7/3/16
Sanlucar de Barrameda
It’s Monday morning and Bertie has a date with destiny…. curiously Bert seems to know it….. he makes an intrepid dash for freedom when Nick hesitates at the door, and dashes off the aire, straight down the main street towards the market. He’d have made it too – if he didn’t pause to have a go at a poor defenceless little Yorkie! It delayed him just long enough for Nick to swoop in and feel his collar! With mixed feelings, we cycled off to the vet. Having left Bert in the very capable hands of Juan, we cycled off to the library to try to get wifi for the blog. We couldn’t really concentrate – we were both really concerned about our little thug dog…. when the appointed time came to collect him, the rain was hammering down outside! I cycled back to the bus as fast as my little legs would carry me, while Nick went to collect Bertie. At a junction I tried to stop the bike and it slid on the wet shiny pavement, resulting in a seriously hard whack to the coccix from my bike seat…. OUCH!
Bert was walking quite well when they arrived back at the aire; better than me in fact! But I could see his right front leg was a tiny bit wobbly.. I picked him up and gave him a hug, and he just crashed out on me!
He was soooooo sleepy – so I wrapped him in a blanky and gave him lots of cuddles….
Made a seafood paella for supper – we’re just about out of everything in the fridge now!
I also took advantage of his sleepiness to trim the hair around his eyes. My goodness my bum hurts! In retrospect, some would call it just desserts after what we’ve had done to Bertie today!
8/3/16
Sanlucar
Bertie was very ‘shifty’ in the night, but spent most of it with us… He’s keen to talk to Yoopi this morning!
Bacon sarnies for breakfast and then we’re off – heading south.
Henk shared a couple of pdfs with us of wildcamping spots – we said our goodbyes to them all and off we went – it’s a beautiful day! Came south via El Puerto de Santa Maria ,
Chiclana de la Frontera
– detoured to Vejer de la Frontera
the road just got smaller, and narrower, and narrower!
We ended up in a tiny little plaza with a fountain that we could just get round
then got out of town! Carefully!
We headed south again, past the Cabo de Trafalgar (yes – where the battle took place)
and over to Barbate,
and then to Zahara de los Atunes – which was beautiful but hard to find a parking spot,
and the Guardia Civil were on hand just in case we were tempted to stay (which we weren’t)!
The coastline from Barbate to Zahara was beautiful – took loads of pictures. Climbing out of Zahara back to the N340, past Facinas down to the coast.
If there was any doubt we’re headed for the windiest part of Spain, check out how many wind turbines there are here:
I’ve never seen so many of them! Despite being headed for Tarifa, we saw a sign for Bolonia and remembered being told this was a great place to stop – by whom I’ve no idea! (it’s on Henk’s list though)
We turned off the Navi and went for it….
Arrived at 4pm – look at the view from the galley window!!!
We decide to stay tonight here with the wind and the sea in our faces! Lovely! There were only a couple of vans here, and we were shortly joined by a young Belgian couple with two little spotty dogs who had driven straight here from Belgium – they asked so politely if we would mind them pitching a tiny little tent in front of our bus, and they had disappeared by the time we woke in the morning… impetuous youth!
9/3/16
Bolonia – Baelo Claudia
The view when we woke up was stunning – this place is so beautiful!
Took Bert for lots of walks on the beach, he met Lucky – a german ‘Outspan’ dog and his Mum Felicity; and another – not so nice – Weimaraner, who he kept fighting with.
In fact, our best walk was with both of them!
While we had breakfast we noticed a guy with 3 small kids playing in the stream on the beach… in no time the kids had stripped off and were playing without a care in the world – the Weimaraner played happily in the water with them.
We don’t know who it belongs to – it’s a lovely looking dog with amber eyes, all his bits and pieces, and collared – but with lots of fighting scars!
There’s some kind of roman ruin here – we’ve seen a couple of signs – looks quite something! We can see some of it, but can’t get to it from the bottom road by the beach, so Nick’s gone to cycle up the road and try to find the entrance.
