November 2008

Saturday 1st November:  Walked down to the local shop in the village of Campell, for Paul to pay his debts!  The owner pleased to see us, we left clutching a free bag of vegetables she insisted on giving us, green & red pepper and a couple of purple and white stripy aubergines.  Made a tasty dinner using the vegetables, adding mushrooms, onions, honey, garlic, sweetcorn, some spices, red wine and chilli flakes!

Sunday 2nd November:  Packed a picnic and left at 11.30 to walk up onto the ridge we can see from the van.  We followed a stream, passed olive groves and almond trees, walked up ancient Moorish steps, passing countless terraced areas, many long since forgotten and watched as villagers filled water containers from a font, the fresh water flowing freely from the hillside.  We carried on, and on (!) up through pine and oak forests with rocky crags in front and above us.  Eventually we scrambled up to the top of the ridge:  Serra del Penyal de Laguart, where we could see the ocean in the distance, the roof tops of villages, a dry river bed miles down in the valley and the adjacent valley the other side of the ridge.  It felt like we were on top of the world!  Having dined on our cheese and tangy pickle sarnies, we carried on along the top of the ridge where it got very windy (and scary!) the ridge suddenly becoming very narrow with huge scary drop-offs either side.  With a slightly panicky voice I said “I don’t like it anymore! Can we go back now?” after I had crawled on my hands and knees for the past ten minutes with Paul saying “Just look at that view!”

Click here to download Video (8.48MB)

Monday 3rd November: Went to Reception to book out and chat to Evan, the owner’s son who told us had we carried on along the ridge it would have taken 8 hours to get back to the campsite!!  On leaving the site we drove on up the hill to Fleix, until reaching a point unsuitable for a 6 metre motorhome: Paul skilfully turned the van around in an eight point turn.

We drove back down towards Pego, passing white housed villages perched in the surrounding hills, all gleaming in the bright sunshine and out onto a large flat plateaux full of orange groves.  Passing rice being grown with many cattle egrets wading in the water, we stopped at Gandia (on the coast) for provisions and both noted it was a few degrees warmer. We then headed south driving as close to the coast as we could, through Denia (passing the Ferry Port and making a note to look up ferry costs to Ibiza), on through Jávea (Xábia) and out to Cabo de la Nao, a dead end where we parked up to watch the sunset.  On to Moraria and a lovely campsite (Camping Moraira) not far from the beach/town/harbour set in a quiet residential area under tall pine trees.  The Reception building an amazing design with a palm tree growing up through the middle of it!  Settling in, we tuned into the local (English) radio station - Coast FM.  We were enjoying the mix of music being played, it making a change from the usual Spanish flavoured cheese, when the DJ requested that people text in to say hi, so Paul did and included a link to our website.  Within a short while we were pleasantly surprised to hear our names mentioned live on the radio!!!!  This was later followed up by an invitation via email to visit the station for an 'on air' chat!

Tuesday 4th November:  Walked over the rocks and along the beach to the small harbour and into the pretty town of Moraira.  Went into a fabulous shop full of costume jewellery – I have never seen so much in one shop.

On the way back to Nel, Paul found a Dive Shop and stopped for a chat while I found a Paper Shop! We returned back to the van with a rumble of thunder in the distance that later turned into a terrific storm over head (always scary whilst parked under tall trees!)  I was glad of the newspaper and magazines I had bought earlier, as they kept us occupied all afternoon and evening!

Wednesday 5th November:  I strolled across to the shower block, Wow! Fantastic showers!  A unique design, all built in marble and granite with very modern geometric shapes, sinks like I have never seen before.

At lunch time we walked along the rocks and beach, passing some great metal sculptures, back into the town.  Paul went into the Harbour, while I just had to pop back into the Fab Jewellery shop to spend another twenty minutes looking!

Thursday 6th November:  Having been invited to the radio station in the next town we decided we would move to a closer campsite.

