Jeff

Saturday, 8 October 2022

A busy time in Spain part 2

The next morning we got up and decided to go for a short run through the fruit groves (Rich is trying to keep us fit, I on the other hand would have preferred a cup of tea in bed) and then we headed off to Valencia. We parked about 5 miles outside of the city and got on the bikes and cycled towards the Ciudad de las Artes Y la Ciencias which is a science and cultural complex. The buildings are futuristic and there is lots to see. We parked up the bikes and walked around to explore the pools, the buildings and to walk through the garden. We then continued our cycle towards the city centre where we parked the bikes up and started out tour of the city. We walked to the central market which was amazing with such great foods and produce. We wanted to buy everything and did wonder why we don’t have these markets more in the UK. After the market we did a short walking tour around looking at some lovely old buildings and we decided that this was probably the prettiest city we had been to so far. Then as usual for us we found a vegan café had lots of tapas as a late lunch and then headed back to the bikes before cycling back to the van and headed down south. We arrived at a little town and as it had been over 30 degrees all day we decided a quick swim in the sea was needed to cool down before settling in for the evening at the beach.

The next day we didn’t have anything planned and you know how these days can either be terrible or great well I’m not sure I would say ours was great but it was interesting and fun (at times). We decided over our morning cup of tea to go to the nearby national park and climb a mountain (not my choice as I’m sure you would guess) but on our way there I was doing some research and found out that some national parks need booking to keep the number of people managed. I found the park we were going to had a cave, called Cova Tallada, that required booking so I booked it. I believed the cave was probably on the mountain so it made sense to book it. Well I was wrong (see I can admit it) and it turns out it’s a sea cave that you can either walk to via the coast or kayak to. Well we had the paddleboard so we quickly (and much to my happiness) changed plans and set out to the beach. When we got there the weather wasn’t looking great and we even heard a rumble of thunder but we thought what the hell we are here now so off we set. We got to the cave in record time of 20 mins and there was already a tour group in there. We walked around the cave and thought well this was okay but not really worth booking and then we found the rear caves which seemed to go on and on. We explored the caves for a good 30 to 40 minutes using our phone torches as it was pitch black and there were holes for you to put your foot down, over hangs to hit your head on (yes even little me!) and bits to slip on. After exploring and finding our way back to the entrance we decided to have a snorkel (where the tour had been snorkelling) and saw lots of fish. After this we headed back on the paddleboard to the beach which while we were paddling against the tide was nice as the weather had cleared and it was turning into a lovely sunny day. Once back we had a snorkel in the local bay which was also really nice and clear.

After this we decided to continue with the crazy national parks and headed south to Calp where there is the Parc Natural del Penyal d’Ifach which has a large limestone outcrop which you can climb. This was again my idea and I did regret this several times during the climb. It states it should take about 2 hours for the round trip and as it was only 3.30pm we knew we had lots of time. The climb starts off nicely with a simple track up to a tunnel which you need to walk through which was nice, although it was very dark in places and you had to watch your footing. Once through there then all health and safety was gone (there was a sign saying risk of falling and boy was this true). The climb continued up and got progressively rockier and involved clambering across rocks with only a chain to hold on to and a sheer drop next to you. Those of you who know me well can imagine how much I enjoyed this! My fear of heights came into full force but onwards we went (after the occasional sit down to calm myself before/in the middle of difficult bits) and we made it to the top. After a couple of photos we started the climb back down and did take a little detour to the Mirador of Carabiners which is an extra 0.5km but also had great views. Once we were back on solid ground and in Jeff we knew we had to finish the day with a bang and well we weren’t that far from Benidorm so off we went. We parked up and walked in to the town which was bustling and interesting. From our walk around we quickly identified all the brits from a mile off and I saw more mobility scooters there than anywhere else in the country. We decided to have dinner and some drinks (and who could resist at 3 euro pints!) before heading back to our parking as we were exhausted.

