Kevnjan's new adventure.

Fri. 31st. Jan. Well, Gunter and Anita arrived on Tuesday and brought sunshine and warm weather with them. It's always good to see old friends and we've spent some happy hours, eating, drinking and just enjoying the company. They are leaving tomorrow so perhaps we'll catch up again with them in Portugal. I think we will be here for at least another week. Our ACSI books have arrived in England (at last)and Julie is posting them to us here. Louise is forwarding another package to me so we will have to wait until they arrive. It's not too tough to be here, the weather is as good as we ever get in an English summer and is forecast to last. We took a long walk along the beach today, although the breeze was a little cool we had to keep reminding ourselves that it is still January. Still, tomorrow it's February so we are getting through the winter very nicely. Because we are in one place for such a long period there is little to report. I think we may rent a car for a few days and do a little sight seeing, maybe do the white towns. Our next door neighbours are Swedish, Ann and Halke, they've been here since September and have a long term hire car. They've offered to give us a lift to Mercadonna, about 6Ks. up the road tomorrow. That's the only problem here, it's a long way to the shops and we're suffering from Mercadonna withdrawl symptoms. Think we'll take them up on their offer. You certainly meet nice people living this life. It looks like Gunther has discovered Facebook, I'm going there now to see if he's signed up. More soon. Hasta la vista.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Sunday, 27th. Jan. Unbelievable!! I just went to review my last blog, dated 21st. Jan, and discovered it wasn't there. No wonder people are wondering what's happened to us. I found it in the drafts, it had failed to post. Sorry, so today you're going to get a double whammy of not very much. We left Torre del Mar and headed for Rincon de la Victoria where we had been told there was wild camping by the beach. Drove straight past it and ended up on the outskirts of Torremolinos on a large patch of waste ground, by the beach, with 7 or 8 other vans of various nationalities in direct contravention of the no camping signs. We all felt there was safety in numbers and although the local police were cruising by regularly we were not disturbed. Spoke to an English couple who gave us directions to the Rincon site and on Tuesday headed back in that direction. Found it no trouble and discovered it was really set up for campers with water, toilets and waste disposal. Rincon is a nice place with all the shops and facilities and a great promenade for walking. We stayed for two nights, made friends with a Dutch couple, Betty and John who have been there for months. On Thursday morning we set off for Malaga in search of LPG, not that we were empty but it's the last place we could top up before Cadiz. The one big disadvantage down here is the dearth of LPG stations. Having topped up we followed the coast through Torremolinos and Fuengirola hoping to find somewhere to spend a night or two out. It's hopeless along that stretch, all built up and not camper friendly. And so we found ourselves at Cabopino, just inside the Marbella city limits, on a large campsite. We have managed to secure a decent pitch with just enough of a gap between the trees to secure a satellite signal and so are embedded for a week or so, waiting for Gunter and Anita to catch us up. They are expected any time now. There is an indoor pool here and we are swimming every day, yesterday was warm and sunny and we had a few hours sunbathing. So it's business as usual, we've had a good clean and have set ourselves up for a longish stay, I've been putting off washing the van but I think it's coming soon. Not today though, Sunday - day of rest. Sun's out, pool's calling, time to go. More next week.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Monday, 21st. Jan. I can't believe that my last post was as long ago as Sat.12th. On Saturday, we left Granada and headed for Nerja. We found a beautiful spot, on the cliffs, overlooking the sea and with a view of Nerja, about 5 Ks west. We spent 3 nights camping there, no disturbances, very quiet, except for the occasional visit from other campers, curious to see what we had discovered. On Sunday we took the van into Nerja, in search of the car park, with free parking, and camping near the Balcon de Europa. This had been recommended by several people including Rob and Sheila. As has happened a lot on this trip, when we arrived, we found that the car park was charging and no camping was permitted. This seems to be a recurring theme down here. The authorities are clamping down on campers. We found somewhere to park in the street and headed for Burriana beach where we found our favourite bar where the enormous pan of paella was already cooking over a log fire. Jan says that this wasn't the place we ate last time but I believe she's mistaken. Anyway, we had drinks and paella, (with free second helping) and enjoyed the warm sunshine. Nerja really is one of our favourite places! We went back to our wild camping place and enjoyed the last of the sun in our chairs. On Monday we took the van to the sea front at Burriana and prepared for a day on the beach. I found myself in an altercation with a local bar owner and to cut a long story short, a little later two polite traffic policemen informed me that not campers were allowed in Nerja and I was invited to leave. We spent one more night on the cliff top where Janet was convinced we were going to get blown over the edge by scary gusts of wind. Woke up next morning, still on the top so that was a good thing!! Drove about 20Ks down the coast to Torre del Mar and booked onto an ACSI site which has been recommended. It's OK but it's not Nerja!! We've been here since Tuesday and the weather has taken a turn for the worse, not as bad as England though! Had the worst meal ever in a highly recommended restaurant, Victors, should have known better, €6.50 for 3 courses. Avoid if in this area. Apart from that, it's been quiet and uneventful, we've walked some and taken it easy. Time to move on today. Hope to have more to report in a day or two, heading towards Malaga.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Sat. 12th. Jan. Yesterday we spent washing and generally taking care of housework. Relaxed in the afternoon in preparation for the big night out on the town. Made friends with a couple, Noel and Belle who are wardens for the Caravan and Camping club, on their winter break. Nice people, he's a retired fireman and she is an ex air stewardess/hairdressing tutor. It turned out they had booked the same deal as us, an evening of guitar recital, tapas, dinner and cabaret of flamenco. It was a great evening, in the old town, Albacin, we were picked up by a taxi driver who took us through streets barely wide enough to ride a bike through, a white knuckle ride, to a whitewashed cave. There,a brilliantly talented young guitarist entertained us with a selection of fabulous classical pieces while we drank and picked at delicious tapas of cheese and assorted meats. There were just the four of us and we felt very special. I must practice more!! It's breathtaking to realise what can be achieved, when you watch such an expert at work. He played Granada but it didn't sound anything like my version. From there we walked to another cave which purported to be the home of a famous gypsy flamenco exponent in the 1950s. The highlight of the evening was the flamenco dancing and singing in another cave/bar where we were served a fairly ordinary 3 course dinner but the entertainment was spectacular. Great value. The evening concluded with a walk to the top of the town and a view of the Alhambra, in all it's glory, illuminated from below. Sadly the pictures don't capture the magic. An unforgettable evening. Got to bed after midnight, that doesn't happen often. Today we drove down to the coast, such scenery, and are currently wild camping on top of the cliffs between Almunecar and Nerja, watching a fabulous sunset over the sea. It's good to be back on the coast. Had a text from Gunther and Anita today, they're on the road, though I don't know what their itinerary is. I'm sure we'll get together, looking forward to it. Time for whisky and enjoying what's left of the sunset. It's good to have something to blog about. Buenos noches.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Fri 11th. Jan. After a comfortable, warm night at Velez Rubio thanks to a cheeky hook up from the back of a council shed we set off in search of an electrician capable of identifying and fixing our inverter problem. It was as I suspected, a fuse, but not easily found or replaced. Anyway, it has been remedied temporarily until I can locate a 100amp fuse which bolts directly into an online connector. Sounds strange?? Well I know what I'm talking about. We finally left VR about 12.30 and set off for Granada, a journey of about 165 Ks. And what a drive it was, through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery, the last 50 Ks or so from around Diezma, through the Parque Natural de la Sierra on the A92 was particularly striking with wierd rock formations and fascinating hilly agricultural landscapes. Delightful!! The only slight niggle with an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable drive was a stretch of about 30ks of fog. It was amazing, we could see it from below as we drove up, from about 20ks and we could see beyond it into bright sunshine but there was no avoiding it and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. We arrived in Granada around 4pm and booked onto an ACSI site, Reina Isabella, small but perfectly formed and a 20 minute bus ride from anthe centre of Granada. For anyone who doesn't know, Granada is a beautiful city in the hills, nestling under the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada, the highest peaks in Spain, renowned for it's winter sports activities. The jewel in the crown of Granada is the Alhambra, an ancient complex of palaces and fortifications begun as early as the 7th. century by the Iberico and continually developed by the Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Catholic Kings through the centuries. The palaces and gardens are stunning and lovingly maintained to preserve that special atmosphere. We spent 4 hours wandering around and it was a visit to remember. On Thursday we spent the day on a walking tour of the Alcazar the old town of Granada with much fascinating history and architecture. This has been the best sightseeing since arriving in Spain. As usual there was disappointment as the Cathedral was closed. This seems to be a recurring problem in the Spanish cities. May try again today. Time to change the beds and do the laundry.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Mon. 7th. Jan. Well, we've hit the road again after a month or more in one place. Feels very liberating. We're heading for Granada but by the time we'd packed everything away and taken care of all the preparations it was 12.3opm. Needless to say there was shopping to be done and by the time we said a final farewell to the local Mercadonna it was 2.15. John and Pat are not in the best of health with flu or something equally unpleasant so we contented ourselves with a wave from a safe distance. We said an emotional goodbye to the dogs and broke the cord with Finca Buenos Suenos for now. We decided to spend the night at Velez Rubio, where we stayed a few weeks ago. Discovered that the inverter has packed up. Bad news!! Fortunately I've managed to get a sly hookup and with luck no-one will notice. Have to fix the inverter when we get to Granada. That's it for now, enjoyed the drive, the weather is wonderful and all in all life is pretty good. Prawn salad for dinner. Adios.

