Across in to Andalucia

 Despite various strike threats in the UK the EasyJet flight arrived on time and we walked back round to the handy aire for a good night's sleep. The early mail plane for Lisbon barely roused us but later we were enjoying the spectacle of flights arriving and departing right before us.

 We decided to drop in to Faro for a look round the old town and harbour before heading up to Alcoutim on the border where the following day we took the skiff across the Guadiana to Sanlucar and walked up to the fort via the start point of a zip wire back across the river.

At Mertola we parked up initially in the town for a walk round but decided there was enough to see to justify a night in the aire down by the river so relocated and enjoyed the castle, its keep, good views down to the river and the archaeological excavations of both Roman mosaics and Arabic housing.

Returning to Pomarao we parked by the river and headed out for a short ride through local tracks and back via a tiny chapel high above the village.  A beer at Maria's gave us a chance encounter with a Welsh woman and her Portuguese husband who live locally but also spend half the year in Wales.

The weather was perfect as we set off to start the via verde from the old loading wharves towards El Granado where we enjoyed lunch in the sun before returning through the quiet countryside. On the Sunday Maria's bar was too busy as the other village bar was shut for a holiday so we decided to head off late morning and make our way to Umbrete which would be our base for visiting Seville by bus. We walked in to the town to find the bus stop and timetable, have a hot drink and then on a cold night chatted to Dianne from Bromley who was on her first longish trip in a recently converted van. She had done well to get here and was looking forward to a friend joining her and we promised to keep in touch.

First thing next morning we were on the bus to the centre of Seville for a couple of Euros with the fast bus taking half an hour to reach the main bus station. On a sunny day we walked along the river to the Golden Tower and then on to the remarkable gardens of the Parque de Maria Luisa which included the stunning Plaza de Espana built for a huge Iberian/American trade show in 1929. Horse drawn carriages clattered around the square, a fashion shoot was underway and buskers filled various cool galleries with their  efforts. A flamenco dancer enthralled us as we left to enjoy lunch at a decent restaurant before walking to the cathedral and fort to check admission details. Then it was an enjoyable meander back for an evening bus that took longer as it wound its way through the suburbs. We had time to have a cosy evening in with Dianne and exchange stories before settling in on another cold night.

 

Next day we caught the same bus in time to visit the alcazar which was stunning with beautifully decorated halls, galleries, rooms and shaded courtyards and an extensive garden. This contained a decent cafe for refreshments before we exited and returned to the cathedral as we had booked the rooftop tour. This was again excellent with an interesting commentary, good views across town and up to the famous Giralda, the cathedral's main tower with its copper weather vane that had replaced Arabic spheres when their rule came to an end. Admission details had been somewhat unclear so we were left with insufficient time to climb the tower but could take in the bulk of the cathedral and consider the tomb of Christopher Columbus supported by statues of four monarchs.

Moving on in to the Morena mountains we stopped en route at Carmona which has a number of fine churches, sturdy castle walls and a smart parador occupying much of the old castle itself. Near La Puebla de Los Infantes we arrived at a lovely site in amongst trees and near a partially dried up reservoir. It had only been open two years and Miguel was pleased to show us a choice of pitches and made us feel very welcome. The facilities were excellent and there was only Andreas, a German guy in a small Eriba caravan towed behind his Tesla, staying who had been there 3 months. We enjoyed the peace and quiet and ended up staying five days as there was a large festival in the village combined with a paragliding show and competition on the shore. We cycled up to the village and then out north before picking up a country track that returned us past a herd of very entertaining pigs. It was a good down hill to firstly the village for a beer in a traditional bar and then down to the site where it was filling up for the weekend's celebrations -  we enjoyed a beer with Andreas in the small bar and learnt a fair bit about touring with an EV.

Thus on the Saturday we rode out towards Constantina calling in to the paragliding festival en route for a nose around and then picked up the far end of the country track and returned to La Puebla at dusk where we locked the bikes up, swiftly donned warm clothing and set off to enjoy the festivities. Dozens of huge bonfires lit the streets with private and public gatherings as we looked for a bite to eat. The Spanish don't really start before 8 so we tucked in to a restaurant for a beer or two until food would be served - as usual we were never quite sure what we were ordering but it was delicious and  thus refreshed we headed off to soak up more of the party atmosphere. Hot chocolate and simple pastries were being dolled out by one family and it was a privilege to experience the true face of Spanish life. We rolled back to the site which was now more than two thirds full but our terrace was almost empty as we were not within reach of electric hook up.

 

On the Sunday we walked round the shore to the event but unfortunately the dual flights were over for the day although we picked up a card for a company operating over in Morocco so maybe, maybe. We enjoyed watching the various competitions and admired the determination of the unpowered wings to get airborne, sadly without much success as it was a hot still day. Returning to site along the road the shuttle bus back to La Puebla was kind enough to stop and then drop us off saving a couple of hot miles on foot.

