Life is better at the beach. (January 13th - 18th, 2020)We did not leave our spot on the beach near Punta Umbria for a week. It was the first time on our trip that we stayed somewhere for more than three days. So, we spent most of the last week on the beach. We looked for crabs, observed jellyfish, swam, built sandcastles. We rode bikes on the beach. We went on a small bike tour with a picnic and looked for flamingos, but did not find any. We pulled a van out of the sand. We met Laura and Paul, as well as two very nice French people. Mathias tested his luck with fishing again and found some equipment on the beach. I went stand-up paddleboarding on the Atlantic and visited a small sandbank. My paddleboard almost drifted away, but luckily I made it back in time to prevent any disasters. I also tried out my wetsuit in the Atlantic and now know that it keeps me warm.
The emptying trip.
We had run out of water, the blackwater tank was full, and the graywater tank was also full. Mathias and I agreed that he would drive the motorhome to empty and refill everything so that we could stay at our beach spot.
Wilma and I stayed at the beach. Of course, we had some provisions, books, a table, and chairs with us. We played and played. We read Little Red Riding Hood until we couldn't read anymore - Dad didn't come back. I started to get a little worried and thought about how careless we were. Wilma and I were there without a phone (we only had Mathias' number written down), without IDs, without money, and so on. In case of emergency, we wouldn't even be able to identify ourselves. How stupid. While I was thinking about this, Mathias came around the corner. A huge weight lifted off my shoulders. He had been gone for almost 2 1/2 hours. But we learn from our actions and now know that we will be better equipped if we leave again.
The buffet is open.During the days at our spot, I eventually noticed that I was covered in small bites. It started on my neck, then moved to my hands, arms, legs, belly, and buttocks. We think they are from little mosquitoes. This cause will be revisited in the next few days.
A little bit of electricity, please. (January 18th - 19th, 2020)The days at the beach were great. Despite the daily sun, our batteries were very low. That means we needed electricity from the outlet. So, we packed up our things and said goodbye to our beautiful spot. Nearby, about 23 km to the west, there should be a parking spot with electricity and amenities. So, we headed to that place. It was raining for a change. It didn't bother us. We stopped at an Aldi supermarket on the way. We won't do that again. We definitely want to have local products and not the Aldi stuff. The journey continued. When we arrived at the parking spot, they told us that it was full and that we could come back tomorrow. GREAT. We had a short lunch break before that. We had some sausages and a roll because we wanted something quick. Mathias and I looked for a solution at the same time. About 2.5 km further, there should be a campground that is also suitable for motorhomes. So, we drove there. We haven't visited a campground on our trip so far, and before that, we had only been to such places twice. The reception was nice, and we paid 19 euros for one night. We found a spot and parked. A German man greeted us with 'They will all be gone tomorrow, don't worry' ... He meant the Spanish motorhomes that were apparently only there for the weekend. We got into a conversation. He seemed to be very happy about that, he liked to talk about himself. After a few tips and scary stories, I sorted our laundry because there was a laundry room here too. Of course, we took advantage of that. There was a playground for Wilma, which we also visited. There were already a few children there playing on the slide. More precisely, they were filling the slide with pebbles from the ground. Half of the slide was already covered. However, Wilma really wanted to slide. She approached the children, but they didn't understand her and vice versa. Eventually, she had enough and started sweeping the stones off the slide. The children watched Wilma, and eventually, they understood why she was doing that and helped her. That way, Wilma could enjoy her long slide ride, just once. Mathias had to use the toilet, and I wanted to transfer the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer. We agreed with Wilma to come back right away, and she could play here on the playground. With a slightly uneasy feeling, we started walking. We had never left Wilma alone somewhere before. Here at the campground, we felt safe. Immediately after I finished everything, I went back. Wilma wasn't on the playground anymore, but she was wandering around with her new Spanish gang in front of it. She greeted me with the words 'we played, but they didn't want to' ... whatever she meant by that. The gang came up to me completely, and Liselotte (stick horse) contributed to the amusement of everyone. Everyone took a turn riding it. We went back to the motorhome and had dinner. Afterwards, we all went to the shower rooms together. Family showers. Yeah. Even though we argued a bit about who gets to stand under the water, it was great. Showering as long as you want without having to worry about how long the water in the tank will last. We also realized how great water pressure is. What an experience.
Who is Anna-Lucia, actually? (January 19th - 20th, 2020)Because the showering was so great, we went again in the morning. But not together. The cleaning staff forbidden us to use the same shower (men's shower). So, Wilma and I went together, and Mathias went alone. We left the place around noon. We only had a rough destination in mind. Mathias wanted to go to a gas station again. So, we drove to Huelva first. Unfortunately, the gas station was closed. We found a spot by the river for lunch and ate outside on a wall in strong winds - semolina porridge. Wilma's lunch request. We considered whether we should already go to Seville. We decided to aim for a spot about 17 km before Seville. There was already a Dutchman, a Swede, and a German car with a trailer on the spot. The place wasn't nice, but functional. We parked behind the Swede, but when I saw how much trash was there, we moved again. To a kind of fence that separated the spot from the adjacent sports field. Mathias tried to switch our fridge to gas. Wilma and I went outside and collected trash. However, if we had continued, we would have been busy all day and would have needed a dumpster. There were oil filters, bowls of oil, household appliances, and so on. We took what Wilma and I could collect with us in our trash bag. It's really bad what's happening here with the trash. This doesn't mean that it's better in Germany. There are certainly enough places that look similar. While we were collecting, a gray van arrived - Laura and Paul. What a surprise. They also planned to visit Seville on Monday. While we were talking, I didn't even notice that Mathias was dismantling our entire motorhome. There seemed to be a problem with the fridge. The neighbor with the trailer helped find the problem. André and Anna are the ones with the trailer, including Anna-Lucia (3 1/2) and a baby. André told us that they had also had problems with the fridge, and after 2 hours, we found the solution. They have been on the road with their children for 5 months already. They have almost completed the route that we would like to have/have had. They have been to Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Croatia, and Italy. Now Spain, and then Portugal, and finally up to the North Cape by summer. Wilma and Anna-Lucia played together. Also nice for the children. Although we don't feel like Wilma is missing anything. Then, after 7 pm, we finally had a proper meal. The wind kept getting stronger and shook our motorhome vigorously. The fence right next to us was whistling and rattling like crazy. At first, Mathias thought someone was hitting the fence with a rod somewhere. Kind of like in a prison movie. Of course, that wasn't the case. Then he went with cable ties to secure the loose bars. The result? Minimal improvement. We just hoped that the wind would calm down during the night.
Of course, that didn't happen. But we were able to sleep somewhat peacefully.
Let's see what the seventh week of our journey brings. We have planned another visit to Seville.
