Travelling in the time of Coronavirus-the Spanish lockdown

I arrived in Jerez de la Frontera the day the Moroccan Govt closed the border with Spain

That was the end of the Morocco trip

I had booked into the alburgue in Jerez. I extended my booking a couple of days so I could think of the next move

In Jerez some sherry tasting a must

No tasting for this adventurer

I guess it was a sign of what was to come.

So I had to console myself with some garlic prawns and red wine

The was hardly any activity in the Square. Some locals and a few tourists, from the USA and UK by the accent

The cafe owners strangely subdued. Maybe they new something was about to happen

Maybe the lost income from the covid19 pandemic was weighing heavily on them

That Saturday night the lockdown was proclaimed for 15 days

Everything to shut except food stores, pharmacies and petrol station.

Stay indoors

The streets of Jerez totally deserted on Sunday mid day

Initally I had thought Id sit out the lockdown in Jerez.

Sunday all seemed OK. A long term rate could be negotiated. Fix it up Monday morning

It was warm in Jerez, the alburgue was modern big grounds to exercise in and a pool. Perfect place to sit out the lockdown

Monday morning all had changed. Tuesday I had to be out.

Thinks change quickly during a pandemic!

Sunday France had declared a lockdown so travelling back through France was off the cards

Frantic work on the phone.

Booked a ferry spot from Santander to Portsmouth the next Saturday.

All the hotels were shut. Where to stay.

Thank you to the good hearted souls who have given me shelter via airbnb

It was a cold ride from Jerez to Valladolid where Im currently staying locked down

It had snowed the night before on the skifields south of Salamanca. But the sun was out

I pulled into a parking bay. Pulled out my little burner and made a coffee and had a snack of cheese, olives and manderine

And though Spain is beautiful even in the time of a lockdown

https://piecemealadventurer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/mov_0060.mp4

At 10pm at night in Jerez, in Valladolid and across Spain. People clap and cheer in appreciation of the health workers.

Cause they are on the front line of the pandemic

The Spanish are beautiful people

26 thoughts on “Travelling in the time of Coronavirus-the Spanish lockdown

  1. Jude – D6, 24580 Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac, France – Hello Visitors I'm Jude, and I have a profusion of interests and a passion for motorcycling. I lean towards Buddhism and love silence. I hope you may enjoy some of my musings and meanderings, and if so I'd love to hear your comments.
    Jude says:

    You’re good at finding positives even in difficult times Mick. The prawns looked wonderful, as did the mountain photo. Hope you make your ferry back to Portsmouth. Safe journey 🌅

    1. Thanks Jude, ferry is booked. My sister has a caravan in Rye. Im going there to do social distancing for a couple of weeks when I get back to England

      1. Jude – D6, 24580 Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac, France – Hello Visitors I'm Jude, and I have a profusion of interests and a passion for motorcycling. I lean towards Buddhism and love silence. I hope you may enjoy some of my musings and meanderings, and if so I'd love to hear your comments.
        Jude says:

        Keep in touch!

  2. Warms my heart when people applaud health care workers. I have a daughter who is a nurse at a hospital.
    As it happens another daughter works as a cashier (she says glorified cleaner) at a grocery store.
    Hospitals, pharmacies and grocery stores are considered essential services in Canada.
    Stay healthy.

  3. What a real shame Mick, although inevitable. Crazy panic buying here; of all things toilet paper, rice and pasta. Probably rationing to follow. At least the cellar is full of wine and a few packs of Korean style instant noodles! Played tennis with the boys this morning but not sure how long before that’s banned as well. Stay safe…and see you down the track.
    Cheers
    Peter

  4. Much more of an adventure then you were planning I’m sure. I really appreciate the resourceful way that you make the best of it. Hope to meet you someday and hear your stories over a good meal

  5. You shouldn’t be traveling Cuz….we’re trying to flatten the curve!
    The prawns do look fab though…lol
    Good Luck and stay safe Jen

