Thursday 27 July 2023

July 23: Cuenca

Wednesday 26 July

Early morning up-get for flight to Madrid. Sunrise across the Mersey.

Pick up hire car for Cuenca.

Met Luisa et al at the flat on C/Santa Ana.

Out for lunch to a water spray cooled bar. Hot πŸ₯΅




Lazy evening - walk to the park.

Got fans for the flat but didn't use them in the bedrooms as they were quite fierce and noisy. A hot night though as the temperature didn't go below 20⁰c.

Thursday 27 July

Went round to see Amparo and Bernardo. Poor Piero 🐾🀣

A drink at the bar nearby before catching the bus to the Plaza Mayor.


Then straight on to the tourist train to go back down the hill we'd just come up!






Lunch in the Plaza Mayor.

Walked back down to the flat. Temperature in the low 30s but not too bad as there was a slight breeze and the boys had ice lollies and a play break at the park in the shade.

Out in the evening to the bar at the nearby park. Temperature went down to about 15⁰c so a more comfortable temperature.

Friday 28 July

Took the boys to the park before it got too hot.

Had a little play on the slide then we wandered across to the bar for a second breakfast.

All was well until Luca fell over and had to be transported back with bloody knees in Nico's buggy. All good after a clean up, five plasters and a few dinosaur cartoons 😁



Afternoon at el Chantre with Felisa.












Cooked the crayfish they caught.


Out to meet Maria Isabel and Martha in the evening.


Saturday 29 July

A walk down the main street with Luca whilst the others went to suss out flat rental prices for Felisa. Ice cream and Fanta.

Unicorn ice cream. Blue and pink. Happy boy.


The temperature was 35⁰ on the main street at 11am.

Spotted by Maria Isabel and Martha as they drove past in the car so they popped up with Piero for a chat. Piero watched cartoons with them.

.. and Martha did too.. 😁



Ate the crayfish with rice. Rice was yum but not bothered about the crayfish though others enjoyed them.

Lazy afternoon. Nico eventually had a snooze but Luca didn't.




Walk to the park and a drink in the bar there then home.

Sunday 30 July

Another lazy day - too hot to do much. A walk to the Carreteria for breakfast then a play in a shaded park for the boys.

Quiet afternoon apart from the boys taking it in turns to have their meltdowns 🀣 Nico had a sleep but Luca resisted until I put him in the buggy and walked him along the shaded side of the street outside. Before he eventually nodded off he popped his head out of the cover hood and said 'why are you just walking up and down?' πŸ€£πŸ™„πŸ€£

Thought he'd wake up a bit sweeter but the short walk to the Chinese sent him in to further meltdown - though he eventually recovered enough to eat. Nico in contrast cheerfully ate his way through a plateful of poppadums and then a mound of fried rice - whilst keeping us all entertained with his funny voices and comments about the Chinese bread 🀣

They cheered up with an ice cream later and set off home. We went for a short, slow walk in the 30⁰ late evening heat. Lovely garlic potato tapas - and not so nice fatty pigs trotter 🀒


It's just far too hot for the boys and they're sleep deprived and uncomfortable πŸ₯΅

The temperatures in the high 30s during the day seem quite normal for Cuenca but it usually cools down in the evening and that's not happening atm. The only mitigating circumstance is a slight breeze during the day which makes the heat more bearable.

Monday 31 July

Early morning visitors in a bit better mood 🀣 



Breakfast in bed 😁


Then a trip to the swimming pool for the boys and a walk up to the old town for Mike and I.










The swimming pool in the distance.


Tapas and lunch.





Didn't go out in the evening - too tired.

Tuesday 1 August

Took the boys out for breakfast whilst Miguel and Luisa took Felisa to look at a rental flat in Cuenca.




They had a lot of fun with the bits they got from the toy machines - €1 well spent!



Lazy afternoon.



Out for a drink with Amparo and Bernardo in the evening.

Wednesday 2 August

Walk up to the Plaza Mayor and a visit to the cathedral.











Tapas time.


Then to the Torre Mangana.





More tapas.




Walk down Las Angustias to the river.












Out for supper in the evening with Amparo, Bernardo, Maria Isabel and Martha.




Thursday 3 August

Up early to get back to Madrid for our flight home. 

Back to 22⁰ and sunshine - the first nice day after a week of rain apparently.




A lovely - but hot - week 😁