Andalucia

This post is intended to catch everyone up to date on our current travels.

When we last met, we were exploring Edinburgh. We left Edinburgh a bit worse for wear, but enthused by the USA's draw with England. Unfortunately, our luck was changing. Our flight to Malaga was many many hours late, and almost missed by one of our number. Once in Malaga, we were told we could no longer get to Granada that night and so a) had to cancel that reservation and b) had to find a place to stay in Malaga at 1 am. At one hostel, the old man working there said he would take us to his friend, who apparently had space. It was a sketchy few minutes but we were situated just fine. We spent the next morning in Malaga taking care of errands (a recurring theme) and then went to Marbella.

Marbella is a beach/resort town that is quite beautiful. It took us 1.5 hrs to find the tourist information, instead of twenty minutes. We walked around to find someplace to stay, which took a fair bit of time. By the time we hit the beach it was almost 4 pm. A bottle of wine and some chorizo, cheese, and baguette improved our mood dramatically. Later, we would watch Italy v Paraguay with two new friends, Anna (from Metuchen) and Jim (from the US Army).

We were off bright and early the next morning to Granada. By this time, we are quite fed up with travel everyday, but its an ambitious schedule. In Granada, we find the hostel easily, but then have to deal with the most pressing problem: laundry. We find a laundromat, only to learn that its 10 euros for 10 shirts or 5 pants. Yep, that means we are doing laundry in the sink.

Post-laundry, we start to walk toward La Alhambra to watch Ivory Coast v Portugal. We get to a place on time in Plaza Nueva, but Jonathan and I only spend a few minutes watching before we head to La Alhambra. We stop by an information desk only to be told that we will likely miss our reservation. Panicked, we run up the hill on which the palace is situated. We arrive at the top, sweating, only to be told that we were way early. Moral of the story (one that is evidenced elsewhere) – the spanish have no idea how to give good directions (“ to get there, go sort of left until you get to the church and ask there for more directions”). La Alhambra is huge and gorgeous. Enough said.

Post La Alhambra, we work hard to a) watch North Korea v Brazil and b) get all the free tapas we can. You see, the Granada deal is that beverages come with free tapas. We get our dinner that night (6.15) without ordering a single dish. Its a pretty fun process – you order a drink and out pops a random tapa. Exciting stuff.

The following morning we are on the move again – this time to Sevilla. Sevilla is absolutely gorgeous. We spend the first afternoon watching Spain v Switzerland in a bar by THE Cathedral. I have never seen so many people so sad about a single sporting event. National crisis.

We then tour the Real Alcazar for free with our CU Ids. It is an amazing palace in the same mold as La Alhambra. Real Alcazar is followed by laundry (solving this crisis created another one :( ), then dinner, and then to the hostel organized Flamenco. Really good stuff. We are taken to a small space on top of a bar nearby our dinner spot, and treated to a very strong four person performance. Guitarist and male dancer were especially amazing.

Following dinner, our tour guide (Dario) leads us on a “Night Tour” of the city life. Home late and off to bed.

The following morning (6.17) we splurge on 90 minutes in the Arab Baths. This is TERRIFIC. Aromatherapy + jacuzzi + three different temperature baths + salt bath. So well deserved. After the bath, we chow on a pre-fixe menu. Then its off to look at Jewish stuff, which the city has totally erased over the course of 500-700 years. Its really rather depressing how much the Jews once meant to the city and how little has been preserved. There used to be over 30 synagogues, but now not a single one is standing.

Tried to fit in a siesta, but Dario's free 5:30 pm tour rolled around too quickly. His tour is fun and includes a part of the city we have not yet seen as well as a lot of barely historical anecdotes. Dario can't help but over-share at times (eg: “I think Spanish people are still racist...”). All in good fun. Then to France v Mexico (pathetic France), dinner (starting at 1030 pm) and bed.

Andalucia was amazing, but we did it way too quickly. This area of the country really needs two weeks or more, not the 4 days we gave it. It was my first exposure to Spain, and I absolutely love it.

One thing to note: the siesta is nice for locals and tourists alike, but when you need something done (eg help from a bank) it is the worst thing ever.