Well, we have returned to Anglesey and life has reverted to normal. We were welcomed back by wind and rain!
We left Finca Manolo, having met Sue, the co owner with her husband Trevor who we have got to know very well over the last few years. I got so excited that I dropped and broke a cup! Sue said it would come out of my wages!
The drive north to Toledo was uneventful but relaxing. The Spanish motorways are great but carry about 10 per cent of the traffic we get in the UK in the rural areas. We arrived at the Parador and took over our room for the night. It was Room 415 as expected. It is their disabled access room. It being a week later than last year's stay we dined inside. However, we were given a table by the window so we saw Toledo by night. It is a wonderful view at any time of day. As we looked out we felt the Alcazar (old fortress, renovated after being badly damaged in the civil war) looked as if it was ready for take off into space.
The food and wine were excellent as usual. Our night's sleep was very restful and we went down to breakfast to be welcomed by a character of a young waitress in charge. We enjoyed our breakfast and set off for Santander.
Again, we had a relaxing drive all through. Mind you, our approach to Santander saw the temperature drop to 13 degrees in the mountains! This was half the temperature as we left Toledo! Eventually the temperature rose to a normal level as we arrived at Hotel Chateau La Roca. We were welcomed there by Marisa, the receptionist who speaks no English. Her body language is hilarious. We quickly realised she was asking if we had a good holiday. We gave her the thumbs up! I took the room key and we took the lift to the next floor where we let ourselves in. Horror of horrors! The bathroom was locked. Back I went to Marisa and managed to tell her we had a problem with the bathroom door. She came back with me and immediately she knew what to do - "no problem." Two minutes later she returned with an allen key and opened the door.
That evening, after devouring some of the fruit left for us in the bedroom, we went down to the restaurant, Aida, for dinner. Our friend, Manuel the waiter, offered us a table in a quieter room and we order a Land and Sea board between us. This is the Spanish version of Surf and Turf. It went down well, as did our two large beers. Yes, we had another great night's sleep! After breakfast we checked out and Reyes, the manager, came to say goodbye. She always does this.
We had some time to kill so we drove 30 miles to Comillas and watched the waves rolling in. I had my binoculars and spotted the Pont Aven approaching Santander. Soon we drove to Santander ferry terminal and got ready to board the ferry for our 24 hours cruise home. I queued to book our dinner table and then at 7.30pm we sat down to an excellent meal, as expected. Next day saw us breakfasting in the restaurant and then reading, reading, reading as the ship slowly brought us to Portsmouth.
Having left the ship, we waited about an hour to get through passport control. Our next journey was to the Premier Inn in Sutton Coldfield which was close to half way home. We checked in with the friendly reception staff, one of whom was on a sponsored silence for Macmillan Cancer Support. The building did not thrill us but the room lived up to the advertised promise of a good night's sleep. However, the loo in the en suite bathroom threatened to malfunction with a very loose flushing lever! the meal that evening was describable as adequate but the width of choice was poor. It was a Flaming Grille so we had to opt for that style of cooking. There were no table cloths which lowered the standard. Next day the usual breakfast was very acceptable but I would not recommend this Premier Inn.
Following satnav we left the M6 at Junction 16 and drove through Cheshire to join the A55. It was a pleasant drive and probably avoided heavy traffic jams farther up the motorway. We arrived home at 1.15pm.
Looking back, it was a wonderful holiday that did us a power of good. Later I went over to Bangor to our Circuit meeting. I was tired after all that! Tomorrow we celebrate our Golden Wedding so we are off to Rochdale to dine with the family. We are looking forward to this!
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