This is a really beautiful city and with a little pre planning and arrival in the Goldilocks season – when it’s not too hot and not too cold – you could easily spend 5 days here exploring, walking in the shaded parks, drinking coffee, tasting tapas and visiting (inside) the Alhambra.

Remember when we were looking for the bus into the city and we were lucky to meet a couple of other campers, who gave us directions? We had noticed them at the parking site but we hadn’t noticed where they were from.

In case you are wondering how we would know where they were from there’s a thing that all motor-homers seem to do when they pass motorhomes in the parking. We take a furtive look at the registration plates. All vehicles, as you probably already know, in the EU will have their country identifier on their number plate beside the number. For example, Ireland is IRL. These days vehicles from the UK no longer have the identifier on their licence plates but they usually have a sticker saying GB or UK. Vehicles from Northern Ireland vary, some have IRL and some have UK. Vehicles from Switzerland have CH on their licence plate or on a sticker on their vehicle.

As we made our way towards the bus stop as directed by the man in the parking we passed the woman from the couple, she was in a three-wheel wheelchair. Her partner must have gone back to the van as she was on her own on the path, we all said Ola and carried on. By the time they caught up with us we were on the far side of the road seeing no bus stop. The woman noticed us and explained the bus to the city was further on. Relief to hear that and at the same time definitely not loving walking in the heat. We were quite slow now as we followed behind them.

The woman was travelling on the road while her partner was walking on the path. I would never have cycled on that road, it was busy with cars and trucks and busses. But she was doing it and she looked powerfully in her element. I was already starting to forget that this walk was too much and this heat was too hot. Eventually we got to the bus. It turned out to be the terminus and the bus had to turn around and face back where it came from before we could get on. When it stopped the woman in the wheelchair was on the path beside the door and her partner got on to ask the driver to press the button to lower the floor for her wheelchair.

Unfortunately the bus driver couldn’t lower the floor where he was stopped because the footpath was too high so he moved forward. But now we all needed to squeeze past the bus shelter to get to the door. No problem for us… but the gap between edge of the bus shelter and the bus was too narrow for the wheelchair to get through. She needed to go around the back of the bus… but the wheelchair ramp was now blocked by the bus and
The only other ramp was way back at the previous junction. I have no idea how they kept so cheerful, I was feeling frustrated for them but that wasn’t useful. Eventually they took the front wheel off the wheelchair and maneuvered a way to get around the bus.

When the bus arrived into the city the woman made sure to catch my eye to let us know where we needed to get off. Not all adventures climb to the highest peaks or swim to the farthest shores. Some adventures start at your front door and take you just outside. Sometimes I need a reminder not to take myself too seriously. I got it.