La Costa Tropical

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Cindy

La Costa Tropical

Our last day in Granada we decided to drive down to the Costa Tropical (about an hour’s drive) to see what this part of the Mediterranean coast is like. Like most parts of the southern Spanish coast, it’s an expat’s haven. Lots of British pensioners living here.

me and Alfonso on El Balcón de Europa

When King Alfonso XII came to the town of Nerja in the 1800s to inspect damage from an earthquake, he thought the views of the sea to be so beautiful that he dubbed the location “the balcony of Europe.” The Nerjanos loved the tag so much that they created a marble balcony extending over the beach so everyone could take in the view.

Frigiliana

After lunch in Nerja, we drove up into the hills to experience our first pueblo blanco, Frigiliana. These white villages that hang off the southern hills overlooking the Mediterranean are spectacular. You’ll see more of them in the future; I promise.

La Herradura

Last stop on our way back to Granada was Almuñécar, another coastal town. We love that this rock splits the town in two. On the eastern side of the rock you have the more modern town. On the west side is the cute little village of La Herradura – much more our speed. Had a coffee at a café on the beach, then hopped in the car and headed back “home.”

El Albayzín

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Cindy

The Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada mountains in the background

The Alhambra with the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains in the background

The Albayzín

We walked (hiked) up El Albayzín, the ancient Muslim ghetto on a hill overlooking Granada. When Catholic king and queen, Fernando and Isabel, gave the last remaining Moorish kingdom of Granada the boot in the late 15th century, those who chose to convert to Christianity and remain in Spain were sequestered in El Albayzín. It’s a warren of winding alleys and whitewashed hideaways.

Just as we came to the highest point on the hill,

courtyard in the Albayzín

Marcus peeked through a gateway and found himself in a little café/restaurante, El Huerto de Juan Ranas, perched on the edge of the ridge. What a gorgeous view of the Alhambra across the River Darro with the Sierra Nevadas in the background! I could have sat there all day admiring the view.

Tales of the Alhambra

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Cindy

Patio of the Lions

The Alhambra is the most popular tourist attraction in Spain and certainly one of my most anticipated. When I bought the tickets online in May, I had to select not only the day I wanted to go, but also the fifteen-minute time slot we wanted to begin our tour of the Palace of the Nasrids (the last Muslim dynasty to rule in Spain). The interior of the palace is where all those gorgeous photos of the Alhambra are taken. I posted the above photo of the Patio of the Lions on my website eighteen months ago, when this trip was but a twinkle in my eye.

Selecting a fifteen-minute time slot five months ago was a big deal for me. Despite travel insurance, I was a bit thoughtful about committing so far in advance. But the early purchase of the tickets also heightened my anticipation. We were really going to do this thing; I was really going to see the Alhambra.

I need to be keep my expectations in check. I had my day and time slot reserved so I imagined taking my time on the self-guided tour, strolling through the palace and enjoying the experience at my own pace. But this concept of regulating crowds by controlling admissions can backfire. People started lining up for the 3:30 time slot before 3:00, two time slots in advance. Really? By the time they were admitted to the palace, they practically stormed the place. This sense of urgency and competition pervaded the entire tour – people rushed from view to view trying to take their photos before everyone else. At every turn we had to wait for the crowd to clear long enough to see what we came to see, before the next wave of overachievers rushed through.

Here’s a thought about this digital age we live in: Everyone with a phone is a photographer, which means that everyone feels compelled to take a photo of everything remotely touristic. In an orderly situation, a line begins to form of people waiting their turn to take the same shot that their mother, father, sister, uncle, and dog just took. However, these situations are rarely orderly, or respectful. At one point, there was a group of ten or more people posing for a group selfie in front of one of the most beautiful windows in the palace. We stood waiting while each one of them captured the selfie on his or her own phone. That’s ten different shots on ten different phones of the same group in front of the same windows. Then, when all ten shots were taken, the group continued to hover in front of the windows while they admired and compared their photos and posted them on Instagram for the rest of their friends to see.

By the time we walked through the Alhambra, our nerves were shot. Marcus did get some beautiful photos, however, after patiently waiting his turn, and he was kind enough to share them with me so I could leave my phone in my purse.

And I was just kidding about the dogs taking photos. Most of them keep their phones in their pockets and are very respectful.

