"A Year in Spain" My "last gasp" attempt at posting (informative info).

[jumartoo]

We're now back home. We had a ride this morning. It was pretty windy. We couldn't think of anywhere we really wanted to go nearby, so we came home. We did get some cheap fuel at Archena, and didn't see any cheaper on the way home .

Our ride took us along the river and underneath a new autovia under construction. We then rode along the Taibilla Canal to an old mill (working today) before looping back through the Archena Spa.

Not many photos taken today. The camera is temperamental and it was too windy to linger.

We might be out again next week.

 

[Jays2]

Cafe Asiatico !

well the google search came up trumps, looks very nice , what about the sweetness?

 

[jumar]

Cafe Asiatico !

well the google search came up trumps, looks very nice , what about the sweetness?

Quite sweet...we take coffee without normally....but this is somewhat different.....a special treat...

 

[royandsharont]

I love it

 

[Jays2]

I do quite like the ice cream and expresso, That McDonald's do in spain.

The place we are going for lunch tomorrow, do do that drink @£4.95!

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[Just smiffy]

Just caught up… weren’t getting notifications for some reason…

 

[jumartoo]

I do quite like the ice cream and expresso, That McDonald's do in spain.

The place we are going for lunch tomorrow, do do that drink @£4.95!

Each?

 

[royandsharont]

I can’t recall the exact price I paid now, earlier this year, for an Asiatico coffee somewhere along the coast north from Motril to Pillar de la Horadada but it shocked me. I think it was around 4€ in a bar!

 

[Peavy]

That's interesting, never heard of that drink before

 

[jumartoo]

That's interesting, never heard of that drink before

It's a speciality from Cartagena.

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[jumartoo]

I can’t recall the exact price I paid now, earlier this year, for an Asiatico coffee somewhere along the coast north from Motril to Pillar de la Horadada but it shocked me. I think it was around 4€ in a bar!

We paid €5.50 for two.

 

[jumartoo]

25 years ago today we stepped for the first time onto Sierra Espuña terrain, and on that same day we met our good friend Paco for the first time. We'd managed, without online entering, to send a letter to the Spanish Orienteering Federation in Madrid, who forwarded our request onto Club Totana. As we booked into Camping Totana on the Friday night (4 December) we were handed an envelope with our race numbers and information. Paco had hand delivered it.

We set off the next morning in the dark, and climbed upwards to the parking at Finca Caruana. The puddles in the parking were frozen solid and no one else arrived for a few hours. We thought we'd got things totally wrong. Eventually though the organising team arrived and things swung into action. We were made very welcome. And we're still in contact with most of the people we met on that first day.

We gave a lot of time and effort back to Spanish orienteering over the next 20 years (and also the Portuguese orienteering scene as well) but we've now stopped participating, so our help has got less and less.

It was a great time, it got us to some brilliant locations and made us some good friends from all over Europe.

I sort of miss it, but the sport isn't as good now as it was 15 years ago. We were one of only three that had a campervan in the early years, now the organisers have the headache of trying to park around 70 motorhomes as well as hundreds of cars.

Progress

 

[jumartoo]

Today was another different day for us. We went to the local market first of all and then met our friend Angéla for coffee. There was a good display of sweet things (not to my point of view) but we only had coffee. We did a bit more shopping and then got home in time to meet Willem to take him out for a bike ride. He knocked on our door with Poinsettia for me to compensate me for my missing pompom wreath (long story told on the Morning thread). But the short story is that my pompom wreath that Jenben made for me a few years ago, has disappeared. Totally. And in a small apartment as well.

I'm getting the stepladders out tomorrow to check out all the top shelves in the wardrobes.

We'd hardly been moving for more than a few minutes before Martin's new (only off road now) bike threw a wobbly. Well the second wobbly actually, because it had already refused to move until he accessed the App on his phone. The second wobbly seems to be a problem with a leaky valve.

From then on, all was good.

 

[jumar]

Today was another different day for us. We went to the local market first of all and then met our friend Angéla for coffee. There was a good display of sweet things (not to my point of view) but we only had coffee. We did a bit more shopping and then got home in time to meet Willem to take him out for a bike ride. He knocked on our door with Poinsettia for me to compensate me for my missing pompom wreath (long story told on the Morning thread). But the short story is that my pompom wreath that Jenben made for me a few years ago, has disappeared. Totally. And in a small apartment as well.

View attachment 841233View attachment 841231

I'm getting the stepladders out tomorrow to check out all the top shelves in the wardrobes.

We'd hardly been moving for more than a few minutes before Martin's new (only off road now) bike threw a wobbly. Well the second wobbly actually, because it had already refused to move until he accessed the App on his phone. The second wobbly seems to be a problem with a leaky valve.

View attachment 841234

From then on, all was good.

View attachment 841232View attachment 841235

The tyre had a leaky valve, not the rider...

 

[jumartoo]

My missing pompom wreath. Not something so small to lose in a tiny apartment.

