Seville, Spain

Posted 19.March, back dated to be in chronological order.


Several stops back, we had been told that we could stay in Dos Hermanas and easily manage a day trip to Seville. My camping book lists two campgrounds and the larger of the two turned us away. (We could have parked alongside their reception office just fine and there was still ample room for parking but they wouldn't hear of it.)

We rerouted to nearby Alcala de Guadaira which on first look was close by, but we wouldn’t fit down the streets of Dos Hermanas so had to go back up the freeway and around. After 50 km, we arrived and there was no signage. Directions in the camping book are vague but say to follow the signs to the Hotel Oromana. I found the hotel in AutoRoute and mistakenly routed us directly there. The access road to the campground lies just before the entrance to the hotel – big rigs have no business driving up the hotel driveway. We had to back down. Rough road doesn’t begin to describe the next segment of driving.




Alas, we finally get to the campground. They speak no English. I speak virtually no Spanish. After some deliberation, they agree to let us stay and Dan walked the site to find the best route in. The site is on a hill and the access roads are being eroded by water! It was a bit of a rolling ride to the pitch – but there are 4 pitches that are almost suitable for pull through spots! Water is not potable and the drainage is nowhere to be found. The kids made quick friends with two Spanish children…who abruptly made us a flower garden in an old wooden box. Very sweet!


The next morning we were awoken by roosters. Actually, the crowing started around midnight and just didn’t stop until around 9am. Jumped on the bikes and headed to the bus stop – which I had been able to get directions to with much pointing at the map. No matter how many times you say the name of the street, if the person listening can’t understand it, you won’t get far. Regardless, the reception desk was helpful and we did find the way!



Bus to Seville was full – it took about 30 minutes to get there. We wound up stopped outside the Captania General building and should have gotten off one stop earlier. Wandering on, we quickly found our way to the tram – which for 1.20 EURO per person takes you from the central bus station to the Cathedral and Plaza Neuva. We wound up getting off at the Cathedral – there was a Starbucks, Post Office and hey – a really cool cathedral!







Dan had to get manager’s approval for two venti drip coffees! They just don’t do drip coffee here. The kids grooved on their hot chocolates and we all basked in the very warm sun. Only thing is, virtually everyone round us is dressed up to the hilt! Fancy suits, funny hats on the women… we have no idea what’s going on but I was starting to feel out of place in my shorts. After a bit of hemming and hahhing, we finally decided to join the line for the Cathedral. Loved the sign at the entrance… fee is 7.50 per person unless you are a native to Seville or unemployed. We were wondering if we could make our case as unemployed. In the end, we paid our 7.50 per person (kids are free) and for the first time, I bought in to the audio guide gimmick. Megan promptly took my audioguide receiver and I virtually didn’t get to use it again during our visit (I’m not really complaining…it was fun to see her getting excited about the history of the Cathedral). The Cathedral is built on the site of an old mosque. It is one of the longest and the central altar took 80 years to build. We were awed by the rich designs and intricate detailing. Loved the walk up the bell tower too with little glimpses of the city below. 38 flights of ramps later, we were at the top, admiring a fantastic blick of the city, including the bull ring. Then, back down again to the orange courtyard, where we decided to call the Cathedral visit to an end. I think we really only saw half of it!












View of Cathedral from Starbucks











Inside the Cathedral.






Descending from the tower.




View from the tower.



Megan swiped my audioguide!




This is where you exit the Cathedral.




Random pictures of Seville.








Onward to Madrid... our moms are coming to Paris to meet us on 12.March and we have over 1,000 km to go.



Ciao for now!

Gibraltar

back dated to be in chronological order

The Rock of Gibraltar
belive it or not, i had the blog entry typed, images resized and ready to post. the wi-fi network at the campground we are at (3.March) went down and their office computer does not allow you to actually copy files over from a USB drive. Nor does it have any applications installed that might let you read a .txt file.

So - our last day near Marbella, we spontaneously rented a car and drove off into the sunshine to experience The Rock of Gibraltar, a British holding in southern Spain. Sadly for you, you´ll have to wait until I get to a new Internet connection to see the pictures and read the details.

