Free Camping Five Best Spots - French and Italian Riviera

Bandol, France is one of my favorites.  Our parking is right beside a park where the senior citizens of Bandol play the popular sport called Petanque and where the flea market is set up once a week, which is right beside the marina and is just on the right of the main street's restaurants and shops.    We stayed 3 nights.  GPS 43.13334 5.75185

Outside of the town of Saint-Maxime is a restaurant called Mario Plage.  We think the parking lot beside the sea is for the customers of the restaurants but when we arrived at around 9pm the restaurant is already closed so we thought we can park for the night and leave in the morning.  We stayed one night.  GPS 43.31783 6.66591

After leaving our parking spot in Mario Plage early morning, we drove a short distance and found this huge parking at a commune of Saint-Maxime called Les Issambres.  We stayed here all day and found the place to be very relaxing and we felt we can stay there a long time and nobody would bother us.  We saw two men who set up a tent and hammock in a not very well hidden spot in the bushes/woods.  GPS 43.36172 6.71593

  
Next is a commune of Saint-Raphael called Agay.  We left a McDonalds location around 1130pm because we did not felt safe there so we drove and found this very well lighted street parking across from a hotel with no sign of business (doesn't look like a haunted place though).  We stayed one night GPS 43.42683 6.87630

Our last favorite came unexpectedly.  We have given up on the Italian Riviera because every towns and cities have NO PARKING sign for campers - then came this parking right beside the sea, our closest to the sea parking ever.  On the entrance of the parking grassy lot is a machine meant to collect parking payments but when we came it was not functional.  My husband talked to people from another camper and they informed him they have not paid any amount of money for their 5 nights stay mainly due to the machine being out of order.  The town is called Noli. We stayed one night here.  GPS 44.21582 8.41602


We have an idea of staying "forever" in France in these free camping spots, moving from one spot to the other, enjoying the beauty of nature and living happily ever after.

Saint-Tropez - Where the Fabulously Rich Party

My husband and I can officially say that we drove through the length of the French and Italian Rivieras.  We have seen the beautiful communes, towns and cities of Cote d' Azur in France and the towns and cities of Italy starting from Ventimiglia and finally exiting to the highway in Livorno.

I have some favorite spots where it is free to park and spend the night and where the view is fabulous and the sea is in all shades of blue.  I even have gps locations but I will blog about it later.

The night we were in Saint-Tropez, all seemingly brand new, beautiful, shiny, huge yachts are there parked right in the main street where people walk and the famous bars and restaurants are located.  There were about a dozen of them and I know from what I already saw the past weeks that these are the superstars of all yachts.

A week or so later, after seeing the yachts in Cannes, France and Monaco, it was confirmed, what we saw in Saint-Tropez were the finest babies of all yachts.

One yacht even has a mean-looking, Russian-looking, unsmiling big hunk of a guard.  Some yacht owners and guests were dining, drinking and partying right there on their decks in front of the common people watching them.  Some uniformed yachts crew were visible while tending to the yachts requirements and some were serving dinner and wine to their rich and famous bosses.

Saint-Tropez is a fun place to walk late at night and people watch.  It was alive with a lot of people at 10pm, restaurants were full and when we left at 1130pm, it was still busy and parties was definitely just beginning.

Dumpster Diving in France

Dumpster diving refers to the practice of getting/diving for food and non food items from dumpsters.  Dumpsters, in my opinion is an American term for the huge metal garbage container strategically located in supermarkets and some parts of the cities.

We stayed two nights free camping in a mall parking lot in La Garde, France.  Our parking spot was beside a supermarket and across from McDonalds for its free wifi.  On our second morning, my husband noticed a man checking out the garbage bins obviously looking for something.  So we thought he was looking for food scraps from McDonalds customers.  About an hour later, another man came and did the same.  A half hour later, two women came and also inspected the garbage bins.  All of them left empty handed.

