Leaving Almerimar

15th-19th August

We had thoroughly enjoyed our walk round the gardens of the Alhambra. Possibly we had chosen the best time of year: trees and flowers were in full bloom and the water gardens provided a sense of coolness: shaded by the trees, they offered a respite from the blaze of the sun, the sound of running water soothing the senses and reducing the effect of the heat. Certainly, there were lots of people around but never so many that they detracted from the sense of peace that the gardens created.

But we couldn't wait around until seven o'clock, our designated time for the palaces, so finally we agreed, it was time to go. Of course, by then it was too late to go back into the city, to take the opportunity to visit the Arab Quarter, or maybe the Jewish Quarter. It was time to head back to Almerimar. Our main objective in visiting Granada had been the Alhambra and the gardens especially. We had done that. We should have allowed more time... or bought tickets in advance, which we could easily have done had we only known the difficulty of buying them on the day. Maybe we will go back one day...

The drive back took us along the Malaga motorway as far as Motril where we made a left turn and headed back to Almerimar. A new motorway is under construction around the mountains and along the coast. We had thoroughly enjoyed the motorway from Almería to Granada. This new motorway, when it is eventually completed, is going to be spectacular. High viaducts that span deep valleys, mountain stretches that sit on the very edge of the land making one giddy just looking out of the car window to the sea far below. It is breathtaking.

Back in Almerimar, the new alternator had arrived. With luck, we could leave tomorrow. I am always optimistic. It was good to be back, good to get back to Ganymede, good to be 'home'. I planned the shopping, what Tony might like to eat when I couldn't even think of cooking: easy food, convenience food.

Nothing ever goes to plan! Next morning Tony started work on the alternator while I made a couple of trips to Mercadona... after coffee and tostadas, of course. I was unpacking some shopping when Tony broke the news: the drive belts he had, that he thought were the correct size, weren't... so off he went to the chandlery while I made another trip to Mercadona. I was still optimistic: we would leave either today or tomorrow morning. Wrong again! The chandlery didn't stock the belts we needed, it was a holiday weekend, Monday or Tuesday was the earliest we could expect to get them. Hmmm! I so wanted to leave, so wanted to be on our way to the next destination.

At the same time... I was beginning to like Almerimar, beginning to think that maybe I would like to spend the winter here... those mountains really are special, we liked the people we had met and it seemed like a good place to have any necessary work done on Ganymede. I had started with expectations of Almerimar that were wrong, that weren't what Almerimar is about... now I had put down some shallow roots. They were easy to pull up but they could just as easily have taken hold, have provided a pleasant base. Split personality, that's what I have!

We finally left late Tuesday afternoon. It was a close thing: the new belts were a very tight fit and right up until the last minute I thought we wouldn't be leaving, we would have to wait for another set of fan belts but suddenly they were on, the alternator was working as it should, we could go...

Granada

13th-14th August

We left around nine o'clock and drove out of Almerimar to El Ejido and on to the motorway. The usual poly-tunnels and bleak countryside until we got to Almería, round the town and then a left turn onto the motorway that leads to Granada. Up through the mountains we went.

Tony and I enjoy long drives and long drives through mountains are the best. The scenery... I was reminded of spaghetti westerns. Weren't a lot of them shot here? There was always something new to look at: rocks tortured into the most unimaginable shapes, barren slopes and valleys with only an occasional tree or cactus to break the emptiness and very occasionally, a lone house. Yes, I could definitely imagine a lonely cowboy making his way slowly along these canyons, winding up the hills.

Later, I was reminded of our visit to Matmata in Tunisia, to the troglodyte houses, the Star Wars bar, because here the landscape was equally out of this world and here, also, were troglodyte houses. We had seen troglodyte houses in this part of Spain before, when we were driving to Seville. Those first houses had been very lavish with extensive facades to them, all white pillars and arches, the gardens green and verdant, some even with swimming pools. But here the house fronts blended perfectly with the background so that it was easy to miss them. There were no well-watered lawns and as for swimming pools, not a chance!

