The other side of travel; meeting people, making friends

This is the first long vacation we've taken since our honeymoon in 1978. Being together - just the two of us - for a long period of time in a foreign country - has strengthened and deepened our bonds and made us more aware of each other.
 We have also taken great joy in meeting new people, and forming new friendships.
At this point, we've met folks from England, Australia and the Netherlands. Many people from northern Europe and other parts of the world have found Spain a welcoming country for travel and even full-time residency.


 We met Rob and Sue, a British couple on holiday in Mairena, a tiny hill town in Andalucia. The B&B where we stayed - Las Chimeneas - had a small, refreshing swimming pool where we first encountered them enjoying an afternoon dip. That evening, at dinner, Bonney asked them to join us at our table. They did and we ate together for the balance of our stay.  They were fun and very interesting, with a raft of experiences outside our own, including how to put a Euro transmission into  reverse!

Sue and Bonney

You might think that putting a car in reverse is not a big deal. Well, in the hill towns of Spain, it can be! We were in Calahorra (pronounced Calora). As is typical with Spanish hill towns, many of the streets are extremely narrow with tall buildings on either side. Sometimes they simply tail off into nothingness, other times they lead to even narrower streets that are really only passable on foot or by scooter.

View from the castle to  Calhorra

We found ourselves on one of these streets, unable to back up. Fortunately, Rob and Sue were right behind us and hadn't made the turn. Jeff, Rob and I managed to *push* the car backwards and get it parked headed in the right direction.  That was when Rob said "I don't want to sound cheeky, but"....and proceeded to show us how to get the gearshift lever into reverse. He was right - and very funny about it.  When it worked, a great weight was lifted from our spirits. We had the Power of Reverse!! OK, we're a little backwards when it comes to these things. :)


In Granada we met Kon and Hannah, an Australian couple travelling through Europe after a wedding in Denmark  At a little inn in the high desert country outside Lorca, we met  Cees and Elisa, a Dutch couple who spend their winters here and summers in Utrecht.

Bob and Denise

Denise, Bob, Janet, Bonney, and Colin at the ice cream shop

Finally, at our exchange home in La Zenia, we met a British couple,  Denise and Bob Bull. They took us under their wing and provided us with invaluable information about the area - information that led to several wonderful trips. We've enjoyed dining with them and meeting their friends. We've exchanged our details and hope to stay in touch and even meet up again - perhaps in Seattle!



We've learned a lot on this extended holiday. Not the least of what we learned was the seemingly obvious, but still surprising reality that we can form friendships and create community as we travel.

Jeff and a sweet gato

When our Spanish language improves, we hope to connect with more Spanish folks!