Just 2 short weeks after our Italy trip, it was time for the Christmas holidays. We decided to knock a few places off our travel list. Destiny struck a few months ago when a Groupon for a hotel and a hot springs/spa came out on the same day. So off we went to the country of Andorrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andorra, a tax haven smushed between Spain and France. Nowadays, people mainly seem to go to ski, buy liquor, tobacco and perfume, but according to some colleagues, butter, sugar and milk also used to be very popular purchases. J and I were hoping to get some skiing in with the spa, but with 60 cm (~20 inches) of base, and no snow for 4 days, it didnt sound like a pleasant first skiing experience for J. So we were left to wander the giant duty free store they call a city, and do some relaxing at the spa.
Caldea Spa has many typical attractions, a large warm pool, smaller hot tubs, saunas, etc. However, what made it different was the principle of the spa that the transition between hot and cold stimulates circulation, so we were also treated to various points of frigid water, including an ice bath for your feet, then back into hot water. It was very interesting, and for the most part, very relaxing, but after our 6 hrs spanning 2 days, I am not sure I need to go back.
We fled Andorra as criminals, "smuggling" more than our allocation of liquor back into Spain, but we just couldn't pass up Baileys at 40% discount, Amarula for less than 10 Euros, plus gins and good tequila for 30% off. I was really tempted to buy the novelty size of Jack Daniels for 32 euros, but I couldn't because J would help me finish all that whiskey (cough cough to whiskey-loving friends that have yet to visit).
By far, the worst part of the country was the shock that it is legal to smoke indoors, and locals certainly take advantage. Every single place we went carried the overwhelming stench of tobacco, including McDonalds, with the little kids in the playpen, and bakeries. J lamented that we could not even stand to be in bakeries more than 30 seconds, a store that relies on smells bringing clients absolutely repulsed both of us. I've never lived in a world where there was not a non-smoking section at a minimum, and it's been many years since there was smoking at all indoors.
2 days after returning, we set off again for Murcia, and the surrounding areas. We chose this region for a few reasons. People told us that Pamplona (the original plan) would be much better at a different time of year, and Murcia was as far south as we could go without having to pay extra for the rental car, so off we went!
I get very excited every time I see one of the many real live castles dotting the landscape, and even moreso after reading "A Song of Fire and Ice" (J consistently touts that she was on board with this fantasy series before it turned mainstream, and she got me hooked. PS, she has not read the most recent book, so no spoilers). J, of course, looked on in shame as I ran around the castle pretending to be a knight at the Castle of Santa Barbara in Alicante.
The other fun thing about Alicante was the hostal we stayed in. I am pretty convinced that the room we stayed in used to be the kitchen, there was a blocked off ventilation hood in our room. It was a very funky, but very cool hostal.
Murcia is surprisingly famous for vegetables. Fish from Cartagena and the Mar Menor (lesser sea) are also well received, supposedly due to the higher salt content of the water. Nothing like a natural sea salt marinade for those fish!! The region also boasts popular Spanish wines, with Jumilla, Yecla, and Bullas. J and I booked a tour of a local winery (bodega- or house of wine), where we got to see the whole wine making production. It is amazing to me how similar making wine is to making inkjet ink.
The best part was the "sala de aromas". A full room just filled with boxes of different smells, from leather and holly, to banana and cherry, to moldy cork and wet horse. Now we can claim to be experts at detecting "soft notes of vanilla and blackberries, with a hint of leather, light on the tounge, and with a clove- like finish".
Our standing arrangement is that I pick the places we are going and the activities, and J deals with the food, since that is her favorite part. I must say, she picked EXCELLENT choices. In Andorra, we had 2 incredible meals, very creative, well cooked meals. In Valencia we had mazing paella, Alicante jamon, and in Murcia, we also managed several delicious meals as well. I am quite impressed with her ability to sort out the good and the bad without ever seeing the restaurant.
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