 long hours on board. We explore, but it’s too cold & wet on the top deck so it’s back to our cabin. Much later the next day we go on deck and watch as we cruise into Alger’s at sunset.

Exiting the ferry takes an hour as the cars jostle for position. Then we are sent into a queue and again wait. After another 2 hours in a slow-moving line our guide Fouad manages to get the police to pull us through the chaos to park. Then we head inside to get our visas.  Two hours later, with every finger and thumb fingerprinted, photos taken of our head and shoulders in every direction and Fouad handing over a stack of money we are stamped in. We now rejoin the queue. Customs are doing an incredibly thorough job of pulling apart every car in the queue. Another 3 hours, and that is with Fouad getting us fast tracked, we have made it through. Annoyingly our 2-way radios have been confiscated. By 2am we are free to go and drive out onto the empty streets of the city. We are now officially in Algeria. 

And so our new journey begins…