How to Spend a Weekend in Almería Province...

Looking to create the perfect weekend in Almería? Here are some step-by-step instructions.

1. Begin with tapas:
Kick off the weekend with a Thursday night outing to Casa Puga, a very typical tapas bar in Almería. Drink wine and eat baby squid (so good!). Play a multilingual game of 21, until everyone is utterly confused.

Drink more wine.

2. Find the music. If you can’t find it, create it:
Wind down your Thursday evening at a small tetería (they sell tea – get your mind out of the gutter) with live music.

Enjoy the accent of the Argentinian singer, but not his out-of-tune guitar. Applaud for the guy who pretty much channels Bob Dylan. Wonder at the randomness of the old guy who gets up and tells jokes. Sip your jasmine green tea. Cheer like hell when your flatmate decides to get up and play a couple songs – even with a cold. Vow to return the next week (whether you actually do or not).

3. Remind yourself that it’s November:
On Saturday, join your flatmates and a couple of their coworkers in a trip to Laujar, a small town in the Almería part of the Alpujarras (basically a series of hills that border the Sierra Nevada, dotted with villages).

There, you will find that November is alive and well in all its autumnal splendour (changing leaves, brisk wind, falling pinecones). Even the sweet odour of half-rotted leaves will make you happy, as you walk around the pretty little ravine. After a brief stroll, step into the adjacent restaurant and gorge yourself on migas (a traditional dish of flour fried in oil – the result is almost like couscous) with blood sausage, chorizo, roasted green peppers, and other tasty treats.

4. Get deserted:
On Sunday, meet up with a couple colleagues and head out to Cabo de Gata, the large nature reserve about an hour away from Aguadulce. The whole area is a sort of desert-scape, with the occasional white stucco town, tiny beaches, and an amazingly blue sea. It’s the kind of landscape that reminds you how small you are, and how powerful nature is.

Head to the small village of Las Negras and eat paella by the roar of the sea. Stop at Playazo on the way back, and wander around. Then hit up La Isleta del Moro (apparently named that because of the North African pirate who laid claim to a particular jutting rock) for a coffee.

Arrive home content, relaxed, and ready to start a new week. Avoid work for the rest of the evening.

And how was your weekend?