Summer’21 Spanish Road Trip

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Traveler Summer’21 Spanish Road Trip
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- Aug 23, 2021
- ⛅ 84 °F
- Altitude: 2,516 ft
- Spain Andalusia Úbeda 38.014874, -3.37116638°0’54” N 3°22’16” W
Day 11
Day 11- Úbeda
August 23, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F
After 11 days of travel we needed to pause and do some laundry, planning, and office work this morning. It was also 95 degrees in the shade, so we didn’t venture out to nearby towns.

One thing that has caught our attention here are the beautiful stone mosaic “carpets” everywhere. We are calling them carpets for want of a better word.

After a wander to the top architectural sites, we had lunch at a shady gastrobar! We have a 4 hour drive to Gaucin tomorrow (Sarah is dropping Brie off in Tessorillo) so tonight will be an early one.Read more
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- Aug 25, 2021
- ⛅ 75 °F
- Altitude: 1,617 ft
- Spain Andalusia Gaucín 36.514194, -5.32297636°30’51” N 5°19’23” W
Day 13
Day 12 & 13- Gaucin to Frigiliana
August 25, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F
After a 4+ hour drive from Úbeda, Sarah dropped Brie off and we caught up with old friends in Gaucin for one night! It was hazy and then cloudy in Gaucín (with a surprise shower bringing dinner on an outdoor terrace to an abrupt end).

Food plays an important part in Spanish life, with lunch (la comida) the biggest meal of the day, often lasting from 2 to 4pm. It is common for shops and whole villages to come to a standstill for the afternoon meal and siesta, especially in more out-of-the-way towns. Spanish lunch and dinner times are later than in many other countries. Lunch is typically a large meal, with a starter, a main dish, and dessert. Evening meals, which often start as late as 10pm, are usually a much lighter fare.

We’re off to Frigiliana on Wednesday afternoon.

The photo shows the view of Frigiliana from our hotel. We’ll investigate the town tomorrow.Read more
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- Aug 26, 2021
- ☀️ 77 °F
- Altitude: 991 ft
- Spain Andalusia Frigiliana Palacio de los Condes de Frigiliana o El Ingenio 36.791107, -3.89540536°47’28” N 3°53’43” W
Day 14
Day 14- Out and about in Southern Spain
August 26, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
We are taking it a bit slower now and enjoying the milder coastal weather. We are staying in a boutique avocado-themed hotel / restaurant with only eight rooms. The view of Frigiliana at night is magical!

We are happy to be in Andalusia, and enjoying the best olive oil in Spain! There’s a huge difference in flavor depending on the olive… our favorite is the flavorful arbequina!

Have we told you about Paul’s favorite shoes? Yes, these loafers are ten euros a pair and are super comfortable (after adding a foam insert). He now has at least six pairs in various colors!

We have had a lot of excellent Spanish food and tapas over the past few weeks and today we were looking for something completely different! Frigiliana is large enough to support several different ethnic restaurants and tonight’s choice was Indian. (Sorry, no pics, we were too hungry!)Read more
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- Aug 27, 2021
- ☀️ 79 °F
- Altitude: 991 ft
- Spain Andalusia Frigiliana Palacio de los Condes de Frigiliana o El Ingenio 36.791107, -3.89540536°47’28” N 3°53’43” W
Day 15
Day 15- Wandering Frigiliana
August 27, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
We stomped around Frigiliana today.
Recognized as "Spain's most beautiful and well-preserved village”, this charming town of roughly 3,000 people is only 20 minutes from the beach. Note the mosaic stone carpets that serve as runners for the steep cobbled alleyways winding past the white village houses!

During non-Covid times, Frigiliana hosts the Festival of the Three Cultures (Festival de las Tres Culturas), celebrating the region's historic confluence and co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions.

We enjoyed a late dinner back at our hotel! The avocado theme works!Read more
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- Aug 28, 2021
- ☀️ 82 °F
- Altitude: 105 ft
- Spain Andalusia Almuñécar Plaza Nueva 36.73439, -3.69187736°44’4” N 3°41’31” W
Day 16
Day 16- La Herradura and Almuńecar
August 28, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
We were curious about the town of La Herradura so this was our first stop this morning even though we’ll be moving down there on Sunday.

Earliest records show that the name “Jate” was used to refer to this small beach town; Jate meaning "shore". Records from 1526 show the current name, of Castilian origin, refers to the horseshoe shape of its bay (la herradura means horseshoe).