  6. WOW what a ride! Pardon the pun 😊. It is crazy here as Peter said, although the UK probably isn’t much better. We’ve been laying low as most of our music gigs have been cancelled although we saw New Order at the Myer Music Bowl last Saturday night which was our last hurrah. What are your plans? Cheers Pauline and Swanny xx

  7. Kym Gordon Moore – Kym Gordon Moore is a marketing and communications professional who holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing. She has over 30+ years of combined experiences in part, but not limited to multi-media writing accreditations, developing and directing brand marketing communications for small businesses and corporate senior-level executives, leading and developing corporate social media strategies, successfully creating and launching B2C and B2B newsletter marketing campaigns, developing community outreach partnerships, creating and distributing corporate press releases, and tracking ecommerce and web analytics. She holds certifications that include HubSpot Academy Inbound Marketing, Google Analytics Platform, My Media Tutor Spokesperson Ready, Leveraging Vendor Relations and Marketing Experiments Email Marketing. Her computer competencies involve working with software applications in Microsoft Office and Navision, CandyPress, Word press, Google Analytics, ExactTarget/Salesforce programs and GIMP. Kym is the author of Wings of the Wind: A Cornucopia of Poetry, Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit, and a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom. She mentors young and aspiring poets and volunteers to facilitate poetry forums. Her mission is to use poetry as a platform to foster greater awareness in the fight against illiteracy and aliteracy, by introducing elements of poetic diversity and education among children and adults.
    Kym Gordon Moore says:

    It is so refreshing to see how you managed to turn a dreadful situation into a positive experience! I could use some of those prawns about right now! 🙂 Safe travels.

    1. I shouldnt have been moving but had no choice. On a ferry to England where I have a place to quarantine myself for a week or two

      1. Kym Gordon Moore – Kym Gordon Moore is a marketing and communications professional who holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing. She has over 30+ years of combined experiences in part, but not limited to multi-media writing accreditations, developing and directing brand marketing communications for small businesses and corporate senior-level executives, leading and developing corporate social media strategies, successfully creating and launching B2C and B2B newsletter marketing campaigns, developing community outreach partnerships, creating and distributing corporate press releases, and tracking ecommerce and web analytics. She holds certifications that include HubSpot Academy Inbound Marketing, Google Analytics Platform, My Media Tutor Spokesperson Ready, Leveraging Vendor Relations and Marketing Experiments Email Marketing. Her computer competencies involve working with software applications in Microsoft Office and Navision, CandyPress, Word press, Google Analytics, ExactTarget/Salesforce programs and GIMP. Kym is the author of Wings of the Wind: A Cornucopia of Poetry, Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit, and a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom. She mentors young and aspiring poets and volunteers to facilitate poetry forums. Her mission is to use poetry as a platform to foster greater awareness in the fight against illiteracy and aliteracy, by introducing elements of poetic diversity and education among children and adults.
        Kym Gordon Moore says:

        Ugh! Be safe wherever you are! 🙂

    1. Well it’s all a bit up in the air Larry, but Im back in England now. My sister lives here. She has a caravan down on the south coast. Ill stop here for a while and see what unfolds next

      1. Feeling for you mate. I guess it will get to that here.
        There’s still plenty of dickheads doing dumb stuff though but by in large it’s extremely quiet and people are taking it very seriously.
        I rode to work today (one man office) but freeways are pretty quiet.
        Take care Mick

      2. Thanks Larry, lucky I got back to the UK. I have somewhere to stay. And family here. One day here or there and I could be locked down in Morroco!

  8. Hi Mic, just checking in to see how you’re going. Do you have access to Zoom or Skype or anything that we can “chat” on? I’ll give Mez a ring as well to see how you’re going. Thinking of you xx

    1. All OK Pauline, Im staying in my sisters caravan in the south of England. Bit cold but comfy. New blog soon. I use what’s app

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