Morgen

This site is quite different to any of the ones we stayed at in France where the season was coming to an end, so most people only stayed for a few nights as they were either on their way home or on their way further south. At this site most of the people look as if they have been here for quite a while. The range of equipment most people have around their caravans/motorhomes is amazing - everything including the kitchen sink. I always thought Julie was territorial on the beach with her use of windbreaks and towels but their use of poles and screening to create intricate designs to make use of every inch of their pitch is a sight to see.

Luckily, as we are learning to do without "stuff", our pitch is simply laid out - caravan, car, awning.

If you are not used to caravanning in Europe you could be forgiven for thinking that you'd entered a shanty town for German and Dutch refugees. We have been surprised at how few other Brits there are around - only two others out of about 300 pitches. We have tried to use our limited Spanish in the local town but on site most people, including the staff, tend to assume that you are Dutch or German (hence the "Morgen" in the title which is the standard greeting) so conversations are often a strange mixture of Spanish, German, Dutch and English.

For some reason I find it easier to make myself understood in Spain than I do in France. I always feel that I should know more French than I do and I am put off by the pronunciation required. In Spain it seems OK to mix some Spanish, a bit of English and some sign language to make yourself understood, so for instance, this morning I booked a table in the restaurant for tomorrow evening by confidently asking to "reserva una mesa para dos para Sabado evening por favor".

We cycled into the old town of Castello D'Empuries yesterday for lunch at a restaurant we'd spotted earlier in the week. Their lunchtime menu offered three courses, each with four options to choose from, plus bottled water, bread and a bottle of wine for 12 Euros each. We thought it must be too good to be true - it wasn't, it was blooming marvellous. I'm beginning to really like Spain!