December Puente

Ah, the Spanish puente--a long weekend. We've had quite a few puentes this year, although the majority have fallen on a Friday, when I conveniently don't work (a "first world problem": Woe is me, I can't take the day off because I already have that day off). The remaining long weekends I've spent either sick in bed or furniture shopping. Fun.

Now that things are settling in and I've spent a whole week without harboring some virus, Álvaro and I decided to travel out of Madrid to his pueblo in Garrucha.

Wait, what do you mean "his pueblo"? Time for a Spanish culture lesson.

Begin Culture Lesson

As it turns out, many Spaniards have a pueblo, that is, they have a home in another city where they usually spend summers or long weekends. In essence, it's a vacation home without the stuffy uppercrust connotations. Unlike in the US, a second vacation home doesn't seem to be limited to the upper class. In some cases, the pueblo is a small village where their family is from. To be fair, I'm not particularly knowledgeable on the subject. In any case, travelling with a Spaniard to their pueblo is a great (and relatively inexpensive) way of getting to know the country.

End Culture Lesson

We went to Álvaro's pueblo in Garrucha, a small fishing village on the coast of Almería. It's a 500+ kilometre drive from Madrid, so we left midday on Thursday to arrive before sunset. Now, escaping to the beach in the middle of December sounds pleasant in theory. Warmer temperatures? Sunshine? The Metiterranean coast? Great! Of course, many of houses in Garrucha are built to endure blistering summer temperatures. The inside of his house was maybe 10 degrees colder than the outside, which makes a difference when it's 50-60 degrees out. Additionally, Garrucha caters to summer tourists (many who flock from the colder climates in England), so many buildings and restuarants had closed for the season, leaving behind only the gypsies. In other words, it's not the best place to travel in the winter.

Wool coat at the beach? Yep. You can't see it, but there is totally a rainbow behind me.

Found a jaw at Playa de los Muertos. I wanted to take it home with me but I settled for this photo instead.

Cold. So cold.

Complaints aside, I really enjoyed the weekend. Friday was cold and cloudy--a shame since I was excited to see the famed blue-green waters of the Metiterranean. Still, we drove down the coast along a protected natural park and took in the sights (mostly from the heated comfort of the car).

So much wind

Saturday, the sun came out and the temperatures warmed up. Unfortunately, Álvaro slept until noon, and by the time he got dressed and packed his things it was time to leave. 

Yep. Perfect weather

Looks like I'll have to go back in the summer!