Week 22

25th January 2017
Today we seemed to return to the land of the living, we'll, semi living. Val as always was her bubbly self, even though she's not one hundred percent running on all cylinders. She spent most of the day talking to family and friends back in Blighty and when not doing that she was trying to get some upgraded insurance for her trip to The Big Apple. We think we have it sorted, fingers crossed.

We moved to a new pitch, where have I wrote that before. I had to ok it with the rally stewards and the site. It was hard work but well worth it. It's firmer ground with a better view and we're on the end of the row which is more private. We met a guy from Bridlington who chatted for a good hour telling us all about the wonderful cycle routes.

I was up and down like a woman of the nights drawers, to reception to make use of the Wifi so it was late afternoon before we good get out for a walk and have a look at our new surroundings. It's a big site so we haven't seen it all but we've made a start.

We have BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 and ITV2 but just to give us an alternative I downloaded a couple of episodes of The Crown. We can also pick up The Bay radio, it's not the one from back home but the format and scheduling suggests it's the same company. There is a Burns Night on the rally but it's unfortunately come a little to soon in the recovery process. The Spanish lessons in the morning" is a different matter. On the mend happy campers.

26 January 2017

We were off to class in the nick of time. Images of Sister Ranilda's French class flooded my mind and I was back in 1965, bloody hell, daydreaming already and we've only been in the classroom five minutes. Get a grip this is Spanish not French. 

An hour later and school was out, time to do the washing and get everything out on the clothes horse we got from reception, €15 deposit. In between Val had to deal with a veritable plethora of bureaucratic gobbledegook being thrown at her by the insurance company. It looks like she is going to be chaperoned back to London after having some kind of fit to fly test before boarding the plane. 

Pétanque was the afternoon activity with me trying to pick Val's boules up. We played together and won three out of the four matches we played. Not bad to say that some of our opponents were wily old dogs. It was good exercise and we ended up meeting someone who was on the Albufiera Rally last year. 

The big question of the evening was found Manchester United grasp the wonderful opportunity of progressing to the final of the League Cup. We made our way down to the sites clubhouse as opposed to the rallies clubhouse, more in hope than expectation. It was banging music that greeted us as we walked through the door and a gathering of old git's much like ourselves trying to gyrate in some kind of rhythmic way, without much success I hasten to add. There was football on TV but it was Lionel Messi and co. We headed back to the van for an episode of The Crown and kept an ear on the radio to try to catch a score update. We got the result we wanted to hear and climbed into bed happy bunny campers. 

27 January 2017

The weather forecast predicted rain but the actual weather was warm and sunny. Val's insurance team seemed to be permanently on the phone. They couldn't get a chaperone on her scheduled flight to Gatwick and wanted to transfer her on to a flight to Manchester. They got a shock when she informed them she was flying on to New York. 

We went out on the bikes for a couple of hours for a bit of exercise and to get some shopping. The nearest small town of Catral is only about a couple of miles away so after a run along the country lanes we headed there to pick up some supplies. 

It sounds like the insurance company have given up on the idea of chaperoning Val back to the UK as there are no spare seats left on her flight. They have suggested her being escorted from a different airport here in Spain and to a different airport back in the England. All suggestions would mean lots of extra hours travel, extra stress and would not necessarily fit in with her onward flight. Poor Miguel who had the job of phoning has finally bit the bullet. 

We managed a couple of hours reclining in the sunshine. It's not been the warmest of days but when the sun shines it's very pleasant. We have had the odd spot of rain but hardly any. 

It's film night in the clubhouse with two films that have us salivating with anticipation. Tarzan and the Apes is preceded by Independence Day. I don't know if there's a new Tarzan field doing the rounds but it's probably not going to be Johnny Wiesmuller. We were talking with a chap called Ian earlier, a pragmatic Mancunian whose assessment of Independence Day was America using big bazookas against a load of Ailiens and giving them a good spanking. 

28 January 2017

The day dawned bright and breezy. So much so that our tent was slewed sideways in the wind and needed more pegs to hold it down. 

It was a day of admin and packing ready for Val's trip. Boots were cleaned with some spit and polish and clothes were neatly folded. We kept in touch with the FA Cup through Bay Radio and at 7:00 pm it was time for the Sausage Sizzle. Two old fashioned sausages on a roll with onions and mustard, delicious. We didn't stop for the race night but rather came back to the van for a couple of episodes of The Crown. 

An early night with the alarm set to get Val to the airport for 9:30 in the morning. 

29 January 2017

Val was in the shower before the alarm went off. We were packed up and on our way to Alicante airport ten minutes ahead of schedule. I dropped a nervous Val off and then had to wait for a text letting me know she was boarding, then another text to say she had landed in the UK. I was almost as nervous as Val that everything went off without a hitch. I think she had visions of not being allowed to board the plane because of her recent heart attack. 

Mid afternoon Lisa let me know the first part of the trip had gone well and the girls were checking in for the transatlantic part of the journey and were enjoying the fare in one of the airport lounges. I spoke to the girls on the phone and they were enjoying themselves and all Val's fears were unfounded. 