On booking out, we found out that unsurprisingly, the owner here is an architect (Made note - when rich and famous we will ask him to design our villa for us!).  Not far to Jávea, we arrived at Camping Jávea and chose a corner plot next to an orange grove with a great view of the Montgó Mountain.

Having set up, we sat outside and enjoyed the warm sunshine – not bad for the 6th of November!

Late afternoon we walked in to the Old Town and wandered around, through its tiny narrow streets, then down in to the harbour and the tourist info office to get maps and guides for the area.  Went into the modern Church of Mare de Déu de Loreto and sat in silence, said a prayer and marvelled at the ceiling which looks like the hull of a boat.  Paul sat on his sunglasses and broke them (the Tesco Specials at £3.99 - from the 2005 Range - had lasted well until now!).

It was quiet when we went out, houses with blinds drawn, shutters rolled down and no one around; even now we still forget that in Spain they have siestas! One minute everything is deserted, the next it just comes to life!  I really enjoyed being out and about in the evening, it was lovely to see people enjoying themselves, to see the lights twinkle in the distance, the moon shimmer on the ocean and to hear the waves gently lap up on to the sand. Oh Heaven!  Walking back to the van along the seafront we couldn’t believe how quickly the temperature dropped reminding us it's winter.

Friday 7th November:  Woken as the wind rocked the van during the night, we were concerned our awning may be damaged so we went out at some unearthly hour to roll it back in, it was sooo cold outside!

Having purchased 3 days WiFi for just €1.80 (!), Paul did some work and research on the web whilst I sat in the sun. The trees on our pitch providing lovely dappled shade, very welcome I imagine in the height of the summer.  After lunch Paul ventured outside and he managed to fall off the sunbed as it collapsed underneath him!

At about 5pm we walked back to The Old Town and found the museum de la something old (despite my plan of leaving the tourist guide map behind!).  We explored the narrow streets again and went into an indoor market about 7pm that was full of local people buying their fruit and veg, fish, groceries and haberdashery from many fresh and vibrant coloured stalls.  A lovely atmosphere of banter, greetings and warmness filled the air as locals sat eating Tapas at the bar.

Saturday 8th November:  Spent the day using the internet, researching, writing emails, catching up with people, sitting in the sun, sewing, eating, relaxing, having fun, being lazy, nodding to neighbours, marvelling at the mountain, the orange grove and the tranquillity.

Sunday 9th November:  Armed with our map we walked towards Arenal to find the radio station, located it and walked down to the beach, busy with people in the bars, cafes and restaurants that line the beach front of golden sand.  We walked right along the seafront and back to the harbour where on seeing the Dive Shop open, Paul dived in for a chat.

Walking back along the seafront we couldn’t resist stopping for a beer as the chairs and tables set on top of the beach looked so inviting and having walked for a couple of hours we had built up quite a thirst!  Sitting watching the world go by and enjoying the sunshine, we both said how much we liked this area of The Costa Blanca and how it was not as we had both imagined. The sun went behind a humungous cloud and I was glad I had my fleece with me, the change of temperature quite extraordinary.

Setting our alarms for 7.30 am we both slept well dreaming of radio stardom!

Monday 10th November:  Left at 9am for the three quarters of an hour (brisk) walk to the radio station…..

Arriving at the smart commercial centre and home of Coast FM, we made our way up the stairs to find their door ajar, we could hear Dougie talking on air, so quietly pushed the door open to be met by smiling faces from behind the soundproof studio window.  The owner DJ Dougie Mack and DJ Rehanon Mackenzie then emerged from the room saying “you must be our Travellers!”  We introduced ourselves and sat down with a coffee for an “off air” chat whilst Dougie ran in and out of the studio between tracks.  Before long we were both sitting in the soundproof room with a large microphone poised before us!

Click here to download the broadcast in MP3 Format (8.89MB)

…….Following our broadcast we stopped for a coffee on the seafront to discuss the surreal morning we had had.

