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The Diary
Spain

Zaragoza – Spain

All too soon we have to leave behind France and Spain; you need months to really visit these countries properly, and right now our sights are set upon Africa!

We have just had our first technical tussle with our trusted Land Rover; a leak from a faulty fuel cap on the main tank. We have managed to solve the problem with a metal bracket procured from a local ironmonger.


Here we are in Zaragoza at the Hotel Hispania, very central with a private secure car park - it pays to be prudent when leaving the vehicle overnight – at only 50 euros for a double room, it is also walking distance from the historic centre and its massive square where Basilica Pilar is situated.

The local specialties are ‘tapas’ – small Spanish savoury dishes, typically served with drinks at a bar. We visit 2 such bars which we would strongly recommend:

- Los Victorinos, drink and eat standing up… great food.
- Traguanta, here you can choose to stand up or sit down during your meal. Very nice fish tapas…. Delicious!

We stuff our faces with a delicious dish of bull meatballs cooked in a truffle sauce, all washed down with a fruity little number from the local wine list – and all for just 36 euros!! So, as we soak up the atmosphere and the last of our delicious truffle sauce our mood mellows, and we can’t help wondering…er… Africa, have we made the right choice? We hang-in there, finish the wine, pull ourselves together and go to bed.

Madrid – at our friends’ house

How do you resist the temptation to visit the hot Spanish capital? Especially, when the astral connections allow us the unlikely opportunity to catch-up with Carlos and Laura in their lovely home in Madrid. Ordinarily, it’s not that easy to find them there, given their insatiable appetites for travel and adventure (you can visit their web site at: www.ultrarun.es). Too good to be true, a gift! Or, at the very least, a wonderful opportunity not to be missed, not only that (astral connections really working overtime here!), we get the added bonus of catching the city’s annual festival and procession...

Heading towards Gibraltar

We bid a fond farewell to Madrid, our good friends and creature comforts.
We continue on our southwards journey heading for the Straits of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean is constricted into the channel that connects it to the Atlantic. We are captivated and amazed by the rounded mountains and hills bristling with olive trees. They have accompanied us all the way to Tarifa, renowned for its windy conditions and a Mecca for windsurfers. Beautiful scenery, which, at times, puts us in mind of Namibia, but then again with its more defined and not so immense outline, is probably more akin to Tuscany.
But, by far the most emotional, thought provoking, awe inspiring sight, was to see upon the horizon, beyond the sea, partly obscured by clouds and blurred by the mist, but so out there, between the vague line that separated sea from sky, was the nebulous strip of dark ground that is AFRICA. Out there, waiting, beckoning with all the allure of the siren song. The stage is set and we are about to enter, filled with wonder, into the theatre of our future.
Struggles and wonders, problems and discomfort, friendships and unforgettable memories.

Alcegiras

Here we take the ferry to the African continent.

Ceuta

Spanish enclave on African territory. We fill the car up and we leave towards the African border (Morocco).