We knew when we arrived in Germany last Fall that we would need to get someplace south or go crazy with Germany's grey, cold winter. Everyone told us that Spain was the place to find warm weather in February. After all, it's about as far south as you can go before hitting Africa! Well, the reality is that no place in Europe has what I consider to be "warm weather" this time of year, but Spain had so much more to offer.
We divided the month into three parts:
Part 1: Two weeks in Malaga. Our good friends, Dan and Renee Devereaux, decided to spend their winter vacation with us. So instead of scuba diving in the Caribbean (where they usually go), they are taking their first trip to Europe! We did a timeshare trade thru RCI for two condos on the Costa del Sol (where they say the sun shines 322 days per year ... liars!). The first week, we had a 2-bedroom unit in Calahonda, about 20 km from Malaga. The 2nd week, we moved down the coast a bit to a 3-bedroom unit near Marbella. Even though it would be too cold to go swimming in the Med, we'd at least be able to see it from our balcony.
Part 2: Five days in Seville. Lots of history and much more of the feel of a traditional Spanish town. We rented at one-bedroom apt in the historic district thru VRBO.com.
Part 3: Four days in Barcelona. We picked Barcelona to end our trip to Spain, well, because it's Barcelona. More touristy, but all that Gaudi architecture. And we'll complete trip #3 of 4 Fat Tire Bike tours we are doing throughout Europe: Berlin, London, Barcelona and then Paris. We rented a studio apt on a pedestrian street just off the Ramblas, the hub of the city.
Saturday, Feb 1
We can fly a discount airline from Nuremberg to Malaga for 40euro/each ... but the flight selection is limited. We left Nuremberg at 8:30pm and arrived in Malaga at midnight. Yeah, that sucks. Arrive in a new town, tired, in the middle of the night, and then rent a car and drive 20km to the resort. We bought a new GPS with current international maps just for this trip ... however, it took us 45 minutes to get out of the airport and city, finally headed the right way ... and by then, we had a paper map!
Sunday, Feb 2
Plenty of time to sleep in, sit in the sun on the balcony, explore the resort grounds, and do our first beach walking since we left the Bahamas. While the Med lacks the color, it sure is nice to be by the ocean again. And we discovered our first pieces of Mediterranean sea glass!
By 10:30 p.m., we meet the Devereaux's at the Malaga airport and were back at the condo in time to watch the Super Bowl! We could have lost some serious money betting that Dan Devereaux would still be awake at 1:00 a.m. after travelling for 30+ hours!
Tuesday, Feb 4.
After a day of rest, it was time to get some use out of the rental car. It's Market Day on Tuesday in Fuengirola, so we headed east and north on the coast road about 15km.
The roads in Spain were excellent ... and having the car was a real asset.
Except for traffic and parking ... but Dan K became a real pro with the roundabouts!
Yes, we came to do some purse shopping!
And the fresh food sections were amazing!
Next up was some beach walking ... which really means strolling from one nice beach bar to another!
And we hit several ... sampling the full range of Spanish beer!
Until we found the castle (every city has one) which gave us a reason to leave the beach.
with a view...
Wednesday, Feb 5th ... Renee's birthday
Well, great weather wasn't predicted for Renee's birthday, so we decided a day trip to Malaga and indoor visits to museums was in order. We had a full day in Malaga - visiting the Picasso Museum, the Museum of Glass and Crystal (#1 on Trip Advisor), and of course, the requite church and castle! We had a fabulous dinner at El Trillo .... I remember all the details so well, but I don't have a clue why we didn't take one damn picture the entire day! Oh, yeah, left it at the unit. Got a couple from the phone but will have to rely on Dan and Rene for their photos.
Thursday, Feb 6th ... Drive to Granada to visit Alhambra.
Alhambra is a must-see on any visit in this part of Spain. Sun and blue sky were predicted, so time for a road trip to Granada, which took us inland, up in the mountains.
Alhambra was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 and then renovated and rebuilt in the mid 11th century by the Moors and converted into a royal palace in 1333. It is by far the largest historic structure I've seen in Europe. And it is packed full of towers, churches, gardens and buildings used by several royal families from Moors to Christian Emperors over the centuries. It took all day to cover the grounds, moving all the time!
Excavating Roman ruins
Over the years, mosques get repurposed into cathedrals.
Intricate stone work by the Moors
Tile work on the walls, floors, ceilings ....
And the use of water throughout the grounds as pools,
fountains
and irrigation for the gardens
Ceilings ... doors ... floors ... all received intricate treatment.
Up to the towers for the best view of all
Today we switched resorts which ended up being a good thing b/c we landed in a new facility with a beautiful ocean view. Nice big balcony with a sunning deck ... now, if we could just got some nice hot weather!
A new resort to explore filled the day ... but our real goal for the day was to get the Devereaux's to bed early so that we could pick Michelle up at the Malaga airport at midnight. She's arriving for a surprise visit ...that 3rd bedroom sure came in handy!
Sunday - Feb 9
Our first real rain day. If Michelle had not been here, I'm betting we would have stayed at the condo, watch the surf pound the shore, read books, watch TV, nap ... but since Michelle was here for just a long weekend, we decided to brave the elements and take a short drive south to Marabella.
