It’s hard to believe that we have been in Spain since late March and we have only been underway for a single 100 mile run.

We are heading into our second week here in Cartagena and while we are enjoying our time here, we are getting a bit anxious about getting to Sardinia to haul Pandora for the summer by late May, only three weeks away. We had planned on spending a month in the Balearics and now it’s going to be a rush job. That is a bummer as it’s one of the highlights of this part of the Med.

We would have moved on early this week, during a nice weather window, but were waiting for a new AIS to arrive. And, of course, when we realized that the unit was kaput, it was the beginning of yet another holiday in Spain. How about Labor Day, a celebration of when Spain drove out Napoleon and Mother’s Day to top it off. They do love their holidays in Spain and between the current trifecta and Easter in Almerimar, we’ve lost about two extra weeks due to gear delivery delays.

One way or the other, delays have been based on broken stuff, holidays and weather. I guess we should feel blessed that at least the broken stuff has not happened when we were underway. But, only being underway for a single day in all this time is a bit sobering. For now, we are now stuck in a beautiful place.

And, on top of the broken AIS, we discovered that the main halyard was seriously damaged. I have mentioned that already but it wasn’t until we had the new one that I realized that the damage was caused by it rubbing against the spreaders over the winter and that combined with the ever present Sahara dust, acting as an abrasive, chewed right through the covering. Well, a half of a “boat dollar” later for the new halyard we are ready to go. Well, as soon as the weather says ok.

The good news from all these delays is that we are seeing a lot more of the city than we had anticipated. And a lot of tapas and sangria 🙂

This harbor is one of the finest in the Med and it has been occupied for more than 3,000 years so in a single day you can see a Roman amphitheater and a modern navy ship only steps from each other. Such a contrast and a testament to a long and varied history.

How about a partially disassembled submarine?

I expect that there are some interesting ships in these sheds.

Immediately adjacent to the harbor is a very nice Naval history museum.

The museum isn’t very large but there are models and displays that represent the entire history of the Spanish navy.

Of course, not navy per se, but sort of close to home with the Santa Maria.

And a nice painting of the same. Not the sleekest of craft.

And, speaking about weather, which I was earlier in this post, I spoke with Chris Parker, the weather router, we have worked with for more than a decade, about the very strong winds and dead calms here. His comment was “Bob, have you noticed that the ancient Greek ships had tiny sails and a LOT of oars.” Well, there was a model of a ship of that period. Many oars.

And, one with somewhat fewer oars but with cannons.

And models through the ages. The newer they are, the more guns.

Lots of guns.

And then, the transition to steam and you can see the lean hull design, close to that of a sailing ship, to allow the relatively small engines of the time to drive the hull.

Love the detail in the bridge.

Another lovely model.

Some really nice detail.

A trio.

I guess I like details.

Over time man has found more and more efficent ways to kill each other. Thinking of what’s going on in The Strait of Homuz and the mines. Here’s a diorama of mines over time.

And when there is stuff going on underwater there is diving. And lots of ways to do it. Note the boxes with wheels to the left. These are primitive hand cranked compressors to supply air to hard hat divers.

And where there is diving there is the risk of the bends and the need for a decompression chamber. Pretty Medieval looking.

Beyond old stuff, there are plenty of excellent ship and yacht repair yards in the harbor. With my repair needs, I have had plenty of trips to buy stuff. Adjacent to the chandlery is a fish market. Very nice building.

And some pretty big ships. Not a lot of big yachts but one that stands out is Arctic. She’s a converted salvage ship, and at nearly 300′ long, she’s the largest explorer yacht available for charter in the world. I walked out on the dock last evening and took some photos. She’s really impressive.

Quite imposing from the dock.

A great view from the bridge I bet.

She can go anywhere an it seems that she has. And, with seven tenders, no shortage of options to explore once you get there. This video surely shows her in a way that makes me want to go for a ride. And, if you want to sign up, they are offering an option to head north to watch a solar eclipse in 2027. Don’t wait, book now. Check out this charter site for more details on this remarkable yacht.

Beyond Arctic, this is a salvage boat, and plenty tough she is.

Clearly set up to rescue the largest ships in need. Look at this crane on the aft deck. Note that the bridge has windows in front and back.

But, there are also plenty of small fishing boats in the harbor.

There is so much to see here in Cartagena but I’d say that we are ready to leave and move on to Ibiza, an overnight sail from here.