This was when I was given it by Jenben . Sandra Armytwowheels got the same, but in a DiY version

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[Jenben]

I think I made you a Christmas cake too by the look of it !

If the pom pom wreath doesn’t turn up ( did Martin not like it and so he accidentally binned it ? ) I can make you another one for next year

 

[royandsharont]

We paid €5.50 for two.

If you ever visit the community bar at Isla Plana they do quite a nice one. My €4 was just for the one!

 

[jumartoo]

I think I made you a Christmas cake too by the look of it !

If the pom pom wreath doesn’t turn up ( did Martin not like it and so he accidentally binned it ? ) I can make you another one for next year

Yes there was a llovely Christmas cake as well, but I don't need to look for that. It didn't survive many days.

 

[Jays2]

Each?

Yes each, and no we did not buy as we don’t take coffee after 12 noon.

but did have a nice mince pie ( sweet)

 

[jumar]

I think I made you a Christmas cake too by the look of it !

If the pom pom wreath doesn’t turn up ( did Martin not like it and so he accidentally binned it ? ) I can make you another one for next year

Stop ganging up on me....

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[bobnick]

Love the insight and views of others of places visited.
Some threads have been so helpful they have convinced me not to go to a particular town/area, others it's a must go on my list.
So bring it on.

 

[jumartoo]

It's grey and damp today (light rain) so there won't be any sunny photos. I'm going to have a search for the Wreath and a food cooking day.

I'll also start to plan our next trip away, but as yet we don't know when that will be. It could be over Christmas

 

[jumar]

Wreath found....cooking was successful still Dull..which is a shame as this is a Public Holiday in Spain ....

Constitution Day 2023 in Spain

Constitution Day (Día de la Constitución) marks the anniversary of a referendum held in Spain on December 6, 1978. In this referendum, a new constitution was approved . This was an important step in Spain's transition to becoming a constitutional monarchy and democracy.

www.timeanddate.com

 

[jumartoo]

As Martin said, the Wreath was found, by him!

We took Willem out for another ride yesterday. He's now getting a good idea of the scope for riding off road in the area.

We even found a tiny water crossing for him.

Martin and myself are riding down to the coast today, down the Rambla del Cañar to Isla Plana and back through the mountains. We're starting at the village of Las Palas.

 

[Just smiffy]

Come on…. We need details of how,where, and what circumstances the wreath was found…

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[Peavy]

Come on…. We need details of how,where, and what circumstances the wreath was found…

Maybe such amount of detail would be enough for another dedicated thread

 

[jumartoo]

Come on…. We need details of how,where, and what circumstances the wreath was found…

In our small apartment it had to be somewhere easily found. It was in a plastic box (that I can't reach without stepladders) right at the top of a wardrobe in the spare/bike store/Martin's space. How it got there is a mystery

 

[Just smiffy]

In our small apartment it had to be somewhere easily found. It was in a plastic box (that I can't reach without stepladders) right at the top of a wardrobe in the spare/bike store/Martin's space. How it got there is a mystery

Ah, I thought it was originally on the front door and somebody stole it….

 

[jumar]

Ah, I thought it was originally on the front door and somebody stole it….

Stole it ..come on...nobody gets within 5 metres of our front door before Alexa, Echo or various other forms of detection are alerted...we are heavily guarded...we have expensive bikes (That's all we have) here in our apartment....I even share my bedroom with some....and sleep well knowing they are safe...
As for the Wreath...I have to admit that whilst redesigning our living accommodation to a get more bikes in, it might have been assigned to a safe but seasonal location....so there is no real mystery associated with this, it's now back on the wall...next to the helmets and spare tyres and a nice new bike...all dressed in holly and tinsel, afterall a bike is for life not just Christmas.....

 

[jumartoo]

After our Wreath searching, we needed some down time . We received a message saying my new camera would be delivered on 15 December. OK then no trip away next week. Last night we received a refund of our money and a message saying the "client" had cancelled. A national holiday today, and a weekend, means that our email to PC Componentes probably won't be responded to until next week.

I have my appointment with Doctora Eva on Tuesday at 9.20. The motorhome will be parked nearby awaiting an escape. Angéla has kindly offered to go with me to explain my situation and make sure we understood Eva the last time we spoke. I really don't want to go down the hospital test route, unless it's really necessary.

Anyway ... that's to come.

Today we rode a favourite ride. I chose the direction, because I'd prefer to ride up a rough, stony track, than down. I used to ride down this route alone, to meet Martin at the coast when he went out early morning fishing. Since then I had my two accidents, so I don't go out in the middle of nowhere alone any more. Better safe than sorry ...

I yelled to Martin "PHOTO" but he didn't hear. He's in the photo, but out of sight. The white cliffs, we can see from our side window.

A bit of the, still wet, area, even after an exceptionally dry summer. We expected a totally dry ride today.

Then through the mountains.

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