Has anyone ever seen those ads for Andalucia in the airport? The ones with a wide, white sand beach and a beautiful brunette with a breezy look about here? Having experienced Andalucia now myself, I’d suggest that a more appropriate truth would have this gorgeous lady beckoning toward a bowl full of hydroponically grown tomatoes…or perhaps a lovely courgette.
This may seem odd, but anyone who’s traveled through Almeria province (part of the region) would have to agree as a huge swathe just out of frame from the major tourist resort destinations is covered with plastic greenhouses. 80,000 acres worth, in fact. (BBC have a great documentary about it). Something I read upon returning said that these greenhouses are the second-most notable manmade creation viewable from space (the first being the Great Wall of China–which apparently was strengthened as the workers used sticky rice in the brick mix…can anyone tell me if this is true as I learned in on a Bear Fruit country card. Not the most reliable source, right?).
In any case, stepping aside from this little fact, we had a well-needed family rest in Andalucia. First, a couple nights in Granada to see the Alhambra (a World Heritage Site). Surprisingly, W loved it. And C loved crawling about in the safety of the Spanish-style walled garden in our cottage for the stay.
Then, a train and bus combo zipped us off to San Jose–a little town secreted away in the Cabo de Gata national park. We chose this area as it’s where Spaniards holiday–and we wanted to practice our language skills.
Being the off season, we had the whole place to ourselves. We hiked one afternoon–but mostly, we just had good quality time with the boys building sandcastles and playing in the waves. It’s our first immediate-family only holiday as a family of four. Long overdue. But better late than never.
Back when G and I lived in the States and drove everywhere, our motto was ‘What’s a trip without a U-turn’. So, as family travel goes, what to say…As the mum to two carsick little men and wife to another big one, thank goodness for public transport…and dramamine.