whale of a walk

This might have been the hardest day but it was by far my favorite. It was hard due to the many small paths up and down the mountains and through the small villages and ruins and it was difficult since the road backwards was very badly marked. It was like a treasure hunt where each step killed the foot. But it was the day I learned to love the walk, learned a bit more about Leens and myself. Adding to that, it was so fascinating to be able to walk along the ancient roman ruins and paths, through the olive groves and many vineyards and golden wheat fields. Leens wondered why there was a middle line in between the pebbles and we decided the cars back then must have been pretty narrow. ;) Anyway, we decided to stop in Puenta La Reina, which I assume (from French) means, the bridge of the queen. The spectacular bridge is fit for a queen alright! It was the right place to stop as Leens started to develop a rather severe sun rash - other than that, we felt stronger than the other days. Besides, the tourist guide said we could stay in a private hostel with a pool somewhere in the town. So we looked around and found the hostel alright. The 700 extra metres were worth it - sure enough there was a pool. But no water. :( So, we hiked back down and decided we´d keep some cash aside for a nice meal. We stopped in a bar where all the locals hang out and tried the wine. They drink their reds chilled. Upon us questioning them, they say that it is due to the weather. And true, it is pretty sticky. Even now, at 7:20pm! Memories of today will have included getting lost for 1h30 and feeling the frustration of not being able to find our way to save the world, the old gipsy woman plowing through the trash we asked for directions from and of course, the awesome coffee stop at Lorca. Off to sooth those blisters. We decided we´re pretty hard core girls as not many of our girlfriends would consider this a pleasant holiday. But we´re having a blast!