I drove inland again this morning, to celebrate the Eucharist of Saints Simon and Jude a day early at the Aljambra chapel. A fortnight ago, Fr Alan introduced me to a shorter cross country route from the main road into Albox to circumvent the town centre. I took what I thought was the right turning at the autovia exit, then took the wrong cross country road, taking me up into the hills to the north of town, nowhere near my destination. Once I was sure this was so, I turned around, returned to the main road and drove the route I first learned through the town, only to find the road out towards Aljambra was blocked off due to unannounced resurfacing work.
Once more I turned around and headed back to the edge of town where I knew the turning I'd missed must be near. I rang Fr Alan, but despite his best intentions to direct me, was still bewildered. He was however, in a position to call a member of the congregation awaiting my arrival and explain what had happened. I back-tracked and soon identified the turning I should have taken off the main road. From there, it was easy, and I arrived, but a few minutes later than expected. Arrival was a rare pleasure!
After the Eucharist, I joined the congregation in an excellent lunch served in the chapel itself. This happens every fourth Sunday in the month. It's great. There's always enough to feed anyone else who might just turn up. That's proper Christian hospitality, something I've noticed over the past few years is happening these days at churches in all sorts of places in different ways.
After the meal, I returned to Mojacar, shopping at Lidl's on the way, and later walked along the beach as far as the Parador. Clare called on Whatsapp, as I was reaching the turning point. She's now up in Kenilworth for the weekend with Rhiannon, as Kath and Anto come and go with the Wriggledance performance tour - fifty venues all over England over six months, focussed on times it's possible to garner an audience of parents with pre-school children. I spoke to Kath about the tour, also Clare and Rhiannon, while sitting on a bench across the road from the Parador. "We stayed there a few times, Mojacar's lovely" said Kath. I didn't know they'd been here and enjoyed the place before me.
On the return walk, I caught sight of a cargo ship that had sailed out of Garrucha. It wasn't one of the larger bulk carrier ships but a smaller craft of shallower draft, laden with containers, I think. Its side was emblazoned with the legend WAGENBORG.
An on-line check later told me Royal Wagenborg is a diverse Dutch shipping company with global interests and hundreds of ships. I'd never heard of it before. Being curious about its cargo, I googled the company, then sent them an email enquiry to find out what the ship had come to collect from Garrucha and where it was bound.
Enquiring of the Puerto de Garrucha website didn't give me what I wanted to know, but set me on on another search, until I got a fascinating glimpse into port arrivals and departures. The local marine traffic website is most informative and user friendly, so one can easily find information about local commercial shipping traffic. Such an amazing, unexpected evening diversion.
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