Almost there!

Spent the morning driving through Huelva - drove over one of the bridges 3 times and it wasn't just to see the view because Huleva is certainly one of the ugliest cities. We eventually made it down the coast through the coastal towns of La Rompido, Cartaya, Lepe, La Antilla and onto Isla Cristina where we parked in a none camping area. All these places have fantastic beaches, especially where we are at the moment. We took a long walk along the beach and there were only about 5 or 6 people on this beach, which stretched for miles. Had a lovely supper (Turkey curry) cooked by my good self.Just having our night cap now and then it is off to never, never land and tomorrow Portugal......

New Brakes and the like

Set off early this morning from Dos Hermanas back to Jerez. The Gamin was programmed to get us there by the quickest route and yet again we found ourselves on the worst road ever - it looked as though it had been hit by an earthquake, driving along it was a nightmare, eventually it came to an end and we arrived at the garage 45 minutes after the appointed hour. Herman was left in the capable handes of the garage mechanics and we strolled towards the town, 15 minutes down the road we came to Hipercor - fantastic - had breakfast (highly recommended!!) then looked around the store at all the wonderful things I couldn't afford to buy, 3 hours later we were back at the garage and took the reigns of Herman once again and set off back towards Sevilla - Dieter 520 euros lighter in his pocket - we went to a Hymer dealer to purchase a couple of spare parts at least this time there was a lot less damage to Dieter's pocket. Eventually we set off towards Portugal, Garmin was once again programmed  and once again it took us down an even more disasterous road - Mal estado - was becoming part of our every day vocabulary and the Garmin is going to take flying lessons!! never again will I trust that thing. We arrived in Mazagon , a beautiful coastal town, anyone thinking of a holiday on the Atlantic Coast could not do better than this town. Supper was taken at a lovely Spanish bar, so good that these people only speak their own language, so our our Spanish skills as well as our miming skills are rapidly improving. Night time found us in woodland just on the edge of town .

Morning broke with the sound of raindrops - first time on our trip and the air is nice and cool, but as I am writing the sun is breaking through and enveloping us once again in her warm embrace. We are now driving through Huelva - not a pretty place at all - despite all it's historical connections we have decided not to stop here. Watch this space and I will let you know what happens. When we do arrive in Portugal it may be that the blog will take a rest for a few days as we do not have a dongle for Portugal and so will pick the blog back up when we return to Spain.

Still in Sevilla

Nothing much happened today - just went for a walk into the local town and did some mundane shopping - then relaxed in the afternoon reading - well it can't be all hustle and bustle can it?? I will just show some photos that may be of interest. We are off tomorrow back toJerez to have the brakes repaired.

Some more pics

The Entrance to the Bullring

Jacarandas in the city of Seville

Going for a drive in the Plaza de Espana

Macarena Chapel

View of Sevilla

Cathedral Sevilla

Monument to Christopher Columbus

Sevilla day 2

OLE

A quiet evening as we sat reading our books until the sun had warmed us with its last rays and the moon had taken up sentry duty for the night and so to bed…..

I showered early and prepared breakfast when I returned to Herman, we decided the itinerary for the day – back to Seville!! It is another extremely hot day so plenty of factor 40 massaged onto our arms, legs and face and off we went.

Pleasant drive by bus into Seville, although the speed the drivers reach always has me in doubt as to whether we will arrive safely or not!! When we reached the destination, we set off on foot to explore the city and found ourselves in gardens with the most beautiful flowers and statues to long gone heroes, such as Christopher Columbus, Magellan and the like. Then there was the maze of narrow streets, which open onto stunning squares shaded by Jacaranda trees or large palm trees, all offering welcome shade from the hot afternoon sun. By the time we had reached the bullring the temperature was over 40C but at least it was time to join the bus and wend our back to the camp site. Another BBQ tonight but not so good as previous, could be that there was no wine! Supper and dishes washed I decided to write the blog in the cool of the A.C. in the motor home.

Sevillia

The Entrance to Sevilla.






Up early - lots of things to do before we set off for Seville. We eventually made it for the 1.00 p.m. bus into Seville. Quite a nice ride into the city and cheap too only 1 euro 20 cents each for a twenty minute ride to the centre of Seville.

