Spain at Last: A 23-Hour Ferry, One Headlight, and a Castle Serenade

The “Schengen Shuffle” continues! After months of navigating the rugged beauty of Albania and the history of Italy, we officially crossed into country number 10: Spain. 🇪🇸 But as any motorhome traveler knows, getting to the destination is often half the story—and this journey was one for the books.

The Longest Voyage

Our transition started with our longest ferry ride to date. We boarded the Grimaldi ferry in Italy for a 23-hour crossing to Barcelona. It was longer than all our previous ferry trips combined!

We were pleasantly surprised that our paper tickets doubled as our room key cards (genius!), and Salsa once again proved she’s the bravest travel dog in the world. After a bit of skepticism, she finally conquered the “artificial turf” dog relief station on the top deck. It’s the small wins that keep us going!

Barcelona: Archery and “Janky” Roads

Arriving in Barcelona at 10:30 PM with a broken headlight wasn’t exactly the “welcome” we planned. After finding our first choices gated, we followed a narrow, “janky” lane into the darkness.

When we woke up, we realized we had spent the night in a beautiful park right next to an archery range! Salsa got to play ball, we had a slow morning in the sun, and the “janky” road from the night before turned out to be a hidden gem of a parking spot.

Getting the Chores Done

Entering a new country means resetting the logistics. Our first stops were all about the “un-glamorous” side of van life:

The Gas Bottle Hunt: We successfully tracked down a Spanish gas adapter and a fresh Repsol bottle.
Laundry Day: We found a fantastic service area in Villa-seca where we could dump “Cousin Eddie” (the waste tank) and tackle a mountain of laundry all in one spot.

The Magic of Peñíscola

If you’re traveling down the Spanish coast, you have to stop in Peñíscola. We walked the stunning Mediterranean beaches, and I (Rodney) even managed to “slay a dragon” for the grandkids.

The highlight, however, was the Castle of Popes. While we were wandering the ruins, a gentleman stepped onto the stone steps and began a beautiful operatic solo. It was one of those “happy detours” that reminded us why we sold the house and hit the road.

Basking in Valencia

We ended our first week at the Valencia Camper Park. After the hustle of the ferry and the city, we spent three days just… being. We sat in the sun, breathed in the incredible scent of fresh jasmine in the April air, and finally got those new LED headlights installed.