A surprise trip to ...

I decided to surprise Monica by taking her away for the weekend. Where to? Well, it was supposed to be a secret. Except I'm not very good at keeping them from her. Before I had even booked the room I had let out the secret of the surprise trip. Well, I had to make sure that she had not planned anything for the weekend. But she won't know where we are going. "I'll know everything by Wednesday night". She probably will.

The fact that she never found out the destination was not down to any new found resolve on my part. It was thanks to Monarch Airlines and a 5 hour delay to the flight which meant I didn't get home until gone 1am. First thing in the morning "Where are you taking me?". No chance I'm giving it up that easy.


The secret destination....Trevélez.

The secret destination was Trevélez, in the Alpujarras, in the Sierra Nevada country park. Trevélez is the highest pueblo in Spain at 1,476 metres above sea-level. One of the reasons for choosing here was to take in the fresh mountain air. Monica had complained of it being too hot at nights. The high altitude is also the major reason behind its next claim to fame, Jamon. Another good reason to go.


Trevélez Jamon.

The altitude and the 10-15 degrees difference in temperature would prove to be my downfall. Monica, determined to get the destination out of me, used her cunning. "Shall I pack my costume?". I wasn't falling for the old "Is it by the coast" line of questioning. My resolve crumbled when she asked if she should pack her dress for the evening. The last time she wore it for a night out she suffered from the cold, and that's in Nerja in August. "You might want to take a cardigan" I advised casually. The twinkle in her eye told me she was hot on the trail. "So we are going to the Alpujarras then!". I not saying where though.

The plan was to hold out until I picked her up from work on Saturday afternoon. The secret never lasted beyond Friday evening. A few beers down my neck and I spilled the beans. I let it slip that it was famous for Jamons and that was that. "Trevélez!". One day I will manage to keep a surprise secret.