Where's Bertie? He's in the roughest-rocky-surfaced car park ever seen, just outside the archeological site at Bolonia (exact location: 36.08700, -5.76941)
Weather: Morning - rain!; afternoon - wall-to-wall sunshine.
Mick had not long been back from his run this morning, when I heard a few drops of rain on Bertie's roof. I didn't think it would amount to anything, particularly as the BBC was telling me we were in for another day of clear sunshine. It soon stopped, and stayed so until we reached the service point and set about emptying and filling tanks and bottles. The weather gods chose that period to turn up the volume and get us thoroughly wet.
Our next stop was only 1.5km away from the Aire - a petrol station with a laundrette on their forecourt. There, whilst I gathered the laundry, Mick went to buy two tokens - one for the washer and one for the drier. They duly gave him two tokens, he tapped his card without paying attention to the total ... and then they gave him a third token, at which point it became apparent that they had sold him two washer tokens. A refund was refused, with the attendant pointing to the sign clearly stating that tokens wouldn't be refunded. Not being in a position to argue the point (because surely that's if you buy more than you need, rather than are sold more than you asked for), we did a very expensive batch of laundry. Given how busy the place got whilst we were there, it's surprising I didn't manage to sell the token on to someone, but I didn't time my appearances in front of the machines quite right.
Fortunately, from the point of view of spiting the fuel station, we hadn't started by buying diesel or LPG, intending to do so at the end of our visit. Being immediately desperate for neither, the garage didn't get that custom.
The rain had continued as I'd gone back and forth across the road between Bertie and the laundry facilities, but by the time we'd finished folding and stowing everything the rain was stopping and blue sky approaching. By the time we reached Bolonia twenty minutes later, it was sunny.
Humphrey commented on a post a few days ago and described the beach here as 'magnificent'. He wasn't wrong. Bertie is in this shot.
There are a lot of motorhomes here in Bolonia, but they're mainly parked in places where overnighting is forbidden. On the one hand it's apparently tolerated despite the signs, on the other hand, we weren't prepared to use the 'no entry except ambulances' entrance to the otherwise height-barriered car park in order to join them. Then we found our way to this car park, where it's forbidden to camp, but with no express prohibition on overnight parking. On the basis that we are parked, not camped (legally distinct activities under Spanish law), we've decided to stay here.
The main attraction for us here in Bolonia is the Roman site (having said only yesterday that we're not doing anything cultural!), however, it occurred to us even before we arrived that, being Monday, the museum would be closed. I was unsure whether any of the site would be accessible, but it turns out that no, it's all behind locked gates and fences today.
As viewed through the fence.
Having had a stroll around, we've decided to stick around until it opens tomorrow.
Our post-lunch stroll took us through the village (everything bar one corner shop and the pharmacy is closed, whether because it's winter or because it's Monday, we don't know), where we found both horses and cows grazing the grass verges and crossing the road at will. Some of the cows strolled along the section of beach in front of Bertie's window later:
Sun wasn't in the best position for this through-the-windscreen shot.
Odd, we thought. Not something we expect to see in a settlement on the coast.
Weather: Morning - rain!; afternoon - wall-to-wall sunshine.
Mick had not long been back from his run this morning, when I heard a few drops of rain on Bertie's roof. I didn't think it would amount to anything, particularly as the BBC was telling me we were in for another day of clear sunshine. It soon stopped, and stayed so until we reached the service point and set about emptying and filling tanks and bottles. The weather gods chose that period to turn up the volume and get us thoroughly wet.
Our next stop was only 1.5km away from the Aire - a petrol station with a laundrette on their forecourt. There, whilst I gathered the laundry, Mick went to buy two tokens - one for the washer and one for the drier. They duly gave him two tokens, he tapped his card without paying attention to the total ... and then they gave him a third token, at which point it became apparent that they had sold him two washer tokens. A refund was refused, with the attendant pointing to the sign clearly stating that tokens wouldn't be refunded. Not being in a position to argue the point (because surely that's if you buy more than you need, rather than are sold more than you asked for), we did a very expensive batch of laundry. Given how busy the place got whilst we were there, it's surprising I didn't manage to sell the token on to someone, but I didn't time my appearances in front of the machines quite right.
Fortunately, from the point of view of spiting the fuel station, we hadn't started by buying diesel or LPG, intending to do so at the end of our visit. Being immediately desperate for neither, the garage didn't get that custom.
The rain had continued as I'd gone back and forth across the road between Bertie and the laundry facilities, but by the time we'd finished folding and stowing everything the rain was stopping and blue sky approaching. By the time we reached Bolonia twenty minutes later, it was sunny.
There are a lot of motorhomes here in Bolonia, but they're mainly parked in places where overnighting is forbidden. On the one hand it's apparently tolerated despite the signs, on the other hand, we weren't prepared to use the 'no entry except ambulances' entrance to the otherwise height-barriered car park in order to join them. Then we found our way to this car park, where it's forbidden to camp, but with no express prohibition on overnight parking. On the basis that we are parked, not camped (legally distinct activities under Spanish law), we've decided to stay here.
The main attraction for us here in Bolonia is the Roman site (having said only yesterday that we're not doing anything cultural!), however, it occurred to us even before we arrived that, being Monday, the museum would be closed. I was unsure whether any of the site would be accessible, but it turns out that no, it's all behind locked gates and fences today.
Having had a stroll around, we've decided to stick around until it opens tomorrow.
Our post-lunch stroll took us through the village (everything bar one corner shop and the pharmacy is closed, whether because it's winter or because it's Monday, we don't know), where we found both horses and cows grazing the grass verges and crossing the road at will. Some of the cows strolled along the section of beach in front of Bertie's window later:
Odd, we thought. Not something we expect to see in a settlement on the coast.
I thought I had sent this comment. Here goes for the second time. Where and when is Mick's marathon?
ReplyDeleteIt's in Seville on Sunday (20th).
DeleteSo glad you've found Bolonia! Museum is open tomorrow (Wednesday).
ReplyDeletehttps://www.andalucia.com/province/cadiz/bolonia/baelo-claudia.htm