Suffice it to say, we went to the top via tour taxi and it was the best move we could have made. We saw the Barbary Apes, Saint Michael´s Caves and Dan got to have an ape on his shoulder, which left a smelly but temporary souvenair. =)

Lovely day. Even better when we heard it had poured down rain all day at our campground while we had spent the day basking in the sun.

ciao!

Headed out!!

Posted 19.March; back-dated to chronological order.

Some days it all just works. The alarm clock didn’t go off, but I was up early. Made coffee and started putting things away. By 9:30, all of us had showered, pancakes were coming off the stove, a second pot of coffee was on.

We had a really enjoyable breakfast with our Dutch friends (and yes, the pancakes turned out OK using self-rising flour + a little leftover baking soda we found). Regrettably, I finally had to end the morning and kick our guests out. The rental car had to be back by 11:30am and I still had to get gas.

I’ve said remarkably little about the highway system in Southern Spain. Suffice it to say it seems to assume that the driver has pre-existing knowledge as to how it works. Just because you can exit doesn’t mean you can get back on the freeway at that junction. If you miss an exit, it may be another 25km before you can get turned around. Sometimes you can only get on the freeway, going one direction, then must proceed to an exit that shows a cross over sign before you can get on the freeway going the other direction.

Such was the case. I had to get on the freeway going toward Marbella to get to the gas station that was a block away from us, but on the wrong side of the freeway. We got gas easily enough. But now, I was going the wrong way (toward Malaga) and had to go about 15 km to a point where we could make the turn around. Only there was an accident on the freeway… I had 30 minutes to get the car back. We crept through, took a side exit street (allows access to the businesses that border the freeway and then allows you back on the freeway in the same direction). Saw that the grocery store was open and decided to give it a try. Megan and I did a whirlwind run, grabbing a bit of everything (we could give any of those old shopping gameshows a run for their money!). Tossed it all in the back of the Fiat and zipped back to the campground. Dan just about had a heart attack when I pulled back up in the rental car. We were set on leaving TODAY! With 15 minutes to go, we unloaded, jumped back in, and zipped off the scary back roads to the rental shop. Megan and I had a very pleasant walk along the freeway home. I think she was just glad that I was no longer driving!

Feeling nervous about leaving without our package, we continued to pack up and get out of there. I paid up the bill and discussed possibilities of forwarding mail to Paris. The office suggested we wait until 2. Turns out, it was 20 EURO less expensive for me to pay for 14-nights than for 13 nights. The receptionist was beside herself with disbelief… “You want to pay for 14 but only stay for 13?” Yes, I explained. And if it’s a problem, you’ll have to listen to me talk about the washing machine that doesn’t work and the faulty water pressure which doused the kids in cold water… I got the lower price.

Miracle of miracles, the campsite golf cart pulled up and delivered our package. Ah. We can get on the road FINALLY. It honestly felt like we would never leave this particular campground. We love the friendships we made, but it’s time to move on (plus, we are due in Paris by 10.March!!!).

Next stop: Seville.

Gibraltar - Take II

Posted 19.March, back dated to be in chronological order of our trip.

A few days ago, we had our neighbors, Phillip and Des over for breakfast. This morning, door open, sunshine streaming through, Dan called out to Phillip, “pancakes are ready.” He responded “thanks, but I just ate.” Next thing I see is our outside table being moved over, a different chair pulled up and there’s Phillip – he brought his own chair, silverware and maple syrup!

Pancakes and sunshine

Sunshine finally gave our energy levels a solid kick. We felt stuck at Camping Buganvilla, waiting for our LPG adaptors to arrive. The front desk alerted us that it’s a holiday in Andulacia, the region we are staying, and there will be no post, possibly until Monday.

Dan threw caution to the wind and suddenly decided we should pack up the RV and head to Gibraltar. In the end, we opted for the rental car - faster, cheaper, and less of a hassle. I can only imagine what the guys at Yellow Car must have thought to see me pull up on a bicycle and pull away with the folding bike neatly in the back of their Fiat Panda. Tiny, but functional.

