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Published: January 9th 2018
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Hi Dot
Having opened the presents and finished the turkey, Friday 29
thDecember saw Jane and I heading for Spain. The plan being to spend Friday with Jack (grandson), Ash and Rob in Gloucestershire, Saturday night at Poole and catch the ferry to Cherbourg on Sunday morning. Best laid plans etc., just over an hour into the journey we received a text from Brittany Ferries telling us the ferry on Sunday morning was cancelled due to bad weather. So with a quick phone call and a flash of a credit card we were booked onto the Saturday overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. Having still managed to see Jack etc., Saturday sees us being blown all the way to Portsmouth to arrive in torrential rain to board a disinfectant adorned boat. But why does it always rain in Portsmouth?
Now then Dot, when a boat smells of disinfectant it has had a rough crossing, and ours was no better. Fortunately we both travel well and were lulled to sleep by the ferry’s pitching and tossing to arrive almost refreshed at 7am on Sunday morning. Being a Sunday, and the last day of the year, saw us on empty, if very
windy, French motorways, arriving just before dark at an aire (a stopover for motorhomes, usually in small towns) in a wet Morcenx (between Bordeaux ad Bayonne). Fortunately for us the aire was next to a community centre building enabling us to tuck Otto against its wall to protect us from the worse of the elements.
And so Dot, being old and having had a long day, we were off to bed at 9.30 to let the old year slip away during our slumbers. At 10.30 the music started in the community centre and alternated between live music and a disco until 2.00 am. After a while you realised you are playing “name that tune” and the anticipation of whether you will recognise the next song is keeping you awake as much as the noise. At midnight I was watching the firework display from my bed, not brilliant, not actually worth getting out of bed for, but free and a break from the music. As we agreed the following morning, there is something surreal about lying in a motorhome listening to YMCA in French! Fortunately for me, I can sleep through most things and shortly after midnight I put my
head under the pillow and nodded off. Jane having far more staying power than me, and being better at recognising tunes, stayed the distance and even heard the band packing up their equipment when it was all over!
New Years day is also a good day to travel on French and Spanish motorways and translating the frequent high wind warnings, we crossed the border into Spain and climbed steadily against a headwind though the mountains up to La Cabrera, from where you can see Madrid’s high rise buildings in the distance. The weather at La Cabrera was for once mild and the wind dropped overnight. Previously we have been there in the snow, fog and howling gales.
From here it always seems like downhill all the way, which it mostly is. So Tuesday saw us, encouraged by the knowledge that the next stop had a restaurant with a €10 menu de dia, going around Madrid’s near deserted motorways and down to Fortuna just north of Murcia. Imagine our disappointment to find the restaurant is up for sale and closed! Still on with shorts and off with socks for a walk around the village to catch the afternoon sun.
And so Dot after less than two hours drive on Wednesday morning we are at Aguilas which was enjoying a very pleasant 22 degrees.
Even at the supermarket stop, before entering our winter quarters, we met people we know and so the first day continues catching up with old friends at Bella Vista Camping.
Day two at Bella Vista was the annual paella party, on every year between Christmas and New Year, but often delayed if it is windy and so we caught it for a second time. Various Spanish nibbles and starters, paellas cooked over log fires, chocolates etc., all washed down with wine, beer and coffee. A great day provided and served by the family who own the site and the staff as part of the festive celebrations, what better way to spend a day.
Two days after the paella party was Three Kings day, another public holiday in Spain, as I have commented before Dot, the Spanish like there holidays. This is obviously to celebrate the kings bringing gifts to Jesus and the night before Spanish children clean their shoes and leave them outside their bedroom door. If they have been good then the
kings will leave them presents, if they have not been good they are left coal or bits of wood. This is all in addition to the presents they received Christmas! Dutch friends told us that they have a similar process with St Nicholas on 6
th December. Anyway I digress, on the evening of the 5
th, Aguilas, apparently like many Spanish towns, has a three kings procession which we decided to scoot in and see.
Now Dot, us being naive, we thought it would be some sort of religious procession possibly coming out of, or ending up in, the church. Not so, well not in Aguilas. All the main streets closed and were lined by families, children having a great time all dressed up, and playing with illuminated balloons. The first float had a Starwars theme, including Darthvader, storm troopers, a wookiee, and fighter planes. Another was Toy Story and a third a woodland theme which I could not place, but bizarrely each float also had a king sat on a throne, it was as if they had borrowed them from the carnival and just added the kings! In between the floats there was various other bit of procession including
what looked like wacky races and a group of princesses, which all the little girls ran beside to have their photo taken. Anyway the kids loved it and of course were on their best behaviour!
Day five saw us at a dog rescue centre, and no Dot we have not got a dog! Our friends (Michele and Gary) have a rescue dog, Nancy, from there and the centre organises a monthly walk where you can take your dog , or borrow one of theirs as we did, then you buy breakfast with the proceeds going to the rescue centre. We walked a lovely Spanish mastiff, aptly called Baloo as he was about the size of a bear!
And so Dot, that brings you up to date as we relax into our Bella Vista routine of walking, playing boules and chatting in the sun. So until next time take care.
Terry and Jane (long suffering editor)
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