After not the best nights sleep due to the noise in Benidorm we got up and decided what to do. As the weather was not looking great (and it turned out it rained on and off all of the day) we decided to head to the campsite we had booked to stay on. This is a rarity for us and its only the second one since we got Jeff (the first being in Wales) and it was really interesting to see all the various motorhomes. There were some huge ones and very modern ones and we even got chatting to some other brits. Once we parked up we decided to get on with the chores we had been ignoring including our washing, cleaning the van and organising some of the cupboards which had got messy or where things weren’t in the right place. As we have had Jeff for a month now we know what we need and what we don’t so it gave us a chance to properly reorganise the van to make the best use out of the space. We also encounter an issue, the location of our spare toilet cassette had caused one to develop a hole and this wasn’t fixable on the road so we need a new one. We tried the local camping shop without success but we managed to find one online that could be delivered and with some help we have managed to get it ordered and it will be delivered next week. After an afternoon of cleaning we decided it was time for a swim in the pool which I think the rest of the motorhomes found weird considering it wasn’t that warm and the pool was not heated but we brits are hardy and it was a lovely way to finish a busy day.

The next day we finished up the chores and headed out continuing our route down south and stopped in a local town to try and get a rack for my bike. Having tried to find one online and in other stores we were not hopefully but actually the bike store were great and not only had one but fitted it for us, we then found bags for it at Aldi which was lucky. Once that was done we continued on south and found a beach, called Playa las Palmeras, to spend the day at. The beach had strong waves so Rich had a go at surfing on the paddleboard which is definitely harder than it looks but he did well. We decided to spend the night at a beach just up the road where there were some other campers. They seem to have an issue with campers on some beaches, especially those campers over 5.5m (which we are) so we had to check where we could spend the night

This brings us to today and this morning we went for another run before heading slightly further south to Villaricos beach where we spent most of the day and planned to sleep. Again it was a little bit too rough to snorkel but we did have a swim and relaxed in the sun. The town has a market on tomorrow so we thought we would cycle in to have a look around and then decide what to do for the afternoon.

one of the buildings at the Ciudad de las Artes Y la Ciencias

more of the buildings at the Ciudad de las Artes Y la Ciencias

a representation of a heart in the gardens at the Ciudad de las Artes Y la Ciencias

I do love a good city sign

the central market and the food on offer

some of the beautiful buildings we found on our walking tour

The entrance of the cave

Rich looking out to see, a little disappointed in the cave (before we found the rear caves)

Penyal d’Ifach, it doesn't look that big but it felt it

The tunnel you have to go through

The views from the top

Here Im kind of happy to have made it to the top alive but I know I have to go back down the same route

The view from Mirador of Carabiners

This is the sheer drop we faced constantly

Benidorm on a Wednesday night

Rich having a surf

Friday, 7 October 2022

A busy time in Spain part 1

Sorry the next updates have been delayed its been a busy week or so and I will try and add the week in a couple of updates

After a night in the forest near Sitges we headed on to the next town Tarragona where we booked a local camper stop which was someone's front garden but at least it was a protected area for Jeff (as this was another town with some bad reviews) and I know we have to relax about it but I think the stories I have read make me unsure of this area and I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. We then got on our bikes for what we hoped would be a lovely ride to the aqueduct and into town. But we were wrong… the route given by our app took us down some tracks that required a level of mountain biking skill that was way above our level (even though it was supposed to be an easy route). The terrain was so rocky and there were continual hills both up and down and we ended up walking most of it. Once we got to the aqueduct we finally found somewhere to park the bikes up and walked across it and took in the views over the town. We then decided (stupidly) to follow the app and cycle into the town, again it decided to take up a huge hill (after making us get the bikes over a gate and up some stairs). Once we had pushed the bikes up the hill we only had one more gravel path until we hit a real road, which we were soo glad to see. We then cycled into town and walked around to see the sights including the Mediterranean balcony, roman amphitheatre and other Roman relics for a bit before heading into the mobile phone shop as we had an issue with the SIM card we had bought in Barcelona and wanted to see if they could help. Well it was the slowest shop in the world and despite there only being three customers in front of us it took an hour and a half to be served, only to find out we had the details to fix it ourselves in my purse (Rich was not happy!). We decided to then go and get some food to console ourselves after the long day and prepare ourselves for the long ride (uphill) back to the camper stop.