About 3 hours later, we were there. The Rock of Gibralter – 6.5 square kilometers (2.5 sq mi) of British dependency. We chose to park outside and walk through “immigration” a loose term at best. I think if you just wave something at the guard they let you through. We jumped on the first bus we saw, after determining it would take us to the cable cars. Feeling slightly swindled, we agreed to the taxi sales pitch instead of the cable car – 50 Euro, but hey, we had agreed it would be a tourist day, right? And they were letting the kids ride along for free.

Monument marking the historical silver topped pillar that marked the path of safe passage.

View from the top. We like the fact that the runway crosses the main thoroughfare to Gibraltar.

Two hours later and smelling vaguely of Barbary Ape pee, we emerged from our tour with huge grins on our faces. Everyone had a different favorite point – Megan was thrilled to be on the top of a mountain and that we got to explore the caves (Saint Michael’s and the Siege Tunnels). Her disappointment was that we didn’t hike to the very tippity top peak (I don’t think they actually let you any further up than we were). Sophia liked the Barbary Apes. Dan loved the views, being able to see the tip of Africa through the clouds and getting a temporary souvenir from the ape that sat his shoulder. I loved that we were in a taxi and not walking the 9km on narrow roads shared with crazy taxi drivers. This is not pure laziness talking. We had a very grumpy Sophia to deal with and the roads on the hill are too narrow for both car and pedestrian. In some sections the pedestrians were standing flat against the mountain and the taxi was just inching by. Other sections the taxi had to do a 3-point maneuver to make it around a hairpin turn.

Barbary Ape close up.

View of concert area in St. Michael's cave.

Is that an ape on your shoulder or...?

In the town, we marveled at the narrow streets, tall buildings and enjoyed a round of beverages. Feeling refreshed, next up was to find the Morrison’s (British grocery store) and see about buying some baking powder so we could make pancakes the next morning. After a very frustrating walking tour (no one could seem to tell us where Morrison’s was, other than “it’s a long walk from here.”), we finally found it. The store was a complete ZOO. To top it off, they don’t carry baking powder. What grocery store on the face of earth does not carry baking powder? Especially one as large as Morrisons? Dejected, we bought some self rising flour and croissants as a backup (we had invited company over for breakfast after all). We tracked down bus number 10 and managed to get confirmation that yes, it would take us to Fronteria (the border) but no, our “day” ticket was not valid on this line. At this point, who cares? We’re tired, just get us back to the border and our little rental car. Megan was thrilled to be on a double decker bus and of course, we had to sit on the top. Rickety old thing, fun nonetheless.

Interesting facts we learned about Gibraltar:

• The border between Gibraltar and Spain were closed until 1985.


• The rock is all but hollow; I think the guide said there are some 4km roads leading to the peak; but inside are more than 70 km.


• St. Michael’s caves were prepared for use as a hospital, though never used for a hospital. Now the caves host concerts in the summer and tourists year round.
  
• Gibraltar natives learn “Spanglish” – a mix of English and Spanish.

We happily arrived home around 9pm. Kids to bed… busy day tomorrow. We are leaving no matter what. But first, we are treating our Dutch friends to American pancakes. =)

Mijas, Spain - A Day in the Sun

Our current campground and location are really nothing to write home about. We wouldn't have stayed but for the promise that the rain would soon stop (that was 7-days ago, folks) and the fantastic people we have met here on site. Oh, that and Dan ordered propane adaptors that we are anxiously awaiting ... so we can leave! =)

Seriously - we took a day trip to Feungirola. It's a rather large town, but is all high rise buildings. The ocean front was interesting - it's a much steeper drop than CostaBella and the day of our visit, the waves were much higher (Megan tried to be swept away at sea). Not much to see or do here unless you are shopping. The best outcome of this outint was the addition of sand toys to our collection of kid's stuff. =)

Feungirola waterfront:

Megan, Having Just Experienced the Feungirola Waves:

We took another jaunt out to Marbella Center and while there are pretty parks and expensive boats, a block off the main road, the import stores with cheap plastic goods rule the day. That said, I all but pushed Dan into a barber shop and he finally got a long overdue hair cut for only 10 Euro.

