Monday 31st October - Sunday 6th November 2016
Monday. We have walked into town again today, it’s not far about 2 km (1.1/4 ml) but the first half is up a hill that seems to go on for ever, the second half is hardly downhill at all, until you start to come back with bags of shopping . . . .!!
The campsite rang the garage and it would appear the car is more or less fixed but they will not allow us to pick it up till Wednesday lunch time, I assume it is, as when we had some body repairs done on the other car, fixed on the first day but we were unable to collect it until the paint had hardened. Still not long now, I hope ‘cause I’m bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored!!!!!!
Tuesday. Got up late today - no point in anything else, even if we walk into town nothing will be open ‘cos it’s FIESTA DAY. Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored!!!!!!
Wednesday. Well today should be collection day. As the garage said around lunchtime we decided not to get the bus as that would have got us into Cordoba hours too early and elected to get a taxi around 12.30. However the lady member of staff on duty has just been to the caravan to say she has spoken to the garage and it looks as if we can’t collect until this afternoon - problem with name badges apparently. Watch this space!!
18.00 hour update.
According to Emilio it will definitely be Mañana* between 11.30 and 12.00 and that right now it was in the cleaning shop being cleaned inside and out. I’ll just nip outside to see if I can spot any pink piggy porkers flying by.
Thursday. Got up early today, Emilio says 11.30 to 12.00 but the bus said 9.35.
We arrived at the garage to be greeted with a big smile from Emilio “. . . They are just finishing cleaning, have a cup of coffee and it will be completed . . . “ we had a cup of coffee and it was completed. The problem was a couple of badges that are stuck of the back of every one of these cars, they had not got any in Madrid depot and so had ordered them from SsangYong Korea but they have not yet arrived. As Catherine Tate would say “ . . . am I bovered . . . “ to which the answer is a most definite not one iota. We paid the bill (less the cost of the badges) and drove away. Thank goodness we are mobile again, we rushed off to Mercadona and bought some fresh fish for a celebratory Fideua tonight and this afternoon we went to Lidl for some breakfast cereal.
The fideua was very good, as was the bottle of Blanco del Veneto wine we had with it.
The well restored back end
Friday. We were going into Cordoba today for a look around but as it was raining when we got up decided that wandering around in the rain for some hours was not that appealing so we went to MEDINA AZAHARA. Just a few kilometres north of CORDOBA lies this once glorious palace and town, built in the 10th century for Caliph And al Rahman III and named after his favourite wife, Azahara. OK so that was wandering around outside looking at palace ruins but we figured that the palace wandering would be far shorter. As it happened the rain held off.
Saturday. We are off to Cordoba this morning, we have lots to see before we move so we have taken the top box off the car to enable us to get into parking garages as we have been unable to locate any parking lots, although we have been told there are some.
We almost got into Cordoba when the heavens opened and the rain persisted down in sheets, even on the fastest speed the windscreen wipers were loosing the battle. We won’t go walking the streets of Cordoba particularly as the forecast for the next twelve days offers, unlike today, sun and at times cloud but no rain.
Sunday. Despite spending last evening with the sound turned high (and believe me our Bose system can be very loud indeed) it was difficult to drown out the sound of the rain hammering on the roof and the occasional crash of thunder and concentrate on the film we were watching. It was still going when we went to bed but what a difference not even a day makes, just a few hours and we got up to a sun shining from a clear blue cloudless sky. The drive into Cordoba was quick and easy till we started to try to find somewhere to park - hopeless!! Till that is we happened upon the football ground, there was a Sunday market in full swing - well less of a market more a giant jumble sale. We paid €1.10 to park and after a quick look round the market toddled off to the “Old City”.
Cordoba old city is a maze of narrow streets with a host of places to visit, we chose just two the first was the Posada del (Old Inn of) Potro where there was a delightful, cool courtyard with along one side a museum to flamenco. It was not at all as depicted by Hollywood, the costumes and dancing was good and the guitar playing sensational but the singing . . . .???
Our second visit of the day was to a former palace now the Acheological Museum, which housed the remains and artefacts found in the archeological study of a roman theatre built on the site. The Spanish have a way of building a museum over a site of special historical interest that not only preserves and displays the monument but allows digging and research to continue. As an added bonus being Sunday entrance was free to visitors from EU member states so it must be enjoyed while we Brits are still members.