Oh, hello Autumn

Somewhere between indulging in cheese fondue in Zurich, picnicking in the Loire Valley and feasting on seafood tapas in the north of Spain, Autumn came. The leaves turned orange, the nights grew cooler and the days became shorter. Somehow, though, I missed it. We were so busy exploring - in what felt like a renewed desire to travel after an unexpected but very welcome deviation back to Cologne - that the end of summer came and went without so much as a cursory goodbye. 

But, of course, here in the north of Spain, the sun's rays are powerful: the days remain warm enough to lie on the beach and soak up the sun (which is precisely what I did on Monday to usher in the month of October - our last month on the road). 

Let me recap what we have been up to for the last two weeks...

The Loire Valley

I don't have that much to say about this, to be honest. The river is pretty, as are the iconic castles that make the area so famous. For me, though, it was quite boring. The towns that we visited all blended in to each other, and the only highlight was the freshly baked pastries we had for breakfast each morning. And the cheese... mmm. 

San Vicente de la Barquera 

We spent one week in this little town, not far from Santander, with some of our lovely friends - Rafael, Carmen and their beautiful 15 month old son Jasper. Here we surfed the waves (well, bodyboarding for me - it is much easier than surfing and requires far less courage!) and basked in the glorious sunshine. 

I must admit that squeezing in to my suffocating wetsuit for the first time in almost two years was somewhat distressing - as was the cold water and the sometimes treacherous waves - but as soon as I caught my first wave this was all forgotten. I was soaring across the sea, being carried back to the shore by the sheer force of the wave, and it was an absolutely exhilarating feeling. And I kept going back for more. 

And the other great thing? Why, the tapas, of course. For those of you who know me, I tend to be a bit of a fish-phobe, but - in the spirit of discovery - I let myself go and tried everything. And it was so, so good. We filled our hungry bellies with lightly spiced octopus cooked with potatoes, juicy king prawns sizzling in oil and copious amounts of garlic, tender grilled squids, anchovies that were like little exploding salt bombs, mussels (that, to be honest, made me a bit sick) and shiny little sardines that looked at me with their sad eyes while I tore the flesh off their little bones. The entire experience was simply divine, and we washed it down with two bottles of the house red. 

I wish I had a photo of this fishy feast for you but, alas, in our hurried excitement and hungry haste, we dived straight in without a thought for the camera. 

Picos de Europa 

We also went hiking in the Picos de Europa - beautiful mountains 20km inland from the northern coast of Spain. The views were breathtaking and, thankfully, the rain waited until we had finished. The rocky sights were dramatic and we spotted a number of caves (in which we imagine there must have been some cheese busy maturing). 

Though we only hiked for 3-4 hours, much of the way was steep and exhausting. At night, as I lay in bed, my legs hurts so much I was practically crying in my sleep - but it was worth the pain. It was simply magnificent. 

Waking up in paradise

And now we are traveling further west along the north coast. This morning we woke up at a glorious beach - the softest sand, crashing waves, dramatic rocks, fragrant trees - and the best bit? We were all alone. The beach was ours. The world was ours. And the future is ours.