Towanda Tales: Chapter 1 - Trockenuebungen am Atlantik and other spanish impressions...

Our way across Spain had pretty much everything - nude bathing at the hot and deserted beach in crystal clear water in Capo de Gata, a lot of desert-like landscape fitting into any wild-west movie (including horses and donkeys), hilly areas with frosty poplar tree forests, which left us frozen stiff after camping in them, picturesque Spanish towns with narrow alleys, whole landscapes covered by gigantic plantations of which we have heard only the worst (e.g. slave like working conditions for illegal immigrants) and finally a sunny but stormy atlantic coast, where we spend a leisure day swimming and collecting shells. The atlantic coast was also the scene of our wonderful first training of digging the car out of sand - after we unintentionally had taken a wrong turn right into the beach :P Good that after such a sweat demanding excercise the sea was right there to be jumped into;) Our group is slowly but steadily growing together and the things we used to need are constantly decreasing - such as apropriate dressing style, change of underwear, sleeping in particualrly nice surroundings, space for privacy or sand-free food. Sometimes it seems that our main action during a day is packing, unpacking, repacking and - mostlty searching single items out of the colorful mess in, on, under or next to our wonderful white limousine. This morning was a special highlight. We had slept in a so called "nature park" - a filthy parking lot with a lot of cows and pigs next to it, which were wearing huge bells and constantly made me believe I was on some sort of alpine farm. After hanging out around our cemetery candles after a good dinner of Reis-mit-Scheiss the fourth day in a row we saw something rather huge moving about. I took out my camera to see in the flash of taking a pic what it was. I turned out to be a biiiig black, surreal and plastic-like looking spider... Despite the clear sky this made us pull out our moskito nets for the night;) Around six in the morning we woke up - with the sudden start of rain and a heavy storm which nearly blew Madita out of her hammock. We just managed to run into the car with all we had - sleeping bags, matresses, tents and plunge semi-wet into the seats. Thats how we spend a looong time, being dug under the massive amount ofb stuff, dozing and waiting the storm would cease - which it didn´t - instead it grew worse and worse. We finally considered leaving the country straight away - if someone wants to check the car - feel MOST welcome, oh yes, and if you see my book, or the bag of my sleeping bag just pass it on - I can´t move on my seat :P It´s one of these days when you feel deep gratitude towards giant supermarkets with wonderful sanitary service, to wash dishes or to take a relaxed dump, which doesnst require you to crouch into some shrubs. Finally now, as I am writing the rain has stopped the first time this day and a ticket for the 7am ferryboat is in our pocket. The others spend a long time at the post office to send a huge pile of stuff towards home - such as warm clothes. Only I keep on carrying my 4 weather season pack with me, as I have absolutely no idea where all I might end up in the next year..,. How exciting!