Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat - 27/28/29//30th Dec.
We came back to the Winnebago after a memorable week at Mano and Ann's.
On Wednesday we serviced the Winnebago inside and out and settled into the
routine of life on the site.Thursday was spent updating the blog-page and sending
e-mail's to let all our friends know what was happening to us and wishing them all
xmas greatings . On Friday it was hot and sunny so we went out on the scooter to
Estepona to get to know the road's,on the way back we stopped at the Laguna
Village which has just opened and has the best shops restaurant's and beach cluub
in Estepona.Brenda found her outfit for new years eve in a new shop called Coco Beach and we then went into the Trader Vic's Mai Tai bar for the happy hour!!
Saturday was another beautiful day so went to Estepona again and did some
shopping and had a spot of lunch in the square then went up to Manilva to see
Mano and Ann.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
MANILVA
Tues 26th Dec.Boxing Day
The day after the night before! We all rose late to a beautiful sunny day in Manilva.
Some cold Turkey and stuffing was called for to start off another roam around the
various bars in town during which we met up with Juan Carlos and played pool in
a very lively bar.We ended up in down - town Manilva in the Blue Bar to finish off
another great day.!
The day after the night before! We all rose late to a beautiful sunny day in Manilva.
Some cold Turkey and stuffing was called for to start off another roam around the
various bars in town during which we met up with Juan Carlos and played pool in
a very lively bar.We ended up in down - town Manilva in the Blue Bar to finish off
another great day.!
Friday, December 29, 2006
MANILVA
Mon 25th Dec Xmas Day
The day started with a bottle of Moet/Chandon Pink with stawberries and the
sun out! Just the thing after the night before.We had on xmas eve been out
to the local butcher's to collect the turkey,and went to the farmer's market to
buy large potatoes,baby carrot's,parsnips,leeks sprouts. I was in charge of the
cooking ( with the help of my commis Brenda ! ) whilst Mano prepared the
Spanish starters of smoked meats,chorizo,goats cheese/honey,and fresh
asparagus.The lunch ended up as dinner ! With the turkey we served,chesnut
stuffing,chipolatas and proper gravy,the sprouts with smoked bacon,the leeks
with cheese sauce and roast potatoes in duck fat from Lucon ! Fresh garden
peas and traditional sage and onion stuffing finished off the banquet !!
Afterwards we sat down to watch Eastenders,Emmerdale and Corrie-
Street-some one dozed off.
The day started with a bottle of Moet/Chandon Pink with stawberries and the
sun out! Just the thing after the night before.We had on xmas eve been out
to the local butcher's to collect the turkey,and went to the farmer's market to
buy large potatoes,baby carrot's,parsnips,leeks sprouts. I was in charge of the
cooking ( with the help of my commis Brenda ! ) whilst Mano prepared the
Spanish starters of smoked meats,chorizo,goats cheese/honey,and fresh
asparagus.The lunch ended up as dinner ! With the turkey we served,chesnut
stuffing,chipolatas and proper gravy,the sprouts with smoked bacon,the leeks
with cheese sauce and roast potatoes in duck fat from Lucon ! Fresh garden
peas and traditional sage and onion stuffing finished off the banquet !!
Afterwards we sat down to watch Eastenders,Emmerdale and Corrie-
Street-some one dozed off.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
MANILVA
Sun 24th Dec -Xmas Eve
We were invited to join the family for their traditional Xmas dinner which was
held in the home of Juan Carlos (Ann and Mano's son and his wife Anna) who
have a baby named Fabio, they have an enormous apartment on two floors and
Anna's brother lives upstairs in another apartment , the inlaws house backs onto
it but stretches through to another street. These houses are amazing, so much
space and a garage underneath large enough to open a supermarket, but is
stored with cars and Anna's brother has a boat and a rifle range in it.
We have spent some pleasant evenings with them already.
Both Mother-In-Laws plus wife's of the sons have been preparing all day for this
wonderful family gathering (16x in all) we all had presents fortunately we were
warned that we were included, so we were able to produce something,
apparantly they put names into a hat and produce a present for each one.
After a truly remarkable dinner we finished off with licqueurs.
Midnight Mass had been cancelled for some reason and held at 8pm but
the previous evening we went to Conceierto De Navidad Banda Y Coro
Municipales De Musica De Manilva which was wonderful and only a stones
throw from their home in the local church..
We were invited to join the family for their traditional Xmas dinner which was
held in the home of Juan Carlos (Ann and Mano's son and his wife Anna) who
have a baby named Fabio, they have an enormous apartment on two floors and
Anna's brother lives upstairs in another apartment , the inlaws house backs onto
it but stretches through to another street. These houses are amazing, so much
space and a garage underneath large enough to open a supermarket, but is
stored with cars and Anna's brother has a boat and a rifle range in it.