Paul asked where the toilet was and the waitress pointed to the back of the bar, he set off and came back a long time later……

I entered the door where I expected to find the toilets to be met by a Chinese woman in full traditional dress! With a desperate look on my face I said “toilets, servicio’s? por favor” The bemused woman pointed to a corner and as I hurried in the direction, realised I had just entered a completely separate and unconnected Chinese restaurant!  I pushed the toilet door back only to find a man replacing the light bulbs! I grimaced and he picked up his tool bag and moved out so that I could enter! Phew! I came out and quickly marched back out through the restaurant nodding embarrassedly and saying “gracias, fank yoo velly much”.  Re-joining Alison at the table next door I did not tell her what I had done till later in the day – probably a good choice as when I did she laughed out loud for ages!

……Walking back to the van along a little lane Paul picked a lemon and a lime which later turned out to be two oranges as they ripened in our fruit bowl!

In the evening we looked up the price of a ferry to Ibiza which was a lot more than we had imagined, so we decided to stay put.

I made an unusual experimental curry with apple, chick peas, mushroom, tomatoes and spices for dinner.

Tuesday 11th November:  I started a Ruth Rendell book that I had acquired along the way, it was so old - the main character was renting a house for ten pounds a month!!!

Late in the afternoon we walked to Consum the local supermarket - as usual Paul got the hump when I insisted on looking at everything!  Well, it made a change from Lidl whose layout I know like the back of my hand, whether it’s in England, France, Spain or Portugal!

Wednesday 12th November:  I finished reading the book and put it to one side to return to the ‘campsite library’ up in the hills one day!

The gardener came along and pruned the branches off the trees on our pitch and we said ‘muchos gracias, muchos sol!’ to which he grinned and nodded whilst probably thinking ‘Crazy English!’.  Ironically it then got cloudy and really chilly, the sky took on a strange hue and we could see lightning flashes across the sky behind the Montgó, followed later by a terrific storm!

Thursday 13th November:  I decided to master the art of crochet, I only want to make a blanket or something simple as have run out of reading material and my patchwork top creation project has come to a standstill as the sleeves have gone all wrong! Got a crochet pattern from the internet and tried, tried and tried again but just kept creating tubes!  Eventually I sussed it, making up the pattern as I went along!

I am loosing all track of time! - spoke to an English couple and discussed the local market held here every Thursday - I said I would go next week, thinking that today was Friday! Woops, I was slightly embarrassed when they said that they were just on their way there!

Friday 14th November:  Hand washed the green tie dyed throws – spent the rest of the day cleaning green dye off everything!

Saturday 15th November:  Had to pinch myself this morning as I opened the blinds – what a wonderful view, blue sky, mountains and orange groves.  Did some housework, opened all the windows and let the lovely orange aroma fill the van.

Sunday 16th November:  Made a packed lunch and we set off at 11am towards the port.  Went round to the headland beside the harbour where we picked up the way marks for our chosen walk.  We scrambled up the rugged coastal path, very hot in the sun, mad dogs etc!  The views below of the port, town, plateaux and mountains in the distance got better each time we looked.  The path cut its way round a small gorge, the sides terraced many years ago by the Moors.  It was nice and cool under the shade of the trees.  Eventually we reached the top and lighthouse at Cabo de San Antonio, awesome!  We ate our packed lunch sitting on a pile of rocks with the most panoramic views.  It was really warm in the sun with a cool breeze behind us.  We continued along the ridge to Jávea’s famous old windmills, then scrambled back down toward the town on a very steep and rough, loose path.  Some time later we were down, only then having to run the gauntlet past a very loud and viscous looking dog that guarded a secluded villa before emerging into a quiet suburban side street.  We had walked for five hours and my feet were very relieved when we returned to Nel!

