Biking & Baking in Las Alpujarras

This is agony!  We have sold the trailer, still trying with the van - and have a last minute hitch on my house here...and that ferry is waiting for us on Tuesday!  I don't know what to do with myself!  However,  our great friends Bob & Vee have come over with ham and salad and homemade cake (coconut & lemon), and the neighbours have given us a bottle of Pinot Noir, so what is  there to complain about!  Bob (who I met at Art School in 1973) is worried that we will never meet again...but Vee assures me that they will be out visiting by October.

We dropped in at the London Road, Lowestoft motorcycle shop and Steve treated me to a new mesh jacket which will be exquisitely cool in southern Spain in the summer!  He's a lovely person, only gives presents when he feels like it, not at Xmas or for birthdays, but that's how it should be.

No fridge now...not much food...temperatures have dipped...last American Idol...have to leave...have to start this new life oin Spain...we may be a little time ...

Steve is back (4 days door to door, 3000 miles), the van and trailer are on Ebay and we have an empty house  to wander through.  No bikes, hardly enough plates and cutlery to live off, a couple of sleeping mats, a TV and 2 armchairs.  But the sun shines (probably warmer than Malaga at the moment) and we are ready to go.  The family are all ready for their holidays in the sun  too - Cam and Jo are running in the Edinburgh marathon tomorrow but will join us in early July - and it is time.  When we get out there, we will indulge ourselves with a ride-out on the VFR and a celebratory foccacia with olives.  Then we will feel as though we have arrived!

Steve has set off on the second trip with the last of the furniture. We still couldn't get everything in – my beautiful terracotta garden pots had to be left behind – and there was a strenuous late night session loading the VFR onto the trailer and strapping it down securely. If anyone sees a red van heading south over the next 2 days with a dark green motorbike up behind, give him a wave and a toot – must be the man.

We saw all sorts of magic in the landscape last time: olive-patterned green and cream hillsides, forests of wind turbines, lightening-flashed Zaragoza and snow in the Pyrennees – and of course the peerless blue of Alpujarran skies. I am desperate to get out there for good and start to fill the balcony, terrace and courtyard with flowers!

Because we are limited to the basics in the kitchen here now, it's almost a case of peasant living – a single bowl and 2 forks! One of my favourite standby's is beef mince, a tin of chopped tomatoes, onions and garlic (sliced fine) and some fresh spaghetti with grated parmesan or grana. Always popular and quick – especially after furniture moving!

Our van and trailer are on Ebay for the next 7-10 days so if you need a GB reg vehicle that's reliable and/or a good bike trailer, I am sure you will track them down.

We set off for Spain on Bank Holiday Monday  afternoon - crazy choice but we were ready, or so we thought...but by then we had a) overloaded the transit and b)struggled in the wind & rain to get the bikes secure on the trailer and c)discovered that the coolant hose was leaking.  24 hours later we had reduced the load ( a second trip coming up) and got the hose fixed, but ended up paying a premium price for the Dover crossing because wwe had not booked.  It's OK if you're a commercial truck to turn up at the last minute but not for domestic travellers!

We more or less went non-stop, taking it in turns to sleep, though Steve did far more driving than me.  We won't use the toll roads (except round San Sebastian area) so had great fun negotiating Tours, Poitiers and Madrid by night.  Thanks goodness for sat nav!  It took 36 hours to reach our house, by which time we were desperate to lie full length in a bed!  But otherwise a quiet trip without any hassle.  And always nice when the formality and superiority of France gives way to the good humour and warm-heartedness of Spain.

We managed 1/2 a day in the sunshine, jumping on the Guzzi for a quick zoom upn to Pitres for coffee and a tostada con queso y jamon y tomate...And I tested out the c90 as well.  Our friend Jesus greeted us with real pleasure and much manly back-slapping with Steve, and I exchanged pecks and pleasantries with 2 ladies from the village, sitting out in the sunshine.  Real Alpujarran sunshine! What a pleasure.

Friday lunchtime saw us back on the road but this time with an unloaded vehicle except for the trailer.  We went back via the scenic route through the Pyrennees, but as it was after midnight and a storm raging, we didn't see much.  There was even some snow at the roadside!  A morning croissant and coffee was sheer nectar after such a strenous night.  It says a lot for our relationship that we can spend almost 5 days cooped up in the cab of a van and not fall out!  A bag of snacks (dried fruit, nuts & digestive biscuits) and a kettle to make fresh tea also helped.

Saturday night saw us arrive at Calais 24 hours early and we got some strange information from the P&O bookiing office which would have meant a 4 hour wait.  Steve decided that we would queue for the next crossing and see what happened -  we got waived straight through and joined the very small numbers of people on board.  By 3am we were home and heading for bed (with most of the furniture gone we were sleeping on the floor on sleeping mats) and delighted that we had managed our 3000 miles without any mishaps or encounters with the gendarmerie.  Now the only problem is that we have it all to do again.

Part 2 coming up next time!

Just got back to UK after a 4.5 day whizz to Andalucia and back...a full blog to follow tomorrow...