We have spent some pleasant evenings with them already.
Both Mother-In-Laws plus wife's of the sons have been preparing all day for this
wonderful family gathering (16x in all) we all had presents fortunately we were
warned that we were included, so we were able to produce something,
apparantly they put names into a hat and produce a present for each one.
After a truly remarkable dinner we finished off with licqueurs.
Midnight Mass had been cancelled for some reason and held at 8pm but
the previous evening we went to Conceierto De Navidad Banda Y Coro
Municipales De Musica De Manilva which was wonderful and only a stones
throw from their home in the local church..
MANILVA
Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat 20/21/22/23 Dec
In the morning Mano came and picked us up and we stayed with them
at their house over xmas.We went out to all the old haunts in up-town
Manilva for Tapas and the daily lunch menu's in this very old typically
Spanish village where everybody knows everyone! We went to shop
in Estepona where Malcolm acquired his winter wardrobe !! then we
went to Algeciras just past Gibraltar where Brenda found some bargains
in the shopping mall as well as doing the xmas shopping in the largest
hyper-market.
In the morning Mano came and picked us up and we stayed with them
at their house over xmas.We went out to all the old haunts in up-town
Manilva for Tapas and the daily lunch menu's in this very old typically
Spanish village where everybody knows everyone! We went to shop
in Estepona where Malcolm acquired his winter wardrobe !! then we
went to Algeciras just past Gibraltar where Brenda found some bargains
in the shopping mall as well as doing the xmas shopping in the largest
hyper-market.
ESTEPONA
Tues 19th Dec
We settled on to the site in the prime spot overlooking the entrance and
reception and then cleaned the Winnebago inside and out and with the help
of Mano and his friend Juan plumbed in the Winnebago after a visit to the
local plumber's shop.The site is close to the main road's and not far from
Estepona and has on site,laundry,showers,toilets,shop,bar and restaurant.
and a indoor swimming pool ,due to open in January. We popped out for
a spot of dinner across the road and ended up in one of the best restaurant's
in town-Playa Bella !
We settled on to the site in the prime spot overlooking the entrance and
reception and then cleaned the Winnebago inside and out and with the help
of Mano and his friend Juan plumbed in the Winnebago after a visit to the
local plumber's shop.The site is close to the main road's and not far from
Estepona and has on site,laundry,showers,toilets,shop,bar and restaurant.
and a indoor swimming pool ,due to open in January. We popped out for
a spot of dinner across the road and ended up in one of the best restaurant's
in town-Playa Bella !
ESTEPONA
Mon 18th Dec
After a quick repair job with the help of some friendly Spanish trucker's
on the broken gas adaptor we set off to Manilva past Cordoba and down
to Malaga ,all the time keeping in touch with Mano and Ann on the mobiles.
As we arrived in Manilva we could not find anywhere to stop so we had to
go up and down the bypass untill Mano got to us and we went up the hill
to his house.The site we wanted to stop at was closed so with some luck
and help from Mano we found the site at Estepona that we are now hooked
up to for the next few months.!
After a quick repair job with the help of some friendly Spanish trucker's
on the broken gas adaptor we set off to Manilva past Cordoba and down
to Malaga ,all the time keeping in touch with Mano and Ann on the mobiles.
As we arrived in Manilva we could not find anywhere to stop so we had to
go up and down the bypass untill Mano got to us and we went up the hill
to his house.The site we wanted to stop at was closed so with some luck
and help from Mano we found the site at Estepona that we are now hooked
up to for the next few months.!
MADRID ( BARAJAS )
Sun 17th Dec
We planned an early start as we had to go to a special garage to
fill up with LPG .We had done a recce 2 days before after one of
Refael's son's found it on the internet. It was in the heart of the
city and very hard to get into. We then said our goodby's to Rafael
and Jill. The road to Cordoba was long and straight so we decided
to stop for lunch at Valdepenas which is in the heart of famous
wine country and had a beautiful meal with a drop of Albali Reserve,
then drove on towards Cordoba and decided to stop at a decent
looking Repsol truck stop / Autogrill, where we discovered we had
developed a gas leak and lost nearly half a tank of our precious gas.
