Spain 2009

Day 1

After a brisk and early rise on Tuesday morning Matthew and Gill picked me up at home for the ride to the airport. After a mind blowing £17.39 for breakfast we headed onto a quite smooth and easy flight where somehow the pilot took a shortcut.

Mum and Dad met us at airport. Braving a high bridge over the road where there was a jump ramp like burnout paradise, that gave us the first hint this was a country they hadn’t finished building yet. Catching the C-1 Commuter train past Torremelinos we had lunch in car park.

Then on to drive down past Gibraltar, Tarifa then to Conil de la Frontera. The local Three king festival was that night but apparently a bit rubbish so we watched the big city ones on the TV instead. We done Christmas, Dad kind of lost out a bit as hat didn’t fit and gift from me was rubbish so I had sent it back, lots of games for Mum though so perhaps piece and quiet was his gift. A fantastic Surprise gift of a trip to Morocco from the folks !

Lots of talk about weather, them saying it’s cold but its still 16 degrees more than we have had. The night was good, it was warm though and I managed to sleep with the window open. I had a bit of trouble staying under the single sheet though managed not to fall out of bed.

Day 2

We drove down to the beach for a look around, walking across the huge sands you can see why this is popular during the summer but the sun was still beating down. Beer for brunch.

We tried to find a place to eat but it was a public holiday following three kings day so everywhere was booked. Popped back to bungalow for fresh prawn salad.

Did some bits on the computer. Looks at photos from frozen Somerset. Checked weather for tomorrow, changeable but warm still. Played lots of games on the iPhones. Played hunt the mini camera after matthew misplaced his. Everyone looking forward to tomorrow. Bed by 10pm as up at 8.

Day 3

Off to Morocco. An early start as it was still dark. The rain overnight left large puddles on main roads. We had to fill out immigration forms but there where no pens provided and they didn’t have any to lend you or sell you. We boarded the sea cat Tangier Jet 2 and had our passports stamped. The 35 min crossing took nearly an hour, it was very rough. We sat at front where we could see the horizon but that was some deep swell. Arrived in Africa a bit worse for wear. Whisked off to tour guide Ali. Bus tour first, lots of traffic and not many rules.

School kicking out time so there kids all over the road, parents just stopping in the street tooting horn while their child got in. The traffic police in White uniforms where at every roundabout blowing whistles. We where given a brief history of Tangier and the Tangerines (honestly the people that live there) by our tour guide Ali.

On the bus where Americans and two dimensionally challenged Italians that had no sense of time or space who kept wandering into everyones photos. They even poked their camera into someones house and took a photo !

Stopping for a camel ride, holding tight onto the handles on front and back – its a long way up there !

The guide took us through loads of back paths between the houses and through the markets – all clearly not for tourists but it was good to see the proper city.

We had an excellent lunch with traditional music. Walking through the city ignoring the increasing numbers of people trying to sell us stuff on the street.

We where taken into shops to buy carpets and medicinal herbs including a single stick of stuff as potent as Viagra and the older American left with two large bundles! Loads of tiny streets tiny shops piled up with all sorts of stuff. To make the threads for their traditional coats silk was being woven in the streets. They have provision for a public water supply and baking.

Their schools are paid for by the Government right through university if the kids survive crossing the street ! We walked through a group of kids playing football with a dead rat. Its quite a dirty city but its such a totally different culture.

We made a quick dash back to get an earlier crossing all doped up with orange blossom (from the herb seller apparently a traditional sea sickness cure) and two sea sick pills the return crossing wasn’t quite as rough but still lots of lumps. Perhaps global warming will melt some water to fill in the gaps we where falling down! You could see the water went very deep across the Straits of Gibraltar. A quick check online and it is on a different tectonic plate. An amazing Christmas present and experience.

Day 4

A somewhat quieter day than yesterday. We went and fond a couple of geocaches, unfortunately one was full of manly water and the other didn’t have any interesting treasures. A walk along a very wind swept beech.

Lunch was some tostas which were flat pizzas, interestingly served on flat metal plates. A weird German lady came in and wanted fish but that restaurant didn’t do any so she had a sip from a bottle of water and that was it wandered off again. A trip to the supermarket yielded a few surprises whole piglts vacuum packed and in boxes poor things looked quite sad. A huge fish counter that easily put sainsburies to shame. An english section that had tins of baked beans for €1. The supermarket sold everything from octopus to mopeds.

Back from there we popped in next door to let them know how we got on in Morocco along with a glass of bear then up to the restaurant for a huge tuna steak. Matthew and Gill had the catch of the day which arrived whole on the plate head and all – some kind of brean. Another quick check online checking the weather forecast and snow pics from home – blimey that looks cold. The news in Spain is all about the weather with floods and snow. The big news is that it’s stayed under 10 degrees for two days. A smattering of snow make the top bulletin but this was only from the top half of the country, it was just windy were we were.

Day 5

A gentle start to the day, we got going by 11am after a few of the neighbours came around. We visited Madina Sadonia.

Climbed up the bell tower and seen inside the church. Amazing view across the town.

We had some delicious wild boar at lunch at a local restaurant that must have been cooking for days in it’s own juices, melt in the mouth stuff.

We done a quick cache which was flooded then back to Conil de la Frontera. A short game of trivial pursuit in the evening and it was an early night ready for tomorrows travels. Off to Saville tomorrow.

Day 6

A really wet day as we headed into Saville. Passing flamingos on the way in. A bitterly cold 4 degrees.

We walked around looking for another cache which was another not found. Heading through the city and orange trees. The different construction ages of the City was noticeable. We stopped for a snack of Melted chocolate and a kind of donought dough as if it where put through a Mr Whippy for dunking – delicious. Then surprisingly it started to spit snow! Of course it didn’t come to anything but to see snow falling against orange trees was surely unique. Walking further through the city we headed away from the tourist shops and through more suburbia with the houses close and tight together with olive milling stones built into the lower parts of the Walls.

Through the Arabic quarter hotels the became more common. Heading back in the direction of the Cathedral walking around we discovered that, although normally open at 2:30pm, on this particular day they where still closed for services. Cold and damp we retreated to the car and home. Putting our paella order in at the restaurant we headed back to the bungalow. Paella has to be made to order and takes two hours. With whole langoustine, beef, prawns, mussels and more it was delicious and filling. Back for a hot chocolate and a quick game of trivial pursuit and making simple plans for a relaxing day tomorrow before a big day of travelling and returning to a frozen Britain.

Day 7

A nice day around the bungalow today. We headed down to the beach in the morning. The spray was coming up off the sea and churning thousands of sea shells up onto the sand.

We even found a bone fide message in a bottle. It appeared to be fairly local so we returned it to the sea where we watched the previously hidden tide whisk it out to sea. A few supplies from the supermarket for lunch then a short walk through a bit of the town where we had an early night. Ready and packed for the long trip tomorrow. 17 degrees.

Day 8

A dark and early morning. I managed to sleep with the window open all night but apparently I snored, putting that one down to humidity. We arrived at the airport after saying our goodbyes by the terminal. A quick bite before security which you can only describe as slightly less organised than Bristol or any other airport I have been to. It seems that a lot of the people that came out on our flight are also returning. Probably as they done the same as us and seen that was the cheapest days. After a couple of hours wandering through the shops selling tat and through the terminal we boarded a bumpy flight home. The captain gave us a weather update and assured us the snow wouldn’t be hitting until later in the afternoon, well after we had landed and would be Especially bad in the south west.