Queue up: Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again”

When we were planning this trip, I thought we would need a couple of easy days after serious dirt and rock hiking of 39 miles through Andalusia. Since we hiked about 5 miles (by the way these numbers are accurate, not my usual exagerrations), we now have two completely fluffy bunny days to lounge around. Peter said we did walk 60 miles in 10 days so I guess the rain didn’t completely snuff us out. Although I did have to switch to my stretchy pants after eating three 4 course meals a day. I wonder if I could do the rest of my trip in this one pair of pants.

I thought this would be a good opportunity to recap our experiences in Andalusia. I want to specifically share my thoughts on the Caspin Journeys part of our trip, the last 10 days.

Before I launch into some funnies about our guides Antonio and Jim (they read this blog now and I’m sure are hunkering down for what’s to come because I’m not really known for holding back), I thought I would have a rare moment of seriousness in case the information is helpful for your future travel plans.

This was our first organized tour that was not a photography workshop. It far exceeded my expectations. I knew it would be a great experience as it was laid out, but for these two guides nothing went as planned and they were constantly pivoting to ensure our days were filled with rich experiences. I suspect watching them was like watching ducks. Ducks seem to glide effortlessly across the surface of the water, with their little feet are furiously paddling below. Antonio and Jim seemed to glide through the days while they were scrambling behind the scenes because the weather and adversity constantly caused us to change course.

The Caspin Journey itinerary was thoughtful and well structured with a good mix of organized activities and downtime. When there was an optional activity, Antonio provided the tickets at no additional cost. They took us to parts of Spain that we would not have visited on own. We had unique experiences like the olive oil tasting/traditional family dinner, and small vineyard wine tasting that few others have the opportunity to enjoy. The hotels were beautiful, and the meals were delicious. I also appreciate that it was a small group tour. Sometimes I think you can feel “nickle and dimed to death” on the extras – wine and water for example at meals. You simply asked and it showed up. This is a small family owned business run by a husband/wife/son team. They have been in business for over 30 years. I know this, because there was a guy in the group who attended their marketing slide presentation in Berkeley almost 30 years ago when Antonio was in diapers. There were several people in the group who have been on multiple Caspin trips. For one woman, it was her 7th trip and she is already signed up for their other trip in Spain. We so thoroughly enjoyed our experience with Caspin that we are already talking about another trip. If you’re curious, you can find them at http://www.caspin.com.

Ok, now the funnies. Antonio and Jim gave me plenty of openings to tease them about time. I suspect making sure 13 people are where you need them to be is one of the most challenging aspects of being a tour guide. Every time I needed a personal chuckle, I would ask Jim at random “what time are we meeting for __?” He stopped playing along after a while. I don’t blame him, only Peter finds my annoying traits somewhat endearing. I think it was in his wedding vows.

When you asked Antonio how long the walk to the van was (which was necessary given I always seemed to be carrying a 30 pound backpack in the rain), his answer was always 5 minutes – ALWAYS. The walk was NEVER 5 minutes. Well maybe it’s 5 minutes for Antonio because he has super long legs, and I take three steps for every one of his.

When I asked Jim if the Plaza de España was open, he said it closed at 12:00 and I might just make it. I noticed his Google search said 12:00 AM. Then we had a crazy back and for over whether 12:00 AM was midnight or noon, Jim thought it was noon – I’m really glad we didn’t have a start or stop time at 12:00 PM or Jim would have had us up in the middle of the night. In his defense however, I guess they really don’t use midnight and noon here (or AM/PM for that matter).

And the thing that gave me the biggest chuckle, when I was corresponding with Caspin, I would have emails from Antonio and Pino. I thought Pino was short for Antonio. I had met Pino very briefly in Tuscany a couple of years ago, but was having trouble remembering the face with the name. When the tour started and Antonio introduced himself, my brain short-circuited. My first thought was, “this guy isn’t old enough to have a daughter in her 20”s” (I had also met their daughter), and when the gray matter finally rebooted I realized that Antonio was Pino’s son. To my credit, I didn’t know Pino and Caroline had a son. That chuckle was just for me.

Antonio is a very kind and flexible “young person” with an authoritative British accent. I say this because I am on the downward slope to 60 and everyone less than 40 looks young. He managed to tell a group of people twice his age where to be and what to do for 10 days. In the van, in the morning he would play jazzy old people music, Motown, classic rock ‘n roll, etc. He is also a very clever guy. In the afternoons he would play spa music. I think he hoped that everyone would have a long nap after our 2 hour lunch and stop telling him how to drive and where to park.

In terms of traveling with a group. We had an opportunity to meet many interesting people and hear their stories. I met a rare polymath. A renaissance woman who formerly specialized in infectious diseases and now makes jewelry, plays the cello, and plays defense on an ice hockey team. Every conversation was fascinating. We also spent time with a delightful couple from New Mexico and educated Jim about the southwestern debate over what is considered chili. Peter found a kindred spirit who also hated the rain (although she lives in Portland, so that was a head scratcher). When the rest of the group was hiking, they bonded by hanging out in a bar sampling the local wines. She travels extensively and I think is only home long enough to do a load of laundry before she takes off again.

Back to Andalusia. It is a part of Spain that is known for its sunshine (we just had poor timing), its olives, its wine (delicious and inexpensive), its sherry (that’s different from wine), its food (especially fried fish), and its rich history. It is a place that had three religions living together in tolerance, if not equality. It is a place with a diverse environment consisting of forests, vineyards, gorges, coasts, caves, and mountains. It is a place where people love where they live and they freely share that love with visitors.

We had a “just life” kind of day: we got on a train, checked into a hotel, ate tapas, and did laundry. I don’t have many photos or antics to share. But as my heroine said, “tomorrow is another day.”

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