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Winter Tour 2008 – Day 7: The day started of cloudy, and we had to decide which way to go next. We had been considering Cordoba or Toledo but because of the changing weather chose to go further south towards the coast again.  On our way south we drove through the stunning deep gorge of the river Jucar from Alcozarajos to Alcala del Jucar.

Especially in the area of Cubas many picturesque houses have been cut into the cliff face along the tiny road. A restored 15-century castle high on the cliff is dominating Alcala del Jucar, overlooking the cascade of white houses that are covering the hillside. For the night we picked a campground in El Campello, a city north of Alicante.

Winter Tour 2008 – Day 6: Today we wanted to visit the city of Cuenca and nature to the northeast of it.  While on the map it looked like something close-bye, in reality distances on rural roads are much larger and it took us much longer then predicted to reach Cuenca. Fuel was also getting low, but we were lucky and surprised to find an open gas station in Cuenca on first Christmas day. In fact, most gas stations and also some bakeries were open in the afternoon, something I didn’t expect in catholic Spain on a day like this.

We didn’t stop long in Cuenca and continued following the CM-2105 towards the Ciudad Encantada (Enchanted Forrest) with a coffee break at the Ventano del Diablo close to Salto de Villalba. Unfortunately when we finally arrived at the Ciudad Encantada, it was already too late for the ca. 40-minute hike. The sun was already going down, and according to our car navigation it would take us another 1 ½ hours to get back to the campground.
So in total our first Christmas Day didn’t go at all as expected, because we underestimated time and distances. Here in rural Spain distances are huge and it just takes more time to get from A to B. We did see some pretty landscapes and in the mountains there was still some snow from those snowstorms they had a week before.

Winter Tour 2008 – Day 6: Christmas started off white, not because of snow, but because of the deep frost of minus 6 degree Celsius we had at night. The olive grove next to the campground looked really great as everything was frosted over and the sun just started to rise.

We had been traveling for six days now, and it was about time to do the laundry. Our motorhome only has limited space, so usually at least once per week we really have to do the laundry, if we want something clean to wear. This means that we have to be on a campground or find a laundromat. This campground had a washing machine and dryer, but those gave us a lot of problems, including laundry which wasn’t dry at the end. After these technical problems, it wasn’t before 1:30 pm that we got going – too late, as we would soon find out.

Winter Tour 2008 – Day 5: The night in Bernicarlo was rather noisy as dogs everywhere kept barking throughout the night, and it was also freezing again, something we didn’t expect this far to the south. After breakfast we got rid of our waste-water and filled up new freshwater. Originally we had considered visiting Valencia today but changed our mind as going into a busy town with a motorhome, finding a secure parking and running around with a dog really isn’t that much fun. We will save the city trips for later and then come by train, stay in a nice hotel and travel without pets

So instead we were heading west to the world’s largest photovoltaic system currently operating in the world, the ‘Parque Fotovoltaico Olmedilla de Alarcon’, which can provide a peak power of 60 megawatt. The hills around the village Olmedilla de Alarcon are covered with solar panels, which was an amazing sight. Unfortunately there wasn’t a visitors/information center and for reaching the various sites it would have been better to have a 4WD off-road car.

In this area there are some more solar parks but it was getting late in the afternoon, so we went to the Kikopark campground in Villagordo del Cabriel, where next to us where only two other guests. We were grateful, that on Christmas Eve the reception was still open at 5 pm.

Winter Tour 2008 – Day 4: In the morning we had a beautiful but cold sunrise in Narbonne-Plage which was absolutely worth getting up for. During the night it had frozen a bit, but then the sun was quickly warming up the air again to 14° Celsius. After grocery shopping in Narbonne, we were back on the road towards Valencia in Spain.  At the shopping mall I was able to go online with my iPod Touch again and according to the predictions weather in Valencia would only be good for 3 more days, so we didn’t have much time too loose. Today it was a sunny but hazy day. As far was we could tell the haze was caused by small fires and other air pollution, often looking like smog.
Around Barcelona – a city of 1.68 million – freeway traffic was insane and sometimes dangerous.  I was glad when Barcelona disappeared in the rear view mirror and traffic got less.
Valencia was a bit too far away for this day, so for the night we stopped in Benicarlo on one of the few Spanish camper parks. Benicarlo seemed like a faceless seaside town with summer residences and charmless hotels along the coastline.

Winter Tour 2008 – Day 3: Today was mainly a driving day to make up for yesterday. After a good night, we got up early and drove most of the day, only to stop for shopping in Landres, lunch and a coffee break in the afternoon. When we were shopping in Landers, I was able to go online with my iPod Touch and send a quick email to my colleagues at work and check the weather forecast. According to the forecast we had to go south faster then originally planned.
In the area of Avignon we finally got away from the gray cloud cover and had a beautiful sunset turning the Languedoc landscape orange-red. Around 18:40 we arrived at the Mediterranean sea in Narbonne-Plage. There was nobody there at the reception of the camper park, so we let ourselves in and settled for the night.