Day 75. Wednesday 21 May.

Exactly as predicted, our departure from Monica’s was ‘late’…around 11am (our packing up routine is usually an hour) and we try to leave our accommodations as we have found them.T wonders how they are all spotless (especially glass) and asked Monica about this…some supermarket spray (pity we can’t take some home). Isadora was back on the job (she can work through the night but Monica prefers not because of the night critters that would be disturbed).

Doris announces pretty promptly that we are to ‘go straight for about 190 kms so we won’t have her polite chatter interrupting our meditations. We don’t have music or even dialogue as we go along; D is in driver zone, T alternates between traffic panic and  scenery .The road along the Cantabrian coast is fairly quiet, with sea glimpses. Coffee with a view would be nice but alas, the choice was poor: the coastal town of Laredo has a surf school, lots of apartment towers with shutters down, a big hospital and virtually no cafes open. A quick stroll to check the waves…dead flat!

Typing this blog as we drive means T is temporarily distracted from traffic-watch and this should be a plus for D. 89kms to go! Time obviously flies with typing.

A text from next host pops up: ‘How is your trip going? ETA?’ T replies that another hour should be enough and so it was. After leaving the A1 we were on smaller roads and every town had at least one Z in its name, usually two, and occasionally the town name sign turned upside down. Why? No idea, but we’ll try to find out, suspecting it is some sort of protest from the Basques. It is a foreign land. A narrow winding mountain road brought us to Azanza (village of 17 residents, plus us for a few nights), mountainous, misty, a seemingly deserted cluster of houses and (perhaps former) church. We are at number 35, a big house with beautiful big windows overlooking green fields. Unpacked and wondering what to do about dinner when D announces, having tries to reposition it, that the car ‘won’t start’. Indeed, it seemed dead, unable to link to the controlling computer system…battery and engine lights showing a problem…. But not turning off: getting a command to ‘turn off engine before exiting car’ when clearly it was off. And it would not respond to the key(s) at all.

Consult manual, try again…nothing. Hmm! We are due to connect with Joan tomorrow at Pamplona, 30 kms away (no other details known at this stage) and we are in a remote area, with a dead car and nothing fresh for dinner but, as D boasts, we have a supply of red! 

While D talks to the French Peugeot Breakdown assistant, constantly checking on pronunciation of names, rego details etc with the International Phonetic Alphabet, and describing what the car is not doing, T makes a cup of tea. We’ll need to let Joan know of the situation, but she’s in the air between Morocco and Barcelona and we don’t have Wifi connection yet! Second cup of tea. 

Yuksel confirms that a tow truck will be sent to Azanza (it looks like a very small village he says, little does he know). T thinks…we have a bit of asparagus, some tomatoes, pasta, onion and garlic of course, so there will be something warm on the table tonight. The tow truck will come and we’ll speak to Joan at some point, and the insurance cover includes a hire car. T unpacks the remainder of car stuff, expecting that it will be taken away. It’s 1830 and then D gives it one last try and says ‘the car is working’! It corrected itself! D does some test driving manouevres and calls Peugeot with ‘cancel the tow’.

Wifi finally connected, car works, things are looking up. T sends texts to Joan, and opens a little bubbles, D has a beer, followed by a wine…or two.

Dinner. Curly Pasta with pantry remnants: white anchovies, olives, asparagus, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilis (hot!), tomato purée, red wine.