From menus and gas cylinders

#13 #14 Aguadulce

The beauty parade is canceled this weekend. The sun has hidden behind thick clouds, which a strong wind drives in front of it. The weather is too uncomfortable for the spoiled Spaniards. We also want to take it easy and adapt to the country and its people. Maybe we'll take a little trip inland in the afternoon.

I'm a little worried about the problem with the gas cylinders. Yes, just when everything is in the green with the battery, the gas indicators now turn red. It's not quite like that. One of the two gas cylinders in our motorhome is full. We have emptied the other one during the six days of our journey. Of course, I informed myself about the gas situation in Spain during the planning. Here you can't just walk into a shop like us and buy gas cylinders as much as you want. Officially, you need a certificate from a special agency. With this paper you can then get a gas cylinder at any gas station. That's the official way.

Now you find out on the internet that some gas stations also sell the gas cylinder without the paper. We visited every gas station in Aguadulce. There are eight of them. No chance. Either the paper or an empty gas cylinder to exchange - of course only a Spanish one, not a German one. No one at the gas stations could tell us where and from whom we could get such a certificate. They had never seen such a certificate before. Everyone comes with an empty bottle and leaves with a full one.

At one gas station, an employee offered to fill my German bottle with LPG gas, but he didn't have the appropriate adapter. Neither do I. Besides, it was too dangerous for me. That's strictly forbidden in Germany.

At the first gas station I visited, instead of a propane bottle, they offered me a butane gas bottle. The problem with that is that butane becomes liquid at a temperature around 4 degrees and is therefore unusable. In winter, that's a tricky thing ... Along the coast, the temperature here usually doesn't drop below 10 degrees. But we also want to go to Seville and Ronda inland, and it can get very cold there at night. Of course, I could switch to the German propane gas bottle, but I need that for the return trip at the beginning of March, where there can also be sub-zero temperatures in France and Germany - not only at night.

I only want to mention in passing that the Spanish gas bottle requires completely different connections. There is a special adapter and a Euro valve with the number 4. In France, the gas bottles have a different connection again, as do Holland, Denmark and who knows where else. This is definitely a complicated matter. I have two such adapters and valves. Better safe than sorry. What I don't have is a Spanish gas bottle.

Where can I get one? Ickes love for food can sometimes be exhausting. But on the other hand ... We walked along a alley just around the corner from our apartment, Icke studied the menu, as always when we pass a restaurant, when suddenly an older gentleman unlocked a door in the house behind her and knelt down in front of seven or eight gas cylinders. All in orange and with the inscription: Propane! I stopped with wide eyes. I can well imagine why people in Spain kneel down in front of gas cylinders. I would do that too. Icke probably saw my surprise and began to chat with the grandpa. "Oh, such beautiful gas cylinders, they look so pretty. And so many. Can you really use them all? Suddenly, I mean. One more or one less, that wouldn't even be noticed, would it?"

She winked conspicuously often, sometimes left, sometimes right, almost in rhythm, which got faster and faster. Finally, the grandpa lifted his arms as if surrendering and shouted something that sounded like a cry for help. His son came. He spoke English. Now it was my turn. I almost started to wink, but in the end I told him our problem. He couldn't sell us a bottle, he said, but every Friday the gas man would come by with a big van full of propane gas cylinders and anyone could buy as many as they wanted. He had never heard of a certificate. I was speechless. The son took pity on me at some point. I should give him 18 euros for the gas and 12 euros for the bottle, he would buy a bottle for me on Friday and I could pick it up. I believe I have never paid out 30 euros plus 5 euros bonus so quickly.

And I have made a vow to never complain again when Icke studies her menus.