The Road from Santiago

  We are walking along the side of the A-30 for a fair bit then hedging down to the N-301a. You may think, of what interest is the N-301a.  Oh yea of little faith!   The N301 can claim a record breaking straightness.  For 23,2km, admittedly across the Albacete and Cuenca provinces.  www.dangerousroads.org also notes that: The N-301 Road holds historical significance. It was the route chosen by King Alfonso XIII and his small escort during the night of April 14–15, 1931, as they left the Royal Palace of Madrid on their way to exile from the port of Cartagena (Murcia). The N301 proper now ends in Murcia and picks up again going south as the N301a.  The A-30 nicks a bit of it before becoming the N-301a where we are walking. We are heading into El Albujon, which you feel was important because it was a decent way between Murcia and Cartagena. Apparently it served as a watch post for Cartagena and was on the boundary of the municipality from 1254.  They did...

  We start the day in 2012 and to be honest, I am not sure if it exists anymore.  Well, the road we are on, for road, read track, appears to have gone by 2023.  Where were we?  We won’t pass a lot today, but if we nip over the road we will go to the Restaurante Garceran 2. It is a 3.9 starred gaff. https://restaurantegarceran.com/   It has almost 3200 people. Five days ago Maria wrote ‘ We stopped for breakfast and the coffees came out quite quickly, but since there were too many people from buses stopping, we had to grab some pastries because it was impossible to wait for toast; that took too long.’    Tony was a bit more three star.  ‘I didn't like it. I ordered cannelloni that were frozen, and they didn't even bother to make a béchamel sauce to disguise the fact that they weren't homemade. For my main course, I ordered cod, and it was just passable. The food was rather cold, though. That said, 15 euros for the set menu on a Saturday holiday is ...

  Well, it looks like we are in Lincolnshire Toto. Alright, it is flat, very, very flat…. And agricultural.  Maybe a bit drier. A lot hotter. Murcia has a number of holidays.  New Year’s Day is, radically, on 1st January and Epiphany on the 6th.  Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday [2nd, 3rd and 6th April] are holidays as is 1st May [Labour Day].  The Assumption [15th August], Hispanic Day [12th October], and All Saints [1st November] are days of rest, as is Constitution Day [6th December], Immaculate Conception [8th December] and also Christmas.  The 9th June is Murcia day. Trip Advisor reckons the top ten things to do in Murcia are: Catedral de Murcia Real Casino de Murcia Plaza de las Flores Plaza Cardenal Belluga Museo Salzillo Terra Natura Murcia Barrancos de Gebas Mercado de Veronicas Santuario Nra. Sra. de la Fuensanta Snta Clara Monastery & Museum Generally, nostalgia is to be enjoyed, free of the fact the olden days were ghastly. ...

  We are heading towards an airport.  As confessed before, I haven’t flown enough still not to be excited by it.  I was very excited for my first flight and it never has gone away. Picture the scene. Luton Airport - gateway to paradise, or Harpenden.  We had visited Luton Hoo ‘ to quote wiki, ‘ neither Gothic nor strictly Greek Revival, ‘ and then neared the airport by way of reconnaissance.  It was 1972.  We were off to Switzerland.  Why Switzerland and not Malaga I hear you ask?  Well…. Mum had got tuberculosis in the late 40s. Having had a large amount of lung removed and in the pre-Clean Air Act East London, she was told she had to go to Switzerland for six months to recover.  This was not something that granddad, a carpenter on the LNER, could afford.  Thanks to the kindness of a neighbour she went for six weeks.  This I found out years later.  As for my first journey.  I got on the plane - a late flight - and fell a...

  We are going down about 100m - which is almost a third of the total height above sea level.  We can stop at the unreviewed villa Donoso park and garden. There is an equally unreviewed sports field near by.   We have a sentiment ahead - Banos y Mendigo.  772 people lived here in 2020, a considerable increase since the 277 of 2001.  57% of these people are foreign born - of whom about two thirds are European, the rest being mostly Africans.  It only has two, small wiki pages [Spanish and English.] Near the entrance of the town is the Puente viejo.  Alexander wrote ‘ An old bridge that has been renovated and painted. There is a path you can take to the hills of Portichuelo where there are fossils. Leave it clean if you go. Some people throw away coffee cups and empty tobacco packets.’ In the pueblo is Restaurante Venta La Asomada.    https://ventalaasomada.es/     Juan was impressed.  ‘ Total antidepressant. What a fantasti...