Day 7-10: Finally sun in España

Day 7-10.

The rain radar website keeps rebooting. That doesn't change anything. But somehow we're still hoping to escape the mega low front. Nothing helps. The day starts with rain and ends with rain. Our next stop is the actually cute little town of Laroque-des-Albères, but we don't see much of it. We're staying overnight on private property with Florence and her 3 donkeys. They look pretty miserable in this weather.

Just hanging around on the bus is enough to drive you crazy. Especially with a 6-month-old baby. So we put on our rain jackets, took our umbrella and went to a tapas bar. There we had a small cheese and sausage platter and at least some beer. 😇 We walked a little bit but were soon back on the bus.

The next day we head to the Spanish border. Viva España. Viva la lluvia. Luckily it's a blessing for the Spanish, because there is a water shortage here. In the border town, the frustration of the rain is compounded by the stress of needing a warning sign for the bike trailer. (Yes, dads, we should have taken care of that beforehand!) Luckily we find one at a gas station and continue on to our first campsite by the sea.

The place is called Torredembarra and we are on a narrow campsite right next to the train tracks. 😅 One Dutchman is lined up next to the next, but they are all friendly and feel the same frustration about the rain. At the supermarket, beer bottles are falling out of the trunk, and now the mood is really at rock bottom.

The next day promises an end to the constant rain. So we head off into town (like almost all tourists), because the market there is supposed to be quite nice. Yeah. Quite nice is a pretty good description. Between fake football shirts for €5 and underwear in packs of 10, there are 4 fruit stands, which we are happy about and we pick up a few oranges and tomatoes. Then we do another lap on the beach and end up back at the campsite. There we discover that the solar system is not working properly. No problem for handyman Christopher. Up on the roof and quickly overhaul the entire fleet 🔨

In the evening we can sit outside for the first time and are even more pleased that Lore is sleeping peacefully in the bus while we hang out on our camping chairs.

We sniffed the sunny air and so we traveled further south to Ayódar, a small town in the mountains. We are not really in the mood for camping on a beach plot at the moment. Chris once again seizes the opportunity and walks up the mountains. Eva climbs the small hill next door with Lore. The campsite is a bit rudimentary, but small and pleasant, so we spend two nights here. In fact, we have made such quick progress that we can now really take our time.

The night is cold again (6 degrees...brrr), but the sun shines right into the car the next morning. A short detour to the only local supermarket and then a hike to the piscinas naturales. Chris takes a natural bath and thus saves himself a shower. Eva still prefers to stink for the third day in a row. Lore is in a good mood and we treat ourselves to patatas bravas and completely over-salted, fried pieces of bacon. The locals are friendly but reserved...except for older ladies. Here they literally pounce on Lore. We just nod friendly and let the Spanish, ecstatic torrent wash over us.

We continue south, with a slight sunburn on our noses. Who would have thought. 🌞

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