The weather finally started turning nice on Monday and we set about doing chores. Laundry with machines that don't work; washing the motorhome; general housecleaning that's been long overdue. We have a new best friend in the motorhome, a small dehumidifier (it can pull out up to 5 liters of water per day) and it has been a life saver this past week.


Regardless of the rain (or maybe because of it), we've enjoyed a week of getting to know Phillip & Des from the UK. Our budding friendship survived a very tense evening of guys vs. gals in the UK version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" (face it guys, we won, fair and square!). They have been most friendly and helpful with sharing information related to campgrounds for RVs our size and the various maintenance tinkering that the guys do when there's nothing else going on.

Cory and Gina from Holland came out to meet us the first day we were here. They have lived in Canada and spent time in Washington D.C. They have been quite gracious at inviting us over for drinks and to celebrate Cory's birthday. We were invited to ride along with them to Mijas today for the Flamenco dancing exhibition and just to experience a small, Spanish villiage.

Mijas is a very cute Spanish village in the hills. Filled with white houses and tourist shops, we spent a fun day climbing stairs and admiring local goods. Leather goods, pottery, hand blown glass abound and only my willpower (and the fact that we are heading to Disney Paris soon) kept my pocketbook from getting significantly lighter.


Quick pictures of Mijas:




Donkeys for rent:




View from the hilltop:



Shop adorned with pottery:



Mijas sponsors a free Flamenco dance exhibition in the center. The girls and I loved it! Megan and Sophia wound up on the first step to the gazebo as the other tourists kept stepping in front to take pictures. Sophia decided to give the dancers a run for their money by putting on her own little show. The more I motioned for her to stop, the crazier she got. In the end, no one was hurt and not too many folks were distratcted from the exposition by our little one's grooving along to the music.



Flamenco performance:






Flamenco-Sophia:


With luck, our parts will arrive tomorrow and we can head out. We're due in Paris in just under 3-weeks for a semi-surprise visit from the grandmas! Can't wait to see them.

Ciao for now!

Somewhere in Southern Spain

GPS coordinates for our campground (Camping Buganvilla): 36.50384N 4.80338W

We're near Marbella, Spain and are being treated to our first rain squalls in weeks. Yes, it's raining. Bummer.

Most recently we spent a day in Granada, primarily at AlHambra. Very beautiful town and fantastic carvings in the palace at AlHambra. The only disappointment is that they have moved the lions, from the famous fountain of lions, indoors to help protect them. We had skipped the museum tour and the museum closes at 2:30.

We are hoping to get out next to Malaga and then to the Rock of Gibraltar. Just trying to figure out how best to wander about in the rain ... yuck. Forecast is for rain through Thursday/Friday. We were hoping to be in Portugal at the end of this week.

Will get the prior posts (LaManga, Cartenga, Granada and various stories & pictures) updated soon - just a quick note to let our readers know where we are and our family & friends know that all is well.

Ciao for now!

Granada, Spain

Note: Published 21.Feb, backdated to be in chronological order.
GPS of Camping Cubillas: 37.26892N 3.68057W

Somewhere in my ignorance on all things related to geography, my mind decided Spain is a vast flat land with lots of sandy beaches. Boy has this trip been an eye opening education!

Heading away from Cabo de Gata, I was feeling uncertain as to our ability to fit into any campsites near Granada. We had heard we simply must visit Granada, specifically AlHambra. Conversely, a fellow camper expressd concern that we probably wouldn't fit in any of the nearby campgrounds.

Driving over yet another mountain pass, we enjoyed the beautiful colors of the red rock and striking plateaus. We passed several small villages and were in awe at the fact that many buildings and houses near Gaudix are built right into the mountain! Facias are stucco and butt right up next to the mountain wall. The structures under construction looked simply like caves; but then we'd see a neighboring facade that looked like new stucco construction. Very cool. I'd imagine very energy efficient as well.

