Sunday 29 March

There is a road less travelled that we took as an alternative scenic trip towards Bilbao that avoids the expensive toll road section between Bilbao and Zaragoza.

Heading Northwest into the foothills of the Pyrenees from Zaragoza we camped overnight in Sos del Rey Catolico  where we found an excellent Aire for exploring the surrounding region, it has 12 places, a waste dump and fresh water. It was free during our time of use but notices say €5. It was easy to find behind the sports centre. N42°29’28” W01°12’49”

Sos Aire

Sos del Rey Catolico, it is one of Aragon’s most beautiful medieval hill towns with a maze of twisted cobbled lanes but the town’s major claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Fernando II of Aragon. He was one half of the duo, the other being Isabel I of Castilla that finally sent the Moors back from whence they came.  This duo subsequently became known as the Catholic Monarchs after conquering the last islamic kingdom of Granada and uniting Spain.

Sos del Rey Catolico (often signposted 'Sos')

Sunday 30 March

Marks our last day of travel in Spain on this adventure which took us on a circuitous route toward the Basque coast. There are a surprising number historically important sites to visit within easy reach of Sos including the Disneyesque fairytale castles and monastic buildings and lakes set in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Javier castle & monastery

Our first stop along the way was Javier castle the birthplace of the patron saint of Navarra, he travelled the world as a preacher teacher man whose remains are now preserved in Goa Cathedral in India. The castle car park appeared to tolerate Motorhome parking overnight when we visited.

Other places recommended that we didn’t have time to reach are the Monastery de Lyre set above Embaise (lake) de Yesa noted as another possible wild camping and swimming spot?

Skirting around Pamplona we made a quick lunch stop at Vitoria Gasteiz in the city centre camper stop which turned out to be a bad idea so we quickly moved on towards our next stop called Bermeo a curious Basque harbour town with a rough edge but plenty of character, it was worth a quick visit. just to acclimatise to seeing those steely grey skies.

Stormy skies in Bermeo Harbour

The last leg of the day was via Mundaka to check out that world famous left hander surf break but yet again failed  to see it in a photographic state.

Well that ain't working

Fishing boats in Mundaka Harbour

Further on down the road Gernika slips by pointing us to our final destination for the night at Bilbao Docks, ready for the early morning Biscay Helter Skelter ride home to the land of cold and rain. Our transit of  Spain safely accomplished in Poco Loco with a grin.

Poco Loco

We are on the move, living in times of change, in fluid times that are distancing us from past circumstances, attitudes and behaviour.

We are setting out on new paths, but without losing our memory. Paths that may sometimes be narrow, difficult and ambiguous, but that does not disturb us. We do not subscribe to certainties or rigid convictions. We believe in movement, in constant transformation and mutation. We are leaving behind static conventions and fixed ideas, without fear of questioning or uncertainty.

We are in transit embarking on a new stage, a period of new landscapes, identities, possibilities and experiences. A path on which nobody is superfluous and nobody should feel excluded, a journey in which to accumulate, extend and strengthen critical, unconformist attitudes and behaviour.

Friday 27 March

So Its goodbye Muchavista blue skies and beach yoga

and it's goodbye to friends

Derek & Bud

Linda & Pilar

and goodbye to hoodie sunbathing

and goodbye to palm tree trams

Saturday 28 March

And hello grey skies

on the road again

the long drive North

Thursday 26 February

A day at the beach. Six weeks into our winter sun excursion and temperatures finally breached the 20℃ mark, accompanied by a respite from the cold strong NW wind made beach life a reality.

Early morning beach yoga

Midday beach siesta

Afternoon beach petanque at El Campello

avec barefoot combattant

Tuesday 16 February

A cloudy windy day blew us into Alicante. To escape the breeze we headed for the MACA Alicante Museum of Contemporary Arts  http://www.maca-alicante.es/  It currently has Miro as the centerpiece of its exhibitions (no photography allowed).

The gem of the day however was our lunch stop at a place not much bigger than a large bus shelter called Cerveceria Sento, it was worth the squeeze for a great Spanish taste sensation.

