Collecting Experiences! ✨

Ola! ❤️

We had such a great sleep and thoroughly enjoyed a delicious homemade breaky (eggs, Iberian ham, cheese on a fabulous croissant) along with some lovely Nespresso Coffee in our room before we headed out to join our Tour Guide for our day trip to the White Villages and Ronda!

No travel 'mountains' to report, but we encountered a small molehill when we couldn't find the pick up spot for our tour ... despite using our trusty Google Maps. Somehow, it directed us the wrong spot initially!

I have to admit that I am still on the fence about whether or not I can forgive her and trust her in the future ... because it was just a wee bit stressful to feel like the minutes were counting down and we were NOT where we were supposed to be! Thank goodness for the locals! They won't lead you astray and they know their local geography!! We remain forever grateful for a couple of guys that crossed our paths while wandering to work this morning.😊

Anyway ... it was a day filled with optical delights! Our first stop was in Zahara! This is a small retirement village of about 1500 people which has been named one of the two most beautiful villages in Spain. The domiciles and businesses are set into caves carved out the mountains to protect from the typical 40 degrees Celsius heat in the summers here. These caves are called "Cuevas del SOL" (Caves of the Sun).

On the contrary ... the caves on the other side of the cavern, are called "Cuevas de la SOMBRA" (Caves of the Shade/Shadow) ... which require heaters to ensure they aren't too cold!! The pictures just do not do these experiences justice, but suffice to say all of us on the tour were fascinated with the rich and beautiful architecture.

Oooops ... if this is all that is posted here ... please come back! I accidentally hit post too soon. I am not near done.

Our next stop was another of the 17 white villages in Spain. This one is called "Setenil" and was named this because the Christians tried to invade the Muslim communities who had inhabited the region for 900 years. They were unsuccessful ... seven times. It now has a population of 3000! It was stunning to behold! The manner in which they created their community on the sides of rock ledges is just a sight to behold!!

Our third stop of the day was in the city of Ronda. A wonderful little local tapas bar was recommended by our tour guide! We were ever so grateful that we arrived before the long line ups outside collected! It was a unique experience, in and of itself. You get a little paper with boxes to check for the tapas you would enjoy. And then, you go up to the bar and order your drinks when you give your paper to the bartender. The tapas are generally about $1.50 per plate.

In all, we ordered 7 plates ... including the daily special which was a name I can't recall, but included tripe, blood sausage and many chick peas. It looked like a wee little stew served with bread when it arrived! I was not interested in trying it until I saw the old boy's eyes light up like it was Christmas!! He insisted that I taste it. I ensured that no bits of of innards were on my spoon ... and ... it really was delicious! If I had not known what it was, I would have gobbled it up. The old boy loved it so much that he ordered another dish of it.

I should share that we were seated at the bar and a local fellow was standing next to us having a couple of brews. He witnessed the old boy deconstructing his tapas (i.e. taking the blood sausage off the bread and generally not mixing things as per 'ideal'). He must have been watching for a bit until he finally had to use hand motions ( he didn't speak English) to tell the old boy how to best enjoy these succulent morsels!

You may be wondering if the old boy heeded his suggestions. I will let you guess!! 😀 There may be prizes for those of you who guess correctly! 😘

He was STILL talking about how good it was three hours later. In fact, he says it might go on his 'all time favorite list! 😉 I'm not sure we should trust his judgment though ... because ... he also really enjoyed the paella that we had last night! We ordered the seafood option because the server said it had two kinds of white fish and shrimp in it.

He was mistaken. It arrived with oodles of little fish eyes staring up at me and tasted terribly fishy in my opinion. It looked nothing like the paella we have come to know and love. The little fish on the top are called krill. Apparently blue whales like them too ... somewhere in the six tons per day range. 😣

Anyway, I was not a fan. The old boy discovered that he brought supplements with him on this trip that have krill in them! He clearly got a double dose last night because every time I found one of those little buggers on my plate, I tossed it back!!

And then ... after all that good food ... we wandered out to take a look at the magnificent gorge that Rhonda is known for. Once again, the pictures do not do it justice. I should have posted a video, but did not think of it. We all agreed that it was one of the most majestic and sublime sights we have ever seen. I can't even put it into words. But then again ... some experiences render us speechless. This was one of them.

Okay! Suffice to say it was an exceptional day! We collected so many nuggets to tuck into our hearts! We hope your day was filled with meaningful experiences too!!

See you next time ... love k&jRead more