Not-So-Impressive Malaga

I was so surprised...we walked a very long way up a winding, slippery-rock-paved road, in the very hot Malaga sun...to look at walls and trees and puppets...

Yeah, well, that one was due to our excitement at seeing the "castle" down there...But I'll get to that shortly.

After a very late start in Tarifa, Russ and I were off for Malaga--a city I wasn't terribly excited for, but still: Mediterranean views and old, Moorish architecture.

Well, we kind of hit the ground running in Malaga, walking off for the Alcazaba (fortress) and Castillo (castle) after lunch. (Which, by the way, is getting on track with the Spanish schedule, with lunch at about 2 or 3 pm). Though at first we were under the impression that these sites were closed on Mondays, so we were actually on our way to the Roman Ampitheatre (which we actually never found). On the way, we stopped for some pretty souvenirs, and came across the entrance to the Alcazaba, found it open, and bought our tickets.

The Alcazaba itself was mostly gardens and winding stone pathways and small plazas, surrounded by tall, stone-and-brick walls. It was pretty cool, especially with the Moorish details, but it was also very hilly and filled with stone staircases. Very tiring, especially under that hot Malagan sun. We were sweating (and slightly panting, on my part--I am definitely not the soldier haha).

After we wandered through the Alcazaba, looking for the walkway that would lead to the Castillo (which we finally, after a lot of stair-climbing, found out were not connected for tourists), we stopped back at the hotel. The light, breezy t-shirt and short skirt I had on were not cutting it and I was in desperate need of free underarms so as not to completely die of heat exhaustion. Plus, skirts are not conducive to long walks with some uphill battles.

And they were certainly uphill battles. I really mean that. Haha The road leading to the Castillo, which sits atop a tall hill overlooking the ocean and the city, is long, winding, and extremely steep. Russ joked about wishing we'd had segways for the walk up, but I honestly don't think those things could make it up those hills. We'd have to lean onto the ground to go forward. Haha we had to stop several times so my heart didn't burst of of my chest and beat me with its tired, angry arms, and we were both drenched in sweat by the time we mde it to the top. My legs were ready to collapse.

"This castle better be worth it," we both chanted. And what did we find, you ask? More stone walls surrounding sparse trees and bushes, around tiny stone buildings with no access to the inside...Oh, and the information center, which showed us the various items and military uniforms for the first several centuries of the castle's existence (it was built in the 14th century!). It was cool to see...however only if it had been at the bottom of the hill...the only thing the castle really could have boasted, in my opinion, would be the views. I'm sure they were beautiful, but Russell and I were not climbing another ten feet of stairs up the walls...I would've collapsed.

And then we had the walk back down the steep, slippery rocks. By the time we made it back to the city, we were starving and decided to try a BBQ restaurant, which really just means grilling the meat in Spain, not being drenched in BBQ sauce. Haha Basically, we ate a lot of meat (pork and duck) and drank a pitcher each of sangria and tinto de verano (which is just red wine with carbonated soda mixed in).

Unfortunately, we woke up feeling a little sick to our stomachs this morning, so, though we'd planned on going down to the beach, we headed straight for Granada, which thankfully was an easy drive--not too many crazy roads/drivers. After buying tickets for the Alhambra for tomorrow and very slightly attempting the cathedral, we returned to the safety and comfort of our hotel to recover a bit.

Now Russ is saying he's feeling better, so we'll see if we can tackle at least the cathedral tonight before dinner. If not, we still have tomorrow! Hopefully we'll be feeling better by then, because I've dreamed of going to the Alhambra for years. So, anyway, hasty mañana, compadres! Que tengan in buen dia! Besos!

Tanger en Todo

I was so surprised...Russ and I got a little souvenir-crazy in Morocco today.

Okay, friends, I'm exhausted, so don't expect a very long post today. It's to your benefit anyway. ;)

Anyway, today we went over to Tanger, Morocco! We took the ferry this morning--about a 35-minute ride--and found the tour guide I'd booked for the trip. And boy, am I glad I did! Seriously, if you're ever in southern Spain and thinking about popping down to Morocco, I very highly recommend Aziz Saint Laurent for the tour. He got us safely through some sketchy (for tourists), but so cool to see parts and gave a very extensive tour of Tanger. Very fun.

Anyway, we got to see where the royal family of Morocco lives, the fish market, the fruits market, the spice market--basically all of the Kasbah, plus some cool little handmade shops. We also saw the Hercules Grotto--which was really cool, and Russ and I contemplated moving in--the sound, sight and smell of the ocean, paired with the dark cool of the cave. Plus, Tiger would have a blast hiding in the little cavelets (the technical term, I believe). :)

Plus, Aziz was kind of a celebrity. Everywhere we went, he knew at least half the people, and had "in"s for pretty much everything. It was fun.