However, one key issue in picking a weather window is to look at two different models and see how many days out they look the same. That “congruence” is key in picking a window, otherwise you don’t know which model to trust. Normally, a day out they generally look pretty similar but in this case, even one day out, tomorrow, not the same at all. Note how different the lower model is. We are the white dot and our destination, 140 miles to the NE is the first island, Ibiza. The dark red is a LOT of wind.

However, the very next morning, a lot more benign. Somehow it seems that a departure is always a day away…

But for now, and I hope it’s only for one day more, Pandora snug in her berth. Pretty nice view of the mountains in the distance.

Weather or not, at least Pandora and her crew are ready. If it wasn’t for the wind.

It’s Sunday and we are in Cartagena, where we have been for a few days now. It is a lovely city and our timing could not have been better as there is a major festival going on here. Actually, it seems that there is just about ALWAYS a festival going on in Spain and this week is no different.

As festivals go, this one is a true “double header” as it is Spain’s Labor Day and also a date that commemorates an uprising against Napoleon in the 1800s. I have to say that to be here and see such a solemn event was very moving. We had a great spot to view the events but sadly, you can’t see us. We were right next to where they laid the wreath at the end of the video below. It’s a two minute piece and is worth seeing. I loved the cannons. I think we need one in Essex…

Here is what the local information says about that event.

“The traditional military parade pays homage to the heroes of the uprising against Napoleon and his troops, Artillery Captains Daoiz and Velarde, along with other military personnel and the people of Madrid in 1808. The ceremony included speeches commemorating the anniversary, a wreath-laying ceremony in memory of the fallen, and a striking and moving gun salute, which concluded with the march of the participating troops. The formation began its march from the old Artillery Park in Cartagena, proceeding to the port through the streets of the city’s historic center, watched by Cartagena residents and numerous cruise ship passengers.“

That event was separate from the Labor Day events and there has been a lot going on. Street performers, and a particularly big concert in the plaza, near the waterfront, by Maki & María Artés. It seems that they are a very big deal in Spain with billions of views. It was fun to watch and very polished. Also, crazy crowded. Most of all, fun.

All of the crowds, combined with a massive cruise ship disgorging thousands, added to the crush of people and with big crowds comes pickpockets and one found Brenda. We aren’t certain how it happened but somehow someone ended up with her wallet and within less than a half hour tried to charge several thousands to her two cards and debit card. Fortunately the banks caught them and texted us.

The big issue to us was that our BOA travel card has the same account number on both of our cards so when hers was canceled, so was mine. However, for safety reasons, we also have a travel card from Barclay bank and fortunately the numbers are different so my card is still ok. Getting cards hacked has happened to us many times over the years but this is the first time that someone was able to get the physical card. Until I knew that her card and mine had different numbers, I thought that we were in very tough shape. So much for Brenda’s wallet, drivers license, credit cards etc. Oh well, everything but the 100 euros she was carrying are recoverable.

But wait, there’s more. I can’t say that when we finally got everything fixed in Almerimar, that I was confident that “all was better” and I was right. The question in the back of my mind was “what would break next” and that turned out to be our AIS, a system that allows us to show our location to other boats and ships. It also allows them to see us and for us to gauge exactly where they are what the “closest point of approach” will be when someone is getting close. The unit failed in the middle of the night and to suddenly not be able to tell with certainty where the ships were going, light patterns aside, was unsettling. Being suddenly blind made the use of our radar suddenly super important.

As others aboard, Brenda and our friends Jon and Kate, weren’t very experienced with navigating at night meant that I had to stay up all night. I was tired for sure but with the added “excitement” of a failed AIS, I did pretty well. Part of what helped was an extended session with Chat GPT AI, trying to diagnose what was wrong with the unit kept me plenty awake. There were basically two options as to what had happened, a voltage drop at the electrical connection or something internal as it would turn on for a few minutes and then cut out. After a few hours of messing with things, I was able to narrow it down to an internal failure.

The good news is that I can order a new one and have it here on Tuesday. Had it not been for “Labor Day”, I would have had it on Friday but with everything closed, well another delay. What else is new?

