My memories of the places I visit are always affected by the prevailing weather conditions while I'm there. Even the dullest, drabbest cities seem nice in retrospect if those memories are wreathed in sunshine. On the other hand, there are places that I might have been able to love, if only it hadn't pissed down with rain the whole time I was there...
Murcia is a prime example of such a place. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. In part it's my own fault for not bringing sensible shoes. I only have my trainers and my Converses, both of which, when they get wet, stay wet. The only solution is to wait until it stops raining and then go for another walk at a sufficiently brisk pace that my warmed-up feet dry the shoes out from the inside. And you can imagine what my socks smell like by the end of that process.
The best thing about Murcia is that, being a prominent university town, it has a good selection of second-hand bookshops from which I can get cheap things to read in both English and Spanish. Also the surrounding countryside is full of good hiking, when the sun shines. See pictures.
In this new post-Brexit era, I'm only allowed to stay in Spain for 90 days starting January 1st, and so my thoughts are slowly turning to home. I'll need to book a caravan or something in which to isolate after my arrival. Isolation holds no fears provided I can go out for long walks each day; however there is gloomy talk of the UK government forcing returnees to isolate in hotel rooms, without any prospect of fresh air or exercise, and that's something I just can't face under any circumstances. I'd rather go and sit things out in a random non-EU country, where I can isolate on arrival in the aforementioned caravan. Or tent. Or yurt. Or igloo. What a time to be alive.
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| River, bridge, cathedral |
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| Plaza Santa Catalina |
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| Hiking in the Sierra de la Pila regional park |
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| As above |
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| Cathedral, seen from the Plaza del Cardenal Belluga |
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| Monteagudo castle, with statue of Christ. I probably should have tried harder to get a less depressing photo. |
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| Digs. With breakfast bar. I'd have preferred a proper dinner table, to be honest. Also there was a dartboard, but no darts. What a tease. |
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| Edd vs Food #100 Bit of an anticlimax for the century edition of EVF... Home-made spag bol. Turkey/chicken mince. Bulked out with carrots and beans. At some point in my life I may have to learn how to actually cook. |
