Our Spanish Holiday (Part 2)

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on our Spanish holiday. Click here to see part 1. It truly was a special trip for Luke and I and our children.  I promised you that today I’d share my favorite places!

El Chorro

The lakes of El Chorro were breathtaking.  I’ve never seen turquoise fresh water lakes.

Surrounding these lakes are pine forests where you can camp and picnic.  There are all sorts of boats you can take out too.  We did a paddle boat and it was so much fun.  We paddled to the middle of the lake and swam to our hearts content.

It is so peaceful here.  They had kayaks too.

Isn’t this view gorgeous?  That isn’t us in the kayaks by the way…maybe next time????

There is a huge bouncy obstacle course on the lake and Conor was desperate to go on it (you can see it in the phone photo below). Unfortunately, I didn’t get photos of this because Luke and I were bouncing on it with both of them. I can’t remember when I’ve laughed so hard.

We did go back to the lakes with our extended family the following week and had lunch nearby.

Caminito Del Rey

If you’re adventurous you may want to go here!

Caminito Del Rey, or the Kings Pathway, is a long hike (7.7 km).  We didn’t do the hike but I took photos of the start of it.  It follows the gorge and goes into the woods.  We entertained the idea but I’m scared of heights and we thought it would be just too much for the kids.

Pueblo Blancos

These are the white towns of Andulusia and they are beautiful!  I took this from the car on the way to Jerez.

The shimmering white buildings look like they’ve grown out of the brown soil.  Truly an amazing sight to see!

Jerez

Jerez is known for sherry and when in Spain you need to try the sherry!  We had a lovely afternoon touring Gonzalez Byass, where Tio Pepe is created.

These barrels are stored in a building designed my Eiffel for the Queen of Spain’s tour of the facilities.

We learned about the grapes and the soil.

I loved all the green and white.

It was so much fun to learn about the history of Tio Peppe.

We learned of the mice who drink wine from the glass of sherry left on the floor for them. We saw all the barrels signed by famous people:

Even Picasso signed a barrel!

I had to get a photo of John in front of the barrel with Santa Juan on it (in the apostle room):

Our two hour tour ended with a sherry tasting and tapas. The kids enjoyed fresh grape juice squeezed from the same grapes they make the sherry.

Cadiz

This coastal city was my favorite place we visited.  Perhaps, it was because of the close proximity to the sea.  Cadiz is the oldest city in Western Europe.

White ornate buildings and pastel facades line plazas as do lovely cafes and ice cream shops.

We spent some time in Parque Genovese, manacured gardens right on the edge of the sea.

There were swings for the kids and gorgeous tropical flowers.

James Bond was filmed here:

Cadiz was so relaxed. From the calm white buildings, to the soft breeze and the lovely salt air. I couldn’t help taking a photo of this weathered door, it reminds me of driftwood.

The food was amazing here too!  We went for dinner at a tapas restaurant called El Aljibe.  The prices were incredible too.

It was highly recommend on Lonely Planet and out of this world.

Potato bravas

A pepper stuffed with shrimp and served with rice.

This nut bread with blueberry sauce and baked cheese was out of this world.

Well, there is our lovely family holiday in Spain in a nutshell. Good food, good company and learning to take life a little more slowly. That is one thing I tried to bring home with me.  The importance of enjoying each and every moment, spending time to savor the present (for it is a gift).

Thanks for letting me share our trip with you!