Stuck on the beach
We are parked at La Garrofa campsite just outside Almeria. We arrived yesterday and found a spot offering plenty of sunshine - we thought. As more folk arrived and parked around us our sun diminished. This time of year it's pretty low in the sky so a Motorhome parked to the north of us is a disaster! We had a look around the site and decided where we would like to be and noted the spots in case we had a chance to move. (More on the move later)
The bar/restaurant on the site was offering a three course meal with wine for €8.50 and as we had only had one meal in a restaurant since we left England we thought we would give it a go, especially as this was the first site we had been on where the bar was open. Last night, also, was Bingo night! We looked for somewhere to sit without listening to the bingo caller but it was either in the bar with bingo or outside. It was a little chilly so we thought we'd put up with the bingo and sit inside. An excellent choice! The bingo caller was a long time resident Scot. The players were a mix of Dutch, Belgium, German and English folk and the whole thing was a laugh from start to finish. We got chatting to more folk in one evening than we had in all the other sites we'd stopped in so far in Spain.
Today we took the bus to Almeria. I'm not sure if it's a city or a town but it has a Cathedral (which was closed!) so by uk standards it's a city, right? There's a big covered market in the centre of town, upstairs are maybe 50/60 stalls with fresh veg, meat, charcuterie all looking appetising and downstairs the same number of stalls selling fresh fish. Everything looked delicious and we had to resist buying a little of everything. In the end we bought some bread.
A bit peckish by now we wondered the back streets until we found a small tapas bar; some Iberian ham, Calamari, sweet pork, frittes, delicious fish balls, a couple of glasses of wine, coffee for €12.
The Alcazaba de Almeriawas our next stop www.juntadeandalucia.es/cultura/alcazabaalmeria. The site dates back to Roman times and was an Islamic seat of power in Spain until the 12century when it was occupied by Christians and then retaken by Islamists and held until the mid fifteenth century until Catholic monarchs finally conquered the Alcazaba and from which time the site took on a primarily military character.
It was free for us to visit and a really fascinating place. Only partially restored but enough to give you a feeling of what the place must have been like.
With tired feet we found our way back to the bus station. Back to the campsite and a quick survey showed that our favoured spot was still occupied however there was a spot on the beach. A bit tight to manoeuvre in to but hey, the views were amazing, sunshine all day long, the sound of waves lapping not 20metres away. I checked with the campsite folk, was it ok to move there? No problem.
Everything packed away we rolled down to our spot after checking with the folk either side that it was ok. Yes, they said, you're more than welcome; please join us. The beach is pebbly, the pitch we wanted was sandy. First drive in was ok but not really where I wanted to be. Reverse out, drive in but wheels slipping on sand. Reverse out even further, take a run at it - still can't get right where I want to be. Reverse even further to get a really good run - fall off beach and ground van! Couple of guys rock up to give a push, no go. Few more folk arrive to give push, no go. Half of campsite arrive to give push and here we are. Forever probably 'cos I don't know how I'm ever going to get out of here.
Tonight was the walk of shame to the bar where I bought drinks for all the folk that had helped us out today. People from New Zealand,Spain,Holland,Germany,Belgium. And it was my pleasure to do so!
Tonight we are "on the beach" and tomorrow morning when we open the blinds at the back of the van we're going to see the sun rising over the sea.
Monday 2nd December
We'll, we didn't see the sunrise yesterday, firstly because it was a grey day and secondly 'cos we didn't get up early enough. Most of the night was spent listening to Eucalyptus branches falling on the roof in the high winds. Some of them felt like bricks dropping on us. Yesterday was spent clearing them off the roof and raking them from the surrounding area. Then it was siesta time and then up to the restaurant for a fabulous Paella and a chat with a few more folk who had just arrived. We keep bumping in to people that we had met a few days or a week ago, I suppose at this time of year there are only so many campsites open so it's inevitable, I guess.
Today we did see the sunrise! We pulled the blind up at 8am and lay in bed watching the sun rise above some low lying cloud and turn from orange to bright yellow. Fantastic. We've had eight hours of sunshine today. Another couple were doing a supermarket trip today so we cadged a lift and stocked up with supplies for a week or so. Then it was back for lunch on the beach. We're thinking we might stay on this site until it's time for us to set off back to Calais. The weather won't be better anywhere else, we're in an idyllic spot and the people here are really friendly. We can catch a bus to Almeria or Aquadulce, both about 10/15 minutes away so it's got a lot going for it. The only downside is the poor wifi. I bought a day's worth last Friday and couldn't even get my emails. I've since learnt where the best reception is so I'm off know to buy some more and hopefully update the blog. Failing that I'll have to wait until we are next in Almeria and find some free wifi there.
