Last month, we learned how Lindsay and Stewart Bailey fulfilled a dream by driving from Portugal to France to celebrate Lindsay’s birthday in July. This month, we read about their return journey along the coast of Spain.
We started our homeward journey in a fantastic resort called Sitges just south of Barcelona, inadvertently driving the wrong way down a one-way street trying to reach parking for the Hotel Medium Sitges. Our nerves were revived by a lovely stroll through the town (two minutes from the hotel) and we found the beautiful beach, still full at 7 pm.
The next day, we had a lovely drive to Denia and checked into a hotel on the seafront opposite the port. Unbelievably, we managed to repeat yesterday’s fiasco with an inaccessible car park and once again went the wrong way down a one-way street. I expect the Spanish police will turn up at some point to arrest us! England was playing in the Euros that evening, so we found a bar and watched the match. We had a long, hot drive to Málaga the next day, so we started early.
We had the usual difficulty in getting to the hotel. This time, we had to get into the garage via a car elevator, which was a first for us. After breakfast, we walked into the city determined to find the main shopping street, which we remembered from a previous visit. We came across the fresh fish market, which was fantastic, although the shops proved harder to find.. After what felt like hours, we needed refreshment, so we found a bar and perched on high stools, eating tapas.
After a small siesta back at the hotel, we set off again. It was around 8.30pm and the city was very busy. A little later, we heard brass band music, so we made our way to the main street where there was a parade with a priest at the front and someone carrying a cross. It turns out it was the city’s saint’s day, the festival of San Ciriaco and Santa Paula. At this point, we decided to become Spanish and ate at 11 pm! Around midnight, the city went crazy, with people wearing football shirts cheering and whooping. There were cars driving around beeping their horns and crowds of people cheering. We discovered the Málaga football team had just been promoted to the Spanish football league. The celebrations were still going on as we made our way back to the hotel around 2 am. Málaga did not disappoint.
Leaving Málaga, we drove along the coast through the popular resorts of Torremolinos, Benalmadena, and Fuengirola. As we passed Estepona, we slowed down to pay our respects to the late Cilla Black, who died there. From there, we headed towards La Linea, the crossing point for Gibraltar. We managed to get a great view without getting caught up in any traffic jams, which often happens.
From there, we made our way to Tarifa, the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Lindsay was amazed North Africa was so close. I had sailed through the Strait many times during my time in the Royal Navy, but had never seen it from land, so I was thrilled. After Tarifa, we drove past miles of packed beaches. On this very windy Sunday, the sea was full of windsurfers and kitesurfers. It was lovely sight.
Then it was onto Jerez, the sherry capital of Spain. For once, we found the hotel without any problems. Two minutes from the hotel, we found the main square. We then strolled through the quiet streets, passing horse-drawn carriages. As in Málaga, the local football team had been promoted, so cars were driving around beeping their horns, albeit slightly less noisily.
We heard music and wandered off the main thoroughfare. We found a small square lined with chairs, a small stage with someone playing music, and several people dancing. They were mostly older ladies, but their movements suggested they had probably been flamenco dancers when they were younger.
The following day, we left for our final leg: 227 miles to our home in Praia da Luz.
This holiday was a really good adventure for two septuagenarians. We travelled 2,735.3 miles and achieved an average of 56 mpg in our 13-year-old Nissan Note, which we brought with us from England when we emigrated in 2016. Due to our advancing years, this is very probably the last driving holiday that we will take. We both enjoyed the planning to make sure it worked out well. We loved being together for 15 long, long days. Our trip ranks alongside all of our fantastic adventures.
