Coming back to Spain

- September 10, 2017

On Monday the 30st of August 2017 I left Kassel to visit my friend Caro in Düsseldorf before flying from Colone to Spain. Unfortunately my Flixbus arrived with two hours delay and as it wasn't enough the driver told us that he had already reached his limit of permitted working hours, so he brought us only to Dortmund. From there I had to take a train to Düsseldorf.

Finally at around midnight I arrived at Caros beautiful place. The next day we spend some more time together before I went to Colone. It was a beautiful day and I walked along the river Rhein to the city center to take a lift to Colone.

A little later, my friend Nine picked me up in Ehrenfeld, Colone. We had a wonderful last evening together with Chinese food and Yoga. Wednesday was the big day for me. After a day full of preparations for the trip Nine came to the airport with me. We found a quiet corner to sing and play a last Ukulele song together, then, after some warm hugs I entered the security check area and Nine disappeared behind crowds of people around me.

In Barcelona it took ages to get to the city center and to the hostel. Once again, it was late at night when I arrived at Fabrizzios Terrasses Hostel, Calle de Girona, where Rapha was already waiting for me. Rapha works and lives in that Hostel since a couple of years and I met him the first time before my long hike in the Pyrenees in August 2016. Since then we've been in touch and have become good friends.

I was so happy to see him again and it was incredible to be back exactly in the same spot where I ended my last trip through Spain one year ago. I had also spend my very last night here before I went back to Germany.

I had some delicious tipical brazilian bean dish that Rapha had prepared and we sat in the living room, talking for hours until I almost fell asleep on the sofa.

The next morning, after a relaxing cup of tea we went to the sea. It was raining heavily but I still wanted to go to the beach and to go swimming. Rapha joined me, none of us caring about the rain! At a beach bar we had pizza for lunch while we waited for the rain and thunder to stop. As soon as the sun broke through the grey clouds and the rain got less, we changed into swimming gear and jumped into the beautiful, salty, mighty and warm sea. I swam through some waves and enjoyed my first short bath in the sea a lot. It didn't last long, tho, because a nicely tanned safety guard appeared with his orange jacket and a big umbrella above his head, asking us to come out of the water for safety reasons. It was a short bath but it was really refreshing!

We took a shower and put on warm jackets, had a coffe and talked some more, watching the waves and the sunbeams through the rain.

Afterwards I had to pack up my bag and take the bus back to the airport in Barcelona to get my flight to Granada.

I arrived on time at the airport but because of bad weather my flight had more than 2 hours delay. Instead of 6:30pm I finally landed in Granada at 9:15pm.

My lift from Granada to Mortil had already left without me at 8:30pm. So I had to take a bus to the city center in Granada and from there a bus to Motril.

Then at 11:30pm I arrived at Raquelle and Mark's apartment in Motril. It was so nice to see Mark, Raquelle and Lola (their 3,5 years old daugther) again! They are a Yoga teacher family that I got to know last summer when I did work and travel in Spain.

The next morning we went to do an enourmous food shopping. We had to buy food for 4 people for 3 weeks!

Mark brought me and the first load of food to the estate where the Yoga teacher training was going to take place. Raquelle, Mark, another teacher Steve and their teaching assistant Maria would teach Yoga to a group of 13 students for one month. I'm joining them this time, looking after their daugther when they have to teach and taking part in the morning practises from 6:30 to 10am.

So, after sleeping the last 5 nights in Kassel, Düsseldorf, Colone, Barcelona and Motril I finally arrived here in my new home for the next 26 nights: El Cortino Casería de Mercado, a beautiful farmhouse surrounded by a mountainous garden with fruit and vegetable trees and plants and huge beautiful mountains, almond and fig fields.

The view around the farm is stunning!!!

Joachim, the owner, lives here with his family, some woofers and volunteers and with their dogs, cats, peacocks and chickens. He is a very welcoming and caring spanish farmer who has been traveling and living in many southern american and other countries. He grows his own organic fruits and vegetables with a lot of passion and love.

The first night he cooked for me cause and in exchange I helped him prepare all the rooms for the Yoga students.

I loved this place from the very first moment and I love eating all those delicious fresh homegrown fruits and veggies like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant/aubergine, pumpkin, apples, pears, figs, grapes, almonds and herbs! Absolutely amazing! A wonderful place!