At the start of Spain's civil war the International Brigades arrived to join in, some to support the old order and some to support Franco's revolution. Zaragoza, as Capital of Aragon, was a strategic target as it controlled the Ebro river crossing. Forty Km away the town of Belchite was the scene of a bloody battle between 2 brigades of American volunteers who were sent to help the locals stave off Franco's march on Zaragoza. The town is on a slight hill in an...

A visit to this part of France would not be complete without seeing Lourdes. The town was not quaint, or even pretty to our eyes. We parked by the market and walked down towards the Grotto where St Bernadette saw her vision, through streets lined with shops selling religious knick-knacks. We browsed the first one, amazed at the variety of bottles on offer and settled on a plastic one in the shape of Our Lady. I paid an extra 10c for the painted variety. When w...