Tag: Europe

Enjoying the Central Southern Coast of Spain

While in Granada we though it would be a great idea to make a day trip and ride towards the coastal town of the Granada and Mรกlaga. Angela had also mentioned that we would really enjoy a hike along the slot canyon and river of Rio Chillar. Map of our dayโ€™s journey: We went from Granada, to the southern coast, and back again – … Read More Enjoying the Central Southern Coast of Spain

Hiking the Sierra Nevadas of Granada, Spain

One of the main advantages of staying at Airbnb style homes is the wonderful people you often meet. Angela, our host in Granada, did a exceptional job of making us feel at home during our stay at Granada. She is an avid hiker and invited us to join her for a few sunset walks among the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountain range. Angela organizes a … Read More Hiking the Sierra Nevadas of Granada, Spain

The Gorgeous City of Granada, Spain

Our travels are now in full swing as we continue clockwise around Spain to the city of Granada, Spain. Our main reason for coming here was to visit the famous Alhambra Palace. Normally, one would have to reserve tickets weeks in advance to see this attraction, however due to COVID-19, we were able to book our tickets for the same day. The Streets of … Read More The Gorgeous City of Granada, Spain

Exploring the Providence of Almarรญa, Spain

This week started with a note. A note to Maria thanking her for hosting us for the last three months. I donโ€™t think we could have landed in a better place to weather the storm of COVID-19 in Spain. It was more difficult to leave than we imagined. Of course we wanted to continue with our travels, however we had to say goodbye to … Read More Exploring the Providence of Almarรญa, Spain

Riding the Trans Euro Trail, Murcia, Spain

We never intended to ride the Trans Euro Train in Spain. Our original plan was to travel mostly pavement, visiting each of the virtual push-pins from our online map of places we wanted to see in Spain. The region of Murcia had a few museums that we wanted to experience in Cartagena – The Roman Theatre and the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Change … Read More Riding the Trans Euro Trail, Murcia, Spain

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Phase II with Ups and Downs

The country of Spain continues to maintain its โ€œState of Alarmโ€ – a condition itโ€™s been in for 73 days now. Our region of Murcia has low enough COVID-19 cases that it has reached Phase II which means a bit more freedom for its citizens. Most notably it means local tourism can start again – albeit with reduced capacity. Weโ€™ve had a bit of … Read More Phase II with Ups and Downs

Freedom is Just Over the Horizon

Next week weโ€™ll have been in quarantine for almost two months! If you told me that we would be in this position two months ago, I would have never believed you. Two months ago, on March 8th, we had just entered the French city of Millau and were taking the day off to catch up on social media and to see a bit of … Read More Freedom is Just Over the Horizon

The Spanish State of Alarm is Taking its Toll

This week was a bit tougher emotionally for me… I think one of the main reasons for this was that the mandatory quarantine of Spain has gone on longer than I initially imagined. When it started, I felt like it would last a month before the COVID-19 virus would subside, go dormant, and we could continue on our merry way. Day 43 and this … Read More The Spanish State of Alarm is Taking its Toll

Sitting it out in Southern Spain

Iโ€™m writing this from a relaxing porch of a traditional Spanish home located near Cartagena. The temperature is a comfortable 21C (70F) and the skies are cloudy but not enough to block out the occasional rays of warm sunshine that sweep across my face. All around me are the comforting sounds of birds chirping from the nearby orchard where fresh sweet oranges and tart … Read More Sitting it out in Southern Spain

Things are Continuing to Look Up

Spain has been one of the countries hit especially hard by COVID-19. As of today, it is just behind the United States in number of infected cases. Considering that the country of Spain is similar in size to Texas, and twice the population, this is substantial. Spain currently has 135,000 reported cases and itโ€™s growing each day. However, things have started to improve. The … Read More Things are Continuing to Look Up

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Looking Up

I wish I could start out this weekโ€™s update with incredibly beautiful pictures of southern Spain, Morocco, and Portugal! This, simply, is not the case as we continue to be part of a strict country-wide ban on non-essential travel. Spain was especially hit hard with the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of new cases has continued to climb over the past 12 days since the … Read More Looking Up

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is Changing Things

Itโ€™s been an interesting week. If I had to sum it up in one word it would be CORONAVIRUS! It has hit Europe especially hard including France, and Spain โ€“ the two countries weโ€™ve been traveling through this past week. Although Chantil and I have discussed the virus daily, it really didnโ€™t effect us until two days ago. We first noticed it when we … Read More Coronavirus (COVID-19) is Changing Things