Day 60 - Travellenium Falcon To The Rescue
Sigüenza, Nuevo Baztán & the city of Madrid - Catch Up
OK, time to catch you all up with our goings-on. Due to our constant moving around, keeping up with every place we go to is proving to be a little bit of a challenge and we have sooo much to fill you in. First off, let’s quickly go throughthe towns that made us say wow!
Sigüenza
We went to Sigüenza merely because it had a motorhome service area we could fit into with our caravan. As it turns out, we had the parking area to ourselves most of the time, except on one occasion which we’ll get into a little later.
To our surprise, Sigüenza turned out to be a lovely little town with views of the town’s castle from the parking area.
Sigüenza: A Journey Through Time
Nestled in the province of Guadalajara, Sigüenza is a town that beautifully blends the old and the new. Its history is a fascinating narrative of different cultures and epochs, from the Bronze Age to the present day. The town's past is etched into its architecture, from the ancient medieval castle to the grandiose cathedral, each structure tells a story of a time long past.
Its story begins in the Bronze Age, with archaeological evidence of early settlements. However, it was the Romans who truly left their mark, establishing a settlement that laid the foundation for the town's future growth.
The Castle of Sigüenza, now a Parador, is a testament to the town's medieval past. The Cathedral of Santa María de Sigüenza, a grand structure that blends Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles, is a testament to the town's religious devotion and artistic heritage.
Day 63 - Travellenium Falcon To The Rescue
Yes, we have called our caravan The Travellenium Falcon! As we have our pom Chewie (aka. Chewbacca) it seemed like a good idea at the time!
Anyway, on a very overcast evening, just as we were getting ready for a little Netflix in bed, I thought it best to take Chewie out for his evening toiletry needs. Next to our caravan was a park bench, where I noticed a couple of cyclists trying to cook pasta on a little camping stove. Luckily Chewie soon did what he needed to do and we were just on our way back to the caravan when the heavens opened up. Just as we were walking past the cyclists (still trying to cook their pasta), they stopped us and asked if they could take shelter in the caravan. Obviously, we couldn’t say no but thought it best to tell Livy before two soaking wet, 6-foot-tall guys came walking into the caravan.
All of a sudden, our Netflix and chill evening turned into a dripping wet, cramped-up night with two random strangers! However, they did turn out to be really nice young German guys who had decided to cycle from Germany all the way down to Morocco! Livany ended up finishing cooking their pasta for them and turning it into a proper meal. The rain didn’t subside, so we ended up folding down the lounge and turning it into a bed (for the first time) for them to spend the night. The next morning, they were very grateful and were soon on their way to continue their journey.
Day 64 - Continuing Our Own Journey: Nuevo Baztán
Wish we had had more time to explore this charming little town. The caravan area we used was inaugurated recently with the help of the "La Peka" association, which we're associated with. La Peka works alongside local police and town halls to aid in the understanding and improvement of the laws for ‘housing vehicles. They were also influential in the creation of the ‘housing vehicle’ parking area in Nuevo Baztán. Unfortunately, we had a lot of rain, and we were still getting over the colds we received in Zaragoza (link below)! But, we at least got a chance to relax, knowing that we were very much welcome in the town. It was the time that we needed before heading towards Madrid.
Day 67 - More Decisions in Madrid
Day 67 and we arrive in Madrid. We love small and charming towns, but we can't ignore how impressive Madrid is, its streets, its architecture, and how alive it is. Ok, at first, when we left our campsite, caught the metro, and arrived at Gran Via, it was a crowded place with no place to escape and breathe. We had the feeling that we had seen Madrid; it was time to escape and return to relax at the campsite. Things did, however, get better. Little by little, Madrid convinced us that its charm was worth it. After seeing the Puerta del Sol, Plaza del Oriente, the real palace, the Cathedral de Almudena, and the Plaza Mayor, we realized that Madrid has a lot to offer. Our second day in Madrid was even more impressive, visiting the iconic Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen, in English). It deserves a separate post!
Think we’ll go into more detail about Madrid once we’ve visited more of the major cities and create a ‘Major Cities of Spain’ blog post or something along those lines.
The decision for us to make while we were in Madrid was to head back to where our journey had begun in Valencia, as we had a flight booked for the UK the following week, or continue on to Avíla, to a meeting of fellow motohomers, campers and caravaners. We chose the latter in the hope that we could find somewhere to store the caravan so that we could get back in time for our flight.
Day 74 - Avíla: Meeting Of The Travelers
We had a great time at this small event. The organisers had managed to get permission for us to use the local sports center as a camping ground. We lined up our caravans, motorhomes, campers and even tents in two lines facing each other so that once all our awnings were opened up, it kind of produced a roofed area that gave us all some shelter from the sun. We had food, drink, walks up into the surrounding mountains, tours and a lot of laughs. We made some nice friends at this event so we were pleased that we had decided to go along. On the final day, we even found someone who was happy to let us use their rather large garden to store our caravan which is currently sitting there waiting for our return.
A Little About Avíla
Avíla, a city nestled in the rolling hills of the Spanish countryside, is like a time capsule that transports you back to medieval times. As we parked our caravan in the city's designated area, we were immediately struck by the city's well-preserved medieval walls, a sight that took our breath away.
Avíla is known as the 'Town of Stones and Saints,' and it's easy to see why. The city is home to an impressive number of Romanesque and Gothic churches, convents, and monasteries, each with its own unique charm and history. The city's spiritual heritage is also deeply connected to Saint Teresa of Avíla, a prominent mystic, writer, and reformer of the Carmelite Order.
The city's crowning glory is undoubtedly its walls. The Walls of Avíla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are among the best-preserved medieval fortifications in Spain.
It is said that the stones used in the walls of Avíla were created wist the ashes from fallen soldiers.
The News
We are excited to announce that we have a new car on the way!!! We will finally be about to head uphill without the need to pull over every ten minutes.
It’s an unusual make but it has everything we needed. It’s shorter than our current chariot, so we should be able to squeeze into more parking areas, plus it has a surprising towing capacity of nearly two tons.
Our website, www.HappyLifeOnWheels.com, is gradually taking shape. It's still under construction, but if you want to see what we're up to, feel free to take a look.
Spain and Beyond
So there we have our first 78 days of our new Happy Life On Wheels. Where we go from here, we have no idea, but it’s bound to be full of adventure and discovery.
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Any Questions?
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The link below should show the caravan friendly places that we have personally been to. Obviously, new places will be added regularly as we continue our adventure.
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