Around noon, a supermarket staff moved the bin closer to the back door of the building and filled it with all kinds of stuff/goodies which they are throwing away.  We did not actually saw this but what we saw was a man and a woman team, probably husband and wife, hauling off about 10 bag full of stuff from the garbage bin which earlier in the morning was empty of goodies.  This couple came at the perfect time and came out of dumpster diving that day with food good for at least a week for a family of 5.

I have heard and read about dumpster diving in the USA and UK in the internet from some bloggers.  It was interesting for me because in the land of my birth, the Philippines, a lot of poor people goes hungry for lack of food and huge amount of food going to garbage is unthinkable and unimaginable.

So we watched and we thought that even some French people are so poor that they had to dumpster dive.

What's Life On the Road Like in a Camper

 What is this lifestyle like?  What does rving means?  What's life on the road like?  
 You must have a ton of money to be able to tour Europe? 

What is this lifestyle called?  Some call it motorhoming (British), RVing (Americans) and possibly campering (my word) since Italians call this vehicle camper.  So basically, the vehicle is called
a.  motorhonme
b. RV - Recreational Vehicle
c. camper
d. etc.

First, let me discuss money matters.  We bought our camper in Italy.  Actually, my niece, who is Italian bought the camper for us, registered under her name.  Based on research, we Canadians, can not buy a vehicle in Italy or anywhere in Europe.  In 2007, we bought a 1990 Fiat Ducato camper for Euros 7200 which we used for 5 months and which we later sold for Euros 4000.  This year we bought a 2002 Fiat Ducato camper worth Euros14700 which we hope to sell for Euros 15000 when were done touring Europe.  The point is, save enough money to buy yourself a camper which cost from Euros 7000 - really, really old model - to Euros 45,000 and up brand new one.

Once done with the matter of buying your home on wheels, everything else regarding expenses becomes as normal or predictable as you want it to be.  This means if at home (Canada or USA or anywhere else in the world)  you are spending $2000 (Euros1400) a month to live "your normal life", in this lifestyle here in Europe you can budget the same, control your expenses, live your life as it was before while touring Europe in your now very small home, your camper.

This lifestyle includes doing normal activities like cooking, doing the dishes, cleaning, food shopping and laundry.
Your budget dictates how often you eat in restaurants.  When you are not eating in restaurants, you are preparing and cooking your own meals.  You can do your laundry or you can use Laverie (French coin-operated laundry shops).  You can free-camp or you can go to a municipal or private campsite and pay an average of Euros20 a night. You can live as frugally as needed or you can spend as much as you want.  A couple can live on Euros800 per month frugally in our experience.

Water can be had from municipal or private campsites and is used sparingly.

Light and computer is powered by car battery while the battery is powered by solar panel.

C'est la vie.  Bonjour.

Bandol, France

Bandol, France is one of many beach towns in Cote d' Azur along the Mediterranean Sea.  Our idea is to drive through these communes and enjoy a slow life, savouring the pollution free, salty, fresh air in these parts of France.  We also thought we would finally be rid of the pollen allergy we had since arriving in Italy on April 16, 2011.

Coming from Avignon, France we have since visited the coastal towns of Sausset les Pins, Marseille, La Ciotat, Saint Cyr Sur Mer and now Bandol.

It was difficult to go to the centerville so we waited for when we know by experience that streets and parking spots are not so busy, that is around 8pm.

On our second try to navigate the narrow streets of Bandol, we got lucky, we found a parking spot right along the beach and got luckier, there's free wifi.   We later drove to where we thought we want to spend the night but found a better one - free parking outside of the centerville, still along the beach.

This was our first time to score a parking spot along the beach with a full, unobstructed view of the yatchs and the sea.

The following morning, we woke to find it was flea market day and it is right there, set up right in front of us.  It was a pleasant surprise, as I am a flea market enthusiast.

