Hike, Eat, Live

Day 2, a little harder, a bit more up and down in our hike, but the views were even more spectacular. We liked this trail about more, there were more trees and bushes along the path, and way less flies. Yesterday, I felt like we were brushing them off more often, and they were buzzing in our ears. Today was a lot more peaceful.

There was one steep section up to a view point where we stopped for lunch. A stunning 360 that's worth every step up and down.

Our home for the next 3 nights was a villa at Posada La Plaza in Canillas de Albaida, one of the small towns here in Southern Spain. The rooms were a pleasant unexpected surprise as we had the whole place to ourselves, complete with pool. It was like we'd stepped into another lifestyle. Feeling like vacation now as we try to relax when we're not on the trails :) Czytaj więcej

Our only early start today, off to the famous Caminito del Rey. The ticket process was a bit of a concern earlier this week as our CEO had to exhaust her resources to procure our tickets. In the end we were still a little short, but were able to grab the last 2 we needed at the door.

Once dubbed the world's most dangerous hike/walkway, today's route is fairly easy for visitors to follow. The beginning and ending sections have hanging bridges and boardwalks, while a section in the middle was more traditional terrain. The most important thing here I think is simply to take in the gorge as you walk through and once again be in awe of Mother Nature.

The skies were blue and the waters were green. The first section is just a warm up of what is to come. Continuing on with places this trip has reminded me of, today gave a sense of Jurassic Park Lost World. Stunning views all around, especially as we reached the end with the waterfall and suspension bridge.

A shorter day today and much needed to relax and chill out. Back in town, it's pool time and then a pool party before live music at night. Tomorrow is our last full day together, some headed home from a lovely short holiday, and for the rest of us, onwards and upwards. Arriba! Czytaj więcej

Travel day today, so that means not much done. Let's start with my arrival into Rome and then to Palermo. I'd taken an antigen test a few days ago, uncertain if I needed it to enter Italy. The IATA says passengers from Spain are exempt, but I wasn't sure if they actually meant residents. Turns out it was passengers, but I'm still glad I had the test as a peace of mind. The covid testing in Europe has been more invasive than the ones back home. Instead of swabbing the front of both nostrils, it's one swab up one nostril. Ah travel in covid times. At least they don't swirl too.

Landing in Palermo was an interesting process. Travellers to Sicily are subject to a PCR test, and I feel it's a bit of an honor system. After grabbing my bags, I exited to the arrivals zone, and read a sign about travellers from certain countries to check with the Covid info desk. No one is checking, I suppose I could've skipped it, but I didn't.

What ended up happening was a questionnaire that generated a test code that would send me on a trek with my backpack out of the airport to get tested. And it felt like a trek with 12 kg on my back and more with my day bag. The signage is almost very clear, but coupled with an evening arrival, I kept wondering how much farther I had to go, and noticing practically no one else headed that way.

On the bright side, the PCR was free, though it was another jab up the nose. The interesting thing is that results were ready in 10 minutes. Huh, go figure. Back the way I came and down to the train station for a ride to Palermo Central Station. It's a bit far, 50 minutes, and then another trek to the my hotel in the historic centre.

Suite Quaroni is beautiful small hotel (6 units in total) right off Via Maqueda. It does get noisy, but the AC drowns out the street noise that goes late into the night. Great location though for exploring the Old Town, so no complaints.

1st order of business was to find some pizza! Easy but not as I had a few places on my list. One was booked out, and another had a long line. I ended up back on the main street to randomly pick a place that looked good, oh and got some gelato as dessert. Hard to say no when you're stuffed, but it's right downstairs of where you're staying.

The streets were bustling, but it is a Friday night. I've definitely noticed less people here wearing masks, and more people. Italy has a green card system so if you want to sit down at a restaurant or go into a sight, you have to show proof of vaccination. For me, that's my vaccine card, so far so good. Czytaj więcej