Friday evening and Saturday shopping

Saw an absolutely brilliant clarinet player last night in a jazz bar that I'd judge as good as my teacher Tony if not better.  Pics later.  Had a really good evening after a nice meal in an up market restaurant, I had BBQ pork ribs that were really crispy on the outside and soft in the middle around the bones and Sarah had garlicky squid to start then a steak kebab.  It was very nice but served on cold plates and went cold quickly.  I then had carpaccio of pineapple with caramel, I shall do that at home on my slicer such an easy dish.

Well got up this morning to another lovely sunny warm and windy day.  Sarah is red from sunburn from yesterday but I'm fine.  Went shopping and I bought some really unusual jewellry, a necklace with matching earrings.  I decided against the bag.  I forgot to say at the airport I bought a lovely Danish Skagen watch, it's beautiful and Sarah and I spent the last five minutes trying to see how to get it on again after I took it off on Thursday !!  Thick or what, but it's a little tricky if you don't know how it fastens but all is good now.

Caught the courtesy bus into town as I said went shopping and then had a lovely snack lunch, proper hot dog with blackened onions, cheese and bacon, it was yummy, Sarah had a prawn omelette which looked nice and all was very cheap.

Got a cab back as our feet are tired and ankles swollen from so much walking, Sarah has gone for a walk towards Papagayo beach near here to take some photos and I'm going to the chill out bar with a gin and tonic and read until 6ish where we plan to again go into town and have a pizza somewhere via the jazz bar no doubt.  It's quite obvious that we like the Marina area for relaxing.

So more tomorrow, we have until about 3pm free when we shall get a taxi back to the airport for our 6pm flight back to Gatwick.

I would come back here to Playa Blanca but stay in an apartment with Bill, but only for a week.  The coach took us into the centre of town whereupon the first thing we saw was a Burger King so immediately turned around and headed for the marina area where they had a flea market selling beads, bracelets and scarves, the usual tat !

Friday sitting by the pool

My friend Sarah (whom I've known some 30 odd years) and I decided to have another short break, this time in Lanzarote, as it's been 2 years since our trip to Dubrovnik (before I started this blog).

When my husband and I visited Playa Blanca in 2001 (when I was here scuba diving in Puerto del Carmen) the town was about the size of Bishops Waltham with a few shops and cafes, with several apartments and a few hotels.  The waterfront consisted of a small ferry port servicing Fuerteventura.

Playa Blanca today has grown to at least 6 miles of coastline with bars, shops, apartments, hotels and 6 years ago, a huge new Marina was built.

We were on the western side of town in a hotel with some 500 bedrooms, all inclusive.  Sandos Papagayo Arena.

So our first night here we decided in not so much time that it is somewhere we wouldn't come back to for any more than 3 days.  There's nothing wrong with all inclusives but it's full of couples and the odd very young screaming child and the couples sit in the couples bar from 8 till they can't drink any more and don't talk to one another or attempt to make friends !!  I knew that it would be something like this but in all fairness the drinks and food are all paid for.  The food in the Italian (one of 4 inclusive themed restaurants) well the pizza I wouldn't hand out to anyone and what I thought was pasta turned out to be tinned asparagus.  I wasn't hungry but Sarah said her pasta dish was delicious. It's all buffet style which I was expecting.  So, consequently we are eating in town tonight.

So this morning after a nice breakfast we walked into town which took a good half hour, not the 20 minute stroll I was told.  Anyway I bought some perfume and Sarah bought some lovely jewellry and we looked at some handbags.  I may go back tomorrow and try on an outfit I liked or really my first choice is the jewellry.

Just found out I've been bitten, not big bites, but small ones.

At Gatwick airport 13th March 2014

So here we (Sarah and I) are in the lounge at Gatwick having a late breakfast - no gins yet !!!  Having fun on facebook posting photos.  We are off to Playa Blanca in Lanzarote for 3 nights so we've got a lot to cram in for those days.....

Watch this space for news....

On board the Pont Aven in Santander

A short time on the road this morning brought us to Santander on a new route through the city as I believe they are building a new ferry terminal at the usual end.  The ferry is very busy, Alan and Sue are still queuing up whereas I'm in the bar sipping a glass of wine.  Alan Sue and Bill hit the brandies last night whilst I watched them all get a bit wobbly, funny how they have just text me that they are going for a snooze as soon as they are on board.  Bill is in the cabin doing exactly that.  Their loss as its another sunny if not windy day here, it's lovely and warm.

And at last I can relax - put the phrase book away and ask for ice rather than hielo and lemon rath than limon at G&T time !  Thing is they won't be anything like the Spanish ones.  I need to buy a long handled spoon with a small bowl on the end as I have learnt how to mix a G&T without actually mixing it around, as it takes the fizz out of the bubbles if you do.  A very exact science.

Llanes

So from Ribadasella to here in Llanes. Only some 20 miles towards Santander. The place is much bigger than we originally thought and for a Sunday in Spain is bustling with people and lots of shops and hotels open, and we are staying in La Sablon hotel and have a lovely room overlooking the beach for 50E.  Had a text from Alan and Sue who left Zamora this morning and whilst looking round the town after a spot of light lunch suddenly saw them in their car looking for a hotel they'd booked called Los Molinos which is the other side of the river.  This is a lovely port with lots of little boats and few fishing boats and, I was intrigued to see, the memory cubes that line the sea wall outside the harbour, they are rock armour that have been painted  by a famous artist of whom I can't remember - although I did put one picture on Facebook about an hour ago.

So we have arranged to meet up with them tonight for pre-dinner drinks and a meal, not sure where yet but there are lots of places to choose from.

A delightful place for our last port of call before joining the ferry tomorrow afternoon.

Some pictures :

 

The Memory Cubes.  They remember the sea crashing against themselves !  Still there though.

View is towards the north west.  Our hotel is next to the beach in the distance

 

This was a store for lifejackets and various sea going gear, in tune with the surroundings

 

The other side of the pier, looking south

 

Those all important trawlers

 

The view from our Hotel window

 

View looking south down the river

 

Looking south west towards our hotel

 

View looking directly north to the UK

 

The town was very pretty with lots of shops, bars and restaurants and these buildings

Saturday night

Wandering around the town again just for a couple of drinks put us into a lovely bar tapas with anchovies and peppers and Bill had chicken garlic all chopped up it was lovely and very inexpensive so anyone going to northern Spain you must come here its fantastic very friendly even with children (Tania note) !!!

So now back at the hotel after a lovely evening out with the locals here I do try and integrate, it pays to speak Spanish a bit.

Thinking of going east to San Vicente tomorrow so check in there on this blog.

Lazy day

Bill has either got gout or has something wrong with his right knee, he was in pain most of the night and didn't sleep well.  After going to the car for him this morning and getting some drugs we carry with us for the very same problem, his knee which was very inflamed is now a lot better but of course he can't walk very far.

So today has been a bit of a lazy day just wandering around again, I have done some shopping and the weather is another perfect sunny afternoon.  We had a spot of lunch at a favourite nearby cafe who turn out the best home made beef burgers  I've had in years apart from my own !

We are leaving early tomorrow heading for San Vicente, another fishing port on the north coast before our departure from Santander on Monday.