I also discovered damage to my mainsail halyard but fortunately, it didn’t completely break, just the line cover was damaged. And, there is a rigger here so I will pick up the new halyard on Tuesday. For some reason my main halyard has chafed more than a few times. I will have to have a rigger look at the shiv, pully, at the top of the mast as well as the opening to see if it is rough. I’ve had it reviewed at least one other time…

It is indeed always something but at least we have been able to get things fixed and nothing major has put us at risk while being underway so far. But, I don’t want to jinx it…

Another issue face is that we will have about three weeks to make it from here to Sardinia and without a major push, something that we don’t want to do, it’s going to be hard to fly out as planned in late May. The problem is that it’s either blowing too hard or not at all and often from the wrong direction so adhering to a schedule isn’t all that easy, and a lot less predictable than the Caribbean.

But we are here and the city is quite beautiful and busy.

And even more amazing after dark.

The good news is that, being delayed, but this time in Cartagena, isn’t all that bad and we have enjoyed some really nice food and drink, can you say “two sangria please”. Somehow English gets the point across just fine. I do take good pictures of my sweetie, don’t I?

Or, and often, white wine and food! After struggling for weeks to adjust to the idea that dinner is after 8:00, we are in the groove. This dinner was at 11:00 pm.

Of course, holidays mean getting dressed up and everyone was in costume. Mothers and daughters, both happy to pose for the camera.

And a few in Victoria era costume. Also happy to mug for the camera and I wasn’t the only one to ask.

Pandora is right on the waterfront. Here with a full moon rising in the distance. Does the moon see me?

Quite a view of the mountains in the distance. This photo doesn’t do it justice

Along with everything else, this is a major naval port with drydocks all around. I’ll bet that they find a lot of broken stuff too.

And a few yachts in for refit.

As we approach the 250th anniversary in the US, I am struck by this sign, commemorating the history of Cartagena, spanning three thousand years. That’s a long time.

Well, that’s it for now. It’s nearly noon and we have to do a bit of strolling.

Sadly, even though I will have the current “issues” resolved as of late Tuesday, the window to get out of here actually opens Monday and closes Tuesday so that means we won’t have time to make the 36 hour run to Ibiza.

And, the next opening to get out of here isn’t until later in the week. Unlike the Caribbean, the weather changes nearly every day with a “long” window being no more than two to three days, so here we sit.

Perhaps I will close with a moment that particularly moved us, the laying of the wreath for those that defended Spain from Napoleon. Sadly, over the centuries, there have been many leaders that thought that they were smarter than they were. But, it’s good to know that more often than not, they don’t change things for ever. Having said that, it does seem that part of the human existence is that many forget.

Soon, I hope, we will be underway with stuff that’s thinking hard, I hope not, of breaking.

Wish us luck? If recent history is any guide, we need it.

In our experience, first in the Azores last summer and now in Spain, it seems that no good holiday opportunity is passed up and here in Almerimar it is no different.

Today, Sunday, and Monday most places are closed for what appears to be a very local, municipality only, festival.

Anyway, the key issue for us is that the plan was to do provisioning on Monday and cast off on Tuesday. Oops. Grocery stores all closed. Who knew?

There is a good little market that has some basic stuff so that will have to do. And, the good news is that they have excellent French baguettes that they bake there. With only one night underway before arriving in Cartagena I think we will survive.

With all the delays, our friends Jon and Kate decided to make the best of their time and decided to do a bit of exploring as they made their way here from Barcelona, stopping along the way. They are now in Grenada, no doubt enjoying some of the same places that we visited.

They will arrive Monday evening and we will shove off, weather permitting, on Tuesday morning for a straight overnight run to Cartagena.

Sadly, it looks like the run will be true to the “Motorterranean” as the forecast is for very light winds. As wind is generally from the east in this area and when it’s not, there’s no wind. I would prefer not to have our very first run of the season an overnight, but with all the delays we have to make some miles.

Yesterday I finally had the new winch installed. The rigger, Andy, has been great and I so wish that I had worked with him over the winter as many of the issues that didn’t get addressed, including measuring the sail correctly etc, etc, would have been done. Alas, at least I know who to recommend to keep an eye on boats for others. Live and learn.

After pulling off the top of the winch, the offending, and now broken, old winch.

The parts laid out for the new winch. Really shiny.

Andy fitting the new winch. Notice how shiny the interior parts are compared to the old one.

The new winch in place. Sadly, the electric motor is on back order so we will see where that ends up. Perhaps we can pick it up in Palma as that’s where the distributor is, I am told. Really shiny.

