Barcelona to Torrivieja (south of Alicante)

23/11

Woke, still dark nearly 0730hrs and olds went for a run under the expansive Spanish sky, 15 min out heading west, then turned around and all up hill heading home.

Shower & brekkie, emptied the brown and grey and filled up with water before starting the  550km drive to Torrievieja.

Stopped just down the road at a camper store for bits’n’pieces, then at a Carrefour for groceries - wow, forgot the choice range and cheapness - Italian grocery stores seem poor in comparison.  Overstocked we moved on to Decathlon where we did the final clothes shop and then hit the highway to put some k’s under the belt with only another 1-2 hrs of light left.

Pulled up in a servo stop among the trucks just on dark.  A light dinner, “Ace Ventura” for the kids while the olds worked on the Slide Show of photos.  Sleep didn’t come easy for the parents, disturbed frequently by the intermittent/incessant start/roar/stop/doorslam of the trucks and the 3 rowdy geese car drivers who pulled up next to us and disturbed everyone till the police moved them on.  

24/11

Started the 400km trip soon after a sluggish Spanish dawn, with the whole landscape blanketed in thick low lying fog, from the ocean to our left right across to the dramatic mountains to our right.  Again marveled at the Spanish roads, incredible infrastructure noticeable especially after 3 months in Italy.  In places though it’s not finished, with highway overpasses all done, but not bitumened yet.  In other places there seems to be redundancy with the tolled superhighway, parallel to and just 100m from the excellent free road. Spaghetti roads! Tom Tom gets very confused. The fog blanket remained adherent to the earth, above which stood the ubiquitous Spanish Torre, atop every hill, some just 1 tower, others full blown castles, enabling visual communication right along the expansive coast, ever-vigilant for them marauding Moors (and other various alien invaders - the system must have broken down before the Poms flooded ashore and took over.)

As the fog burned off the bright amber lights turned on - the orange groves of Valencia - literally as far as the eye can see.  Some of the trees so laden they were bent over making a dry barren land seem so lush & green.  Then as we headed a bit in land the oranges gave way to olives and grapes, their leaves red/yellow and dropping.  Last time we were here there were no leaves.  

Coming from the west into Alicante and turning south the de ja vu’s started up and the plan was to hopefully surprise the kids by pulling up at the open Mercadona carpark where we had our 1^st night in Ed, where they used their scooter and skateboard for the 1^st time, and where we caught up with Glen for a final hurrah and a US style buffet all you can eat for €4.99.  We recalled only too well how hard we found it to find the park in the dark, having to call Glen from a phone box we couldn’t work for help, having a druggie lady knock on our window and ask for money, then getting final directions from the police.  This time we found it straight away. The Saturday markets were on just like last time, the park with almost as many big motorhomes, the same roast chicken van doing trade at the entrance to the park, the same guy singing and playing accordion in front of the Mercadona grocery store (singing the same song!), the Chinese store still there and having all the bits we needed, and to top it off, the US style buffet restaurant still there, same dishes, only the price has gone up to €5.99!  In we went!  An hour later we rolled out, gave the accordion guy a few €‘s and a cheery “see ya later” (you just never know), gave the kids a nostalgic skate and marveled at how skilled & tall they were in comparison to last time, had an Ed coffee and piled back in for the 15min trip to the campsite recommended by Elaine.

Along the Torrievieja highway, studded with bright neon signs we again noted the profound influence of the northern invaders - the majority of signs are in English.  Into a very plush and new campsite - “Lo Monte”, just about full of big motorhomes with retirees from all over cold Europe.  And they are set up for the long haul - sites fully floored with plastic grass matting and barricaded with metre high canvas “walls.”   Pot plants, satellite dishes, dogs, bikes, Smart cars.