My entertainment was mapped out by the football starting at 5:00 pm Spain time. There was a great radio show leading up to kick off with the highlight being the Top 10 from January 1967. There where one or two tracks I hadn't heard for a while. Another week has flown by. It's not been the best week weather wise but it's much warmer and drier than the weather at home. The forecast for the next few days is good with temperatures predicted to reach 18°. Fingers crossed. 

Week 21

16 January 2017
The day dawned with wall to wall, glorious sunshine. It's now 138 days since we left Grosvenor Park?  After a lazy morning we set of like the proverbial hare and the tortoise into Torrevieja. Val obviously being the hare.

We took the scenic route along the sea front and came across a small gathering of Motorhome's who incontestably knew about a wild camping spot that wasn't on any of our app's. We copied down the coordinates from the iPhone just in case we might want to visit spot at some time in the not to distant future.

The city centre beckoned and we headed in but not before stopping for a cerveza medio on route. After the waiter brought our half pints of beer we sat out in the early afternoon sunshine enjoying today's Daily Mail which I found lying on the bar. After no time at all my mind was reeling from the torrent of new and interesting information from one of the worst culprits of the UK's sensationalist tabloid newspapers. That is top of the list of things we don't miss about being away from our green and pleasant land.

We didn't stray far from the sea front where there were lots of unusual sights to have a butchers at. We found lots of attractions that Val had researched and saved to Pocket. Our penultimate port of call on our sightseeing expedition was the Orient Plaza. We scoured the back streets with the help of a map we had picked up from one of the many tourist information offices. It was a lovely square with a modern church which was unfortunately closed. Then it was on to the town hall and after taking a few photographs we found a tiny tapas bar where the bar tender had a good grasp of the Queens English. We enjoyed a couple of beers each and about eight tapas to share and all for the unbelievable price of €11, mmmmmmm.

We thought we in for a quiet evening by ourselves but alas, no. We got a text from Ian and Glenys, a couple of friends from Morecambe, asking where we were and ten minutes later they were on our doorstep. Next it was a FaceTime from Gregg and the boys and then a bike examiner from DSA got in touch to arrange a catch up in Torrevieja tomorrow. We hadn't even time to watch a movie as the evening just flew by.

17 January 2017

The morning changed from a sunny start to cloudy with a cold wind. It felt more like a day in the UK. The temperature on the internet said 13° but it felt much colder. Our plan was to move down to Torrevieja to a spot overlooking the sea but we quickly adopted plan b and headed north to an aire with electricity and hot showers. 

Ghol aire: 38°07′05.86″N 00°39′20.33″W - €7 per night

On route we had a good drive round Guadamar where we intend to visit either tomorrow or Thursday. Sean tried to take us under a low bridge but he doesn't now he's guiding a ten foot tall van around. We found a few wild camping spots with lots of French, Dutch and German vans parked up. 

Apart from the low bridge we parked up in San Fulgencio without much incident. We plugged the into the hook-up and switched the electric heater on to warm things up. The first job was to acknowledge out heritage with the cup of tea ritual. Then some friends from Blackburn arrived and we spent a couple of hours catching up, more tea. They and two other couples share a house close by in La Zenia and get to use it four months of the year and they also have a Motorhome. It was good to meet up, catch up and share some information. 

After they left we went for a walk to the Lidl which was close by. They have an offer on a decent Cava at the moment at €1.39. Imagine our bitter disappointment when the store was closed. The Spanish are big on their fates and festivals and we could only put it down one of those. The only place open was a Chinese Bazaar which stocks everything including the kitchen sink, but no Cava.  It did entertain us for half an hour walking round. 

In the evening we had short bursts of rain and hail stones, that's not supposed to happen. We waited with an apolitical sense of foreboding for the thunder claps and jagged bolts of white lightening but either fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view they didn't materialise. We had an entertaining evening back in Benicasim a while back with a storm that stayed overhead all night, with the most amazing streak lightening. 

The day went by in the blink of an eye. We had a quiet evening and with good wifi so the movies were on permanent download. Val did us another gourmet meal which we enjoyed with a drop of vino tinto. We even found an English radio station playing the hits of yesteryear. Happy days. 

18 January 2017

We were greeted with the news of snow to both the north and the south of our location here in San Fulgencio. There a dark grey clouds gathering above us and it can only be a matter of time before we get a covering. The British chap a few vans down has been into reception to complain. I think he's a glass is half empty kind of guy. I told him there's a blizzard forecast and last saw him marching towards the site office. 

The highlight of our day was a walk to Lidl and Iceland. The Cava was no longer on offer but we managed to stock up on some much needed liquid refreshment. Iceland was a mystery to me, they sell English goods at inflated prices. Even when the original price is printed on the box they still hike it up. It doesn't seem to deter our fellow Brits. The place was packed and doing a roaring trade. 

The rest of the day was all about the weather. The thunderclaps and ferrous streaks of lightning we waited for yesterday turned up a day late. The ground under the van seemed to vibrate with each clap. Needless to say we were stuck in most of the day. We had rain, hail, snow then back to rain. The Costa del Sol turned into the Costa del Snow. It's feels like home. 

We both started with a cold and didn't think much of it. We kept ourselves entertained with the help of the wifi. We had a combination of Tidal, the radio, Netflix and last but not least a good book. Happy Campers. 

