Rachel's email: rbaldelli1@gmail.com Rachel's phone: +1 845-706-9118 Alberto's email: akunz5@hotmail.com Alberto's phone: +44 777 639 3022

As luck would have it, I decided to drive from LA to San Diego to my first milonga there the very same evening that Rachel changed her plans and went out to dance instead of going on what no doubt would have been a terribly boring date with another guy. And that's how we met; dancing together as complete strangers to the tune of Argentine classic melodies that we both love. Our first date came the following day. As we drank, ate and flirted, we found out that both of us were going to be in Europe in summer: me in Spain, Rachel in Portugal. We joked that we could meet up and travel together. We laughed at the idea like people laugh at wild plans that sound wonderful but they know aren't going to happen. A couple of months later, as I nervously got off the plane, Rachel was waiting for me at the Barcelona airport. And in the heat of the Iberian summer, we enjoyed the Catalan city, flew to Almería and drove across southern Spain and Portugal on an unforgettable road trip that changed our lives forever. Let's return to southern Spain. Rachel and I would love you all to join us to celebrate the next step in our relationship and our future in this magical place.

Almería, which means "Mirror of the Sea" in Arabic, has been home to different civilizations throughout its history. There is evidence of a very special prehistoric culture in Los Millares and el Argar. Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Greeks exploited its mines and traded up and down its coast. The Romans, who settled here in the 3rd century B.C., transformed it into "Porto Magnus" on the Mediterranean and dominated the area until the later arrival of the Visigoths in the 7th century. The Arabs created the current capital in the 10th century, and from here they ruled over one of the most important taifas (kingdoms) in Muslim Spain. The castles and fortresses provide an exceptional historic testimony for understanding the societies of the past. https://www.andalucia.org/en/almeria-cultural-tourism-alcazaba-de-almeria The sea and the desert coexist alongside the most fertile and productive agricultural lands on the continent. https://www.visit-andalucia.com/plastic-revolution-almeria/ Arid terrain, where survival becomes a permanent challenge, and saltwater lakes which are home to a variety of animal and plant species, unique on our planet… this is what awaits visitors to this province, which is blessed with a subtropical Mediterranean climate, warm and dry. https://www.birdingplaces.eu/en/birdingplaces/spain/las-salinas-de-cabo-de-gata The peculiarities of the landscape and the bountiful Almerían climate have made this province the perfect place to locate a substantial film industry, and the region has played host to some of the most famous stars of the screen. https://www.turismodealmeria.org/en/land-of-cinema/ Its untouched beaches in the east and the larger tourist centres in the west offer a quality destination for the more demanding traveller. Its exceptional coastline borders the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Nature Reserve, with long sandy beaches and secluded coves bathed by the warm waters of the Mediterranean. https://www.cabogataalmeria.com/en