Driving West in ‘Big Karl’

We have finally found the perfect name for our trusty stead around the European continent, we introduce you to Big Karl. While lacking in a bit of mobility, the endurance and versatility of Big Karl has really come through for us over the past few weeks, and the 600km long journey from Lyon to Bordeaux was the perfect example.

We stayed overnight in a small town called Le Teich, a few clicks away from Dune Du Pilat, the biggest sand dunes in Europe. The only thing missing was the good ol kiwi boggie board hire to go surfing down the dunes! With our last night in France for a while, we farewelled the countryside and hit the coastline of the Bay of Bisque, a scenic drive through Bidart and Saint Jean de Luz was worth the traffic jams.

Crossing into Spain without even noticing we hitched up for a night on top of a hill overlooking the Bay just north of Donostia San Sebastian. A peaceful night with the only noise coming from the cowbells in the paddock next door. At dawn we wound our way back down the mountain and headed directly for the Spanish capital. After a few nights freedom camping it was time for a campsite and we set up for two nights at Camping Osuna on the outskirts of Madrid.

We were greeted with a sweltering 33 degree heat in Madrid and headed into the city for some late night sightseeing and tapas. The weather had other ideas and we found ourselves holed up in a small bar drinking fish bowls of sangria while we waited for an un-forecasted thunderstorm to roll through. Tip: Spanish bars offer free tapas everytime you order a round of drinks 🙂 Later that evening stumbled across a group of trendy tapas food stores which sold everything from wine, cheese, mozzarella, olives, seafood and meats. I died and went to food heaven.

The second day in Madrid was full of walking and taking in the sights, we were taken back by how beautiful the city was, similar to Paris. We finished the day off with a beautiful seafood paella from the popular eating street Calle de Cava Baja.