We saw so many different landscapes today! Mountains, pines, beaches, shrubs, vineyards, orchards, ghost towns, major cities.

We decided to stop in Lorca for an extended lunch and walk around to stretch our legs. We went to the cathedral but it was closed. There were tons of beautiful buildings and doorways. We were happy to see that they were repairing an older building rather than tearing it down to build a new one.

We had a good wander through town and found a lovely restaurant. They recommended the salmorejo which was a traditional Andulucian tomato soup with boiled eggs and jamon that was divine. We tried a few other dishes that were all really good and the service was great! I also loved all the signage in the square.

We saw several Camino arrows in town. One of the other routes must have come through this town.

One thing that has been a constant nightmare that needs to be mentioned is the parking garages. They were horrible when we lived here before and they haven’t improved. The first thing is that they are incredibly small. They are also very dark. The spots are very tight and there are always pillars in the way. There are multiple ramps but they are super steep. Driving a stick shift up/down the steep ramps with tight turns is enough to make your hair turn grey! That said, the technology they have for payment is awesome. When you pull the ticket, it takes a picture of your license plate. The system recognizes your liscense plate when you try to depart, knows that you have paid at the machine, and opens the gate without having to do anything.

As we left, we took the wrong turn and ended up going up a super steep skinny laned road. Again, it was super nerve wracking and I was so glad H was driving instead of me! We did get to see the castle and Parador as we were driving out of town.

Our apartment was lovely and close to the beach. Once we got settled we went for a nice walk, had a lovely dinner and called it a night. It was a good day even though we were in the car for a lot of it. 475 miles to be exact!