Back to the story - we arrived at Camping Cubillas to find an all but abandoned campsite (that charges 20 EURO/night!). There were two other campers, so we went for it. Being the "off-season" we were able to fit - during high season, there would have been no way. We parked on one of the access roads to the normal pitches. Absolutely nothing around, at least in walking/biking distance. There's a resevoir nearby, though you can't access it from the campground. The back half of the campground is setup for what we think is tent camping, in a "Blair-Witch" sort of way. Trees, closely spaced together and all but dead with electrical cords running up high. The ground is no where near even and, well, it was just a little spooky.

Next moring, we jumped on the bus (note the well signposted bus stop in the picture) to Granada. Fortunately, this bus was only 10-minutes late. We had a stroller to help with Sophia and the bus that showed up was a mini-bus. Oh well. You make it work. (Side note: in previous blog posts, I've failed to mention the appearance of "working women" on roads such as this - they sit on chairs, cell phones in hand - we've noticed them primarily on weekeneds... suffice it to say, I always feel a little awkward, standing on an unmarked corner, kids in tow, waiting for a bus.)

Dropped off at the very busy bus station, we struggled to find where to go next. Fortunately a lady at the tourist booking center was kind enough to give me general directions: take bus 33 or bus 3 to "Cathedral." We jumped on the 33, not knowing where to get off. Fortunately it was a very busy bus and stopped at every bus stop. 9 stops later, we arrived at the "Cathedral."

First stop: The Cathedral, dating from 1523. This is one of the most beautiful Cathedrals we've visisted to date. Very ornate but not in such a gaudy manner to be overwhelming. Given that noon services were in session, we cut our visit short.

We wandered the town center a bit. Listening to the soft music from the street musicians and exploring the narrow side alleys. Such a beautiful city and filled with simply fantastic buildings. Though the sidewalks are most unkind to strollers - most are made up of rock patterns. To add to the bouncy ride, there are steps everywhere. We wound up convincing Sophia to walk a good portion (which she needs to do anyway... just she didn't sleep well the night before, leaving us to deal with a crying fit every few minutes).

Glimpse of Granada:

Typical sidewalk in Granada:

After a quick lunch in front of what appears to be the judicial building, we started the steep but easy hike up to AlHambra. We made only one mistake - not stopping at the tourist office first.

Wandered for probably an hour, looking at the grounds, the beautiful buildings and enjoying the scenery. Imagine our surprise to see a "Hotel America" just outside the convent. As we saw a group of people rally around the palace signs, we finally realized you need tickets to get in to the Generalife, Palace and Fortress. They don't sell tickets inside AlHambra. You have to walk about a kilometer down hill to the "Entrance Pavillion" by the parking lot to purchase tickets. Tickets are 12 EURO each (kids under 12 are free) and limit you to a 4-hour visit on the grounds with only a 30-minute block to enter the palace. Once you are "in" an area, you can stay until the park closes; but you can only enter the restricted areas according to the time slots on your ticket. What's another 1km?

Entrance at top of hill:

View from top:

Are we in the right country?

Tickets in hand, we walked back up. Our tickets allowed us entrance starting at 2:30. We enjoyed a nice snack after being denied early entrance to the Generalife, biding our time for 15-minutes.

Generalife is an extensive network of terraced gardens, affording views of the palace and fortress. Dan got quite the work out, hefting Sophia + stroller up and down the many steps. In spite of being the off-season, we quite enjoyed the marvelous detailing that goes in to the design and maintenance of these gardens. Water features rule the landscape and cozy alcoves make you want to sit down with a good book to while away the day.

A peek through a manicured hedge:

View from the top of the terrace:

Water stairwell:

More waiting was in order to enter the palace. You can only queu up to enter at your appointed time. Espresso and hot chocolate for all, thanks to the automated machines, and I was acting like an impatient child on a long car trip. "Can we get in line yet?" Poor Dan. He probably told me "no" fifteen times between 2:45 and 3:30. We finally were allowed to get in line, but were redirected to the "other" line which has a ramp, helpful for the stroller. Only the "other" line is intended for groups, so we had to wait for the group to go through first. I'm slow at learning this patience thing. =)

The wait was well worth it. Mouth dropping awe soon ensued - the level of carvings and detailed work were simply inspiring. I wish only that I could have had the place to myself and all the time in the world to sit and take in the designs. I was too cheap to pay the additional 6 euro for the audio tour, so don't have the proper names and histories assigned to the images below. Hope some level of detail of the carvings is captured to light your imagination. The web link referenced to AlHambra provides historial detailing ... sorry, but there's so much information, it's difficult to consolidate it down to a concise overview.

