A Spanish Adventure

                                               Day 1

            We arrived in Malaga, Spain at 11 AM (that would be 5 AM our time) after leaving home at 10:00 AM the day before.  We met up with Jenny and Pat at JFK airport in NYC and flew together on our overnight flight direct to Malaga, Spain. Our flight was mostly uneventful and we were glad to arrive bleary-eyed, but safely!

            After securing our luggage and our rental car, we then made the one-hour drive to the Marriot timeshare in Estepona, on the Costa del Sol.  We are happy to report that cars drive on the right side of the road in Spain, which made the trip much less stressful than it could have been. The Mediterranean Sea was on my left and beautiful steep, high mountains with no trees on my right. The multi-dwelling houses were all white with clay roofs. The mountains were absolutely beautiful!

            We checked in to the resort and then spent the afternoon lounging by the gorgeous pool, catching some rays and some much needed z’s.

Beach at Marriott Playa Andaluza

Snoozing by the pool.

Prior to going to dinner, we made a run to the nearby supermercado (a grocery store named Mercadona).  We were, for sure, the only English-speaking people in the place, which made for an interesting adventure.  First, we were unable to figure out the shopping cart system (I know, sounds like it shouldn’t be a challenge).  The carts were locked together, and we learned, after several attempts at communication, that you had to put a .50 euro coin into the lock to unlock the cart – the coin being refunded at the checkout.  Since we didn’t have any coins at that point, the cashier, after rolling her eyes, smiled and gave us a coin from her cash register.  The supermercado was a busy place, filled with people of all ages and groceries that, for the most part, looked similar to what we are used to, but with many fewer varieties.  Being on the sea, we found their fresh fish selections to be phenomenal, though.  AND, they had Coke Zero...a huge plus for Jeff.

After taking our groceries back to the villa we drove up into the mountains to the small white village of Benehavis for dinner.  There are many “white villages” nestled in the mountainous region of Andalucia, named for their alabaster white walls that dot the hillsides and stand out in the bright sunshine.  The streets were narrow, very narrow, and the dwellings are old and quaint.  This particular village is known for it’s many restaurants, which line the winding streets.  It was very late for me by the time we had dinner – 10 PM.   Here in Spain, they eat breakfast late – 10 AM, lunch, late -between 2-4 PM, and dinner, late- after 8:00 PM.   Eating before that is unheard of, in fact the restaurants are not even open until then.  The sun only begins to set around 9:30. The activity and number of people out and about at that time of night was amazing! The town and the surrounding area are just beautiful.

We ate at a restaurant, named La Escalera, with an outdoor patio overlooking the town.  Jeff and I had sea bream, which was very fresh and tasty; our meal was leisurely (as most things are here) and we left the town close to midnight.  Pat, our most able driver, drove us back down the mountain and we retired around 1 AM, ending a very, very long day...

buenas noches

View on way to Benehavis

La Escalera Restaurant

The streets of Benehavis

View from the patio after dinner

                                      Day 2

Up at the crack of dawn (6:45), we set out on the 2 and half drive to Sevilla. With Pat as the driver and Jeff as the navigator, we took the adventure to the big city.  We learned that there are only traffic lights in the big cities, everywhere else there are MANY roundabouts (traffic circles) which keep traffic moving but can be very confusing.   Also, to go in a certain direction, you often have to start out in the opposite direction, travel to the next roundabout, and then go in the direction that you want to go.  Also, entry to the main highways is an adventure in itself.  There are no merge lanes – you must start from a dead stop and get into traffic that is moving at 80 – 120 Km per hour (50 – 70 MPH).  Try that with a manual transmission!  Pat did a fantastic job!    

            After driving partly along the coast, we then turned inland and up through the mountains.  We passed many herds of cattle, large modern windmills, and miles and miles of absolutely beautiful acres of sunflowers. Never have I seen so many sunflowers in my life!  Sorry that I do not have any pictures to show you! There was nowhere to pull off the road to take them.