We planned an early start as we had to go to a special garage to
fill up with LPG .We had done a recce 2 days before after one of
Refael's son's found it on the internet. It was in the heart of the
city and very hard to get into. We then said our goodby's to Rafael
and Jill. The road to Cordoba was long and straight so we decided
to stop for lunch at Valdepenas which is in the heart of famous
wine country and had a beautiful meal with a drop of Albali Reserve,
then drove on towards Cordoba and decided to stop at a decent
looking Repsol truck stop / Autogrill, where we discovered we had
developed a gas leak and lost nearly half a tank of our precious gas.
MADRID ( BARAJAS )
Sat 16th Dec
Saturday was a on-site day to clean and prepare to move on to
southern Spain. The site was very small and we only an inch on
either side to position the Winnebago on the spot to empty the
black and grey. We then planned our route to Estepona via
Cordoba and down to Malaga with the use of the sat-nav and
Brenda with her special maps ! Rafael and Jill where attending
a family wedding so we arranged to say goodbye on Sunday.
Saturday was a on-site day to clean and prepare to move on to
southern Spain. The site was very small and we only an inch on
either side to position the Winnebago on the spot to empty the
black and grey. We then planned our route to Estepona via
Cordoba and down to Malaga with the use of the sat-nav and
Brenda with her special maps ! Rafael and Jill where attending
a family wedding so we arranged to say goodbye on Sunday.
EL ESCORIAL
Fri 15th Dec
Rafael and Jill took us for a drive to El Escorial which is 50kms to the north of Madrid
at the edge of the high mountains.It is famous for the Monastry which dominates the
small town.It is the old seat of the Spanish Kings who are buried there ,past and present.
The beautiful town of cobbled streets leads to the heart of this historic building with it's
magnificent gardens overlooking the view to Madrid.Not far away is the burial site of
Franco.We had tortilla in the town for lunch and picked up spit roasted chicken for dinner!
Rafael and Jill took us for a drive to El Escorial which is 50kms to the north of Madrid
at the edge of the high mountains.It is famous for the Monastry which dominates the
small town.It is the old seat of the Spanish Kings who are buried there ,past and present.
The beautiful town of cobbled streets leads to the heart of this historic building with it's
magnificent gardens overlooking the view to Madrid.Not far away is the burial site of
Franco.We had tortilla in the town for lunch and picked up spit roasted chicken for dinner!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
TOLEDO
Thur 14th Dec
Today we visited the World Heritage City of Toledo with
Rafael and Jill, the first wonder was the Alcazar which is a
four sided building guarding the city entrance presiding over
the Rio Tajo, we then went to the Cathedral Primada which is
mind blowing and includes many works of art from artists such
as El Greco, Van Dyke,Trisan and Goya.There are over 25
historical buildings in Toledo. We then saw the Synagogues
and Mudejar Towers and had lunch in the Jewish part of town,
and then walked through the narrow cobbled streets which were
full of exquisite shops displaying the various Toledo work.
In the evening we had dinner in a restaurant in Las Rosas.
Today we visited the World Heritage City of Toledo with
Rafael and Jill, the first wonder was the Alcazar which is a
four sided building guarding the city entrance presiding over
the Rio Tajo, we then went to the Cathedral Primada which is
mind blowing and includes many works of art from artists such
as El Greco, Van Dyke,Trisan and Goya.There are over 25
historical buildings in Toledo. We then saw the Synagogues
and Mudejar Towers and had lunch in the Jewish part of town,
and then walked through the narrow cobbled streets which were
full of exquisite shops displaying the various Toledo work.
In the evening we had dinner in a restaurant in Las Rosas.
MADRID
Wed 13th Dec
We had a fantastic tour of the City with Rafael and have taken
some brilliant videos with the camcorder with Rafael 's voice in
the background giving a running commentary ,he showed us where
he was born and hotels he has worked in,we saw the Prado Museaum.
Queen Sofia Museaum .National Library,the Ritz Hotel and the very
famous Bernabeu Stadium (Rael Madrid) which we were amazed to
see in the heart of the city but the highlight of all was to be driven up
and down the magnificent Paseo de la Castellana (10 lanes of trafffic)
it must be one of the most beautiful Cities and to see it at this time
of the year with all the Christmas Lights which you wouldn't believe,
will remain in our memories for a long long time.We were then taken
to the oldest part of the City to Plaza Mayor Square where the
Xmas Market is held and had tapas in various places.
After a thrilling day he then took us back to his home to yet another
evening meal with the family.
We had a fantastic tour of the City with Rafael and have taken
some brilliant videos with the camcorder with Rafael 's voice in
the background giving a running commentary ,he showed us where
he was born and hotels he has worked in,we saw the Prado Museaum.
