Beatrix on safari - our last hurrah

We all woke late this morning. The sun was shining over the marina, a vast improvement on the last few days. Jemima thought we were getting our boat to Horringer today, and was very excited; so to mitigate the disappointment, we headed off to spend our last day in Santander's safari park. (In a strange coincidence, we spent our last day of our Florida trip viewing animals, at the Miami Zoo that time. Maybe it will become a family tradition.)

Thankfully the safari park accepted motorhomes - it turned out it was more like a big zoo you drive around, you didn't drive through the actual enclosures. And it was very well done. The landscape was quite unusual with strange rock formations sticking out of it, and they'd used the shapes to help create the different areas, plus some very unobtrusive wooden fencing - it was all very naturalistic and quite attractive. We saw all sorts: kangaroos, bison, deer, tigers, gorillas, zebra, giraffes, llamas, elephants and ostriches. But the two highlights were the reptile house, which was the best we've seen: large well-designed glass enclosures with all sorts of snakes, including two enormous anacondas, and a great iguana section; and a monkey mountain, where a troop of something monkey/ ape like (I missed the name) was living on a mountainside. We could see them from above, over a stone wall, and could have stayed for hours, watching the interactions: there was a tiny baby clinging to its mum, with (presumably) dad grooming mum; slightly older babies leaping and playing; others having a shouting argument over something or other - it was monkey life playing out right in front of us.

Jemima then wanted a nap, and fell asleep in my arms, so we decided to adjourn to tonight's night stop: an Aire by a lake just outside the park gates within sight of the elephant enclosure. Kevin and I drank tea in the sun while she slept, then we all fed the ducks before retiring to Beatrix for playing, dinner, and evening TV. 

And that's the end of our last day in Spain: off to the ferry port tomorrow for our 3pm sailing, so it's our last night in Beatrix tonight. But not quite the end of our trip: we've still got 24 hours on the ferry, then the drive from Portsmouth before it's really all over. So still time for some more adventures.

Morning marina view:

Safari fun:

Jemima can now barely see through her fringe...:

Tea in the sun:

Feeding the ducks:

Santander marina to the safari park (except that we went through the park):

Museum amusement

We were woken by the rain. It was absolutely chucking it down, and continued relentlessly all morning. We were meeting Ben at lunchtime so had a quiet morning in the van, playing games. Then thankfully the rain stopped (or at least slowed) just as we headed out. 

Our destination was the Maritime Museum. To be honest, I had slightly struggled to find a Jemima-friendly rainy day amusement in Bilbao that wasn't the Guggenheim (which we've already seen). I didn't have very high hopes for my eventual choice - but there weren't really any alternatives. But actually, it turned it to be rather good. We met Ben at the entrance, which was thronging with children - it happened to be holding some kind of fair trade event, and the kids were making things at a craft table in the foyer, for selling in aid of charity. Jemima and I got stuck in while Kevin bought the tickets, then Kevin duly "paid" €2 for the pleasure of taking her masterpiece home. Then into the museum proper. It combined serious charts and exhibits and models of shops with hilarious Playmobil scenes of Bilbao in bygone days (weirdly, every one including a drowning person) - Jemima loved them. And it also had a recreated barge to climb in, and Pirate Stations with various games for kids: throw the ball in the pirate's mouth, hook the fish with the rod. Us grown ups tried the knot tying, with varying degrees of success. But the best bit (for the grown ups) was a brilliant room with a huge model of Bilbao and big screens behind showing the history of the city. As the story developed, different parts of the model lit up - it was really clever. And the best bit for Jemima was another part of the event: a man was making huge bubbles outside, and there were places where we could do it too. We had to tear her away.

Off to lunch - we found a friendly local restaurant with (of course) a great menu del dia. Jemima fell asleep before we got there, so missed out, but the rest of us had fun. She also missed saying goodbye as we went our separate ways after lunch, Ben back to his hotel, and us back to Beatrix. She woke up when we arrived, and the first thing she said was, "where's Ben? I want to see Ben! I miss Ben!". Distraction in the form of food was effective, plus a promise to see him soon, and then we headed off to our last destination in Spain: Santander. Kevin found an Aire at the marina to do some motorhome servicing, then we moved on to a parking spot on a road with a view of the boats. A lovely family day; and our penultimate night in Beatrix. Our last proper day tomorrow. Bittersweet.

