Rain without end

DAY 5: The most important thing up front: There’s no more squeaking – at least at the right rear tire. After Icke had held out until 2 a.m., she came to my sleeping area and whispered, 'Honey, we need to see if it still squeaks. We need to take a few laps.' I could barely open my eyes, but I saw our two dogs eagerly wagging their tails by the front door. 'Come on! Let’s go now. Stop dragging your feet!' I heard Icke grumble. It can’t be true, I thought...

Yes, okay, that’s a stretch. But it was to be expected. Believe me, my Icke is famous for such antics. A few years ago in Aguadulce – we had rented an apartment – she got up in the middle of the night, armed with a spray bottle and a bucket full of Fit-water for refilling, and set out to wash the dogs’ markings off the walls of the houses. Believe me, anyone who has experienced that will be surprised by nothing anymore.

But this time, despite the bad omens, we had a peaceful night and only took a few laps around the parking spot in the morning before we set off. Nothing could be heard anymore. And so we set off happily on our 350-kilometer journey to Torredembarra. It rained continuously. This dampened our spirits a bit as we finally crossed the border into Spain. With the little detour to Straubing, we were now exactly 32 hours on the road, having covered 2600 kilometers and consumed an average of 10.4 liters of diesel.

Tomorrow we have another 250 kilometers to the Malvarrosa campsite near Sagunto. There, our holiday acquaintance Renate is waiting for us. Together we want to relax for three or four days before our journey continues to Carmona near Seville, where the Via de la Plata begins.