Tuesday saw us heading in to Ecija to stay at an aire near the town centre and alongside the Via Verde de La Campina so we jumped on the bikes to enjoy an afternoon ride. Unfortunately after a few miles it began to run parallel to a noisy dual carriageway so we decided to head back and then walked in to town for a drink in the sun in its large square. A ride the following day in the other direction was far nicer and led us to Carlota where we had lunch in a friendly bar before using the SatMap to take us back to the trail through endless olive tree groves. Another stroll in to town saw us buying two bike pumps, tyre sealant and lube but failing to find an outlet for CampinGaz. Small hardware shops had similar cylinders of a different brand but would not have been able to take ours in exchange.

After doing a bag of laundry and a food shop on leaving Ecija we headed an hour or so along to Cordoba and we were soon tucked away in the rough parking near the zoo within a mile of the centre and main attractions. A couple of outlets on the CEPSA fuel brand app listed as stocking CG did not in fact stock it and reluctant to add more miles in an unfamiliar city we decided to walk to one outlet listed - this didn't even exist but at another bike shop where we wanted a track pump the friendly owner said his mate, a nearby plumber, would have it. We walked round in anticipation but again it was a non CG brand. Back at  the van we had lunch before I set out on another long and fruitless walk so on my return we pushed off in to town and enjoyed the remarkable Roman bridge with the mosque/cathedral beautifully lit across the river. Having checked out the access point for the following day's prebooked tickets we then walked through the old Jewish quarter's maze of alleys to the modern centre. It was part way through the local fiesta so lights were strung across the streets and artists were performing in the malls.

 

Later back at the van I sufferered a couple of hours of worryingly violent stomach cramps during the night and felt pretty rough at breakfast time. Fortunately they eased off as we walked back in to enjoy the truly remarkable Mezquita - a former mosque now reborn as a cathedral with the original minaret now serving as the bell tower and the numerous cool rooms with their iconic striped arches leading to side chapels, huge altars and choir stalls. It was in fact surprisingly cold inside so we were glad to have various layers on - no doubt in summer it makes the place bearable. Three hours soon passed before we departed for the main square in modern Cordoba for lunch. Back at the Mezquita we took a final look as we wanted to call at a CEPSA distributor that opened at 5. Here to our partial surprise they did indeed stock the holy grail of the blue chalice and we left with 2 x 907's @ £17 each.

Reaching Dona Mencia after an hour or so we were surprised to find that the aire adjacent to the VV de la Subetica now needed payment and prebooking. As we were scanning the Q code to get the app to register a username to set up an account to book the pitch then pay the fee after uploading a card a man opened the barrier and said come in and pay at the cycle hire tomorrow! After filling up with water we parked alongside the VV without power as the south facing pitch would give us ample solar and then settled in for the night enjoying some BBC Iplayer as Mandy's phone does not yet seem to realise she is outside the UK. I had bought another SIM in Cordoba to avoid the '3' network £2 roaming charge so we have 40 Gig of data valid for 3 months with EU roaming and tethering for £8. At the bike shop it was  3 euros a night but 7 at the weekend so we booked for a week - this strangely being only 15 euros - giving us options to extend and then cycled down to Alcaudete where in the grounds of the old station about forty different examples of the world's 120 or so varieties of olive were planted. Hot drinks in an old station next to the wood burner were appreciated as we headed home passing the lofty castle of Zuheros.

 

It being a weekend the aire was pretty full but being small we had tucked away and had plenty of space and enjoyed a quiet night. Yesterday we dropped back along the track and then took a side spur to Baena where we rode up to the castle and then lunched in the square before returning to the road up to Zuheros. This absolutely exquisite village with its magnificent castle draped over a limestone outcrop looked its best in the late aftenoon sun and we paid for castle admission in the small museum giving us access to the high battlements, narrow stairs and tunnels and an impressive keep with far reaching views. A bride and groom were having wedding photos taken and we wished them good luck before saddling up for the short ride home. Spanish families were socialising at full tilt on a cool evening and we noticed that a Dutch couple we had spoken to had moved off as they were sandwiched between two large families.

Today I have booked my ferry from Morocco to Italy for late May as this then triggers our entry date for Morocco which will now be the 28th of Feb, just over a fortnight away. The basic fare for me and the van was £450 but I've opted for a good double cabin and the full meals pass as it is a 3 day sailing via Barcelona and I intend to fully enjoy a late Spring Mediterranean mini cruise ......

We've also booked four nights on Lundy in mid October for Mandy's birthday which should be very special.

Finally we cycled though Cabra and down to Lucena for drinks and tapas before returning and meeting the Dutch couple who had indeed relocated to the quieter aire at Cabra. They were off to Cordoba and Seville so we recommended the campsite at La Puebla for a rest day - he was in need of hook up to charge their electric bikes and was unhappy with his lithium ion leisure battery as once it dropped below 80% all power was lost - he thinks the mains charger is the wrong one for Liion and will be returning to his dealer when they get back. Anyway it was good to see them again and we will keep in touch, similarly we hope with Dianne who has had to return home earlier than planned.

So tomorrow is Granada for a booked visit to the Alhambra on Tuesday. We are staying on a campsite for two nights to give our leisure battery a boost - first EHU in 3 weeks - and with luck will get some laundry done. There is a bus in to town we hope so with onward plans taking shape I will leave it there for now.

Pics here ; enjoy.