Eastern holidays with Opa Rudi in San Pedro del Pinatar
Five days in San Pedro del Pinatar visiting Opa Rudi and Oma. Salt lakes, street art, a boat trip in Cartagena, BJJ with the locals, and a lot of good Spanish food.
Eastern holidays, and we flew south to visit Opa Rudi and Oma Lina in San Pedro del Pinatar on the Murcia coast. Five days of salt flats, market Sundays, a boat in Cartagena, a proper mountain hike, and more fried squid than strictly necessary.
Day 0: The flight
Late night departure, quite a bit of turbulence over the mountains, landed in Alicante well past midnight. The boys thought the turbulence was great. Frederik less so.
Day 1: Arrival and the Salinas museum
San Pedro del Pinatar sits next to the Mar Menor and the Regional Park of Las Salinas, one of the largest salt flat areas in Europe. First stop: the museum of the salt works, with a cinema room explaining the history and ecology of the area.
After the museum, lunch by the beach. Empanadas, nachos, and fried squid. Alexander was already in full holiday mode.
Day 2: Market and the sea
Sunday market in San Pedro, followed by the beach.
That evening we all trained at Club de Lucha Thiar. First the kids had their session, then I joined for two rounds with the adults. Very welcoming club, good mats, and they made us feel right at home.
Day 3: Cartagena
Day trip to Cartagena, one of Spain's oldest cities. We did a boat tour of the harbour and the coast. Afterwards, dinner in a beautiful patio restaurant in the old town, the kind with an open courtyard, string lights, climbing plants on every wall, and a striped awning overhead.
Back at Opa's, Andreas and Alexander kept us entertained.
Day 4: The long hike
A proper mountain hike inland from the coast. Alexander points to the summit we're climbing. The ridge at the top had a full panoramic view over the valley and the sea.
Finished the day at Playa Aguamarina and Playa Mil Palmeras. Deserved.