It is pretty amazing that the new winch is almost exactly the same size and shape as the original ones, now 20 years old. The only cosmetic difference is that the top of the old winch is black and the base is as well. Otherwise, they are the same. For now, I will use the winch as a manual one and when I have to hoist the mainsail, I will just route the line across the cockpit to the power winch. Not idea but will work fine.

The remaining winch that is still fine. Note the black disk on the top and the black base collar. Otherwise, the same.

I have also been talking about issues with my charger/inverter, which finally died completely two days ago. That meant, no battery charging or even shore power down below even when I am plugged in.

After a lot of back and forth with the electrician, who could not make time for me due to a very busy workload, to his credit, asked me to send photos and advised me on how to bypass shore power from the, now dead inverter, so that I could get shore power.

I sent this photo, along with details on what terminal was what, and he sent back details on what to do. To me, it just looked like a tangled mess and I was totally insecure about making the problem even worse.

Once I got his fairly clear instructions back, I was still unsure, given the possible damage if I did it wrong, so I went thru a lot of back and forth with Chat GPT, AI. I even shared the electrician’s instructions and got back from “they”, Chat GPT that is, that they also agreed with the electrician’s assessment.

However I was still unsure and asked to have a step by step schematic created by AI and this is what “they” came up with. Pretty remarkable and very easy to follow. I explained to “they” that I do better with visual instruction so that’s what I got.

The first part, what the goal was. And then how to confirm that the circuit was safe to work on.

Part two. The order and sequence of moving wires. Dead simple.

Part three. How to confirm that I had done it right and the process to power up the system.

I was still nervous but after asking “they” to compare the instructions from the electrician, confirming that they matched, I felt that I was on the right track and followed each step, held my breath and turned on the power. IT WORKED!!!

After all of the setbacks, I was really concerned that I would mess up but all and all, I DID IT.

Well, there’s only one day more for something to break before we leave. Dare I say that the “final touches” should run smoothly and we will be able to get out as planned?

Cartagena, here we come.

“Bob, don’t count your chickens before they hatch!”

I’m countin…

Months ago I wrote of our plan to spend a week getting Pandora ready to splash after about a week and then head north to Cartagena from Almerimar, where Pandora was stored for the winter. From there, on to the Balearics and then on to Sardinia where Pandora will be hauled for the summer while we enjoyed our time at home in CT. Returning in September for another two months of cruising.

Well, if you have been following my posts you will know that that is not what happened at all as it’s been a month and Pandora has gone a total of NOWHERE. We have suffered, or should I say, Pandora has suffered setback after setback with myriad issues, seemingly one on top of another that has kept us from departing.

I won’t list them all, as I have already done so, except to say that tomorrow morning the, dare I say, final item will be checked off of the list, the replacement of the failed winch. The new one is the same model as the one that came with the boat but after nearly 20 years, it does look a little different. And, OH BOY, it is a LOT more expensive. And, add the 21% VAT tax to the bill and it’s really, really expensive. Sadly, as the model is “improved” there is no way to use parts from the failed winch, like the motor, which is just fine. Well, now I have a spare… I also plan on saving a few of the gears, which are beautifully machined. Paperweights anyone?

Between the furler and the winch, with the latter failing after so much use in putting up the new furler, this has been crazy expensive.

And while the worse is over, there is still more that has to be done when Pandora is in Sardinia for the summer. Think Inverter/Charger, some minor welding, and paint scratch repairs. And, if the adage “everything is broken on your boat, you just don’t know it yet”, holds true, it’s only going to get worse.

Brenda is still in Italy at a weaving retreat and it’s clear that she is having a great time as when she calls she either says “I can only talk for a minute, as I have to head out to the studio in a few minutes”, or she says “I can only talk for a minute as I HAVE TO SLEEP!” Good for her.

True to form, she’s been very productive and sent photos of the three projects she completed already. They are beautiful and quite complex pieces done on an antique Jacquard loom that is hundreds of years old.

This piece is a reconstruction of a pattern copied from the table cloth pattern in the famous painting by da Vinci, the Last Supper.

Note the pattern on each end of the table cloth. I know that the loom is old. Wonder if it is the same loom that wove the one for Jesus? You see the resemblance? Me neither, well maybe. I guess it’s the diamond part, that is what I am told. Hmm…

Another very nice piece.