I check out some of our reference books and apparently it’s Baelo Claudia, a Roman city from the 2nd Century BC established to produce salted fish, and a rather pungent fish sauce called Garum.
We’re going up this afternoon to see what we can see.
In the meantime, we hear distant bells….. getting closer, and closer…
This time the view from the window has some additions…
Nick returns having established the whereabouts of the entrance – we need our passports to show we’re EU citizens and then it’s free for us, but Bertie isn’t allowed in.
At 4pm we head off, leaving Bert in the van for a snooze. It’s uphill all the way except for the first 50 yards of road… lowest gear would NOT be found on my bike – Nick streaked ahead – not realising I was already in trouble!
Halfway up the hill he looked back over his shoulder, saw me, then slowed and eventually stopped… his body language said quite clearly “WTF is she doing now?” and made me almost fall off my bike – dissolved into hysterical, puffed out laughter!
When I eventually caught him up and explained bike gears and what I was laughing at – the look on his face made me crack up again! I honestly can’t remember when I last laughed so much…. you know that crazy stuff with snorts and nose bubbles and everything – it was contagious and giggling like loons with aching ribs we pedalled up the hill (slowly this time) to the ruins of Baelo Claudia.
We spent an engrossing couple of hours up there, snapping like a pair of hungry crocs. the Romans definitely had the right of this place – the fish salting factory by the coastline,
the amphitheatre
and temples to Juno, Minerva and Jupiter and later, Isis; up at the highest point of the site –
Being a bit of a touchy feely, I soaked up the history, holding and stroking the stones, (resulting in some more VERY expressive body language from the other half!).
We eventually returned to the bus and took Bertie for a walk on the beach with Lucky and Felicity, joined by the Weimaraner and the inevitable scrapping ensued… but they’re sorting it out!
Also bumped into a chap bathing in his birthday suit – literally! I didn’t even notice he had no clothes on until well after the event – I must be getting old!
Tonight we waffled about life, and about living, and loving it – we really are so lucky to be doing this… we’re aiming for “365 days of great” this year!
Steak, carrot salad, garlic and rosemary potatoes (the rosemary filched from the roman ruins) – followed by the Commitments on DVD – I got my groove on and was dancing up and down the Blobby bus – without stabilizers down – I doubt if the neighbours will talk to us in the morning!
Even Capn Bligh’s feeling kinda seasick! Hahahaha!
10/3/16
Bolonia – Baelo Claudia
WHAT A VIEW TO WAKE TO!
Beautiful rollers and a bit of a breeze. Spotted Felicity taking Lucky for a walk so Nick and Bert joined them – just the two of them today – no sign of our roaming dogs yet!
We’re moving on today. Dreading the journey – my bum still hurts like hell!
By the time we have coffee made, the Wiemarana and the giant black Highland Terrier-ish dog have passed on their ’rounds’.
I clean up ready for the off – Nick takes Bert to buy bread.
We were joined by a VW camper with an Old English Sheepdog called Dolly! They’ll take our little pitch when we leave.
Even the Weimaraner came to say goodbye!
We are heading to Tarifa as originally planned, but then just keep driving!
We can see Gibraltar, thru Algeciras and then head north once more… my arse still hurts!
So now we’re headed towards Estepona, we pull off the road for lunch and park behind a lone Scot who’s been out since September 2015, and has been as far down as Dakar – now returning home. I’m wondering if we can find any internet and contact Rick to see if we can’t tie up somehow while we’re in his part of the world!
We fancied staying at San Pedro for this evening – so we head for that, via Estepona.
We stopped at another of Henk’s recommendations – in Estepona – right by the Harbour/Marina!
It was a find…. I”d been trying to get a picture out of the bus window of Gibraltar – and suddenly – here it is!
Only 2 other campers here, and we decide San Pedro can wait until tomorrow…
Nick and I went out for supper in the marina with Bertie, took part in a little pub quiz helping some Americans with VERY English clues! We finally get wifi and well, despite having been a Facebook friend a couple of days ago, Rick has now disappeared from my Facebook, so no way of contacting him… oh well, I would have loved to say Hi, but that’s the way it goes – he could well have been in the U S of A!
