Spain, the Miniseries

On Sunday evening I got back from Spain. I’ve been there before, and I had a great time. On that trip we focused on the southern half of the country. Which meant we did all those things people generally do when they go to Spain. We walked through the Alhambra, went out in Ibiza and had tapas after a day full of Gaudi and sunshine in Barcelona. With those things checked off the list, I wanted to explore the rest of the country. I wanted to see the Northern half. Aside from San Sebastian, you hear very little about that part of the country. It was sort of a mystery. So we headed north of Madrid this time...and it was absolutely fantastic.

I’ve been thinking over the last few days a lot about specifically why it was so great. I think it’s because it really felt like an adventure. We spent most of our days exploring in our little rented Citroen C2. We had a plan but every day was full of surprise. We were forced to really understand and then live like the Spanish do. It was difficult at first but by the end, we were naturals. We encountered some small challenges (getting lost, stolen wallets, haunted places, etc.). But in the end they only made the experience richer. Each night we stayed in a historical hotel, or Parador, which meant we slept in a medieval castle, a fortress, a monastery and a couple of different manors. We went from the beaches to the snow and back again. We learned about the each of the different regions along the northern coast, and came to appreciate the relative beauty of each.

I really enjoyed southern Spain, but I fell in love with the north.

Friends had been asking this week how the trip was. It’s really hard to answer that. I can either answer it very simply by saying, “It was incredible!” Or I can go into a lot of detail—which isn’t always what people want. And when I’ve tried to give more detail, I feel like there is something serious lost in the translation. I can’t really explain how it was—you had to be there. So what I‘ve decided to do is post a little at a time, focusing on small stories from the trip. That way it is not too overwhelming for me, as the writer, or for you, as the reader. So consider this like a TV Miniseries. The next episode should be available tomorrow.