Roadtrip Andalucia...

It's been a little while since I last posted and I'm trying to get you all caught up on my whereabouts these past few weeks. It's been a whirlwind for sure and though a few moments of homesickness have risen their ugly heads, they have been swept away quite quickly.

The roadtrip was this: I rented the car, though I could not drive stick, and we were on our way. The other three, Chris, Jenna and Phil, shared the driving and the parallel parking while I took the helm for directions and got us lost a few times.


Day One: We didn't have pre-purchased tickets to set the Alhambra but we headed for Granada anyways. The Gods were on our side that day and we were at the head of the line, tickets and audio guides aplenty and we spent the entire afternoon until around 7pm discovering the wonders of the Alhambra. It was spectacular and a definite MUST SEE while here in Andalucia. The city of Granada is just as neat and the shopping there was by far the best I've seen in Spain so far. My parents and I will be heading there again come December and I can't wait to share this place with them. That evening we met up with our fellow Canadian friend Annie and her friend from highschool who was here visiting. We went to a sheesha bar and smoked tobacco and drank Arabic tea. It was a really lovely day.

Day Two: At 3am we had to pick up Chris from the bus station in Granada, is he is an Aupair here and couldn't leave the children he looks after until late Friday night. We picked him up and went back to the hostel to crash. The following day, if my memory is correct, we checked out the Granada cathedral and wandered around downtown and then we headed for Malaga. We took a seriously scenic route but the views were spectacular and I made sure we had snacks. We ended up in Malaga, found a place to stay and checked out the Picasso Museum that evening. It was this day that Jenna and I had the worst, most undercooked burgers of our careers. More on that later.

Day Three: Left Malaga and headed for Ronda. We didn't have much time in Ronda but Chris gave us the tour (since he's spent the most time there). Ronda is a quaint little mountain town with an incredible bridge and one of the oldest bullrings in Spain. During the drive to and out of Ronda, we saw many of Spain's landmark "Pueblo Blancos" or White Towns. These white towns are tucked away in the mountains, and all the buildings are painted white to keep the heat out, I'm sure in the same grain as in Greece. Anyways, the views again were gorgeous and the variety of landscapes available to us here in Spain is quite amazing. This evening Jenna left via bus back to Sevilla to be in school Monday morning and we headed off down the coast to Estepona.

Day Four: We arrived pretty late in Estepona and planned to sleep on the beach. After a great Italian meal in Estepona, which is on the beach just past Malaga but WAY WAY down the mountain from Ronda, we pulled up our stuff and attempted sleeping on the beach. Chris, as usual slept like a rock but because Phil didn't have a sleeping bag, I volunteered to share mine. Now don't get any romantic ideas here people, this is a mummy bag meant for one person and the drafts I kept getting were relentless. Around 5am we headed back to the car in an attempt to catch a few hours before heading back. Chris awoke around 7, well rested and ready to drive home, while Phil and I were cold and cranky. But, Chris drove us safely back to Sevilla and I made it back for my Monday afternoon class.

I had class Monday and Tuesday and then we left this past Wednesday for Morocco. Morocco is a whole other story which I will retell in a few days as I have to get going. Needless to say, after all this travel, I am glad to be back in Sevilla. I'm attempting to catch up on my sleep but with the International Film Festival in town, I'm trying to see some movies, so sleep is taking a back seat. You will know this if you've talked to me lately, I've been up until 1 or 2am with my mind racing. Oh well, you sleep when you're dead I guess.