Frigliana to Mojacar Playa, Spain….slowly winding down our trip

This post is more of a summary than a detailed expose of the areas we have travelled through. Once we sold our home, things became a bit more complicated …there was the obvious ongoing trip planning, managing, etc., but also searching for a new home whilst trying to enjoy our trip and planning our next steps. This is all to say that the back end of the blog has been hugely delayed, as the final bits and pieces were completed in Kelowna, our new home to be. So much for the excuses …here we go!

 

October 18th to 26th, 2025

With our stay in Frigliana ended the road trip continued to Mojacar Playa, about 240 kilometres and 4 hours north of Frigliana along the A-7 toll-free coastal motorway. There are many towns, both small and larger  ( Alumencar, Salobrena, Adra, Almeria City, etc) along the way which would have been interesting and fun to visit, maybe next time. 

The drive went well, with the last bit being quite interesting as we crossed the Tabernas Desert, considered to be the only true desert on the European continent, defined by its hot desert climate and very low rainfall. Its “Wild West” appearance has made it a popular filming location (particularly “Spaghetti Westerns: e.g. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) for decades, leading to the creation of themed parks like Mini Hollywood.

Our AIRBNB was excellent and our host extremely pleasant and helpful ….language was not an issue as she was an expat from the United Kingdom, and the beachfront promenade was only a 7-minute walk from our digs. We stayed in this coastal town for 8 days, the last extended stay of the road trip.

We had elected to stay in a more “touristy” town with emphasis on beach, restos, nature, rather than historical monuments. Consequently, we only made a few excursions to nearby areas, one of which was Cabo de Gata–Níjar Natural Park, one of Spain’s most spectacular protected coastal areas. It’s known for its volcanic landscapes, crystal-clear waters, and hidden coves framed by dramatic cliffs. The park has a semi-desert climate, giving it a unique mix of sandy plains, lava formations, and salt flats filled with flamingos (unfortunately, the wrong time of the year for these beautiful birds). It is a very interesting area, about 1-1.5 hours from Mojacar. While we only went once, there is much to explore here…

On the way back, we visited the Faro de Mesa Roldan, which afforded extensive views…

Back in Mojacar Playa, we followed a daily routine of a walk along the promenade in the morning, then working on our plans for the future, some fun time on the rooftop deck and dinner chez nous or on the promenade by the beach.

Another excursion was to Mojacar Pueblo, another hilltop village, albeit not as attractive as the last two we stayed in …we were quite pleased that we had not elected to stay there. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant outing on yet another perfect day…

The AIRBNB was very well equipped, and we were able to enjoy some home-cooked meals, which were a welcome change from heading out for dinner, especially after a busy day…

One of the last outings was a visit to a nearby, much less touristy town, Garrucha, known principally for its seafood. It was one of those serendipitous occasions, as it so happened that it was the start of the Festival de la Gamba Roja de Garrucha (Red Prawn Festival). A fun event, hugely supported by the locals to the point that it seemed overwhelming to us …we must say that these folks do like festivities and especially those that incorporate food and drink…it was a great way to end our stay in this area of Spain:

 

October 26th, 2025

With the stay in Mojacar Playa over, our plan was to head for Toulouse, where we would return little Clio and fly back to Vancouver via Montreal. Our original flight had been delayed by 10 minutes, but having read the fine print, it allowed us to change the flight to an earlier date without being charged any fees. We felt we needed every day to pack up for the move, so we felt this change would make it easier. As it turned out, this was a wise and fortunate decision, as we needed every possible minute to get organized for the move.

The first leg was a 750-kilometre run of some 7.5 hours, landing us not too far from Barcelona. This ensured that even if bad weather intervened, we would have sufficient time to reach Toulouse in time for our flight.

It was a long day with only a few hours of rain, and without the opportunity to enjoy the drive. Of interest were the vast areas under plastic “tents” effectively improvised greenhouses (peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, etc. ). As you can see in the pictures below, they cover entire hillsides, and to say they are unsightly is an understatement of epic proportions.

In any event, we arrived at the El Retiro Hotelet (roadside hotel) in the late afternoon, tired but relieved that we had completed the 1st part of a long drive.

