Enter Roundabout

We enjoyed our last hotel breakfast and piled in the car for our drive north. We did a little better as we rearranged the suitcases and managed to fit the trunk cover / flap and my dad's walking stick in the trunk. My mom said she could now put her arms down. 

We are getting a good chuckle from this road trip experience. Originally, I planned a train from Córdoba to Granada, and then a flight from Granada to Barcelona. But my friend Jamie, suggested renting a car, as not only would it be more economical, and when you factor in the time to and from airports with security, it may be easier on my dad. Plus, once I sketched out the itinerary, I learned that the track from Córdoba to Granada was undergoing some work, so the train company transfers you to a bus a few stops outside of Granada. And then when I timed it all, so many places are closed on Monday, it all made sense to not rush our travel. 

However, I kind of wished we had a bigger car / trunk, like our Madrid airport transfer driver's sedan. But with the small parking garages and narrow old city roads, I'm not sure if we would have always fit. A catch-22, but my parents seem to be chuckling throughout as they endure the tight spaces in the back. 

Here's a collage including my brother who had put his backpack in the trunk, so he's wearing my sunglasses to endure the Spanish sun:

Here are a few shots to the front during our initial 3.5 hour drive - it actually reminds me of Arizona with some of the red rocks and dryness:

Here are some photos to the side:

All of the driving was laced with a gazillion roundabouts and my GPS constantly saying "enter roundabout" and we had to make sure to stay glued to the purple line for the turn offs. A couple of times we circled to make certain which all brings to mind Chevy Chase's National Lampoon's European vacation - "hey look kids, there's Big Ben!"

We finally arrived in Pinoso, which is in the Alicante region where we had reservations at Paco Gandia. It's only open for lunch which is when paella is traditionally served. I had researched where to eat and stay on our road trip and stumbled upon this place where world class chefs Ferran Adrià, famous for El Bulli, and Joel Robuchon said Paco Gandia had the best and most authentic paella. It was also a good stop in between our drive from Granada to Valencia!

Our convivial host and owner, took care of us and we started out with wine, toast with cheese, nuts, smoked tuna loin, Iberico ham, and a fresh salad with sardines and anchovies. We also ended with a dessert and fruit plate. My mom stated that the appetizers alone left her full and satisfied. 

But the real treat was obviously the paella which is cooked naturally over vines being burned and made with rabbit and snails. The pan is so hot, they clip paper on the handles and as we scraped the perfectly cooked dish, we savored every bite. Here's a collage of this gastronomic experience:

We left happy and full for our 1.75 hour drive to Valencia where we checked in at the Melia Plaza. My dad and brother rested while my mom and I ventured out for 6 pm mass at the Cathedral. None of us were hungry after our paella lunch, so we opted to skip our originally planned dinner reservations at the Neptune Hotel on the beach. 

Here's a photo inside the Cathedral after our mass: 

Inside the Cathedral is the Chapel of the Holy Chalice which has an incredible recently restored alabaster altarpiece; but also supposedly, the original chalice used at the Last Supper. A photo below of the chapel - I didn't take many photos as folks were praying:

We walked back to our hotel and took a photo of this tower - there are several in the city that had been a part of ancient walls that protected the city:

The top photo below is the plaza in front of the Cathedral and the bottom is the plaza in front of the hotel. What a beautiful city for our stop on our Iberian road trip!