Spain – Roaming About

Tag: Spain

Three Months of Rentals in Southwestern Europe – Thoughts and Conclusions

If you’ve followed our blog for a while, you know that Mark and I (and our respective dogs) have always lived and traveled in campers and sailboats, with a three-year hiatus of house and pet sitting. We’ve been doing this worldwide as “digital nomads” for 23 years.

After selling our last truck camper in Chile, South America, we were homeless again. Or better, “in between” travel chapters. We wound down our three-year adventure on that continent with a few weeks in an Airbnb apartment in Santiago de Chile, before visiting Mark’s friends and family – and celebrating his mom’s 90th birthday – in icy Massachusetts, USA. That’s where and how we started 2026.

Without a home on wheels or any prospects, and not being fans of the cold, we came up with a plan, which was a twist on our usual lifestyle since we had few belongings left and no moving home. We booked a rental car in Portugal for two months, arranged two-week rentals throughout the southern Iberian Peninsula, fitted in a couple of city trips, traveled by train with our dog to get to Southern France, and rented three lodgings in that country as well. For the last stretch to Belgium, my cousins gave us a ride.

Entering Spain

Our rental car at the gas station – Fuel is cheaper in Spain than in Portugal

Driving through the countryside in Spain.

Maya was often panting and uncomfortable in the car.

Maya on her back seat

Returning to Portugal

(As always, click on or hover over the photos in the galleries to read their captions.)

How did we fare? Did we like this kind of traveling? Was it costly? What were our favorite parts? Would we do it again? How about missing our own home on wheels?

Maya learned to stick her head out of the window. This was never possible in our campers before.

One of the train rides to France

Last train ride to meet up with my cousin and her husband

Maya ready for another train ride

Andalusia, Part Two – White Villages & Other Sights in Spain’s Málaga Province (And Our February 2026 Expenses)

March 30, 2026 / Liesbet / 22 Comments

For our second two-week stint in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, Mark and I rented a fairly modern apartment in the coastal city of Benalmádena. The main reason for coming to Spain this winter was to check out a few cute Andalusian villages as a potential future base. Ideally, we would have stayed in one of those towns, but higher rents and cooler mountain temperatures in mid-February nudged us towards the Mediterranean coast instead.

View over the town and the Med from Benalmádena

The weather improved for a little while, but our apartment lacked outdoor space to enjoy those elusive sunrays during what turned out to be a particularly cold, windy, and wet winter. The thin walls didn’t help either, especially with loud neighbors above us. We relied on the fan for background noise to sleep.

Andalusia

Around Benalmádena

From Benalmádena to Orgiva

Ronda

The first town we decided to visit was a winner! Mark and I were immediately charmed by the beautiful architecture, narrow cobblestone streets, and spectacular surroundings. We picked a sunny day for our visit and quickly fell in love with Ronda. Yes, it’s touristy—but with good reason.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Fort in Ronda

Nice open space and buildings

First view of the canyon

Narrow streets in Spanish towns are the norm.

View towards the old part of town

The walled city of Ronda

We admired the historic buildings, three different bridges, and the dramatic El Tajo gorge. While we had planned to descend to the river far below, a couple of hours of strolling around town—combined with a fantastic tapas lunch at dog-friendly El Lechuguita—left us without the energy for that steep descent and climb back up.

Interesting church on another pretty square

Wide open promenade along the canyon wall

El Tajo gorge

Outside the famous bullring of Ronda

View into the bullring from a hotel/restaurant balcony

Our popular lunch restaurant

The tapas, atmosphere, and good prices were worth the long wait

Instead, we drove around the outskirts for a better view of what many consider Ronda’s masterpiece: the Puente Nuevo. Completed in 1793, it spans the lush canyon in truly impressive fashion.

The New Bridge from outside of town

The new bridge seen from the bottom of the canyon

Setenil de las Bodegas

Since we still had some daylight left, we made a quick stop in Setenil de las Bodegas—a town I had only recently come across in a blog and that immediately piqued my curiosity.

Beautiful and accurate welcome sign

Having houses built into the rocks is so cool!

A village built in the cliffs

Narrow, steep paths crisscross town

Bell tower with a blue sky

For an hour, we wandered the shaded streets and photographed the homes built directly into the rocks and cliffs. I found this fascinating, as we never saw anything like it before. The closest comparison we could think of were the cave dwellings of Mesa Verde in Colorado—which, of course, are completely different.

Can you believe cars actually drive through these narrow, dripping streets?

A dark alley covered by rock

This remains one of my favorite shots and views of Setenil de las Bodegas

Andalusia, Part One – The Southwest of Spain (El Rompido, Cadiz, Ayamonte, and Seville)

March 25, 2026 / Liesbet / 31 Comments

El Rompido

On February 1st, Mark, Maya, and I left Lisbon in a rental car and joined our friend Patti at her rental house along the Piedras River in El Rompido. We stayed for the final two weeks of her three-month stint there.

Welcome to Spain!

While the setting and views were lovely, the weather didn’t cooperate. Long beach walks and outdoor happy hours were off the table.

(Hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Sporty Patti with two of the dogs

Koozie soaking up some sunrays on the balcony

That said, whenever sunshine was in the forecast, we made the most of it — heading into the Algarve of Portugal for day trips to visit my parents or explore with our friends Heather and Jon. One particularly good morning, our little group — three people and three dogs (Patti has two of her own) — managed to get some exercise along the river beach and through the nearby forest.

Cloudy walk on the river beach

Fishing boats on the sand

The house itself was spacious but cold. Luckily, we had a small electric heater in our room, which made it possible to warm up and get cozy under the covers. Patti, on the other hand, prefers cooler temperatures — a difference we definitely noticed. 🙂

Dinner at Patti’s rental

Vegetarian frittata

Flooded streets in El Rompido

Three relaxing doggies

More rain led to flooding

Despite the chilly, rainy conditions and busy days, our evenings were enjoyable and social.

Sunset after another rainy day

Indian curry on the stove

Social with friends

Comfy Maya

Enjoying an Indian-style lunch with friends

We indulged in home-cooked dinners, fabulous wine and port, and great conversations. At night, we sometimes watched the Winter Olympics together. Our trio even hosted an Indian curry lunch for one of Patti’s friends and were invited to a traditional Spanish tapas and tortilla meal at a neighbor’s house.

Authentic Spanish lunch at a neighbor’s house

The Spanish tortilla

Is the sky finally clearing up, after two miserable weeks?

Cádiz

Patti had bought a car in Spain, which needed to pass inspection in Cádiz. Since it was a 2.5-hour drive each way, she appreciated having company. With questionable weather in the forecast, Mark stayed behind with Maya and Koozie, while Patti, Pekoe, and I turned it into a day trip.