But wait, there’s more…

Today’s work.

All and all, I am very pleased for her and it does seem that she is having a great time. The class, which she is taking with three other weaver friends from her guild in CT, is over on Friday when she heads back to Rome to fly back to Almeria.

Will there be more product before she departs? I’m guessing yes. We will see…

And, speaking of Cartagena, which I was before I got sidetracked, it looks like we may be able to get underway, perhaps even with a nice favorable breeze, early on Wednesday.

Along with Brenda, our neighbors Jon and Kate, from CT will also be arriving to join us for a few days as we make our way up the coast but all the delays have cut into their time aboard but at least they have had a bit more time to do some exploring Spain as they made their way south from Barcelona. Unfortunately, they have to fly out late next week so it will be a bit of a rush to get to our destination, enjoy some time together and get them to their flight.

One side benefits of the delays is that I have had time to address a lot of little items that have gone un-addressed for a while including repairing some issues with the headliner. A constant issue, sadly as well as polishing stainless which always needs regular attention and there is a LOT of stainless on Pandora. At least dealing with that is less painful than varnish. With all the time on my hands, I have even resorted to using a toothbrush to polish some particularly stubborn tarnish (rust) on some areas.

Another issue that I’ve dealt with is what to do about propane for cooking. I was under the impression that while not easy, getting US canisters filled in the EU was possible and yet, here in Almerimar I have not been able to get a refill beyond “well, we can send it out and see what happens, and that will be a week”. Sure, I have been here plenty long enough but after a lot of back and forth, I looked into what would be required to just modify my system to handle EU gas containers and the appropriate regulator and fittings.

These tanks, the little blue one, are generally sold as a swap of an empty one for a full one. Not too big, I guess less than half of the volume of my 20lb US tanks. Note that the regulator is on top of the tank. It’s different than the one on the propane system and butane, is stored under less pressure than propane and has somewhat different characteristics than propane. However, I checked and learned that my Force 10 stove would be able to handle both types. Note that these tanks are actually designed for camping use and the regulator screws directly into the top of the tank. They have tanks that are large like the ones I have already but getting them filled means sending them out and waiting to get them back. With all of the complexity so far, I’m going for simple…

Well, it’s all hooked up now and seems to be working just fine. I plumbed the new hose, orange, directly to my shutoff solonoid valve so there is always a positive shutoff in the line when it’s not being used, a very important safety feature. I also left the US regulator in place, which I can swap back into service in about 30 minutes. that’s important as my second 20lb US tank is basically full so if I run out of the blue tank when I don’t have easy access to a new bottle, I can still reconnect my full US tank.

The full setup, tank, regulator, hose and connector to my shutoff solenoid was about 80 euros and when the tank is empty, a refill tank, swapped for the empty one, will be about 20 euros. All and all, a simple solution, I think. No need for cold coffee.

While I would have much preferred to be on my way already and meet Brenda in Cartagena, like we hAD planned during one of our “intermediate” plans, it’s nice to know that we will likely be underway soon with what I hope will be a good weather window late Tuesday or early Wednesday. With about 100 miles in total, between us and Cartagena, we may opt to stop somewhere along the way or push directly thru. With Jon and Kate flying out on the 1st, we don’t have a lot of time.

And, speaking of time, generally twice a day I walk around the marina and this morning I passed a newcomer, a beautiful ketch. She’s not likely to make any speed records but it is pretty clear that she is fresh, really fresh, from a major refit. Sadly, I wasn’t able to find any information online about her. She calls from Hamburg, Germany. What nice lines. Actually only 60′ long and yet looks a lot bigger. I stopped to see if I could get information from someone but nothing beyond confirming recent refit. The AIS track shows that she just got in from northern Europe, I think beginning in the Netherlands.

It’s hard to believe that Pandora has been sitting here for nearly a month but soon, I hope.

This marina is huge, with over 1,000 slips and is known as a good stopping point when entering the Med. At about $25/day on the dock, it is very inexpensive compared to marinas in the US. Actually, a mooring in the US is now about three times this.

Witness a very full marina.

But with some luck, there will be one less boat in the place come next week. I don’t want to jinx it but hopefully, Pandora will be moving on soon.

It’s about time. Well, that’s if we can actually leave as planned.

