Yesterday (13thOctober) we spent our last day with the Snowbirds at Camping Didota.
The cramped pitch had become slightly more of a problem as we welcomed new Dutch neighbours. They parked their motorhome only about three feet from ours, in order to maximise the own outdoor space on their pitch. Because it has been so hot everyone has had their windows open at night time and we could hear the Dutch couple chuntering away in their own language and then from time to time they would ejaculate random sentences in loud English. It obviously made complete sense to them in their ongoing conversation, but to hear unconnected and, to us, nonsensical English phrases from time to time, without context, was most disturbing!
We filled our last day with a long walk along the beach, which to the left hand side of the campsite was relatively undeveloped and in fact slightly inland a boardwalk had been built making for an interesting walk back through scrubland and past an old abandoned tower. In the spring it looked as if it could be ideal bird breeding territory, with plenty of reed beds, but alas at this time of year of birds there were none.
Ever since we had arrived on site we had been eyeing up the Saturday seafood paella. Being only a few miles from Valencia, the home of the paella, it seemed an ideal opportunity to sample this iconic dish, especially since the campsite restaurant made it the traditional way over a wood fire. The original paella, apparently would not have had seafood but rather meats like rabbit and perhaps chicken, but that would not suit Sarah.
So we ambled over to the restaurant at lunchtime – as I’ve already mentioned the main meal in Spain seems to be lunch. We asked for paella and were told that it was part of the Menu del Dia – three courses, including paella, for €9.50! We ordered a couple of beers as an aperitif and before long an enormous plate of superb succulent seafood paella arrived, with mussels, langoustines, squid and octopus!
We had finished our beers and so I asked for two glasses of house white wine to accompany the meal and was informed that a half a bottle of wine came with the meal of the day! So a bottle of wine between the two of us it was. After a large second course, a barely touched desert, half a bottle of wine each and accompanying bread, we were soon back in Basil having a good “rest”.
This morning we packed up to go and as I was in reception I found out how popular Camping Didota is because I queued behind someone who was booking their stay for next year! Although after four days I was on nodding acquaintance with some of the Brits, long winter stays on cramped mediterranean campsites are not yet for us.
Having said that, we had aimed to stay tonight at a campsite on the beach near a pretty town built onto a peninsular which juts out into the sea, called Peniscola. It was only 40 miles north and we soon approached it only to be horrified, not by the what looked like the pretty peninsular based town, but what surrounded it on the mainland. To call it Blackpool (for non-Brits a fairly down market seaside town in Britain) on the med, is perhaps to do it a disservice, but the whole beach front was cheek by jowl high rise apartments and hotels. Worse still the beach was actually busy which probably meant the “no dogs” rule would be enforced. We both immediately agreed that whatever the campsite was like the whole area was not for us. Luckily we had not booked the site so we turned tail and headed for the hills, literally.
Our next stop was planned to be the hilltop town of Morella, in the mountains 40 miles inland and that is where we headed for. Spain is constantly throwing surprises at us and as we climbed into the mountains the sunny blue sky turned to torrential rain, our first of this trip. Furthermore the modern road had not yet been completed and so at one stage we found ourselves climbing precipitous hairpins in the rain, with Basil’s front wheels just starting to scrabble for grip a little on the steepest turns.
Basil on his new free aire overlooking Morella
Finally reached our free aire (40.623849, -0.092524) on a ridge with a superb view across the valley to the picturesque town of Morella, set on a hill, enclosed by medieval walls, capped by and impenetrable looking castle and all at an altitude of over 1,000 metres (3,300 feet). The rain eased temporarily for long enough for me to empty and refill Basil and then it set in until late in the afternoon when sunshine returned.
View of Morella from the aire
Tomorrow we intend to explore Morella and then perhaps move to a town bombed and abandoned during the Spanish Civil War. The long term plan is now to avoid the coast (no prize for guessing why) and cross into France through the Pyrenees.
For those awaiting a medical update you will be pleased to know my “erupcion” is already easing.