Moncofa - Spain - Day 25 - 31

Monmar Rally in Moncofa

Christmas Day to New Year's Eve

A few years ago our Christmas Day would have  started with a lovely cooked breakfast, then we'd over indulge with a huge traditional Christmas Lunch and then fall asleep while we were pretending to watch the Queen on telly.  But here in Spain our day followed a slightly different pattern!

We still indulged in bacon and eggs, but then on mass the rally participants  trooped off down to the sea shore in the company of Santa to dip our toes in the Med - and off course, silly hats were obligatory!

There's always
one who has to go a
splash further!

Then afterwards in festive spirit it was back to the warden's tent for mulled wine and mince pies, and not long after that we found ourselves settled in for the lengthy tipsy affair of Christmas lunch which wasn't quite as traditional as we've been used to - lots of turkey legs but no breasts!


Next on the agenda after that had been consumed, (along with copious amounts of wine and other little beverages) came the Chinese auction - and what a good game that was!  Everyone had brought  a pressie which had been  exchanged for a raffle ticket.  The person with the first number drawn went and chose a gift from the table and opened it, and then the person with the next number drawn  had the option to steal the first gift or choose their own - and so it went on - but in the end there was an awful lot of 'nicking' of previously revealed presents going on - however, unfortunately there were also a number of 'booby prizes' amongst them, so if you were unlucky enough to get one of those you were stuck with it!  We got Spanish biscuits 😝😝 and a bottle of hazelnut liquor which is just about acceptable if well diluted with coffee!

So after all that excitement Boxing Day proved to be a lazy one where we put our feet up and relaxed in the warm sunshine, but in the afternoon we did rouse ourselves enough to go out for a ride along the seafront.   We only managed about 10 miles but they were very enjoyable ones, especially when we paused for coffee and mince pies while we watched the waves rolling up the beach.

Wednesday required a little more effort!  This was the day where the rally took us off for a bike ride to Segunt and where they planned to partake of lunch at a Chinese restaurant.  The ride there was a little over 12 miles with a very pleasant coffee stop on the way, but when we arrived disappointment loomed large - the time was only 12.30 and the restaurant didn't open till 1.30!  Therefore, we had to find something to do with ourselves or go somewhere else eat - but as there was a very nice pavement cafe just across the road from the beach and almost next door to our chosen feeding station it was really a no brainer - we all just brought a   🍺🍺 and sat and sipped it in the sunshine and the hour passed very quickly!


And that proved to be the right decision because afterwards we all enjoyed one of the very best 3 course Chinese meals we've ever had and all for the princely sum of 10 euros - and that even included another 🍺😀!

Afterwards we wobbled home but that wasn't the end of the day's activities - for our evenings entertainment a walk had been planned into the town of Moncofa to see the historic parade commemorating long ago kings, along with marching bands, traditional Spanish dancing and fireworks.



Thursday was another Tapas day, and as my raspberry cheese cakes had gone down so well the previous week I made them again - but twice as many!  Along with that we produced a very tasty blue cheese chilly with taco shells and I think John was keeping his fingers crossed that there would be some left overs for his tea - but alas NO - every scrap was hoovered up! Then later we indulged in another game of boules with our new pals Bob and Amanda - it was best of 3 and a close thing but we only came second!

Friday was really just a bit of a chore day where we gave T4rdis2 a quick clean and cycled into town to do some of shopping, but in the afternoon we managed to fit in another short ride out over the marshes and paddy fields.  Obviously, at this time of year the rice had all been gathered in but the fields were far from barren - they were a hive of activity with literally hundreds of wading birds hunting for their tea!

On Saturday we plucked up our courage and set off for a longer bike ride up into the mountains that provide a back drop to our present temporary home - and that proved to be quite a tough challenge even with a bit of aid from our batteries - maybe that's because we've been slacking off in the exercise department over the last 10 weeks or so!  In the end we did about 36 miles, much of which ascended without respite for the first half of our ride, but our reward was very pretty views as we sped along through orange and almond groves and as we nipped through the towns of Xilxes, La Vall D'Uixo and Alfondeguilla before stopping off at a picnic site where we were joined by one of our fellow campers Bob.

There we paused, shared our picnic and nattered for a while, and also debated which way we should go home!  Should we go back the same way we'd come or should we continue over a slightly longer route and form a circular ride.  In the end we opted for the former because that would leave the latter challenge for another day - and as usual the lovely views where different as we very quickly descended back to base!  And after that all we did was put our feet up with a cool beer to aid our recovery!