As usual there were fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and cured meats, seafood, garments and footwear.  Most interesting were the really huge flat cooking pans where paella, chicken and beef stews, escargots and potatoes were cooked.  There were also roasted chicken and pork. 

I like this flea market better probably because it is right on the sea walk.  Market day is Tuesday.

Got Locked up Twice in France

We were so happy when we finally arrived in the small town of Sausset Les Pins, Marseille Provence. We have been waiting for this moment when we are finally done with the interior of Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
We have seen the beautiful and most important lakes and rivers of the six countries. What we were so looking forward to is to see the deep blue seas again.

So on June 2, 2011, when we saw the sea, the beach, the walkway along the beach and the seemingly tranquil and friendly surroundings of this little town, we were ecstatic. We walked, took pics and had dinner in our camper. We began to take notice of the traffic signs which when translated via google translate means, No Motorhomes/Campers are allowed to park.

We left the parking lot, not so in a hurry though, intending to find a market to buy bottled water. We found a supermarche which was fully lighted still, we drove right in, found the store closed, we were about to exit when the gates closed automatically.

We were locked up, first time, without our consent. There was no one there to open the gate for us and allow us to leave. No one. My husband, used a pedestrian gate and chatted up with people across the street who were eating pizza at the pizza shop. They didn't know how to help us. So we parked and slept in their parking lot.

The second time we were locked up was with our consent. We were in E.Leclerc outside of Marseille and it was closing time. We had dinner and we were taking our time even if we knew the supermarket is already closed. We were approached and was told by the security officer that we could stay overnight but they need to locked up the gates. We agreed and it became our second time being locked up in France.

Palais des Papes and Ramparts of Avignon

The ramparts of Avignon is the first thing visitors would see when they approach the center of Avignon. They are massive and obviously ancient. My research indicated the ramparts were built in the 13th century and some more were added in the 14th century, with a total length of 4.3 kms.We drove around the city and we found the ramparts with a thickness of 6.5 to 8.5 feet and a height in my estimate of 20 to 24 feet to be totally encircling the city core. Without reading the history of Avignon, one would easily conclude that the reason for the construction of these massive ramparts or walling is for protection against the enemy or fear or paranoia or all of the above.

Knowing that Palais les Papes is located inside the ramparts and reading a little bit on the history of Avignon, we confirmed our theory. The Popes in the 13th century left Rome because of fear of the enemies of the Catholic Church and lived in Avignon. They built Palais des Papes.

We visited the city centerville of Avignon, France on June 2, 2011 on a rainy afternoon.

Palais des Papes is huge and beautiful, with a total floor area of 15,000 square meters according to Wikipedia and is the largest palace in all of Europe. We can't help but be overwhelmed and be disgusted with this display of wealth, power, arrogance and grandiosity by the Catholic Church with a heavy dose of eccentricity and paranoia. It is totally and completely incomprehensible.

The Popes needed to live in Avignon and therefore the Popes needed to build this monstrous palace because the Popes cannot live in simple, smaller Palace?

Wind Storm in Avignon, France

The wind was howling, was fierce, strong and relentless for two days while we were in Mistral 7, a shopping mall outside of Avignon, France city center on May 31 and June 1, 2011.

We decided to wait it out and let the strong winds pass but we did not expect it to last for two days.  The consolation in our being stranded is that we have free wifi from the mall, Auchan Supermarche for anything we want to cook and eat, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Lidl, my favorite market.

On the third day, June 2, the wind storm is somewhere else, but the rain came.  We visited Palais des Papes and the city center of Avignon while still raining.  We got wet but it was ok, small price to pay for being a tourist in France.

Running out of Gaz in Europe

Yesterday morning, we found out our gaz aka LPG aka GPL is no more, after 28 days of use in cooking, heating water for bath, cooling the very small refrigerator and about 3 mornings use of heater, gaz is out.

We tried a lot of gasoline stations to replace our propane tank but they refuse to.  This experience was made even more difficult by us not speaking French and them, French people not speaking English.

