Somosierra 28-29th Aug

We left Haro mid-afternoon and headed south towards Madrid. As we passed from the province of Rioja to the Castilla y Leon the landscape opened up with vast gently undulating plains stretching as far as the eye could see. Then we saw the Sierra de Guadarrama in the distance. Part of a ring of mountains that encircle Madrid.
We stayed the night at Gargantilla de Lozoya in the Somosierra. We were amazed to read in our campsite guide that it is used in the winter as a base for skiers! Hard to imagine when it was so hot and arid. This area was a stark contrast to Haro, very wild and rugged with loads of walking trails everywhere. A dog walkers paradise! and consequently, there were a lot of dogs on the site. Our nearest neighbour also had two dogs. A harmless looking collie and a dog that looked like a cross between a dobermann and a grizzly bear! As evidenced by the way it tried to dive through the wall of their caravan awning when we passed by with our labs. When Nick was taking ours for their early morning walk the next day, he was very nervous when he met them, as he could only see the collie! He looked around nervously half expecting the monster to leap down on them from a boulder. However, it turned out that they walked the dogs separately.

 

 

 

 

It was after 6 in the evening when we arrived, but the kind owners told us that as long as we parked outside the site, we could use the pool all the next day. So we thought 'what a great idea'!
When I went to check out the following morning, I noticed a lap top on their desk, and thought I'd ask if they had internet, as I was suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms. 'Yes' she told me. 'Cuanto cuesta?' I asked fearfully. 'Gratis' she replied. Yippee! thinks I.
So an idyllic day was spent lounging in the sun by the pool with a fabulous mountain views as a back drop. However I had to retreat to the shade when my I-pad announced 'Warning, Danger, severe overheating, immediate shut down required'! And I noticed that it had become rather hot to the touch! Perhaps I should have got a white one! The internet was a little bit challenging as the connection was rather sporadic. I had to give up on fb as 9 days of everyone's updates was just not going to happen! I managed to send an email to re-assure a very anxious sister and daughters, that 'no, we weren't "lost in France"; we were "found in Spain"!'