Cerveceria Sento Crew

Thursday 16 February

Altea is one of the few remaining coastal whitewashed pueblo villages that hasn’t been consumed by the highrise development of the Costa Blanca.

Typical Altea street

Bay view from Altea

The most unexpected find in our visit to Altea was cake heaven at De Sabors pastelería.

Hidden in the pebbled street scene was this modern designed establishment with cakes that are some of the best to be seen or tasted, both  playful in design and presentation. If you ever visit this area, try to fit this place into your itinerary on a cold winter’s day. Summer weekends you may not get a look in the door http://www.desabors.com/www.desabors.com/desabors.html genius.

Our cakes and coffee

Friday 13 February

Beach gym

Linda working on her Popeye muscles

and is Paul tempted into blading? YMBJ

The devil fools with the best laid plans.  We had to abort heading further south due to a technical issue with our motorhome that required visiting a Fiat dealership. Getting the problem fixed meant spending a week in Alicante. Serendipity intervened in the way of a gem of a Camper Aire here in Muchavista.

For the folks out there who are not familiar with Aires they are areas unlike campsites that are dedicated places for motorhomes with varied facilities, some just have overnight parking while others offer secure parking, electrical hook up, wifi, showers, toilet and laundry facilities. Well this place ticks all the boxes and much like Hotel California “we can check out any time we like but we may never leave”. The site opened last November so the facilities are new and sparklingly clean. One guy popped in here last December just to empty his tanks and like many Northern Europeans looking for a winter stopover he is still here. Such a lovely place what a nice surprise.

At €9 a night including electricity, why would you ever leave?

www.camperareacampellobeach.com

Co-ordinates: N38° 23’ 41” W0° 24’ 35”

Sunday 7 February

Sunday stroll

Sunday beach football league

Muchavista prom'

Wednesday 11 February

To the castle, the must see Castello de Santa Barbara, the overriding feature of Alicante and the mother of all castles visited to date featuring stupendous views of the city.

To the castle

At the castle

City views from the castle

Harbour views

Thursday 5 February

While Northen Spain is blanketed in snow, trapping holiday makers heading south from the Santander ferry port,  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31150243  we are en route by tram to Benidorm, this has to be one of the great railway journeys. Carving its way along the coast for an hour or so with sea views to the right of us and mountains to the left for the princely sum of €6.80 return that’s currently £4.60 for an 80 km round trip. Dominating the skyline of  the southern approaches are Mt Puig Campana at 1408 meters and the InTempo building at 200 meters it is, or was, the tallest apartment block in Spain. That’s some hamburger joint.

Puig Campana

InTempo

Benidorm is a love it or hate it sort of place but with around 5 million visitors a year it can’t be all bad.

If tower blocks are your thing, then this place has plenty to choose from

International cuisine

Yes, they are people sun bathing

While the locals are rugged up it is easy to spot the sun starved visitors from northern latitudes.

Don’t be fooled by these pictures the current daily temperatures are maxing around 15⁰C.

A major hazard of Benidorm is the marauding gangs of mobility scooters, they hang out in packs terrorising the pedestrianised streets.

Placa del Castell pre dates the high rise development and is the same as it ever was.

Sunday1  February

After 2 weeks, its upsticks from Marjal and on to Alicante to a camperstop north of the city in Muchavista. It’s hello to hardcore camping and goodbye to little england fish and chips and full english, quiz nights and underfloor heated shower facilities. We will miss the supa shower facilities but not the stalag miles from anywhere location. This place is location, location, location. A ten minute walk gets us to a stunning beach with a mountain backdrop and a 20 minute tram ride to the centre of Alicante, perfectos. The only fly in the ointment is the persistence of the Jet Stream winds continuing to put a chill on temperatures.

Muchavista Beach tram stop

Wi-fi gipsy

Wednesday 4 February

        Feature picture story:  At the Popeye cafe our morning whistle stop

Cafe exterior

Interior, stacked tables waiting for summer

Bar staff

Pictures on the cafe wall