Queen Sofia Museaum .National Library,the Ritz Hotel and the very
famous Bernabeu Stadium (Rael Madrid) which we were amazed to
see in the heart of the city but the highlight of all was to be driven up
and down the magnificent Paseo de la Castellana (10 lanes of trafffic)
it must be one of the most beautiful Cities and to see it at this time
of the year with all the Christmas Lights which you wouldn't believe,
will remain in our memories for a long long time.We were then taken
to the oldest part of the City to Plaza Mayor Square where the
Xmas Market is held and had tapas in various places.
After a thrilling day he then took us back to his home to yet another
evening meal with the family.
MADRID
Tues 12th Dec
The following morning after a breakfast of English bacon and Heinz
beans which Roy and Lillian donated to us, we set off for Madrid, with
the help of Sat. Nav. and Guia Camsa Book, which is brilliant, it shows
all the junctions and petrol stations on route and with Rafael on his
mobile phone we headed down the A1. We had arranged to meet up
at a Repsol Auto Grill about 15 km before Madrid, after our meeting
and a coffee he guided us around the M40/M30 ringroads around the
centre of Madrid to a camp site he had found for us (one of the few
that were open )After checking in he then took us to his home which
is on the other side of Madrid in Las Rosas where his wife Jill had
prepared a late lunch , we also met two of his three sons, the youngest
one Victor who is 22 yrs old ,joined us for a very relaxed and enjoyable
meal. What a wonderful welcome we had, later in the evening Rafael
drove us back to the Winnebago and arranged to pick us up the
following morning to show us the sights in the city.
The following morning after a breakfast of English bacon and Heinz
beans which Roy and Lillian donated to us, we set off for Madrid, with
the help of Sat. Nav. and Guia Camsa Book, which is brilliant, it shows
all the junctions and petrol stations on route and with Rafael on his
mobile phone we headed down the A1. We had arranged to meet up
at a Repsol Auto Grill about 15 km before Madrid, after our meeting
and a coffee he guided us around the M40/M30 ringroads around the
centre of Madrid to a camp site he had found for us (one of the few
that were open )After checking in he then took us to his home which
is on the other side of Madrid in Las Rosas where his wife Jill had
prepared a late lunch , we also met two of his three sons, the youngest
one Victor who is 22 yrs old ,joined us for a very relaxed and enjoyable
meal. What a wonderful welcome we had, later in the evening Rafael
drove us back to the Winnebago and arranged to pick us up the
following morning to show us the sights in the city.
ESTEPONA
Wed 27th Dec
We have settled in Estepona and are planning to spend 2/3 months here.Our address is:
CAMPING PARQUE TROPICAL
CTRA.N430 KM 162
29680 ESTEPONA
MALAGA
ESPANA
An update of our mobile phones is listed below:
Malcolm Mobile -07895155998 ( back in use next year ! )
Brenda Mobile -07717746107.
French Mobile -0665365471.
Spanish Mobile -0034 628529975.
We have settled in Estepona and are planning to spend 2/3 months here.Our address is:
CAMPING PARQUE TROPICAL
CTRA.N430 KM 162
29680 ESTEPONA
MALAGA
ESPANA
An update of our mobile phones is listed below:
Malcolm Mobile -07895155998 ( back in use next year ! )
Brenda Mobile -07717746107.
French Mobile -0665365471.
Spanish Mobile -0034 628529975.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
BURGOS
Mon 11th Dec
During the weekend we planned our next move to Madrid to see my friend Rafael
who I worked with in Liverpool in1965/66 and had not seen since but had kept in
touch with by xmas cards! We set off past San Sebastian and took the road up
and over the snow capped mountains on a beautiful sunny day.This was the first
time for the Winnebago going up 1/6 moutains and she performed very well !!
As the road opened up we made good time and soon passed Burgos and stopped
for lunch where we met a English trucker taking 3 Bentley convertable's to Marbella.
For the night we pulled up on a truckers stop and then another mobile home came
alongside us for company.It turned out to be an Welch couple from North Wales on
their way to Benidorm.We then spent the evening catching up with all the gossip.!!
During the weekend we planned our next move to Madrid to see my friend Rafael
who I worked with in Liverpool in1965/66 and had not seen since but had kept in
touch with by xmas cards! We set off past San Sebastian and took the road up
and over the snow capped mountains on a beautiful sunny day.This was the first
time for the Winnebago going up 1/6 moutains and she performed very well !!
As the road opened up we made good time and soon passed Burgos and stopped
for lunch where we met a English trucker taking 3 Bentley convertable's to Marbella.
For the night we pulled up on a truckers stop and then another mobile home came
alongside us for company.It turned out to be an Welch couple from North Wales on
their way to Benidorm.We then spent the evening catching up with all the gossip.!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)