Day 46 – EU – Spain [Stranded in Moraira]

20/01/20

 Rest day in Moraira (Spain, Europe)

Storm Gloria, a red weather alert, winds above 120kph and torrential rains… stranded for a day!

Yesterday evening, after I had published my blog, messages started to come my way, from friends and family. They were all about “Storm Gloria”. Having felt so tired after my run, I had not been online to check the weather forecasts or the news.

Reading about the Storm, the red alert issued by the government and the actual strength of the gusts – measured well above 100kph – made me feel a tiny bit better about my experience of the day. These really had been difficult conditions!

The headlines were quite terrifying. The Spanish government had shut down the airport of Alicante, where I was 2 days ago. Waves of up to 8m where forecast on the Costa Blanca (where I currently am). And the Spanish map’s coastline was painted red and orange to depict the severity of the conditions: I found out I was smack dab in the middle of the red zone!

Later that evening, as I laid in bed unable to sleep due to the racket of the wind and rain outside, I made the decision to forego today’s run. This was now a safety issue rather than just having to face a difficult day on the road. How could I even control the stroller in these conditions? I amended my hotel bookings, those that could be amended anyway, and extended my stay at Moraira.

This morning as I woke up, it was obvious this had been the right decision to make. The conditions were pretty bad and the wind exceptionally strong. The forecasts for tomorrow are encouraging and I shall be back on the road at dawn!

This blog post does not contain pictures.