Loreto to Santa Rosalia

We reluctantly left Loreto this morning, amazing place to chill out and the 1697 resturant rocks, if you are in the area they have great rooms for rent and do brilliant food, thanks to Kieran, Norma and their son Patricio (Paddy) for a great time and fantastic hospitality. We had a great run up to Santa Rosalia, only around 130 miles but we needed to stop here. An interesting place with some great history, it is a mining town and the French had the concession for the mining over 100 years ago, they built wooden houses (which are still here) and the hotel we are in the Hotel Francais is a wooden build place which feels like it hasn't been touched for 100 years, really authentic. The crowning jewel though is of course the church, Designed and built by the French engineer Gustav Eiffel who displayed it next to his tower at the 1889 trade fair in Paris, the Tower of course is world famous now as a monument which symbolises Paris, the church was flat packed and sent on the company sailboat to here, I won't bore you with the details but this plain building has many interesting and clever features. The only downside is we seem to be attracting the mental dogs here, got chased here, managed to land a good one but it persisted and tried to bite through my boot, with the state of my socks it would have got a shock if had broken through!!

The fabulous Kieran, Norma and Patricio!

This was round the corner in a welders yard, really don't know what its about

Sunshade next to the plankton eating shark statue

This worried me, clouds!!!!!!

Our view to the square from the fantastic 1697 resturant

Looking out of Hotel Francais Santa Rosalia

Authentic buildings

The famous Eiffel church, small sister to the tower (and actually bought in Belgium) The first flat pack church.....before Ikea



Toon hall...authentic

Nice building

interior of hotel, untouched for 100 years

Bikes at rest (My Steering head bearings have gone, after 14000 miles, crap......)

Hotel & Assorted railway ornaments