And then we were back into lonely mountains, now climbing higher and higher, the last stretch of the drive. Here the mountainsides were lush, covered in trees. But we had a problem. The road was steep, the climb long, and our rental car was having serious difficulties making it to the top. Tony was down to second gear and it was a struggle. It was only a two lane road and we were seriously holding up the traffic. Huge lorries, cars pulling caravans, we were being overtaken at every opportunity. This was definitely not a highlight of the drive. We held our breaths, crossed our fingers... and we were had arrived, slowly descending to Granada (although still high in the mountains - Granada is built on a huge plateau high up in the Sierra Nevada.

I had spent hours the previous evening checking hotel reservation sites, looking for the best bargain, the most suitable hotel. In the end I decided it would be better to be out of town and take a bus into the centre. Reading the 'visitor reports' it seemed that the roads in the old town of Granada were as tortuous as some of the rocks we had passed. So I finally decided on a modern hotel with WiFi access 'in every part of the hotel'. It turned out to be an okay hotel, slightly reminiscent of the pictures on the web, and in a residential part of town. But our room had no WiFi available... The staff obviously thought we were crazy (or difficult customers!) but agreed to move us to a room that did have WiFi. Then we discovered that the hotel had no tourist information leaflets... can you imagine, a hotel in a town like Granada that probably survives on tourism... and no brochures! We even had to ask for a town map, they were hidden away at the reception desk. And when we asked about the Alhambra, well, you would have thought we were asking about a visit to the moon. However, we were given excellent information about where to catch a bus into town. It wasn't the best part of town to visit, but it was 'town'.

It was pretty much like any other large Spanish town: a wide boulevard lined by large buildings and a variety of shop windows to look into. We were hungry, it was already two o'clock and we chose the first likely-looking eatery we came to. The food was acceptable, nothing more, but at least the interior was cool. August isn't the best month for sightseeing, especially if, like me, you don't function well when the temperature soars.

We continued on our way, branching off down narrow alleys, all the shops closed now, siesta time was well underway. By chance we came upon the cathedral. It was closed, of course, every door shut, but we walked round it. It was HUGE. An enormous stone edifice, I don't think I have seen a bigger cathedral. Perhaps its size was enhanced by the other buildings, this part of town having seemingly grown around it. Of course, we found a square with restaurants and bars and of course we sat down to enjoy a glass of wine (perhaps not the best choice considering the temperature) and to take time to study the map and decide what we should try to see while we were here. We thought the old Arab Quarter would be the most interesting and so set off in that direction. As we passed the cathedral we noticed that it was now open so in we went. It was strange, considering the external size, this interior, although significant, was much too small... and then the penny dropped. We weren't in the cathedral, we were in a private chapel off the cathedral. So once outside we found the 'real' cathedral, paid the entrance fee (no queues here) and in we went. Apparently the design of the cathedral was based on St Peter's in Rome. It was large, it was cool and it was peaceful. We sat and absorbed the quiet atmosphere.

After the cathedral we didn't do much. It was hot, we abandoned the uphill walk to the Arab Quarter long and in the end we saw a bus stop... and stopped... and waited... and waited... and eventually a bus came along and in no time we were back in the hotel, back in the cool of the air-conditioned room. I looked up details of the Alhambra on the internet and was dismayed to discover that even if we bought tickets online we could expect long queues to get in. So, being me, I decided to put off making a decision, if we had to queue anyway then we may as well buy the tickets when we got there. Bad decision!

Next morning we had booked out of the hotel and were at the Alhambra shortly after ten. It was hot. There were queues, it seemed, a mile long. But there were no notices, nothing to tell you where to go, which queue to get into. We wandered around, looking at the queues, thinking, 'this is madness'. wondering how to get in to the public bit, the bit where you didn't need a ticket. We made no progress and I think, now, that there was a kiosk where you could get a ticket for the gardens only... but you had to join the general queue to get to it. Hmmm. Oh well, we were here, this is what we had come to Granada to see, so we joined a queue that was for the automatic ticket machines, the same ticket machines that was for the use of those people who had bought online, but they had priority. Does this make sense?

