Long time no see……it feels like we have been off line for ages…..and we have.  Thanks to some pesky internet thieves hacking our system, nicking one of our email domains, pinching some money and trying very hard to get into every other account we have, we decided to keep a very low profile for a while, and then some very dodgy wifi connections and being slightly distracted by some absolutely amazing sites and experiences, it has all added up to a bit of an absence.  Lots to tell and will have to do it installments – I keep getting distracted by the amazing Swiss Alps that I can see (or is it the Swiss chocolate…mmmm….)

So…..we were last in the dramatic and wonderfully warm Andalucia in Spain.  We headed down from Sierra Nevada and finally hit the Med – high fives to seeing the blue water.  The dramatic rocky backdrop to the coast was a surprise as was the level of horticulture with plastic shade houses dominating every bay.  We spent the night at La Garoffa, near Roquetas where my cousins Sue and Jennie spent many holidays with Rod and Liz.  We had a beach side pitch and when the wind picked up, Will went above and beyond collecting a couple of stones to hold down our tarp, instead creating a full front yard fence and path – much to everyone in camp’s delight.   It was tiny site – and we felt lucky to be so close to the sea and to go to sleep with the waves.

After a day on the beach making the locals laugh at our boules skills, we headed north toward Murcia where we were due to drop the van for repairs before flying to the UK for a few days.   On route we headed to Mazarron and went through an amazing road (n332) past barren rocky outcrops and traditional fincas (and many speedie gonzalas motorbikes).  Apparently they used to advise carrying water through here but with more than 60 litres  on board we felt confident of not getting dehydrated.  So much so that when we stopped for a wee, a tour bus passed just as I dropped my drawers (not the mahogany ones) giving everyone on board a good view!

After rejecting a carpark of a campsite, we headed to El Portus and true to our first post (and due to a large washing pile), we stayed at a naturist site.  Located in the most spectacular bay of its own, with dramatic stark rocky points on each side, a rock outcrop in the middle and the big Spanish sky above, this was a true delight.  We were lucky enough to arrive on a Sunday (and camp on the beach again) when the camp had a bit of a sing a long.  After Russ had taught William to play the ‘Bronwyn Blues’ on the guitar, we all felt very welcome (unfortunately the Spanish red and Will’s croc on the van step ended with a sprained ankle for Bron).  A delightful place full of delightful people – we thank you all for your hospitality.

Arriving in Murcia we dropped vannie van van off  and went down to San Javier where we stayed in a proper hotel (mmmm….bubble bath) for two days before catching a plane back to the UK to celebrate Nanny Cassy’s 70^th birthday.  It was a sight for sore eyes to see the family – and despite the chilly 13 degree welcome at Gatwick, it was an absolutely wonderful time catching up with Millie, Harry, Cassy (birthday girl!) and the rest of the UK family.  Dinners out and relaxed conversation made for a great (but very short) 100% family focused trip home.  A special thanks to Nanny Cassy for everything – having three chaotic travellers to stay in her pristine flat can’t have been easy – but we know she would have had it no other way (and you can cook that chicken and chorizo dish as often as you like!!).

Picking our repaired van up was a relief (long story…but thanks to Judith at Burstner and the folk at Autocaravanas Navarro all is now heavenly in the bed department (fnar fnar).  We headed north, stopping briefly at Marjal (which had fabulous swimming pools) before staying in a slightly poor campsite with a great location near Valencia.

We rode our bikes 6km along a fabulous cycle path beside the wide sandy beach towards Valencia, stopping only briefly to shelter from a downpour, along with a local fisherman, and arriving at the absolutely stunning Ciudad de las Arte y las Ciencias (City of Art and Science).  It is an absolutely gorgeous place – huge stark white architecture by Santiago Calatrava surrounded by parks and azure water features, and housing a science museum, imax, aquarium and theatre complex.   As well as enjoying simply riding around the place, we opted for the imax and science museum.  Seeing small chicks hatching from their eggs in the museum made it feel very human, despite its very obvious design credentials! After Deane and Will had a laugh in a couple of big air filled water balls,  we rode home along the beach stopping for a dish of paella which we weren’t convinced was the best Spain had to offer (boo hiss to tourist restaurants).

We left Valencia, heading north full of anticipation for Antoni Gaudi’s work in Barcelona…..