Museum fun:

The Goodwin men appreciating the 10 cylinder diesel engine:

Bubbles!:

Jemima enthralled by Julia Donaldson reading Room on the Broom while I make dinner:

Bilbao to Santander:

Bye bye blue sky, hello Ben

The upside to coming home: seeing friends and family (and our dog); and getting back into normal life, especially the run up to Christmas, which I love. The downside: the weather. It was cold this morning, down to 4 degrees outside; and once we'd set off, the cloud got lower (including a weird cloud/ sandstorm haze that affected visibility badly for a while), and the blue sky gradually turned grey. We had to turn the main heating on. The grey outside matched the landscape: a fairly dreary mixture of flat plains (presumably where it rains), and huge factories.

A little lunch stop (even the menu del dia at a service station is good), and then onwards. The landscape got more interesting: greener, and craggy; the weather got worse: low cloud, and then rain! Our first for a long time. But at least we had a rainbow too.

We got into a miserable drizzling Bilbao at 4-ish and found an Aire at the Bilbao Hostal that included use of their showers - it's got to that stage again, Jemima really needs a hair wash... Then, a real treat: Kevin's eldest, Ben, came to visit! We were planning to meet up in Bilbao tomorrow anyway, as he's here visiting a friend, but timings worked and he took a taxi to find us at our Aire this evening. It was lovely to see him - Jemima was very excited to show brother Ben all her toys - and we had a very good catch up over our standby dinner of bread, cheese, ham, and salad. Then Ben headed off to sample the Bilbao nightlife, with a plan to meet us again tomorrow. It may be miserable outside, but it's definitely heartwarming to see family - a good omen for returning home.

Our rainbow:

Reunion:

Salamanca to Bilbao:

Our journey in the last 4 days:

Homeward bound

Hasta luego Sevilla. And now we really are on our way home. After the usual motorhome servicing routine (including yoga in a port car park, one of my more unusual venues), plus a trip to Aldi, we were off. The plan today: to get half way, Salamanca, a journey of 288 miles. Jemima watched Octonauts, slept, and listened to books; I sorted out photos and read books; and we all ate while Kevin drove. Another lovely sunny blue-sky day, travelling through the barely inhabited centre of Spain: green hills and plains, the odd cow, occasional vineyards, and sometimes a little town off to the side. We ended up high, 1200m above sea level, and could see sprinkles of snow on the mountain tops. Kevin just kept on driving.

By 5.30pm we'd reached Salamanca, and a motorhome parking area right near the centre, in a church car park. A cup of tea, a little rest, some playing, then it was off for dinner. A short walk across the adjacent bridge - with beautiful reflections of the Cathedral in the river - and we were in Salamanca Old Town. It felt like an Oxford or Cambridge - a high concentration of elegant, old buildings, all in a small area, with lots of life from the student population. We kept walking, and reached the highlight: the main square, Plaza Mayor. More uniform and therefore well-proportioned than Brussels' Grand' Place, and a complete square, unlike Venice's St. Mark's Square, it was stunning, especially lit up at night. After a bit more of a wander we settled on a fairly non-touristy restaurant in the square, and then had a very nice tapas meal: roasted scallops, the wonderful jamon, a mini burger, goats cheese and tomato salad, and pork fillet. Then, after a brief dance to some buskers in the square, a walk back across the river among the beautiful buildings and their reflections. Salamanca is unexpectedly brilliant. But no time to explore further - our journey home continues tomorrow.

(None of these photos do justice to Salamanca, but they're the best we've got...)

Walking across the bridge from our parking spot, with the Cathedral reflected in the river:

Kevin and Jemima having fun at dinner:

Me too:

Seville to Salamanca:

Sightseeing and snacks

It's 10.15pm here, and I haven't started thinking about the blog yet. It has crossed my mind to not do it tonight, but it would be a shame to miss a night after so many in a row, and so near to the end. So it might be more verbose than usual, but here goes...