Oh, and did I mention that he took us to a fabulous restaurant with authentic, local food? Well, he did. And it was amazing. Russ and I practiy scarfed the food, it was so good. They gave us what they called a salad, but really it was like a salsa, a plate of vegetables and bread, the. Some delicious Moroccan lamb recipe and some kind of chicken pie. Oh, it was amazing. So fresh and delicious.

Uh, anyway, we also bought some cool stuff in some little shops, and even had to haggle a good bit. We got a marble camel figurine, a pretty hand painted bowl, a couple beautiful tablecloths, AND (my favorite) a cool, Moroccan lantern! I'm obsessed, you guys. It's so heavy, but sooo beautiful! I can't wait to hang it up!

The only problem now is that we sti haven't bought any Spanish souvenirs yet...But we do still have a week, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for something cool. Until then, we're off to Malaga tomorrow, and then Granada! It's been a hell of a honeymoon already, and I can't wait for more!

Hasta mañana, mis compadres! Besos!

Whales!!

I was so surprised...Cadiz was not that great.

Okay, so we had no wifi again in Cadiz (we were in a little hostal--nice, but no private bathroom and no Internet :/), soooo now I have to inform you of our adventures for a few days. Since the last post, we saw a bullfight, enjoyed the beach of Cadiz, got lost on the way to Tarifa, and then went whale watching! It's been a fair bit.

As for the bullfight--it was fun, and we enjoys it, but Russ isn't really the biggest fan. I agree with him, and he respects the tradition and culture of it, but he'd prefer not to watch it again. And I respect that. No regrets for seeing it, though, so that's good. :)

As for Cadiz, well, we liked the beach (though both agreed Hawaii had nicer, cleaner, better beaches), and had a good time, but it's not a place either of us really care to go again. Just too tourist-y and dingy for our tastes.

Finally, after a few rough starts (very rough and stressful, being lost in a car in a foreign country, ugh), we finally made it to Tarifa. And I, for one, really love it here. The streets an buildings are cleaner, prettier. The city doesn't have as touristy or congested a feel. The ocean is nearly always in view. AND we had delicious Mexican food at a restaurant in the center of the city. I know, Mexican food in Spain? But holy cheese, man, it was the best Mexican food I've had. Ever. Like, if this was the Mexican I could get at home, I'd eat it all the time. Delicious. Oh, and we also went whale watching. That was awesome! We saw a few pods of orcas and several fin whales, on top of just having a great time sailing on the Strait of Gibraltar. Russ and I have decided that if we ever get rich, we wanna live on the ocean and have our own boat. We love the water. :)

Other than all those fun adventures, we're just excited now for Morocco tomorrow!! We're going to probably be pretty tired, so we'll see if I get to a post, but I'll do my best! Just know that we're having an awesome time and I can fairly safely say we'd both highly recommend Spain. :) And having a later honeymoon is kind of awesome in itself--thank goodness we already know how to handle each other stressed and tired and traveling. But, really, I couldn't have picked a better travel-buddy and we are having the best honeymoon ever. :)

Love de Espana!

Amor Sevillano

I was so surprised...we get to see flamenco and a bull fight in the same city!

Since my computer died while I was typing this up yesterday, and we realized we have no outlet converter for a grounded plug, I now get to type these out on my phone while we have wifi...Yay. So pardon any weird mistakes. And also the lack of pictures...Those now get to wait til we're back. :/

Oh we'll. Anyway, we weren't very productive yesterday, actually. In part due to jet lag and in part due to walking around in such heat! Seriously, guys, it just keeps getting hotter! Though we're building up our tolerances--both for the heat and walking for hours. But it still gets to us. Hence the long siesta we took yesterday afternoon after driving out to Sevilla.

When we got into the city, and somehow found our hotel in the midst of it all, we knew it would be extremely difficult to find parking for two nights...the hotel has none, and is located right in the middle of several one-lane, one-way, teeny-tiny streets. So we drove around the same block a few times before finding a magician who directed us to the only spot anywhere near our hotel. Or, really, anywhere at all. Haha after checking in and grabbing lunch--a strange seafood salsa with small crackers--we passed out for a few hours. Seriously, even I took a nap--and anyone who knows me knows I don't do that often.

After our little siesta, we navigated through the city a bit, walked for a while just looking--and also finding our way toward El Patio Sevillano--a flamenco show place, and the one recommended by our front desk girl.

We splurged a little for a great show and some tapas and drinks. It was COMPLETELY worth it. The show was wonderful! We were so entranced that we barely noticed a buzz from the two pitchers of sangria we polished off during the show, not to mention the several tapas they brought us. Seriously, if you're ever in Sevilla, El Patio Sevillano is amazing! I wish I could show you pictures, too, but oh well.

