Day two cont...

So the run of very bad luck continued with Tim calling me just after I posted the blog to say that the ATM in Victoria had swallowed his card whilst trying to get money out for food and a taxi back to the camp site. Lets face it, it can't get much worse really. Luckily for us his guardian angle was looking over him as always and there walked in to the garage the very nice guy and his girlfriend from the camp site. They paid for some food and took him on a tour of the city and a rapid Spanish course while they did the things they needed to do then gave him a lift home. We decided that this really must be it now as bad things always come in threes and we have defiantly had our three...plus a few for good luck.

Day three... Wednesday (To remind me what day it is)

So the car is in for a while it would seem. Everything moves very slowly out here. Trying to discuss insurance details with brokers was not something I had covered in Spanish lessons. I now know the Spanish for clutch and Windscreen! Anyway we are here until mid next week it would seem, and to be honest I am hopeful about that. I don't know what will happen. Do we ever!?

I thought I would post some pics of where we are. It is very beautiful.

And the weather is lovely! The children had their first water fight in Spain. I expect the first of many... This was at 8pm and still nice. This bit I could get used too.

So we wait. For insurance issues to be sorted out. For cars to be fixed. For, well just for everything. It's a bank holiday tomorrow, so of course nothing happens, like at all. And then we are into Friday. We are planning to go explore Victoria then, so will update you as to how it all goes. Here's to a smother ride from here on in. I must admit I'm not looking forward to Tim leaving at the moment. We will see what tomorrow brings. The children are learning fast and have made friends already. Being here is very good for their Spanish. They are totally immersed.  I say this as we say cheers with a glass as the sun goes down over the hills and the sound of all the Spanish visitors out side the bar fills the air.  (We are the only English on site) They laugh and chat while the children play until late into the night.

Ok......So the first few days in Spain have thrown pretty much every challenge possible, and not in a good way! The boat was delayed by 4 hours due to the server storm that followed us for the whole crossing. You know a storm is bad when they are bungie cording the tables and chairs together to stop the flying across the floor! I spent the whole 30 hours in the cabin and even Tim who says sea sickness is all in your head requested a sickness tablet and sent an awful lot of time out side where he "could get some air". The children where ok for most of it and watched a lot of films. On arriving at 11pm we had to get to the campsite before the cut off dead line for the gate at 12. This meant me getting straight into the car and driving on the wrong side of the road, in the dark and pouring rain after 30 hours of being sick to beat the deadline of an hour to site. We made it with 15 minutes to spare! We loaded the kids into bed and passed out.

Day one...Monday.

We woke to yet more pouring rain and the knowledge that we had a lot more driving a head. Or at least we thought. We headed out of site at 10am and got on the road, only for the car to break down within 2 hours. We found our selves on the side of the Spanish AP-68 in very attractive hi vis jackets...We looked great!

So there we were being towed after much bad Spanish on my part and a lot of hand signals to the nearest campsite. Just out side Vitoria Gasteiz.

So we make it to a camp site where (Thank God!) there is a really nice guy who speaks great English. We are told that all the garages will be closed as it is a fiesta. So there is nothing we can do today and we wait until tomorrow. 

Day two... Tuesday.

We wake up and with the very nice guy make several call to organise getting to car towed to the garage to be fixed. They arrive an hour later only for the guy who is driving the tow truck to reverse into the back of our car! Now it nears a new gear box and a new rear wind screen and bonnet.... and breath. 

At this point we all laugh hysterically as it is this or suicide. Now I find my self sat in a campsite we were never meant to be in with a car that is a wreck on several different fronts and a husband who is supposed to be flying home tomorrow from an air port six hours away from here still having gotten nowhere... 

Having said that, the sun is shining today and it is very beautiful where we are. I feel we are definitely being taught a lesson about not being in control and that we never actually know what will happen next....Life is in charge, not us! So we wait...for the garage to call and say how long we will be here for and from there we can plan around Tims supposed departure. Seems I may have a whole new set of challenges to rise to in the next few days. Well other then it pouring with rain, not much else can go wrong.....(I'm touching wood as I say that) And if it does, that's life!