            We were supposed meet our guide for a walking tour at 10:30. We only arrived in the city and found a parking garage at 10:25 and then tried to quickly find our meeting place, the Plaza Nuevo.  We were supposed to look for the guide at the statue in the middle of the park in a city where no one spoke English and we had never been before.  Using a map and asking directions to the park (the man pointed in a direction and said “cinco minutos”), we quickly walked and miraculously found a park with a statue in the middle.  A tour guide was already explaining to a couple from Denmark about a nearby building.  Jeff asked if he was with the Sevilla Walking tours and he said yes, so we joined him on his tour.  Which worked out OK , EXCEPT...we later learned that we were, in fact, in the wrong park, at the wrong statue, with the wrong guide!

The next day, Jenny (who had booked the tour) got an email from the other guide asking us why we didn’t show up.  Oh well...

            We walked throughout most of the city center for the rest of the day, wandering through the various streets and neighborhoods that made up the historic part of the city.  We learned that Christopher Columbus is buried there (maybe) in one of the hugest cathedrals in Spain, that the city thrived as a result of all the goods and riches brought back to Spain from the Americas and West Indies, and that much of the architecture was a combination of Roman, Arabic, and Jewish influences prior to the Crusades, after which most of the buildings and renovations moved toward what is now a more traditional Spanish style.

Triana - one of the 5 districts in the city of Sevilla.  Can be reached only by bridges from the main city.  It is the birthplace of Flamenco Dancing.

The Cathedral of St. Mary was built from 1401-1519 after the Reconquista on the former site of the city's mosque.  It is among the largest of all Medieval and Gothic cathedrals.

The Palace of San Telmo, formerly the University of Sailors, and later the Seminary, is now the seat of the Andalusian Autonomous Government.

The Exposition Center, built to house the Latin-American exposition in 1929.

The Plaza de Espana was built in 1929.

The lavish architecture of the Plaza was meant to accentuate the riches that Sevilla derived from the trade with the Americas begun by Christopher Columbus and continued until that time.  The timing was widely criticized in light of the Depression.

Even the railings were decorated with intricate porcelain tile work.

Examples of typical American tourists.

El Real Alcazar, facing the cathedral, was developed from a previous Moorish palace and became the palace of Ferdinand III in the 12th century.  Here are just a few examples of the elaborate architecture and expansive gardens.

More tourists.

Sevilla's bullring- Plaza del Torros de la Real Maestranza de Cabelleria de Sevilla-is the oldest in Spain.  It is here that the corrida, or bullfight, moved from horseback to foot and many of the theatrical traditions of the matador evolved.  We walked all over town looking for it, and finally found it at the end of the day.

More sights of Sevilla

Even the pigeons were looking for shade!

After 8 hours of walking, we found a crowded English Pub (O’Neills) where a loud crowd was watching the USA-Germany soccer game.  We were happy to spend some time SITTING and having refreshments while we watched the game, despite the outcome.  Surprisingly, most of the crowd in our room was rooting for the USA.

After the game, we walked to an outdoor Tapas restaurant (Horacio's) and had a great dinner(one of our best and CHEAPEST meals), followed by a stop for helado (ice cream) prior to starting the 2 ½ hour trip home. 

Horacio's

On the drive home, as we realized that we would be getting home well after midnight, we voted unanimously to make the next day a “rest day” instead of getting up early to go to Gibraltar as we had originally planned.  This was confirmed as a great decision as we fell into bed at 2 AM.  The old folks may not survive this vacation!

Buenas noches , amigos.

                                         Day 3

We began a bright sunny rest day at the resort by sleeping in until 9:30!  We then sat by the pool. At lunch we walked down the beach to a quaint restaurant called “La Vela Azul” (the blue candle) which was located right on the Mediterranean Sea.  

 Jenny and I ordered fish tapas (4 kinds), which came with many small whole fish that stared at us. We tried them and neither of us took a liking to them. However, the view was great and the rest of the food very good!  We eventually had to find our waitress to pay the check – she had been ordered by the owner to  cook and kind of forgot about us.  Of note, there is no rushing at dinner.  When you are finished eating, you have to ask for the check, they will not bring it to you automatically.  Often it takes as long to get the check as it does to eat the meal.

            That night we went to the trendy seaside town of Marbella. There was a long promenade along the beach filled with numerous restaurants, shops, and bars.

