Blogs from Andalusia, Spain, Europe - page 6

Today was a down day, with nothing much to do. Manoli had looked over the map to see what might be interesting. We left the pension around 11am or so, and headed to the beach. It was a fairly long walk, but pretty interesting too. We arrived at Malagueta Beach, one of the main beaches in Malaga, and after a short walk along the beach, Manoli spotted the Chiringuito Sicsu Bar. She had heard it served pretty good food, so we stopped. Pretty much every table was outside, but covered with awnings to keep off the sun. Also, since they had the area cordoned off, we had to wait in line for a few minutes to get a table. We sat down, looked over the menu, and ordered our lunch. Manoli decided to try their seafood ... read more

Today we planned on taking a bus to Nerja, a town not far from Malaga. Nerja is famous for three things; the Balcon de Europe, a balcony on a cliff overlooking the beach; the Cuevas de Nerja, a pretty famous cave in which was discovered remains from prehistoric times; and as the location for a famous television series "Verano Azul" and the boat that appeared in the series, La Dorada Primera. We walked down the street and took bus 1 to the bus station, meeting up with Salome. We waited a bit, then took the next bus to Nerja. After we disembarked in the town, we strolled down to the beach. Here is where the Balcon del Europa was located. First we walked through a small opening, then took a walkway to the beach. After a ... read more

Seville, yet another beautiful city on my trip through Spain. A quick train ride from Cordoba, Seville has the narrow streets, requisite cathedral, and bustling tourist service industry of the other areas, though has its own flavor as well. Flamenco appears to be what most people know of this area, well besides the biggest cathedral in the world and the fact that royalty can stay here at times in the Alcazar. I am about churches out, so even if I could get tickets (they are sold out), I'm not sure I could have gone inside and another tour through Catholic iconography, even though I've been very happy with my visits in the past. The streets are narrow and the everyday ornamentation is the area makes it fun to walk around. The orange trees are interwoven throughout ... read more

Granada - the city of pomegranates. Pomegranates (aka Granada) are a symbol fertility, birth, and eternal life and it was adopted as the name of this city buy Catholic monarchs after their final victory over the Moors. I've enjoyed my time here in this city which started with a quick flight from Barcelona where I think I saw the Sierra Nevada mountain range and miles of olive trees which was an interesting contrast to Barcelona which was very much built around squares and the port activity of the city. Granada has several things for the visitor and I was fortunate enough to find a good hotel right in the middle of the city, though I didn't realize at the time that my room is right next to an all-night club. So while I'm within walking distance ... read more

It’s very possible to write several weighty tomes about Cadiz and still fall short of nailing its incredible essence. The city is generally considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Europe, founded and called Gadir by the Phoenicians around 1100 BC. Now well into its fourth millennium the ancient center, surrounded almost entirely by water, is a romantic jumble of sinuous streets where Atlantic waves crash against eroded sea walls, cheerful taverns fry up fresh fish and salty beaches teem with sun worshipping tourists and locals alike. Spain's first liberal constitution (La Pepa) was signed here in 1812, while the city's distinctive urban model provided an identikit for fortified Spanish colonial cities in the Americas of the New World. Enamored return visitors talk fondly of Cádiz' seafood, sands and intriguing monuments and museums. More ... read more