PAST LIFE

I’ve had quite a busy week this week and a very pleasurable week-end, I am content with my life as it is at present – ask me again next week and the answer might be the total opposite!!

My Mum and brother London Cabby have gone to Spain for a week – my parents own a couple of properties there – one inherited and one bought with an inheritance – lucky or what?? One of the properties is in ‘Torrevieja’ and the other is in a small place called ‘Las Palmeras’(THE PALMTREES), about half an hour’s drive from the city of ‘Valencia’.

SORRY ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE PHOTOGRAPH IT'S THE ONLY ONE I COULD FIND!! THIS IS THE ONLY ROAD WHICH ENTERS AND LEAVES 'LAS PALMERAS'

Our family has been going to ‘Las Palmeras’ since we were children, in those days in the late nineteen sixties early seventies our whole family Mum, Dad, seven kids and a Granny, used to spend two stressful days of travelling, well for my parents it was stressful, for us kids it was just one bit adventure.

The epic journey started in Victoria Station - to Dover – we then got on the ferry to Calais or Boulogne. Once in France we got the Train to Paris - Gare du Nord - a taxi or bus ride to – Gare Austerlitz and then the Couchettes (sleeper) train all the way to Valencia.

This train journey took us through life and us kids soaked-up all the atmosphere like sponges - train stations flying by gave us fleeting glimpses of other peoples lives. There were stops on the Pyrenees’ border – Perpignan and Port Bou, where my Dad got out to buy us some bottled water (not so common in those days) and nearly missed the train - by the time he reached our carriage we were all wailing and grief stricken believing that we would never see our Father again. The train continued through the Pyrenees to Spain - usually by this time we would be fast asleep ‘ top to tail’ in each of our little narrow beds – when we awoke in the early morning we would be travelling along the coast of Spain catching glimpses of the Sapphire blue sea as the train bobbed along – passing again through little village stations with strange names.

One name, which always made me laugh, was ‘ Lavapies’, which literally means ‘Wash feet’!!

We made a brief stop at ‘Barcelona’, where some friends of my parents came to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ – well it was quite a short stop – and finally reaching our ultimate destination ‘Valencia’. Here my Grandparents ‘Yaya’ and ‘Yayo’ would be waiting for us, together with my Uncle Damaso and probably one of the town locals - big hugs and kisses and excited and very ‘LOUD’ chatter in Valenciano (the dialect). My Grandad would always have a large cigar hanging out of his mouth and with his booming voice would announce to anyone who would listen, that these were his grandchildren, who had travelled all the way from England to visit them – he was so proud of us.

THIS PHOTO IS NOT TOO GOOD EITHER, BUT YOU CAN JUST MAKE OUT MY GRANDAD'S CIGAR.

The final operation was a half an hour journey by car/van to our flat in ‘Las Palmeras’ – this was the journey’s end and where we would be spending the next two months of our lives.

FUN, FUN, FUN, ALL THE WAY!!

Hasta Mañana Folks!!

Jo XX