We are parked at La Garrofa campsite just outside Almeria. We arrived yesterday and found a spot offering plenty of sunshine - we thought. As more folk arrived and parked around us our sun diminished. This time of year it's pretty low in the sky so a Motorhome parked to the north of us is a disaster! We had a look around the site and decided where we would like to be and noted the spots in case we had a chance to move. (More on the move later)
The bar/restaurant on the site was offering a three course meal with wine for €8.50 and as we had only had one meal in a restaurant since we left England we thought we would give it a go, especially as this was the first site we had been on where the bar was open. Last night, also, was Bingo night! We looked for somewhere to sit without listening to the bingo caller but it was either in the bar with bingo or outside. It was a little chilly so we thought we'd put up with the bingo and sit inside. An excellent choice! The bingo caller was a long time resident Scot. The players were a mix of Dutch, Belgium, German and English folk and the whole thing was a laugh from start to finish. We got chatting to more folk in one evening than we had in all the other sites we'd stopped in so far in Spain.
Today we took the bus to Almeria. I'm not sure if it's a city or a town but it has a Cathedral (which was closed!) so by uk standards it's a city, right? There's a big covered market in the centre of town, upstairs are maybe 50/60 stalls with fresh veg, meat, charcuterie all looking appetising and downstairs the same number of stalls selling fresh fish. Everything looked delicious and we had to resist buying a little of everything. In the end we bought some bread.
A bit peckish by now we wondered the back streets until we found a small tapas bar; some Iberian ham, Calamari, sweet pork, frittes, delicious fish balls, a couple of glasses of wine, coffee for €12.
The Alcazaba de Almeriawas our next stop www.juntadeandalucia.es/cultura/alcazabaalmeria. The site dates back to Roman times and was an Islamic seat of power in Spain until the 12century when it was occupied by Christians and then retaken by Islamists and held until the mid fifteenth century until Catholic monarchs finally conquered the Alcazaba and from which time the site took on a primarily military character.
It was free for us to visit and a really fascinating place. Only partially restored but enough to give you a feeling of what the place must have been like.
With tired feet we found our way back to the bus station. Back to the campsite and a quick survey showed that our favoured spot was still occupied however there was a spot on the beach. A bit tight to manoeuvre in to but hey, the views were amazing, sunshine all day long, the sound of waves lapping not 20metres away. I checked with the campsite folk, was it ok to move there? No problem.
Everything packed away we rolled down to our spot after checking with the folk either side that it was ok. Yes, they said, you're more than welcome; please join us. The beach is pebbly, the pitch we wanted was sandy. First drive in was ok but not really where I wanted to be. Reverse out, drive in but wheels slipping on sand. Reverse out even further, take a run at it - still can't get right where I want to be. Reverse even further to get a really good run - fall off beach and ground van! Couple of guys rock up to give a push, no go. Few more folk arrive to give push, no go. Half of campsite arrive to give push and here we are. Forever probably 'cos I don't know how I'm ever going to get out of here.
Tonight was the walk of shame to the bar where I bought drinks for all the folk that had helped us out today. People from New Zealand,Spain,Holland,Germany,Belgium. And it was my pleasure to do so!
Tonight we are "on the beach" and tomorrow morning when we open the blinds at the back of the van we're going to see the sun rising over the sea.
Monday 2nd December
We'll, we didn't see the sunrise yesterday, firstly because it was a grey day and secondly 'cos we didn't get up early enough. Most of the night was spent listening to Eucalyptus branches falling on the roof in the high winds. Some of them felt like bricks dropping on us. Yesterday was spent clearing them off the roof and raking them from the surrounding area. Then it was siesta time and then up to the restaurant for a fabulous Paella and a chat with a few more folk who had just arrived. We keep bumping in to people that we had met a few days or a week ago, I suppose at this time of year there are only so many campsites open so it's inevitable, I guess.
Today we did see the sunrise! We pulled the blind up at 8am and lay in bed watching the sun rise above some low lying cloud and turn from orange to bright yellow. Fantastic. We've had eight hours of sunshine today. Another couple were doing a supermarket trip today so we cadged a lift and stocked up with supplies for a week or so. Then it was back for lunch on the beach. We're thinking we might stay on this site until it's time for us to set off back to Calais. The weather won't be better anywhere else, we're in an idyllic spot and the people here are really friendly. We can catch a bus to Almeria or Aquadulce, both about 10/15 minutes away so it's got a lot going for it. The only downside is the poor wifi. I bought a day's worth last Friday and couldn't even get my emails. I've since learnt where the best reception is so I'm off know to buy some more and hopefully update the blog. Failing that I'll have to wait until we are next in Almeria and find some free wifi there.
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