We had been standing in the queue, in full sun, for about ten minutes when there was an announcement. Tickets for the morning visit were sold out and there were only 650 tickets left for the afternoon session. We looked at the queues. Well, there didn't seem to be 650 people waiting, maybe 250, maybe less, so we stayed. The queue didn't move particularly fast. In fact, it didn't seem to move at all. After about half an hour there was another announcement.550 tickets left... then 500 tickets... 400 tickets... The queue just didn't seem to be moving enough for that many tickets to have been sold. I was getting a bit irate and assumed that while we were standing there, in the blazing sun, ticket were still being sold on the internet. Certainly, there were a lot of people going to the front of the queue to collect their pre-ordered tickets.

We were finally out of the sun but now there were only 250 tickets left for that afternoon. Obviously there were a lot of people in the queue who would not be getting tickets that day but no effort was being made by the staff to suggest where the end of the successful queue would be. We now realised that we would be borderline and wondered if it was worth waiting. By now I was furious. How dare these people treat visitors like this. If they didn't want to sell tickets on site then surely they should simply stop doing so, not hedge there bets and let people come just in case they had a slow day... Now there were 100 tickets left. It was definitely going to be a close thing but we decided to wait... after all, we had already queued for well over two hours. 50 tickets to go... I made another head count... 25 people ahead of us. But how many in the other queue? And would it move faster than ours? 4 people ahead of us... 2 people... now we were through but there wasn't a machine available... now at a machine, Visa card in... and then nothing. It spit the card out. Tony tried again. Same thing, back comes the card. I saw an attendant, the only one there. Grabbed her... we want a ticket, how does it work. Well, it seems that before you put your card in you have to touch the screen... it was a race to the end... she did it all for us... and we got the last two tickets! Phew... but such a disappointment for the Italian couple who were behind us in the queue... they got to a machine but like us couldn't make it work, not knowing the magic of touch. Others, more knowledgeable, got their tickets.

The next thing we discovered was that your ticket gives you a time when it is possible to visit the most important palaces, there is no choice. Our time slot was at seven o'clock... we would be on our way home by then! Well, it was the gardens I most wanted to see so I could live with that. But nevertheless, it seemed just another indication of the attitude of the management there...'We are one of the most famous, most visited sites in Spain. If you want to visit you will stick by our rules and we really don't care for your comfort.' I was going to write and complain. I was going to write to UNESCO and complain - this is no way to treat people and I felt strongly that UNESCO should re-consider their protection of the site - but of course I did nothing, except let you all know in this blog. And the solution was so simple: to man all available kiosks during the busiest periods (they had two open) and to install a host of automatic machines to add to the six that were already there, for which there was more than ample space.

The gardens are STUNNING. I am not a lover of Islamic or Italian style formal gardens, preferring a riot of colour to the elegance of greenery and manicured beds. Here there was such an intermingling of both it was a joy to experience. Elegant avenues of trees, olive trees, oleander in full bloom, the brilliant, deep cerise of bougainvillaea, water gardens, rose gardens, and everywhere, summer annuals, all in flower. The shade from the trees and the coolness of the water diminished the effect of the hot summer sun. In places an avenue or flight of steps would be edged by a small canal of running, cold water, perfect to trail a hand in, enjoy a moment's freshness. Drinking water fountains were everywhere and most people took advantage of them, filling water bottles for later use. From some of the walkways there were views over the gardens to the palaces of the Alhambra and then in the distance, the Arab Quarter of the city. On the other side the view was of the Sierra Nevada. Magnificent.

Yes, okay, I admit it, it was worth the wait.