 We chose an Italian restaurant-DaBruno del Mar.  Our service was excellent! We so enjoyed watching the waiters race around, literally running, after the needs of the people. It was a little chilly and we even got blankets to keep us warm! We are amazed at the impeccable service at all the restaurants, plus the service cashed (which is very minimal and takes the place of the tip) is included in the bill total. Jeff does a great job of conversing in Spanish. At the restaurant, he asked the waiter, “When is the sunrise?” But instead he had asked, “When is the smile?!” Which brought a great, big smile on the waiter! We never did find out what time the sun comes up.

Once again, we ate very late for me, around 10 PM, and did not retire for the evening until well after midnight.  I fell asleep while Jeff stayed up and worked on pictures for the blog.

            Buenas Noches!

                                                     Day 4

            After a restful day, we set out early to visit some of the “white villages” scattered throughout Andalucía and Cadiz Province.  These bright white villages stand out in stark contrast to the surrounding rocky mountainsides in the bright sunlight and each have their own unique histories and characteristics.  They are reached only by very windy, steep roads, which did not start the day out well for Deb and Jenny who were riding in the back seat.

Our faithful vehicle, an Opal

First stop, Ronda – a village that dates back to medieval times.  The city was originally cut off from other cities by a cavernous ravine or Gorge until a bridge (Arab Bridge) was constructed to access the city. This bridge was rebuilt several times over the centuries because of the damage done by the flooding of the river each year.  Finally, in the 17^th century, a new larger bridge (Puente Nuevo) was built (after several unsuccessful attempts) and this bridge, for which the town is known, stands today to link the old city with the new, fastest growing city in the area.

Ronda town centre

Arab Bridge

View from the bridge

Puente Nuevo

Ronda views

Street in Old Ronda

Belltower of Santa Maria de Mayor

Orange tree in the plaza

             Ronda also has a Plaza del Toros, which still has bullfights each year.  Pedro Romero, the most famous Spanish bullfighter, was born in Ronda. He is responsible for forever changing the method of bull fighting from horseback to standing in the ring with the bull.

Plaza del Toros

3 Amigos

Statue of Pedro Romero

After touring the old city and having lunch at an outdoor tapas restaurant in town centre, we headed for the next village.

            The drive took us through acres and acres of groves of cork trees, which we had never seen before.  The cork is made from the bark that is pealed off of the trunk of the tree, leaving bare wood which eventually grows new cork-bark.  

 The next white village - Grazalema is reported to be the “whitest” of all the white villages, so as we approached the town from afar we attempted to see if we thought this was true..... it kinda looked the same as all the other villages, but if they say it is whiter, who are we to argue?  

View approaching Grazalema

Street in Grazalema

House after house displayed beautiful flowers.

After strolling through this much smaller village, it was time for a late afternoon snack, then on to the next village.  It was interesting that this small village had a public pool in which we could have taken a dip, but we decided not to on this visit.

As it was late in the day and we were far from our base, we decided to see one more village named Zahara.  After asking directions from our Spanish-only speaking waiter, we set out on what was to be a 30 min. drive.  What the waiter failed to tell us (or possibly got lost in translation) was that the bridge on the most direct route was out, and we had to take an alternative route which eventually got us there, but took some map reading and navigating skills.

Approach to Zahara

Zahara sits at the base of a peak that has a castillo (Moorish castle) overlooking and guarding the access to the town.  Our first thought was that we would like to climb to the top of the peak to check out the castle.  We spotted steps around the back of the town that appeared to go up to the top and eventually found where they began, but they were very overgrown.  Yet we pressed on (did I mention that everything in this area is uphill) and climbed through brush on steep steps only to come to a dead end....  and we climbed back down.  We walked through the sleepy little village and eventually discovered the steps to the castle at the OTHER end of town.  A quick vote determined that we could really do without seeing the fortress.  We trekked back through the village and found a small shop that had homemade Macarena cookies (yes, this area is where the dance is from).  We could see a TV on in the back room of the shop where someone was watching a video of a bullfight, so we had to ring the bell twice to get someone to come and sell us our cookies.  The cookies provided the energy needed to get back to the car.

Beautiful views of the reservoir adjacent to Zahara

Church in Zahara

Finally, after a few wrong turns (which were vigorously debated by the 2 navigators-Jeff and Jenny) we made our way back down the mountain and stopped in the village of Benahavis for dinner.  We sat outside on the main street and watched the end of the Brazil soccer (OK, futbol here) while eating our pizza.  After topping off the tank with ice cream (helado), we drove the rest of the way home, arriving at a record-setting early time of 11:00.  We retired at the unheard-of time of 12:00.