The first time we ran out of gaz was in Austria.  We have a propane tank from Italy and we can't swap it to buy a propane tank in Austria.  We found a gaz supplier willing to refill our tank but he can't because of a "fitting" discrepancy.  We were referred to a camper supplier store who sold us a propane tank filled with gaz and the correct "fitting".  This became our propane tank number 2.  Price was Euros 76.00.

Just like in Austria where our Italian propane tank is not an acceptable replacement, here in France, our Italian propane tank and our Austrian propane tank are also not an acceptable replacement.  We accepted the fact that we would have to buy a propane tank in France.  This we did, after much difficulty for the last two days.  This became our propane tank number 3.  Price is Euros 48.  The good thing is the "fitting" we bought from Austria is a good fitting for this French propane tank.

A French guy helped my husband made this purchase.  He brought us to a station where we could buy a propane tank and he did the talking for us.

We now have gaz and the first thing we cooked was Japanese instant ramen.

It's funny how we have a very small home and we have 3 propane tanks.

C'est la vie.



Wikipedia: Liquefied petroleum gas (also called LPG, GPL, LP Gas, autogas, or liquid propane gas) is a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles. It is increasingly used as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant, replacing chlorofluorocarbons in an effort to reduce damage to the ozone layer.

Flea Market in Villeurbanne, France aka Flea Market in Lyon, France

Villeurbanne is only 5 kms from Lyon and according to wiki its Arrondissement is Lyon, France which probably means Villeurbanne is a commune of Lyon.  When researching flea markets in France, this flea market is referred to as biggest flea market in Lyon but it is actually located in Villeurbanne.

Lyon, France is not RV or camper friendly . there is no municipal camping for campers in or even surrounding Lyon.  Parking is non existent.  It is good we were set to go to Villeurbanne to spend the night in preparation for my much anticipated day flea marketing.

We also had a hard time finding a parking in Villeurbanne, we wanted to leave and drive at the motorway and sleep in an aire even it was already 12 mn.  We opted to stay and we were rewarded with a vacant parking spot in a neighborhood parking lot.  In the morning, my husband discovered our parking is only 5 minutes walk to the beginning (or end) of the flea market.  So we went and walked and looked and bought cherries euros 2.50 per kg, fresh green beans, a lot for euros 2.50 and peaches euros 1.5 per kg.

This flea market is a big disappointment for me. But what did I expect, quality products for cheap prices?  Clothing, shoes and everything else is low quality.  Food, fruits and vegetables are fresh and good prices.  Big flea market day is every Sunday. 

C'est la vie.

Flea Market in Chalon Sur Saone

Friday is flea market day in the city of Chalon Sur Saone.  The night before, we parked in a municipal camping site near Saone River.  It turned out, this municipal camping is just a block away from the flea market.

We found that fruits and vegetables here in Europe is a lot cheaper than in Canada or even USA.

Cherries here cost Euros2.50 per kg. = $3.50 per kg
In Canada, cherries cost $4 per lb or $8.80 per kg.

We bought, cherries, grapes and tomatoes.

It's Been a Month RVing in Europe

My husband and I had been to a lot of communes, towns, cities and countries in Europe this past month which began April 25, 2011.

I thought it would be nice to do a recap of our one month experience rving in Europe 2011.  (In 2007, we did our very first RVing ever - also in Europe).

So, we referred to our list and counted 39 communes/towns/cites and 6 countries we visited namely:
Italy
Switzerland
Liechtenstein
Austria
Germany
France

We travelled 2149 kms and spent Euros 337 in diesel.  Our diesel usage is 9.2 kms per liter.

We spent Euros 340 on food including laundry, dish, bath soaps, shampoo, toilet paper, paper towel.

We only ate at a restaurant once and the occassional hamburger cost Euro 66.

