Occurs to me, albeit somewhat late, that I may be assuming an understanding of what an Aire is, so by way of a quick explanation – these are glorified car parks dedicated to motorhomes which towns in many countries on the continent have seen fit to provide either for free or for a small car park charge. A different word/phrase is used depending on the country. The word can also describe privately-owned offerings and the rest areas/motorway service areas in France. They usually have water provision, and emptying of grey water – ie dirty waste water, as well as provision for emptying of chemical toilets. Here’s a rather lovely free example by a village called Barcos in the Douro – left-side pictures, and right side is a free aire in a tiny hamlet in the Pyrenees.
After 3 months of travel where I’ve taken advantage of these quite a bit, have decided that the French motorhoming tribe deserve the ‘Cock of the Aires’ designation; it’s their complete assurance, confidence, taking for granted attitude towards the use of these places. This was underlined by Sharon and John’s stories, and the caricature conversation at the photocopier equivalent, ie the aire parking meter – where one such Frenchman declared, after pontificating about Brexit, Margaret Thatcher, the British Empire and Commonwealth, that for all that, Les Anglais se cachent – ie on the aires.
Another way of looking at it would be that indeed I – perhaps speak for my fellow countrymen/women also – am not confident in asserting ones presence from the aire rooftops – rather tentative and not wholehearted about BEING THERE – struggling to rely on the fact that I won’t be moved on in the middle of the night, despite the parking ticket stuck to my windscreen, and whether I should (even if I think I’m able to) squeeze my van into the personal space of the two vans already assertively installed on either side of a space. Yes – as I muse on it, I bet there are books written on motorhome aire behaviours and national characteristics.
Seems to me there are lots of French trundling about in Portugal, loads of Dutch in northern Spain, lots of Dutch/Germans all over, lots of Brits in the Picos – no doubt the Santander/Bilbao ferry factor.
The aire (or Area Autocaravanas) at San Sebastian was very international – in addition to the usual French, Dutch, Germans, there was a smattering of Brits, the odd Austrian, Italian, Danish, Swedish and even a motorhome from Hungary. At one point a Slovakian pick-up truck towing a caravan circled the place, heaven forfend, and there was one ‘pitch’ available, but wouldn’t fit both. Not wanting to make the campervan curtains twitch that obviously to see the decision-making, abit later, when I emerged from hiding…, a proper, kosher, motorhome was parked there, and, phew, the correct order had obviously been maintained, no doubt by the French/Germans. 😉
It’s the same with anchoring, but with yachts there’s no curtain twitching, as the yacht circling around can’t see into the anchored boats. 😂