Good news bad news.  That was the recurring theme as we set off.  Having finished our chores and getting excited about starting the trip we then had the anguish of having our final return flight cancelled at the last minute.  Then it was the euphoria of finally getting to Spain to see Clive and Karen’s villa to the embarrassment of finding that the hotel we booked for us all on the way to Madrid was infested with cockroaches….hey, life does have its ups and downs!

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We were just about to head off to Spain via Gloucester and London when we were casually informed via text that British Airways had cancelled our return flight in April.  Obviously the route from Chengdu was not profitable so it was closed indefinitely.  After several frustrating calls to BA, when all we got was ‘you can always get a refund’, we did some homework on our rights and finally got some sense so we have been rerouted from Chengdu back via Hong Kong.  The silver lining here is that we are flying back with Cathay Pacific which, for those of you who don’t know, must be one of the most expensive airlines on the planet.  We are expecting something very special especially as the two seats we have been allocated would cost £5500 if you wanted to book them direct with C. P.  Splurgetastic.  There’s also another silver lining to this story – we get around 2hrs to make the most of the C.P. Business Lounge in Hong Kong –result!

Logistics sorted we set off to Gloucester to see Roy and June and leave the car before heading off to London so stay with Alex and Freddy for a few days.  Over the weekend we met Bill & Sue for lunch and finally got to meet Freddy’s parents over a lovely meal at the Hospital Club.  Then it was off to Gatwick for our flight to Spain to visit Clive & Karen and to see their new home, a hillside villa in the village of Alcalali which is about 20km inland from Denia.  It is lovely, with great views and a superb pool.  They’ve settled in well – lots of new friends from various parts of Europe, taking Spanish lessons, joining the Harley Club, Zumba, golf and a little bit of DIY. 

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For some reason Cheryl has been attracted to tacky places and after the excitement of Grimsby and Skegness last summer she obviously wanted to go to Benidorm so C&K took us on a day trip.  We think we found the Solana and have to admit it wasn’t as bad as we had expected, and even had some pleasant bits.  Yes, it did have some pretty horrific visitors, and a number of perma-tanned geriatrics on mobility scooters, but, in the main, it wasn’t as gross as we anticipated –shame really but of course, it was out of season! 

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We had a wine tasting at a local Bodega in a nearby village which was great fun and fantastic value plus it converted us to Spanish wine which, until now, we have limited to Rioja – it was a revelation.

The four of us then set off to Madrid which included an overnight stop in the forgettable town of La Roda.  We had booked a hotel based upon the reviews and the price only for Clive and Karen to walk into their room and find a cockroach to welcome them – we left, quick!  The silver lining was that the alternative hotel we had originally looked at was so much nicer and didn’t cost very much more.

Madrid is spectacular and the apartment we booked was stunning (phew, as after the booking we made in la Roda we were getting worried about the booking we made in Madrid).  It was less than 5 minutes walk from the Royal Palace, had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and living space – the real silver lining was it cost us £40/night per couple – a steal!  We hit the Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace spot on – the 1st Wednesday in the month.  We also exploited the free entry for EU citizens after 4pm and enjoyed looking around the opulence of the interior.  We finished up in the superb armoury admiring the full sets even for the horses when suddenly the alarm went off.  Yes, you guessed it, there is always one, and it was Neil pointing at a strange piece of metal on the armour and piercing the infra red beam across the display at the same time….ooops.    We also enjoyed the dining in Madrid which was excellent and amazingly cheap at around £10 for a lunch comprising a starter, main, desert, bread, an alcoholic drink and a superb setting of The Plaza Major………we highly recommend Madrid if you fancy a city break.  If you do come, then you must do the very touristy 15 Euro guided tour on a segway……..what a great way to see the city and have a ball in the process.

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The weather in Spain was pleasant at around 23C in Alcalali and 20C in Madrid.  It was a bit of shock to  backtrack to Bristol to endure a high of 8C and a low of 2C.  However, it was to attend the wedding of the year of Neil’s son, and it went off brilliantly.  Of course despite our meticulous planning and buying of formal wedding outfits there was a last minute crisis.  The day before the wedding Neil was just about to polish his shoes when they literally fell apart in his hands……damn…….more bl**dy shopping! 

 We agreed on a schedule to get us all showered and ready to go on time.  Neil said he would make the early morning tea and set his alarm on his phone.  He forgot one thing – his phone mysteriously thought it was in another time zone so we were woken at 5.30am!!  Despite the very early start we had a superb day with the kick off in the very intimate registry office in Bath Guildhall, followed by a delightful lunch at The Pig and all topped off with a party at The Manor in Keynsham which was attended by more friends and family.  The Pig is set in an old manor house where we were able to really enjoy a season that we usually miss – autumn.  We do miss the seasons by travelling so much so it was particularly nice to see the colours of the trees as they change for winter.  Unfortunately we enjoyed ourselves so much we forgot about taking a lot of pictures so you will have to wait for the official pics to see just how posh we looked.

Wedding over, waking up to the first frost of the season – hey, time to get on a plane!  Posh clothes packed away next day armed with our full rucksacks we backtracked to Madrid to catch our flight to Goa and warmth……….watch out for the next instalment.