Riding the roller coaster of travel and adventure

 So much has happened in the last week I’m bound to miss a few things out or not give credence to everything we’ve done and seen and experienced. Anyway here goes;

After leaving Murcia we drove all day to get to Marbella (nr San Pedro) where we had a fab few days staying with some very good friends, Spike and Anya. We haven’t seen them since before COVID so you can imagine the cerveza and wine flowed a bit as we caught up on each others lives and families. The four days flew by.

Spike and Anya’s villa is in the hills above San Pedro just set back from the coast and the views are amazing - of the hillsides, the coast, the golf courses, of Gibraltar and also, on a good day, you can see Africa and Morocco. We still love living in our Homer but was a lovely treat to stay somewhere with a separate bedroom and kitchen and all the mod cons. And their apartment has all the mod cons with lovely outdoor lounging and eating area and barbecue and pool.  There are three bedrooms inside and a good sized lounge as well as kitchen and dining room.  A great place to stay for a few days or a week with family or friends.  And talking of family and friends they’re happy to rent it out in the summer months - so if you’re interested in future just let me know.

The view from Spike and Anya’s apartment takes your breath away as it greets you every morning

Part of a very traditional complex of villas which won awards when built in the 1960’s every one is unique and have a traditional feel - there’s also community facilities and a cafe, bar and restaurant at the entrance

As the villa is on the way from San Pedro to Ronda we took the opportunity to visit both and the day in Ronda was particularly memorable. What an amazing place - such fantastic, beautiful, awe inspiring views from around every corner. And the history and the culture and and and. It’s a definite must return and I can only hope the pictures below capture some of its beauty. But you really must visit and see it in person to properly experience it. Amongst the views is also loads of history from moorish times to horse riding / training and, apparently, the oldest bullfighting arena in the world. As well as being open to visitors it has a really interesting museum which explains links to the English knight system and how and why it developed. We abhor the cruelty of modern bullfighting but there is something important in cultural and moral learning terms in terms of preserving its history.

This plaque and statement is so true…… 

The gardens and large patio that greeted us and from where you get the most amazing panoramic views down into the connecting countryside,

Ronda, if you didn’t already know, is built on top of a gorge so the views are stunning 

The gorge is quite deep and very steep which also provides stunning views wherever you look - and the are lots of viewpoints 😀

It was a beautiful sunny and spring day - warm but not too warm which was perfect - it can get unbearably hot in the summer months

More amazing views….

The city’s interior is also very lovely - with Spanish guitars being played in every plaza

There’s a path down and up - we made it a little less than half way!!

The main bridge connecting old and new towns is also pretty impressive

And then to finish off, like a fine wine, we visited the amazing building and museum hosted by the bullring.  Picturesque!!!

Unfortunately on the last day Melle was really ill (I’ll not go into details but it was very unpleasant and coming out of both ends) and it seems to have subsequently transferred to me. Our next stop, Granada, was a big one for us and we had Alhambra visit booked for Saturday 6th. We set off anyway, Melle was feeling a bit better by then, but during a quick restock in Mercodona I worsened. It was so bad I had to pull off the motorway in Fuengarolla and throw up, rather violently. Melle, resourceful as ever, had supplied a bag. However, it was clear I couldn’t drive and at the time we were blocking a minor road. Again Melle came to the rescue and despite not having driven Homer for nearly two years she had to take to the hot seat. She was amazing and in between further bouts of illness I tried to give appropriate encouragement and not too much advice. Suffice to say we made it to our auto caravan site in a suburb of Granada two hours later and we made it to our Alhambra tour the next day (more of that in next paragraph). However, although we both have restricted food and drink to the very basic of basics two days later we are still being affected. It’s made us hyper vigilant about cleanliness of water and also cleanliness inside Homer which isn’t a bad thing and we’ve also learnt a few things about Spanish ‘Farmacies’ and various tummy bug products. As many have said before being ill in a motorhome while in a hot country can be quite an unpleasant experience. This adventure lark isn’t all wonder and amazeballs and I guess you’ve got to be prepared and organised to take the rough with the smooth!!

But let’s get back to the good stuff. Granada and Alhambra are fantastic places to visit. We bought the 48 Granada Card in advance and this allowed us free entrance to Alhambra and all its palaces, a range of other monuments in the city and a number of trips on the tourism buses and train. It cost us 49€ each. The Alhambra trip was a whole day in itself - we went into Granada at about lunchtime (the bus journey from our autocaravan site to the city centre was 3€ for both of us and runs to about 11pm). What a place - we’ve been lucky enough to visit many other historical and religious sites in the uk and across Europe and this was like having a number of these all on one site. Such amazing gardens, the roses, the fragrance, the trees, the sun and shade, the use of water features practically and for visual effect - wow - these walks were just beautiful. Of course the pinnacle is the Nasrid Palaces and we had booked an evening visit at 7pm for this. We thought it would be going dark then but this didn’t really happen until later closer to 8. Nevertheless it was a place when we were in danger of just photographing everything without taking time to stop and just take it all in. If you’re not sure what the Alhambra and Nasrid Palaces are about - simply put they were the homes of the Moorish Sultan leaders who ruled this part of the world before about 1400. They were overthrown by the Christians who didn’t tear them down but then built on and added to the palaces, the fortress, the places of worship and the gardens. All I can say is it is a remarkable result and no wonder it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Europe. Definitely up there with the Vatican but tbh I think I preferred the Alhambra.

Wonderful and inspirational gardens

Picturesque views drawing you towards the city and beyond

Amazing architecture - lots of it with a Moorish flavour

Ornate and Artistic touches to almost everything - such craftsmanship - breathtaking!

The next day we planned to try to do some more of Grenada city centre and there is so much more to this beautiful city. Unfortunately the bug returned and although we did make it into the city we didn’t get to try some of the food and drink delicacies that you are encouraged to try and, perhaps, didn’t visit all of the ‘monuments’ that our card allowed. But never mind, we had some slow walks through the windy streets and boulevards and we sat and enjoyed the shade of just a few of the plazas. It was a lovely day and whilst we sat waiting for our bus to take us back to Homer in the suburbs at the end of it we committed to come back again for longer in the future. Grenada, like Murcia, is a city that has found a way into our hearts.

We stopped on the tourism train outside the ‘heaving’ bullring - complete with protestors (yeh)

Via of the Alhambra from Saint Juan Square

Statues of King Carlos and Queen Isabel together with fountain display - they really know how to do water in Spain

This blog was written by Chris