Almerimar: Part 2

4th-13th August

We were on our own again, Charlie and Hannah had gone. Time to turn Ganymede into a two-person boat again, get the laundry done, put away the extra sheets and towels. My washing machine is generally very good but there is a problem with the drum which needs balancing. The machine fits so snugly into its designated spot that we are not sure if we can get it out. Obviously we can... but not without a very great deal of effort. As a result I organise laundry loads carefully, never more than one bath towel at a time and always with a full load so getting all those large towels washed took a while.

Ron and Sheenagh were back and we enjoyed several meals together. Ron's work plans had changed and he wouldn't be able to oversee the loading of their yacht onto a cargo boat in southern Italy, at the top of th Messina Straits. (They are moving back to Singapore, shipping the boat there.) Would Tony supervise for him? We weren't planning to head that way although Tony's preferred winter home would be Corfu or Lefkas in the Ionian...

... and I didn't think I wanted to spend the winter in Almerimar. I still thought that Morocco and then Gran Canaria would be a good solution but Tony wasn't keen. Hmmm...

... we like Sicily a lot, it's one of our favourite places...

Okay, we would do it! So Corfu for the winter it is.

Over the next couple of weeks we settled into Almerimar, settled into the routine, found our favourite bars... and yes, the English bar we visited on the first day was one of them. There was another, just a bit further along the street, that made the best coffee and tostadas. I am afraid I got into the tostada for breakfast habit, never missed a day! Tony helped Ron on his boat... probably passed a few spanners... and Sheenagh and I caught up with lots of chatting. No longer did I look out and see a mass of polythene. Now I saw the mountains. Beautiful mountains, majestic, spectacular. I was beginning to like Almerimar. Now that we weren't staying!!!

The alternator was proving problematic. First they had to order spare parts, then they couldn't get them, it being August. Time was moving on. Finally, we decided to get a new one. Ouch!!! We just happened to have one of the most expensive brands of alternator you can buy and Tony didn't want to replace it with a different, cheaper make. Ron and Sheenagh were almost ready to leave. The new alternator wouldn't arrive for several days... we decided to make a trip to Granada.

So that's what we did. We could have taken a coach trip from Almerimar but we decided to rent a car, stay overnight, and also visit Corboda if time permitted.

Almerimar: First Impressions

Part 1: 29th July - 3rd August

I was so looking forward to Almerimar, sure we would like it, sure that this would become our home for the winter.

First we had to tie up on the waiting quay, go to the office and make all the necessary paperwork before moving once again to our assigned berth. Bit of a nuisance that, twice the work. Usually we go straight to the assigned berth and then to the office for the paperwork.

Charlie decided to take Ganymede into the berth. I held my breath. I bit my tongue. I was very, very nervous. And surprised. He had never offered before. All was going well, turning and straightening up before reversing into the space was a bit tight but he got there. And then lost it slightly and was heading right on to the mooring line of the next boat. Panic on my part, of course!, but Charlie kept his cool, got it right and then reversed perfectly into the slot. We were there. We weren't moving for at least a week.

It was time for coffee. It had been a long night.

Almerimar is an artificial town, built around a marina and solely for the tourist industry. There are many like it, some work well, others don't. The buildings are the standard 'Spanish-style' low apartment blocks, most of those on the front having shop or restaurant units on the ground floor. Yachts are tied up to the quays, all very pretty. Our berth wasn't on one of the town quays. Instead, we had a less public, quieter berth on a more secure pontoon. Well, it had a gate and we had a key... but the gate was never locked so I'm not sure about the security.

So, coffee. We stopped at the first bar and ordered. Did we want small cups or mugs? Uhhh? Well, mugs... (café con leche? mugs?). The coffee was good, we slowly unwound and then we realised: this was an English bar, the owners were English, the customers were English. We continued on our way, past a Tabac, more bars and restaurants, a large square with... bars and restaurants. But it was all very quiet, there were very few people around, and this was the main tourist season. We stopped for a tapas lunch, walked around some more and then headed back to Ganymede.

