Monasteria

The first stop on our road home was the Monasteria Santa Eulalia, tucked away among the trees of a national park in the hills near Murcia. It is our stop of preference in this part of Spain. A wonderful complex of red and yellow stone, of which this chapel is the centrepiece.

The rooms are all mini-suites, beautifully finished, with terracotta floors and spacious bathrooms - for the remarkable out-of-season price of only 80 euros.

The food, served in a large dining room that looks out over the forest, is first rate with a superb menu del dia for a mere 12 euros.

It was quiet today as we had a late lunch, and we had an animated conversation with the waiter, who spoke no English. As we left a couple at a nearby table intercepted us in Spanish. They had overheard us telling the waiter that we were going to Estepona. We corrected them in our woefully inadequate Spanish, telling them we had just left there.

The gentleman explained that they lived nearby and were just heading off to spend two weeks in Estepona. He then proudly told us, still in Spanish, that he was Scottish.

Then why the hell was he talking to a fellow Scot in Spanish, I asked him! When we all stopped laughing, we had a pleasant exchange that ranged from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen to the chiringuito near Estepona that I blipped yesterday.

I am ashamed to say that I slept most of the afternoon, before slipping out before the light had gone completely to catch this blip.

Sitges tomorrow - from where I will take part in a virtual crime writing festival, talking on Facebook with fellow crime writers about the relationship between writing and music. The link, if anyone wants to join in is: https://www.facebook.com/KillerReads

My fellow scribes will be Martyn Waites, William Shaw and Stav Sherez. It begins at 4pm UK-time.