I’m counting on it. Really, trust me. I hope…

It’s hard to believe that we are in the second half of April, nearly a month after we arrived, and Pandora is still in Almerimar. Our total “cruising” so far has been from the the launch dock to our slip, a few hundred yards.

When we first arrived in late March, I was very focused on the weather and how unfavorable it looked for our 100 mile run to Cartagena but little did I know that weather delays would be the least of our worries.

As it turned out, we have had a string of gear breakage and other delays that have kept us here.

First, there was the concern over the inverter/charger but after learning that getting a replacement was going to take a very long time, I gave up on that and thought it best to leave that part for when Pandora is hauled in June for the summer.

Then I learned, to my great disappointment, that the person I had hired to keep an eye on the boat and manage needed repairs fell short on a number of key issues, most distressingly, on taking measurements for the new code zero sail. It’s hard to know exactly what he measured but somehow the luff measurement was off by 3′. I had questioned him a number of times about the various measurements needed and he assured me that they were correct.

When I returned with the new sail, I was shocked that the size was off by THAT much. I had asked him to do what he understood himself and to hire out the other jobs to experts. Sadly, when I questioned him on who assisted with the measurements, I learned that he had just snagged someone off of another boat in the yard who told him “sure, I know what to do”. But, clearly it was the blind leading the blind.

Next, I hired a rigger, to address the failed roller furler that broke when Brenda and I hauled up the jib and after he installed the new furler and headstay, we worked out a way for the sail to be adjusted so it set well. According to the sailmaker, we only lost 5% sail area. Not a lot but not great as we are now in the low wind “Motorterranean”. The good news is that the furler did not fail when we were underway which turned out to be good timing. It took more than a week to get the new unit here but it is all fixed now.

You can see the blown bearings under the drum. Had I not noticed this issue, the furler would eventually have jammed and that would have been a huge problem. Note the brown area near the arrow. There isn’t supposed to be a gap there. It’s a sealed bearing, not sealed anymore.

As a result of hauling the rigger up the mast a few times, the primary power winch failed. I had noticed that it wasn’t working quite right for some time but had no idea that a total failure was pending. That hurt but I am so happy that it happened when Pandora was tied up at the dock. I guess you could say that this photo cost more than a few “boat dollars”, a lot more actually.

All completed now.

After we were done and I was furling the sail in, the power winch started running slower and slower and finally bound up completely. This was bad news, the worse so far. I learned that as I pulled the rigger up the mast, and he is a big guy, to prepare the new forestay and install the new furler, the gear box on the power winch, overheated and damaged itself fatally. I don’t understand why it didn’t blow a fuse but the gear box became so overheated that it completely fused after a few trips up the mast. And, as the winch was installed when the boat was built in 2007, and is now obsolete, I have no option but to replace the entire unit, winch, gearbox and motor. And, Anderson tells us that to get a complete new unit will take 3-4 months. Yesterday I completely disassembled the unit and discovered that it was a series of tiny pin bearings that failed and looking back on this I can see that there were symptoms of damage before the final break this week. And, in the spirit of “the cup is half full”, I’ll again take comfort that at least it didn’t happen while we were underway.

However, as luck would have it, the rigger has the exact model in stock but with a motor that is 12v vs the 24v that I need. The next step is to check to see how quickly he can get the new motor sent here, from who knows where. After a bit of back and forth, we decided that we’d install the new winch on Monday and if the new motor can be sourced in a few days, wait here until it arrives. If not, I will just use the winch manually and reroute lines to the remaining good winch. This will allow me to get going and take delivery of the motor somewhere along the way. It’s not an ideal option but will be fine and at least allow us to FINALLY get out of here. Well, out of here unless something else breaks.

This is all so crazy and to be here for nearly a month and still be somewhat unclear about next steps is unprecedented in our decades of cruising.

As I have mentioned before, Brenda has a workshop in Italy for a week and we had assumed that Pandora would be in Cartagena by now so we booked a flight to Rome out of Alicante, north of Cartagena for last Friday. Alas, Pandora is still here in Almerimar, so instead of a short drive, from here it was a 3.5 hour car ride, which we did on Friday. Long trip or not, Brenda made her flight and I had a very picturesque ride.

Last week, when the scale of delays became clear, we decided to rent a car for a few days and take a trip to Grenada. A sort of “when you have lemons, make lemon aid moment.” I was able to find a small three room B&B, which we just loved and had a terrific three day visit to that incredibly picturesque town.