Buenas noches!

Day 5

            Today we headed out at 9:00 AM for the Rock of Gibraltar – British territory in the surrounded by Spain.  In 1713, Spain relinquished control of Gibraltar to Great Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht and has remained a British possession since then.  After the American Revolutionary War Spain, with the help of France attempted to regain control of the rock, believing that Britain’s army and resolve had been weakened by the war.  Despite a 4-year siege, Britain was able to maintain control of the small piece of land.  Its location makes it a very strategic piece of property, as “the rock” guards the Strait of Gibraltar which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean and separates the southernmost tip of Europe from the continent of Africa. The ride was only one hour up the coast on another beautiful day. We parked in the Spanish town of La Linea and walked across the border.

            To enter Gibraltar by car or foot, one must cross the runway of the airport. We had to stop while a plane landed and then could proceed. Very interesting to stand in the middle of a runway!  The same thing happened on the way back as a plane departed!

After entering the country, we cross the runway...after the plane lands.

Jeff and I split from Jenny and Pat. You can get to the top of the Rock by car, taxi, cable car, or foot. Jenny and Pat had decided to walk and Jeff and I decided to take the cable car.

We proceeded through the town and down Main Street. Most of the shops were closed because it was Sunday. We learned very quickly that we were no longer in Spain. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way here - they will just run right over you if you are in the street! Good thing was that everyone speaks English here.

The cable car ride to the top, a height of 1,400 feet, was great and the views of Spain and Morocco spectacular. Once at the top we encountered the famous Barbary Apes (really just small monkeys). They were numerous (about 300 total), friendly, with various personalities, and very entertaining. Especially cute was a mother and a tiny baby.

View of cable car halfway to the top

Muchos monkees
We then toured the tunnel system which was amazing.  The Great Siege Tunnels were begun in the late 1700’s by the British during the 4 year siege as the Spaniard attempted to reclaim Gibraltar.  They were hand-dug using chisels, hammers, and explosives and extend into and along the face of the rock facing the sea.  Their original plan was to build the tunnels and have gun placements outside of the tunnels.  But, as the tunnels extended further into the rock, they realized that it was necessary to blow ventilation holes out from the tunnels to the outside to vent the gasses fro the explosives.  After creating the first hole, they realized they could us these openings to place guns inside the tunnels and changed their overall plans, forming large gun placement openings along the hundreds of feet of tunnels.  This tactic was largely responsible for holding off the Spanish navy and ultimately winning the war.  This system of tunnels was extended much more extensively during the 20^th century and was critical in controlling the Strait of Gibraltar. All together, the tunnel system consists of over 30 miles of passageways!  We toured St. Michael’s Cave, a massive cave that goes deep into the rock, with beautiful rock formations, including a large underground chamber approximately 300 feet high which is used today for concerts.  

Getting close to the top 

Looking across the Strait to Northern Africa (Morocco) 

Looking back into Spain

We passed the Moorish Castle,which dates back to 1333, walking over 3 miles before walking down 1000 or so steps until we were down the Rock. 

Moorish castle

We then found a place for fish and chips (we are in England, you know) to eat lunch at 3:30! Yes, I have been eating lunch late everyday!

English style phone booth   (remember phone booths?)

Then we made our way back to the resort by 7 to relax for the evening.  We sat at the pool in bright sunlight at 8:00 (the sun does not set here until around 10:00), and then ate a late-ish dinner (again!) around 9:30.  Believe it or not, in bed before midnight!!!

                                              Buenas Noches

                                         Day 6

 Another day spent at the resort to rest my tired feet. We had walked over 9 miles in Gibraltar!  Another beautiful day relaxing by the sea. The sky is very blue with a slight breeze and absolutely no clouds. At lunch we decided to return to La Vela Azul and both had the fish sandwich, which was excellent- fresh Rake fish, a flaky white fish.  Such a gorgeous place to have lunch...I vote to have lunch there everyday!

At night we returned to Marbella, this time to old town Marbella. Last time we were on the promenade that ran be the sea, this time we walked the cobblestone streets of the old town filled with shops and numerous outdoor restaurants.

