Wednesday 30 November 2016

Climb Every Mountain

How green is my valley
I don't know how we came to be here but Mama and Daddy found this wiggly green road from Alcoy and followed it to an ACSI campsite in Vall de Laguar.  The road was very wiggly but the view was amazing and we could see the sea. 
Me up a mountain



My mountain
On the second day they enticed me up a mountain.  It did not look so high from the top but it did from the bottom.  On the way up we passed a house in the middle of nowhere selling English marmalade.  I don't think we are that much in the middle of nowhere.  The next day we walked to the next village Benimaurell where we found a fantastic restaurant.  We had stuffed mushrooms and garlic mayonnaise and then pigs cheeks and bull with fruit and wild mushrooms.  It was all delicious and I ate everything.
Partially eaten pigs cheek

A load of bull
We liked the restaurant Bar Restaurante Jalisco so much we came back twice.  The puddings weren't much to write home about though but for 10 Euros who can complain.  (I know.  Uncle Joe.)



A little rest
We had to have a little lie down on the way home.  Oh, it's a bit misty moisty weather up here by the way.  So the very next day the No Funs decided to walk me down a very deep canyon with 6000 steps.  It was very steep.
In to the bowels of the earth

Bottomless Pit

Do we have to come back up?

Peeping out from a cave

It's a bit difficult to see from the photos but it really was a very long way down.  The place is riddled with tracks of wild boar.  I have become very interested in tracking.  Mama calls it obsessed.  I get a stick and poke any poo and point out all the wild boar signs.  I became so interested that Mama looked them up for me on wiki.  She said that a 2012 study compiling wild boar attacks on humans found that there were accounts of 665 human victims since 1885.  The attacks mainly occur between November and January and mainly in the thigh.  Perfect she said.  She had been playing me recordings of wild boar as we walked along through the misty moisty forest and reading me this when all of a sudden there was a rustle behind her and she jumped out of her skin.  I wasn't afraid but Daddy said maybe we ought to leave the rest of the research until we got back to the van.
Here I am spotting tracks
 It has rained now for 3 days.  The nearest village is 10 minutes away.  Beautiful Campell.
 Campell
 Today we could see the sun trying to come out over the sea so we are going to try and find it tomorrow.  We will miss this place though.  It is truly moorish boarish.

Friday 25 November 2016

Castles in my Hair

Castle Number 1
Valencia. Land of the castle.  Those Moors and Christians were at it back then as well.  Spent just two nights at an aire in Peniscola.  It was strange being back in a town that we visited on our first year travelling.  Had a lovely lunch though.  Washing done, off to Segorbe.
Castle Number 2 Segorbe
We go and visit an olive oil museum which I really like.  Especially as I get a tasting at the end.  I just love olive oil.  And olives.
The olive press
We drove up a long and winding rd to Benagaber up in the mountains.  No castle there but I put it down to the fact that the old village had been drowned by a reservoir and maybe that took the castle with it.
Benagaber
There wasn't very much in village at all except a massive swimming pool and sports centre which was all locked up.  It was a shame the place was empty.  We wanted a drink in a bar.  Never mind.  It was very beautiful and daddy said the tap in the aire was the best water pressure he had ever had.  He was happy.
Village
The next castle was in Jalance.  We had a long climb past prickly pears to the top.
Castle No 3 Jalance
It was very very beautiful and the view of the town was amazing.  Except, as we turned the corner......
Nuclear Power Station
Apart from that there were some amazing views.
A view

The town

The castle
Onto Castalla.  And guess what?  Another castle.  We liked this place.  The aire was next to the sports centre and they gave us electricity and water for 3 euros and the lady came out and invited us into the sports centre and we went and cycled round the track.  I had the best dish of a faggot in a broth at a cafe La Sucrera.  (Faseura de la Abuela).  Lovely
Faggots

Buckets
We went to the tourist information office and they gave us a beer bucket which I liked so much I carried round town.  The next day we drove up the Xorret de Casti
Many mountains to climb
It was another steep and wiggly road.  Don't know how Daddy manages to squeeze Nona up there.  They made me climb to the top.
Top
We thought we might stay the night in Elda as Mama liked the idea of shoe making but we couldn't find anywhere to park for the night so we went back to Onil.  It was wonderful there.  £ playgrounds and a maze and some beautiful park land.  All with the view of the castle in Castalla.
Onil

Park

A door
We loved the stop in Onil.  It was very special.  Especially as we arrived on Sunday afternoon and it was packed with families playing and barbecuing and I had a good play with them.  By 10 pm it was deserted and there was only us and the stars and the view of the castle.
After a morning getting lost in the maze we drove to Biar where there exists the best sweet shop in the world.  Heretet de Solar.  I can't tell you about their turrones.  Daddy says he will bring us back here.  Mama spent my inheritance in there and then ate it all in an evening.  Oh and a castle.
Beautiful Biar

Castle number 4 Biar

A Snow Well

Castle at night
Then to Ibi in the rain.  Castle there too but fortunately it was raining too hard for them to make me climb it.  Fabulous toy museum there though.  Inside an old toy factory.
Toys
It was beautiful in there and no one in it apart from us.
An Orange picker toy
And our final stop in Alcoy.  A strange town on a bend in the river.  It reminded Daddy of Burnley.  It was an old mill town and even had run down terraced houses.  And it rained.
Alcoy
It had a brilliant fire museum and we spent hours in there.  It ws the best.
Daddy eyeing up a future camper van
It also had some moderniste architecture but no so great as their viaduct.
The last ten days have been fast and furious and I am tired.  I have a cold but I have discovered that I love museums and views and castles and Spain.  And faggots.

Monday 14 November 2016

Terrific Tarragona, El Masroig, Valderrobres and Morella

View from our Van
So Mama said she wanted to see the sea.  So daddy drove us to Tarragona.  We found a car park near the beach and parked up for the night.  We thought it was beautiful.  We walked into town and found the most wonderful Modern Art Museum.  They had a a great children's section and I really liked this one which was made from all different types of bottle tops.  Mama said we could make the same but I don't think it would look as good with all red Estrella caps.
Modern Art
We really liked this one.  A black Madonna.  I thought Daddy might break into song.
Daddy's black Madonna
I chose this as my favourite.
My favourite
And Mama chose this other one.  She said that she surprised herself.
Mama's favourite.
There was a Miro in there and Mama said she really liked Miro.  I liked him too when I found out his daughter was hit by train.  Mama said that as I was so interested, I could write a thesis on artists and their familial disasters with transportation.
Big fancy cathedral
We got to see a wonderful sunset on the way back to van
View of the town
and a great view of the port and the cranes and the tankers.  Daddy said he thought it was special because you couldn't get to the beach and that kept it a proper working town.  Mama said how ridiculous and why didn't they put a foot bridge over the railway line and some lovely fish restaurants on the beach.
A bridge
Then we drove to El Masroig where we bought some wine and spent the night and then onto Valderrobres which we all thought was very special.  High in the middle of nowhere with a river and a castle and winding hilltop town.
Valderrobres
It was like a film set which no one had noticed.
The placa


A bike
Some of the town had been done up but some of it hadn't been touched for years.
The castillo

Old bits like my parents
And there were cats.  Loads of them.  They liked me.  I tried to smuggle one back.
Cats cats big as bleeding rats
Then onto Morella which was very spectacular with aqueducts and castles.  

Aqueduct

Sheep

Castle gates


Another castle

Look behind you

Someone to wrestle

King of the


Not another view

An arrow hole


View from our van
And now we are back at the sea.  Peniscola.  Why's it called that?

The playa
And I am back to doing the laundry in my hat.
Madre Mia