Our 2nd day in Marbella was lovely. We went to the beach in the morning, got some sun and headed to the supermarket. Here we got olives, bread, meats, cheeses and wine to feast on throughout the day. It was our ‘anything goes’ day. We truly enjoyed the day of nothingness as we were about to embark on one truly long day. Following breakfast, we hit the road. We made our way to Granada (which was about a 2 hour drive). Upon arrival, we checked into our beautiful hotel (similar to a riad) and headed straight to a restaurant. After eating a hearty meal, we walked up a long and steep hill to the entrance to the Alhambra. One word - HUGE. We bought tickets a few weeks ago as there are days they just book ... read more

So the girls are here in Seville. I left my relaxing hotel to grab the bus to the airport. This is where we have to pick up our rental car. Hmmmm. While I am waiting for the girls, I check with the rental car place. They have no automatic cars for us. Shit! The Hertz lady said they were getting some but didn’t know when. As we are in Seville, we don’t need a car so we asked if we can just pick up a car on Sunday instead. Apparently this scenario is fine… just crossing our fingers there will be a car for us! We checked into our hotel (the girls made all the hotel reservations). They picked an amazing place! We had some lunch and went straight into town. After a few hours, we ... read more

So I ditched my hostel after 2 nights. My new bunkmates were chatty… and not speaking a language I understood. My other bunkmate dropped her teddy bear on me in the middle of the night. The snoring was quite distracting, so I made the decision to check into a proper hotel prior to the arrival of my friends. I thought it would be nice for some privacy, relaxation and a good night’s sleep. I found a place with a pool not too far from the airport (as I am meeting my friend’s tmrw at the airport). I think I passed the point of no return with hostels. I like my privacy. I like to charge my laptop in places other than the floor of a bathroom. I like to be able to get my things without ... read more

So I met up with my new friend, Varty (Armenian). She is super easy going and smart (graduated Penn in 3 years followed by law school). We went for a typical Spanish breakfast - bread and ham. We walked through the main area towards the bullfighting ring. I really wanted to see a fight; however they are only on Sunday. I couldn’t convince my mom to go last Sunday and this Sunday we will be in a small town… so I don’t think it will happen! Anyhow, we got a tour of the fighting ring, the history and explanations of where bull fighting originated from in the museum. The first American question of the day was ‘what do you do with the bulls once they are killed?’ The guide said, ‘we eat the bull of course!’ ... read more

I arrived in the afternoon after a ‘small world’ flight from Barcelona. I am on the plane sitting next to 2 Americans. Turns out the guy works at a buying agency and does a lot of work with the Weather Channel. He knows my old boss very well. Such a small world! He and his girlfriend were super sweet. They even gave me a ride to my hostel as they had rented a car for their trip. So, I am staying at my 1st hostel in Europe. I am staying at the top rated hostel in Seville. Hmmmmm…. I haven’t stayed in a hostel abroad since Australia over 10+ years ago. I forgot what it is like. It is a free for all I guess. I was assigned a top bunk. No one showed up, so ... read more

I am with mixed emotions to be leaving Barcelona. I could have easily spent another few days in the city. It is colorful, lively, friendly, and my stomach finally adjusted to wine and some heavier foods! I was super sad to say goodbye to my mom today. We had a wonderful time together. I am happy to report that we didn’t kill each other (a concern for the both of us and close friends and family). Truth is, one of the woman we met annoyed the crap out of me so much as she couldn’t stop saying how everything was ‘just fabulous’ and how she had to top every single story anyone told. I tried my killing with kindness approach, but that didn’t change a thing. I then tried my bang my head against the cushioned ... read more

Next stop is Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Tunis is located in North Africa and shares some similarities to Morocco in terms of culture. What I didn’t see were donkeys, stray cats, people begging… then again, we only went to the old town where the medina was located and a local village. Here we saw goods that were similar to what was sold in Morocco - shoes, bags, pottery, jewelry, poofs, etc… I really wanted my mom to experience a souk. Following the medina, we headed to the picturesque village of Sidi Bou Said, where we had free time to see the beautiful area. All the houses and buildings were white with blue doors. Similar to the souks, there were tons of goods being sold. After some pathetic negotiations, my mom walked away with a beautiful ... read more