Park separating old and new Marbella

 We ate at the popular local fish restaurant – Altamirano. For the first time ever, I was serenaded by a singing Spanish guitarist, who was quite a ham! We had fresh Red Snapper and Sea Bream and both were superb!  

Fabulous fish

Fabulous serenade

 We loved the town of Marbella – both the promenade and the old town.  It is apparently a playground of the rich and famous, but we did not see any celebs that we recognized.  They probably don’t hang out where we were.

Buenas Noches!

                                         Day 7

Started the day at 9:00 for a 2 hour-long drive to the city of Granada. This time we drove in the opposite direction from where we had been previously and we saw miles and miles of orchards with the beautiful, steep Sierra Nevada Mountains as a backdrop.

When we arrived in the city at 11, we parked at the ALHAMBRA, which strategically sits on a hill overlooking the city. This is a very large, magnificent complex – the most visited site in all of Spain! We had to secure tickets in advance, since they limit the number of people that are allowed to tour each day. Our entrance time for the palace was at 2:00, so we walked down the hill and toured the Albaicin – the old Arab quarter- an area with narrow, twisting cobblestone streets lined with shops and cafes.

                                                           Albaicin views

We continued up the hill (a long, steep hill) to the Sacromonte, an area where there are cave-houses built into the rocks. This area was inhabited mainly by gypsies and artists back in the day. It may also be where Flamenco style of dance originated.

                                                Cave houses in Sacromonte

                                     View back toward Alhambra from Sacromonte

We then walked back down the hill to the Albaicin and ate an EARLY lunch (at 12:30).  Pat and Jeff had paella, a rice dish that is typical of Spain.  Both voted it as worst meal of the trip.  We shared our meal with a friendly gato (cat) who joined us for lunch.

                                                       Albaicin restaurant

Then we had to walk back UP the hill (another long, steep hill) to the Alhambra.

The Alhambra was the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. It was built and occupied by the Moors from the 1200 – 1400 until King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella moved in during the Reconquista. Magnificent in size and beauty, words and pictures will be unable to describe it.  23 different Muslim rulers (Sultans)occupied the Alhambra during the Nazrid period and their goal was to create a heaven on earth. They represented their god primarily through nature, so their use of geometric symmetry in their intricate designs, extensive use of water features and incorporation of nature into the courtyards and surrounding gardens was the overwhelming theme ( the Koran repeatedly states the idea that heaven is a garden with running water). Their religion had only one god, but there was no relationship with the creation, with man. No mediator. No Jesus. No bridge for man to access the Creator God.   

                                                         Outer wall on the way up to Alhambra

The Alhambra is made up of several areas. 

The Alcazaba was the original fortress constructed by the Moors as their stronghold. 

                                                                View of the city from Alcazaba

The Palacios Nazaries was built as the dwelling place of the rulers, and was added to over centuries.  It was extraordinary in it’s intricate designs, carvings, and mosaic tile work.  It was later added to by Ferdinand and Isabella after Spain kicked out the Moors.

Courtyard in the Palacio

Just one example of the intricate design within the Palacio

Another courtyard; note the ever-present water features

The Generalife was a series of structures, gardens, and fountains built as a place of rest for the kings when they wanted to get away from the stressful affairs of the palace.

Beautiful, extensive gardens of the Generalife

 We spent over 4 hours touring the massive site and then walked back down into the city, where Jeff and I walked the streets of Granada. I enjoyed the city – the fountains and the various cobble-stoned streets. We saw a few very old churches and had the BEST gelato in Spain – a favorite of mine!

 Don Quixote statue

Plaza Nueva 

As evening came, we planned to make our way to the Plaza of San Nicolas, an area above the Sacromonte at an even HIGHER elevation.  At sunset, this was the place to be to view the Alhambra as the setting sun illuminates the structures on the hill.  Since we had already walked and climbed many, many steps and hills over 9 hours, we decided to ride the city bus to the plaza.  After waiting for a long time without seeing the bus, we secured a taxi for the ride up the hill (best decision of the trip, it cost only slightly more than the bus ride would have) to the Plaza of San Nicolas, where we rejoined Jenny and Pat to view the sunset.  As advertised, as the sun set behind us the Alhambra was bathed in vibrant light and lit up against the evening sky.