19 January 2017 - 23 January 2017

These few day are much of a blur. We both had coughing fits on Thursday the 19th and as the day wore on Val started feeling very unwell. Our friends Ian & Glenys who were close by kindly ran us to the nearest health centre and from there it wasn't long before Val was admitted to hospital after suffering another heart attack. The attack was thankfully a mild one and has not caused any more damage to the heart. They stayed with us the hours it took before I could leave Val and then they run me back to the site where the van was parked. 

For me the other few days were spent going backwards and forwards which was made difficult by the flu. I felt like a decrepit octogenarian and struggled with holding a thought for more than a few seconds, not to mention the effort needed for even simple tasks. This is the first time I have experienced real flu and fingers crossed, it's the last. 

Val came home on Monday 22nd. I had already booked in to our rally site for the next five weeks, a good site with top class amenities. Hopefully we'll get involved in the rally in the coming days when we both feel more recovered. 

Week 20

9 January 2017
To my shame it was once again after 9:00 when I was roused by the sound of someone depositing their waste in a nearby dustbin, and I spent the next 10 minutes drifting in and out of reverie until Val deposited a cup of the finest English breakfast tea besides my bed. What a woman.

We both seemed adverse to getting a move on so it was almost the stroke of noon before we had packed up the van and pulled out of our site for of last couple of nights.

We didn't get to say adios to our newly made friend Dave and Joan as they had already departed for an appointment with the vet back in Campersol.

We headed back towards Cartagena via a Mercadona on the edge of the city to stock up with some essentials. It wasn't until we left there that I gave Sean our sat navigator a severe dressing down for some poor directions. At one point I threatened him with changing him for Star Wars character and that seemed to do the trick as he pulled his socks up and got us to our destination without any further drama.

We pitched up at Camperpark Cartagena and were met by the lovely Teresa who showed us too our pitch with such exuberance that we took her our bosom's instantaneously, especially after she commented it was only €10 per night. We were set up and sat out in the sunshine, books at the ready in world record time. We were sited about 30 metres from a couple who were on the same rally as us in Clacton. In the motorhome fraternity it's a small world and even though we are a long way from our Sceptre'd Isle we are surrounded by our fellow countrymen.

One of said countrymen was a chap called Martin with accompanying partner Jane. We got chatting as they had the same make and model of van as ours. The two vans were almost identical apart from ours being a two berth and theirs being a four. They were worried about their calor gas running out and I told them what they needed to do to acquire a Spanish bottle of propano and showed them how to back fill from the barbecue point and what kind of adapter they would need and in return Martin supplied me with some industrial strength cleaner called "truck wash" that is only available in the trade. Their van was gleaming white compared to our recently washed for hours shade of mucky off white. The aforementioned cleaning product will soon be put to the test.

As the sun went down below the high trees the temperature plummeted as seems to be the norm at this time of year.  First of all jumpers and cardigans were donned but then inevitably everyone returned to the comfort of their vans. Earlier in the day when the wifi signal was strong I took a rather sneaky advantage and downloaded a couple of Netflix films onto the iPad. We got approximately halfway through "The Theory of Everything" which is about the early life of Professor Stephen Hawking and his time at Cambridge before tiredness got the better of us and we called it a night. Not before making a date to watch the other half tomorrow. Brilliant.

10 January 2017

Another throng of dogs seemed to congregate for an hour of harmony at about three in the morning. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it broke a dream. Sean had somehow managed to get on the outside of the windscreen and I was trying to deal with numerous complex roundabouts whilst shouting at him for directions. I managed to pull up, grabbed a leafy branch from the ground and was giving him a sound beating in true Basil Fawlty style when the dream was broken. 

When we woke in the light of morning it was relatively cold made even more chilly with the westerly wind. Val was not her usual vivacious self do to the effects of a nasty migraine from the night before. We abandoned our plans to get the number 7 bus into the city and had a comparatively lazy day. 

It gave me the chance to boot up the lap top and load all the updates that had built up over the three months since it's last use. We have been getting messages fro the Tom Tom telling that it has not been updated for seven months and when I plugged it into the laptop it took the best part of two and a half hours to sort itself out. Perhaps Sean could see into the ether and was on a go slow after my dream in the night. 

The New York trips planning necessitated Lisa and Val having to Face Time for what felt like the whole afternoon. The activities they discussed would need five trips to achieve never mind five days. The discussion had lots of positive outcomes as they seemed to get clear in their minds some of the priorities and more importantly it spared us any exposure to the elements as it was still cold outside the van and gave me the chance to get stock into season two of a Netflix series I'd been watching. 

As darkness started to descend we were going stir crazy with lack of physical activity so we donned some apt garments to keep us warm and headed out for a walk. We got all the way through the sites gate and about ten yards onto the road with no footpath with speeding drivers on their way home from work before we returned to the safety of our enclosure. Plan be was to head off into the olive grove behind the site. It was pretty dark but not dark enough to hide the fence surrounding the orchard. Still we did get about fifteen minutes exercise and could save our reserves of energy for tomorrow's trip into the city. 

After a gargantuan chilly-con-carne we started to watch the series "The Crown". Not being a royalist myself it's beyond my comprehension why people get it such an excessive state of perturbation. It's not as if any one of them had the silky skills of say, Eric Cantona. The show however, was entertaining and the ex Dr Who, who portrayed Prince Phillip's cheeky character to a tee played an exceptional part. I suppose it was to be expected from a previous time lord. 