And that brings us around to New Year's Eve with not one but 2 celebrations taking place for us!  One is at Midnight Spanish time and one at Midnight British time, and before that we hope we're going to be treated to a Spanish feast for our evening meal!   Traditionally, since 1895, midnight in Spain is marked by the eating of 12 grapes - one on each bell strike of midnight to welcome in the New Year - I hope nobody chokes! .  Then I'm sure the British New Year will be greeted in our usual fashion by singing  Auld Langs Syne - and I've just looked up the lyrics to ensure I know all the words!  However, that wont  be till 1am here so I think we're in for a late one,  and apparently there are at least 49 of us on the guest list so it looks like being a very lively event - we'll let you know how we get on in our next post!

But for now we'd like to close this blog by wishing all our family, friends and readers a VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR xxx With lots of love to all 😙😙

🍾 🥂🍾 🥂🍾 🥂🍾 🥂🍾 🥂🍾 🥂🍾 🥂🍾 🥂🍾 🥂🍾

Cheers Everyone

Click here to see our Spanish Camping spots

Moncofa - Spain - Day 20 - 24

Wednesday 20th - Sunday 24th December 2017

    

Well, what a busy time we're having relaxing - and because of that this is going to be a quickie!  At the mo we're residing on the Monmar Campsite at Moncofa and taking part in the Caravan and Camping Club Rally there!  And this is definitely something we've never done before, but we really are enjoying ourselves and we've made loads of new chums so it is quite likely to be on our itinerary for future years!

But to start with we want to send greetings that aren't of the Christmas kind -

Sarah and Paul we hope you had a lovely day on your 15th Wedding Anniversary on the 22nd xxx

Then back to our story - on Tuesday we'd been out for a group ride with our fellow campers, and along the way we'd enjoyed a  coffee stop and a picnic at a nature reserve, and then later it had been a natter in the pub!  However, all that hadn't really given us any settling in time so on Wednesday we just meandered into the town, did a bit of shopping and then participated in an easy afternoon basking in the warm sunshine.   


On Thursday it was Tapas day - that is everybody who wants to join in prepares a dish and then all the goodies, along with a large bottle of whatever you wish to drink, are taken to the warden's encampment and shared - and what a feast that was!  I mistakenly thought people would just bring cold nibbles so our contribution was quail and mushroom bites along with a take on one of my signature dishes - raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake!  When we got there, initially the tables looked a bit bare - but then everybody started to arrive loaded down with electric pans and slow cookers filled with fantastic fare which included mussels, prawns, curry, gruyere cheesey potatoes,  and a wonderfully flavoured frittata to name but a few!

And this is only a tiny amount of what eventually landed on the table

Then  a bit later, and after our over indulgence we decided we should participate in a sporting activity to use up some of the excess calories - and this turned out to be a game of boules - but initially we'd really got no idea about the rules.  However, this was soon remedied when George and June took us in hand - they play every day, so with their help it didn't take us long to get the hang of things!




Then on Friday  it was out on our bikes again but this time we headed in the opposite direction to Tuesday's ride and this took us into the town of Burriana, and along the way we found these fellows hanging out in the breeze to dry!  We picnicked on the beach and exploited the  warm sunshine as much as possible before heading of to  explore the town and surrounding marinas.

Saturday - well first we attended the  Rally coffee morning where we were given info about forthcoming festive events, and then we nipped off on our own to the wetlands we'd visited previously, and there we participated in a bit of bird spotting before enjoying a very peaceful and tranquil lunch beside a lake, a hot water spring and an orange grove from where we scrumped fruit for our desert - BLISS😋 !





Then later it was a knees up in the social room with carols, Christmas songs and silly hats - and  a very good time was had by all!

And that brings us around to Sunday - Christmas Eve which we decided would be a gentle restful one in preparation for the adventures of tomorrow. 

We had another little walk into the town to pick up some last bits and bobs that we couldn't possibly do without, and then we lazed about by the van chatting with the neighbours and watching the world go by.  Tonight it's another get together with bottles and nibbles, and then I suppose we all need to be tucked up early so that we don't miss Santa!

So that's all from us for now except to wish all our readers

A Very Very Merry Christmas with lots of lovely surprises and over indulgences!

Take Care and Love to all 😙

    


Click here to see our Spanish camping spots

Roses to Moncofa in Spain - Day 15 - 19.