Iglesia de San Nicolas 

Alhambra at sunset 

Coming back down into the city

After watching the sun set on the Alhambra, we got a taxi down to the city and found a place to watch the USA/Belgium soccer game (which began at 10 PM here) and eat some great pizza. 

Watching the game

We only stayed for half the game since we had to drive two hours back to Estepona. Jeff found the game on the radio, but it was in Spanish! And he was unable to interpret any of it. We had no idea who scored the goals, only that someone got a goal! We only learned the USA lost when we got back to the villa and checked the Internet. Long day, another late night (in bed after 2 AM), but loved the city!

Buenas noches!


Day 8
Another relaxing rest-day begun by sleeping in late and marked by another delicious lunch at La Vela Azul.  Due to wind conditions, we sat inside the restaurant, which is glassed- in on all sides with sliding-glass windows.  Lunch was disrupted when a pigeon flew into the restaurant and bounced off the window, landing on the floor next to a table of diners who screamed...the dazed pigeon was picked up and escorted back outside, and after a pile of feathers was swept up the lunch resumed. 

After lunch we drove again to old town Marbella to shop for souvenirs.

Then we went to the small city centre of Estepona, where we had planned to eat at a seaside restaurant that Jenny had found on Trip Advisor.  Unfortunately, they were closed when we got there (they had changed their weekly schedule to coincide with World Cup games). So we walked by the sea and then into the town center and ate dinner at 8:30. We found Rincon la Tuscan, an outdoor cafe, and had mini clams and pizza.
 

 s                                                               Streets of Estepona

                                                                     Dinner, at last

On the way back saw a huge fair with lots of lights and rides with many people. Too bad we were all too tired AND did not want to tackle finding a parking place, it would have been quite an experience to immerse ourselves as the only outsiders into the crowd of locals at a Spanish fair!

Buenos noches!


                                                    Day 9

Sad to say, this is the final day at the Playa Andaluza.  Our plans were to spend the final day relaxing before the long trip home.  We had debated doing a day trip to Morocco, but we would have been gone from sunrise until late at night, and that did not seem to be a good way to spend our final day.  We felt like we had had many long, full days of sightseeing and we just did not have enough days to do all the things that we could have – maybe next trip.  Jeff and I ate our last lunch at La Vela Azul (yes, the 4^th lunch there) and said our goodbyes to the owner and the waitress we had seen each time.  We spent the entire day at the pool and beach, and Pat and Jeff played their final games of ping pong (that had been an ongoing competition through the week).

For dinner, we returned to the village of Benahavis one more time and ate at El Castillo, a restaurant that is located in the remains of a Moorish defense castle built in the 11^th century.  Our waitress Pernilla, who is also one of the owners, is originally from Sweden and is quite a character.  She is constantly bantering with the diners in her loud Swedish accent and is constantly joking about something, her loud, distinctive laugh is heard throughout the restaurant.  She advertises her cuisine as Scandinavian-Spanish fusion, and has very unique tapas dishes.  Our other waiter was Anton, a former engineer from Finland who is now making a go of the restaurant business.  We sat outside under a beautiful clear evening sky (LATE, of course, but remember sunset is at 10 PM) and took turns remembering our favorite and least-favorite moments of our trip. 

 We drove down the mountain for the last time and headed for home to pack.  In order to make our morning flight, we have to be out the door in the AM at 6:30, but still are only managing to get into bed at 1 AM.  Hopefully, we will get some sleep on the flights home – from Malaga to Paris to Atlanta to Greenville.  And I love to fly...not!  It has been an adventure, and we hope you have enjoyed sharing it with us through this blog.  Looking forward to seeing you all in the USA, flying home on the 4^th of July. 

All praise to our God for His incredible, varied creation. And for this opportunity we had to see a new part of the world that He has made, this time with our travel companions of Jenny and Pat.  Special thanks to Pat, who did all of the driving during our 1,600 Km (1,000 mi.) road trip and Jeff and Jenny for navigating.  And to Jeff for getting the translating right MOST of the time.  And to Deb, who provided background information and planning for all the stops, as well as commentary along the way.

Buenas noches, y’all.