20 December ’05, Tuesday.
We’ve been staying close to camp the last couple of days, and have made a small change in our itinerary. With the weather deteriorating a little bit, but so far no rain, we have decided to pass on Gibraltar and head directly to Ronda and await Christmas. Everyone we have talked to and most of the books we have been reading have indicated that Gibraltar is not worth the hassle and the time it takes to make it a worth while stop. With that being the case, we have just stayed close, did some laundry, and walked the beach, to the grocery store, and a few times to the internet across the street. Since we are staying close, it has given us a chance to meet more of our “neighbors”. This is a large campground and a winter destination for most, with staying times going out as far as April. Most of the campers are motor homes from 20’ to 38’ (24’ avg.), with a few caravans (camping trailers). Just about all have an attached tent, but there are a few that have up to 3 or 4 tents spread all over their pitch. I would guess that about 20-25 are “permanent campers” the way they are set up. There is a wonderful pool for those that come in the “high season”. The grocery store is nicely stocked, and the prices are not too bad. This morning I was sitting out side as this couple walked by. Seeing our little Seattle sticker on the bumper, they stopped to talk. They have been to the northwest recently to visit friends on Vancouver Island. There are 5 of them all together ( mom, dad, and 3 teenagers) from Sweden. Their plans for the rest of the winter are to rent a home here in Marbella and just enjoy the Spanish hospitality for the winter, and write a book. The book is going to be about their most asked question…”How Can You Afford To Travel Like You Do” (or something like that…”buy a VW Van”…). Even if the sun hasn’t been out for 2 days, the temperature is still comfortable enough, with the lows of 50+ and the highs reaching 65+-.
I barbequed chicken last night (I still think the chicken we have gotten here in Europe is by far better tasting than that we have at home), and Louise made a wonderful pork stew for tonight’s dinner…we really do eat well, and we MUST keep walking or we will swell like a balloon. We even splurged tonight by buying some ice. Unfortunately, it will all be melted by morning, but what we were able to have tonight made it worthwhile. We have also been gorging ourselves on Mandarins. This is the same time of year that we did the same in Turkey…they are REALLY good and cheap as well. Louise has also found her favorite cookies, and our shelf is pretty well stocked of “Spekulatius” cookies…they are pretty good…
We’ve been staying close to camp the last couple of days, and have made a small change in our itinerary. With the weather deteriorating a little bit, but so far no rain, we have decided to pass on Gibraltar and head directly to Ronda and await Christmas. Everyone we have talked to and most of the books we have been reading have indicated that Gibraltar is not worth the hassle and the time it takes to make it a worth while stop. With that being the case, we have just stayed close, did some laundry, and walked the beach, to the grocery store, and a few times to the internet across the street. Since we are staying close, it has given us a chance to meet more of our “neighbors”. This is a large campground and a winter destination for most, with staying times going out as far as April. Most of the campers are motor homes from 20’ to 38’ (24’ avg.), with a few caravans (camping trailers). Just about all have an attached tent, but there are a few that have up to 3 or 4 tents spread all over their pitch. I would guess that about 20-25 are “permanent campers” the way they are set up. There is a wonderful pool for those that come in the “high season”. The grocery store is nicely stocked, and the prices are not too bad. This morning I was sitting out side as this couple walked by. Seeing our little Seattle sticker on the bumper, they stopped to talk. They have been to the northwest recently to visit friends on Vancouver Island. There are 5 of them all together ( mom, dad, and 3 teenagers) from Sweden. Their plans for the rest of the winter are to rent a home here in Marbella and just enjoy the Spanish hospitality for the winter, and write a book. The book is going to be about their most asked question…”How Can You Afford To Travel Like You Do” (or something like that…”buy a VW Van”…). Even if the sun hasn’t been out for 2 days, the temperature is still comfortable enough, with the lows of 50+ and the highs reaching 65+-.
I barbequed chicken last night (I still think the chicken we have gotten here in Europe is by far better tasting than that we have at home), and Louise made a wonderful pork stew for tonight’s dinner…we really do eat well, and we MUST keep walking or we will swell like a balloon. We even splurged tonight by buying some ice. Unfortunately, it will all be melted by morning, but what we were able to have tonight made it worthwhile. We have also been gorging ourselves on Mandarins. This is the same time of year that we did the same in Turkey…they are REALLY good and cheap as well. Louise has also found her favorite cookies, and our shelf is pretty well stocked of “Spekulatius” cookies…they are pretty good…