We went to the beach later, retracing our steps of the morning and then continuing along, past more restaurants, some chandleries, closed shops, empty units, on through a small park... and there were all the people: on the beach, sunning themselves, in the sea, cooling down. Rather incongruously, there was a large group of Spanish women, playing Bingo!

In the evening, when it was cooler, we searched out the supermarket, Mercadona, my favourite. On the way there we passed a large apartment block, quite attractive, but totally empty. Perhaps it had just been completed? Anyway, Mercadona was close, that was good.

And so our days passed in getting to know our way around, enjoying being in marina-mode, and getting things fixed. Charlie and Hannah managed daily trips to the beach, we tended not to bother. One major problem was that we had an alternator that needed to be either fixed or replaced. We easily found an English shop where we could get that done. The alternator was delivered to them, they took it to Almería, and we waited. We also found a workshop specialising in stainless steel work. I had bent a rail way back in May so we decided to take the opportunity of getting it fixed. The man in the workshop was English, of course. Well, in fact, not English, listening to the man's accent. South African? And then, 'I'm Zimbabwean' he suddenly volunteered. I knew I recognised that accent! 'We have a friend with a boat here who is from Zimbabwe' I said, maybe you know her... Sheenagh. Of course, he knew Sheenagh. (I reckon all expatriate Zimbabweans know each other!) In fact, he told us, Ron, her husband was here in Almerimar at the moment, getting the boat ready to leave. I thought we'd missed them! We had planned to meet but then they arrived early and we dallied, waiting for Charlie.

We immediately went round to their berth... at the far side of the marina, near the office... I called, 'Ron, Ron' and out came... Sheenagh. What a lovely surprise. She was there with the boys, getting ready to leave that very day. But there is always time for a coffee and a catch-up chat. And Sheenagh would be back with Ron in a few days time. Fantastic!

Charlie and Hannah had only a few days left. I was feeling depressed, not just because they were going but because... I really did not like Almerimar. It seemed so sad. Here we were in the middle of the tourist season and it was empty. A very few bars seemed to be doing well but Mercadona was always busy, especially the fish counter, a Mercadona speciality I reckon.

Anyway, we had to rent a car for the trip to the airport so we collected it the evening before and took the opportunity to have a drive around, see something of the surrounding countryside. Did I say I was a bit depressed? This was dreadful. Bleak. Acre after acre of poly-tunnels. A sea of plastic. And this, apparently, is where most of the vegetables for the EU are grown, especially the salads. It was like a wilderness. Where there was no plastic there seemed to be only dry soil and a few sad-looking weeds. We drove through the nearest town. Well, I have to admit that when it comes to town planning Spain doesn't really seem to have got it together. The town seemed to be houses and apartment blocks... and cars. There was occasionally a child on a bike, some people on the street, but no town square, no bars, no shops... we obviously managed to miss everything on our drive around.

We headed out to the country, into the heart of poly-tunnel land. I couldn't spend the winter here, I just couldn't. Eventually we found another town that seemed to be more alive, have more going for it but again we couldn't find a bar where we would like to sit and have a drink. It didn't help, of course, that by now it was quite late and all the shops we found were closed. Back in the car, we decided to go to Almería so back into the plastic and then to the motorway from where it was a short drive to Almería. This was better. Almería has oviously been there for a very long time. It has a lovely town centre with streets that wind there way hither and thither but by now it was getting late and we only had time for a short walk, a stop in a tapas bar and it was time to head back to Almerimar.

Next morning saw us up and away quite early. We didn't know what the route would be like. Part of it was motorway but there was a long stretch of coast road, in and out of small seaside towns and we had no idea what the conditions would be like. In fact, it was an easy drive. The road was spectacular in places, even before we got out of the plastic and there was even time to stop for morning coffee and tostadas. Yumm! We made Malaga airport in good time which was just as well as the queue for the flights was almost out the door. Eventually, after almost an hour of queuing Charlie and Hannah were checked in and it was time to part. Off they went into the departure lounge.

And us... well, we headed on back to Almerimar. Of course, we stopped en route for a good lunch... once we found a parking space that is.