Monday 17th November:  Paul carried out some research on the web etc, I did some more crochet – my wonky looking blanket is coming on in leaps, bounds and loops!  Sat outside and listened as some fellow Dutch campers sang Happy Birthday Hurdy Gurdy to their friend and they spent the rest of the afternoon drinking and partying in the sunshine!  Late in the evening we walked to Lidl and got a litre of red wine cheaper than a litre of milk!  Walked back to Nel, past an English caravan with a large awning, where a group of people were having a riotous time, screaming with laughter, singing along to Abba, with numerous empty wine bottles piled up outside their door!  A few sore heads expected on site tomorrow!

Tuesday 18th November:  Cloudy and chilly today, decided to go out for breakfast!  Walked into the town, down into the port then right along the front to Arenal whilst the clouds got thicker and darker and the wind whipped up around us.  Sat inside fab little café as we watched the wind howl past outside, the seafront empty of people, reminding us of Eastbourne!  Enjoyed a real treat - Full English breakfast including coffee, orange juice and toast for less than €6 each!.......

Following the recent radio broadcast at Coast FM we were contacted by a few well wishers and interested parties, one of which invited us to his BSAC Dive Club weekly meeting……

At 7.30pm we loitered outside the supermarket where we had arranged to meet Jonathan who kindly picked us up to take us to his dive club meeting, held at a bar in the neighbouring town of Benitiachell.  We enjoyed a pleasant evening.  Paul discussed his wreck project and gleaned lots of info about the local dive sites and I found out more about ex-pat life in the area.

Wednesday 19th November:  A grey damp chilly day spent surfing (the net) and reading papers.  Paul found the coordinates for a gas depot in Alicante that sells LPG, as our tanks are getting low.

Thursday 20th November:  Dodging the showers we walked to the local market, its many stalls fully loaded with vibrant coloured fruit and vegetables, several varieties of mushrooms, the usual regular market stalls: dodgy unfashionable clothes, blankets, bed linen, handbags etc!  Stocked up with some wonderful vegetables and headed back to the van just in time, it rained heavily for the rest of the day and we found a leak near the windscreen (Paul got his Captain Tolley's out!).

Friday 21st November:  Booked out of the site – couldn’t believe we had been here for two weeks!  Our longest stay in one place yet!  Great to be back on the road!  We wound our way along the coast to Calpe to see the spectacular rock of Peñón de Ifach, a huge craggy outcrop that soars up some 300 metres from the sandy beaches below, then by chance (?!) pulled up next to a Roman archaeological dig site for lunch. Paul wandered over for a chat and I soaked up some sun.  Leaving Calpe, salt marshes and pretty flamingos behind us we soon passed Benidorm with its striking tower blocks that dominate the horizon for miles.

Arrived at Camping Santo Pola about 4pm - a large terraced site, set on a hillside with great views of the city below, not really our cup of tea with lots of (old) people all set in for the winter.  As we both sat outside to enjoy the last rays of sunshine a beautiful butterfly landed on Paul’s foot.

Saturday 22nd November:  I woke with a sore throat and felt quite rough; I should have kept quiet though as Paul said some fresh air and a walk would do me good!  We walked through a huge noisy market bustling with people, the sun beating down, it was a nightmare!  Then into the town neither of us thought would be so large.  We found ourselves in the harbour and carried along to the other side of town along the seafront,  it got quieter and prettier with some lovely beaches flanked by a row of holiday homes all shut up for the winter.  Luckily I felt better as the day went on and we returned to the van hours later having walked for miles!  Again!

Paul tuned the telly in and we watched an episode of The A Team - in German!

