244 days of 12 hours without a break

Day 44: We have seen a lot in the past few days, weeks and months. Today we wanted to try out what it's like to spend a day on the pitch. Do what many campers do here for a day: sit in front of the motorhome and sunbathe, sleep, read, do puzzles, drink coffee, eat, exchange ideas, chat or maybe just look out at the sea and dream. We could never imagine what could be so beautiful about it. But as my great-grandpa always said: Before you know whether something is good or bad, you have to try it.

So we wanted to try it out today. I sat there and looked at the sea. Icke had to do laundry first and then try it on. To get to the washing machine, you need an appointment because the devices are behind closed doors. Old campers think they know that nothing is impossible for them - it's just that modern machines often see things differently. So it's better that the washing machines are operated by Carmen, the boss here on the site. She picks us up for our appointment. She storms towards us with a beaming smile from ear to ear and sweeps us away in a wave of words in Spanish and English that almost takes our breath away.

Carmen is the soul of the San Antonio Camper Park , her husband Juan is the heart. Four years ago the two of them leased the place from Juan's cousin. His family opened a campsite here in 1963 and ran it for more than 30 years. Then it was over. 20 years later, in 2014, the cousin decided to restart, but five years later he was already looking for a successor. Juan got an offer. He knew the place from the old days when he was employed here, and Carmen was looking for a job at the time. They accepted the offer.

They haven't regretted it to this day, even though they both have to work a lot. “244 days a year from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” says Juan. “Every day without a break.” Anyone who has never been to a parking space cannot imagine what that means. The San Antonio Camper Park has 50 sites where around 100 campers spend their vacation. There are questions, problems on the phone, emails that need to be answered, inquiries, bookings and rebookings and so on. There are hardly any cancellations. “We are practically always fully booked from September to May,” says Carmen. The place is closed in June, July and August. “Too hot,” says Carmen. “You can cut the air here with a knife.”

During this time she prefers to travel with Juan to visit her family in her hometown of Cadiz on the Atlantic. “The climate is better there, at least by the sea.” But she doesn’t want to go anywhere else. She is a family man through and through. This can be felt when she talks about her daughter Carla, who is only 19 years old. And she should take over the parking space later if her parents wish. Why? “Because there is nothing more beautiful,” says Carmen. “You are your own boss, you work in the fresh air and you can talk to people.” Yes, Carmen can talk to people... She has this mix of warmth, empathy and commitment. But there is also a certainty, an ability to set boundaries with a natural authority that becomes most clear when it can remain hidden. "Aggravation? There is no trouble,” says the boss. “Maybe too loud music later in the evening. But that’s quickly resolved.”

And then it's there again, that smile that's like the sun rising in the sky over the Costa Blanca. Bright, radiant, warm, sometimes hidden, but always there.