Wedding celebration on the wedding day

Puertomingalvo takes us to the peak of our tour – in more ways than one. We will spend the night today at over 1,500 meters above sea level. We have never been higher in Spain. Whether we will also sleep is highly unlikely given the current situation. But more on that later…

In this town, which like all our destinations is among the most beautiful villages in Spain, about 150 people reside. During the 50-kilometer journey from Cantavieja, we mostly drove uphill. When we arrived around noon and set off on our first walk, the streets were eerily empty. All the little shops were closed. What was going on here?

When we reached the church, we heard a choir singing, followed by applause. Was there a concert at this hour? We turned a corner and saw men and women setting up tables and chairs and preparing a buffet. It was clear now: A wedding is happening here today! Icke and I stood still and held hands. What a coincidence! Eleven years ago today, we stood at the altar.

Of course, we wanted to see the bridal couple and convey our congratulations. Right next to the church was an inn where all the villagers who weren’t invited were gathering. They grabbed tables and chairs and raised a toast to the couple. We decided to follow their lead. While I organized the table and chairs, Icke placed our order at the inn. The innkeeper and a waitress were overwhelmed with the roughly 50 onlookers who all wanted to eat a little and drink a lot.

That was no problem for us. We had time. We watched as people laughed, sang, and celebrated before heading to our parking spot in the late afternoon. We had just laid down for a break when suddenly a hellish noise erupted from the house next door. After the initial shock, we realized it must be music. And indeed: Tonight, this night, and tomorrow morning, the wedding celebration is taking place. From 6 PM to 6 AM. I'm afraid it's going to be a long twelve hours…