Today, now, has been reserved for sightseeing. After letting ourselves sleep in a bit this morning, we wandered down the street and found chocolate con churros! If you can't tell what it is, it's a chocolate syrup-like "drink" warmed up, with some delicious, non-sugarfied churros for dipping. Yummy!

Once we finished off our churros, we headed down to the Plaza de Toros (bullfighting ring) to buy tickets for a show tonight we accidentally found out about. So, we also get to see a bullfight tonight at 10 pm! I know--Spain has weird schedules, but I think they were ring nice and letting the sun set first. (Did I mention it's hot?) Because after we completed our one chore, we were off for the Alcazar (a castle-like structure for royals) and can I tell you it was gorgeous? Because it was. The details were so magnificent--inside and outside, with traditional Spanish tiles and moldings, and Moorish arches and windows, and frescos and moulded ceilings and carved doors and plentiful gardens. It was awesome. Just breathtaking. Again, I really wish I could show you pictures, but even those don't do it justice. Russ and I were just in awe the entire time. Except when Russell was trying to poke a koi in a big fountain. That was not awe. Haha

After the Alcazar, we headed toward the Catedral, but found we were too late to take the tour. It was still beautiful from the outside, though. Oh, and we also found a naval museum inside a random tower, and climbed a bunch of stairs while looking at boat things. Haha It's been a busy day.

We also stopped for lunch at an actual cafe, instead of the usual tapas place, and had some delicious sandwiches and a glass of sangria for 8 euro total! It was delicious, and we're now gonna try to do that more often.

Anyway, after a rest in our hotel room (with air conditioning), we'll be off for the bullfight! We're excited for tonight--almost as excite as we are for a beach day tomorrow. Haha So until then, tengan un buen dia! Besos de Espana!

On to Córdoba!

(This post was typed up on Tuesday, July 16, and published 17 July.)

I was so surprised…that driving down tiny European streets is terrifying (though I should’ve known, really).

Last night, Russ and I walked back down to the Plaza Mayor of Torrejón de Ardoz, where he had vino tinto con limón (red wine with lemon), and I had a Coke. I just needed the sweet sugar and caffeine to keep me awake for the walk back to the hotel.

After returning to the hotel around 1 am, we woke to find that it was already 10:30—way later than we meant to sleep in! After all, we had an appointment to retrieve our rental car at 9, and still had a 4-hour drive to make.

However, after showers and some bus managing, we made it to the airport, got our luggage back (yay!) and hopped in the rental on the way to Córdoba. After a quick stop at McDonald’s (we know, we know, but we wanted to hurry on to Córdoba!) for lunch, we were on our way.

It’s so interesting seeing the countryside of a completely different country. It seems almost like the US when you don’t see the buildings or the Spanish signs. Finally getting into Andalucía gave us views of the typical Spanish-style houses and buildings, small, white-washed towns hidden in the hills, and many giant, cardboard bulls. I couldn’t tell you why…haha

When we made it into Córdoba, we had a…difficult time, to say the least, navigating the streets to find our hotel. On the bright side, I found a fairly-priced, chic hotel in the middle of the city. On the downside, this meant navigating down tiny, one-car-width cobblestone streets. At one point, we literally had about two inches of space between each side-view mirror and a wall of stone. It was terrifying.

And Spaniards Do. Not. Move. They expect you to move for them. I don’t know what happens when they encounter each other in the street. Probably it just turns into Dr. Seuss’ The Zax, if you know that story. Or if you don’t look it up, I guess. haha

So, well, we eventually accidentally found the hotel and decided to park (for 15 euro extra) under the hotel—trust me, it was well worth it.

Once we finally had our stuff in the hotel and could move freely, we headed down to La Judería (or the Jewish Quarter), where beautiful, Moorish details dotted the traditional Spanish architecture. We spent a few hours wandering the streets, stopping to eat some tapas when we were hungry.

We had some delicious tapas that night, first trying some vino tinto con limon (red wine with lemon), which actually turned out to have some carbonated soda in it—delicious—before finding a tapas bar and picking a several to try. My favorites were the bull meat and croquettes. Seriously, don’t try to find good croquettes in the States—I did, and was sad to find that nothing compares to authentic Spanish croquettes. They’re probably one of my favorite foods, even though it’s mostly just fried mashed potatoes with meat. So good, though, trust me. And the toro meat was just as delicious—we scraped the dish clean. With these tapas, we may also have had another pitcher of sangria. I know, alcoholics. But that’s what Spaniards do! They drink wine a lot! Regardless, it’s our honeymoon and we’ll do what we want. :]

Soon after (about midnight or 1ish), we headed back to the hotel and are now ready to pass right out.

And in the morning, Sevilla! Buenas noches, amigos!