The rest of the evening was spent keeping up to date with Manchester United's semi final. The strength of our wifi signal which had fortunately curtailed the watching of "The Crown" had returned to enable me to listen to the second half of the match on Talk Sport. I put it down to the Rowan luck. With that it was time to hit the sack and hopefully get a solid nights sleep without being woken by the hound of the Baskerville's. 

11 January 2017

We woke to glorious sunshine after a solid nights sleep, ready to get underway for a day of glorious sightseeing. We followed our host Teresa's directions and diagrammatic map to the bus stop where I asked a young Spanish señorita for directions. Her English was at about the same level as my Spanish and I have absolutely no doubt that she could fluently order two beers in any pub in the UK but I knew we were at the right stop when she held up seven fingers. We boarded the number seven bus for a €1.20 ride into the city alighting at Plaza de Esplana. The nice señorita had smiled and waived at us when she got off a few steps earlier. 

We had been given a map of by our new found friends Martin & Clare before they departed for pastures new. It wasn't until we started to look round the sights that we realised the map was in French. Val was undeterred and embraced the task of map reading like an erudite professor and guided us round the sights with unerring accuracy. The spot she selected on the map to stop for tapas and cania had magnificent meatballs in a delicious sauce. Mmmmm. 

At the end of our tour she even guided us back to the bus stop with military precision and within minutes we were making the return journey. Our first problem of the day arose when the bus reached the terminus and we hadn't recognised where to get off. Cometh the hour cometh the man. Yours truly with the help of a little app called maps.me guided us back to site. 

With the sun well below its zenith and getting lower by the minute we moved to the communal table at the far end of the site. First we were joined by some Belgians and then by a couple of Scot's named SGlen& Kate. No sooner had they sat down than I was pondering possible escape options. They could both talk the hind legs off a donkey and had no problem with talking at the same time. You know what it's like when you only concentrate for the first few sentences and then you allow yourself to become distracted and then when the couple who are doing all the talking suddenly pause waiting for a response, fear sets in as you realise you haven't the faintest idea of what's been said. All that nodding the head whilst thinking about what Val's making for dinner suddenly leaves you with the imponderable question of what to say. A good coughing fit always does the trick. Sandy and Kate obviously had never had to wait so long before leading the conversation that they were off and running again so I was saved the need for a reply. 

We sloped off as soon as we felt it would not be rude to leave, standing at the next pause and making the excuse that we hadn't eaten since last Thursday we quickly retired to the safety of the van.

After a feast of prawns, salad and fried potatoes washed down with a glass or two of vino tinto we watched the second half of the film about humorous and brilliant, professor Stephen Hawking and then as the wifi was flowing freely the last part of episode one of The Crown. Not a bad day on planet earth. 

12 January 2017

We said goodbye to the lovely Teresa promising to return. Well we wanted to make her happy. We set Sean's coordinates for an aire at Calla Reona and he did his best to get us there. He did his usual trick of failing to notice something fundamental and tried to send us through a no entry sign so I threatened him with Darth Vader and he pulled out all the stops to get us to our destination without any more hiccups. Unfortunately, our potential camping spot was fenced off through no fault of Sean's. 

We adopted plan B and set sail for a lighthouse in Cabo de Palos with a large car park. There were a few other vans there and a Swedish couple we chatted with had spent the previous night. We had a walk up to the lighthouse and a stroll round the village which felt deserted. The car park wasn't flat so we decided to move on. 

There was a wild camping spot about 20 km away, up the peninsula through La Manga and at the far end of San Javier. The whole place felt like a concrete wilderness that had closed for winter. Every cloud has a silver lining so they say and ours was no exception. Our stop for the night had a fantastic view of the Mediterranean and was in walking of a bar that was well and truly open. The normally extortion price of €3.50 for a cerveza grande felt as cheap as chips for the warm euphoric feeling that first sip generated. We only stayed for one though at those prices. 

We returned to the van to make a refreshing cup of tea. Once the decision had been made to stay the night it was only a matter of time before we took part in the ritual of afternoon tea. After all it's an Englishman's heritage and the only true way to announce that you have arrived. I was in that kind of mood I even made a second cup. Earl grey, just to be totally civilised. Bliss. 

Our sunset for the day was stunning, it descended over the lagoon to our rear. It almost matched watching the sun go down over Morecambe Bay. It was shortly followed by the moon appearing on the horizon in front of us which cast a bright light on the ocean. We tried to take photographs of both events but the iPad didn't do them justice. 

After a delicious three course meal I had another cup of tea. It was just that kind day. Our evenings entertainment was another Netflix movie that I had downloaded before we left Cartagena this morning. It was a frightening film about Genetically Modified Foods called Consumed. It left one concerned about what we eat and the scant regard for regulation. Too serious a topic just before bedtime. A bit of light reading of a humorous works wonders to help one relax.

San Javier Wild Camping: 37°46′35.88″N 00°44′36.67″W

13 January 2017

We switched the fridge onto 12 volt and left our spot with the beautiful vista's and programmed Sean to take us back along the 20 km peninsula, surely he couldn't get that wrong, after all it's a straight road. Any mistakes this morning and replace him I must. Yoda, I will download. 