The next day we headed to a nearby national park called Parc Nartual Del Delta de L’Ebre and headed straight for the beach as its been a few days since we were in the sea. However the weather had other plans, it was really windy and while it was great for the kite surfers who were practicing on the beach we didn’t really fancy having a swim in the surf. So we headed to the other side of the national park which hopefully be less windy and got on our bikes for a 30k bike ride around the park to see the different lakes including the lake which was populated by the flamingos. It was a nice flat ride but the wind still made it difficult in places.

The next day we headed to the beach, on this side of the park and as there were two sides to the beach, one side had a calm inlet. We got the paddleboard out to try and paddle the length of the inlet but it turns out it’s a really long way (in the region of 10 miles) and we got about halfway before deciding to head back and get on the bikes to see what was at the end. Well once Rich had got the bikes out and set then up we started the route to be quickly told by the ranger (who came out of nowhere) you cant ride on that section, even though we had seen people riding on it all morning so we had to turn around (as did the people who were further ahead of us. We did need to do some boring chores like laundry so we headed into town to get everything sorted in the late afternoon before heading back to the park for the last evening. The nights in the park are spectacular with the sun sets and the birds chirping away.

The next day we headed to Peniscola which was a little further down the coast and headed to the beach for a couple of hours in the morning, before exploring the town, which is a fortified town and has a castle on the hill. While walking around the town we did manage to find a little restaurant on the sea front which did vegan paella so we decided to have some lunch and decide what to do next. We then walked back to the van and drove inland to Morella which is another fortified town in the hills. The plan was to spend the night at a Aire opposite the town tonight and cycle into the town to have a look around tomorrow.

The next morning was Monday and we cycled over to Morella but we seem to not quite be on Spanish time yet as we were over there at 9 which is before everything opens. We didn’t want to wait the two hours for the castle to open so after a cycle around the old streets and past the aqueduct Rich found a route on that damn app again which took us down some side streets, while they were paved they were fine, until we came across a loose dog who wouldn’t leave us alone and then an angry Spanish old man so we turned around and headed back to the van and decided to move on. We headed back further down south, with some stops for some shopping to a little town called Artana which was about an hour from Valencia which was going to be our stop the following day. Once we had settled in we went for a walk around the Aire which was surrounded by fruit growing and I had to explain to Rich that while the fruit looked green now they were actually oranges which were not ripe yet and very sour to taste (but were orange on the inside).

The following day we plan to drive to Valencia and explore the city before continuing our journey down south but I will write the rest of the update for in the next couple of days.

Our view of Morella from our dinner table

Morella before the sun went down

Peniscola old town

Rich telling me to hurry up and take the picture so he can eat the Paella

Peniscola old town and location of the vegan paella

Peniscola beach and old town

Flamingos at the national park

more flamingos

Jeff and the paddleboard ready for our long journey on the beach

see it was far too choppy to be swimming but the kite surfing was great to watch

Tarragona Amphitheatre

A Catalan statue of people making a castell which is very popular in the area

what one leg of my jeans looked like after the bike ride from hell!

The aqueduct on the said bike ride from hell, at least it was impressive

It was too skinny for the bikes so we had to tie them up to walk across the bridge (and it took more hills to find somewhere suitable to tie them)

See it is impressive

Thursday, 29 September 2022

First Week in Spain

The next morning we had planned to do a short walk in the village, which we had wanted to do the day before but it was closed and only open on the weekend. We managed to buy the tickets and start the walk which includes a set of metal bridges along a valley. It was good fun, although not being a fan of heights I did spend the entire time on the bridge clinging on. Once we finished the bridge section we continued the walk around the village, seeing some bunkers and view points before heading back to the stop to continue our journey.

We decided to head out the village and continue our drive down south but we were sadly trapped in the village due to a bike race which was going on. We were trapped until 6pm so we walked down to the next village to watch some of it and killed time walking around the village and planning the next couple of days. At 6 we hot footed it out of there on a long drive (we had planned to drive for a couple of hours, have a stop and then continue the drive but due to the entrapment we now didn’t have time to stop). We finally arrived at out next stop at midnight (having stopped for a take away pizza enroute.

