Calp

We arrived in Valencia, Spain, on January 19, just in time to avoid a winter storm hitting the East Coast. After picking up our rental car, we headed straight for the coastal village of Calp for one night. It was a lovely, quaint place to begin our trip, complete with sunshine and mild Spanish winter temperatures in the mid-60s.

The next morning, Eric kicked off the day with a spectacular run around the Peñón de Ifach, the iconic rock jutting into the cove—a defining feature of Calp—after which I wandered through the classic cobblestone streets to grab a café con leche (the standard coffee-with-milk order in most Spanish cafés).

After just one night, we were headed to Granada to spend the entire week- partly to have more time to explore that amazing city, and also to be in one spot so Eric could finish up work for a few days before his official start of 6 week sabbatical leave- a sweet perk of his current employment as a software engineer.

On our way out of Calp, we chose the scenic coastal route. Unfortunately, Mae began to vomit just a few minutes into the drive. We pulled over quickly, got her changed, and—with her blessing—put her in a rainsuit to keep any mishaps from ruining more clothes. Thankfully, she bounced back in no time, and by lunchtime she was happily climbing a rope tower on the beach in Alicante.

Similar to Valencia, Alicante features a beautiful wide promenade and an expansive beach. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch while the girls befriended two other children, keeping themselves busy for over an hour. We briefly wondered if we should just stay there forever ;)