Our first stop was at La Manga Camping for a good nosey around. It's a popular spot with Camping & Caravan Club members and we wanted to see what all the hullabaloo was about. It was a big site with lots of facilities and might be a good spot to have the grandchildren, although not this year as the rally is already booked up until the back end of March. We liked the look of the site though and it will be a contender for next year if we end up visiting this area. 

Our next port of call was at the Lidl in Los Alcazarez. Thankfully the supermarkets don't break for a siesta and we managed to do a big shop. I'm quite happy with the concept of having a lie down after lunch and as soon as we pitched up at the campsite up the road I did just that. No sooner had we stopped than the recliners were out and as it was a bit early for afternoon tea I embraced the concept of being a European and reclined. Zzzzzzzz

The actual site was full but it had an overflow area. €7.90 for a spot with no electricity but you could use all the facilities of the site. We will make full use of them in the morning before either moving on or staying another day. Comme se comme sa. 

Camping Car Area Narejos: €11.90 + €3 for electricity. To stay on the overflow area: €7.90 - 37°45′48.79″N 00°49′54.15″W

We managed to wake up and get a bit of reading in and caught plenty of rays before the sun went down on another day. We retired to the van for some dinner and an evenings entertainment but not before making use of the washing machines on site. 

We did manage to watch Tom Hanks in the movie Captain Phillips. Somalia pirates with Navy Seals to the rescue. All that before drawing the curtains on another day in paradise. 

14 January 2017

Another day dawned on two intrepid explorers seeking a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life back in Blighty, even if only for a few months. After making maximum use of the facilities available to us including the look warm showers we moved on to pastures new. Well, about a kilometre down to the beach where we had been told there were a few motorhomers wild camping with the generous approval of the local mayor. The bonus was we didn't even have to plug Sean in for any directions as we were confident we could find the place without listening to his Irish wit. 

Plan B was soon implemented as we couldn't find the Wild camping spot. No sooner had we attached Sean to the windscreen than we happened upon a street market selling produce, clothing and assorted paraphernalia. Val wanted to have a butchers so we parked up and visited the market. Two cauliflowers, half a dozen oranges and a rake of tomatoes for for less than €3, what a bargain. 

Santiago de la Rebira was our next port of call. We had a stroll along along the promenade which was not altogether an wholesome attraction owing to the cold breeze. We had a walk round the shops and then noticed a very modern looking Church. The inside of the building was just as attractive and if I was still a practicing Catholic I would have a wickedly strong attraction to attend mass there. One thing we have found strange about the churches we have looked round is their unwillingness to let go of Christmas. This was another place with its nativity scene still on display. 

We moved on again in search of the mud baths at Lo Pagan. Sean did us proud and put us within 200 metres of our target. It was a lovely little village which seemed to be sheltered from the wind. There was a lovely windmill and an extremely long pier wide enough for cars, cyclist and pedestrians. There were short wooden boardwalks that let you access the healing waters and mud, not that anybody was bathing at this time of year. 

We headed north staying as close to the sea as was possible. We were rewarded at a small village called El Mojo where we spotted a few vans congregated off the main drag, our home for the night was found. Wild Camping: 37°51′06.5″N 00°45′49.91″

We followed the old adage that there is safety in numbers and joined the congregation. 

After parking up Val suggested we went for a walk along the beach. I took her hand along the sand (there's a song in there somewhere) and we ended up at Torre de la Horadada about 2.5 km up the coast. We took some snaps of the Tower and the beautiful Marina and had a walk round the village which seemed to be shut for the winter. The only actively was around the square where there were two or three watering holes still open. On the walk back we witnessed the fish jumping with a swarm of birds trying to have a feeding frenzy. It must be the fish equivalent of running the bulls at Pamplona, risking life and limb for some strange ritual. It's only the second time in our lives we have seen the phenomenon, the first was in New Zealand when we were sat outside a beach bar. We wouldn't have known what was happening but for one of the locals explaining what was taking place. 

When we got back to the van I got some of the devices on charge to ensure we had something in the locker for for the evenings entertainment. I've become ridiculously obsessed with preserving our leisure batteries and try to plug in what needs charging whilst the sun is still topping them up via the solar panel. When the sun goes down I become vampire like in my desire to bite if someone leaves a light on unnecessarily. I don't go for the neck I bite the whole head off. 

Talking of bites. We went out for a bite to eat to a bar restaurant that we'd spotted on our walk, unfortunately when we got there it was closed. So it was back to the van and as it was too late too cook a proper meal Val managed to rustle up a gastronomic delight, well a delicious omelette at least. We then got stuck in to our final downloaded film The Hunger Games, but we were dozing off not even half way through so we pressed the pause and will have a bit of a rewind tomorrow night when we hopefully have a bit more vigour and vim. Zzzzzzzzz

15 January 2017

I've been predicting for days that our calor bottle wound run out and this morning my astrological forecasting skills were confirmed. We were salivating after just putting the pan on to boil some water for our second cup of tea when, as I predicted, the gas ran out.

We packed up in good time and programmed Sean with the coordinates for La Zenia choosing the shortest route. He pulled out a sterling performance and we were parked up and were enjoying a seaside walk along a series of boardwalks and concrete paths, taking in the lovely coastal vistas in no time at all. 