Sunday 23rd November:  Having tapped the coordinates into the SatNav we left the site and set off in search for the LPG depot in Alicante.  We shook hands and agreed not to squabble or have heated discussions regarding driving round the large city.  Within half an hour we had found the depot, filled, paid and were off on the road again, both grinning that we had completed the mission!  Paul then detoured up through Elche for me to see its beautiful palm trees.  The city surrounded by one of only two palm forests in Europe.  Then back through Santo Pola passing the salt flats with mountains of salt piled high before parking up for lunch at Playa de la Marina next to sand dunes.  We took our chairs and sat on top of the dunes and watched as a couple of micro-lights flew along the long strip of unspoilt shoreline.  Up and away again, we carried on along the coastal road, around the huge lagoon of Mar Menor and then out onto La Manga: a strip of sand (solid with hotels, apartment blocks, shops, restaurants and bars) ‘24km long and nowhere much more than a kilometre wide’ that separates the lagoon from the ocean. We drove to the end and saw a couple of other vans parked up so tucked in next to them for the night.  We watched as the sun set over the lagoon and mountains in the distance.

Monday 24th November:  Woke early and looked out to see lots of seabirds on the lagoon alongside fishing boats, a great place for an overnight stop.  Low on provisions, I used the individual sachets of coffee I had taken from the hotel room back in Poole – I knew they would come in handy!

Up and away at 10.30 (!) and we headed back out along the La Manga strip to the ‘mainland’ and round the corner off the beaten track to Cabo de Palos - a traditional Spanish village with a small pretty harbour, low level houses and a row of fisherman’s cottages – what a contrast! Parked up outside a Dive Shop (another great parking spot) and Paul went in to make enquiries – he emerged smiling but unfortunately it’s too windy for diving today.  Paul then guided Nel up to the headland and lighthouse, where it was very, very windy!  We then drove onto Cartagena and past the soon to open new museum that Paul has been itching to see (The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology) near the port.  We continued along and arrived back at Mazarron (where we had stayed in March, it seems strange to be back!).  Did a huge stock-up at Lidl and headed out of town in search of a Top Secret location that we had been given a tip-off about!  A lovely area next to the beach in the middle of nowhere, known only it seems to Germans.

Tuesday 25th November:  Paul saw two dive RIBs out in the bay and went to investigate…….

As I stood on the beach I could just make out what looked like two dive RIB's further round the bay, I ran to the van to grab the binoculars but even with them, I could not quite make out what the boats were doing.  Strange I thought, two dive boats with what looked like at least ten divers aboard each, out on a weekday this time of year? I would have to get a closer look.  I told Alison I would be no longer than an hour and set off in the direction of the boats armed with my camera and binoculars.  Half an hour later I positioned myself on a high vantage point and looked down on the bay below with the binoculars - were they dive boats? nope! It was the Spanish Military on manoeuvres in the bay beside a makeshift military base camp.  I took some photos, even holding my camera to the lens of the binoculars and then as I took another look down, it dawned on me.  There I was sitting up on a hill spying on a foreign military operation in a remote location! At that moment I saw a Land Rover heading my way followed by a platoon of wet, tired and mean looking soldiers! I tried hard to look like a tourist twitcher and to my great relief the Land Rover sped on past me and as the platoon reached the top of my hill they turned and started to march back down again, shouting familiar sounding marching chants in Spanish.  Not sure whether to smile or salute as they passed me, I waited for them to go before hurrying back around the bay to our Top Secret camp location!!

Wednesday 26th November:  A chilly windy day, I sorted and tidied clothes in the wardrobe – cripes, where did they all come from! Watched as a few vans came and went, one being a converted 4x4 Belgian ambulance that looked like it could go anywhere. It got cloudier and chillier as the day went on: we have gone from wearing shorts and T-shirts to jeans and fleeces!  Wrapping up, we ventured out to walk to the local village, returning less than an hour later to the warmth of the van, having been blasted by the cold north wind.

