SPAIN AGAIN 2022........We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.

The 'legrope' on World travel, is off.... and these 2 slow horses are bolting for the exit! Slow and steady, it will be...with Garry in serious need of a new hip. Returning to our Favorite country SPAIN that just draws us back... to its sundrenched beaches, rugged sierras and hilltop villages (trapped in the passage of the past). A unique personality created by the weaving together of many colourful nations, a true melting pot. Counting amongst their ancestors are Phoenician's, Celts, Greeks, Carthaginian's, Romans, Jews, Visigoth's and Muslims- each culture leaving their own stamp on the Spanish way of life. Returning to the South of Spain and the area of Valencia we are familiar with, is like winning some sort of prize. Having been told after 4 years, we were finally allowed to travel again; No need to think about it- just DO IT and were off. Having not seen our Florida family for the same amount of time, our invite to them to join us was accepted and we will await their arrival with grateful anticipation. The excitement of flying was somewhat clouded by the daunting thought of boarding the monster A380….loaded with over 500 hundred passengers and their overweight luggage, to fly halfway around the world on a 14 hour flight to Dubai, layover for 2 hours, then fly on a further 7 hours to Barcelona. We needn’t have feared ...boarding at 9pm, being fed like Kings, then a lovely long sleep (aided by that little white pill), we arrived in Dubai still feeling ‘tickety boo’. Flying through the night is definitely a bonus. The forward flight made interesting being able to see the terrain below on the clear skies with the assistance of the “camera eye” vision beneath the plane. A perfect cloudless day for flying at 30,000 ft over Istanbul, Greece- popping out over the Tyrrhenian Sea, right across the Italian southern city of Brindisi coastline. Viewing straight down the vent of Mount Vesuvius, over Naples and her port. Across the Islands of Corsica, Ibiza and finally Menorca- with the coastline of Barcelona appearing, landing right on time at 12.40pm. 21 hours of flying with Emirates without so much of a bump in the flying Hotel. Our Spanish friends Pepita and Jesus ( as they promised ) were there waiting for us as we exited Immigration. Our lovely reunion reinvented from the same experience from 4 years previously. It felt like De Ju vie. When we travel, we become invisible- on this mild Autumn morning, enjoying breakfast at a local seaside cafe in Alcossebre , listening to the quiet noise of the ocean- the foreign languages around us becoming simply a background. An hours journey inland by car there is a 16th century Monastery (400 metres above sea level) near the village of Sant Mateu. Today we drove with our Spanish friends, to this idyllic spot, reached by a very steep windy road and surrounded by olive groves and tall conifers, reaching skyward. The church attached to the Monastery is just beautiful, and many diners were arriving for the set menu luncheon of 5 courses, accompanied by local wine as we did...this is now inside what was the original part of the worship area. Large flagstones and sweeping stone walls create an ambience of a spiritual past. 2 hours of dining, and we were replete! Perfect weather and clear blue sky for our road trip inland from the coast.

Planned Dates

2022-11-01 to 2022-12-08

Countries

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