We're enjoying our first week in Competa, Spain, and we love the unique house (see previous post for pics of the house) we're staying in! Competa is a popular destination for hikers because it is bursting at the seams with various trails and quiet roads, so we've taken advantage of this and have walked 14 miles since we arrived here on Wednesday. Oftentimes this involves steep uphill walking, but the younger kids have been troopers!
Everyone in Competa is friendly and quick to offer a smile and a cheerful "hola!". Spanish is the go-to language, but 40% of the population is foreign, and around 3,000 people are permanent residents. The pace here is relaxed, but contrary to what we've heard about the Spanish, they seem to be quite punctual.
Siesta is from 2-5pm during the week, and store hours can be a bit scattered, so it's best to learn each shop's individual hours ASAP! Some places are only open from 9am-2pm, and many restaurants don't open until 7 or 7:30pm! Most businesses except restaurants are closed on Sundays, and if other stores are open, they have very limited hours.
Unfortunately, the narrow streets were designed just a few years before (a few years before as in Roman times ;P) the invention of automobiles, so motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters are a popular commodity. ~Grace

Some delicious local bakery goods!

A small chapel in Competa.

A statue inside the chapel.

A view on the hiking trail.

We discovered an ostrich in a small pen... I'm not sure what Spain's animal treatment laws are, but this definitely wouldn't fly in the U.S. 

Another spectacular view!

That's the Mediterranean in the distance!

A flowering almond tree.

Dessert at a local restaurant! Tiramisu and lemon custard; both were delicious!

Irises in February!

Terraced agriculture.

We made a friend!

This is the sweetest donkey you'll ever meet; we named him Rudy!

His forehead is really soft, and he loves lots of attention!

Clare fell in love with Rudy immediately!

Walking around Competa.

We bought roasted chicken and french fries from the grocery store! 

Views from another hike.

Taking a break! And me trying to dig Collin's water bottle out of his backpack. The poor guy carried all of our water bottles the entire hike! He didn't complain once.

See the tiny trees on the left side of the peak?  We hiked up to those and home again!  We were pretty sore and tired. 

Clare Bear looking pretty epic, but mostly adorable.

A distant view of Competa.

The local soccer field.

Hiking uphill.

The green bag that Paul is holding is filled with pinecones; they make excellent fire-starters! (We have a fireplace at the rental house; it doesn't have central heating)

We took turns carrying the pinecone bag.

The Morgan fam.

I think we'd probably be stuck at the Paris airport living off of Burger King or something without this guy!