birthday | Travels and Triumphs

So today we’re off to sunny Spain (and Portugal) ……………… you get one point for remembering who sang it and another for recalling what year. (Answer further down the page). Five points deducted from anyone under the age of 60 who gets the correct answer – you must have Googled it!

The plan for the Ewbank ++ family getaway this year was a week in a villa in The Algarve, but Denise and I decided to add a few days to each end of the break by flying out to Seville and driving the 200 or so miles across to Albufiera – then at the end of the week returning via Carmona and Cordoba.

With life in general, and travel in particular, getting a little bit more taxing these days, we asked for Special Assistance for our outward and return journeys via Gatwick – and I have to say that the system worked extremely well, taking much of the stress and exhaustion out of the ‘airport experience’. Given that the Sleazy Jet departure gate was a good mile from the terminal, the option of sitting smugly in a golf buggy while fellow travelers dive out of your path is highly recommended.

Arriving in Seville, and with the temperature gauge in our hire car reading 41º, we drove the 50 or so kilometers to our overnight accommodation in the village of Paterna del Campo – to find Pension La Ruta well and truly locked up with no signs of life. Step forward Denise with an opportunity to exercise her mastery of Spanish in a telephone call to the owner, and hey presto (or hola pronto as they say in this part of the world) and we were settled for the night.

Not one of our photos – I pinched this one off the net.

The drive eastwards towards Portugal took us via the town of Niebla and its ‘historic castillo’ (aren’t all castles historic?) which was worth a stop and a wander, though the town has encroached on the castillo to the point that we struggled to get a decent view for a photo. Heading on into Portugal we made a point of staying off the motorway to avoid the tolls, and I was struck once again by the vast number of used car dealerships that seem to line just about every main road. If/when you next visit the country keep an eye out – its staggering!

For our first two nights in Portugal we stayed at Hotel Capela Das Artes, a converted listed building set in a six acre olive grove about 10 minutes drive from the beaches of Albufiera. Despite the urban setting it lived up to its self-proclaimed status as ‘an oasis of peace and calm’ and we enjoyed the slightly quirky combination of antique buildings and furnishings and modern comforts. Whilst having a good nose around we were intercepted and given a guided tour by the equally quirky owner, Angel Nuñez Ecchazú, an Argentinian doctor who bought the place as a ruin about 20 years ago and set about transforming it. Interesting man and interesting place.As often seems to occur when we’re on holiday at the end of May. it happened to be my birthday (spooky that!), so I was able to celebrate with some of the family at a lovely restaurant overlooking the sea at Albufiera on the eve of taking over our holiday villa in Guia.

I don’t recognise the old fart on the left of this picture – any ideas?

(Sylvia Vrethammar in 1974 – if you really wanted to know).

I’ve always thought of myself as a bit of a hot weather person. In the searing, white-hot incandescence of an English Summer with the thermometer sometimes creeping as high as 24 degrees, I’ve been the one to cry ‘bring it on, I can stand any amount of this!”. So, when my trusty BBC Weather app told me that the temperature in Coulon was likely to reach 35 degrees I was definitely up for it. But, as the old saying goes – be careful what you wish for.

Coulon nestles on the edge of the Marais Poitevin, an area of drained marshland just to the West of Niort. We’d visited before, probably around 18 years ago, and although I had a vague memory of the place, in reality I couldn’t remember much more than the fact of our visit, that the area is criss-crossed by canals and drainage ditches and that it’s yet another stunning part of France.

We stayed for four nights on a site that was a bit of mix between a camperstop and a municipal campsite. For 10 euros a night we got our pitch, electricity and toilets – but no showers. Now, I don’t know how you’d fare living for four days in a small white box in 34 degree heat and no showers, but let me tell you it isn’t an enticing prospect – even when you’ve lived with the same partner for 44 years. Fortunately, we suddenly remembered that, although we’d never previously used it, the van has a shower! No matter that you need the contorting skills of a Japanese origami master to use it – in these conditions we were prepared to try anything. And it works! Well, it works after a fashion and that was good enough for us. Luxury.

The Marais is extremely pretty – and flat – so cycling is an excellent way of getting around and doing a bit of exploring. Especially if you happen to have an e-bike. We managed a couple of forays and would probably have done more if the weather had been just a little cooler. On the 14^th, which just happens to be her majesty’s official (and unofficial) birthday, we were joined for lunch by Jennie and Nathan, which helped to make the day rather special.