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Textiles and other sorts of coves

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  It is a day where we will hug the coast and end on the road less traveled, well, less tarmaced. I can’t say if it is like it today but it was in 2016,when the Boys and Girls of Streetview headed down this way. Is it time to camp it up. Camping Playa de Mazarron gets heading towards 5000 reviews.  https://www.playamazarron.com/   The website has a video and a visita virtual.  For those of you keen on these sorts of things the keywords on the reviews are ‘sea’, ‘facilities’, ‘dogs’, ‘natural stone’ and ‘shortcut.’  12 hours ago - and bear in mind I’m writing this in December, Katarina wrote ‘ Great campsite. I can only recommend it.’  Kat is German, as have many of our recent reviewers.  Gilbert [French] is very fulsome ‘A large, well-laid-out and landscaped campsite with numerous clean sanitary facilities (except after some inconsiderate use). Note: the main men's toilets are currently being renovated. Pitches have water, electricity, and drainage. Co...
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A mystery of alum

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We are in Puerto de Mazarron. It is one of those places which had a town, Mazarron, which is safely tucked away, 5km in land and the port.  About 12,500 people live in Mazarron and 10,000 in the Puerto.  You get the usual crowd of people of the various ages, Phoenicians, Romans and Moors here.  Philip II granted the place town status and fishing and mining helped things along.  Mining peaks in the early twentieth century, whereafter the place shrunk from 23,000, down to 10000 till the recovery began in the 1980s. Today tomatoes and cucumbers are the top agricultural products grown here, sardines and prawns are the sea harvest of choice and 15% work as waiters. Now for personal rabbit hole.  Alum.  Used in dying. Apparently England got most of its from Italy in the Sixteenth Century.  But what is this.  Alum in Mazarron.  It ends in 1572 https://visitamazarron.com/en/monument/old-alum-factory/   We are near the sea front and what Google M...
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Summer Breeze.....

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    I am tempted, as this will go out at the end of January, to just let the views of the azure sea do the talking today and cheer us up in our northern halls.  These scenes are from July & September 2025 - with a 2009 Candlemas Bun thrown in for good measure.    We start the day in Isla Plana.  In 2013 it had 980 souls, half of whom were not of Spanish soil born. I would like to tell you more but even the Spanish wiki page is brief. The island translate as Flat Island, but has little similarity to Flat Holm.  The beach gets 4.6 stars and we are in a bit of a low rise mountains behind us sort of place.  Three months ago Jillian wrote ‘ Isla plana is the best and this beach is worth a visit. Walk in slope. Excellent for children and reduced mobility. Sand with no stones and excellent beach bars. Aloha chiringuito offer excellent food.’  In July, which is after all pride month, the Anchor Cafeteria was flying the flag. It is an 8am to ...
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Beautiful view, be careful

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  You know you want to know we are dropping down 275m today.  We get to see the sea which is the most important thing. At the time of writing an article has appeared in the papers about how simply awful it is that American English are being used in English as is used in Blessed Albion. Didn’t help that they used examples of survivor words from Shakespearian English however I suspect they have the article in a ‘slow news day insert here’ file.  So what of Spanish.  I have not, with confidence, been able to find out how many ‘loan words’ exist in English.  It has been suggested 1000 or 10,000 words from Castile's mother tongue that are putting in a shift.  Mind you, I love the phrase ‘loan words’ - as if, at some point, Spanish will ask for them back.  Language is a flighty piece and tends to hang out where it will and ain’t going back whatever time its Mothertongue has said it should be home by. I supposed some these are more obvious than others.  ...
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The Encyclopédie guide to snacking

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  Bit of a track today,203m up the valley and 75m down the other side.  We will go over tracks for a bit to start off before we go on. Today is 27th January, honest.  Wiki in Spanish offers us these things. 98AD  Trajan becomes the first Roman Emperor of Hispanic origin.  1336AD Peter IV becomes king of Aragon. 1554AD Pedro de Heredia, founder of Cartagena de Indias, dies in  shipwreck near Cadiz. In 1925 The Alcazar Theatre was inaugurated in Madrid.  It was called the Alkazar until Franco banned foreign names - hence Athletic Madrid becoming Atletico. The first show was Leo Fall’s operetta ‘Madame Pompadour.’  It became a sound cinema in the 1930s. Back to the road and the Restaurante Venta El Huevo. Six days ago In Marc gave but a single star. ‘Don't go without a reservation, they won't serve you.’  Three weeks ago Perikus said ‘A pleasant, clean restaurant with very efficient and friendly staff. A varied menu of excellent quality, especia...
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