A Weekend in Almería

After we married in 2021, since the first anniversary we have gone away for a weekend around the 8^{th of} April, to celebrate our wedding anniversary and my birthday. The first year we went to Aguadulce, the next we missed as I was waiting for an operation, then in 2024 we went to Murcia city, which was a lovely break. This year we had started the kitchen renovation in March, and it did not make sense to stop for a weekend, as really that was the only time that John had to work on the kitchen, so we delayed it.

In July we went on our summer holiday and then in August my daughter and two children came to stay. So, John decided we needed another break, not because the family visit was strenuous, just that he likes to go away! Also, we were owed an anniversary/birthday break.

The date was set for us to be away from Saturday night the 13^th of September until the lunchtime of Tuesday 16^th September.

Our good friend Steve was looking after Luca and the house whilst we were away so, as soon as John got back from work just before 8pm, he quickly changed out of his work clothes, packed the car and we were off.

We live in a village of La Huerta, which is part of the town of Antas, which is in the province of Almería in the autonomous region of Andalucia. The capital of the province of Almeria is the city of the same name. So, if you asked a Spaniard where they were going, if they were on their way to the city from somewhere outside the province, they would say they were going to Almeria, Almería. Many provinces are named after the principal town and in all honesty, it’s just the same as me saying I live in Antas, Almeria.

Well, our province capital is only about half an hour away from our house so, in no time at all, we had reached our hotel, checked in, dumped our bags in our room, and left, to find a nice bar with some good tapas.

The next day we walked down to a café and had breakfast then caught a bus down to La Rambla, where we caught the tourist train, which travelled all around the city showing us the important sites, with a full commentary in English, thanks to earphones that were provided for free.

Then it was a case of finding somewhere for a bit of lunch. We only wanted some tapas as we were going to our favourite Mexican Restaurant, Las Patronas, in the evening. Strangely enough we first found a Las Patronas restaurant in Aguadulce, on our first Birthday/Anniversary trip.

However, this time, in Almeria, although there was no doubt we were going to have our Tinga de Pollo, which is a slow cooked chicken dish, and usually comes in a mini stew pot with some tortallitas, soft tacos to load up with the tinga, we also tried a new starter. The starter was called Chilaquiles, and was not only new to us, but a new addition to the restaurant´s menu. I believe it is one of those dishes that you can adapt to put anything you want to, or have to hand, as long as it goes on top of some fried tortillas. However it may be made, the one they serve in Las Patronas is delicious, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

The next day, after breakfast we went down to the seafront, where we walked along the Cable Ingles. This is a free monument which basically is the pier constructed for transport, storage and shipping of minerals from the iron mines of Alquife, Granada.

After that, we returned to the hotel, on a winding route, from the seafront via various tapas bars, a delicious way to spend an afternoon! That evening we had a sadly disappointing Chinese meal, Las Patronas and the tapas bars were far superior.

We decided to have a final visit to a locals bar, close to the hotel, then a gin and tonic in the hotel, before retiring for the night.

A weekend away is a very short break but can be very enjoyable as you pack as much as possible into two days, so they are full of things to do.

We love holidays and exploring parts of this beautiful country we have the privilege of living in, and already have our Christmas break in Granada, our birthday/anniversary break in Cartagena and our summer holiday booked as well. It is lovely to have something to look forward to, isn´t it?

*Reference: Autoridad Portuario de Almería website: www.apalmeria.com