The novelty and excitement of moving into a mobile home for Christmas was still with us as we rose on our first morning in the new place on Christmas Eve. Feeling festive as we stretched our legs around our extra floor space we began settling in and thinking about our Christmas messages. Esther had moved our homemade decorations in already and they hung proudly in our new living room, but Christmas time to us meant taking the time to appreciate friends and family and we wanted to make sure we did the best we could from afar to let our loved ones back home know we were thinking of them.
So we spent a very fun and festive day putting the finishing touches to our Christmas messages and sending our electronic greetings into the ether to hopefully add to the Christmas joy back home. Then, as afternoon wore on, we took a gentle stroll down to the beach, Playa del Arco, at Los Escullos to enjoy the last of the sunshine. It felt great to listen to the waves on the stony shore and just reminisce about our adventure and appreciate just how lucky we felt to be here together in this beautiful setting, (followed by a latish evening finishing the last few emails).
Christmas Day dawned slightly overcast but we didn't mind as we lay in bed sharing the gifts and cards we had made for each other, followed by a healthy green juice breakfast! As lunchtime came around we had been invited to, and wandered over to greet our campsite neighbours who had gathered at a party organised by another fellow guest outside their festively decorated caravan. With baubels, tinsel, games and a buffet already in full swing everyone was having a wonderful time wishing each other well. Everyone seemed full of happiness as they chatted and mingled into mid afternoon and we felt very grateful to the hosts for such a lovely gesture and invitation.
By late afternoon we drifted away with everyone else to make some calls home and prepare our Christmas feast (Red peppers stuffed with a quinoa, mushroom and vegetable mix with and an exotic fruit salad thanks to all the wonderful fruits on offer here at the moment). Hearing familiar voices and listening to christmas songs on youtube as day turned to evening, we even watched our first TV in months by finding a Christmas movie to watch online. It just felt so peaceful and quiet. The perfect Christmas Day for us.
Boxing Day bought more of the same as the atmosphere of Christmas quiet remained and we relaxed our bodies and minds, venturing out only to stroll once more to the coast at Los Escullos, this time venturing out onto the outcrop Punta del Esparta to watch the sea birds reeling in the late afternoon sun. Along with more calls to friends and family back home, to be told about how the snow had begun to settle and to see our friends' new christmas jumpers made us feel even more festive.
We had planned to take an excursion to restart our active legs on 27th December and ride to another part of the Natural Park, but the day started with a surprise visit from a friendly neighbour offering to drive us to El Cabo de Gata market. As one of the larger towns in the Natural Park we were keen to visit and so our bike ride turned into an unexpected day out with our neighbours. After we had restocked our fruit and vegetable supplies we then enjoyed a stroll along the promenade at Playa de San Miguel, stopping to enjoy a drink at beach cafe together.
Our new friends, who had previously been to this region then treated us to a brief tour of the area, driving us to visit one of the hides on the salt flats (Salinas del Cabo de Gata) to see the flamingoes. The tour continued, visiting the birds on the waters where the Rambla de Morelaz met the sea at Playa del Charco,where our new friends pointed out all the walking possibilities along the impressive sandy coastline; the Playa de las Amoladeras stretching North to Retmar and the Playa de Cabo Gata to the South. These were already on our list of planned days out and this brief encounter certainly whet our appetite to return in the weeks ahead.
So, overall its been a relaxed yet very festive Christmas in our new mobile home. It has been hard at times to be so far away from our family and friends, but thanks to modern technology and free internet at the campsite we've kept in touch as best we could sharing all the Christmas news back home. Plus, with so many like minded fellow guests enjoying their own peaceful Christmases we've also felt part of a community here as well. Feliz Navidad!
We're looking forward to seeing in the New Year from our sunny base in Spain. (No snowballs or snowmen this Christmas for us, but we're coping!)
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