Month: October 2018

We hiked the Caminito del Rey today and I’ll get a post up soon with pictures of the amazing “trail”. It’s a series of balconies set about 100m above the floor of a couple of slot canyons. In the meantime, I have another fun story of driving a rental car in a foreign country.

According to maps.me (a great solution for using GPS and a map without data or WiFi; you just need to download the map area ahead of time), we had about a 25 minute drive from the trailhead to our B&B in the Valle de Abdalajis (northwest of Málaga). We soon left a town center and were directed onto a dirt road. We came to a fork in the road and went right. After about half a kilometer, it was clear we should have gone left. We turn around and take the left. The map says we have about 4 kilometers to go. A slight rain has started. Cue ominous music.

The road has a few small mud patches that I pretty easily plow through. One of the keys is to have a bit of speed to ensure you don’t get stuck. And they’re small – not even the length of the car. You can see fresh tire treads, so you know somebody’s made it through recently. It’s rained a lot here in the last two weeks, and we presently come to a small creek overflowing across the road. But it’s only a step wide and we go through with no trouble.

Did I mention that we rented one of those tiny Fiat’s? Yeah, not a great car for off reading.

We’re down to about 2 kilometers to go when we come to a larger mud patch. It’s four or five car lengths, but has plenty of recent tracks. I take it on. Mistake. We completely bog down a bit short of the half way mark. The main problem is the car’s clearance. Once the underside of the car stopped clearing the mud we were stuck. I get out and find some pretty large rocks and do my best to wedge them under the front tires. This doesn’t work. After a few adjustments it’s clear we can’t get the car out. Leena doesn’t drive a manual, so I can’t be outside pushing.

Leena sets off to walk the last 2k to the B&B to call a tow truck. I wait in the car. I got the good end of the deal. Leena calls the B&B host (Greg) and describes the house she sees at the top of the hill. It matches the description of his house, so Leena heads up the (very muddy) hill. But it’s not the right house, and nobody is home. She calls him, but it’s hard to describe where you are when you’re on a dirt road with a lone house. But she can see the town, and Greg realizes we’re completely on the wrong side of the valley. He sets out to find Leena. Leena hikes through to a paved road and calls Greg with the name of the dirt road (thankfully there’s a handmade sign). She waits on the side of the road in the rain. Greg pulls up, parks, and they hike back to the car.

I see them come over the rise about two hours after Leena left, and I’m thinking, huh, that’s not a tow truck. Greg thinks we can get it out. He thinks nothing of wading into the ankle-deep mud to lean on the hood while I give it another try. We try forward, backwards, etc. It’s not even rocking really in its rut.

Greg asks if he can give a try, and that makes sense. I’m younger and quite a bit bigger. I lean into as best I can. It’s pretty hard to get footing in slick mud. Greg’s a wizard with the gears. We get it rocking just a bit and I sink deep enough to get some footholds and really lean into it. There’s hope. After about five minutes, it finally moves out of its rut and back a few feet, but it bogs down again. I’m thinking if we can pull that off a couple of more times we’ll be out of the deep stuff and get it out.

Greg has other ideas. He later tells me that he’s never been up this road before, but he’s determined to get the car out FORWARD so we can drive through to the main road where his car is parked and on to the B&B. Having hiked it, he knows this is the worst patch and that we can make it through the rest. So he slams it back forward, down into the rut, up the other side, and damn if he doesn’t float that thing all the way through, spinning the tires like a madman the whole time. It’s out!

Greg just went to the top of the list of greatest hosts ever. We’re at the B&B now. His wife made us some coffee (remember, while I sat in a car that could warm me up any time, Leena trudged around in the rain and mud and 10 degree (C) weather for two hours). Greg even suggested I could clean the car up tomorrow with a hose. No need to return a car with a belly full of mud and have questions to answer.

All of this on Halloween no less!

UPDATE: We asked for a restaurant recommendation, but they warned that the river is getting very high and were worried that we could get caught in town on the wrong side of the river. So they’ve invited us to join them for their dinner of Andalusian stew. These are the nicest people ever.

From Ronda we drove to Málaga for a couple of days on the Mediterranean Sea. We arrived in the afternoon, checked in to our AirBnB, walked around and had dinner.

The next day it rained. Hard. All day. We went out a bit for food and such, and got completely soaked. We put our sneakers in the dryer that night, and even though we put it on “Delicate”, it ran pretty hot. The shoes shrank some and were quite a squeeze to get into the next day. Fortunately they basically stretched back out.

We toured the castle on top of the hill. Great views.

The cathedral in Málaga only has one of the two towers completed.

Some lady photobombed this one.

The bull fighting ring now appears to be a parking lot…

Ronda was our third stop on our road trip through Andalucía, a mountain village a little under two hours by car east of Cádiz. Ronda’s one of the region’s many pueblos blancos (white villages) called so because the houses are almost all painted white.