As the US makes a big deal out of it’s upcoming 250th anniversary, it is hard to describe what it is like to visit a place that counts it’s age in the thousands of years. The home where we stayed is 400 years old and yet had been beautifully upgraded without loosing it’s historic charm. With only three guest rooms, the owner, Damian, who lives there with his young family, was very attentive and worked to make sure that our visit was perfect. He keeps a very low profile and doesn’t advertise, relying on word-of-mouth to get visitors. Apparently, he has found his way into a number of guidebooks and things are going well. We felt so lucky to get a room on very short notice. Interestingly, I used Chat GPT AI to explore options, asking for an reasonably priced room, central location in the historic area, and Casa del Aljarife Granada was the top recommendation. I heartily recommend staying there.

Damian’s inn is located on a tiny street in the historic district and just getting there meant walking down a winding series of alleyways and narrow streets. Even the parking garage was tucked into a narrow alleyway. To be sure that we didn’t have any difficulty in finding his place, he offered to meet us on a busy street a few miles from his home, jumped into the car and guided us the rest of the way.

After that, he grabbed our luggage and off we went.

What a lovely spot, the door on the left. He told us that the street was over 1,000 years old. Hard to get my arms around that thought.

And the front door has a small barred opening so you can confirm who’s knocking. Phew, only Brenda.

And, for Brenda, a bathroom that looked like it had never been used. She was happy as she likes her potties new :}

For a home that is centuries old, it has seen plenty of updates and is in lovely shape. The central courtyard is very charming.

The view from our room of nearby Castle Alhambra.

Even more beautiful at night. Amazing to think that this town and the castle date from the 13th century, with constructon beginning in 1238.

Step outside and every street was beautiful.

A few steps away, hundreds of tiny shops.

We were tempted by these lights but did our best not to be caught up in the moment as we had no idea where we would install something like that. Good decision Bob…

The castle is THE place to visit in Grenada and most buy tickets months in advance. We, on the other hand, had to get them with one day notice. As a result, we had to purchase them from a “reseller”, meaning that we paid twice the cost to a scalper. It was worth it.

While the castle is in wonderful condition now, it was left to ruin for hundreds of years but now has constant care and upgrades, all true to historical records. The most impressive thing to us was the gardens. It’s hard to decide how to start…

You have never seen hedges like these and they were everywhere.

In spite of the fact that the area is arid, there are plenty of springs channeled to fountains that do not need pumps to run. As you can imagine, not a lot of pumps in the 13th century. Water everywhere.

One more beautiful than the last.

And more…

Pretty impressive towers. The higher they were, the less crowded the spots.

With amazing views of the city.

Zoom in and some amazing rooftops. I would live there…

Some of the areas were not fully restored. These are the remains of troop barracks. In the lower right is Brenda in her white raincoat. She opted to sit it out when I climbed up to the highest tower.

There she is.

And a LOT of wisteria.

Everything was so lush.

The compound had so many amazing buildings. The exterior decoration on this buiding was unmatched.

Inside, an equally impressive courtyard. This was to be a residence but the guy who commissioned it didn’t live long enough to move in. It’s never been occupied. Actually, not a particularly cozy place to call home.

We also took time to tour the Cathedral of Granada, an impressive structure. Construction did not begin until 1518 after the Muslims were driven out. It took hundreds of years to build and is still not complete. A concise history here.

It’s hard to believe that this was constructed by hand, using levers, pullies and a lot of brute force. And, a LOT of time, centuries.

A lot of gold, even more than the Oval Office.

And a ginormous organ. And this photo is only the half of it.

As you can imagine, any dining spot adjacent to such a popular attraction will get a lot of “drop ins” looking to use the bathroom. How about a toll? Like the Strait of Hormuz but cheaper. Actually, I learned that it was “fake news”, just there to keep out the rabble and not us as we had a glass of wine.

Tapas is a big thing in Grenada, small food plates. And, what’s even better is that when you order a drink you get a free tapas. Sometimes they just bring whatever is on their list that day and sometimes you get to pick. It was recommended that we visit this place. It was a beautiful setting.

Our visit, if only a short three days, was a nice break from Pandora who has kept us busy with her own “breaks”.

So, here I sit, Brenda’s in Italy for a week and I’m still looking at the weather. And, it’s not looking like fair winds are any time soon.

As long as something more doesn’t break…