La Herradura is part of the larger municipality of Almuñécar and we discovered why this is called the Costa Tropical! Beautiful palm-lined streets and beaches add to the charm of this small city.

We had an early dinner back at our hotel again (the food is excellent - we split an avocado and shrimp salad, steak, and off-diet dessert of brownies with avocado ice cream!

Not a bad view for coffee and cribbage!Read more
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- Aug 29, 2021
- ☀️ 79 °F
- Altitude: 105 ft
- Spain Andalusia Almuñécar Plaza Kuwait 36.734402, -3.691936°44’4” N 3°41’31” W
Day 17
Day 17- La Herradura
August 29, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
We’ve moved down to the coast for our remaining 3 days! It was hard to leave the magical La Posada Morisca but we wanted some beach days before heading to the States.

The view from the top of the hotel is terrific (the inner courtyard is also pretty!) We had a late brunch, walked around the town, and then shared some tasty “almejas” in a fun chiringuito on the beach.

We were spoiled by an incredible sunset view for tonight’s cribbage game. Life is good!Read more
Traveler We have been enjoying following your progress through so many beautiful parts of Spain. We must visit Cuenca together one of these days!
8/29/21Reply
Traveler Absolutely! Let’s plan on this in 2022!
8/30/21Reply
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- Aug 30, 2021
- ☀️ 77 °F
- Altitude: 105 ft
- Spain Andalusia Almuñécar Plaza Kuwait 36.734402, -3.691936°44’4” N 3°41’31” W
Day 18
Day 18- Beach Day
August 30, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
A “chiringuito” is a small beach-side restaurant or bar selling mainly drinks, tapas, and seafood (and of course, the ubiquitous goat cheese salad). The decor is a cross between safari lodge and tiki hut; you might even see straw hats hanging upside down from the ceiling!

They usually rent out lounge chairs under thatched umbrellas. In many places, chiringuitos are temporary structures that are collapsed in late October and don’t appear again until April, weather and tourism depending!

We seem to be working our way through all of them here in La Herradura, whether for a “clara con limón” or a larger meal. The weather is fantastic and the water even better (the wind dropped and we were able to swim today). The gray stone pebble beach can’t compare to the white sand beaches we are used to in the States, but the view compensates. We are determined to squeeze the most of our last 36 hours!

“Tinto de verano” is another summer drink we are also enjoying. It’s basically red wine and lemon soda (yes, there’s a reoccurring theme of adding lemon soda to drinks in the summer here in Spain!)Read more
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- Aug 31, 2021, 9:50pm
- ⛅ 77 °F
- Altitude: 20 ft
- Spain Andalusia Almuñécar La Herradura Playa de La Herradura 36.733349, -3.74140336°44’0” N 3°44’29” W
Day 19
Day 19- Last Day
August 31, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F
On a whim we looked at a house for sale in Frigiliana today. It was too good to be true- the noise from the motorway was ridiculous!

We are enjoying the weather and ambiance here. We stomped around Nerja after our Covid tests (needed for travel tomorrow) discovering an English book store in the process. We also stumbled across a temporary glass exhibit in the art museum. Curt and Marilyn are planning to visit Nerja in January, we’re excited to show them around!

We couldn’t leave without one last swim in the sea this afternoon. Fortunately we avoided the “medusas” (jellyfish) that several folks were shouting about while we were there.

Beaches here would surprise the average American, 30% of the women are topless and thongs are still popular with the under 30’s. In general, Spain is very open to nudity https://english.elpais.com/spain/life/2021-08-3…

We celebrated our last night here with Long Island Iced Teas at a local watering hole and then an incredible meal at No. 20 in La Herradura. Paul got a tour of the restaurant from the owner; Covid hit start-ups so hard! The food and service were excellent! We will definitely be back!Read more
Sounding like a fabulous trip to me! So now off to the states! Best of luck with the operation, Sarah! David has a small operation on 16th of September in Clinica Girona to remove skin cancer on his head....Keep in touch!😻💕 [Grace]
9/1/21Reply
Traveler Grace, I wish David all the best on the 16th. It was a wonderful trip, and we're feeling very grateful that we had this opportunity. We made it to Boston late last night after a nightmare flight (awful turbulence!) Thank you for your well wishes, and yes, I promise to keep in touch!
9/2/21Reply
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