La Mata was our next stop at a wild camping spot: 38°01′02.6″N 00°39′18.3″W. The Motorhome's that were already there were all parked down one side of the car park with not a space left. We felt uncomfortable parking at the other side as there were cars dotted around so we made the unanimous decision to hang around for five minutes to see if anybody moved off and low and behold our luck was in. Just as we were about to leave one of the vans moved. It was like showing a red rag to a bull. I was out of the proverbial traps and into the space before you could say Jack Robinson, which was a feat in itself as I had to turn the van round so that the cabin door was facing the sun. You can always tell a British van because it's always parked in the opposite direction to the European ones. 

Once we set up we went in search of a restaurant to have Sunday lunch, preferably with two or three musicians to serenade us as we ate. There were two restaurants just round the corner on the promenade but Val deemed them not suitable so we set off on foot along the boardwalks back in the direction of Torrevieja. We marched as fast as two hungry sexagenarians could but after about forty five minutes and two more restaurants later (menu del dia €39) we turned round and headed back to the van. Sunday lunch out would have to wait another week. 

Once back, Val created more than an omelette, it really was a gastronomic sensation of pork chops in a mushroom sauce served with cauliflower, carrots and sautéed potatoes washed down with a bottle of Arestel Cava. There were no musicians to serenade us so we improvised with Heart Radio Berkshire. 

We followed the United vs Liverpool on the Sky Sports app with an update every two minutes as the wifi we have purchased with "3" is either 3, 4 or 5G and not fast enough to deliver TV or radio. Watching wouldn't have been enjoyable as we trailed for most of the game. It was bite your fingernails excruciating even with the two minute updates. 

When the game was over and Val had caught up with some admin we settled in for a rerun of last nights movie as we couldn't keep our eyes open to see it through. We watched Katniss Everdeen ably supporting the districts battle against the Capital, where Donald Sutherland played the evil President Snow. It could just as easily been Star Wars and Luke Skywalker battling Darth Vader and the forces of the Dark Side. It was a pain free experience and kept us amused for a couple of hours and we can look forward to Mockingjay Part II with the same eager anticipation as we did with Part I. It might be a year or two after its release that we get to watch it but that won't take anything away from our satisfaction and pleasure. One sad thing is that Phillip Seymour is no longer with us. He played the part of the disc jockey "The Count" so magnificently well in The Boat The Rocked. With that, another day drew to a close and it was time to enter the dream zone. 

Week 19

2 January 2017
After watching The Boat That Rocked it was turned 11:00 when we got in bed and apart from one of our fellow campers having a sneezing fit that went on for ages and the planes flying overhead we slept soundly. We were awake at sunrise if only just, but enough for Val to take some photos of the red fireball that seemed to be coming out of the sea. Stunning sunrise, the snaps don't do it justice. 

We were packed up and away by about 10:00 and headed for Rojales where we did some shopping and had a look at our friend Ian's house. He is coming over to Spain on the 7th January and all being well we'll pay him a visit. 

Onwards inland towards Alquerias which is about 8km from Murcia. After setting up we had a reconnoiter round the village. We found the river and the cycle track which takes us into the city. 

Back to the van for a couple of beers sat in the sunshine. When the sun went down the temperature dropped sharply so we retired to the van for some dinner cooked with electricity. Then as the wifi was so slow it was a case of keeping up with United's game on BBC's football page and on Twitter. Great result. 

We enjoyed a proper shower after the game and settled in for a quiet evening with some Smooth radio over the net. Happy days. Camperpark Huerta Alquerias: 38°00′25.96″N 01°02′37.25″W €13 per night

3 January 2017

I don't know if it's because we've moved inland but it was brass monkeys after the sun went down last night but the van was snug as a bug with the electric fire on. 

We woke just before the bread man arrived tooting his horn, we didn't need any this morning but we'll have to be on our toes tomorrow. 

After breakfast we set off on the bikes and met a couple from Epsom who we had bumped into yesterday. They were wondering aimlessly after giving up trying to find the cycle track. Our normal navigator Val guided them and me to the track and they rode with us through the lemon and orange groves all the way to Murcia. As we got to the outskirts Dave's bike made a startling sound and his saddle fell off. 

We left them searching for a cycle shop and did our tourist thing visiting numerous bridges, the Cathedral, the Town Hall, the Market where we enjoyed a beer and a tapas and various other sights before heading for the shops. 

Just as we were almost back to the bikes we came across Dave and Teresa who had found a bike shop and got sorted for €12. We left them looking for somewhere to eat to celebrate Teresa's birthday. 

Back at the van for the last couple of hours sunshine before doing the washing up that had accumulated from last night and this morning and then it was time to get the fire switched on to combat the dropping temperature. The only film left to watch was about Brian Clough and his very short stint at Leeds United. Poor Val. 

4 January 2017

We spent most of the day chilling out away from the noise and stress you sometimes feel back home. We got HM the queen out and placed her on our coffee table in the sunshine and her solar power kept her waving away to all our fellow campers most of whom parked around us are German and very nice they are too. Whilst Liz was waving joyfully to passers by we caught up on some admin. Val did some research for her up and coming trip to New York and I read a few chapters of the Tony Hawks book I bought for her indoors as a birthday present back in September. 