Palace:

Glimpse of detail work inside the palace:

My only disappointment was the Lion Fountain. The lions have been moved into the museum, which is only open until 2:30pm. Only the cup the lions were holding remain in the courtyard. I took a picture of the poster describing the efforts to preserve the lions so you can see what the fountain should look like.

Original fountain:

Lions removed and enclosed for preservation:

Tired family, we chanced a quick peek inside the on site church and headed out for the bus.

Arriving at the bus station, I found the bus schedule posted on the (closed) window of the bus company. We had two choices - either catch the bus in 45-minutes or wait an hour and a half. We were trying to get well needed groceries and jump online at the nearby McDonald's. No such luck. Groceries in tow, we booked it for the bus stop. Only there is no indication that this is where the private line that provides rural service will pick up. We anxiously wait - tired, hungry, hating the lack of information. About 15 minutes late, we welcomed the sight of the small, crowded mini bus that would return us to our unmarked bus stop, just outside the campground.

Learning to just go with the flow... just go with it... don't fight it.

Ciao for now.

Who Needs Maps? Follow the Semi Trucks.

Note: published 21.Feb but backdated to be in chronilogical order.
Goal: Drive to Almeria and have a look around.

I followed an ad in the camping book for a campground "near" caves, the only European desert and the ocean and birdwatching. Haven't I learned anything on this trip? Ads are not notorious for telling the truth.

The drive sounded easy enough. After a quick breakfast of fresh sugar mini-donuts and fruit (thanks to the supermarket at the campground), we packed up and started removing ourselves from Camping and Caravanning LaManga.

This was no easy feat. I swear, everyone put their daily schedules on hold to wait for the Americans to attempt to leave the too small pitch. We had no less than 30 people watching us manuever out. Some helpful; the rest just shouting directions and adding to the chaos. A few brilliant souls were cheeky enough to walk or bike in front of the RV as it was moving. Stupid people. Really!

The route sounded easy easy enough: – go another 230 km South. Take the MU-602 to the A7. Only the MU-602 is in the process of being upgraded. We encountered lots of new roundabouts and for about 15km, we paralled a brand new, 4-lane highway that was not yet opened. Good thing there were trucks in front of us – we switched back and forth over it twice and would have been lost had we not been able to follow several semis. AutoRoute team: purchase updated maps of Southern Spain, please.

We found Camping Cabo de Gata without any problems (tourist site here). Just the closer we got, the more we realized we are in the middle of nowhere. Normally we can find a supermarket to pull into or near; not here. Worst yet, it's Valentine's Day and we have nothing... Maybe the kids will forget.

As we descended the mountain range, it appeared that the ocean was suddenly in view. Don't be deceived - it's the plastic coverings for all the greenhouses. They literally line the edge of the road and extend as far as the eye can see. Local rumor has it they are full of tomatoes! A bit of an eyesore to look at once you figure out what the reflection is.

It was too windy to walk the 900m to the beach. The campground does not deliver their advertised description – they advertise easy access to caves, desert, etc. – but that’s only true if you have a car. It was horrendously expensive (30+ Euro/night for a short stay) and we didn't fit in any official sites due to the sun shades they have at virtually every pitch.

We did meet some really nice fellow campers who offered lots of advice. We braved out our afternoon and night in the blustery wind and unofficial spot and moved on. Needless to say, we missed seeing the flamingos of Cabo de Gata and didn't manage a visit to Almeria this time. This area is supposed to offer some spectacular scenery and beaches that you have to hike down to. You just need another method of transportation and the bikes weren't going to cut it. On to Granada.

Ciao for now!

PS: Megan did remember Valentine's Day and tried to give her sister one of her stuffed animals as a Valentine's Day present!