Viva Spain

Shortly after saying goodbye to Timo, Lara, and Bo, we have already crossed the Spanish border. We are driving toll-free again, so our route takes us through the Pyrenees for a bit. Breathtaking landscape! We definitely need to spend more time in the Pyrenees. But unfortunately, it's already too uncomfortable for us there. For this route, we are simply looking for sun, beach, and sea! So off we go. There's plenty of beach and sea in Northern Spain, but unfortunately no sun for now. Our mood noticeably changes after the first day of rain. Constantly checking the weather map and exploring alternative options. Maybe go straight to southern Spain towards Cádiz? But it's also a pity, now that we are here. We remain loyal to the Spanish Atlantic coast and try to chase after better weather. Through a tip from Hannah and Tim (whom we met in France), we end up at an incredibly lonely bay. Too good to be true! But unfortunately only half as nice when the weather doesn't play along and there's nothing to surf. So after just one night, we move on - sun, here we come! Since Hannah and Tim took the same route and are just ahead of us, we always snatch up the good parking spots from them. Nice service! Just on our way to a bay, we realize that their current parking spot is even closer. So we quickly change our plans and, after a few days of traveling alone, we are once again in good company! Fiete and Wilma are also excited - woohoo! And we don't stay in a group of four for long. On the same evening, a friendly (influencer) couple, Hannah & Tim's friends, join us with their 1 1/2-year-old daughter and their dog "Dicker" - @merrwaerts_. They had a similar experience as us - quickly get out of the bad weather. And they didn't promise too much. The new spot has a dreamy beach and sun, and we can also go surfing here!

We quickly connect with Eefke and Torben, and Fiete and Dicker also get along really well! After a few days, the question arises whether we should all continue together. Not sure if it's just a matter of politeness, we openly discuss that we don't want to be clingy followers. Eefke feels like she's been transported back in time for a moment. She asked the same question about a year ago when she met Hannah and Tim. And so the doubts are quickly put aside. So we continue together to the next spot. On the way, we start a little experiment with Tim and Hanna. They take the toll road, we take the toll-free road. In terms of kilometers, our route is only 2km shorter. According to Google Maps, the time difference is 45 minutes... It should be noted that the two of them are driving an oldtimer, which can't go very fast. But actually, we also never drive that fast. Our average speed is usually around 90 km/h. Our route takes us through hilly coastal roads and small Spanish villages. We love driving toll-free because we get more impressions of the country, and in the end, we arrive just 10 minutes after Hannah and Tim, but we saved €18!

The next spots in Spain are also dreamlike, with the beach and the sea right in front of us! And then the incredibly beautiful happens. Dolphins! Not just porpoises - no. Real dolphins! 4 of them, including a baby. From the beach, we can already see them quite well, but even better through the drone footage from the others. Such a magical moment! I couldn't help but shed a tear of joy again.

Of course, we also want to have traditional tapas in Spain. We choose a parking spot where there is supposedly a restaurant just around the corner according to Google Maps. Everyone is excited and very hungry, and then - closed! We are currently in the off-season, and the restaurants are only open on a few days of the week. What now? We take another look at Google Maps. There should be another restaurant about a 20-minute walk away. First, we want to make sure that they are really open, so I call. The communication on the phone is a bit difficult. The first staff member obviously doesn't speak English at all and passes the phone on after a while, the second staff member speaks mediocre English. Somehow we manage to understand each other, with the information that we can come, but the kitchen closes at 8 pm. No problem. It's still early enough. By the time we get there, it should be around 7:15 pm. When we arrive, we are greeted warmly, and the staff member apologizes for his poor English, saying it was difficult for him to understand me on the phone - same here! He immediately brings us the menu, and we start looking at what they have with the help of a translator app. We want to order quickly because the kitchen will close soon. We are disappointed that they don't have bacon-wrapped dates. Well, okay. However, we find something else. We place our order, and the waiter points out that it seems like a lot. More like for 10 people - we are 6, plus little Greetje, all with big appetites. But we believe him and reduce our orders a bit. As it turns out, we could have reduced them even more. We are used to tapas in Germany, the many small portions. These portions are not small at all here - additionally quite tasty and quite fatty! The waiter is incredibly friendly and makes a great effort with his English. He asks us when people in Germany normally have dinner, and from the conversation, it ultimately becomes clear that there was a huge misunderstanding. The kitchen doesn't close at 8 pm but actually OPENS at 8 pm. At that time, their restaurant is usually empty, and the first guests usually arrive at 9 pm at the earliest. Yesssss - the Germans!

By the way, we tried leaving Fiete in the Sprinter. It didn't really work. He cried a lot. Quite strange. He usually does fine during the day, just not in the dark for some reason. Dogs are unfortunately not allowed at the next restaurant we visit, which is also difficult for Hannah and Tim because Wilma can't stay alone in the van without entertaining the whole neighborhood. Our plan - the two of them won't feel so alone together. Into our Sprinter together, turn on the camera, and voila, not even a minute later, the two of them are lying around relaxed. What does that mean for us now? Second dog?

The next day we continue, and that's it for Spain. What a shame! We would have liked to explore Spain more extensively, especially the North Atlantic coast for surfing, but the weather just didn't cooperate! Now we're heading to Portugal. We have been unsure the whole time whether we want to go to Portugal. Portugal is said to not be as tolerant when it comes to free camping. The Park4Night app also mentions fines, evictions, etc. But since we don't want to separate from our great travel group and also really want to visit Portugal again, we dare to go and hope for the off-season. We also rely on the statements of Hannah and Tim's community that there shouldn't be a problem at this time of year. We are excited - here we come, Portugal! The country where our travel wish was born in 2019.