April 26, 2013
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Spanish weather is interesting. One moment blue skies and sun
shine with temperatures around 19
ºC (67
ºF)
moments later temperatures drop, the wind picks up as if a hurricane is near,
rain clouds roll in and it becomes an uncomfortable 10
ºC (50
ºF). For days now we have watched
the rain clouds circle the surrounding mountains, like warriors waiting for the
perfect time to attack. Today the rain clouds decided to storm the beach and
settle in for a few days. Spain is experiencing a cold snap and the rain will
last until next week. Obviously this changed our plans to visit Valencia and
Denia …..(Sad face) but it gave us the opportunity to research/plan for the other
nine months of our trip around Europe.
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| Taking a research break at Bitburger |
We have been blessed with access to a car which gives us
tremendous freedom in Spain. As we began
looking into airplane tickets, car rentals, and hostels–keeping our budget in
mind- for traveling the rest of Europe; we realized how restricted we would be
without the convenience of our own vehicle. We would also be bogged down with
our luggage, limited to large cities with airports, and at the mercy of cab
drivers. The luster of traveling this way quickly began to fade, so a new idea
was born. Why not drive the rest of Europe? Ross and I have grown quite
comfortable with the narrow roads, unreadable road signs, and speedy Spanish
locals.
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| 2013 Grand Kangoo |
After two days of
research Ross came across an UNBELIVABLE opportunity and we jumped on it!!! We have
leased a seven passenger 2013 Renault Grand Kangoo for nine months. Along with
it being a brand new car offering the latest technology it also includes: 24
hour roadside assistance, full coverage insurance with no deductible
–including
our personal belonging - and GPS navigation for all of Europe. There is also a table
that flips down for eating along with the ability to fold the seats down creating
a large enough space for a blow up mattress-eliminating thousands of Euros on accommodations
for 270 nights.
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| Future Home of the Courage's |
Yes you are hearing me correctly!!!! We will live in the car for nine months- stopping occasionally at a hotel for a change of scenery and a hot shower- but otherwise relying on the kindness of the online Redditting community, laundry mats, and grocery stores- filling a cooler for most of our meals.
Looks like sunny skies ahead!! We could not be more excited about our change in plans. We promise it will offer a much closer look at the 14 countries we plan to visit as well as increasing the amount of cities, towns, and villages we will see while driving over 15,000 kilometers through Europe.
April 30, 2013
After six days of being cooped up in the house due to bad
weather, even as newlyweds we were looking forward to our planned outing with
our friend Matais. He has lived in Spain for four years, since retiring from
his position as a Polish diplomat working as an international ambassador for
the majority of his career.
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| El Castell de Guadalest |
Today he took us to Algar Waterfalls- aka Les
Fonts- and also to Guadalest the town that is home to “El Castell de Guadalest”-aka
The Grand House- which is really a castle built in 1644.We also stopped by a
local honey cooperative offering a number of different flavors and we enjoyed a
lovely lunch before we called it a day.
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| Entrance & Largest Waterfall |
Matais called it the cascades but it is better known as les fonts de l’algar located in Callosa. Wow! We highly recommend this to anyone planning a visit Spain because of its amazing views of nearby mountains, whistling waterfalls, and affordable price of only 4 euros per person.
The nature park has four natural pools were swimming is permitted, a picnic area, and an arboretum. Once entering the park you are deafened by the thunderous roar of the largest fall.
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| No Baguettes allowed |
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| Second fall and pool |
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| Natural Pools at Les Fonts |
As you climb a staircase up to the next lookout you are welcomed by the beautiful indigenous aromatic plants. The streams are overflowing because of the intense rains lately and when the crystalline waters are struck by the sunshine its blue green hues are illuminated.
Ross and I were amazed at the difference in personal responsibility when compared to America. Here all activities you take part in are 100% at your own risk- the warning signs being similar to the fine print in contracts that no one reads. For example swimming is allowed but a very little sign states “no head on diving” just before you reach a custom built diving board. To our surprise the dangerous diving board lures adventure seekers into a large pool with only 10 feet before one would be tossed over a rushing waterfall on to the rocks below.
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| Swim at your own risk |
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| Zoe & Joey at Les Fonts |
Heading toward Guadalest we navigated through hair pin
curves and dangerous switch back roads. If one was to get distracted by the
breath taking views that could be all she wrote because of the limited number
of guard rails that would prevent one from taking a plunge.
After reaching the small village we saw the typical
tourist trap offerings- souvenir shops and museums. This time we bypassed all the distraction being
led by our local guide straight to the castle and to tour the prison. It was a
good thing we did this because a terrible storm lingered nearby.
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| Guadalest Prison |
El Castell de Guadalest gave us a taste of what the wealthy
lived like during the 17
th and 18
th century in Spain. Those who resided in the Grand House were members
of the Spanish aristocracy then later on they held their prestige through
positions such as lawyers and high ranking military officials.
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| Terraced Garden |
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| Painting of Guadalest |
Being devote Catholics the Orduna family home
had a number of religious relics, paintings, and most unique the Virgin
Chamber.
