It’s been eleven years since I last visited the Spanish mainland. Back in 2007 I did a lot of travelling around Spain and Morocco. On my last visit I went to a sherry tasting class in Cadiz and met a professional flamenco dancer. This trip will have none of those kinds of experiences. It will be spent having quiet family time, taking siestas together, playing in the pool and fooling around on the beach.
It’s fair to say I am having a good time already but I miss home. Everything is so different here. It’s not just the pace of life or the language. It’s the smells, the plants, the buildings. I’m always like this on the first few days away now. It’s a far cry from how I was back in my youth. Perhaps I am changing, becoming more settled. I just don’t have that same desire to see everything and experience it all.
Our hotel is pretty basic. It has a couple of beds and we actually needed to ask for sheets. The staff aren’t friendly but are efficient, and the adult pool is clean, although the kids pool has dirt in it. There is no maid service and nowhere for us to empty our bins, so in this heat I am guessing it will start to smell soon. And there is a mysterious smell of smoke in the room, along with an ashtray, despite there being no smoking signs everywhere.
The best thing about this trip is seeing Luke’s face every time he stumbles across a new playground – and there are lots of them!
Nice.