Spain - a country of contrasts

Sometimes when you write a travel blog you don't feel inspired to write, but these last few days whilst travelling across Spain the contrast from magnificent tranquility to the hustle bustle of a major tourist resort was striking. After spending some time on the beach on the outskirts of Mojacar we headed inland on the A92 towards Granada, stopping by a stunningly peaceful lake en route.
Surrounded on all sides by distant snow capped mountains this out of the way location is like an oasis, a little bit of paradise.

We stayed in a car park on the shores of the lake, no facilities but a small restaurant open during the day where we enjoyed a cold Alhambra beer served with a plate of tapas. Even though there was a campsite up the road there were no marked footpaths or cycle ways, it was just completely under exploited. The quietness made your ears ring, the silence broken only by the occasional chirping of the birds.
From here we headed to the sprawling metropolis of Granada towered over by the snowy mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

The towering mountains of the Sierra Nevada

Having decided we wouldn't stop to visit the Alhambra again we headed south to the Costa Del Sol to revisit Nerja, a place where we spent many happy days when we used to visit my parents' apartment here. But it's now seventeen years since our last visit and the change in that time was quite surprising . Nerja is now a busy, bustling resort, almost every square foot has been built on and developed like so many other tourist resorts around Spain. But the narrow streets still have a rustic feel about
them even though the shops and bars are mainly for the tourists.

The main centre of Nerja is the Balcon de Europa and on that warm, sunny afternoon we saw so many tourists of all nationalities enjoying the sunshine and the holiday vibe of the place.

This time our ears were buzzing with the sounds of so many people!!
We love being in Spain and visiting all the different places, experiencing all the contrasts of this diverse country.
What are your experiences of this wonderful country? Do you love it too?

A surprise around every corner....

Sometimes when you are travelling around you have preconceived ideas of what a place will be like before you get there only to find that it's surprisingly  different to your expectations. Our next destination after 'turning the corner' of Southern Spain was Roquetas de Mar, I was expecting a typical busy tourist resort filled with tacky souvenir shops and loud bars, what we did find was much more relaxed, not a tacky souvenir outlet in sight and the bars and restaurants looked very inviting.

We found a place to park a little way from the many motorhomes crowded together in  the huge car park by the beach. We were right next to the cycle lane and the long promenade where it seemed the world and his wife were out walking, running or cycling! In fact you needed to be careful not to step out of the van too quickly for fear of bumping into one of the passers by! We discovered that you could cycle for miles either way along the coast and the weather was warm enough to spend the day out on our bikes with a picnic lunch.
After a couple of days the novelty of being in a rather public place wore off so we moved a mile or so along to a quieter  spot right on the beach.

Looking out over the bay of Almeria in a more secluded place suited us much better - when people pass by they can't help but look in on us, after a while you feel like you're living in a goldfish bowl.
At night you are lulled to sleep by the sound of the rolling waves and in the morning woken by the sun rising on the horizon. How perfect is that.... well perfect until they have a running race pass by you on a Sunday morning that is!

At least the runners didn't have time to stand and stare...

Locked out in a far distant corner of Spain

Cabo de Gata - the view across the bay to Almeria and the snow capped mountains of the
 Sierra Nevada  in the far distance

Have you ever locked yourself out? Do you recognise that heartsink feeling when you realise that you are outside your vehicle but all the keys are inside? Well, that is precisely what happened to us! We arrived at a lovely area to park at Cabo de Gata - the national park on the southeast tip of Spain. The sun was shining and we had taken our chairs out to enjoy a cup of tea and enjoy the view of the rolling waves, when I came to get back in the van I found all the doors were locked, the keys were inside - it's a ghastly feeling!

Fortunately (now, please don't repeat what I'm about to tell you) the van has a security weak spot and we were able to remove all the contents of the underbed storage area from the outside access door and Keith wriggled his way into the van, lifted the bed from underneath and got in to rescue the situation. Phew! Panic over but lesson learned not to operate the internal central locking system and then get out of the vehicle and shut the door! Take note other Motorhome owners!

One thing we discovered about Cabo de Gata that its very beautiful but it is also very windy. Not only that but just down the road there are saltpans and the salt seemed to permeate the wind covering the van in such a sticky layer of salt that we could hardly see out of the windscreen in the morning!

Nevertheless we enjoyed a couple of days here cycling along the long beach road to the nearby village stopping to watch the flamingos in the wetlands (sadly they were only distant pinkish blobs!)

Far distant Flamingos (the pinky white blobs)

Mooching in Mojacar

The cliff walk to Mojacar

Mojacar Pueblo

Our next stop was in the coastal town of Vera (pronounced by the Spanish as Bare-ra), we found a great place to park right by the beach and next to a lagoon, the added bonus was it was also on a cycle path which took us along the coast to Mojacar. It was also close to a launderette where we were able to catch up on a bit of a back log of washing!

The weather turned colder (relatively speaking!) a cold north wind meant we had to wrap up if we went out walking or on our bikes. One day we decided to cycle up to Mojacar pueblo (the village on the hill, not the sprawling Mojacar playa - the seaside resort) We soon warmed up cycling up the steep hill to the village! 

Mojacar pueblo was in the sixties almost derelict until it became a tourist resort and is now a thriving resort town with many ex-pat inhabitants enjoying the winter sunshine - it may be colder in Southern Spain than is normal for February but when the sun comes out if you can find a sheltered  spot it's lovely!

