Day 9 – to Albarracin

I was in Teruel to check out a warning light for the engine. It occurred Friday, so fortunately I was close to a city and a Volkswagen specialist. I had sent them an email and had a reply to bring it today, which, despite it being a pain, was not inconvenient. I waited an hour or so, and it got checked out. A fault on the AdBlue system. They will order the part, and fit it later this week, and meanwhile I can drive on it without problem. My plan was to be within 50 km of Teruel, so it could have been a lot more hassle. Everyone in the workshop was tremendous, particularly impressed with the dog, who just sat outside the van, impassively, throughout.

I was away at 12.30, and then just the 30 km to Albarracin. Over 1,000 years old, Albarracín is surrounded by spectacular stony hills and was declared a Monumento Nacional in 1961. The many red sandstone boulders and cliffs surrounding Albarracín make it popular for climbing and hiking.

I was here on Bike Spain 17 years ago… and was reminded of that by the woman at campsite check-in, who showed me the reservation for 5 August 2005.. I cannot believe how crazy we were to bike through the Spanish centre in August..

Today was cloudy throughout, the weather is changing, and there was rain in the early evening as we walked into the old town. This is Aragon state though, and many COVID restrictions are still in place. The bars and restaurants in the old town have no terraces or outside seating, and still cannot open. I had dinner and a couple of beers back at the campsite on their terrace, Jabali (wild boar) burger.