Today we planned to explore the Alcazar, Seville's version of the Alhambra, a 9th C palace that is still in use today. We walked into town again this morning, during which Jemima surprisingly fell asleep (she said she was tired and wanted to lie down, so what can you do? It's good she can say what she wants, even if it is napping at 11am). After a slightly fractious journey (Kevin and I unusually being directionally-challenged), we made it. First stop, the cafe, for a restorative coffee and an early ham/ cheese sandwich lunch. Next, the pool of enormous Koi that we'd passed on the way to the cafe, so Jemima could feed them: it turned into a thrashing melee of frantic fish fighting to get the bread, rolling over each other in their desperation. But she enjoyed it. And then after the aggression, the peace of the gardens. Both Kevin and I preferred them to the Alhambra's, partly because there were fewer people, but also because they were on a more human scale. It was all so attractive and enticing, you could see why during the last 11 centuries any nearby wannabe ruler immediately took over the palace - we'd rather like to live there too. After a gorgeous meander, we went inside briefly (lovely tiling, the spaces not as graceful as the Alhambra), then moved on - time for a sit down.

We found a cafe in a pretty courtyard just outside the walls, with a fountain that Jemima proceeded to soak herself in. Some delicious churros - thinner and lighter than the Granadan version, I preferred them; and a bit of a play with two American kids (the eldest of whom had just discovered Peppa Pig); then on again. Wandering past the Cathedral, we were accosted by a hawker of flamenco show tickets. Having nothing better to do before dinner time, we went in that direction, via a drink in another square (it was a day punctuated by drinks and sit downs).

The show was being held in the Museum of Flamenco, set up by one of Seville's most famous flamenco dancers. Before the show, we had a look round, and it was great: atmospheric videos where you could choose the language commentary; beautiful costume and shoe displays; and best of all, a room through a velvet curtain with a giant screen showing different types of flamenco dance, practically life size. We had an impromptu family flamenco dance off - Kevin did some of his patented spins, until it hurt his (still healing) arm.

Then off to the show. I loved it - I love watching dance generally, and here was no different: it was mesmerising watching the interplay between the two dancers, and between the singer and guitarist. You could see they were speaking to each other in their own way, and appreciating each others' artistry. Yes, the female dancer was a bit old, and the male dancer was a bit weedy, both of which put Kevin off - but this was the 5pm show after all (first of three today), and we were accompanied by an uninterested but thankfully quiet toddler watching Peppa Pig, so not an ideal audience. But I still loved it.

Then on to our next wander+sit down. We had a fun detour through the busy main Sevillan shopping district, buying a souvenir tree decoration for Jemima, then started to think about dinner. But most places aren't even open here at 7pm. So it was a choice between an empty tourist restaurant, or a fast food place. After circling the area fruitlessly, nearly ending up in McDonalds, and actually going as far as the counter of the Spanish version, we steeled our spines, and just walked to see what we could find. The area grew rougher, the restaurants scarcer, the time ticked on - especially for a hungry toddler who'd had an early nap. We decided to regroup, and stopped at a (not yet open) restaurant for a drink. Kevin did some googling, and it turned out Tripadvisor's number 2 restaurant in Seville was three minutes away. What a stroke of luck. But then our phones died. 

This could have been frustrating, unable to find a restaurant just around the corner. But luckily I'd remembered its name (Bar Eslava), and I asked a nice lady in a shop, who took me two doors down to a friendly large man outside a bar, who knew it, and gave us directions. So at 8.15pm we arrived - when it was only supposed to open at 8.30pm - and only just managed to get a seat in the tiny dining room.

We proceeded to have a brilliant meal. Something for everyone - delicious hake in green peppers for me, melting slow cooked pork cheek for Jemima, unbelievably sweet spare ribs for Kevin (7th best in the world apparently, but not my thing although he loved them), and the first and third prize winning Sevillan tapas from 2010 and 2013 respectively - a slow cooked egg on a mushroom cake, and a cigar of Brie, cuttlefish and algae - both unusual, and delicious. Plus fried sardines, cheese croquettes, slow cooked leeks and a vegetable terrine. A great meal for our last night in Seville, and worth all the trauma finding it.

It was standing room only as we left, struggling through the crowds by the bar - we'd clearly arrived just in time. We got a taxi on the main road, and Jemima fell asleep within two minutes. We finally made it back to Beatrix after a long day, but a good one - Jemima didn't stir as I transferred her to bed. Seville is another place both Kevin and I would come back to, in a heartbeat - it's a wonderful, appealing, friendly, beautiful city. What a great finale. And we start the journey home tomorrow.

The Alcazar:

Jemima had her first mythology lesson from these:

Jemima stalking a peacock:

Jemima splashing in the fountain:

The Flamenco Museum: