Parque Natural Islas Columbretes

 

After two years of failed attempts, we finally visited Parque Natural Islas Columbretes! In the previous years it's been a lack of other passengers or poor weather that has prevented us from visiting. This year we were the last two seats booked on a 12 person trip. 

The boat took about 2 hours to reach the islands and we had very calm seas and an amusing following of shearwaters and a few gulls following in our wake. When we reached the island we enjoyed a walk to the lighthouse along the ridge of the island. It's quite dramatic and stunning; a cresecent moon with a placid bay and an a few other scattered islands of rock jutting up. The panoramic from the ridge is breathtaking though hot in the summer sun. 

After the island sightseeing we went down to the bay and had a quick swim. We went on another cruise of nearby islands. We had spoken with the captain and told him we were keen on seeing Eleonora's Falcons, a Mediterranean endemic known to nest on the islands. Our second snorkeling spot also had some falcons nesting on the island, it was such a treat to watch them fly around the area. 

The islands are unique and relatively accessible. The boat trip is a little long but the boat was really comfortable and being out on the open water was also part of the experience.  

 

Castellón de la Plana

 

I am a huge fan of Castellón de la Plana, a place that I consider to be an underrated gem of Spain though not necessarily somewhere I'd say is a deep cut or a place to go out of your way to visit. But if you happen to be in Castellón (as it's colloquially referred to) you should enjoy your time there! 

We have some family in Castellón, hence the frequent visits though I realize that I have not blogged about it. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good Plaza Mayor but Castellón's downtown area is lively and has some beautiful buildings such as the main church, central market, and local government office. It's all set among cafes, plenty of open space with benches, and a fair amount of people out. I was pleasantly surprised to see a bunch of foreign and domestic tourists in the plaza, mainly angling to take a photo with the "Castelló" floral display (it says the Castellano 'Castellón' on the back side). 

There are some nice pedestrian streets full of shops and cafes, it's a really nice city to stroll in. There is also a tram that runs down to the port and marina which is something like 4km outside of the city proper. It's overall just a very pleasant city, totally unpretentious and even a little charming? 

The port

 

The Alhambra

The Court of Lions central fountain. Watch the video I linked below to see how it worked as a clock! I was low key disappointed that it was not functioning as a clock when I visited.

I am ashamed to say that I was not very familiar with the Alhambra apart from it being a tourist destination in Spain. My partner really encouraged me to visit, she thought I'd quite enjoy it. Unfortunately our trip to Granada was only confirmed the week before and when I checked the official website I saw that tickets were sold out months in advance. I was disappointed but when we reached Granada one of her local contacts told me to line up at the box office before it opened and they almost always released tickets. I was super excited and I was the first person in line at 7:15am (box offices opened at 8am). 

On my way up to the box office my taxi driver advised that I should have checked their website at midnight as they release tickets online as well. I tried to check it but the website was down, possibly from other unprepared tourists such as myself. However, while waiting in line at about 7:40 I checked the website and there were plenty of tickets available. I purchased one for 9am and went to chill until the site opened. 

I was really glad to have booked an early tour of the main attraction (Nasrid Palace) because the grounds felt a bit crowded as I was leaving. I mean, I totally understand, it's like complaining about the crowds in the Serengeti; there are a ton of people there because it's completely unique and stunning. I think they did a great job of keeping the crowds light in the Nasrid Palace although I was a bit put off by all the large groups that I initially encountered. I remember the first room that I went into there were three large groups and a cacophony of German, Mandarin, and another unknown language. I was able to stay ahead or behind them but the initial encounter was jarring. The Nasrid Palace deserves all the hype, I was amazed at the architecture even without a guide who I am sure would have added context to even further heighten my appreciation. 

It's amazing that the rest of the grounds is basically a gigantic park. This allows you to spend a lot of time just hanging out enjoying the beautiful views of the mountains and of the city below. I happened to be there on a beautiful clear day and probably could have spent more time there had I packed a bocata!

I MUST recommend this YouTube that goes into detail about the clever engineering that went into the building. 

The fountains, aqueducts, and all the water, was simply amazing!

 

Granada city

View from our hotel

 I finally had the chance to visit the south of Spain and it did not disappoint! The trip was actually a work trip for my partner but we stayed an extra day to enjoy some of the sites of the city. As a total giddy that grew up in a cold climate, my mind was absolutely blown by the orange trees on the streets. We happened to be there while they were fruiting and it was quite surreal to see!

The city itself is really manageable and easy to walk around. We were both surprised at how touristy it was but it makes sense given the presence of the iconic Alhambra. Once we were able to identify the really touristy spots with the local neighborhoods we really enjoyed the city. The views of the snow capped mountains were beautiful as well as Alhambra's presence looming over the city.  

Orange trees!

 

Granada Hike: Los Cahorros

 

The weather was moderate during our visit to Granada and we decided to take advantage by doing some hiking. We ended up going to the nearby village of Monachil and walking the Los Cahorros hike. We walked for 2 hours and 45 minutes, covering 9km at a moderate pace. I recommend starting in Monachil, there are some erroneous markers on the maps that we saw and because you can walk the trail as a loop it makes sense to start in the town as it's the first place you arrive to from Granada. 

The trail had varied terrain, starting with a casual walk along a river, then passing through a Lord of the Rings esque canyon with some tricky rocky outcrops. I was literally on my hands and knees for one of the passages! I could understand people turning around and only walking the river section but I encourage people to push on through. After shimmying our way through the canyon the trail opens up to a spectacular landscape with huge rock faces and views down into the lowlands below. There were some wildflowers blooming at the time and the light was spectacular. 

The trail ends with a consistent uphill slope that is completely exposed before dropping down into the town. There was a fuente available early on but none after the narrow canyon crossing so bring enough water to endure the final climb. 

This bridge was impressive and fun

Narrow crossings

 

 

Autonomous Community Castilla y León: Gumiel de Mercado 2025 in spring

 

It's rare we get to visit Gumiel de Mercado in the spring but it's a beautiful time of the year to visit. The landscape is more green than brown and the grasses feel vibrant as opposed to when they are dried out. We enjoyed a walk to Ermita de San Juan passing by recently planted fields and blooming orchards. I had time to scramble up the hill in the middle of the village and take in the landscape of wheat fields, vineyards and orchards. We even got some rain which made it difficult to get around the tall grasses at the top of the hill!

 

Hiking in the Sierra de Guadarrama: La Gamonosa

 

The Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range northwest of Madrid is an amazing place to have so close to Madrid. We are lucky to have some friends living up in the villages there so we frequently get to go for hikes. There are a network of trails that are easy to find and on this particular day we decided last minute to stretch our legs and found a nice spot for a short hike. 

There were stunning views into Madrid and the grass was vibrant green with plenty of life around due to the spring time conditions.