Susan Lindsay’s blog

We left our quiet village of Gaucin, wondering if we would happen upon it again in this lifetime? The  inland road to Grenada climbed up the mountain past the village of Ronda through the rolling hillsides toward Antequerra. At times, the views were so picturesque that you felt you were driving into a postcard! The road was cradled by groves of olives and grapes. I know my Dad would’ve had multiple questions about the farming practices of the area. It is not long before we glimpsed the snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. Our entry to the old town of Granada was surprisingly easy. Our hotel is located close to Alhambra which towers magnificently over the city. Our hotel is named after Washington Irving who wrote Tales of the Sleepy Hollow and Tales of the Alhambra as a guest of the castle. It is a gorgeous trek down to the City Centre on a steep old road with old pines and glimpses of Alhambra to our right. Almost like walking in Central Park on a quiet autumn mo...

If truth be told,  I knew little of Cadiz other than its southernmost location on the Ticket to Ride gameboard. What a delightful surprise it was! We decided to take the longer coastal route to the Costa de Luz. Highways in our region are new and well-kept and easy to navigate. According to a Gaucin local, they have increased tourist traffic immensely. Stopping at a gas station that was immaculately clean and smelled of bleach and hard scrubbing, I wondered if one could eat off the floor. Well , probably not.( who eats off floors anyway?) The beauty of Andalucia is overwhelming. From the majesty of the pine forests high in the mountains to the verdant hills leading to the coast, there is a serenity and self-assurance to the landscapes. It was fun to “smell” the sea as we drove along the coast. Got us excited to think of returning to the Canadian Maritimes to visit our guy. Quite spontaneously, we decided to stay overnight in Cadiz rather than facing a longer drive in one day. I...

Hola Ringing in 2019 on a balcony in Gaucin, Spain. It is sunny, 18 degrees and we have a view of the Rock of Gibraltar and beyond to  the Rif mountains of Morocco. Eagles are soaring above us and donkeys can be heard braying in the distance. Absolutely bucolic. I expect Spanish Heidi to come skipping around the corner! Our town is set high in the mountains and is among the many Pueblo blanco towns of the region. All buildings are whitewashed and adorned with black ornate railings- a nod to their Moorish heritage. Arriving in Gibraltar, the famous Rock stood menacingly above the runway. At first glance, Gibraltar looked like any British town complete with chip stands and Marks and Spencer but just a short walk away was the border to Spain. We all rambled through; the border control people taking no interest in us whatsoever. After wandering aimlessly through town looking for our car rental agency, we found Manuel in a large parking lot. His English was good, his teeth were not...