Well, it is mid August and another journey was in the planning stage. We have decided we would like to go back to Spain again, this time staying for 2 months. Now the searching for the best deals begins in earnest and the preparation begins. Lots and lots and lots of time was spent working out the details, which airline; where to stay; one place, a couple of different areas; how much to budget; how do we want to travel, train, car, boat?? Decisions, decisions.
Sept 15, 2017
By the second week of September, after mentally exhausting weeks of multiple daily emails and searching, I have our plan in place. We will be flying into London, staying overnight for 2 nights to help temper the jet lag, and get connected with a portable wifi (we had such a terrible time getting secure wifi our last trip) and don't want to deal with that again. We will then travel to Alicante, Spain, where we will pick up our car and travel about an hour (85 km) to Moraira, Spain, our temporary home for the next 2 months.
As our flights from Vancouver are long and can be cramped, so we usually try to see if Premium Economy seats are a reasonable options. Not this time, as the premium seats would have cost about 2 1/2 times an economy fair. But, I had heard of something that Air New Zealand does, where you can purchase what they call a "skycouch" seat which is essentially three seats together, purchased for a reduced price. So, I asked the question...... "Can I book 3 seats for 2 people and what would be the cost".......Score!! You can, and you only pay the base airfare, which is usually the cheapest part of your ticket, for the third seat. In our case it was $460 extra Vancouver to London return. It took over an hour on the phone speaking directly with various airline personnel, but I got it done. So, on top of an good price already for the flights, this addition was not going to break the bank and would go a long way to having a more comfortable flight and happier campers at the other end.
In Moraira, we have secured a waterfront apartment for 8 weeks. It has everything we were looking for: it is in a small community, has a minimum of 2 bedrooms (it has 3) - bonus it has 2 bathrooms (his and hers), it is close to restaurants and bars, it is in easy walking distance to all amenities, has a washer/dryer in the unit, has an elevator (important question to ask in European accommodations) and a bit above the fray - we will be on the 3rd (4th North American) floor and large enough so we are not bumping into each other. The only thing that would have made it better was if it had a balcony, but it doesn't. It has a living room with large windows on two sides (it's a corner unit) that open to a seaview. All in all I think we have done well, as our "hard costs" which include ferries, flights, hotels, car, apartment and medical insurance are costing us $150 per day for our stay.
 |
| Moraira apt building on the left - 3rd set of windows on the right side of building will be our apt |
Moraira is a town of about 10,000 on the coast of Spain about 85km north of Alicante. It is heavily touristed in the summer, with Spanish, British and other European visitors swelling its July and August population to 36,000, but is quieter in the off season. Originally it was a fishing village and apparently still has a small fishing fleet working out of it today. As well as fishing, the area is known for it's muscatel wines, and agricultural produce. I look forward to going to the weekly markets in and around the nearby towns - a different town, a different market everyday if you want/need. I already have my market calendar printed.
As we tend to not be "fly and flop" type of travellers, from there we will make little forays around the area and possibly further afield just enjoying the Spanish vibe. On my wish list are visits to Valencia, Barcelona (maybe, I have a real desire to see the Familia Sagrada and some of the Gaudi architecture) and Granada while we are there. We will see how that goes.
Oct 2, 2017
The day dawned with some distressing news. First of all, it was the horrible shootings that took place in Las Vegas last night, words cannot describe the sadness this brings. Then, on a personal note, but not as nearly devastating, we found out that the airline we were using to get to and from Alicante from London, was put into "Administration", a fancy gentle term for bankruptcy, I think, and has ceased operating effective immediately!! Now to try and figure out how we will get to Spain, and more importantly, which airline do we now trust with our dollars???
