N 36.824169 W 2.443800 - ALMERIA - FREE

Nice though it was we left San José, we needed waste emptying and water refill . We were heading for Almeria and I found a Repsol garage that had a Euro-Relais borne ( a little post thingy that for a 2€ token, called a jeton you can have either electricity or drinking water, you don't normally need to pay for emptying the toilet casette or for water to flush the cassette with nor for emptying the waste water). We got to the garage and found the borne, emptied the toilet and our waste and then found that our remaining jeton had different grooves and wouldn't go in the slot despite being a Euro-Relais jeton! I bought a couple more from the fuel station and managed to get one into the machine but lo and behold - NO WATER. Fortunately, we still had 50 litres of water on board.

I didn't think it worth complaining to the garage as I didn't think that they maintained them. In hindsight maybe I should have done!

Whilst there a guy got out from a car and walked behind a little maintenance building. I wondered where he was disappearing to but shortly after he came back out and then went back with his prayer mat and pulling his long robe over him . Of course, I realised then that he was a Moslem man looking for somewhere discreet to pray. After he came back it was his wife's turn.

We headed off to Almeria, found ourselves another Repsol garage for fuel and LPG and on to our destination which was a car park at the Auditorio Maestro Padilla. Parking for motorhomes is allowed but what we did see, that could well end up stopping it, was people with chairs and tables out and washing on the bike rack at the back. For those of you who are not motorhomers, this is considered camping behaviour and when parking in places like this, you are not allowed to have anything sticking out that could impede other road users i.e. side windows open, tables and chairs etc. Even one of the trees had been 'yarn bombed' (total waste of money in my view) but It may not have been the camper owners who'd done that.

We're parked not far from the sea front so a walk will be in order tomorrow.

Being short of water we figured we should buy a couple of those big bottles with handles and so set off to find our favourite supermarket - Mercadona. Found it on Google maps, took note of the two street names and set off. Couldn't find the first street but we followed our noses past blocks of apartments, each block with it's own security entrance and guard. Either the people there have pots of money or it's a dodgy area! Mercadona was duly found and a lot quicker than we thought.

Shopping done, we made our way back to the tin can for a peaceful evening - a bit of knitting for me - I've only undone my cardigan four times since I started but so far I'm happy with it now. Why I can't just buy a pattern and follow it I just don't know. I guess I like the challenge of trying to do something different!

Dinner of some kind of steak and salad, people watching for a while and Triominoes.

Mike was a bit concerned about a camper a bit further up the car park, hazard lights going all the time but no alarm. He thought perhaps someone in the van had accidentally knocked the switch. In the end he thought he be a good samaritan and tell them even though it was a bit late in the evening. He came back chuckling to himself. There were workmen with a 'cherrypicker' working on a lamppost and their revolving hazard light was reflecting off one of the headlights of the camper. Good job he didn't get as far as knocking on the door!