Thursday, Day #33 (January 2, 2025) – I initially was not going to travel on this day, as I leave tomorrow. But there was one nearby town that I really wanted to see, Roquetas de Mar, and it’s only about a 45 minute bus ride. So I decided last night that I would leave early and return early so I had time to finish packing. (I started packing on New Year’s Eve and Day and was almost finished. I just need to do some laundry and finish up this evening.)

I took a bus that is actually considered “local” so it makes a lot of stops. No problem, I’m in no hurry. I had done a little research on this town, and it’s a type of “bedroom community” to Almería. Housing there is more affordable for families and it’s on the Sea, so beautiful views and a beautiful boardwalk as well. Off I went on the 9:45am bus. There were a couple of stops within the town, one being the main bus station and there were others. I asked the bus driver to let me know the closest stop to the beach and I would get off there. And that’s what he did!

Once I got off the bus, I walked down one block and arrived at the Boardwalk. And a beautiful one at that!! It had been cold out when I left the apartment in Almeria, so I had my heavy jacket on. But in the sun, walking along the beach, it started to get very warm.

After my initial research, I decided to start my day at two tourist attractions on the beach, only a short walk from where I got off the bus. One was the Santa Ana Castle and the other the original LightHouse for the town. The Castle has a museum inside of it with a lot of interesting anecdotes about the history of the town. The LightHouse is no longer functioning, but rather has a small art museum inside. I visited both.

From there, I headed out to the Boardwalk; I walked past the Marina and the Boardwalk had restaurants on one side and the Sea on the other. On my research for Roquetas de Mar, I found that there is a Thursday Farmer’s Market. And guess what? Today is Thursday. The internet suggested it was next to the Castle, but I couldn’t find it. I couldn’t find it in Maps either. So I just started walking from the Castle, past the Marina and on to the Boardwalk. I did stop and ask someone about the Market. And I was told, “oh, it’s far.” And I said, well how far? She said maybe 20 minutes (well, as you should know by now, that’s nothing for me). She told me just keep straight on the Boardwalk and you will run into it. You can’t miss it. So, off I went.

And I kept walking and walking. And I wasn’t alone. There were a lot of people out walking today. But after I realized I had been walking 45 minutes, I thought, well I must have missed it. I was tired, hungry and looked at Maps and found that if I turned left (away from the beach) exactly where I was standing, I would walk right into the Shopping Center (which I remember passing on the bus). So I thought, let me walk there and sit for a while. And, as I started walking down a small street to the Shopping Center (which I could see); it was about 2 blocks. And what do I see before me? The Farmer’s Market. Can you believe it? It was very big and so so crowded. I was thrilled to just make the walk through, not really looking to buy anything. They had lots of fruit and vegetable stands, and then other stands with clothes, shoes, jewelry, bed linens, and so many other things. I loved it. Have a look:

After the Farmer’s Market I walked over to the Shopping Center. It was very nice, with restaurants, shops and a movie theater. I also found the first Pet Store I’ve seen so far in Spain. It was quite large and had a bit of everything (yes, even cat trees!). I found a place to eat lunch and then decided to keep walking back towards Downtown. It was now about 2-2:30pm and again (!) I forgot that most places would be closed for “siesta hour”. So I found the Downtown very quiet and I was very tired. I had walked so much today. I think at the end of the day, it ended up being the most steps I had walked in one day this entire trip!

Since I was so tired, and most of the shops were closed, I decided to walk back towards the main road in town and see about getting a bus home. It was 3:15pm and as I neared one of the bus stops in town, there was a bus heading back to Almería! So I hopped on board and headed back. I still had laundry to do and finish packing.

Once I arrived back at the Bus Station in Almería, I made a quick stop at the supermarket (for water, dinner and breakfast for tomorrow). I finished packing and relaxed in my room watching a movie on my Tablet. My trip had come to an end. I was ready to go home, really. I miss my Lola very much. I miss having my own space in my own apartment. But that doesn’t take away any joy that I experienced on this trip. I definitely feel that I could move to Spain and love it! Stay tuned!!

Day 32: 20,177 steps (wow!)