The heat was an energy sapping 36 C with not a breath of wind. We took the tour bus around the city and almost got sun-stroke in the process, but it was well worth it. It is a beautiful and very interesting city, with lots of fantastic buildings and an amalgam of architecture spanning the centuries. It is well worth a visit but it would really take two or three days to take in all the sights. We had a light lunch in a delightful al fresco restaurant, shaded by huge trees. The waitress made a mistake with my order, so I was given 2 plates of food - of course I shared the extra one with Dieter, we sat there for a while, people watching and just cooling down in the shade. Eventually we took a walk to the park nearby and saw yet another impressive building, with ceramic tiles all around it of each of the provinces of Spain, very ornate and colourful. Soon we had to make for the return trip to Dos Hermanas - and even now in the early evening the temperature was still 36C - time for ......yes a G & T - still with fresh lemons!! Back at the camp site and it was back to the mundane task of doing the washing.

Onto Sevilla

I am sure that I left Herman here !!











Herman had to be packed up and ready to go yesterday morning, so it was an early shower and breakfast before "the off". We set the "Garmin" to see us out of town, big mistake!!, it not only took us through the centre of town and all those narrow streets but also down a one way street the wrong way, but thanks to the patience of the Spanish drivers and the driving ability of Dieter we found our way out of town. The brakes were still causing a problem, so we set off for the nearest Fiat dealer in Jerez, we had been in the sherry producing area of Spain for 4 days without tasting a drop! Where is the G & T producing area?? At the garage the mechanic confirmed that the pads and discs needed changing and that they would have to order the parts from Madrid, so the earliest that Herman could be fixed would be Tuesday, we decided to make sure and booked Herman in for Wednesday. The next stop on our trip was then changed to Seville as we had to stay in the area, Saturday evening found us camped in Dos Hermanas. So here we are in a beautiful camp site, very hot and there is no water in the pool, we are assured that there will be next week ah manana manana.

another view of Cadiz

One of the many beautiful beaches around the city of Cadiz

Cadiz

Spanish Navy Training Ship Cadiz

The French couple slept in a box atop of their Landrover Discovery, which amused most of the campers around, none more than Dieter! The box was a purpose built tent of sorts. A couple of G & T's later we retired.

Morning broke and bathed us with warm sunshine - blackbirds singing, then the lady blackbird came down from her nest for breakfast. Next stop for us. the ferry and Cadiz. Off on our bikes and we caught the earlier ferry landing in the harbour 11.15 a.m. where we caught the tourist bus for a trip around Cadiz to enable us to familiarise ourselves with the sights. Then it was off on foot, there was a wedding going on in one square so we watched this before going to find a place for a spot of lunch. The cathederal square was pretty impressive so we ate paella there washed down with vino tinto before exploring more of the city before taking the ferry back Puerto de Santa Maria. It started to rain whilst we were on the ferry but thankfully it was just a heavy shower, so we retrieved our bikes from the railing Dieter had chained them to and set off back for the camp site and now it is extremely hot, so have taken refuge indoors to write the blog......more later...

El Puerto de Santa Maria

El Puerto de Santa Maria

Well here we are on a camp site just outside of Cadiz. Walked to a local restaurant for supper, not a bad meal but like everything else here, a tad pricey, but we have to stock up on provisions so we had to resort to dining out. Lovely walk back to Herman and a night cap before retiring. We sat chatting for a while and then listened to the stillness of a campsite in slumber, even the hedgehog close by was asleep.

Morning and again the weather is not brilliant but we need to get into town so off on our bikes we went. The town is really interesting, lots of old buildings but nowhere to park our bikes, we stopped for coffee and to ask directions to the local Mercadona – which we understood and also miracles of miracles found the supermarket exactly where it was supposed to be, near the bull ring. The bull ring itself was huge and very interesting despite the macabre sport, which looked like they still practised. The weather by now was sunny and decidedly hot. After returning to the camp site we arranged to use the laundry facilities (not an easy task - and the amount of form filling was beyond reason!!) eventually we arranged to do the washing, which is now drying in the sun. Dieter wants to go and check out the times of the ferries to Cadiz so we will be doing that shortly. I am going to try and post some of the photographs I took earlier in the trip

Fox at the side of the donkey track Sierra Segura

 Lake from the Dam at Tranco one of our overnight stops.