I will up date as, when, or if we ever leave here. Maybe this is it...Three months here then back on the boat. Who know's. We wanted an adventure and we sure as hell are getting one. Sending a hug to all. Tune in for the next episode of the Burgess Spanish saga. Which hopefully will have improved some what. If not a flight home may be in order! Hahahaha. 

So this is for you Lisa. This is the car we now have that has the ,massive job of towing us across Spain and Portugal. It works for now, but we will see for how long. (Positive thoughts!) Any way we leave tomorrow at 4pm and land at 7pm on Sunday. I will post some photos of the caravan so that you can see our home for the next four months. We packed it up today and other then bedding and a few bits are ready to go, or at least as ready as we will ever be. I know we won't use half the stuff anyway. Well I will post at the other end with pics of a more sunny back ground I hope! My email is zaburgess@gmail.com for those who want to write at some point as I won't be on facebook or mingroup. Sending a hug to all and ......oh my god I feel like I am dyeing or leaving forever rather then four months. So final. Will stop it now. Chat soon. Z x

So exactly two weeks to go, and I'm starting to wonder what I am doing! Anyone know? I feel like someone is living my life for me and making all this happen around me. I starting to see that I have to be careful about the children and the fact that they have no concept around how long we will be gone for or when they will see their mates again. They have no ideas what to expect or what this involves, but then neither do I. I need to Spend some time in the next week showing them a bit about the plan and putting their minds at rest I think. I don't think big goodbyes are the way to go! We are off to a caravan site up north next week end for my first long run with the caravan in the new car. This could go one of two ways...I will let you know how it goes. The idea is to take it for a weekend here in the uk and figure out things that I have forgotten about or need to sort before next week. Then it's packing up and preparing for the ferry crossing. The next time you here from me will be in Spain. First stop at a campsite somewhere near the port of Santander. Lets hope it goes well.

So we are off...This is where all our posts and pics from our tour will go, so I hope you enjoy seeing what we get up to, or not as the case may be.

We are going to Spain and then onto Portugal leaving in April and returning mid September. Touring the country and staying with Ex-Pats along the way to see if this is the life for us. We will learn about the food, culture, and if we really could make our way out there. Can we afford it? Can we make enough to live on? and is it for us? Follow our journey and see if Spain or Portugal is where it is at...for us anyway.

By us, I mean myself and our two children aged 8 and 4. We will be taking the caravan and going for an adventure for the summer. to find out all of the above. Am I mad, yes...am I up for it, yes. However if you follow the blog you will have to remind me that I said that. There will be tears, boredom, stress, and some serious issues with trying to reverse a caravan down dodgy tracks i'm sure.  Here about it here first and help remind me why on earth I am doing this.

We leave the Uk on the 26th of April. That's in two weeks time! I am peeing my pants. (that's for Tim who hates when I say that) I have made curtains, brought solar panels, a car, sold a car, and started cleaning, fixing the caravan, and sorting things to take. I have along list of things to work though before this deadline. There is nothing worse then a dead line. Thought starts to go bonkers when it think's there is a deadline where all must be perfect before it is reached. I see that this will not happen and I will undoubtedly leave with the house a mess, the grass unkept-ed and in a panicked hurry with the milk still in the fridge.
First we are due to get the ferry across to Santander, which still just makes me think of a bank. It will be nice to see the real thing for once! 26 hours on a ferry with two kids....erm? We will see. Then on down to the village which will be our home for 4-6 weeks depending on...well how we feel. El Perello. It's two hours down from Barcelona. I have already been told that all of my Spanish will be redundant as they speak their own dialect. Great!

We then move onto a village further south called Bocairent, down the south coast. here we will stay with a family on there land with the horse and chickens. A true home from home.

From here on in it gets a bit unknown. We have two families to meet up with in Portugal, but no set deadlines or dates. I am hoping to Head across Spain and into Portugal stopping along the way at anything that takes our fancy.

There of the families have children and two home educate. They are trying to set up home ed groups, so that should be really interesting to find out about and see how it really works on the ground out there.

Any way, I will post when on our way and as and when I can get internet via Wifi! The children have a camera each and will be posting to along the way. Pen pals very welcome via email or Skype!

Bring on the adventure!