Pre-migration

We returned to Corralejo by bus on the morning of Saturday 11th. The kids had been warned that they needed to clean up before they left. It seemed unlikely when we got there - they had not come home until 5.30 am., but we left them to it for an hour or so and they worked a minor miracle, so we took them out for lunch, and then put them on a bus to the airport.

This gave us just over a week to deal with all the stuff that needs doing before a winter away. But first - that evening we joined a vast crowd at Rosie's to celebrate the 70th birthday of our friend Dave - the youngest 70 ever seen!

Good company, good food and some appropriate music - including some numbers from Ruth's pop trivia rival Paddy O'Presley!

Overall that week the temperature was up and the rainfall down, but still some chilly evenings and high winds. We got the jobs done, worked our way down the freezer contents, and had some sumbathing time. An ongoing battle with Telefonica about disconnecting the internet reached an impasse with the weekend. On our final day we planned for a brief trip round some watering-holes follwed by an early roast at Rosie's, but with the bright sun and some chums in each place we ended up with un-printed T-shirts. Next day - Monday 20th April - we began the migratory trail with a Spanair flight to Barcelona.

Meanwhile.. on the other side (of the airport!)

This is ridiculous! Here we are nearly at Pentecost and we haven't reported on Easter!

The fact is that we have had internet access problems ever since so it's a case of raking back over the saved photos and fading memories to recall the excitement!

So - it's Caleta de Fuste April 4th to 11th as a first stab.

We went there because we had promised Chloe and Chris some time alone in the Corralejo apartment. They then invited a friend for a week - so we found an excellent deal with Owners Direct:- a duplex on a small complex in Caleta de Fuste. (Very good value for a couple - convenient location, quiet!)

This was the second resort to develop on the island and is largely new - with a man-made beach, which is quite big enough and very sandy. We had mixed weather (surprise!) and Chloe and co came down on one of the nicer days.

The town is in two parts - either side of the main road. The inland part is a steep hill which is/was known as Chipmunk mountain. The wildlife has apparently been driven out by development, and there is now a colony of chipmunks living in the rocks by one of the coastal hotels. We met a few - as well as their less glamorous neighbours - the rats!

Eating out in Caleta seems to be rather "hit or miss". We had the nastiest, meanest Chinese buffet ever thre, as well as the most over-priced beer; but we also found good tapas - such as here with Chloe, Chris and Rhianna - good Indian, a grill run by the barman from our 1990's complex, and a fabulous old fish restaurant on the beach, where we ate on Good Friday. (No price list, no menu - just a sample tray of raw fish to choose from - excellent!)

..and.. on the Easter theme here are Bob's feet on Maundy Thursday - needing a wash after going onto the black sand of the beach at Gran Tarajal. We were the only ones on the bus for most of the journey going there. It is unspoilt and we were amongst many locals enjoying the sun and fish on the Bank Holiday.

and.. on the subject of (last) resorts, we spent a fascinating evening at "Legends". This bar features performances by a former member of Herman's Hermits and one from Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. We chose the evening when they were on together. They do a very professional and demanding set - mostly duos - with a backing track. At some points we were the youngest people there - which is saying something! Clearly they have a loyal following of British local residents, who were having a wonderful time - and could jive very well indeed. This was the grey euro at play!