In the Footsteps of Don Quixote
10/12/2007 10:10 a.m.
Firstly, Tripologists, allow us to introduce ourselves! We are Miki, a French Painter, and Kevin, an English Rock musician, living in Albir near Alicante, Spain. We have the privilege of sharing with you here some of our many and varied travel experiences, warts and all, from around the world. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we enjoyed the experience, and hope it may prompt you to take a trip or two yourselves!
It was a beautiful sunny Monday when Miki and I set out from Albir towards Albacete, and a rendezvous with the trail famously followed by Cervantes’ hero.
Opting to get to the area in one go, we took the Autovia, and as inner Spain seduced us with its charms, and the fabled windmills loomed on the horizon looking for all the world like Quixote’s giant adversaries, we tentatively left the highway and explored the meandering, often unmarked roads that criss-cross this region.
Parking on the “balcon de la Mancha” quite literally, The Balcony of La Mancha, for it is the highest point for miles around, we shared the view that the windmills have enjoyed for hundreds of years, looking out across the multicoloured plains of Spain stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see.
It was a beautiful sunny Monday when Miki and I set out from Albir towards Albacete, and a rendezvous with the trail famously followed by Cervantes’ hero.
Opting to get to the area in one go, we took the Autovia, and as inner Spain seduced us with its charms, and the fabled windmills loomed on the horizon looking for all the world like Quixote’s giant adversaries, we tentatively left the highway and explored the meandering, often unmarked roads that criss-cross this region.
Parking on the “balcon de la Mancha” quite literally, The Balcony of La Mancha, for it is the highest point for miles around, we shared the view that the windmills have enjoyed for hundreds of years, looking out across the multicoloured plains of Spain stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see.
After briefly visiting the museum contained within one of “Los Molinos”, we put our feet up in the Motorhome with a coffee. It is commendable that the Spanish authorities are preserving these reminders of a classic work by a classic writer. At odds with the mood of the moment, a boy racer suddenly roared across the car park. A sad juxtaposition, a whirlwind of creativity from Cervantes engulfed by a whirlwind of dust from the type of person whose only use for a book would be to prop a car up while he stole the wheels. In the words of Metallica; Sad but true.
Nevertheless, Miki and I opted to stay in the area, (though, having cast a wary eye on the characters mooching about on the balcony, a little further away) and the next morning we set out to explore the Lagoon. A haven for birdlife, and a small oasis of tranquillity, we spent the day painting, sketching and composing. ( I even rehearsed for the new album) and as the sun began its lazy descent, we walked the shoreline, and marvelled at the flamingos, great swathes of white, pink and black as they stretched their wings…the falcons overhead, patiently staking out a field, waiting for the kill, and the stilt-like echasse, gingerly stepping through the waters, like an elegant duchess averse to getting her feet wet, then, soaring above the shimmering face of the lagoon, their dangly red legs streaming out behind them like a discarded party favour, wheeling and diving as they play with the air currents. As I write, I glance out of the window towards the lagoon, to see the sun gasping its last dying breaths of the day, casting a golden ribbon across the water. The cries of the birds create a countermelody with the cicadas, as they all sing together to welcome nightfall.
…So the sun had set, and Miki and I settled down for one of my speciality Spaghetti Bologneses. It’s like eating in your own exclusive, private restaurant here in the Boomobile, as we affectionately know our Motorhome. However, on this particular evening, our intimate dining experience was gatecrashed in the most appalling manner. I raised the mozzy-net on the rear window to allow me to close it, and a host of the insidious creatures grabbed the millisecond opportunity to join us for dinner, and I guess WE were to be the dinner!
I set about killing them before we retired to bed and the ritual DVD, and Miki told me she needed to go outside! This allowed another host to gain entry, and they were duly dispatched as mercilessly as the first. It must be said that, biblical plagues notwithstanding, the Boomobile’s mozzy nets are seriously effective at keeping our travelling environment pest-free (though they allow Miki through from time to time).
We spent an uneventful night unmolested by the mosquitoes, and it seemed the genocide I had waged prior to bedtime had done the trick.
Come morning, and it was a different story….Miki opened the blinds to reveal all of the windows on the shaded side of the Boomobile were totally COVERED in mosquitoes. Now, I’m not an etymologist or anything, so I can’t be certain that mozzies bear a grudge, but it damn sure looked like it!
We tried a few things, starting the engine, moving the vehicle..they weren’t budging. We bit the bullet, and had to get in and out stowing things for the journey, and once again were subject to an invasion. My continued annihilation of these creatures was desensitizing me..thank God I never went in for shoot-em-up video games!
We left the beautiful Laguna with a few hundred thousand hangers-on, and they were seriously hanging on, even at 70 kph! After a while though, they seemed to be falling away. We stopped at a supermarket in a nearby town. Miki opened her door, and there were hundreds hiding in the door frame, and in the cracks of the bodywork of the Boomobile..Wretched stowaways!
When we reached our next set of windmills, (by a curious coincidence, ALSO visited by the legendary Don Quixote, well done, entrepreneurial Spanish tourist board!!) we leapt out and I attacked the little varmints with a brush, sweeping them desperately away from the Boomobile, and praying they wouldn’t fly back in.
