Not all those who wander are lost
Date published 22 December, 2020
A New Front Door
To his credit, the taxi driver remained professional, and polite. He opened the car doors, and he got the two cases out of the boot, and he drove off.
We stood on the pavement. We had two cases of stuff, and we had, in our pockets, a rental agreement for a flat. The agreement looked much like the ones your children might draw up in a game.
Thankfully, it was warm. And equally thankfully, after just 10 minutes of unspoken doubts, the lady whose signature adorned the rental agreement texted to confirm she was on her way.
We were still stood on the pavement outside an apartment block, of course, with the appearance of abandoned old people.
But we didn't mind at all. This was the beginning of a new adventure. And given all that 2020 had delivered to people, we were relieved to even have got this far. Although, of course, getting inside would be a massive bonus.
And we did get inside. The lady arrived, and showed us to the flat that was to be our home for the next 3 months. She showed us around the flat, and despite the language barrier all went well. The flat turned out to be brilliant - tiny, but just the thing. And it had broadband, which meant the last hurdle was solved - I was able to get online and pay the good lady some money without a hurried look for an ATM.
After she had gone, there followed the slightly surreal task of 'settling in'. We got to choose where to put all our stuff, but mostly, we realised how little stuff we had to put anywhere! We had travelled very light!
But the essentials all worked. Broad Band. A decent, if tiny, kitchen. A nice shower. A view of the Mediterranean from the balcony.
So that was it. From a chilly, and early, start at a deserted Newcastle Airport to being installed in a flat in Torrevieja.
We had done it. We just upped and started another adventure.
We are happy snappers!
View the galleries of our travels
Saving a great community asset
The picture shows the Thorold, at Marston, near Grantham in ...
Torrevieja Friday Market
Google, of course, has many uses. But remember - it only knows ...
There is always a story
I was sitting on a bench, enjoying the afternoon sun, with the ...
Eerie and Empty
The date was 5th December 2020. The location, Newcastle International ...
Lockdown, Travellers
We were sat in the van, enjoying some untypically sunny weather ...
Perspective
We love exploring places, mostly on foot, so you can see the ...
Islands near islands -Illot de la Galera
I like islands, for no particular reasons. Being an island seems ...
The Malta Car Museum
Another day, but definitely not just another car museum. Don't ...
Are We Nearly There Yet?
It's the standard journey joke. Four minutes into the journey, ...
Beverley. A surprise visit.
I had heard of Beverley, of course. But it sits to one side ...
Change of plan - Nottinghamshire to Yorkshire
Sometimes, when you are out and about, your plans get changed. ...
Quick on the Draw
Playa del Palma, S'Arenal, in Mallorca, is a nicely lively place ...
Travelling, or on holiday?
We greatly enjoyed our trip to Majorca. A temperature in the ...
The Weather
Sooner or later, of course, amongst musings like this, one of ...
One Rainy Day. Followed by more rainy days
All 'vanlife' pictures must be taken in glorious sunshine, with ...
Cromer - lots of ice creams and an upset golfer
Cromer is a magical place towards the north of Norfolk. It sits ...
Sheringham - not all High Streets are Equal
The High Street is dead. We all know that. And it is not entirely ...
Morecombe Bay Remembers
A regular place that we visit is Morecombe Bay. Well, more usually, ...
Warm Coldingham
Coldingham bills itself as an historic village. I think it is ...
That is some water feature in your garden.
It is quite possible to visit the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes ...
Riding of the Bounds Berwick upon Tweed
The ancient tradition, known as the Riding of the Bounds of ...
The Old Mill Site at Crakehall
Crakehall is really two places. Great Crakehall, and Little ...
Narrow Streets in Castle Donington
We watched as the truck driver edged through the gap. Both his ...
The Inland Port of Shardlow
You are entirely correct. Shardlow, on the border of Derbyshire ...
What is there at Millshield
There is more than one River Derwent in England, you know. The ...
Hardware Stores Resist Time
The problem with the High Street, of course, is that they are ...
Perspective - This tree is not upside down
I love this tree picture. Of course, I would do. I took it. ...
Edinburgh. How did you get here?
I like Edinburgh. It is a great capital city. There is interesting ...
The Island of Instruction
The picture is of Cramond Island. Cramond is one of those bits ...
Winter wants love too
Winter is where we wait for summer, of course. Actually, of ...
Getting People Outside
This muse arose from a wander around a village that is not in ...
That is a Tidy Beach Party
Except, regrettably, it wasn't. As we wandered along the sea ...
Seahouses Harbour Sleeps
In our travellings in February we spent a few days in Seahouses. ...
Steaming out of Bury
The East Lancashire Railway Line is, as you will have swiftly ...
Second Hand Books in Wooler
If you are doing a tour of Northumberland, a visit to Wooler ...
Glasson Dock. Forgotten, but alive
Not so many people will have heard of Glasson Dock. Not so many ...
A Fix in the High Street
I don't only mean the High Street, of course, although untypically ...
Tees, Gromit
The wonder of engineering, shown off in a way the cheese eating ...
Are you in the Durham Loop?
Durham is a world heritage site. Much may be written about it. ...
All Roads Lead to Roam
There is a difference between a functional journey and a fun ...
