The night at the Formula 1 hotel in Arras was most welcomed. We were both physically and mentally exhausted, so a warm bed went down a treat. Maggie was parked outside our bedroom window and Martin checked regularly to see that she was OK. This concerned me slightly as it suddenly dawned on me that our trip's possessions were stored in Maggie and should anything happen, then our trip would be jeopardized. It also made me envisage how tricky things would be in Africa, where Maggie would be highly visible among the poor locals. Hmmm, not pleasant thoughts - but definitely thoughts to consider.

Day 2 in France was lovely and sunny - so taking it in turns Martin and I shared the driving and managed to catch many 40-winks in the passenger seat, soaking up the rays of sunshine. It was luxury! Again, our minds were deep in thought of people, events and activities leading up to our departure. Planning an expedition of any sort requires many hours of planning, research and preparation. No wonder so many expeditions never get off the starting blocks - there is just SO much involved. Lucky for me, Martin had done a lot of the research over the past years as overlanding was his major hobby. He had started a website called 'Africa Overland' and had met many travelers via this forum. So armed with first-hand feedback/advice, we were able to start our preparations in earnest.

SALUTE TO WWI BRITISH SOLDIERS
Limoges was the final destination after a long day's driving. Again we checked into a Formula 1 hotel and readied ourselves for another ham & cheese sandwich. Martin managed to connect to the internet via wireless access and was able to update our website and we both could send a few emails. The only highlight that day was stopping at a British Cemetery, which was built after World War I. Having recently read John Green's book that he put together about his father in World War I, it was very meaningful. Many of the soldiers where very young - ranging from 20 upwards. There must have been 500 gravestones at the cemetery - it was very touching.

Day 3 started in snow and at some stages we experienced blizzard conditions. It was freezing cold! The closer we drove to the Spanish border, the sunnier and warmer it became - this was well 'n truly welcomed!

SPAIN – SUN HAVEN? - 26 JAN
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En-route to meet Michelle & Steve in Malaga - really looking forward to seeing them again. This is when our trip will truly begin :-)

RUNNER EXTRAORDINAIRE
Spent yesterday with friends of Martin from his running days in Pretoria. Paul (British) and Barbara (German) had moved to Spain (Xabia) almost 2 years ago so that they could be closer to their kids - who were studying in Europe. A very inspirational couple - they left a wonderful lifestyle in SA, to downsize and relocate to Spain. They have made many sacrifices to be where they are today - yet, they are both positive and make the best of their situation. Unfortunately for them Spain is being overrun by Brits - so it tends to feel like living in Britain.

Paul is a runner-extraordinaire! I have never met anyone who has run so many races - he has green-numbers in almost every long-distance race - that means he has run them 10 times and has secured a permanent number (Comrades, Two-Oceans, Om-die Dam, Berlin, NY, Boston,...). I had often thought that Martin was meticulous with saving all his running stats and keeping logs of all his races, BUT ... Paul outdoes Martin! He has files and files of all his races, times, positions, conditions, etc. When quoting one race, Paul was quick to pull out a file (he knew exactly which one) and look up his times. I could see a glint in Martin's eye as his competitiveness set in and he blurted out "Now I have a new challenge - to beat your marathon PB of 3.08". Boys ...!!

True to form, we were off for a 7km run later that afternoon, enjoying the vast views of the Mediterranean ocean and numerous hills! A run was definitely required as Martin and I had our first ‘mini-incident'. From leaving the UK Martin had been very irritated by how full Maggie was and how frustrating it was for him to get to things (or not, as the case was) in the back. When we got to Paul's house Martin unpacked the back with a view of tossing out anything that we did not NEED for our trip. This was a very unproductive exercise as everything that came out ... went straight back in again! Needless to say, irritation levels were peaking.

Over dinner that night I spent a lot of time chatting to Barbara. She is a very petite and glamorous lady - very positive and energetic. Having moved to SA from Berlin - she fell in love with SA and lived there for 11 happy yrs. Barbara started a 'horse shop' at a horse-riding school, which turned out to be very successful! She loved her shop and this could be seen by the way she fondly talked of it. Barbara is very entrepreneurial and spoke of her desire to open a coffee shop/cafe in Spain - but was against the idea based on the fact that Spanish is not her native language and she was against the 'underhand' business dealings in Spain. The evening ended on a high-note with a bill of €25 for 4 x 3-course dinners and 2 bottles of red wine! (The UK could never compete!)

Driving to Malaga we had visions of blue skies, glorious sunshine and warm temperatures. Our visions were shortly shattered as it was bitterly cold and very snowy!! I kept thinking of Michelle and Steve waiting for us at the campsite in Malaga ...

Caught in more snow	Steve & Michele's Landy

We eventually met up with Steve and Michele in a campsite near Marbella (Southern Spain).

We are planning on crossing over to Morocco on Saturday morning.

Michele & Steve