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| Virgin Chamber |
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| Family Crest Tapestry |
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| Library with books written by hand |
Other highlights we enjoyed were the library- which contains 1256
volumes illustrating three distinct time periods- the sleeping quarters, the wash
room, the kitchen, the dinning room, the garden view of the Guadalest Reservoir, and the village prison.
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| Adult Sleeping Quarters |
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| Child Sleeping Quarters |
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| The Kitchen |
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| The Wash Room |
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| Guadalest Reservoir |
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| Dinning Room |
Our tour was cut short by the storm I mentioned earlier and freezing
temperature tagged along. We dropped in a few shops to avoid the heaviest down
pours but we still ended up wet and cold before reaching the car to leave the
picturesque village.
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| The Bell Tower |
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| Honey Buffet |
On the way down the mountains the rain turned to sleet so
we pulled over and waited the storm out at a delightful restaurant called El
Riu. We enjoyed one of the traditional
Spanish menus and shared a bottle of wine; before we knew it 3:00pm turned to 6:30pm
so with full bellies and sleepy eyes we headed back to Calpe not forgetting to
stop by Miel Natural Store (natural honey). Treating ourselves to a free sugar
high when sampling numerous flavors of honey before we agreed that Tomilio and Eucalyptus
were our favorites. The prices were inexpensive so we bought one kilogram of
each, which will last throughout our journey and leave us enough to share with
friends and family back in the states.
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| 55 Gallon Drum of Honey |
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| The Bee Keeper himself |
May 1, 2013
Today is a Spanish holiday, May Day, which we are told is
similar to Labor Day in the United States.
The banks, the post office, and every grocery store in Calpe and the
surrounding areas are closed for the celebration.
We ventured out on an early
afternoon exploration and pleasantly ended up in a small town just down the
coast called Moraira. The town was alive
with loud music and bustling with tourists.
Even the beach was full of people playing volleyball, basking in the
sun, ignoring the chilly breeze, and spending time with their families.
We sat
and enjoyed a few beers- listening to flamenco infused rock ballads- in the
stunning promenade of white circus tents-located in front of the Castell de
Moraira; built for just this celebration.
The quaint town seems to be a popular
British destination because to our surprise we could understand the announcer on
the microphone, first speaking English, then transitioning to Spanish. We people watched for awhile before wandering
the sleepy streets, visiting the marina, and enjoying a few fun photo
opportunities.
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| Moraira Marina |
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| Joey & Zoe in Moraira |
May 2, 2013
Ross and I are becoming quite popular here in Calpe and our
social calendar is filling up more and more each day! People are very welcoming,
relaxed, and willing to be our tour guides, with some even inviting us to their
homes for tapas and drinks. Today we visited some expats from Britain at their
lovely home just around the corner from where we are staying. Dorothy and Graham showed us a wonderful
afternoon full of enlightened discussion, play time with their bunnies, and an infinite
amount of snacks/beverages from their poolside custom built bar.
They have
lived in Calpe for 16 years and were owners of a local café until they finally
decided to fully retire and enjoy the local lifestyle. They are an inspiration
to Ross and I – married for 50 years as well as working together nearly every
day.
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| Graham with his Pride and Joy |
They raise angora bunnies- not for the money because they sell them for
10euro a piece- but for the joy it brings them and the families that buy them. They currently own five but the stars of the
show are the breeding pair.
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| Whiskey |
The mother-Whiskey- is nine months old and the father-Gordy- is three years old. Being distracted by good conversation we hardly noticed the slow rate at which the sun moved across the sky. Before we knew it our 2:00pm outing had ran until half passed eight. It was no shocker that we were beat even though we had literally done nothing all day because drinking and eating are vigorous activities in Spain.
On a side note! We have been told that some comments have been left on the blog and unfortunately we have not seen them. They may have been some problem with the comment settings. I have adjusted the settings allowing for anyone to post a comment. I also did a test comment myself and it worked (Hopefully it works for you as well) There is no need to create a Google account or blog account to comment. If you have left comments and we have not commented back, we are truly sorry and hope that you will try again! (Make sure after writing your comment you click on the publish button at the bottom of the page.)We also check our email, gettingtwothepoint@gmail.com everyday and will respond to comments/questions there in a timely fashion. We appreciate all of you who have informed us that you are avid readers and will continue to post each week
As we approached Cullera the land changed, opening up wide creating
large crop fields. In such a desolate landscape, speckled with construction
companies, out of business home furnishing stores, and ceramic shops, it is
hard to believe that anything could thrive in this environment. This area does
well for itself because God blessed the soil. It is known as the soil that
never sleeps sharing its rich nutrients with numerous crops such as rice,
oranges, lemons, olives, and flowers. 
After the museum we refueled with a quick picnic lunch before we got lost in the rest of this expansive metropolis. We wanted to navigate to the historic part of town but with no GPS and lack of planning on my part that was not in the cards for us today. We did manage to find the port authority and the beach before heading home to Calp. 
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