Post #2 -The South of Spain (Andalucia)

Tuesday 28, 2014

The morning is wet and cold but we know we are going to be in the sunshine soon.The landscape is agricultural set before and up into the hills. 

Since we crossed into Spain we have seen many unfinished housing projects - single family homes, duplexes and apartment buildings, a result of the economic downturn. We have read about entire new villages where no one lives. The evident loss of hundreds of jobs is in the form of large industrial plants and buildings, covered in graffiti, standing empty.  Sad sights indeed.

 Every so often there is a HUGE flat metal bull at the roadside, usually on top of a hill or overpass. This was our first sighting of a great TORO. They are strategically placed all over Spain.

There appear to be more olive trees in Spain than sheep in Scotland - and by a considerable number! Some of trees have been randomly planted on the rolling hills replete with grazing cows or sheep and others are in organized orchards. Andalucia produces one third of Spain's olive oil and 10% of that is used in the entire world.

  

Lying at the southern end of Iberia and just 14km at its narrowest point from Africa , Andalusia is the most geographically varied region in Iberia, if not in Europe . It is home to some remarkable wetlands, sub-Alpine peaks, evergreen forests, semi-desert badlands, fertile plains, wild olive and cork woods, pinsapo firs, and, despite the ravages of tourism, considerable stretches of wild beaches. It is also the most populated and second largest region in Spain with 87,268 km2. Its name comes from the Arabic al´Andalus, usually taken to denote the fluctuating territory under Islamic control (711-1492) during the Middle Ages, and not present-day of Andalusia itself. Scholars are divided as to the exact origin of the term: some say it comes from the Vandals (land of the Vandals) while other relate it to Berber: anna = river, lus = cultivated land, or even Germanic.

 (Copied from http://www.iberianature.com/regions/andalucia/)

We spent the night at an unusual campsite camping caceres– each pitch had its own cabin with very clean toilet, sink and shower. It was most convenient and appreciated. It is a well run place with a restaurant/bar, social room and WIFI throughout the site. We always appreciate WIFI that can be used in the comfort of the RV and that is one criteria for choosing a site, although it is not always possible. The other is the acceptance of dogs.

 The wee daisies were so

 water logged they have 
turned themselves inside out!

Next morning we stopped at a Carrefour Supermercado (we have them in France also)  for a few supplies. The “kid in a candy store” feeling came over us! The quantity, quality and size of the fresh produce is astonishing. There were many, many more North American and British brands and products for sale than we usually see.

There was only one cashier open so we opted for the self-checkout. The language button pressed to English. Everything went smoothly until Brian walked through the security barrier and set off the alarm. The security guard came over and checked our bags. First thought was there was an electronic tag on the new leash we had bought for Angus (yes, we forgot to bring his). Next, the assistant mimed for Brian to check the tags on his sweater (the one I had bought in France) and that was the culprit: just an ordinary paper tag which she cut off and we were free to go! What a laugh!

There is NO 1€ menu at McDonalds in France -this billboard was a surprise.

Scene further south

We took the scenic road through the Serra Morena mountains which had a surprising amount of towns and villages. What occupations do these folk have, we wonder.

 

Mountain farming

Hairpin bends and winding roads took up much of the day and when we descended for the last time it was into the land of palm trees, small orange groves, cacti and, of course, more olive trees. The Andalusian region is also known for its almond trees, dating back more than 1000 years. They are in full bloom, some are white and others are pink. I read that the white blossoms produce sweet almonds while the pink ones produce the bitter variety. The latter contain cyanide which must be removed before consuming the extract. We later learned that this is not necessarily so.

As we turned towards the coast we could see acres of poly tunnels, but not necessarily adjacent to each other. The plants we spotted were strawberries but many more types of produce were being grown.

The sun shone most of the afternoon and it has warmed up considerably. Inconveniently, the RV does not have an outside temperature gauge so we have only our own thermostats to rely on, which of course are inaccurate, but it was probably around 15C.

Isla Cristina Giralda sounded lovely and we booked in there for the evening. The camping book listed snack bar/restaurant - nope not open! The receptionist, who speaks four languages well but who has never conquered Portuguese, told us about a very good pizzeria in town - Stromboli's - only one kilometer away or they would deliver. The downside was it opens at 8:15 and the food wouldn’t be delivered until 9. The Spanish are renowned for their (very) late night meals. Far too late for us. We had bread and cold meats. The park did not have WIFI only Internet access in the Coffee/Internet room. That was somewhat of a misnomer as the coffee vending machine was broken and the Internet connection was slower than dial up and I was unable to find out any information about campsites in Portugal.This place will not be receiving a very good review from us. However, the good and the bad are what makes life interesting and leaves us with a better perspective.

We are not far from the Portugal border now and will be over the border in no time tomorrow.

Hasta luego amigos (see you later).