11/3/16
Estepona – Almayate
Happy Friday all! We woke early
and watched the sun rise over the Port and illuminating Gibraltar first! We’re off to the port for our first English Breakfast since leaving home! Very nice it was too. Unfortunately the internet was rubbish and couldn’t upload ANYTHING!
Back to the Blobby bus and we’re off down the coast again – headed for San Pedro and who knows where !
At San Pedro we thought – just a bit further; at Marbella we thought – just a bit further;
at Fuengirola we thought – just a bit further…. Mijas we thought – just a bit further; Benalmadena – same as!!!
At one point we passed a nudist beach very clearly signposted – having a peek (as you do) the only occupants of the beach were 3 women in full burka! WTAF?
STOP NOW PLEASE NICK MY BUM HURTS!!! We’ve ended up at Almayate in an all inclusive aire – plugged in and charging everything up. We met Tony another EuraMobil 6 wheeler owner! Manly showing off ensued – all very friendly – his is 6 months newer than ours, so he wins!
Nick ended up having a lovely natter and a drink with an Irish couple who had 3 little doggies (Yorkie/Mini Yorkies) I blogged, and had a natter with Jan and Linda, tried calling Callie but no luck.
Nick has spent 6 weeks cooped up in the Blobbybus with me and this is the first time we haven’t spent all evening together… I guess the fella deserves a break!
Turned in at midnight – Nick turned up at 1… worse for wear!
12/3/16
Almayate – Nerja
It’s a sad day today, Sue’s funeral will be taking place at home, and we’re feeling very reflective and quietly thoughtful, grateful that we have this opportunity….
We updated the blog and uploaded it – said farewell to Tony (well, Tony came out to wave goodbye to Blobby, not us!…) and headed for Nerja.
En route we stopped and said our own goodbyes… laid a decorated pebble at the shrine on the cliff at Calaceite for Sue – looking out over the med…
In Nerja we sought sustenance – we’re both starving! A couple of toasties later we just enjoy the stroll… the aire is just a dusty bowl of a carpark underneath an overpass – not pretty, but free, and a short walk from the playas – and there are so many to choose from!!!
We trundled back to the bus and watched a movie, made albondigas and garlic mushrooms and ate the last of the goats cheese from Portugal. Gave in and took some of Nick’s anti-inflammatories to try and sort my bruised coccix out!
13/3/16
Nerja
Didn’t sleep too well and woke late! Gave Twiz a haircut this morning – no guard this time (baldie), and went out for breakfast – walked and walked…
ended up near the Balcon de Europa and had a lovely breakfast – then walked down to the Balcon and watched the children enjoying the bubble-man;
and a harpist playing – beautiful!
Spotted a couple of dolphins in this bay… watched for ages to see if we could snap them but…. elusive!
Loved this pavement, made from pebbles:
More walking and then a couple of beers and a couple of tapas (chicken (rabbit?) and anchovies), a bit of fun with Bertie:
Then we took a lazy stroll back to the van for a read and a laze in the sun for a bit – while the breeze is slow – when it picks up we have to hide inside from the dust.
Gutted to find out from Jude this evening that the Curry’s data sim we wanted is no longer available – she’s got us a 3 sim that won’t work in Germany – but hopefully we’ll be able to get a local data sim for the last month…. getting quite excited at the prospect of seeing Jude and Pete in a week’s time, and seeing Dave and Ali when we get to Mojacar too!
Bert’s met a little playmate called Philip – he’s a shitzu with similar colouring to Bert – except he’s REALLY dusty and is an allover grey colour – he’s like a little Bertie Mini-Me!
Nick and I are laughing at each other again…. I am quite brown but only face/arms/legs…. my middle is a (large) white expanse… Nick’s christened it my WHITEWALL SPARE TYRE!
G.K. Chesterton once wrote of laughter in a marriage:
“A man and a woman cannot live together without having against each other a kind of everlasting joke. Each has discovered that the other is not only a fool, but a great fool”.
That sums us up, quite nicely I think!
Steak and salad for supper – a couple of movies – and blissful sleep – we needed it.