Yeah, we had the streets to ourselves as the rain poured down and the wind caused the demise of several umbrellas!
On the bright side, we found our first good tapas bar. "Tapas y Tintos" We had been less-than-impressed at the tapas we'd had in Malaga and at the beach, but this place did not disappoint. Let it rain ... we've got food, friends and beer.
Monday - Feb 10 ... Drive to Gibraltar
We awoke to a crisp and sunny day for our drive to Gibraltar ... time to add another country to the list we've visited. To avoid a long queue at the border crossing, we had been advised to park in La Linea, Spain, and walk across the border to Gibraltar. It was easy ... nobody even made eye contact with the passports we flashed as we walked through.
Hello Africa!
This small spit of land (2.3 square miles) has a rich and colorful history. While many peoples had passed through Gibaltar, it was first settled by the Moors in 1160, it was fought and changed possession until it came under Spanish control in 1462. In 1713, after the War of Spanish Succession, Britain ended up in control of Gibraltar and the back-n-forth between Spain and England has continued ever since. It's a strategic spit of land ... overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar and access to both the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. It makes sense for Spain to want it since it sits a stone's throw from their southern border. But, on the other hand, you've got all these residents who like being Brits.
clear, sunny and brrrrrrry windy!
Because of the high winds, the cable car to the top of the rock was not running. We had the services of a local tour guide instead, and his van, which aptly navigated the tight roadway up the mountain.
It's defensive importance was obvious.
Not surprising, the inside of the mountain was developed with miles of the siege tunnels. The first stage of construction occurred in 1779-1783, creating a British fortress. The tunnels were further developed during World War II when it served as a forward operating base for the Allied Forces invasion into French North Africa.
There they are ... the 'apes' everyone comes to visit...
Barbary Macaques
We'd heard they can be overly friendly, but they were well-behaved for us.
The Money Shot!
Pretty awesome ... jutting off the shoreline.
Nice little beach they created along the coast.
No VAT in Gibraltar so we engaged in some shopping...
Jewelry for Nancy and Renee.
China tea cups for Michelle.
Rum and Ron Meil for the men folk.
And of course, a little English cuisine.
Tuesday - Feb 11. Ronda
No rest for the weary after a long day in Gibraltar yesterday. Michelle leaves today for Germany and she wants the most from her 40euro ticket! We've seen all the pictures so now it was time to see scenic Ronda for ourselves.
Like most parts of this area, the origins are Roman, Moorish and Spanish.
But it's the bridges that people come to see. The GuadalevÃn River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100 plus meters deep El Tajo canyon upon which the city perches.
The new bridge, Puente Nuevo, constructed in 1751-1793.
50 people died in the construction of the bridge, and the architect met his demise when he fell from the 390-ft high (120-m) bridge during a safety inspection. The bridge also became a popular spot to throw people to their deaths during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939.
In Ronda, we were also able to see the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain, Plaza de Toros de Ronda.
It takes 3 bridges to connect the city, across the gorge.
Wednesday - Feb 12. Resort Day.
The sun came out! Finally, time to put on shorts and sit in the sun on the balcony!
By the afternoon, we did get motivated to drive back to Marabella and see it in the sunshine.
Between siesta time and this being the off-season, not much is open in these little towns.
Neat streets. Loved the tile work here. Even walkways.
There was an antique store by our resort. We found the perfect addition to the Devereaux patio.
We walked down the beach to a small restaurant. It really feels like vacation when you can do that.
We saw many ocean sunsets over Africa!
Thursday- Feb 13. Morocco
Time to visit another country! This time, we are taking a tour bus arranged through the resort. It's a long drive to Tarifa, the southern most point of Spain. And then a ferry ride, border check, and tour bus once we arrive in Tangier. Throw in a guide, and you've got the making of a care-free day.
Just don't rain.
Leaving the port at Tarifa.
Highs-speed ferry. 45 min ride.
Welcome to Morocco!
An international city. There is a neighborhood dedicated for most countries.
Tourist stop! It's part of the experience!
DWD's first camel ride ...
Entering the Casbah ...
Lunch was provided. That alone was worth the tour!
and, yes, they served beer and wine .."Sa,Ha"
Walking the narrow market streets was an experience! You are hounded on all sides by people selling, not to mention the many shops you are walking by ...
We saw a demonstration at a rug shop.
And another demo at the natural remedies shop ...
Around 4:30pm, our guide was herding us back on the bus, back onto the ferry, and successfully getting us thru Customs in record time.
View of Gibraltar from the bus.
Friday - Feb 14.
Malaga airport at 7:30am. Devereauxs are back at the airport, starting their return to the USA. We are back at the condo, sleeping off the hangover from last night!
By early afternoon, we were out at the beach, enjoying our last beach market, beach walking, beach cafes.
Here's to you Robert, good buddy! They were serving ribs for dinner.
Saturday - Feb 15. Malaga to Seville by train.
Our turn to check out. A grey day by the ocean so we are OK with moving on. Back to the airport to drop off the car, then catch one train to the main train station where we caught another train into Seville. I love travel by train. By 2:00 p.m, we had found our rental apt and were ready to start exploring Seville.
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