Where's Bertie? He's still at the Aire by the beach in Castellón.
Weather: A bit of high cloud started the day, then a bit of sea fog rolled in (although at that point it was sunny a few miles up the coast, which is where I was), finally clearing around lunchtime to give us sunshine for the rest of the day.
After a poor night's sleep (it involved a suspected mosquito) and with an ongoing mild allergic reaction (I assume to the blossom that's around at the moment), I was ready to write off this morning's intended longish run and replace it with a short leg-stretch. Just before we stepped out the door I impulsively grabbed my running vest, some food and water, just in case I got a mile and a half up the road and decided I wanted to carry on. That's exactly what happened. It turns out that whilst the cycle route ends 5.5 miles from here, the promenade continues for 6.6 miles, making it perfect for a half marathon distance.
It was sunny in Benicassim, the next resort north along the coast.
A host of eating and drinking, interspersed with chatting with some neighbours, filled a few hours, then this afternoon we thought we'd take a walk up to the nearest supermarket to grab a couple of items of fruit and veg. There we discovered that panic buying, which we know has been an issue in the UK for a week or so now, has hit Spain too. Yesterday the shelves were perfectly well stocked. This afternoon the shop was quiet and entire aisles had been stripped of their wares. Not a single toilet or kitchen roll remained (we didn't need any, but walked that aisle just out of interest, having seen the rest of the store), just a few pieces of fruit and veg were left on display (we weren't able to get any of the items we'd gone for, but did buy oranges in lieu of bananas), the fresh meat aisle was similar; all big bottles of water had gone (good job we drink the stuff that comes out of taps!); the pasta shelf was bare. We, of course, reacted to this by doing our own bit of panic buying: we bought 1kg of rice.
We have no idea what has been said in the Spanish media to have caused this reaction today, but I did check out the current reported number of cases of Coronavirus. Last I'd seen (a few days ago now) the UK had two hundred and something cases, versus five hundred and something in Spain. Today Spain was reporting over 3000.
Yesterday I read that the major week-long Fallos festival in Valencia, that was due to start today, had been postponed. So has the Malaga half marathon, which is not, to the best of my knowledge, a major event (I did vaguely consider entering the Elche Half, another minor event, which was due to take place this weekend; I decided against, but presumably that has been cancelled too). Will we be affected by travel restrictions at some point? (if I knew where to insert a shrugging emoticon that's exactly what I'd do)
Weather: A bit of high cloud started the day, then a bit of sea fog rolled in (although at that point it was sunny a few miles up the coast, which is where I was), finally clearing around lunchtime to give us sunshine for the rest of the day.
After a poor night's sleep (it involved a suspected mosquito) and with an ongoing mild allergic reaction (I assume to the blossom that's around at the moment), I was ready to write off this morning's intended longish run and replace it with a short leg-stretch. Just before we stepped out the door I impulsively grabbed my running vest, some food and water, just in case I got a mile and a half up the road and decided I wanted to carry on. That's exactly what happened. It turns out that whilst the cycle route ends 5.5 miles from here, the promenade continues for 6.6 miles, making it perfect for a half marathon distance.
A host of eating and drinking, interspersed with chatting with some neighbours, filled a few hours, then this afternoon we thought we'd take a walk up to the nearest supermarket to grab a couple of items of fruit and veg. There we discovered that panic buying, which we know has been an issue in the UK for a week or so now, has hit Spain too. Yesterday the shelves were perfectly well stocked. This afternoon the shop was quiet and entire aisles had been stripped of their wares. Not a single toilet or kitchen roll remained (we didn't need any, but walked that aisle just out of interest, having seen the rest of the store), just a few pieces of fruit and veg were left on display (we weren't able to get any of the items we'd gone for, but did buy oranges in lieu of bananas), the fresh meat aisle was similar; all big bottles of water had gone (good job we drink the stuff that comes out of taps!); the pasta shelf was bare. We, of course, reacted to this by doing our own bit of panic buying: we bought 1kg of rice.
Slim pickings on the meat shelves
We have no idea what has been said in the Spanish media to have caused this reaction today, but I did check out the current reported number of cases of Coronavirus. Last I'd seen (a few days ago now) the UK had two hundred and something cases, versus five hundred and something in Spain. Today Spain was reporting over 3000.
Yesterday I read that the major week-long Fallos festival in Valencia, that was due to start today, had been postponed. So has the Malaga half marathon, which is not, to the best of my knowledge, a major event (I did vaguely consider entering the Elche Half, another minor event, which was due to take place this weekend; I decided against, but presumably that has been cancelled too). Will we be affected by travel restrictions at some point? (if I knew where to insert a shrugging emoticon that's exactly what I'd do)
Hello Both, I've enjoyed catching up over the past few evenings (ipad doesn't allow me to comment - now on desktop). Like you, I'm bemused by the shelves of loo rolls, soap and pasta being nearly empty here. It'll be interesting to see whether our flight to Palma goes ahead on 2 April. I have my doubts. A week in the Lake District perhaps...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I hope you continue to enjoy your trip, despite any loo roll shortage!
Fortunately loo roll supplies in Bertie are high enough for us not to be worried on that score!
DeleteI would reccommend reading up as much as you can on Emglish Internet pages - The Guardian is a pretty good source. This is going to be a very long drawn out affair, perhaps for the rest of this year both socially and hugely for world economics. It is difficult to believe that many large companies and sporting organisations to name but a few along with thousands of small businesses can survive. There is debate here about whether our government is tackling the problem urgently enoough and I find it all pretty scary, not particulally at a.personal level but because of the global implications. I hope I am overreacting but if the forecasted statistics for the UK are true it doesn't look good. Take care and follow the advice from trusted sources.
ReplyDeleteWorry not - Mick is (and has been for as long as I've known him) a confirmed news obsessive.
DeleteMy approach to the news is rather more relaxed. I found myself nodding away as I read the following blog post today, which sums up my view on immersing oneself too much in the news:
https://www.winwickmum.co.uk/2020/03/keeping-well.html?m=1#more