I set up the iBoost to improve our reception of the sites wifi and what a difference it made and all that before a late lunch. About half four we jumped on the bikes and rode down the cycle track into Murcia. We had a good walk round and the parked ourselves in a prominent spot by the river ready for the light, water and music show that commenced at half six. 

The show was going well but after about ten minutes in it suffered a sudden attack of electrical meltdown. The crowds who were watching didn't disperse so we took that to mean that perhaps everything wasn't caput after all. Low and behold it all started again and this time ran through to its conclusion. 

After returning to the bikes and attaching our lights we snaked through the pedestrians on the footpath till we came back to the cycle track. I had rigged up the solar light come torch that Lisa bought for my birthday last year and taped it to Val's handlebars. It had been sat alongside her majesty all day soaking up the sun and it provided some excellent illumination on the way home. 

Back to the van for a light meal and a couple of glasses of red to refresh us after the 16 km we did on the bikes. We'll sleep well tonight. 

5th January 2017

We woke to another day in paradise and before the bread man arrived pipping his horn. Val nipped out to bag a baguette at €0.70, a bargain in anybody's book. 

We did a bit of sunbathing with Liz until about mid morning when we decided to venture out, circumnavigating the roads to the bike shop in the village. Our objective was to buy some bike oil to lubricate Val's pedals but as the bike shop was closed we had to settle for onions, green beans and frozen prawns. The good thing about riding in France, Spain and Portugal is the marked contrast to the farrago of lorries vans and cars that seem to crowd the roads back home even in the small villages. 

The 5th of January is a bit like our Christmas Day so after some more sunbathing with Liz, at 4:00 pm we headed once again for Murcia. This time with a sense of great anticipation to see the Festival of the Three Kings who carnival through the streets handing out sweets to all the children. 

The pavement alongside the river is lined with benches occupied by groups of old men and old women chewing the fat with the odd bench taken by young lovers. It must be a ritual at that time in the evening as it was just the same yesterday. 

We tethered the bicycles a little further out so that we could stretch our legs. Finding the carnival route was our next mission, we stumbled upon a policeman who was manning a road block and just further along our biggest clue was one of the streets was lined with three deep plastic chairs on either side of the road. Elementary my dear Watson. 

Mission accomplished we retired to a bar we had passes yesterday evening for some liquid refreshment and to contemplate wether to pay €5.50 each to sit in one of the aforementioned plastic chairs to watch the procession. It was a big decision so much so that we found another bar that overlooked the route. In the end we went for the free option, tight buggers that we are. 

We found a good spot at the front and leaned on some railings, that being the next best option to sitting. The show lasted a couple of hours with the final three floats majestically carrying the Three Kings and a good night was had by all. 

When we retrieved the bikes the road that was still shut made our journey back to the cycle track easy and just to top off the evening we rode back to our site to the rousing sound of fireworks and the promise of cheese on toast. Can life get any better. 

6 January 2017

Ten bells had almost struck before we saw any meaningful sunshine this morning. It came just in time for our excursion to a nearby Belen. Belen is the Spanish word for Bethlehem. As we cycled the cumulus alto clouds reemerged and the temperature reflected the cloud cover. I was glad I put my hiking gloves on for the ride. 

The Belen was in a town called El Raal. After a few wrong turns and some directions in the language of the world from the locals, it was a bonus that we could show them a piece of paper with El Raal wrote on it, we finally made it. Murcia News had said to expect large crowds and traffic James galore, but to persevere as it was well worth seeing. We arrived around 11:00 which was opening time and were number 6 and 7 in the queue outside the living Nativity scene complete with donkeys and people dressed as they would have been all those years ago at the birth of Christ. At first glance, the same three Kings who were on the carnival floats last night were making another appearance with bags of sweets for the children of which they there were very few in the queue to get in. Never mind, adults can old there hands out too.  On closer inspection it wasn't the same three Kings but I had a feeling they were wearing the same wigs from the carnival. 

What we realised when we arrived is that the river run alongside the Belon with the cycle trace next to the river. We had cycled miles out of our way to get there when we could have just followed the track. As we rode away we waved goodbye to the Kings who responded with a not too majestic wave back. You could tell they only donned their crowns once a year. 

We made good time on the return journey and decided as it was a cloudy day to move on to pastures new. I went and practiced my Espaniol on Trinny the site owner and she practised her English on me. We had a veritable feast for lunch and then took about an hour to pack up the van, by which time the sun was cracking the flags and by now it was mid afternoon. We had a short discussion as to what we should do and a few seconds later I was plugging us back in to the electric and setting the loungers up facing the sun. 

When we finally got back to the van we charged our glasses in celebration of our conquest in the supermarket and enjoyed some crisply chilled lager before we settled down for a magnificent spread of chorizo and salad sandwiches and a night of recently acquired video's

7 January 2017

We were woken in the wee small hours by a cacophony of barking dogs. I can't imagine any of them were called Rover or Spot but my assumption into based on any empirical evidence they just sounded like gnasher's or the like. It seemed to take forever for them all of them to quieten down but after what seemed like a good hour the only ones that could be heard were a long way away. 

We arose somewhat begrudgingly after hearing nine bells from the local church and with the arrival of the bread man nigh, a certain amount of enthusiasm for the day was required. So it was up and at em even though we were suffering from what the French call a wooden gob (hangover). 

