This time last year I was in Spain, the Canaries to be exact.
It’s been a November thing for a few years to head to my ‘Happy Place’ in Fuertventura. Not this year so.
In many senses it’s the bleakest of all the Canary Islands and I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea - but it’s the peace and quiet, the wind and sunsets that I find so appealing.
Photo © Rob Jones - El Cotillo
It’s back to basics. Bare feet. Empty beaches. Wild winter swimming. Simple food.
That’s a holiday in my book.
I’m not interested in the tourist restaurants … I’m no good at the surfing lifestyle, though I don’t mind watching the skills of others … I have no wish to buy the trinkets to take home, put in a drawer and forget about.
Last year it was followed by a quick turnaround in a snowy Manchester airport - two hours sleep in a cheap airportside hotel - and then off to Corfu via Athens to house sit till the end of Feb.
Photo © Rob Jones
And again - simple food, empty resorts, and time alone (with cats).
I don’t think I am the kind of tourist the travel companies would want anyway. I’m the least likely to buy into the upselling, and most likely to seek out the eateries used by the locals, which are always the best anyways.
But it’s been a long time. And I can’t see any overseas travel for sometime yet.
Doesn’t stop me checking for deals though…
R.