It takes some time to up load these photos so will just do them one at time. We had another cycle ride down to the Ferries to check the departure times - so we are set now to catch an early ferry to Cadiz - time will tell if we do. Dieter is interested in the French couple who have pulled up onto the site next to us, they don't appear to have much in the way of accommodation for the night and he is really intrigued as to their sleeping arrangements!!Watch this space......
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Cadiz at last!!

Sunset at Bolonia      

Bolonia is a most beautiful place so serene. We went for supper in one of the local restaurants, which, considering the remoteness of the bay, there was quite a choice. We dined well, soup followed by steak with a pepper sauce, then retired to the hostelry opposite where we had parked Herman to enjoy a drink with the locals and a colourful bunch they were too. Pablo regaled us with an impromptu performance of Spanish songs along with another of the group. Pablo was happy to try out his English as well as listen to our attempts at Spanish. A very pleasant night was had by all and a very merry couple crossed the road to rest their weary heads. It was very late and sleep evaded us as Herman was buffeted by strong winds throughout the night, eventually as sleep had eluded me I decided to make a cup of tea, Dieter too had had a restless night so we resolved to set off sooner rather than later. So the early hours saw us leaving this idyllic setting for Cadiz and the camp site which was to be our home for the next few days. We hadn't been on the road long before the brake warning light lit up intermittently, Dieter knew immediately that this signalled break fluid problems and decided to stop at the next garage. We stopped at the garage and replenished the brake fluid and were on our way again. The scenery, whilst beautiful, was monotonous, we had been used to spectacular vistas and these green fields and hills were much like those of home, all of which we had seen so many times before. I was allowed to take the wheel (a time I had been dreading!) and I drove along a straight stretch of dual carriage way for about 25kms before handing the wheel back to Dieter as soon as we were coming into heavier traffic. It wasn't long before we reached the outskirts of Cadiz and the port area, not a salubrious sight and I was pleased that we were stopping further down the coast at "El Puerto de Santa Maria". Not too sure of the directions, Dieter weaved his way through the town and without any hitches we reached our destination and pulled onto our pitch just before 1.00 p.m. At last we were able to relax and catch up on some long lost sleep. I was awakened by the almost forgotten sound of rain on Herman's roof, it only lasted a few minutes and we are now bathed in glorious sunshine. 

Gibraltar and area

Woke up today to cloudy skies - good weather for driving. Reluctantly we made our goodbyes to Exercise Alley, yes they were still out there today, flexing their already toned muscles, jealous me? Never!!

We made our way down the N340 heading further south, stopped at Lidl for a few provisions in Estepona then onward and upward towards Gib and the rock. The computer connection was playing up yesterday so we had to try and get a new part for the charger - Carrefour looked a good bet so we stopped there and successfully purchased a connection of sorts and also THE TIN OPENER!! We approached Gib, and the surrounding areas were, to us, dreadful so we decided to motor on - into Tarifa, quite an old town with ferries to Tangier - we did contemplate taking a trip there but eventually decided to travel on "Next time" Dieter said!! The beaches around Tarifa are fantastic and we explored a number of them, including a deserted army camp, looking for a good place for an overnight stop. Because of the great sites we have had, we have become very fussy about where we should stay. Once again we have seen some wonderful sights, near the abandoned army base there were some huge sand dunes, we sat and watched some people wind surfing and kite surfing before driving on further, finally coming to a stop at a beautiful beach at Bolonia. This place looks like a desert island - so picturesque, with the golden sand and the turquoise blue of the waves lapping on the shore, what else could we do but take a stroll along this deserted beach and dip our feet into the cool, cool waters. It is almost sun set as I am writing this and the picture through the window of the sun going down on this sandy bay is breathtaking - I will try and capture this on camera and hopefully post it. We are off now for supper.