Two cups of the finest English breakfast tea and a refreshingly hot shower did the trick and we were packed up and on the road in no time. We turned right out of the site and made good progress for the first 500 meters before we met a rather large articulated truck trying to back into what us northerners call a snicket. It was enjoyable to sit and watch the driver perform the miracle of fitting a three metre wide trailer into a three point one meter wide gap. Val even had time to get out and take photographs of the beautifully decorated church we were stopped outside. 

Our first destination of the day was Castillo de Monteoguedo and Sean our Irish sat navigator had one hiccup on the way. When he turned us left down a rather narrow lane we had our suspicions, but we saw a large van parked up and thought we'll give this a go. When we reached a bridge that would barely fit a car under it we knew we had dropped the proverbial clanger. Fortunately there was a dirt track off to the right that I could back into and after castigating Sean we managed to turn round and get back on track. We were very close to the monument we had come to see and were there in no time. 

After some sunbathing and with the sun being well past the yardarm it was time for a beer, the only problem being that we only had one small can between us. We promptly departed heading into the village to the Chinese Supermarket. We couldn't resist a quick look into the local Belon on the way, after all who could resist the thought of another three Kings. This time the nativity scene was in an extremely large garage and was more the paper machete variety. The place was packed with young families so we decided to return after our shopping trip. 

At the supermarket we appropriated enough lager to see us through the evening and returned pronto to the large garage. Fortuitously our second visit was easier to bear as about half of the young children had disappeared. It was a large display on two levels and in the main a realistic recreation of the birth of Jesus and the land, building and labours of the time. Especially the pig on the spit and the old dome shaped oven where the bread was cooked. The three wise men were travelling by what appeared to be top of the range donkeys and most of the dwellings looked in keeping with the era. One abode however left me somewhat sceptical as on the inside there was a high quality set of pine furniture with bed to match. I kept my thoughts to myself as I didn't want to spoil it for the kiddie winkies observing the set and as it's Christmas the designer should probably be cut some slack and be given a bit of leeway. After all a couple of thousand years on one house depiction is but a drop in life's ocean and I should be more understanding and sympathetic. 

We returned to the van rather later than planned but now well stocked with beer, some chilled from the fridge and some not. When we purchased the said beer we chose the chilled but as the Chinese shopkeeper tried to charge us €0.20 more for chilled than warm. At hat point Val intervened and with the help of a youthful looking female shopper who was next in the queue who understood our English she translated the Spanish for "rip off" to  man behind the till whose facial expression changed from savvy shopkeeper to sheepish, downtrodden shopkeeper. Looks were exchanged, cans were replaced and our bill was reduced by the grand sum of €1.20 and we still cam away with a one litre bottle of chilled beer as it was only €0.10 more expensive for having spent the last couple of hours in the fridge and more importantly it was acceptable to Val. 

8 January 2017

We didn't hear the cock crow or see a beautiful sunrise. Val was awake at a reasonable hour but yours truly didn't arise till the sun was well up in the sky and as sunrise is at about 8:30, we'll imagination is needed.

Once up a ball of energy is the only way I could be described. I was off like a rocket to the Spar shop. The bed was put away, the washing up was done, the bikes were prepared for exit and off we went heading for Isla Playa and beyond. 

We cycled along the promenade cycle track, admiring the scenery out to sea, observing the vast amount of tomatoes being grown in long nissan hut type structures covered in plastic, and we were making excellent progress until someone had the effrontery to build a house where the cycle track should have been. Undeterred we circumnavigated the said building but had to then take to the open roads with only glimpses of the ocean. 

We were cycling with such exuberance that we only paused at Isla Playa and then pushed on further afield ending up in Mazarron with its resplendent port and enticing bars and restaurants. Our new friends Dave and Joan had marked our card and said if we made it that far we should have the Menu Del Dia at the the La Caleta. We arrived just in time to bag one of the remaining tables and we enjoyed a wonderful five course meal with a bottle of vino tinto for €12. The restaurant was run with military precision with all the young waiters wearing earphones and the older head honcho controlling the via microphone. It wasn't quite like a spy movie as the microphone wasn't up his sleeve but attached to his shirt which rather spoiled the romanticism but fortunately didn't effect the taste of the food. We left with our bellies full after leaving a generous tip. Well €2.70. 

We headed into town in search of the Lidl supermarket and found it without much drama. On exiting the shop I asked a guy sitting on a Harley Davidson for directions and probably with good intentions he sent us on the biggest wild goose chase in the history of man. We started questioning ourselves about 5 km out and decided to turn round at 6 we arrived back at Lidl at what felt like an hour later having passed road signs confirming we were heading in the right direction. In hindsight, the old adage of never trusting a man with a big chopper should have been adhered too. 

We arrived back at the van and put the recliners up for the last hour or two of sunshine but when Dave and Joan headed for the pub we felt guilty and forced ourselves to go and consume more beer. We had apparently missed the drama of the slanging match they had reluctantly been forced to enter into with another couple whose little dog had almost been eaten by their bull mastiff. We felt sorry for them really as their dog had broke its tether and although she is gentle as a lamb 99% of the time when she goes, she goes. 

By the time we left them it was time to touch base with the family, grab a late sandwich and catch up with the blog. Another day in paradise over.