SPAIN – Part 3
January 21, 2012
Kris, one of the Belgian folks here (who permanently lives in Spain), had a birthday which was well attended, well laughed and well boozed…to the point where he forgot how old he is. Invitees included French, Germans, Belgians, Dutch, Canadians, Irish and unknown others.
This is a gathering place more than a campground. Impromptu get-togethers, parties and other uprisings take place at any time usually in the driving space between the sites.
During one of our endless sunny warm days we headed to the beach with “Smile and the Gang”…the Gang is Frans and Willimien from Holland and Smile is their German Shepard…for an amazing afternoon picnic with the Mediterranean as a backdrop. We had gone down with Frans and Willimien’s camper. When we got back to camp, Kris, of “I’ve forgotten how old I am” fame, had bared off our van door. On the window was taped a paper that said the van was quarantined due to the Avian flu!! Now we knew how old Kris was…a kid!!
Soon after I, followed by Dawn, came down with a cold. But that didn’t stop New Year’s from coming. It’s been at least 25 years since we had gone out to celebrate that “silly New Year’s Eve stuff”. But the Spanish wine soon took over and well past midnight we all realized we were into a new year…but which month we couldn’t remember…or care. And this all happened at…yup…Kris and Vera’s place. Bad influence these two!
One of the weekly fun things to do here is to go to the Saturday morning “farmer’s” market in Cabo de Gata, some 20 km from the campground. The produce is especially colourful and super cheap, not to mention excellent. After the market those from this campground who are there meet for coffee at the same place to tell lies and plane for the next drink-fest. The blue picture is a massive wall painting.
Still getting lots of riding in though the weather has cooled off a bit into the 15C (60F) range albeit with continuing sunny skies. Dawn’s shoulder continues to improve though too slowly for her of course.
We have so enjoyed our stay here…the people, the weather, the riding roads, the peacefulness…that we’ve booked ourselves in for next winter from November 1.
We are meeting so many people here who have done the same as us…sold their house, have no real fixed address, have stuff in multiple locations, are travelling free-minded with unplanned plans…and absolutely loving the sense of freedom. That certainly describes and feeling and why we expect to continue this lifestyle until…well we just don’t know when!
San Jose, one of the sea-side towns we cycle to quite often, is very quiet this time of year but busting at the seams in the summer. The view from the high side of town over the Mediterranean is beautiful and peaceful.
One of the trees often seen here, though not originally native to the region, is the date palm…the actual producer of dates. With its hundreds of date pods it is a stunning contrast of colours.
We had originally come to the Los Escullos in the Andalusia region of southern Spain campground by chance and for about three days. We managed to leave two months later in late January 2012 after meeting hoards of great people in a first rate campground surrounded by nature and peace and quiet. The endless sunshine and fantastic cycling roads topped it all off. But it was time to head inland a bit some 200 km (120 mi) away to Granada, home of the Alhambra. We followed “Smile and the Gang” toward new adventures. The scenery to that point took us to 1500 meters (5000 ft) passing areas of heavy snows in the Sierra Nevada mountains and light snow on the fields beside the road. The beauty and the extent of the natural land erosion made for some of the most beautiful scenery we have seen anywhere.
The campground some 20km (12 mi) from Granada was at 1125 m (3700 ft) elevation which meant the days were crisp and the nights bloody cold with the temps well below freezing. The Sierra Nevada mountains nearby were covered in a thick blanket of snow and made for an amazing sight. Three of us took the local bus to Granada to visit the Alhambra reputedly one of the most beautiful sights in all of Europe. It is a large area, mostly in gardens high above the city. The buildings from the 14th century are not many but one in particular, the main palace, was beyond words the detail was so incredible. Certainly Alhambra is worth a visit but all three of us though it was overrated.
Then it was time to head west and south. We drove through endless areas as far as the eye could see covered in olive trees…tens of thousands of square kilometers! An unbelievable sight covering every field, every hill, every gorge. What Valencia oranges are to Valencia, olives are
to this region. The last 50 kms (30 mi) of gorgeous rolling hills reminded us of Tuscany in Italy. Our destination, Ronda, is a town of 37000 people and one of the oldest in Spain dating back to the 1300s. It has an old part of town with massive fortress walls and cobble stoned street. A gorge 150 m (400 ft) deep cuts through the town with one of the most amazing bridges
we’ve ever seen connecting the two parts. A walk along the edge of the northern escarpment lets in stunning rolling hill scenery complete with olive trees and pastures bright green with the young shoots of winter plantings. The very first bullfighting ring in the world is here. The first bullfight was held in 1785 in this incredibly well kept bullring and each September since 1954 one of the most famous bullfighting events in all of Spain takes place in this sandstone
edifice of Spanish culture. While we were there, a wanna-be bull (Dawn) and wanna-be bullfighter (Willemien) staged a show for which…luckily…we had to pay no entrance fee.
We have thoroughly enjoyed Spain and the weather couldn’t have been better. But a new country awaits our warped sense of humour. So from here we head to Algeciras, one of the ports on the southern coast of Spain to take the ferry across to Morocco. We should be in Morocco the day after.
Though a little late, we wish you all a very Happy New Year full of health and wisdom…and looking better than this chap coming out of 2011.