Friday 15th December 2017

In my last post I told you that we hadn't quite decided on our next destination, but once our maps were out it didn't take us long to settle on the coastal town of Cambrils which Mrs Snoopy reckoned was either 160 or 220 miles away!  That would be the shorter distance if we used the toll roads and avoided the city of Barcelona, or the longer distance if we stuck to our usual habit of not paying!  So on this occasion it was really a no brainer - we've been snarled up in the mad city traffic before and it was very stressful unpleasant experience, and in the end, because it only cost us just over 22 euros, we think we probably just about broke even as we would have used extra fuel to cover the extended miles.

Then once we were off the motorway we only had a couple more miles to go to reach our campsite which is an ACSI one called La Llosa, and which is located only a few minuets walk from the ocean.  Mind you, we had to be very careful while trying to get parked because every pitch is surrounded by old spiky trees whose upper branches protruded into the pitch space and provide the challenge of not piercing your van's sides or rear!  Anyway, with care we managed without mishap, and then once we'd scoffed a late lunch we nipped off into the town to see where we'd landed - and we were really quite suprised!

Is that Cambrils or Cam-i-brils?😁

MerMaid and MerGuy  with a
couple of MerKids in-front!

The magnificent sea front promenade which incorporates a wide pedestrian walkway as well as a dedicated cycle track stretches uninterrupted for 7 and a half miles all the way into the resort of Salou.  However, today we settled for just exploring a couple of miles of it but this allowed us to take in the beautifully manicured gardens, the marina, numerous eateries and quite a few works of art.



However, although there wasn't a cloud in the sky it was cold and windy, and much as we were enjoying the sunshine we were glad to get home for a warm!





Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th December 2017

And yesterday's weather really set the scene for these next couple of days!  The skies have remained cloudless and very blue but there was still a very definite need to layer up for any outdoor actives which were to be cycling on Saturday and walking on Sunday.

Now our bikes haven't seen the light of day for over 8 weeks so we were really only wanting a gentle reintroduction, and the ride along the sea front to Salou provided just that.  Along the way there was plenty to see and all the while the sea was keeping us company along with hundreds of parakeets that regularly screamed from the lofty heights of the palm trees that lined our route.

After about an hour of meandering we reached Salou - and that was really another surprise!  We'd thought it would be a bit like Blackpool sea front, but with it's many fountains, wide walkways and park areas it turned out to much prettier than we'd anticipated.  And as usual on such excursions we paused to sip coffee and picnic several times, and while we were doing that we even got serenaded by a chap who was impersonating James Galway - but our man only had a little penny whistle😂.

Altogether our ride was just over 15 miles - not as far as we usually go but quite far enough after such a long lay off!  Then when we got home we treated ourselves to a chicken korma curry with home made naan breads (which I was quite proud of) and all washed down by a very nice drop of Spanish vino!

And I suppose Sunday was a bit of a repeat - except this time we were on foot and we didn't go quite so far.  We walked about 8 miles in all, and all of that with similar views to yesterday!  However, it would have been impossible for this to be boring - with warming sunshine, Mediterranean ocean views, and good company - what more could we wish for!

Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th December 2017

On Monday we left Cambrils and headed for what is to be our home over the Christmas and New Year period!  This year we've opted to spend 21 nights on a Camping and Caravan Club Rally  site called Monmar which is very near to the town of Moncofa.  Our drive was about 100 miles, but with the aid of good Spanish roads (not toll ones this time) our journey was achieved quite quickly, however before we could head for the site we needed to stock up on Christmas goodies and also refuel both our diesel and LPG (gas) tanks so that hopefully T4rdis2 can have a rest over the holiday period.

The above tasks resulted in us not arriving until about 3ish, but once there we were made very welcome by both the site owners and the Rally Stewards, and as an extra bonus, the site seems to be one of the better ones!  It's beautifully laid out, it's immaculately clean and it's within a stone's throw of the sea, and additionally all our neighbours are English and very friendly.

Now, we've never been to a Rally like this before so we weren't quite sure what to expect, but here it seems very laid back and you can pick and choose what activities you want to join in with, and both the weeks and days events are posted on a board outside the wardens tent.   Anyway, Tuesday's outing was a bike ride with a picnic lunch to a local nature reserve - Marjal i Estany d'Almenara - which only 4 others, us and the wardens participated in so it was an excellent opportunity to start getting to know folk without feeling overwhelmed with new names and faces.

And the outing itself was lovely - just a gentle 16 miles with a coffee stop, a walk around the reed beds for a bit of bird spotting and then lunch in the warm sunshine - PERFECT😀!  Then later, if we choose to, it's cards and nattering in the site bar - I really do think we're going to like it here!

And the icing on the cake - Our Christmas Dinner and New Year's festivities are all booked so no cooking or washing up for us!

Bye for now 😗

Click here to see our Spanish Camping spots

Barcares in France to Roses in Spain - Day 11 - 14

Monday 11th - Thursday 14th December 2017

At the end of my last post I told you that we were very undecided weather to stay for another couple of nights in France or to push on into Spain in the hope that we'd finally find some sunshine!  In the end we compromised and stayed one more night on French soil, but with hindsight that was possibly a bit of a mistake because the bad weather never gave up and the place we chose to pitch wasn't one of our greatest choices.

On Monday we moved about 25 miles further along the French coast from Barcares to the town of Argeles sur Mar and pitched up on another Etapes Aire but this one wasn't either picturesque or near anything interesting - and did I mention the rain!  Luckily, as we hadn't had far to travel we got there about 11ish, and because we knew heavy rain was forecast for the afternoon we hurried ourselves out for a stroll along the sea front promenade. It was pretty enough - but it was lonely!   In the end our walk was about 5 miles there and back to the towns marina, and I think in total we didn't see more than about half a dozen people, so with that and the heavy grey skies hanging above us our outing wasn't really anything to write home about.

Argeles Sea Front

And when we did get home (2ish) the rain poured for the rest of the day and most of the night - loudly🥁🥁🥁.  Therefore, by Tuesday morning we were  more than ready to pack up and move on, and this time we were definitely going over the boarder into Spain.  Once again our journey wasn't a long one, but it was  familiar because we took the same route as  the one we'd undertaken on our previous Spanish jaunt back in November 2015.

Therefore, we knew exactly what to expect for our crossing through the Pyrenees and over the border at Le Perthus on the French side and El Pertus on the Spanish before continuing our journey to the brand new Lidl in the town of Roses.  There we restocked and then rolled another mile or so to the  Joncar Mar campsite (where we'd stayed previously) and pitched up to make it our home for the next 3 nights. 





And really we didn't do much more that day except take a stroll along the lovely sea front of Roses where I met the two guys on the right  left 😂- but they weren't very talkative - one of them just needed a light!






On Wednesday we needed to devote some time to chores!  No washing had been done for the last fortnight and the outside of our precious home was filthy.  So while I set about sorting out our washing mountain John scrubbed and polished T4rdis2 until she shone brightly in the watery sunshine, and by then our smalls were fluttering in the breeze on the washing line! 


Then later, when we'd scoffed cheesy beans on toast for lunch we decided to visit La Ciutadella (Roses Citadel) on the recommendation of an English couple we'd chatted to earlier in the day.  They'd told us that senior's entry was free so we thought we might qualify, but apparently in Spain that doesn't start until your 65 and neither of us are quite there yet!  However, although we wouldn't choose to visit places like this on a regular basis we found our time there quite interesting and well worth the 4 euros they charged us to get in because everything was explained in English and the ruins within it's walls demonstrated history from the Greek, Roman and Medieval eras. 

As we wondered we found archaeologists seeking more relics in what had been Roman and Greek villages at different times.


I found someone hiding within the ancient walls that looked as if they may crash down with a good gust of wind!


We viewed the  XVII century infantry barracks that in their time housed 500 soldiers over 3 floors!






And we found the ruins of St Mary's Church and the Benedictine Monastery from the XI century.  However, this had undergone extensive restoration in the 1960s!

There was also loads more to see and if the weather had been a bit warmer I think our visit may have lasted longer, but after a couple of hours we decided to abandon the relics and seek out something which held more interest for John!  And that was the Wine Palace where a whole aisle was devoted to very special temptations from Scotland!

And that just leaves today (Thursday) for me to tell you about - and what a lovely day it turned out to be!  To start it was a bit overcast but by early afternoon it was almost wall to wall 🌞😎🌞 so a perfect day for a walk.  But this once again turned out to be a trip down memory lane as we  retraced our steps along the sea front walkway that we'd first discovered on our previous visit back in November 2015!
















In all we pottered about 8 miles along the GR 92, mostly with stunning views and with plenty of coffee and picnic stops.  However, if we'd had the inclination we could have gone much further, because in it's entirety, this Grand Rondonee route stretches for 568 kilometres!

We've really enjoyed our repeat visit to Roses and I'm fairly sure we may find ourselves here again on our return journey homeward in March next year, but for now our time here has come to an end and we'll be moving on Southwards tomorrow - destination yet to be decided!

Click here to see our French and Spanish Campsites