Ladybird and the Creature

LB & C brought Mandy and Roy safely to Mallorca at 5 in the morning to find that the champagne mouse had put a bottle in the fridge and set out two glasses - it would have been rude to refuse, so we had a champagne breakfast and watched the sun come up.

We have s[emt the last few days meeting old friends on different parts of the island, and I have started to realise how small it is. I think I am ready to go now, and a new home in Galicia does seem very attractive. The land is bigger, the skys stretch further, it is greener and more giving. Ok, I will miss the warmth, but from there I could travel to the south, as we did on our trip, should I need extra vit D.

Roy and the creature will travel back via Barcelona and Santander next week and in the meantime we have to try and decide whether to buy one of the properties we saw or keep looking.

If we were to make another trip just for pleasure I would plan to cover smaller distances each time, spend two nights instead of one at each city, in order that we might actually see something of each place, and maybe not book so far in adv ance to allow for changes of mind. But I would definitely come back to The north of Spain and would encourage anyone reading this blog to do the same. The undiscovered corner of Spain won't stay undiscovered for ever so come and enjoy it before it is!

Happy travelling!
Ladybird and the Creature, Mandy and Roy
Besos

We, however, got LB & C ready and set off bright and early from our delightful hotel for Caragena - another 500+km. I have to say that, after all the magnificent countryside we had ridden through so far, this leg was mostly disappointing. Instead of lovely little white villages and sparkling sea, it was mostly mile upon square mile of plastic covered growing tunnels and industrial estates. We took to the toll roads further inland to escape these views and the heavy traffic, hitherto unencountered on any part of our trip. (4cars in view at one time had been rare up till now). Catagena and the surrounding areas were a welcome change and our hotel, easy to find, was surrounded by such lovely buildings we just sat on the pavement terrace and enjoyed the scene before Mandy thrashed Roy at cards (again), had dinner and went to bed.

Ladybird and the Creature were waiting patiently for as as usual in the a.m. And we set off, eary again, for the relatively short journey to Denia, where the plan was to get a leisurely lunch before checking in for the ferry at 3p.m. Arriving at the port at midday, Roy stayed with the bikes, hemets, jackets, top bags, rucksacks, papers, keys etc while Mandy went to pick up the tickets. Poblem number one - the ferry company wouldn't accept the papers Mandy had proving residency in Spain (hitherto not a problem). So extra had to be paid. Chalking that down to experience, Mandy checks the embarkation time, only to discovered that 5 minutes earlier the ferry company had decided to change the sailing time to 10p.m.

OK, Denia is a fab place to pass time, but NOT when it means that all the aforementioned luggage PLUS heavy bike jackets have to be carried around, AND wearing armoured trousers, thick socks and bike boots. Fortunately a nice menu del dia was found across the road where Ladybird and the Creature could be carefully watched and now a rather lengthy card tournament is being planned to pass the next SIX hours before going back to the dock. We SHOULD arrive Palma de Mallorca around 3 in the a.m. And then be at home by 4 all being well. That gives us time to consider the plusses and minuses of our trip, what we would do the same, what to do differently.

P.S. The ferry company have just called to tell us about the late departure of the ferry - how thoughtful!

Decided to 'do' Gib today. It was sunny with just a few clouds when we set off but there was a big black cloud over the rock. Not a problem when you've got to carry a load of bike gear around so we weren't at all put off. Got stopped at the border cos the police wanted to get a good look at the Creature, much to the annoyance of the queue of motorists behind, and of Ladybird who has been getting tired of no-one giving her the same attention. Left the two of them guarding the hemets while we toddled off down Main Street in the hope that M&S was open, as Mandy managed to snap the underwire in her favourite bra. It wasn't. However, we found the Angry Friar, the scene of some personal drinking triumphs of Mandy's some 30 years previously. Ambled towards the cable car with the idea of popping up to see the apes, but as luck would have it there was a family of three, mum, teeager and toddler in the Trafalgar cemetary who allowed us to watch them forraging. So we saved a heap of cash there. Back to the hotel for late lunch and a relax before planning the next leg of the journey to Cartagena tommorow.

I now have time to put some thoughts down on the Spain we have discovered so far. The idea of this trip was to celebrate our 25th anniversary, to get Ladybird to Mallorca and to see what we thought about Galicia as our future home. We have found that we love Galicia and the people there. The countryside is stunning! The people are simple (in the nicest sense) and so willing to offer help and frienship to complete strangers. They don't care where you come from, good manners and a smile is all they need to get you welcomed.

You really can lead the 'good life' here. Everything grows well and you can litterally forage for anything not growing in your garden - chestnuts, walnuts, grapes, apples, cherries all grow at the side of the road and everywhere are locals picking them up for the table, to preserve or to sell on. Everyone has their own chickens, many keep a pig or two, goat and cow are abundant and boar, deer, trout and salmon are there for the catching. No-one goes hungry in Galicia!

We took the bikes out for a spin after our mannipedi (Mandy) and massage (Roy) up to the castle and the views were stunning. The climb to get there was not but carrying 5 stone too many and smoking is really not condusive to exercise. A fab late lunch at the Jardinerilla (sp?) on the way down restored frayed nerves from negotiating hairpin bends on narrow roads and now LB &C are relaxing in the shade waiting to have all the bug splats removed from their headlights while Mandy and Roy enjoy a drink on the terrace.

Tomorrow Gibraltar.

Ladybird and the Creature enjoy the views over Campo de Gibraltar from the castle

The castle!

A similar distance covered today the road was excellent again and Ladybird and Mandy are able to cover a greater distance in one go which means fewer stops. Whereas Castille and Leon were rather featureless, Extramadura and Andalucia were a pleasure to see and we never tired of the views, so time flew by. Again, rather hot towards the end but we found the hotel very easily (for us), parked Ladybirdand the creature in a shady spot and proceeded to empty the place of beer and diet coke (still on wretched antibiotics). We are here for three nights so I will try to get the hang of uploading fotos while I'm here as well as share our thoughts on our trip through Spain so far, as well as Ladybird and the Creature's part in it. Cheers!