Some time later, and we are surveying an infinitely better set of windmills than the first lot, and currently free of joyriders. We feel a sense of relief and normality returning as we sit down to lunch prior to Miki’s painting expedition for the day. We take a sip of coffee and I reach out to pull down the mozzie blind from last night….it reveals a veritable graveyard of flattened mosquitos, the unlucky ones who didn’t have the presence of mind to leap into the vehicle when I was closing the window last night. A tapestry of horror, death on the net, I guess you could call it. I imagined a poster of it up at Mosquito central, the commander in chief drilling his buzzing troops, and admonishing them- “Move it, or Lose it!!!”
Text by Kev Moore
Paintings by Miki
See them at GoodaBoom, Art & Music for Life
Tags: travel agents, don quixote windmills, windmill painting, sightseeing
Relevant Articles:
Honeymoon Travel Ideas 11-15 from Jamaica to Austraila
Hal Licino - 11/05/2007
Click the Above Image to Start Your Trip Request - Or Enjoy 0ur top 101 Honeymoon Destinations Series Below! 11. Couples Swept Away, Jamaica - A magnificent resort set directly on the internationally renowned Negril Beach, and surrounded by expansive acres of lush tropical and meticulously maintained gardens, it is a ... Read More
Technorati Claim Post
Hal Licino - 10/17/2007
Technorati Profile Read More
10 Myths About Travel Agents
Michele H - 09/27/2007
1. Myth: All Travel Agents and Agencies are the Same Fact: Every travel agent is different and has a different area that they specialize in. So, depending on what type of trip you are looking to take one travel agent will suit you better than another. That’s why it is ... Read More
Finding A Perfectly Ordered Urban Paradise At Munich's Arabellapark
Hal Licino - 10/12/2007
Travel agents can inform you that Munich has a well-deserved reputation for being a boisterous party town, and that is certainly true when you visit this Bavarian city during Oktoberfest when the beer flows freely and the streets ring with the celebratory toasts of "Ein Prosit!" However, there is another ... Read More
Honeymoon In The Netherlands' Finest Five Star Palatial Hotel
Hal Licino - 10/04/2007
Travel agents can explain how The NH Barbizon Palace Amsterdam Hotel is an ultra luxurious five star establishment which meets every imaginable criteria for the perfect Amsterdam honeymoon hotel. The NH Barbizon Palace Amsterdam Hotel is centrally located just moments from the vibrant, bustling heart of the great city, within ... Read More
Strolling The Cobbles On Manchester's Coronation Street
Hal Licino - 10/04/2007
Coronation Street is a street in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Unlike most soap operas which deal with the intrigue of moneyed bon vivants, the inhabitants of Coronation Street are typical English working class people whose multigenerational antics have kept the English speaking world enthralled ... Read More
Be Pampered In London's Opulent Arabian Honeymoon Spa
Hal Licino - 10/04/2007
The Elemis Day Spa in the heart of Mayfair, London is offering an Exotic Steam Rasul pampering for a honeymoon couple, the first time that this historical Arabian health and vitality ritual has been offered in Europe. The Exotic Steam Rasul is truly the ultimate pampering experience for two people ... Read More
Honeymoon In The World's Most Photographed Hotel
Hal Licino - 10/04/2007
You would automatically assume that the world's most photographed Hotel would be one of the megaresorts in Las Vegas, or perhaps one of such landmarks as the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the Ritz in Paris, the Beverly Hills Hotel, or the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Actually that title ... Read More
Dance Like Zorba In Athens' Clubs
Hal Licino - 10/04/2007
Although the stereotype of Greek dancing involves slow, languorous movements with arms outstretched and lots of plates crashing to the ground to the tune of authentic Athenian bouzouki or rembétika music, Athens is a major European Club hotspot and is a must stop for any Eurotourer who wants to experience ... Read More
How You Can Cruise Oceanview For Less Than $250!
Hal Licino - 09/28/2007
It would seem impossible to cruise for the price of a good dinner out, but your travel agent can show you how you can engage in the cruise of a lifetime without taking a huge hit in the wallet. You'll have to be flexible as many of these cruise availabilities ... Read More
Partying At Cologne's Hottest Night Spots
Hal Licino - 09/28/2007
Travel agents can show you that Cologne is a favorite European tourist destination thanks to its rich culture, art, music, architecture, nightlife, celebrations, wild life and last but most certainly not least its world-renowned ales, beers and lagers. Cologne holds the title for having more breweries than any other city ... Read More
5 Star Luxury Honeymoon In Paris
Hal Licino - 09/28/2007
Paris is universally renowned as the romance capital of the world, therefore it forms the perfect backdrop for many a romantic fantasy honeymoon. Travel agents can show you how your honeymoon can include such classically romantic activities such as strolling on the Champs-Élysées or dining at world-class establishments on the ... Read More
Tapas Crawling Until Dawn In Madrid
Hal Licino - 09/28/2007
Madrid is Europe's third largest city and certainly one of the most exciting, exhilirating and fascinating. Your travel agent can show you how to best visit the historic barrios of Malasaña, Lavapiés, and Chueca, gaze upon the Palacio Real, and if you can handle the bloodsport, attend a corrida at ... Read More
