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We leave Barcelona after two days to embark on what is undoubtedly the most dangerous part of our trip through Spain...the driving. Mike is fond of saying that the likelihood for disaster is high on this leg of the journey. Why? Let's count the ways:
1-Driving through a country not known for its highway acumen
2-Not speaking the language on any of the road signs
3-Not having cell phone service in case of emergency
4-Neither of us having driven a stick shift in 3+ years (and Kate isn't eligible to drive anyways)
Needless to say we are not swayed by any of these perfectly reasonable reasons to fly and we hit the open road.
The journey is about 12 hours, but we decide to break it up over two days. On day one our midday stop is in Peniscola, a beach town about 3 hours SW of Barcelona. This felt a bit like Myrtle Beach, Spanish Style (I mean that in the nicest way possible...which probably still isn't all that nice). I'm convinced Kate selected this town because the name made her snicker.
After a walk on the beach and a quick lunch, its back on the road. Another 3 hours SW is the site of our overnight pit stop, Villajoyosa. We selected this place because it is a good midpoint, is less touristy than nearby Benidorm, and it is supposed to be the chocolate capitol of Spain. Needless to say, we saw NO chocolatiers, chocolate factories, chocolate fountains, or chocolate rivers in Villajoyosa. False advertising.
Some Villajoyosa pics:
The view from our hotel.
This is a beach.
This is what passes for sand on that beach.
Villajoyosa's answer to Rainbow Row.
September 6
We set out for day two of our journey. Our midday stop today is Granada. Granada is a beautiful town in south central Spain. It is the most clearly Moorishly influenced town in Spain. Its most famous draw is Alhambra, a former Moorish castle and fortress. Our plan is to see Alhambra, but this fails miserably as they want us to buy something called "tickets" to see it. This results in us walking around the perimeter and eating lunch at a tourist trap. There was Sangria, so it was still awesome.
The grounds of Alhambra, we would need to scale the wall to get in. Maybe next time.
After lunch we set out to the airport in Malaga to pick up our buddy Chris, who will be staying with us on the second leg of our trip. Within 3 hours we arrive in Estepona, our base of operations for the week. We will go more into Estepona in the coming days, but first we want to get settled in our new digs.
The Timeshare
We thought we'd be content to lay low for the first night in Estepona, but it seemed that wasn't possible. As we relaxed and unpacked, we smelled something burning. After determining that it wasn't coming from inside the house, we looked out the front door...
And saw our "Welcome to Costa del Sol" forest fire! Quite an interesting welcoming ritual. When in Spain I guess...
Follow this link to see more photos from the drive through Spain. Next time: the beaches of Estepona and a trip to Gibraltar and Tarifa.
Mike and Kate
The sand on that beach seems a bit...large. Maybe they just proclaimed it a beach a few thousand years too early, give it time. Also, where is the daily picture of sangria? At least it was mentioned though.
ReplyDeleteSeriously. NO booze pics? Zane Lamprey would hang his head in shame.
ReplyDeleteThe European take on "sand" is frequently similar to your experience in Villajoyosa. Builds character (on your feet).
And honestly, I'd be pretty honored if someone threw me a welcome-to-town-forest-fire. What better way to show respect for new arrivals to your town than by destroying part of it with fire?
are you sure you actually were in Villajoyosa? According to THEIR website they have LOTS of chocolate. Perhaps you made a wrong turn? (See YOUR comments about YOUR driving skills in YOUR post above.)
ReplyDeleteKeep the adventures coming.
love, Dad and Mom