The Adventures of Melvyn and Lesley
Having retired we are busy pursuing the things we enjoy
On the ferry. Very quick and easy and no problems after the recent Greek strike. They didn’t bother about the length of the car or the height so that was good. In fact, because we are too big for the car bay they have put us in front of all the lorries and it looks like we could be first off.
It’s lovely to have a cabin and a window, wifi in the room and our own shower facilities – we didn’t have that when we stayed in the motorhome!
Everything set up in the motorhome now so we’re ready to visit the slopes. We’ve had conflicting reports about snow conditions and we’re eager to find out for ourselves. Sometimes the first day can seem to present unnecessary challenges, putting on boots takes longer than usual, forgetting an essential item or feeling rushed. Today seemed to go well, except for how uncomfortable my ski boots were, and they were on the loosest settings, it took a few runs to sort out the settings and then I was able to enjoy pain-free skiing.
We stopped at the Chalet le Fôret otherwise know as the Cavern for a coffee, one of the cheapest on the slopes and a chance to access some wifi. Snow conditions seemed good but the weather was very warm, hot even and in the afternoon there was a hint of wet snow, but nothing serious. We skied from Arc 1600 over to Vallendry and then up the Transarc into Arc 2000. We came back via the pool where skiers try and skim across the top of the swimming pool, unfortunately, it was covered and there was no action to watch.
We covered most of the main areas and the snow conditions were good. The forecast for the next few day is mixed and so more snow may be laid on the mountains.
We have stopped here a few times, only €9 and that includes electricity. On the land opposite us there was a full blown circus with lions and all the rest of it. A good place to stop, near the motorway and a large supermarket and eateries nearby.
We have been very lucky with travel conditions over the whole journey, they have been perfect so far. In fact, as we were about to find out, they were good until we got near to our final destination.
We tried a new stop over in Peñiscola, La Volta Peñiscola Stop and Go. €7 per night including wifi. Good showers and perfect for a 1 night stop over. It was very busy, in fact, there was a sign saying it was full, but Lesley charmed the Manager into allowing us to stop on a pitch with no electric. We would definitely use it again, but next time perhaps it would be better to book in advance.
Well, of course, I have heard that you should never believe what you read in the press, but now I have experienced it for the first time.
After a good day of windsurfing I was about to pack away and noticed John Dixon and a few others looking through binoculars in a worried way. Welsh Alan was out in rough and windy weather and they were very concerned, to the point where John decided to go and get his boat (on his pitch) to rescue him. Alan wasn’t making any attempt to try and sail; he was about a mile and a half out with an off-shore wind, about force 6 and rising. It was going to take a while for John to get his boat onto the water, never mind go to his rescue so I told the other I would sail out to him, make sure he was alright and let him know that John was on his way.
It was a difficult sail, my sail was too big by now and I needed to sail directly to him (on a run) or there was a chance I would loose where he was. When I got there, poor old Alan was sat on his board in a very sorry way. Completely exhausted, and as we were to find out later, suffering from hypothermia. I sat with him and tried to reassure him that John would be on his way and that it would all be OK. The problem was that it was going to take a long time and the wind and waves were increasing all the time. From where we were, we could see what was going on on the beach, but by all accounts they were watching through the binoculars and trying to give John directions using mobile phones. It wasn’t working very well, and, I don’t think the people on the beach realised how difficult it was to see. We eventually caught sight of John, but unfortunately, he could see us. No amount of shouting and waving was able to attract his attention. We watched as John made a rigorous and thorough search, but unfortunately of the wrong area. After John passed us for the third time I decided to sail after him. I had been reluctant to leave Alan on his own in such a state but decided the best thing was to go after John. I was able to let him know where he was and make sure they were going to be able to get back safely. Now I had to sail back myself. It was an interesting ride in strong off-shore wind and big waves. It took a few tacks but I got back to the growing group of concerned on-lookers. Not long after John brought Alan and his kit back safely. By now the Police, Ambulance and a doctor had arrived. Alan refused to go to hospital but the doctor did check him over and gave him advice about his hypothermia. A few days later a friend brought me the paper clipping from the local English press. I’ve no idea where the got the story from, and they seem to have made up most of the facts.
A few days later, Barbara, Alans wife came round to thank me and brought me a large box of Roses chocolates.
It has been a while, but today, at last, we had proper windsurfing wind. Mostly used my 6m sail but for a while I was on my 5m, that means conditions were pretty good. Not many on the water at this time of year, but I had good fun with Chris. I have no chance of keeping up with him, he probably weighs 30 – 40kg more than me and was on an 8m sail and big board. Very enjoyable though.
This is a great race and attracts lots (2000 last year) of runners, many in fancy dress. Lesley and I ran it for the first time last year and we both came second in our age categories. The course is advertised as 5.2km, all I can say is that it’s over 5K and it depends on where you start, how much over.
We were both blocked by fun runners at the start but we managed to finish on the podium again for the second year running. (Pun intended).
We had to go to Cartegena to collect our race numbers (Dorsals) and so on a lovely day what better excuse to visit this beautiful city for a wander round and to sample some food and drink.
There are plenty of interesting things to see, but to make a good photograph sometimes takes a bit of effort and/or luck. El Zulo here is a case in point. El Zulo, a sculpture in bronze, by Victor Ochoa. It’s situated on the esplanade. The statue is almost 16ft tall and weighs 2 tonnes.As such an imposing sight, it is usually surrounded by sightseers and today was no exception. It was also surrounded by candles and posters (making some protest, I didn’t read them). However with a bit of patience and some magic fairy dust from Lightroom, the finished picture is clear.El Zulo is We focused on the harbour area, where you can sometimes see the cruise ships in the dock but today there were only the usual sailing and fishing boats. The weather was very pleasant with warm sunshine and it was a pleasure to walking around the harbour and taking photographs.
As such an imposing sight, it is usually surrounded by sightseers and today was no exception. It was also surrounded by candles and posters (making some protest, I didn’t read them). However with a bit of patience and some magic fairy dust from Lightroom, the finished picture is clear. We focused on the harbour area, where you can sometimes see the cruise ships in the dock but today there were only the usual sailing and fishing boats. The weather was very pleasant with warm sunshine and it was a pleasure to walking around the harbour and taking photographs.
It can be quite boring to follow someone taking photographs, so Lesley sat and enjoyed the sun while I went off to be “creative”. However, after a bit of creativity, you soon feel the call for nourishment.
With two thick duvets and an oil fired radiator we were warm and cosy and had a good nights sleep, setting us up nicely for the big day ahead. It seems that lots of cooking and preparation were going on in the different apartments and the main house, but I was left to do my own thing. I wanted to get some pictures of us all sat down together enjoying our Christmas lunch. I set up the camera ready for later making sure that everyone at the table was in focus, so like Goldilocks, I tried each of the chairs and took a photo.
The whole day was great, lots of food and drink as you would expect, followed by watching the 1946 film – “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring the one and only James Stewart.
The day was a blur of food, drink, TV and games. Just what a Christmas day should be.
[Heavy bit - sorry. I guess Christmas means different things to different people. It does concern me that many people get sucked into the commercial traps laid by the profiteers, but, for us, Christmas is about people and enjoyment and I don't think these things are mutually exclusive.]
As we did last year, we travelled over to Chris and Gaynor’s in El Escobar with Derek and Anne. We all take some part of the Christmas dinner, which, with careful planning we each cook in our apartments, bringing it all together for our Christmas feast. This works really well, and after rehearsals last year we were confident that there would be no problems. Food for Christmas Eve was a buffet again prepared by all of us. Continue reading “Christmas Eve in El Escobar”