April 1 - “Roberto the Bull”

On the way to our excursion our guide pointed out a huge black cutout figure of a bull. He said it was the symbol of one of the strongest families in the area. That, combined with the actual bull fighting ring we saw, forced me to make a purchase. I found a tiny blue bull just begging to go home with us. And when I agreed, he grinned a big ol’ happy grin. So Roberto will be joining us for the rest of our journey. 

Now, the excursion itself was way up in the mountains to a place called Guadalest. Tiny little village of 200 people that hosts a million visitors every year. Yep. Pretty crowded. But we were actually lucky. The Holy Week visitors start arriving today and on into the weekend. 

The city center consisted of a statue of Saint Gregory. Looked like the pope. Numerous shops off of a cobblestone street surrounded it. In fact, after the “grand hike” was over (you’ll understand the reference in a second), Chris managed to locate one of the extra little rises that jutted up just a few inches from the street to just before the actual stairs began. 

And by “locate” I mean she tripped on it and fell headlong into one of the shops. Quite the entrance. She said she was worried that she would crash into some of the products on sale. I thought maybe she wanted to get the attention of the two sharp-looking Spaniard guys standing nearby. Intended or not, it did get their attention. They were over her in a flash, reaching to help her up and query as to her condition. She was a little wounded in the hip and arm and pride, but she was a real trooper. Even insisted we check out the store she had so rudely forced herself into. 

The main attractions were the 15 random museums scattered throughout the town. My favorite was the Microgigantic Museum. It consisted of amazing things that were all very tiny. Another was the Museum of Medieval Torture. You get the picture. We didn’t get to go into any of those. 

Instead we went through what had been the home of the wealthiest family in the area. They had it set up to show what life there would have been like. Kind of interesting, I suppose. 

The high point, however, came as we climbed higher and higher. The house was connected to a castle, and the trail led to its highest peak. Long way up there. Very long way. 

Another highlight of the hike was the church bell tower. We heard it sound the hour at 11 and at 12. The castle was taller than the tower, so we were able to get pictures looking down on the tower as well as up at it. 

So after a grand hike like that, I guess it’s understandable that Chris’ foot was a little too tired to make it over that hump. 

The ride back to the terminal seemed really long. At least the part where I was awake seemed long. The nap made the rest of the time go a lot faster.  And the race with one of the other buses made it kind of fun, too. We beat you, Lynn and Stephanie. 

The rest of the afternoon we spent packing. Not nearly as fun as it was a couple of weeks ago. Plus, we still had to figure out what we are wearing in Barcelona so it could go near the top. And we had to have our two big suitcases out in the hall for pickup by 10 pm. We made it. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭28‬ says, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life — a ransom for many.

Father, thank you for that guide we had yesterday. He certainly gave out a lot of info in a fun way. Bless him. And thanks for those two kind guys who helped Chris up after her fall. Bless them, too. Amen.