The Suitcase Shuffle – part 1

Sadly, it’s been a minute. Where have the last three months gone? Great question.

After our jaunt to Melilla, we made it back to southern Spain and hauled out Sabática in Motril. She needed some routine hull maintenance like cleaning, antifouling paint, and new zincs on the propellers to prevent corrosion. (We cannot say enough great things about the family-run Motril Marina in case you are ever in need of boat work while you’re in the area!)

Given it was just the end of March and the weather was still not conducive to enjoyable sailing, we left Sabática on the hard and began a long stretch of land travels. This involved so many rental cars and living out of suitcases, but we got to visit great places, both old and new to us. For posterity, I want to briefly record our activity so we can remember it all…

Malaga – 6 nights

We’ve been to Malaga several times before and really like it. We rented an AirBnb in the El Merced area this time, very near the historic center, and found it a great area to be based in. Just basically “living.” Conor went for bike rides, I took long walks along the beach promenade, we met some international locals, worked, ate well, etc.

Lagos, Portugal – 2 nights

Conor had been studying up on the Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost region along the Atlantic coast, and we were keen to check it out. So, we booked our first rental car and took off to one of the Algarve’s most western towns, Lagos. It was about a five hour drive from Malaga. We had one of the tiniest yet most clever AirBnbs, enjoyed the amazingly extensive walkways along the coastline, marveled at the dramatic seascapes, checked out the marina, and ate well. It’s a nice town with great beaches so it’s easy to understand why it’s a popular place.

Tavira, Portugal – an afternoon

On our way back to Spain, we stopped off for lunch to check out the more authentic feeling town of Tavira. It straddles the Gilão River, and its beach is actually on a little island a boat ride’s out. Smaller and quaint, it’s a popular holiday destination for locals, it seems.

Seville – 3 nights

Back in Spain, we returned to a favorite city to meet up with dear friends, Giovanna and Javier. In Seville, we did a walking tour of Triana (a traditional cultural neighborhood across the river), enjoyed a flamenco show at the Flamenco Museum, saw the famous cathedral and other churches, visited the beautiful Plaza de España, the university, and ate some delicious Middle Eastern food (we went to Arabesca twice!). And, no trip to Seville would be complete without tasting its regional orange wine. We love Seville and enjoyed introducing it to friends. 🙂

Granada – 4 nights

We reunited with Giovanna and Javier in another favorite city after they took a detour to Cordoba. Granada is most famous for the Alhambra (one of the best-preserved palaces from the historic Islamic world), and because it is so popular, you really have to book tickets months in advance for the high season. Giovanna and Javier were able to score nighttime tickets, though, to see the gardens and one palace, so at least they got to see some of it! But, Granada is so much more than the Alhambra. We did a walking tour, explored its unique Albaicín and Sacromonte neighborhoods, the cathedral, the artisans’ market, and, of course, we ate well. We love Granada. 🙂 Thank you, Giovanna and Javier, for coming to visit!

Setúbal, Portugal – 12 nights

From Granada, we drove an hour back to Sabática to refresh our suitcase contents. We also stopped off in Malaga to swap out our rental car, then we returned to Portugal to visit Setúbal. (This trek was about a 6-7 hour drive and was beautifully green.)

Setúbal is a working class town about 45 minutes south of Lisbon. It is not touristy, but its lower cost of living makes it popular for Lisbon commuters and people looking for a slower pace of life. Situated on the Sado River and next to the large mountainous Arrábida Natural Park, it has lots to offer in the way of recreation.

Setúbal’s location also makes it a good base for exploring central Portugal. We enjoyed day trips to Lisbon, Cascais (nice resort area west of Lisbon), Costa da Caparica (surfing destination southwest of Lisbon), Sesimbra (popular beach resort area west of Setúbal), Azeitão (a wine growing village just west of Setúbal), and Troia (the thin peninsula just south of Setúbal a ferry boat ride away with beautiful beaches). As a side note – this spring was unusually the wettest the whole Iberian Peninsula had seen in a very long time.