Ellen Brushing Herman's Steps

still on the coast

15.05.11 Sunshine once again greeted us as we awoke on day 6 of our epic journey. Quick shower and breakfast and we were on our way, onto the N340 towards Malaga, but first (or rather Dieter had to) manoeuvre Herman down yet another donkey track. How we always manage to get onto these tracks beats me!! After a few scary moments we eventually got onto the right road. “just a few hours, no long drives today” Dieter said and I immediately agreed. Herman needed to recharge his water tanks, no mean feat, as all you motor-home owners know, but we eventually found a friendly garage that allowed to replenish our water supply. BP garages are the friendliest in Spain!!On the road again, we drove past Velez Malaga (evoked happy memories for me), Malaga, Benalmedina ( where my friends Kathleen and George have their holiday home), Torremolinos, searching for the elusive parking spot and the hours at the wheel were increasing. Eventually we parked on the roadside and decided to have lunch (by now it was 3.00 p.m.) Suitably refreshed we returned to Herman and set off once again, this time we needed an overnight park, we travelled through Fuengirola and onto Marbella. Searching all along the coast for a suitable parking spot, to no avail. Our search eventually took us to a lovely place called Pedro de Alcantara, we looked up and down all the highways and by –ways, eventually our efforts were rewarded with what we thought was a suitable spot. We stopped and then both looked at each other and decided that this wasn’t ideal and decided to move on. A couple of hundred metres down the road there was a roundabout and as we drove round this, I spotted what I thought was a motor-home, we re –circled the roundabout  and drove down a small track (our favourite road surface – but this was only a few metres long), which opened out onto a small parking plot, with 2 motor-homes already parked up.  We came to a much need halt and realised that we had found the ideal place. We were only metres from the beach and nearer to some superb restaurants and bars. The nearest restaurant looked very appealing and we decided to reward ourselves with a well earned nightcap before returning to Herman to be lulled asleep by the gentle sound of waves breaking on the nearby shore.

Not so bright this morning but still very warm we had breakfast at the restaurant before starting on the mammoth task of un-hooking our bikes. Having decided to stay here for another day as this was the ideal spot for us. The promenade just invited a cycle ride – so off we went in search of the still elusive tin opener (not sure if I have mentioned this but we forgot to pack a tin opener, not too bad as most tins have ring pull tops but some don’t and we have some of those!!) Quite a number of people were doing some form of exercise or other, this is fitness fanatics’ promenade. Taking note of the properties and the cars, this place is where the wealthy have their homes , needless to say we are still in search of the elusive tin opener!!Back with Herman, Dieter decided to treat us to lunch and splashed out on a slap up lunch in the restaurant, which we now know is called “La Pesquera de Pedro de Alcantara, well worth a visit if you are in the area, although it is expensive the food is excellent. Both of us being replete decided to sleep of the excess , before taking an evening stroll down “exercise alley”

Seaside at last

15.05.11

Yesterday was a big day Dieter drove for miles and miles. We spent a number of hours driving through the Sierra Baza, which is the most beautiful place to visit , each corner brought a new vista of fantastic scenery, lots of wildlife to  be seen too , we saw a couple of beautiful red haired deer. Once again Herman climbed the high mountains until we reached a plateau at about 2,500 metres. I kept saying to Dieter that it feels like the roof of the world and the peace and quiet is unbelievable.  If you ever want a place for beauty and tranquillity then the Sierra Baza is the place. The day was taken up with driving through the Sierra Nevada a number of hair raising situations the worst of which was when the main road went through a village and Dieter drove through with not even millimetres to spare on either side and on the roof, where the balconies had grazed Herman’s roof. I had taken us on the wrong road, but we drove along the gravel track as Dieter was concerned about  retracing  our steps through the village. I was nervous about travelling on yet another donkey track,  especially when we were so high up in the mountains, but I should have trusted Dieter’s judgement for soon we were back on the highway and headed towards the Sierra Nevada. Stopped to use the computer and fill up at a petrol station before heading off for  La Calahorra , another pretty village with the most ugly castle, so ugly I didn’t take a photo. Replenished our pantry from the local thieves  otherwise known as the local supermercado!! We were then off to Valor crossing through the Sierra Nevada to Ugijar and then into Las Alpujarras. We stopped for a late lunch –cooked by my good self and we shared this with the 1000’s of flies that invaded our site, needless to say we moved on searching for a place to stop for the night. We couldn't find a place in the mountains so opted to go to the coast and found a spot right by the sea in Salobrana. We got out of the cab just like the gieriatrics we are and skipped down to the sea - skipped, yes! because the sand was just like broken bits og glass - then there were pepples like huge rocks - we eventually took refuge in the cooling waters of the Med but this only gave short relief - after a couple of minutes paddling (we actually looked as though we were doing some sort of rain dance - Sue you would not have been proud of me, there was no rhythm at all. We hopped back up the beach - washed off the debris on our feet. Dieter used the shower part of the washer and soaked himself, so we had to have a drink and wait whilst heis shirt dried off. A walk back to Herman and we called in at another bar where the Murray match was being televised - needless to say we watched him lose. Then to bed. Next day we set off for pastures new - we just didn't know how long we would be travelling..........

