Sunny Spain – Part II

When we left off our previous post, we were still enjoying the beautiful city of Granada. The food, markets and architecture were amazing. Before leaving and continuing our trip through Spain, we saved the best part for last – the Alhambra!

Granada, the Alhambra

The Alhambra, a UNESCO Heritage Site, is a palace and fortress complex built by the Moors during the 14th century featuring stunning examples of Islamic art and architecture, including intricate geometric patterns, ornate tilework, and beautiful gardens. Without question it is one of the most popular places to visit, not just in Granada, but in all of Spain, which makes advanced ticket purchase a must at any time of the year.

We didn’t know this until just a few days before our visit, so when we found out and went online, there were only two time slots left, 8:30 am and 3:30 pm. Our friends Bob and Aleja had visited a couple of days before, and already warned us we needed several hours to do the place justice. So, reluctantly, we chose the early time slot. What a fantastic decision that turned out to be!

We arrived by taxi and when we got there, we were among the first to go into the complex. After the initial rush, everyone fanned out so it felt like we practically had the place to ourselves. By the time we circled back around to the entrance area around 11:30, the place was packed! So if you ever get the chance to visit the Alhambra, go early!

The photos below speak for themselves. I think you’ll agree it’s simply breathtaking…

Doña Mencía & Zuheros

After a few days in Granada, we moved on to the little village of Doña Mencía. The only reason I even knew about this place was because a few years ago I had read a couple of posts about it from Jay and Julie on their Our Tour blog. I have no idea why this place in particular stuck in my mind, but when we had the chance to go there, I put it on the calendar. Steven wasn’t as excited about it as I was, so there was a little back and forth about how long we would stay.

My main reason for wanting to be there is because the municipal aire is right along the Via Verde, a network of more than 2,600 kilometers of former railway lines that have been converted into cycling and hiking trails. Given that the start date for the Camino Portuguese is fast approaching, I wanted the opportunity to get in some serious walking with my full backpack. As much as I enjoy walking around beautiful towns, it just isn’t the same as a good hiking and biking trail for training purposes.

The aire in Doña Mencía used to be free, but now it costs a whopping €3 per night. And, if needed, many sites also have electricity. We opted out on that and decided to rough it.

Another thing I learned from reading Jay and Julie’s blog about this place was that there was good medical care in the town, not far from the aire. When staying here in 2019, Julie had a running accident that required medical attention, and they were quite impressed with the quality of care she received. I didn’t know it at the time I read their blog, of course, but we would also need to avail of that medical care too!

Not long after we arrived, we sat down to enjoy lunch when Steven started to experience pain in his chest. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, so he knew it was gas that had gotten trapped in his chest and not a heart attack. But this episode was incredibly painful and there wasn’t much he could do to relieve the discomfort. But because Steven is the most stubborn person I have ever met, there was no convincing him to seek medical attention until he had suffered for at least three hours. Finally, he gave in.

There is a bike shop right at the entrance of the aire and the guy working there closed up shop and drove us to the medical facility. When we got there, the place looked like Life After People, even though it is open 24 hours a day. We walked through the door and one nurse, one EMT and one doctor came to help. Only the nurse spoke a little bit of English, but Steven was able to describe what was going on. At the direction of the doctor, the EMT gave him some kind of injection. We have no idea what it was. Then they gave him three prescriptions, something to make him throw up, then something to drink to make sure he didn’t get dehydrated and a pain reliever. Then they sent us on our merry way.

We filled the prescriptions and walked back to Bijou. Steven took one dose of the first medication and promptly threw up. After that, he was back to normal and hasn’t experienced any more symptoms or pain.

The cost for this medical care was as follows:
Nurse, EMT, Doctor, Facility, Injection – €0
Three prescriptions: €10

The first time Steven experienced this was in Seattle, just a couple of months before we moved to Europe. We had just ordered dinner at a restaurant when he started to feel chest pains, and since this was a new experience, he thought he was having a heart attack. Off we went to the hospital. They gave him some kind of medicine cocktail that immediately relieved all the pressure and pain. All was well. Except, just to be on the safe side, they decided to run a few tests. $18,000 later, he was declared healthy!

Luckily for us this current episode happened the day we arrived in Doña Mencía. Once Steven was feeling better, we still had a couple of days to explore and that’s when we found Zuheros, a charming town with narrow streets, whitewashed houses, and a picturesque central square. Not only was this a great place to explore, it made for great training as getting into the town was a strenuous uphill walk.

Sevilla

Zuheros was a great place for training, and I wish we had longer to stay, but I had been in cahoots with Chris Ratay to meet up with him and Erin (and their pup Mr. Cool, of course!) in Sevilla. Chris wanted to keep our gathering a surprise for Erin, so she had no idea we would be there! We left Doña Mencía and made our way to Sevilla to get ourselves set up and presentable and to give Bijou a thorough clean.

El Rocio

After a wonderful stay in Seville and enjoyable visit with Chris and Erin, we had one more stop before saying goodbye to Spain and heading into Portugal, and that was the town of El Rocio.

El Rocío is a small town located in the Andalusian province of Huelva, in southern Spain. It is best known for its annual pilgrimage, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, making it one of the largest and most important religious festivals in Spain.

As much as we appreciate a good pilgrimage, we were not interested in visiting when the place was overrun with people. When we arrived, it was mid-week and nearly empty. Perfect!

During the pilgrimage, people from all over Spain and beyond come to pay their respects to the Virgin of El Rocío, who is the patron saint of Almonte, a nearby town. The pilgrimage involves a procession of people on foot, horseback, or in decorated wagons, accompanied by traditional music and dance. The town of El Rocío itself has a unique character, featuring traditional Andalusian architecture and a vibrant atmosphere. In the shoulder season, as when we were there, much of this activity takes place on the weekends, and it is fairly quiet during the weekdays. That suited us just fine.

And that’s a wrap on Spain! We had a really wonderful trip, the weather was great and we enjoyed every stop we made. Now, we say adios, Espana and hello, Portugal!

Up next: Birthday celebration in Lisbon!