The car park in Vera we made our home for 5 nights

As you know we don't tend to stay anywhere long so after five days we moved about eight miles south to a beach bar car park we have visited in the past. It's a great place to stop for a day or two but you have to just watch out for the slightly dodgy bloke who runs the bar (ask Keith for the story about his encounter with him!) We were able to park right on the edge of the beach and have access to water and toilet. From here there is a two mile long scenic walk cut into the cliff side into Mojacar. We were also in the area at the right time to see the Carnival which, unfortunately for all the scantily clad participants, was on a rather cloudy and cold evening! It wasn't a massive event but the music was loud and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves!

A strange natural sculpture at Bolnuevo

After leaving Totana our next destination was Bolnuevo a delightful coastal resort renowned for Gredas de Bolnuevo - a curious formation of naturally sculpted rock formed over millions of years by wind erosion of the soft limestone creating a magical landscape. A vast car park by the Gredas meant there was plenty of space for a handful of motorhomes to park (ignoring the 'No motorhomes' sign - during low season the police regularly patrol but don't bother to move us on)

We were also able to walk along the coastal path south, a rugged path following the ups and downs of the coast with a few secluded rocky beaches. We were joined by our friends Maureen and Andy for the walk on what turned out to be the hottest day of our trip so far. 

The sea was a beautiful shade of turquoise on our walk from Bolnuevo

We then returned to La Azohia having left last time with 'unfinished business ' i.e. Walks and cycle rides still to do. The weather became changeable, but we were still able to get out every day either walking or cycling. We felt we were getting to know the area better and went out walking in the hills, but without Andy guiding the way we got lost and never found our way to the secret beach, instead we found ourselves wandering around in the scrub having lost the path. Nevertheless we had a lovely walk with fabulous views.

Andy and Maureen took us out one day to one of their favourite restaurants which is actually a truck stop, but forget all thoughts of 'Greasy slice' ! For 10€ per person we had a four course meal with coffee and drinks included. The food was traditionally Spanish with a shared mixed salad as first course followed by mixed seafoods soup or meat stew then for main course was Pork cheek stew, fish or lamb chops. Dessert was Flan (creme caramel) , chocolate or cheesecake or icecream.

The atmosphere was typical Spain with the TV in the corner and noisy hustle & bustle, but the staff were friendly and welcoming, busy with lunchtime trade and a fairly rapid turnover of customers.

Andy and Maureen weren't sure we would like it there, but we loved the traditional Spanish ambiance and really enjoyed the food. If you're passing that way it's called La Cruce at Ramonete on the RM-332.
Well recommended! 

Tootling around Totana

Totana Plaza de Balsa Vieja

When we returned to the Camperstop Sierra Espuna at Totana we intended to stay a few days, this eventually became fifteen days as we found so much to do, walking up to the local restaurant for lunch ( the chef was having a crazy day and not only overdosed my prawn and sweet corn salad with sauce but created a Mr Blobby complete with caviar buttons - weird!!) days out on our bikes or going into town to sit in the plaza to drink coffee and watch the world go by (AKA People Watching)

This has to win a prize for the weirdest salad!

The weather didn't let us down with only a few days when 

the temperatures dipped, but we were still able to get out and about. The average daytime temperature here in January being about 15°c rising to over 20°c on a sunny afternoon, warm enough to sit outside and enjoy, on our days out cycling we would take a picnic and find a sheltered spot to sit and eat our sandwiches.

Lunch break at Nonihay on our way to Aledo

Our last cycle ride of our stay was up to the town of Aledo, a hilltop community of higgle de piggledy houses perched overlooking the panorama all around them. It's always tough cycling up the hills, but it is so lovely coming back down

All roads lead to Totana, but which one to take?

The town of Aledo

Finally after a most enjoyable time at Totana, it's time to move on to pastures new

Our Spanish adventure continues...

Town square Mula

Our next stop was the town of Mula, a small town about 50km inland. It's off the tourist track so is typically Spanish, steeped in history and overlooked by the ruin of a castle perched on the high hilltop. We have visited Mula in the past for the Via Verde conveniently situated near to the Aire where we stay. 

Via Verde de Noroeste

 

We love the barren landscape the track takes you through, known as the Badlands and best described as a lunar landscape and then suddenly arriving in a remote village where we can stop for a coffee and maybe some tapas in the local bar. The railway is long gone but the derelict stations remain, reminding you of their former glory.

Derelict station of Los Rodeos

Having walked the town and cycled the Via Verde de Noroeste it was time to move on to pastures new or maybe I should say different rather than new - we returned to the camperstop at Totana. We feel at home there, meeting up with other motorhomers and continuing to explore the local area, we have found that the longer you stay the more you can discover, there are so many different cycle routes in the vicinity.

Looking relaxed on the way up!

One day we decided to cycle the eleven miles up to the Visitor centre and restaurant in the Sierra Espuna national park, after the long climb to the top, the temperature dropping as we ascended we arrived cold and hungry to find the restaurant closed and we hadn't brought much food with us! Disaster!! We hastily descended back home getting even colder by not needing to exert any energy. By the time we got back to the van we were frozen!! 

The restaurant - Closed!!

Not a very successful day out except for the wonderful panoramic views and the tranquil ambience of the area.

On another day we went cycling with Ged and Pauline on their electric bikes, luckily they didn't mind waiting patiently at the top of the hills while we puffed our way up!

Ged knows the area well and was able to show us some new routes.

The local Goatsherd

A new Via Verde from Totana to Cartagena has recently been opened so we couldn't resist trying it! It ran in a straight line out across the valley through endless fields of broccoli, iceberg lettuce, cauliflower and artichokes. And just at the right time we found a picnic site at a derelict station where we could sit and eat our lunch before heading back.







Apologies for the font changes but it won't let me correct it!!

Lunch stop!

Brocoli, broccoli and more broccoli....

Via Verde Totana to Cartagena