Friday, Day 6: Almeria – visited the Alcazaba (which means fortress in Arabic) which was built in the 10th century. Incredible how old this really is. It is just on the outskirts of the city, and not too far from the beach (where I’m staying). It was a warm day, so I put on my walking sneakers, shorts and a visor and set off for the walk. Once you get close, it is a bit of a climb up a steep street.

Once you get to the entrance, there are a quite a few stairs to climb. Very tiring, I must say. But off I went. The views of the city below and the sea are beautiful. I spent about 1.5 hours there. Very few people joined me. The entrance is free and definitely something to see if you visit.

I started my walk down (slowly) and passed by a few tapas bars and restaurants. So, of course I had to stop. It was very busy out today. It was actually a holiday: Constitution Day and a lot of people were enjoying the long weekend! After sitting and resting for a while, I continued my walk through town on my way “home.” But not before a stop at a pastry shop called The Sweet Alliance. They had all kinds of coffees and teas and pastries to suit all tastes. This, too, was busy and quite full with people sitting outside and inside (though it was small inside). I found a little table for 2 inside and quickly sat down. This is when I learned that in Spain ordering anything close to a Chai Latte was not to be. You will recall that I am not a coffee drinker. I enjoy tea, black, herbal and green, but frankly prefer a black tea with flavored creamer or a latte (steamed milk). I’ve looked for flavored creamer (for my tea) in 3 different supermarkets. I can’t find I anywhere. My Host is unfamiliar with it. As you likely know, there is no “cream” in flavored creamers. There is no milk in it either. It’s really not good for you. And that´s where the USA (and in some ways Mexico, too) are very different from Spain (and I think Europe, too). They really don´t sell items that are filled with preservatives and are generally not good for you. Lisen, I can live without flavored creamer!

But let´s get back to my order at the pastry shop. I tried explaining that to the waiter and he wasn´t having it. He ended up serving me a small teapot with steamed milk and a tea bag floating inside. Well, it didn´t work. The tea never really steamed and I was basically drinking warm milk. No thank you. In the future I will order a regular hot tea with a side of milk. You live, you learn.

Along with the tea, I did order a chocolate ¨Napolean-like¨ cake. I didn’t know what it was called. I tried ¨Napolean-like¨ cake with chocolate on top and cream in the middle. But that didn’t work. So we walked together over to the crowded display and I pointed to the one that looked so delicious. And he says, “that’s not cream, that’s meringue.” Oh? Well, normally I’m not a fan of meringue, but why not. Let’s give it a go! It was quite good. Take a look!

Once I got back to the apartment, I was very tired and decided to stay in and do laundry. I also wrote a Blog article. The AirBnB Host joined me at the dining room table with wine and tapas (olives and ham). Yum!

Saturday, Day 7 was a late start. Since yesterday was a holiday, everything closed early. Even the supermarket was closed at 3pm (!!). So I headed off to the supermarket this morning to pick up a few things. Once dropped off back at the apartment, I was ready for my daily walk. Today I was back on the beach boardwalk. A lovely sunny day, only a little bit cool. I had lunch at home and rested up a bit.

I decided to go to Mass at 7:30pm at the Cathedral. Another 20 minute walk, and it was cold out. The group gathered for Mass was small, so the priest decided to hold the mass in one of the side chapels instead of the main church, and it was a bit crowded. Good thing I was early, and got a good seat. After mass, I walked over to a plaza with several restaurants that I had walked past a number of times, but never in time for dinner! So today, I found one with a seat at the bar (inside). Seemingly, Spaniards love sitting outside to eat, regardless of the cold. I don´t get it. But after living in 80+ degree (fahrenheit) weather almost year round in Mexico, I simply cannot eat outside right now even with a jacket on. So, back to my ¨dinner,¨ I had a couple glasses of wine and tapas. Very good. I also ordered a Flan, and wasn´t sure what to expect. It was excellent!

Here´s an interesting bit of information. Every time, I have ordered a glass of wine, I have not been offered a wine list, the waiter simply brings over what appears to be the ¨house wine.¨ And it is always good. It´s not a Chardonnay (which I don´t like), it´s never sweet, it´s light in flavor and really tasty. And this has been everywhere I´ve been (Almeria, Malaga and Fuengirola so far). I haven’t ordered one cocktail since I arrived in Spain. It has always been white wine.

So I did a little research. The wine in question is called Verdejo. A quick check online and WineFolly.com tells me that ¨it is an uncommon, light-bodied white wine that grows almost exclusively in Spain. The wine is an outstanding alternative to wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.¨ Well isn´t that interesting. Those are two of my favorite white wines.

I was so intrigued, I kept researching. On SpanishTable.com, I read the following: those in the know, ¨know that it is Spain´s best kept not-so-secret, since it´s what is usually served when you simply order a ¨blanco¨ in Spain.¨ Another interesting anecdote I also found on this website is that, ¨Verdejo has a long history, with production records dating it to the 11th Century.¨ Imagine that!

Day 6: 11,310 steps

Day 7: 18,030 steps