When we arrived at EMA on 1st July, it was very noticeable how quiet the airport was, there were 5 Bmibaby planes parked up facing the terminal and all of the flights were due out before 11 am and then no other flights showing until after 2 pm, all the flights got away except ours due to a technical fault, and I envisaged the worse delay happening, but we were only delayed for a hour"¦.just enough time to walk to the other end of the airport for another ciggie"¦god bless EMA.
We arrived back at East Midlands Airport around 5-30 pm yesterday and by the time we'd collected the luggage and got into the taxi, the journey home on the M1 motorway was horrendous with the amount of traffic heading north bound at time-tea for the week-end.
Thankfully no flood to come home to this time, but plenty of water outside today as it's lashing it down with rain and I'm ‘freezing' with the central heating on.
We've had two glorious weeks in La Carihuela and I didn't want to come home.
The weather was red hot and looking at the temperatures around Europe, Andalusia was exceeding other resorts with temperatures wildly ranging between 38º and 46º F every day.
The other day I was sat having a lunch time snack at the Dark Side of the Moon café and half in/out of the parasol when I felt something on my back, which at first I thought was bird poop, but it was a drop of rain and then I felt a few more spots, but where the rain had come from was unbelievable because it was blazing sunshine and there were no clouds in the sky, and after about 30 seconds the rain stopped.
We took the train from the airport to El Pinillo station and walked down to the apartment, we unpacked and then walked down to collect ‘Dolly' which we leave with a friend in Carihuela.
Dolly is one of those shopping trolleys which are widely used in Spain, I'd bought it last year from my local market because unlike some other designs, the tubular frame collapses and it fitted into the suitcase and weighs exactly a kilogram.
I'd bought it because Dave had developed an inguinal hernia and was waiting for surgery and therefore carrying huge bottles of water, pop, beer etc was totally out of the question both before and for a few months after the surgery, and Dolly has been worth her weight in gold when we go to the nearby supermarket to stock up the fridge at both the start and during the holiday"¦.Dolly is once again having an extended holiday in Carihuela.
The first week just flew by sooooooo quickly, we met up with Glynis and her hubby and took them to Torre (via the promenade and the lift), we went to Arroyo and up on the cable car to the top of Mount Calamorro and walked back, we went to Fuengirola on the train and then via bus onto Mijas, plus having a drink with them in the evening on a couple of occasions.
Dave has been trying for years to get me on the cable car, I've stood filming it and have been humming and arring for ages until his patience has ran out. It's unexplainable that I love skyscrapers and have no problem being on the top floor, but anything which moves like a plane, a lift or a cable car and I suddenly don't ‘do' heights.
I enjoyed it, the car didn't sway around and I was distracted because I had the camcorder running"¦..Anyway, if Glynis was going on it, then so was Sanji .
By the time the second week arrived we ditched the plans to go to Malaga, it was far too hot and we've hopefully rescheduled the visit for September instead.
We spent four complete days on the beach from around 11am until 5 pm and went out at night for a few meals in El Pinillo in a bar called Mirador de Maria or if Dave had cooked, just for a few drinks"¦I must have been thirsty because I had a few tinto verano's"¦red wine and lemonade.
We went on the L1 bus and had a nosey around El Calvario and walked down into Torre and back on the promenade, stopping for liquid refreshments on the way"¦.basically we did sod all except walk, eat, drink, laze about and got rid of all the stress from the past months.
I was watching them putting up all the lights and erecting the little fair in Plaza del Remo for tonight (16th July) and I was wishing we'd had just a couple of more days because I would have liked to be in La Carihuela tonight for the Virgen del Carmen fiesta.. Señora Carmen is the patron of mariners and fishermen... La Reina de los mares (the Queen of the Seas) and her statue is taken out of the little church and paraded around the village, she then goes out on a boat adorned with flowers and comes back to be paraded along the promenade, back to the church.
I've never been fortunate to be in La Carihuela with a camcorder to film this and I won't be next year either unless we extend the already booked holiday for another week, but one of the best ones I've seen was in Los Cristianos (Canary Islands) many many years ago, and the bands, fireworks, flowers, religious connection with the places and the sea are what make Spanish fiesta's just so wonderful.
We took a taxi back to Malaga Airport (20 Euros) and it was easier now that Bmibaby have moved into Terminal 3"¦.their check-in point was numbers 345/346 which is quite near to the security area where you go to have the hand luggage scanned and then the trek to gate C.
Back on the 16th September for 2 weeks for the RomerÃÂÂa de San Miguel, same apartment, same airport, same airline and more or less the same flight times.
If it ain't broken, then why try and mend it.?
Sanji x
we enjoyed your company too and it was a pleasure to be with you both.
I'll be keeping my eye open for your video. I wonder if you'd post a link once you've uploaded it to the media site.
