We set off from Penysarn, at 8.00am on Tuesday morning and Pauline drove south down the M6 as far as the service area on the M6 Toll road. There we had a bite to eat and read our Kindles before setting off for Portsmouth with me driving. The whole journey to Portsmouth was a breeze with just the 12.5 mile 50mph limit on the latest upgrade to Smart Motorway to slow us down. As Pauline is disabled we were loaded on the ship very quickly and a five minute wait saw us in our wheelchair accessible cabin.
We took up position at was to be the head of a queue to book tables in La Flora restaurant. Later that evening we had the usual first class meal. Before that the ship was delayed over an hour getting away from Portsmouth and we did not find out why. Next day saw us sun bathing on deck and we already have a tan! We arrived late into Santander but got away to our hotel and received a warm welcome from Reyes Linares-Alvarez the manager. She said "Welcome home!" Later we had an excellent seafood risotto and turned in for the night. I had my best night's sleep for a couple of weeks!
Today we had breakfast where we met Manuel, the waiter, He is part of the fabric there. Later we checked out and Reyes emerged from her office to kiss us on our way followed by Marisa the receptionist that speaks no English! Her body language is hilarious! We filled up the tank at the filling station next door to the hotel and set off south. It was raining and whilst in the mountains behind Santander the temperature dropped to 15 Celsius. Eventually the rain stopped and the sky broke up. We stopped in the middle of nowhere at a service area for a pleasant lunch and then set off to find the temperature was 30 Celsius. It stayed like that till we arrived here in La Granja at the Parador.
Our room is huge with a lovely bathroom, a mini bar and the usual refinements. We have an Amigos card to use when we book a Parador and we get a good deal. There is a discounted meal deal whereby we get room, breakfast and evening meal. On arrival we discovered that Amigos card holders get a free glass of wine or soft drink as a welcome. We enjoyed our wine outside in the garden. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly as always and we are already enjoying the holiday.
Tomorrow we hope to visit El Escorial, a former monastery and royal palace near our next Parador. then Saturday sees us motoring the last section to Finca Manolo, our rented farmhouse in the mountains 40 minutes from Malaga. It is in the middle of nowhere and has 360 degree views. There we shall laze and swim, laze and swim and then laze and swim. There will be occasional visits out to local villages in the district of Axarquia.
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