Mon 21/11/16: After a very wet rainy night the day started grey as well with weak sunshine trying it’s best to prevail and so we headed off to the nearby port for 2nd coffee and to decide what options there were for the day for us to do. As we drank our coffee the weak sunshine seemed to be winning over the grey clouds and we decided as we were armed with para-aquas to walk along the seafront as far as we could walk on a pathway. Eventually a few not too heavy showers gave way to very black skies and a heavy downpour that you could tell held no abounds and so we quickly headed into a seafront restaurant that had marvellous views of the rocks, birds and black clouds. As we were eating out that night we thought we could stay for a while with just a drink or two but even though there was only one other couple dining we decided upon a light lunch. Wrong choices made however for us both. David opted for moules marinieres and me a tuna salad. Both came wonderfully presented but the moules marinieres were not that-they were the bloody big yucky mussels that take minutes to and much jaw muscles to chew and were covered with a tomato sauce not cooked in wine and garlic as we had hoped.
So one dish not so very nice and the salad was also pretty tasteless to be honest. So we both came to the conclusion perhaps unfairly that this restaurant was ‘all fur coat and no knickers’. Worse still, we had no option but to start the 5k walk home as there was no alternative and the weather certainly wasn’t changing so when we made it back we were both absolutely soaked to our skins, feet and any other part of us. Our spirits were lifted when on the way back through the camp gates we meet a lovely couple Pete and Phil (make what you will!!) who we shared a couple of warming drinks with in the bar
Tues 22/11/16: Golf day again for David at San Roque and he was under challenge from fellow countrymen. The rain lifted for a brief moment and then as soon as he was collected so it fell down again. Was there any chance they would play so heavy was the rain but as I headed off for a walk so D texted and said the new course was just about to open shortly. A good four hours later or so the proof was in the pudding so to speak – that David plays better when he has a hangover as he was disastrous that day but nevertheless enjoyed the whole experience and the opportunity to play on a top notch course and with friends. We all also spent a lovely last evening in the port in a steak house with David having an unusually very spicy chicken dish amongst the norm steaks choices. A big thank you to Pete C, Seamus and Tar for their lovely company and generosity
Wed 23/11/16: After a quick catch up and goodbye to P&P heading back to the UK shortly we made our way on to a previous visited place- Parque Nacional de Donana, one of Europe most important wetlands and also home to the largest population of the very rare lynx’s. Before we headed off to our previous stop there the weird and wonderful horse town of El Rocio we decided to have a couple of nights on the playa within the park. The drive was short but again grey and wet, the campsite although very rural and green was huge but also eerily empty with us being about one of the 10 or so other occupants. We pitched up and did a few bits before in the late afternoon neither of us could wait of our dinner- pukka pies. While being a golf widow on the previous few days I had happened upon in the port area an ‘English butcher’ and curiosity got the better of me and so I ambled in the shop and did my survey. Lovely looking, fresh meat and after listening for a while knowledgeable staff, but what caught my eye as we couldn’t or don’t need a ton of meat nor need to order our Christmas turkey (or perhaps we do, should I panic!!) was the pie section. All homemade and looking very tasty indeed with a pie being slightly more than one serving but not enough for two. I walked out, No we are in Spain, we are Spanish, we do not need Steak and kidney pies, or do we……. We have been here just short of a year now and for the best part and odd curry have embraced the culture, cuisine etc so what harm could a steak and kidney pie do with potatoes and a veg lashed in gravy. Yum, yum this is exactly what we had in the middle of the forest on the seafront in Spain and pukka they were.
Thurs 24/11/16: A walk was in order through the park and into the nearby town of Mazagon. A walk of some 12k each way, easier to cycle to be honest but we opted to walk as the sun although weak was out and I was hoping to get rid of the rust brown and top up with real sun. Plus we are less likely on a bike to see lynx’s or any other wildlife there might be. The walk took us along a lovely path to the edge of the road, it was flat and for the first few k’s all we saw were pine tree beaters (now I can understand why they are so expensive) but then all of a sudden out of the trees jumped Mum and Dad lynx in our path and suddenly to our amazement and joy Mum Lynx squatted down and gave birth to six baby lynx’s!!! Just amazing, never likely to be seen by humans and guess what all of our IPhone cameras had jammed and we have no pictures to record the moment- dam it but such is life and so on we walked into Mazagon and what a ghost town. If we hadn’t have had the excitement of the lynx moment we might well have fallen asleep as we walked. Thankfully the main town did bring a lovely lunch of which as ever we weren’t counting. The restaurant was covered in awnings giving as norm as much shade, cover as possible on this one respite day of sun and the owner was a full on sales man- showing us his fresh fish and cooked dishes as they went out. Despite the temptation and 12k walk back we kept on target and just had small hake which are odd little things, looking like baby shark almost but really tasty here and for David a chicken kebab. The walk back was uneventful and dinner was a ‘Sheila’ recipe of sausage casserole. A quick drink in the camp site bar later just brought on more rain and again we spent the night listening to the heavy beating of rain over our heads.
Fri 25/11/16: and so onto El Rocio, a weird and wonderful place were words cannot do justice even in the rain and so here are a few pictures of our wet days there before we left on Sunday 27/11/16 in the continuing rain.
As the song goes…..” the Sun ain’t going shine more” or so it certainly seems.
Our route this week.
Gary and Zoe says
Well, good to see you have experienced the same crap weather we have had here, although your precipitation is probably a lot warmer! Food looks amazing…..particularly like the look of the pork belly! Have fun guys and stay safe!
Gilda Baxter says
Amazing your Lynx encounter, shame you did not manage to photograph it. Not great weather, but still better than the cold and rain here in blighty. Keep having fun
Sylv says
Interesting blog – amazing about the Lynx, Sod’s law eh!!!!! With cameras.
We’ve got internet in cafe after 2 days of really off road up and around a volcano. Awesome but hard. Sylv xx