Day three of our trip

2nd day of trip and apologies for missing yesterday but Dieter I now understand will only move at his own pace. A couple of things needed sorting out with Herman's water works - these were thought to be major until Dieter remembered some shut off valve had not been shut off once this was engaged the tanks filled easily. At long last we set off - I cannot explain the feelings of exhileration - at last I was fulfilling a life long dream of exploring Europe in a motorhome with the very best of partners. !st night we stopped on a disused layby surrounded b y mountains - the sun was hot on our backs until almost 9.00 p.m., when we cleared the dishes from our first meal of frikadellen - cooked on the superb gas BBQ purchased by Dieter from where else but the internet - a great success. We retired after a couple of malts (whisky) before escaping into  the arms of Morpheus for a wonderful night's sleep in the blissful quiet of the mountains and the sweet fresh air. Morning we were greeted by birdsong and bright, bright sunshine - we set off toward the Sierra Segura and Socovos, through Elche de la Segura and finally through Riopar before turning towards Siles and the Sierra Segura proper, heading towards Tranco and the dam for our overnight stop, tomorrow we will drive the full length of the lake, about 74 K in total. Fantastic view of the lake from Herman. Had a nice walk to the dam. What a place, come on you people Spain is wonderful EXPLORE.

13^th May 2011

Missed another day on the blog – due to being unable to connect to the internet via the dongle – another spine tingling drive through the Sierra Segura, travelling on unmarked roads, with fantastic views of the imposing sierras. Absolutely wonderful sights – Dieter spotted a fox by the side of the road, he just stood there and allowed us to take some great photographs, then a wild boar, who wasn’t so sociable, scampered past, Dieter then spotted what he thought was a wolf, this assumption seemed to be born out when we heard barking noises through the night, bear in mind we were 2,500 metres high up in the sierras so it was hardly likely to be dogs!!Getting there owed much to the skill of Dieter’s expert driving and Herman’s engineering – Hymer would be pleased at the road handling of Herman over terrain even most 4 x 4’s would be loathed to drive on. We found the ideal parking place in dense woodland on top of the sierra. We feasted on Brockworst, tomatoes, onions and noodles, all washed down with a very nice red wine, before retiring after a really exhausting drive both for the drive and me, the nervous passenger, sometimes with 1000 feet sheer drop at the side of the mountain, still all in all we have seen sights, that not many have in their travels. Spain is such an exciting and beautiful country.

Morning broke, not such a bright morning but after the fierce sunshine of previous days this was a welcome change and we set off once again down this donkey track, travelling through the mountains. After about 2 hours of driving (all in first gear!!!) the track deteriorated further and at one point, without the driving skills of Dieter, we would have been well and truly stuck, but he got us through and after a further 2 hours of driving we both heaved a sigh of relief as we reached a tarmac road once again. We both vowed never again to travel on unmarked roads. We rewarded ourselves with a restaurant meal and had a very late lunch in a town called Puebla de Don Fadrique. Suitably refreshed we headed towards Cullar, we stopped at a filling station and there met a group of Romanians. They were washing everything, shoes, bottles etc. They were a group of about 6-8 people all travelling in a people carrier of sorts and had been on the road for 4 days, heading for Sevilla. Dieter being Dieter gave them some money to help them on their way and set off with more gusto than they had when they arrived. We then set off in search for a parking spot for the night  through the Sierra Baza, not quite a donkey track but almost. We eventually parked  with beautiful views of the Sierras. Our first disagreement, I think that we had both had 2 really exhausting days of hard driving and frustration boiled over, all over whether to use a fresh lemon in our G&T’s or frozen. This quickly blew over and we had laughed over how stupid we had been, needless to say the G&T did help with cooling the situation. Just writing the blog now at 8.00 p.m. and finishing to join Dieter soaking up the last rays of the sun and another G&T