Since our arrival in Europe, every day has been busy. We have been getting up between 8 and 9am each day, jetting off for a quick breakfast, than typically a sightseeing plan till lunch at around 2:00pm. In Spain, we have generally been returning to our hotels for siesta between 4:00-8:00, then back out for dinner and an evening walk. Alternatively, we've had travel days, which are always exhausting, no matter how long or short the journey. The heat, lugging of bags, and confusion of not knowing exactly where you are going always catch up with us on those days.
By this part of our trip, I knew we'd be ready for a bit of downtime, so I planned a rural escape in the whitewashed town of Ronda. We rented a car in Granada, which was a whole new kind of excitement. Matt has never driven on our trips before, and boy did he have fun speeding along Mediterranean coastline on the Costa Del Sol. We arrived at our hotel by the late afternoon...a small hotel located on a vineyard.
Our two days of slower paced rural travel were so enjoyable. We spent one whole morning recouping. I spent the morning out by the pool, the only one there enjoying the sounds of the birds. That afternoon we drove high up into the Sierra mountains for a tour through a cave. We were guided by torchlight about 2km, through an ancient cave with Paleolithic paintings throughout (approximately 25,000 years old). It was pretty awe-inspiring to see these images done by some of the earliest people in Europe.
In Ronda, we enjoyed wandering the quiet streets of this small town, watched sunsets over an immense gorge, and had some INCREDIBLE tapas at a tiny little place called Dos Locos tapas. A magical evening was spent sitting at a table on a cobbled plaza as the owner treated us to dish after dish of the most creative of tapas...sardines with ginger sorbet, frois gras on toast, artichokes with quail eggs, followed by dessert and espresso. This was another example of a local guy with a passion for food, who chooses to do things his way, rather than follow the money. He served just 6 tables the evening we were there...one round of customers. He must have turned away 15 groups as we sat there. He runs it this way so he can make the quality of food he wants and still enjoy the quality of life he prefers.