what to do on a sunday....

even though nobody under the age of 80 ever goes to church, spain is still a "catholic" country. i say catholic in "quotes" because somehow they manage to balance the pragmatism of life (read: gay marriage) with the comfort that the routines and traditions of the church brings.

but on sundays, there ain't nothin' to do in spain because it's considered a day for the family. the two things that are reliably open are churches and bars. the bars have people coming and going but the churches .... well, like i said, nobody goes. an occasional restaurant will be open but it's only 1 out of 10. we had to hunt for a while today to get some lunch -- but when we did, it was this lovely pizza joint literally on the beach and we were sitting in glorious sunshine drinking cañas with a bacon and onion pizza.



today was the first day of sun in like a week, wow, so we set off north along the coast. first stop: agua amarga. it's a charming little town tucked away and difficult to reach (in short, unspoiled). sleepy, sure, but it was a sunday so i have no clue what normal life is like. the picture to the right is the center square with their christmas pitaca all strung up (and a bit battered by the recent winds). we'll have to go back!

last sunday was a total bust for us so this time we decided to jump into the coche for an adventure! don't you love the car? it's an ato. or asti. something like that. very small and way too crunchable but perfect for its economy and easy parking. the wheels are smaller than most things at crate & barrel.


the rest of the day was driving up the coast to carboneras, mojacar, puerto del rey, villaricos, and finally vera. each place slightly more bland and touristed than the previous. the town of mojacar is for the brits because an entire strip mall was nothing but bars or restaurants (all closed, of course) with names like the rusty nail and pete's tavern. we took that as a sign to keep on driving!

the real gem of the day was the drive itself. do you see the hairpin turn in that road? i tried to photograph the views but the camera couldn't take in the entire panorma. [be sure to click on these pictures if you want to see them in their full glory.]

tomorrow is monday which means life returns to normal, except that it's the 28th. december 28th is the spanish version of april fool's day. tom and carlos have laid the groundwork for us to hoodwink their friends in a big way and tomorrow is when i have to deliver the news with a straight face. poor antonia, she will undoubtedly want to kill me when she finds out the truth. stay tuned for an update and if you don't ever hear from me again call the police.