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The road goes ever on and then we stop at a bar

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  Today will be mostly concerned with walking across the flat, hoping for amusement and thinking that in July - these pictures were taken in July 2025 - we may get shimmering heat haze and the hope of shade and a cold beer - other beverages are available.     It is February. It can, in Blighty, be either the grey continuation of all the dreary days, all the life drained from the world, the grass by the side of road being grey with traffic residues. Snow, especially towards the end of the month, is just a cruel reminder that Christmas was a flaccid semi-mild affair, with the reindeer dragging the sleigh through piles of leaves. Sometimes you get the snowdrops and the hope of Spring.  In Murcia we may have had two days of rain and, on average, no days of snow. We came into the month with an average of 17.6oC and leave it with an average of 18.6oC. This is why the Brits are scampering around in bikinis and ill fitting shorts while the Spanish cling to fur coats and...
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A world of generous toppings but not a mushroom in view

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  Well it is flat and agricultural for the most part today.  It is one of those routes where we go from the neatly manicured new roads to the fieldside tracks.  We will pass La Casa de Mama. It is woman owned, LGBTQ+ friendly and https://ecoturismolacasademama.com/ gets five stars from three reviews. Vicente thought ‘A very clean and spacious house, equipped with every detail, the owners were very friendly, we had a wonderful few days. I definitely recommend it. We would love to return someday.’ Under the RM-11 we go and round to the RM-620, where the Pizzeria Pallaresa.  876 people have given it 4.4 stars.  Reviews tend to be brief.  ANa says ‘A fantastic place, with a very extensive menu and everything is delicious. You have to come, don't hesitate.’    We need some padding. Siruvo gave a one star review - in German. It does feel like the review of someone who has views on what a good time is.  ‘If you like eating in a tent, this is t...
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A walk in the wilds - with thoughts of the provinces.

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  We are walking along the path less streetviewed. We will get back to the civilised world at the end of this so lets step out with a song on our lips and hope for the best. We won’t be going to the Castillo de Feli but we will be near it.   According to Ramon ‘Fantastic route through the Almenara that culminates at the 12th-century Feli Castle. It's well worth the trip; it's very easy and suitable for the whole family. But if you go, be careful. Don't climb the walls. They're 900-year-old rammed earth. The wood is still preserved. He took some photos.’   I can’t find much more.  There are some trench lines left over from the Civil War. What shall we do for the rest of the day.  Let’s get provincial. The pattern of provinces have ancestry into the early Middle Ages. This is shown when you get those wonderfully silly bits of territory which are enclaves within other provinces.  In 1833 the current pattern was set - although the Canary Islands were divid...
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25% Good Works

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  We are heading for Campo Lopez.  Until then we will have trees, terraced hillsides and a lot of up - 113m and even more down, 142m. What will the weather bring? Probably not rain. [edit - I wrote this two months ago. I think it is possible to say I was wrong] Precipitation across Murcia ranges from 200mm to 600mm, making it the driest  autonomous community in Spain.  The region has between 120 and 150 days in the year where the sky is totally clear. April and October have the most precipitation, with frequent heavy downpours in a single day.  So we should be in luck- but weren't. Campo Lopez is not big enough to rate much coverage.  Here are some videos and useful information - such as we are 59.72km from Murcia. https://pueblosdemurcia.com/pueblo/campo-lopez-lorca/    There is a church. The Ermita de Campo Lopez exists but no one has felt the need to write about it.  Rosao’s bar has even less about it.  Let us enjoy the very narro...
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The language of loafing about

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4.9 km.  225m upwards - which is gradient of about 4.6%.  You get the feel of this as the agriculture thins and disappears and we are definitely getting end of valleyish. We will pass ‘Finca El Fraile’. https://www.bodas.net/fincas/el-fraile--e231246   They do events for 40 to 300 people.  Three reviews and not a single word among them. Well, we have little more to do than look at the trees so let's get linguistic.  Languages are a bit non-binary, what ever the French say. The snuggle up to each other and pass on words with gay abandon.  So, what has Castilian casually picked up from English when they were holding hands.  Some words have been taken outright. Football becomes fútbol , trailer dons a cap and becomes tráiler and, my favourite, sweater becomes suéter. Some words stand proudly out.  The English influence on Spanish football was marked by Athletic Club [of Bilbao] and Madrid used the untainted English till Franco declared all things mus...
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