0437 Archez, and then on to La Nucia

1^st & 2^nd Feb 2016

Exploring in the hills, Top Tapas, and endless plastic greenhouses

It had been a late night last night, and it was a late morning this morning !  But it was a lovely sunny morning, although the wind was blowing a bit hard so as I hung my washing out on the line I was a bit worried some might end up in the pool !  But by the time we had finished breakfast (with some great local fruit and strawberries - And a perfect boiled egg !) not only were all my clothes still on the line, but it was already dry !   We chatted and drank coffee and generally recovered from a late night, and it was after noon by the time we set off in the car so Pete and Astrid could show me around their local hills.

I already knew their driveway was steep from when I came up, but going down for the first time is a whole new experience – I reckon they should get tricycles and we could have races from top to bottom !    Well, maybe not…..!  But it is only when you look back at the house from the other side of the valley and see the drive at about 45 degrees that you appreciate how steep it is. 

We drove around the narrow streets of Archez, and ended up in Competa where we eventually found a place to park, and set off to explore the delightful little town on foot.  By 1 pm we were hungry (again) and thirsty, so we found a table in the little square in the sunshine, chose our tapas and ordered some drinks.  And it was just perfect – The beer was cold, the tapas was excellent and the sunshine was warm – One really could get used to doing this !!  

Just a very pleasant afternoon, after which we wandered slowly back to the house, and had a quiet remainder of the afternoon !

For the eveining Astrid had cooked Pete and I some sausages and mash (she preferred some fish !), but first we watched the movie The World’s Fastest Indian, which they hadn’t seen before.  It is one of my favourites, and I have to say that if you want a feel-good movie about a man who follows his dream to the end, come what may, then this is one of the best.   Once the movie was over, we tucked into our delicious supper and a couple of wines, and eventually went to bed a lot earlier than we had done last night !  Another great day in a great part of the world.

 

The photos around the house that I took the next morning show just how steep the hillside and driveway are, as well as the electricity pylon that I have christened Pete’s Pylon because he had to put 8 of them in in order to get electricity to the house !  (I have never had to do anything more than plug my appliance into the wall socket so I really appreciated the lengths they had to go to get their power !)  It has been a wonderful and far too short stay here but I have really enjoyed the break.  And I have to keep moving because it is now March and I have to prepare for the next stage of my journey in April.  Tempus fugit……

So after another great and leisurely breakfast,  I managed to reverse down part of the drive, turn around, and then slowly go down the rest of the drive.  Troopies do NOT have good brakes, and mine were certainly complaining when I asked them to hold 3.5 tonnes without having even been warmed up a little !  But we made it down, and after saying goodbye I successfully managed to miss a large truck that came round the corner just as I drove away !!  It takes a while to get round Archez to the other side of the valley, but from there I got some good

photos of the house that show its position in the hills, with the snow covered hills behind.  With the white houses of the villages, it really is a very picturesque location.  Thanks Pete and Astrid – Have really enjoyed it.

It is about a 40 minute drive down the narrow twisty roads to the coast, and once through Algarrobo, I turned east on the A-7 towards Alicante, some 500 kms away.  Pete had told me about the “Poly Tunnels”, as had others, and we had seen some evidence of them on the way west a month ago, but I was not prepared for the visual impact of the acres and acres of them stretching for some 150 kilometres along the coastline between Malaga and Almeria.  I know that they are a big business, and produce many of the delicious fruit and vegetables that we enjoy not only here but

all over Europe, but they really are a major eyesore.  It is things like this that serve to remind us sometimes of the another cost of growing populations and our expectations to always have plenty of fresh produce even when it is out of season.  Is it worth the cost ?  Hmmmmm.  Thought provoking. 

The actual drive along the A-7 is excellent – The road is new and in excellent condition – And the sections along the coastline are scenic.  The road is called the Autovia del

Mediterraneo, and once one gets past Almeria where the worst of the plastic greenhouses finish, it is even better.  Lorca looks really interesting as you approach it, with old city walls and a castle up on the hill above you – Then you go into a long tunnel under the city and by the time you come out on the other side it is all finished !!  Must stop there next time !

I kept going non stop all the way because it turned out that it was a longer drive than I had thought – Whoops – Insufficient planning !  But it made for a long day.  I had left Archez at about 12.30, and it was 6 pm before I arrived at Benidorm, and another 30 minutes of so before I got to Jill’s.  The condition of the A-7 made it much easier, but I was glad to arrive at Jill’s, and after a couple of drinks and a bite to eat. I was soon sound asleep.  A great few days with Pete and Astrid, and now I plan a few days here sorting out shipping and personal flights etc for the next section of my adventure – Of which I will tell you more later !!

Pics are here :-   https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0437ArchezAndOnToLaNucia?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOmg-yLr7Kj2wE