We did not spend money on campsites because we all we did was free camping - meaning we slept on municipal camping all free of charge, mcdonals parking lot, mall parking lot, street parking,  and once in an aire. (aire is rest stop used by trucks and all motor vehicles to rest or pass the night usually located in highways).

Our cellphone usage is very limited to texting so we spent very little like Euros 5.

Our internet usage is always free - free wifi usually from mcdonalds.  It is useful information to mention that we enjoy free wifi almost everyday the past month.

We probably have used half of the LPG which cost Euro 30 full tank.

We have not paid on hooking up with electricity because our batteries are charged by solar panel.

We spent some money on rv wax and cleaning supplies, floor covers, plates, pots and pans which are one time expenses so I decided are not included in this summary because they are not regular monthly expenses.

We love driving on secondary roads and the country side so we spent little on toll fees.  Euros 19.

Entrance fee to attractions and parking fees is Euros 50.

Total spent for the past month Euros 840.

C'est la vie!

Apologies and Bonjour from Acheres-la-Foret, Ile de France

I have been uninspired and sort of busy - my lousy excuse for not updating my blog with my travels, cooking and life in Canada.

I also thought I would be motivated with a new blog.  I created one with another free-blogging site but still uninspired, I did not follow through with posts even if a lot of new and wonderful events are happening in my life.

In April 1, 2011, we started our 2nd RVing in Europe.  I hope to update this blog with pictures of wonderful and beautiful places we have been to hopefully with lovely stories to go with it.

We are now in Aire d Acheres la Foret in France.  We arrived here last night.  Parking lot was huge, well lighted and as in most "aires" in highways in Europe, there is a gasoline station and a convenience store with washroom and bath.  To park here is free of charge and this is what is called "free camping" or "wild camping."  Bath is Euro1.50.

We have been wild camping since April 25, 2011 and tomorrow is exactly one month since we started our RVing in Europe 2011.  Above is our 2002 model Fiat Ducato camper we bought in Italy.

Au revoir et merci.

Hello and Welcome 2011

May all of us have a happy, healthy and blessed 2011, enjoying life's pleasures with our family and friends with peace, love and laughter.

Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

A Beautiful Summer Night

 

July 29, 2010

Last night, my husband took this picture from our balcony.  We live on the 19th floor of a 22-storey building.  We enjoy beautiful views of the city and the Fraser River.

KATSUDON

 

Katsudon's main ingredient is pork cutlet cooked tonkatsu or chicken cutlet cooked chicken katsu.  Basically it involves frying the meat pieces in corn oil after it is dredged in flour, egg and panko in that order.  My son Ryan who has the recipe mixed the Katsudon sauce and proceeded to cook after I made the chicken katsu.  After cooking, the dish is put on top of Japanese white rice but in our case, because we only eat brown rice, Ryan's Katsudon is on top of brown rice.  This is the end product

View from Vancouver Condo

 

July 21, 2010

Our couple friends Lyn and Nonong who also live  in Surrey, BC bought their second rental condo in Vancouver, BC.  After they finished installing new laminate flooring, repainting the walls and furnishing this new condo, they invited us to spend the night with them there while there is no renter occupying the unit yet.  The night turned out to be a fireworks nights which Vancouver traditionally celebrate every summer.  From their balcony, the fireworkds could be seen only partially though.

Tomokazu - All you Can Eat Japanese Restaurant, Vancouver, BC

July 21, 2010

My family, three children, husband and I, love all-you-can eat Japanese food.  Whenever we go out to eat as a family, we end up eating in  this type of restaurant.  The last time we ate at a Chinese a la carte restaurant, we were not satisfied - that is comparing the kind of food and the value for money we got for the same amount of money we always enjoy eating in an all-you-can eat japanese restaurant.

When my children are at work, my husband and I go on our own eating out and usually end up going to this type of restaurant.

Our last one was at Tomokazu located at 1128 West Broadway, Vancouver, Bc.  Price of lunch for the two of us was Cad$22.29 including tax.