The hotel was a modest affair but clean, functional and with pleasant staff…we were a bit surprised as to how large a parking area it had. As we looked out our window, there was a steady stream of cars until almost the entire area was packed…strange, no way could this hotel accommodate this many people. We soon learned the reason…October 26th was the date of the El Clásico, a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, which we learned is not just a match — it’s history, pride, and a rivalry that transcends sport. The hotel was a venue to watch the game with numerous large screen TVs in and out of the building, and hundreds of locals cheering on their favourites (Barcelona)…quite a scene,  I think we were the only non-Spaniards there, haha. The cheering, stomping and noise was something to behold, but also the letdown as “our” side lost  2:1, and the fans shaking their heads, some barely suppressing tears, headed for their cars in deathly silence!

 

October 27th to 30th, 2025

After a decent night’s rest, we looked out to see a gorgeous morning promising a superb drive to France via the Pyrenees. A quick breakfast and we were on our way, after a bit we asked each other where the little white bag with the passports, cash, etc was…PANIC !!!…not here, not there > it must be back at the hotel, I think I broke several laws on the way back to the El Retiro, ran to the room and “hidden” in the closet was our little white bag, safe and sound. We had been very disciplined throughout the trip about where and how valuables were kept, and now, towards the very end of the trip, we had screwed up big time. We got lucky, but it was damn close…

In any event, we started again, heading for the Pyrenees and the French border. Uncharacteristically, we had not reserved a hotel, the goal being to find a small town close to Toulouse and the Toulouse Blagnac Airport. Once we passed the outskirts of Barcelona, the countryside became quite picturesque. We stopped to take a few pictures of the cable car to the Benedictine Abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat, which we had visited several years ago, almost wishing to visit there again.

 

The drive through the Pyrenees was stellar as it was a gorgeous fall day with almost no traffic en route.

We eventually stopped in the small town of Foix, some 250 kilometres from our previous overnight. The town is located at the crossroads of two rivers, the Ariège and the Arget and lies at the foot of the Foix Castle, whose origins date back to the Romans. We spent two very pleasant nights at the Hotel Lons…

…and enjoyed leisurely wandering around this pleasant town of some ten thousand souls. Our steak/frites lunch at Cafe de La Halle was al fresco (a tad chilly out of the sun) but very tasty as we watched the locals go about their day…

Foix was a very nice way to end the trip, and dinner (menu de jour) at Vertigo was the proverbial “cherry on the sundae,” with dessert being overwhelmingly DEELICIOUS and colossal!

Next morning, in light rain, we drove to the TT Auto rental facility (agency facilitating the Renault Purchase/Lease Back program) at the Toulouse-Blagnac airport and returned Little Clio with nary a scratch after 5,543 kilometres (although on the last roundabout, we almost got sideswiped, WHEW). The return process took approximately 30 seconds, and the kind agent even whisked us to the Ibis at the airport… seamless!

Dinner at the hotel, shuttle at 6 AM, nice flight with Air Canada to Montreal, crappy flight on a crappy Air Canada plane to Vancouver, UBER to our daughter’s house to pick up our vehicle, got lucky with an earlier ferry, and VOILA we reached Sechelt, our home till November 27th by early evening……..even though we caught a few hours of sleep on the plane/ferry we were totally done. For those of you who count their steps, over the 67 days of our trip, our steps aggregated  748,050 steps or 42 trips from Everest Base Camp to the Summit…now that is a factoid of no serious value!

 

Well, I have restrained myself from making any comments about the Wannabe Dicktaitor throughout our trip as we made a conscious effort to ignore the stupidity emanating from the White Palace. I must say that whenever we met folks of any nationality during our trip, they were quite cautious until they learned we were Canadians…and then the floodgates would open! The disdain often bordering on hatred for Trump was universal, as was the question: “Why can the Americans be so duped by such a swindler and liar?” And yet here we are on the doorstep of a full-on Autocracy reminiscent of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and more recently Russia.

As Canadians, we are now faced with a powerful autocratic bully. Hopefully, our leadership can navigate this terribly difficult moment in our history!!!