122. In Transit - France - Spain - Malta

Leaving France was difficult as we would miss Spangle and the countryside. We packed Penny up and drove 300 km south-west to St Sebastian situated on the north-west coast of Spain. 

We were given a lovely hand-made Portuguese bowl from Spangle's owners. Lovely people!


The roads were in good condition and we made it in good time (3 hours ish). It was sunny and busy due to a festival that weekend.

St Sebastian


We walked along the bay and after a quick feed, had an early night to start the 5 hour drive to Madrid airport the following day as we were flying out that afternoon to Malta.


Pysched and ready for the journey ahead, Google Maps was slow in updating our whereabouts, making us miss turns. 

The timeline tells the story. And it was worse than that looks.  VERY stressful!


Once out of the city, the highway down to Madrid airport was smooth and uneventful until we got into the outskirts of Madrid. We were surprised to see snow on the mountain peaks just before entering the Madrid suburban sprawl.

Again, Google maps let us down, making us not only miss turns, but take us on some strange roads on the way to the long-term car park. Being tired from driving for 5 hours, I started losing the plot once we looped a section 4 times!

We finally made our way out of the maze, and were relieved we allowed an extra hour to get to the parking as we had little time to spare to check in once we arrived at the airport.

The guy at the airport parking admonished us for being late, to which Max replied that we'd gotten lost and that airport road are bonkers!

Again, the timeline tells the story. Crazy Spain stuff!


On the plane. Malta, here we come!  Finally!




Comments

  1. KayeMarch 13, 2025 at 12:04 PM

    Have a fabulous stay in Malta and I hope you get to catch up with family. We went to Quara once and loved it xxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 13, 2025 at 8:17 PM

    Google maps😬sometimes very stressful🤪keep enjoying the adventure 😊

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 13, 2025 at 11:44 PM

    Looking Peaky Blinders there Powlo.
    Pickles

    ReplyDelete
  4. dianne watsonMarch 14, 2025 at 12:21 AM

    have a fantastic time in Malta guys... loving your adventures xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Annie ClarkMarch 14, 2025 at 2:46 AM

    have a wonderful stay, I'm sure you are both full of new stories after this one xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Max and Paul's Excellent AdventureMarch 17, 2025 at 11:55 AM

      It's been great to come to the European mainland. It's so cheap to fly to places.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousMarch 14, 2025 at 5:11 AM

    Around the world in eighty ways.....

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 14, 2025 at 5:38 AM

    Loving your excellent adventure Paul and Max... you are indeed intrepid and courageous and inspirational. Have fun in Malta!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mary Lawrence March 14, 2025 at 11:49 PM

    Omg! Google maps has led me astray on many occasions. It's quite laughable after the fact and always becomes a great travel story. But you made it! I look forward to the next chapter.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousMarch 15, 2025 at 5:51 PM

    Good luck, Paul and Max on the next chapter of your adventure. I certainly enjoy your blogs. Love Glen xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Annie ClarkMarch 16, 2025 at 11:37 PM

    hey Maxine and Paul, I am intrigued as to how you coped with the 'stress' of driving around Madrid, Spain, I mean, not for the faint hearted!?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Max and Paul's Excellent AdventureMarch 17, 2025 at 11:58 AM

      Taking deep breaths works. The only way is to jump in the deep end and drive when rested. The roundabouts are a doozy are I am still getting used to looking for traffic on my left!

      Delete

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