Kevnjan's new adventure.

Thurs. 3rd. Jan, 2013. Not much change since last year! I awoke on new years day without a hangover. As usual I took down the Christmas decorations, that didn't take long, one piece of tinsel, two Santa Claus lookalikes and one Santa Claus that climbs up a ladder whilst singing Jingle Bells. (It's always extra good to see the back of him.) The weather has turned cooler, more cloudy, not so much sunbathing going on at the moment but my sister tells me it's around 40 in Goolwa (Australia) so that's all right then!! We drove to Orihuela for a walk around yesterday and it was very pleasant. The old town around the cathedral was particularly easy on the eye. We spotted a tourist office and headed for it only to find one of the most amazing Nativity Scenes ever. No-one to give tourist information though! At lunch time we bought two very attractive looking meat pies and I'm sorry to say they didn't taste as good as they looked. Nevertheless they sustained us until dinner time. We're getting a little stir crazy. We've not been in one place this long since we left England in September, 2011 and are looking forward to getting some travelling done. Nice as it's been here we both think it's time to move on. Pat and John are due home at the weekend although John tells me they've fallen victim to some sort of bug and aren't well. I think they must be missing the Spanish weather. It's been pretty wet in England I believe. Oh dear!! Looks like I've started rambling again. Time to go. Adios amigos.