As it was getting to San Sebastián, so it was leaving. I explored many options, none of which were particularly straightforward. So rather than drop the car off at a neighbouring airport, we had decided on a road trip. That way, we didn’t have to carefully pack everything, go through the usual airport rigmarole, or stress about timings. Instead, we could throw everything into the car and take in the country as we drove north to south through the middle of Spain.
We decided to have breakfast in the city, which involved removing a couple of layers of paint from the car door to squeeze into a parking space that clearly wasn’t quite wide enough, hey ho. It was Spain’s National Day and the city was buzzing with people, all milling around in good spirits. Sitting outside and people-watching is always interesting. We were both a little reflective as we left San Sebastián. It had been great seeing friends, but this was also right up there as some of the best food we’ve had on our travels. We later found out that San Sebastián has the most Michelin star restaurants per square metre in Europe, which makes perfect sense.
Because the trip would take about eleven hours in total, we broke it up. The first leg took us through the beautiful, leafy, mountainous Basque region. With the leaves already beginning to show their autumn colours and the roads relatively empty, the drive was a real pleasure. Around three hours in, we pulled into a service station to refuel and change drivers. Rachel, who doesn’t drive often but enjoys it when she does, took over for the section through Madrid and on to our halfway stop in Aranjuez. We figured it would be better to stay on the other side of the capital, just in case the traffic was heavy the next day.
Over breakfast, I had booked a hotel that was once a residential palace. It looks out over the fabulous Royal Palace of Aranjuez. After parking and checking in, we walked across the road and into the palace grounds. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this stop, but I certainly wasn’t prepared for the scale or beauty of what we found. It turns out the site began as a royal hunting lodge, but over the centuries it was developed into a springtime retreat. The Bourbons later expanded it to accommodate courtiers and guests, aiming to rival Versailles. The result is an interesting blend of architectural styles, both inside and out, with a mix of formal gardens, tree-lined walkways and mazes. We really loved it.
After a full day of driving, we found a local restaurant for dinner, then crashed out. The following morning, after a short walk into town for coffee, we started the second leg of the trip down to Almería. As we left Aranjuez, the landscape began to shift. We drove through the central plains, not as green or lush as the north, perhaps not helped by the rain we hit along the way. Eventually we made it through the weather and into the south of the country, where the scenery changed again. Row after row of olive trees appeared, and then we entered Andalucía. The land became much drier and dustier, framed by the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
After a drive of around 1000 kilometres in total, we finally arrived in Almería and found our somewhat quirky apartment. It’s comfortable and sits right on the beach, with a perfect swim spot just outside the door.
Dream Chasers 