The setting is surreal, and unlike any town we’ve ever seen. The town is set on both sides of the El Tejo canyon carved by the Guadalevín river. The canyon is over 100m deep. The town’s most dramatic features are the three bridges across the canyon. The largest and highest is the Puente Nuevo (new bridge), which is in fact the newest bridge, though it was built between 1751 and 1793.

Here’s a view looking to the east (up the river) from the Puente Nuevo. The river is 120m below.

Here’s a look to the west from the same bridge.

We walked west along the south side of the river to get our first look back at the bridge.

A view of the valley to the north and west of Ronda.

We took a trail down the canyon and were oh so brave to continue (so did everyone else).

Like I said, it’s a surreal visual.

Here’s the Puente Viejo (old bridge) located east of the Puente Nuevo.

Here’s a couple of looks at the bridge from the upstream side. The town has a series of terraced gardens set into the north side of the canyon between the Puente Viejo and Puente Nuevo bridges.

A view of the valley west of the town.

The bridge is lit at night.

We hiked down a bit further into the canyon on the morning we departed.

The drive from Ronda east to Málaga was an amazing mountain road. Since we drove it on a Sunday, there were plenty of folks out for a drive. We were passed by packs of motorcycles and some fancy sports cars and racers. We pulled off a few times to take in the views.

Here’s one of our first looks at the Mediterranean Sea. Oh yeah, there are some golf courses in the foreground.

We rented a car on our last day in Seville to take on a road trip around the southern province of Andalusia. We headed south (and a bit west) for our first stop, the coastal city of Cádiz. We stayed in the Old Town section, and it really is old. Cádiz is regarded as the oldest continuously inhabited city in Western Europe.

Every city here has a prominent cathedral. A picture from the plaza.

The view is also pretty great from the other side, and you can see the blend of different architectural styles.

The city is set on a spit of sand surrounded by the ocean, and thus has very few tall buildings. It’s famous for its towers though, as residents of the coastal town needed to keep tabs on shipping traffic off the ocean. The tallest of these is the Tavira Tower at just 45 meters. We went up to take in the view.

Oh, and here’s a castle; it was unfortunately closed when we went by.

On to Spain! We took a bus from the Algarve to Seville and spent a couple of days exploring the city. We started with a visit to the amazing Plaza de España. It was built in 1928 for the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition.

It’s immense! The building is a large half circle going around moats and a fountain.

Each end has a tower.

There are tiled alcoves along the base of the building for lots of cities in Spain.

After the Plaza, we headed to the Guadalquivir River. We came to the Torre del Oro, a military watchtower on the river constructed in the 13th century. We took an hour-long river cruise, then went up the tower (free on Mondays, lucky us).

The Seville skyline from the tower, featuring the Cathedral.

We headed to the Cathedral next but didn’t brave the line to go inside.

We spent the evening on a food and walking tour of Seville. We sampled lots of tapas staples – olives, jamón, cheese (manchego drizzled with olive oil), salted cod, and more. These were paired with some not-so-common drinks. First was fortified wine (like Port), then some wine that was fortified with orange liqueur. The bar serving the “orange wine” is the only place it is sold; there’s just one producer. It’s an old and very popular place.

We went by some columns from the Roman era and learned that landowners in Seville rarely dig. If you dig up some history, it must be preserved.

The food tour concluded with a sit-down dinner with some traditional wine. There were three or four dishes. The lamb stew won the night.

Before heading to the airport to rent a car for a road trip around Andalusia we went to the Metropol Parasol in Plaza Mayor. Completed in 2011, it’s a wooden rooftop canopy over the plaza that claims to be the largest wooden structure in the world. The locals call it Las Setas de Encarnación (Incarnation’s Mushrooms). A view towards the Cathedral from the top.

We rented a car and drove a couple of hours to the southern province of Portugal, The Algarve. We stayed in the small beach town of Burgau. Just minutes from our AirBnB we took a cliff top walk along the ocean.

The view from the beach in Burgau. It’s a quarter-mile long beach bracketed by rocky cliffs.

We made a few stops at the Beach Bar to enjoy some vinho verde.

A half-hour drive west to Sagres took us to the southwest corner of the European continent. We first visited the Sagres Fortress which dates from the 16th century (though it was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1755 and rebuilt in the mid 20th century).

We each enjoyed the “last bratwurst before America” (OK, I had two) before hiking around Cape St. Vincent.

Looking north along the rugged and beautiful coast.

Cape St. Vincent lighthouse.

Back in Burgau, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the cliff above town.

We drove 15 minutes east to Lagos the following day and walked the cliffs above the ocean in an area called The Grotto.

We took a late afternoon boat ride to catch the views from the water.

So long Portugal! We really enjoyed our three weeks exploring the country. The Portuguese are very nice and welcoming, and though language was occasionally a challenge, it’s not too hard. Everyone makes the effort to understand and help you.

