Blogs from Ronda, Andalusia, Spain, Europe - page 9

As I mentioned in the previous entry, I bought a ticket for Algeciras. The ride over was through some fantastic terrain. It was very hilly and we were often surrounded by wind power generators. The Rock (of Gibraltar) came into view as we descended into Algeciras. It was cool to see across the bay, but wasn't nearly as impressive as I was expecting. We pulled into the bus station and I made up my mind to go to Ronda and save Gibraltar for when the weather improved. I walked to the nearby train station and caught the 12:10 train towards Granada. The ride took about 2 hours on a slow, smelly diesel, but at least the scenery was pretty as we got up into more mountainous terrain leaving the coast. Ronda is famous for the extremely ... read more

The last few weeks have been relatively tranquilo. Last Saturday I went to Sevilla with some friends to celebrate to Feria (Spanish for enormous fair that lasts until 4 am). We hopped on a bus at 10am to get to Sevilla and didn't return until 24 hours later. We explored Sevilla during the day and stayed up all night enjoying the lights, the rides, the drinks, and the churros. It was a good time and I discovered that I really don't need that much sleep. Thursday I successfully made a cake for my friend Linnea's b-day. I haven't been able to cook in so long so it was wonderful to get back in the kitchen! This Saturday, I went to Marbella, a coastal city, and enjoyed the beach with my friends. I'm going to miss not ... read more

When I got into the airport in Malaga, I had originally intended to catch a cab to the hotel where my mother and cousin were staying but I had discovered a few days before that it would be best just to rent a car for my stay in Southern, Spain. I made a quick call to my mom telling her I would rent a car then come, which I thought would be very easy. Unfortunately, I have quite a bit of luggage with me (since I’ll be on tour another four months after this vacation) and it was quite difficult maneuvering through all the other tourist while trying to find out the best prices. After talking to multiple companies who had no cars and then Hertz (Devon - I went there first b/c of you!) who ... read more

I went to a bullfight this Sunday. It was in a lovely little town that's settled at the foot of some very beautiful mountains. The day was sunny and hot..and wonderful! Unfortunately, the bull fight was one of the worst things I've ever experienced. I was pretty naive because the only images of bull fights I had ever seen came from photos and cartoons. I wasn't aware that they killed the bull right there in front of you, blood, gore, and all. I felt like crying and throwing up at the same time. I left after the third killing because I couldn't take the next three. I realize it's Spanish culture and I can accept that, but I can't watch it! I'll spare you all the details. I took some "good" photos that I'll post when ... read more

I just saw that it's 18ºF in Kansas. Bleh! I'm pretty sure it's similar here though and we don't have central heating....so bleh to Spain as well. This weekend it rained...was sunny...rained again....became sunny...rinse and repeat. It made going to Cadiz, a beach town, quite depressing because we couldn't swim. Still, the beach looked beautiful when the sun came out. The best part about the trip to Cadiz was the bus ride. Pedro brought speakers and Josh brought his Ipod...it was a fiesta in the back of the bus. We listened to some good classic rock and it rocked. I really wish I brought my mp3 player, but Vanessa,my savior, is letting me borrow her cd player. She already lent me her hair straightner. She is the best! It snowed yesterday...for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, ... read more