The next morning we got up and cycled from our stop (just outside Figueres) into the town and to the Dali Theatre museum. This is a museum he created and contains not only his work but the work of other important artists and is more than just paintings as its more a theatre. Lots of things are not what they seem, I did catch Rich (and some other people) staring the glass cupboards holding the fire hose, before I told him what it was. We spent a good amount of time here walking around (getting lost) before cycling back to Jeff and driving onto Tamariu beach for a chill and a swim. The water was crystal clear and not too cold (not as cold as Rich’s showers anyway!). After a couple of hours we headed back to the van and off to a stop for the evening.

The next morning we headed to the next beach on our tour south to a beach called plaja de sant pol. We had picked this beach as we knew there were lots of opportunities to paddle board and snorkel. After a short time on the beach (and a lot of rich’s nagging) we jumped on the board and headed out along the cove to see what we could find. We managed to follow some kayak tours so when quickly worked out which bits were great for snorkelling, where all the coves where and how to navigate all the rocks. We both had a go at snorkelling off the paddleboard which was great and the water was warmer than yesterday. After a long paddleboard around all the headlands we headed back to the beach to wash the paddleboard and dry off. After awhile we decided to head back to jeff and onwards to our stop just outside Barcelona.

We had chosen a stop outside of Barcelona as we didn’t want to risk trying to drive Jeff anywhere near the city centre and we had heard lots of stories about break ins on motorhomes all around Barcelona. We had found a stop which was about an hour away from Barcelona on public transport and would be safe for the van. We parked up here and had dinner before packing for the next day. As it was my birthday we had big plans! We (and by we I mean Rich) had booked a ticket for the Sagrada Famillia basilica, a spa experience and a 6 course tasting dinner and had a hotel booked for the night. We did also have some time spare in the day to walk and explore the city which boy did we do. We started by dropping our bags off at the hotel which was in the gothic quarter and then heading to a vegan brunch place for breakfast. Afterwards we decided to go to Park Guell which is a park designed by Gaudi and is full of mosaics and architecture (and great views over Barcelona). It was great but a bit busy for our liking as people were everywhere and there were hawkers trying to sell around every corner (until the police drove by and they all went and hid until it was safe to come out). After a short time here (and when the sheer number of people had got to us) we headed back to the centre and to the basilica. We quickly got in (after going through more security than an airport) and it was beautiful and not like anything else I had seen. The photos wont due it justice but I do recommend you go and see it if you are in Barcelona. Rich had also booked tickets to climb one of the towers (the Nativity one) which gives you views over the city and views of some of the towers. It was good but as they are still working on finishing the basilica (which was started in the 1800s) you couldn’t see as much as you will be able to once it’s all finished. While the way up is in an elevator you then have to climb down a spiral staircase which when you look down the middle will give you vertigo as it goes on forever! However we did eventually get to the solid ground and we continued to explore the basilica before walking back to the hotel (with a stop for some churros).

After enjoying an extra long hot large shower (which while we can have long hot showers in Jeff the shower isn’t that large and we do have to be mindful of the water and power used) we headed to the vegan slow spa booked by Rich. This involved a 30 minute private jacuzzi with a couple of glasses of cava each before a 30 minute couple’s massage which was amazing. We didn’t want to move afterwards as we were so relaxed. However we had a dinner over the road to get to so over we walked and had our 6 course tasting menu with more glasses of cava and beer (and cocktails as it was my birthday).

After feeling full and having had a few drinks we headed back to the hotel for the evening. We managed to hit 30.000 steps so I think all the food we consumed is allowed (plus it was a special occasion and we were loving having all the vegan options for once)

The next morning we checked out of the hotel, found a nice little café for breakfast before heading back to Jeff by public transport and headed onto the next town. All in all I think Rich did very well in planning the day and we had a great time exploring and eating our way around Barcelona.

We had planned to stay in Sitges which is about an hour south of Barcelona but having read lots of reviews of break ins and crime within the area on the camping apps we have decided we aren’t going to and so we have parked up nearby for the night and plan on continuing south without stopping in the town.