Spain - Gibraltar: Day 8

We are planning to take a day tour to Morocco one of these days but have been having some trouble with finding a guide from our books. So, we decided to do Gibraltar for the day.

I started with a swim in the pool as I have to maintain some sort of fitness to keep up with all the helados! ;D. We headed out in early afternoon for the hour drive in the other direction of the coast than the day before.

We arrived first in a city called La Linea which is a border town as Gibraltar is a British colony and not actually part of Spain. We drove across the border rather than parking on the Spain side and walking over as most books recommend. Getting across was fairly quick and easy.

Once in the town we parked and headed to take the cable car to the top of the rock. However the day was quite windy and the cable car was stopped so we lucked out with a tour instead.

The tour took us up the rock with a stop at a viewpoint called the Gate of Hercules, which gave us a view of the strait, Spain, and Morocco. It was a beautiful day and the wind served to keep things cool. We continued on to the caves where the British military dug through to house 1700 men to protect the sea and colony or something to that effect. I'm still not much of a history lover.... The tour continued as we climbed up towards the tip of the rock with a stop for photos and monkey viewing.

 

 

Some people wanted monkeys to jump on them but I declined. I did have one take food from my hand which was close enough for me! We headed back down the rock to end our tour.

 

Since we were in the UK, the thing to do for lunch was to eat fish 'n' chips. The portion was huge but the food was delish!

We also stopped to book a trip to Morocco the next day through a recommended travel agent from our tour guide - Paul. More shopping was done before heading back to grab some dinner and resting for an early start the next day.

- T
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Spain - Nerja: Day 7

We are based on the Costa del Sol, so the idea is that we will take a few day trips around the area.

Our first trip was to a town called Nerja. It is the southeastern-most point in Spain, I think and is known for the caves and beach area. Thus, we did both.

The cuevas de Nerja were very impressive. I don't have pics to post now but will be up later. It has been years since I have visited the Oregon caves, but I don't think they were anything like these. The stalactites and stalagmites were massive! It is amazing to consider that man used to dwell in these caves. I can imagine that it was hard to get around but it was beautiful.

After the caves we headed to the beach for the afternoon. The Mediterranean Sea is no Arabian Gulf, that's for sure. It was what we have deemed "refreshing" to say the least. The beach consisted of mostly gravel and rocks rather than sand. But it was a relaxing afternoon of sun and sea.

As the sun began to go down we headed to town to see the Balcony of Europe, which has a really beautiful view of the coast. Then, it was time to find a good place to eat. We've consumed more pizza in this country than expected but we found a nice Italian place overlooking the sea near the Balcony.
Another great part of Spain is the people's love for their helados (ice cream!!!). Everywhere we go there are ice cream places with flavors galore. It's not so great for the diet but great for vacation!! Thus dessert was had with a nightview of the Sea.

 

Our day in Nerja ended with our drive back to the resort. It was just over an hour away. Tomorrow will be another trip on the coast. Stay tuned!

- T
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Spain - Malaga (Fuengirola): Day 6

View of the Mediterranean Sea from cabina

Because my cousin came in from Oregon in the morning, we made no big plans for the day. So, for the first time in about a week, we just relaxed the entire day.

The Costa del Sol

I had planned to try using the Internet in the morning, so I had to go to the main pool for the ireless connection. While I waited to get in touch with someone on Skype, I went for a swim in the larger square pool there. At around 930am, there aren't many people out at all and the quiet of the water, breeze and area is peaceful. Since I wasn't able to talk on Skype, I continued to relax at the pool giving me some needed personal time to soak up the sun. Around 11 or 1130, more people starting coming out of their cabinas and the children were about enjoying the water.

Once I got hungry, I headed back to our cabina and greeted my cousin who was naturally exhausted from her long journey. So, we all spent the afternoon at the pool downstairs and enjoyed a quiet afternoon.

In the late evening, we went out to enjoy happy hour, but the Sangria was very poor and though we attempted to enjoy the "best" restuarant in the resort, none of us were impressed. However, the entertainment by Jesus was definitely worth a number of good laughs!

 

 

More excitement to be had in following days, though, so a quiet one is never a bad thing!

Until next time,

-T

Spain - Granada to Malaga: Day 5

View of Granada from hotel

As we had no need to rush to get Malaga, we had a lie in - becoming the custom - and then went to enjoy a traditional breakfast of chocolate and churros with our coffee at Gran Cafe in the main plaza.

Then, we walked around to see the chapels in the city based on a recommendation from a guy who offered information freely. I'm not a big fan of churches/cathedrals but sometimes it is nice to see the ostentiousness of the Catholic churches. The carvings, statues and paintings are indeed awe-inspiring. Though I think perhaps the churches in Peru were a bit more opulent.

Unfortunately, my back had started hurting from all the walking the day before. So I wasn't up for too much walking therefore, we headed back to check out and start our journey to Malaga.

Sadly traffic was bad probably as it was the weekend it seemed that everyone was out on their way to the Costa del Sol. It took an extra hour in traffic and then we realized the resort is not actually in Malaga city but out past Fuengirola, another city about 12km past Malaga. After a few confused directions we finally arrived at the Club Cost Resort!

Our cabina is two-bedrooms with a fully setup kitchen and living space. We settled in and then hit the pool below. At last some true R&R is about to begin!!!

More to come,
-T
twaller99@gmail.com
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Spain - Granada: Day 4

Due to the late lifestyle here, we are learning to start our days a bit later as well. So, we made a leisurely start to our day in Granada. We stopped at a nearby Cafe for coffee and croissants. Then
we headed for the number 30 bus to Alhambra.

The bus climbed up the mountain side showing us a lovely view of the city below. Upon arrival we picked up our tickets to enter the palace at 1pm and then went off to explore the other areas with an hour before our permitted entrance time.

The grounds and gardens were beautiful. My mom and aunt discussed yard projects for home to replicate the beauty of the ones there. Of course, I think they'd have to budget in a groundskeeper too!
The inside of the palace was spectacular with the Islamic carvings and designs. I took loads of photos - to be posted later.

 

 

After our walk around, we stopped for a quick bite to eat before returning to the city centre for dessert, more shopping and a rest. In the evening, we headed to Albazcyin to see the sunset and enjoy dinner with a night view of Alhambra. No crazy nights so far, but a relaxing time was spent by all in Granada.

 

 

We're off to Malaga tomorrow!
- T
twaller99@gmail.com
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