Travel pressures

After breakfast this morning we drove to the Aldi on the Mijas road the other side of the hill to stock up on food ready for Ann's visit, more than we could carry. We didn't leave ourselves enough time to get all that we needed, as we had to take a train to the airport to meet her leaving after midday. We left in good time but a L3 bus arrived as we reached the stop. I thought we could save ourselves the walk to Los Boliches station by taking the L3 to Fuengirola and catching a train from there, as the bus ride is normally only ten minutes. 

On this occasion this turned out to be a mistake, as the bus inexplicably left its normal route half a mile from the station and took a big deviation through back streets going the far side of Fuengirola station before turning back on to its prescribed route. This took twenty minutes, and we missed a train that would have got us to the airport by one. Instead we had to wait until one for another train, so it was twenty five to two by the time we met Ann. And her flight had been twenty minutes early. What a mess! We acquired an abono recorrido for her easily enough this time, apart from the challenge of feeding two crumpled five euro notes into the ticket machine and getting them accepted.

The returning train was very full arriving at the airport, and difficult to negotiate as there were several push chairs and several more people with electric scooters and a bicycle taking up space for much of the journey, so we'd gone half way before all of us got a seat. Rather than lug Ann's suitcase up the hill, we waited twenty minutes for the L3 bus, while Clare went to Mercadona for a few things. She wouldn't wait for the bus but walked ahead, and arrived at the same time we did. After a cup of tea and a biscuit, I made a meal for us, while Clare went out again to pursue more things on her inexhaustible shopping list. 

She returned on time, just as I was ready to serve up at six, and we ate supper outdoors. It was sunset by the time I went out for a walk. I needed this as the best part of two hours spent sitting on uncomfortable bus and train seats made my back uncomfortably stiff. She also gave me a back massage with arnica cream before we all turned in for the night early, very tired.