Better from the outside than it does from the inside

 Across the railway we go - by the bridge, we are being legit, and then along the coast road. It really is a throughway forced along a less than convenient path .  San Gabriel’s suburb is squeezed in by the river and the sea and we will leave it with so many memories.



 I don’t think we have been to a boat storage facility before. Let us look in at Embarcador El Palmeral.  According to Google descriptors we can store boats.  I was mislead. I have a boat that needs parking.  Apparently this is not the case. It is a park with a boating pond.  Patrycja said ‘A nice park that can be reached from the center by bus or on foot (contrary to appearances, it is not that far away) and in the middle of the park there is a small cafe where you can relax while walking. Unfortunately, we were out of season and cleaning works were in progress in a large part of the park’  Four months ago Joanna reckoned ‘Beautiful palm trees, but in March, none of the fountains are working, nor is there water in the lakes. Free parking is available right at the entrance. There are plenty of spaces. Rihards, a month earlier, was less happy ‘The park looks better from the outside than it does from the inside. The water pools were empty, repair work was underway, the trees growing in the park are uniform, there are no toilets.’



I found the loos so you don’t have to.  Four months ago Andrew wrote - with a knowledge of toilets worldwide which is impressive ‘The bathrooms are horrible! The men's bathroom was closed, and the handicap bathroom couldn't be closed and had no water. We all had to go to the same bathroom, the women's bathroom!🤦‍♂️And in the women's bathroom there was no paper in each stall... 🤬Please take measures and fix everything. The park is very nice, but the bathrooms are terrible, like we were in Africa or something.’  Three weeks ago things had changed a little . ‘Men's restroom is extremely clean and has plenty of space. The cubicle doors usually cannot be closed because they are damaged. Toilet paper was not found in the cubicle, but on a large roll next to the taps.’



Along the way we pass a deserted barracks like building.  It is a Civil Guard Barracks.  JAX reports ‘Its ground floor is divided into small rooms with fireplaces and its second floor is accessed by a staircase without a railing and from there you have beautiful views of the sea.’




We are turning away from the sea now and pulling in to the Rincon de Pill - a 7am to 5pm sort of place [except on weekends 8.30-7]. Five days ago Camila declared ‘ Excellent service, exquisite food, and great value. They also let us hang out with our little one 🐶 on the terrace.’  Jaime was more moderate.  ‘Good place for lunch, very good quality and price.’



So we end the day on the Avinguda d’Eix, our hopes intact and the joy of discovery ahead of us. See you tomorrow.











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