10000km and we are back! With many happy memories, today we show you some highlights of our trip. Unfortunately, we also have one very bad memory. Lars and I have become the victims of phishing and have lost a great deal of money. We decided to make the best out of a bad situation. Enjoy!
Soon I will provide more pictures and text. What a ride it has been!
So far we have mainly paid attention to Malaga and Granada. From now on, we will pay more attention to Jaén as well. This is one of the least touristic provinces of Spain. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to be seen there. Jaén is home to Nature Parks and historic cities and much more. JOIN us to a new destination!
Later this week, we will start with the first new episode.
I grew up with my grandparents and when I was six my grandmother introduced me to Lawrence of Arabia. Although I didn’t really understand the movie, thanks to the landscapes, the soundtrack and the enigmatic Peter O’Toole, this was the start of a lifelong affair with movies. Furthermore, When I saw the movie again in the fall of 2018, I discovered that part of the movie had been filmed in Spain! The next day we found ourselves in Tabernas for some exploring:
This small town is located not far from a desert, as you can see from the surrounding mountains:
Last Summer, we were back in Tabernas, for some further exploring.
On top of a hill, you can see the ruins of an 11th century castle. The local church is also worth a look:
There are picturesque villages nearby:
And there is of course the desert:
Let’s start with the bad news; our travel plans of last year mentioned a number of destinations, outside Spain. Although we got vaccinated pretty quickly, it was the growing list of extra safety measures that demotivated us. In other words: we stuck to Spain.
10. Booking an accommodation and upon arrival discovering that not only the pension, but basically the whole village is one movie location! Have a look here. 2021 has been a year of astonishing movie locations. Just look at this one!
9. Diving around in the Pyrenees. If you love majestic mountains, put this on your bucket list!
7. TheMost Beautiful Monastery. The first trip of the year took us to the north of Spain, the land of El Cid This monastery was the highlight of this trip.
6. A plce of history: the Birthplace of El CID .
5.A Warm Welcome in Murcia. We spent midweek in Murcia, during which San Pedro del Pinatar was our home, not the most picturesque of Spanish towns, but with its beaches, bars and restaurant, it has a relaxing vibe
a yearly event we always look out for: the first snow in the Sierra Nevada
3.And even in our Sierra Arana, there are still places to discover
2. In the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia; I still have to write this post, but since i have so many pictures to edit,Ihope you will be patient with me
Our meal in the pyrenees was the best travelmoment of the year!it’s another reminder that the Spanih can with humble ingredients create magic!
During our day in the Pyrenees, we decided to follow a touristic route in the area, we basically drove from one village to another. In Valle de Villaverde we decided to take a lunch break, we had become hungry!
So we parked our car near the Santa Maria Church and made our way to the Posada Calera. As soon as we entered the dining room, we were welcomed by delicious smells coming from the kitchen and a very friendly woman presenting the menu del dia to us.
Lars chose chickpea soup with extra cabbage for the starter, and I had macaroni. Both dishes were incredibly delicious. The Posada has an excellent cook!
For the second course we both had French fries, eggs, and the best smoked ham we had ever eaten:
Dessert was Natillas (Vanilla custard), containing about a miliion calories! One of the best meals we ever had, we were in foodie paradise.
When we were back in the car, the explorers in us woke up, and we decided to go to Bakio (am small coastal town):
Huge change of scenery, and what a scenery:
it was the end of the afternoon and lots of people were soaking up the last sun rays on the beach with their pooch.
And after all the fantastic events of that superb day, It was time to return to Santander.
Budapest is without any doubt Hungary’s most popular destination, but checking out the Balaton Lake is really worth it. IT’s home to numerous beaches and a geological site, called Hegyestű (located between Monoszló and Zanka). The site features an exhibition about its history. The entrance fee is about 1200 HUF.
The trail to the top is easy to follow; do wear a decent pair of shoes though and a sunhat. The views are magnificent!
The address is:
Zánka Monoszló és Monoszló között külterület
About a month ago, my laptop broke down. That’s one of the reasons why we haven’t been very active on our site. Without a laptop it’s kind of hard to blog, and we have just returned from more adventures in the north of Spain. Anyway, without further ado, let’s finish our adventures in Murcia!
First up is Puerto de Mazzaron, a charming beach town. In the harbor, there are boats that organize trips during which you can observe dolphins.
Another beach town that won our hearts was Bolnuevo. Think Beach, Bars and Bays, and Rock formations. All the ingredients for a tranquil holiday!
Our next post is dedicated to some randonautica!
There are of course other coastal towns worth checking out
If you don’t program your GPS For a certain street in Los Alcazeres, itwill take you to the center of town, which is not particularly picturesque. Better follow one of the arrows to the beach!
Cabo de los Palos is another quaint town with lots of bars and restaurants.
And why not do some exploring in the nature reserve of Calblanq and its beautiful beach. With a bit of luck, you can find the remains of Portman, once a thriving mining and fishing village.
In the next post, we show you the 2 places that impressed us the most!
Murcia is the name of a region, province and town. Just like Andalusia, it is an autonomous region, located to the east of Andalusia.
When we crossed the border between the two regions, we were aware of the differences. The landscapes are greener in Murcia and there are far less white houses. During our trip, we really felt somewhere else. Lars and I stayed in the coastal region, more precisely in San Pedro del Pinatar, one of the biggest places at the coast. It’s not a picturesque place, I would call it cozy, and there are lots of bars and restaurants. Not to miss are the sandy beaches and Las Salinas, salt mines where you can observe a lot of wildlife.
In order to find Las Salinas, program your GPS on “avenida de las salinas”; there are 2 big parking spaces. Traveling on a budget? Keep in mind that tapas are no longer free here, but you can find a daily menu everywhere.
There are dozens of villages in the Alpujarra; most of them are ignored by tourists, like Pitres. Yet, it’s a very charming small town.
A local black beauty was awaiting us at the bar.
She kept us company for a long time, although we hardly shared any food with her. Look at this moment of tenderness between her and the Viking:
The church dates from the 16th century, but had to be repaired twice, the last time was after the Civil War.
It takes about half an hour to explore the rest of this cute town.
There are a handful of hamlets that belong to Pitres, and we visited two of them: Mecina and Ferreirola.
Whereas Mecinas still has a couple of bars, you won’t even find that in Ferreirola and the church has seen better days. At least, the local folklore is colorful:
When you come from Lanjaron or Orgiva, you will see road signs toward the hamlets just before you arrive in Pitres.
Travel Memories 