We took a three-hour train ride from Porto south to Lisbon and spent a week in Portugal’s capital. We stayed in the Graça district, one of the oldest parts of town. A short walk from our apartment to the top of one of Lisbon’s seven hills.

The neighborhood is served by the 28 tram. We never took it; the line was always long.

Street art.

Our friend Maggie from Portland had a business trip to Lisbon at the same time so we connected. I somehow only have a picture of her and Leena in a store for, uh, rubber duckies.

The pink street in Lisbon indicates (or used to indicate?) the red light district.

We went to the top of the arch overlooking a major plaza on the Tejo river. One of many great vantage points to take in the beautiful city.

A view of Praça do Comércio, the main plaza of Lisbon, from the top of the arch.

We connected with Brian and Jen who moved to Lisbon from Seattle about 18 months ago. We know them from many Thanksgivings at Steve’s and a few other Seattle visits.

Another view from near our apartment. The flag on the left is on the old castle.

We nicknamed this the “little Golden Gate Bridge” and then learned that it was designed and built by the same company that did the Bay Bridge. It seems they took some inspiration from that other San Francisco bridge. It is actually called the 25 de April Bridge.

We visited the São Jorge Castle

We walked a long way (about 4 miles) along the Tejo river to sail for a couple of hours on the river. The marina was under the bridge.

Remember that plaza on the river with the arch? Here it is. The castle is atop the hill in the right center (with the trees).

I took the wheel for a bit.

 

The Belém Tower dates from the 16th century and was part of Lisbon’s defenses of that era.

The pink house is home to the president of Portugal, a beloved man and very different from the Prime Minister of Portugal.

We took a day trip to Sintra, about an hour by train. It’s a beautiful old village set at the foot of hills with fairy-tale castles on them.

Meanwhile, back in Lisbon.

 

 

Leena said it best in an Instagram post. We’ve been to many wine regions in the world, but the Douro Valley may be one of the most beautiful.

We stayed in Santo Adrião, a tiny hamlet of narrow and steep cobblestone streets.

The directions to the place were to drive into town and park at the coffee shop. When you get there, you see why this is obvious. As we parked, our AirBnB host Maria came out to greet us. She offered us a glass of port. And not just any port! She makes port each year with her brothers.

We (mostly Leena) had a great time chatting with Maria. She speaks very little English, and since we speak very little Portuguese, it was a bit of a challenge. But Portuguese and Spanish (where Leena has some fluency) are similar enough that you can get by. We were soon looking through her family scrap book and learning all about her kids and their weddings and grandkids. You know.

Our AirBnB is on the right. We sat out on the balcony one evening with some nibbles (olives, cheese, meat) and a glass of wine. Everyone who walked by smiled and nodded approvingly.

Tiny Santo Adrião is set into the hillside. A shot from the drive into town.

Here’s a shot of the lovely Douro Valley from our first stop, Quinta do Tedo. That’s the Tedo river; the winery is at the confluence of the Tedo and Douro rivers.

And here’s a view the other direction of the Douro river.

Here’s the view from our dinner spot, just a town over from our little village (which is too small to have a restaurant).

At dinner, after the first course of soup, you’re invited to slice some ham for the table. I was advised to do very thin slices. Delicious.

We stopped through the town of Régua on the Douro river and poked around before visiting some more wineries.

We’re right at the end of harvest which means lots of grapes are in fermenting tanks.

Want to stay in a room fashioned from a wine cask? You can do that at Pacheca. The family name behind the winery is Pacheco, but since a woman first ran the winery a few centuries back, it was named Pechaca.

We told you the Douro Valley is beautiful!

After spending the summer back in Portland, we got back on the road at the end of September. We flew to London for a one-day layover, then down to Porto, Portugal.

Porto is the second-largest city in Portugal. We stayed in the old town, and everything about it did feel old: cobblestone streets, narrow alleys, beautiful buildings. From the main plaza:

Porto spans the Douro river with lots of bridges.

We took a 45-minute cruise up and down the river.

Porto thrives on the banks of the river. So many shops, restaurants, bars and people.

We climbed the 200+ steps to the top of the main bridge.

Day 2 featured a food and walking tour. So many cured meats, aged cheeses, delicious olives, and lots of port. We also tried bifana sandwiches – slow cooked pork in a secret sauce.

There are three traditional styles of port: white, ruby, and tawny. We concluded the tour with a taste of each.

On Day 3 we climbed the Clèrigos tower (76m high) for some aerial views of Porto.

We then crossed the river to an area with plenty of port houses for lunch and a few tastings.

We capped the day by taking in the Porto vs Galatasaray (from Turkey) match in Champions League. Porto was slightly better that night and was rewarded with a tight 1-0 win. Leena found the tickets the night before. They were only 15 Euro each and we were in the second row. I’m guessing those don’t sell because they’re so low down it’s almost an obstructed view, but we loved the seats. As you can see, it’s a field-level view, but it’s not at all obstructed.