Castillo de Santa Bárbara

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Cindy

the beach in Alicante

We drove into Alicante to see what was going on in town. We’re staying about ten minutes north in a sleepy village full of condos and hotels. Not much action going on there at this time of year – not even an open restaurant that we could find.

el castillo above; Esplanada de España below

It was a warm Sunday; lots of people at the beach. We stopped and had a refreshment on the Esplanada de España, then headed over to the castle of Santa Barbara on the hill overlooking Alicante. So glad they have an elevator to the top because the weather was not conducive to climbing the hill.

Castillo de Santa Bárbara is one of the largest medieval fortresses still in existence in Europe. Its foundation is Moorish, like most fortelezas in southern Spain; construction began shortly after the Moors came across from North Africa at Gibraltar in 711. Great views from the top!

view of the rock that's in the backyard of our condo

our rock: our condo is wedged between it and the sea

The Osborne bulls

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Cindy

We have fallen head-over-heels in love with these bulls encountered on the hillsides of Spain. Originally an advertisement for Osborne brandy, these bulls are fourteen meters (forty-six feet) high and are strategically placed along the highways for maximum drama.

According to Wikipedia, the EU passed a law in 1994 outlawing the advertisement of alcohol on the highways, so all the bulls were to be removed. But they had become such an icon of Spain that there was a public outcry. They were allowed to remain if Osborne agreed to paint over any reference to their product, which they did. There are now ninety-one of these solid black bulls throughout the country. It’s thrilling to come around a bend in the highway and find one of these guys hovering above you, especially because they are so few and far between.

I’ve said it before: I am totally against bullfighting or torturing animals in any respect, which is all the more reason I love to see these “survivors.” They may represent the archaic sport of bullfighting to some, but to me they represent the majesty of a magnificent animal. And that’s no bull!

Wandering in Valencia

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Cindy

Mercado Central from the outside

Valencia, the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona, does not have many sights per se, which makes it a great city to wander in. No agenda, just mosey down any street that strikes you as interesting. And when you feel you are hopelessly lost, pull out Google Maps. Here’s a bit of what we discovered.

Mercado Central on the inside

evidence of the Moorish influence on architecture

typical Spanish street life

our favorite hangout – real craft brews, very rare in Spain

beautiful palm-lined streets

the glass-domed ceiling in the post office

Plaza de Toros

Valencia feria

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Cindy

Valencia Day parade

It was a day off. We were only going out for a bite to eat, but we got stuck on the wrong side of a parade. We couldn’t cross the street to get to the restaurant we had selected.

What the heck! We’re here, we might as well enjoy it.

We are not parade people. We’re allergic to crowds. So this really tested our fortitude. It was actually kind of fun. From what we could understand, it was Valencia Day – a celebration of the communidad’s (state’s) history. We saw several signs that said “Moros y Cristianos,” so I guess they were celebrating their Moorish and Christian roots. That’s nice to see, in this day and age. People in the parade were dressed in various costumes, both Moorish and Christian, from the past thirteen centuries.

How cool to have such a varied history, and how wonderful to celebrate it so many years later!

Where paella was born

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Cindy

paella valenciana for two

Had to have a true paella valenciana as Valencia is where paella was born. This is rice country. The Albufera estuary, just west of Valencia, is full of rice paddies. Most people associate paella with shellfish, but the true Valenciana paella includes chicken, rabbit, and snails. Okay, we had to forego the snails (thank goodness!) because Marcus is allergic, but other than that, this was the real thing.

Most restaurants in Valencia serve paella. There are some restaurants dedicated to it, called arrocerías (arróz is rice). I had never had “the real thing” and we were at a craft brewery, but it was on the menu and the timing was right. It was fantastic! Cooked perfectly from scratch after we ordered. It took about 45 minutes, but that gave us some time to enjoy a few genuine IPAs. Perfect meal in Valencia!

Ancient portal to Valencia

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Cindy

medieval gate to the old city

One of only two surviving gates to the old (medieval) city of Valencia. Love the cannonball dents from the Napoleonic Wars in 1808. These strong walls withstood Napoleon’s worst.

notice the cannonball dents, and the gate still stands

Tarragona

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Cindy

Circus Maximus, Tarragona

Nice stop in Tarragona as we made our way from Barcelona to Valencia. Tarragona was once a capital of Roman Spain, the first to be toga-certified. Residents were allowed to wear togas, meaning they were considered to be full Roman citizens. Maybe it was the wine. Now that I think about it, Rome may have conquered all the Mediterranean countries just for the wine and olive oil. Can’t say I blame them. It’s a strong motivation!