Escape from Almerimar
I stayed down in Almeria after Carita left, checked out some of the other marinas, and got the boat ready to haul out as I planned to head up to Finland. Almerimar turned out to be somewhat disappointing and had less facilities for getting work done on the boat than we'd been led to believe, but after checking out the other options on the coast it still seemed like the best place to keep the boat for the moment.
The one thing that Almerimar is notable for is as an impromptu drinking place. All the youth for miles around head down to the harbour on Saturday nights in their souped up hatchbacks, open the doors, crank their stereos up, and spend the night drinking next to the marina. The quay was packed with people, with probably about 100 cars, and rows of bottles set up on the wall as makeshift bars. I was pleased to see some life in the area but I'm sure most of the yachties being kept awake didn't share my view.
After the boat was hauled out I sorted up a few last things, packed my bag, and caught three buses to Almeria airport. Construction cranes towered along the whole coastline, building apartment complexes to sell to British tourists convinced that property prices will continue to soar.
I boarded my Ryanair flight, earphones sealing out the screams and howls of the other passengers and children onboard, and kept my iPod on until we landed in Stansted. There, I camped out on the floor, ate some sushi from Boots, and tried to get a few hours sleep before checking in for my early morning flight to Newquay.