Thursday 27th November:  Decided to move on as we were low on water and also it’s not much fun wild camping on a damp, cloudy, chilly day with limited use of the heater, radio and telly!  Checked out a campsite in the area we hadn’t been to before and it wasn’t until I emerged from Reception having asked for a price list and saw Paul creased up with laughter, that I realised I had tried to book us into a Naturist Site! (So glad the bare chested man behind reception counter had remained seated!) Making a hasty exit, Paul drove down a tiny track beside the campsite to the beach, where we stopped for a photo of this very secluded cove before choosing to go to the campsite we knew at Bolneuvo, safe in the knowledge there would be no old wobbly bits on display!

Enroute, Paul wanted to show me a place that he had seen from the sea whilst out on the dive boat earlier in the year at Cabo Tiñoso, so off we went exploring in Nel!  The road narrowed and soon we were climbing up a mountain track fit only for 4x4's and mountain goats, not a three and a half ton vehicle that just happens to be your home!  Nearing the top and as the air thinned, I squeaked “that’s high enough!” and Paul kindly turned poor Nel around for me – ahh, he so wanted to see some big old guns up at the top - he will have to go up there another day – on his own!

Once settled into the campsite I went to the excellent little shop that I knew well in the village: the one that sells everything you can think of and just had to buy some of their locally produced almonds!

Friday 28th November:  Alarm clocks went off at 7am!  On the way back from the shower block we both marvelled at the wonderful view - mountains, the ocean and blue sky – what a start to the day!

We got the 9.10 bus outside the campsite to Cartagena……

Ever since finding out about the all new National Museum of Underwater Archaeology back in March I have been keeping an eye on their website, eager to see when it would finally open, so I was thrilled to see that the inauguration day was set for the 26th of this month and we just happened to be in the area!

The bus terminal in Cartagena is just around the corner from the Museum, so after a short walk the striking new Museum stood before us dominating the harbour waterfront beside Isaac Peral’s 1888 Submarine.

'The Building

The building has been conceived as a large open window overlooking the Mediterranean and comprises of two buildings, one of which has been constructed with a two story prismatic and opaque design and the other with a zigzag, glass design which serves to provide the Museum’s exhibition rooms with skylights. Between both is a public square and a ramp which leads visitors down to the Museums main entrance.  Taken as a whole, the complex measures approximately 6,000 square metres of which about 35% will be used for exhibitions, with a permanent exhibition room of 1,600 square metres and another room of 500 square metres used for showcasing a dynamic programme of temporary exhibitions.  Further more, its services include an educational area and library, offices used by the technicians and the restoration laboratory, as well as storage area which can be visited and a large warehouse for the permanent collection.  In short, the building has been designed so that the Museum can serve as both an exhibition centre and a cultural meeting point.

The Collection

The Museums collections are comprised primarily of objects found during underwater archaeological excavations that fall within a chronological period covering over 2500 years of history (7th century BC to 19th century AD).

The most remarkable include the large group of Phoenician, Punic and Roman amphorae and the exceptional collection of elephant tusks dating back to the Phoenician period.  Equally remarkable are the Museum’s Phoenician Mazarron wrecks which are key to learning about the naval architecture of the period, and to which there is nothing comparable in the Western Mediterranean area.  Also worth special mention are the metal objects such as the lead ingots and anchors dating back to Roman times.

Mainly discovered at sites in the coastal area of the city of Cartagena, the Museum's collections are a clear indication of the richness and diversity of Spain’s Underwater Archaeological Heritage and offer a genuine testimony to History.’

I found the Museum very refreshing, its modern theme outside continues inside with interactive and audiovisual displays that involve, educate and enable all individuals to understand, appreciate and share this wonderful and often guarded world and heritage.

The Museum was busy and buzzing with people of all ages on the day we visited and I am sure that future plans to showcase various temporary exhibitions will keep the public returning for many years to come.

Click here to download Video (16.2MB)

Saturday 29th November:  Paul re-wired the radio having flattened the starting battery the other day and did boy things while I did some washing, cleaning and tidying.

Sunday 30th November:  A chilly rainy day, ideal for me to turn the van upside down in search of my Christmas decorations!