Anglet to Naverrete del Rio

Wet again this morning, but as we approach the mountains it looks brighter and by the time we are over the Spanish border the sun is shining, and its a lot warmer.  Its surprising how much quieter the roads are after the UK and France. we stop at Longares, a small village off the A23 and have a picnic lunch and a walk round the village then set off and arrive at Naverette del Rio at 15.30. the hotel - Rincon de Naverrete is amazing,  it is full of antique furniture and very comfortable. The owner, Bernard showed us the bar and told us to help ourselves to drinks and write down in the book what we had. After dinner at the restaurant we were having a drink in the bar and Bernard asked us if we would like to look at his house, we entered into a  large arched courtyard with old carriages and a fountain then we had a guided tour of the house which was set out like a museum, the house originated from the 16th century and the furniture, paintings and decor were amazing, in every room from the wine cellar to the bedrooms everything was antique and set out as if being lived in. Bernard told us he had been creating the place for twenty years. and he actually lived in modern rooms adjoining  but occasionally used the old part.

Around and about

LILYDALE LAKE
We have been getting around locally the last few days, have been to a couple of the local shopping centres, the shops are amazing and most things apart from food are cheaper than Spain or the UK, you see very few shops unoccupied and they all seem to be thriving, the savings interest rate here is around 5.75%. so although the global crisis has affected here it appears to be minimal, We have had a stroll round Warrendyte and visited the op shops(charity shops)they have loads of books so we are not short of reading material,not that there is much time....
We went to Lillydale lake and park on Thursday where they have put sandy beaches around the lake and we had a very pleasant swim and a picnic, Its not like Guardamar though.
Last night Mary and myself went to an evening of entertainment in Warrandyte, we were treated to some poetry, Bellydancing, Russian songs accompanied by guitar,Irish drumming, poetry, The Pianola and storytelling, and met some nice people, quite an evening.

Healesville picnic races

Sunday was a sunny hot day so off to the Healesville picnic races. with plenty of activities for everyone it was a real family affair, with animal corner, donkey rides, bouncy castle for the kids, with hot dogs, ice cream and a bar, there were loads of people mainly families and a really nice atmosphere, we had a nice picnic with a bottle of wine and tried to pick some winners, There were 6 races mainly of around 6 or seven runners on a beautifull grass course, with a bookies area where you could go and pick who to bet with and who were giving the best odds, the races were every half an hour and we managed to pick a couple of winners,
On the way back home Emma, Mary and myself stopped for a walk around a Wurrunjeri aboriginal reserve where there was a marked way with notices describing what various plants and trees were used for, here we learned that the young shoots from the tree fern can be used to rub on insect bites to ease the itching,and as there are plenty of mosquitoes around it might be usefull although we have also found that rubbing a freshly cut onion on a bite takes away the itching almost immediately.

Picnic Party in the Square

By kind permission of Pedro we had a picnic party in the square other other night, We pulled a few tables together and everybody brought a plate or two (or three) of nibbles, salad, pizza, which went down well with the drinks from the kiosk, it was a nice social event on Lils sisters last night of their holidays.

Off The Beach

A hundred yards back from the beach at Guardamar del Segura is the nature reserve which is a perfect place to get out of the sun and take a picnic. There are lots of trees to give cover and a sandy floor for sitting and relaxing, you quite often get a cool breeze. The fragrance smells from the trees and shrubs are very pleasant and the only sounds are that of the birds and cicadas. There are a few other insects around so it is best to put some insect repellent on.