Southern Spain

Before totally leaving Granada, I would like to make it clear that we were living in a unique section of Granada and there are parts of the city that are as modern as Madrid. There are the big department stores, splashy restaurants and fancy hotels. We chose to stay in an area that we couldn't find elsewhere and because we did, we met our friend and landlord Rafa and several wonderful fellow travelers, including the family from St. Croix with whom we shared Christmas day fellowship.

When we left Granada, we traveled to the southern coast and opted for one of the smaller tourist towns, Nerja. It was a welcome relief - sunny and warm. Unfortunately, the great hotel we had booked was on a plaza that was being torn up and having pipes replaced and the jack hammers started working at 8:00 am. We made the best of it by leaving the hotel and going to the beach! The body of water there is the Mediterranean Sea and I had to wade in it for the first time! I have to say that it was NOT warm, but it was fun. We walked a beach trail as far as we could go and then used the street to walk to the largest beach. In summer it is packed with people but not in December. We had lunch at an outdoor beachfront cafe and then went back to the hotel. I need to tell you that we have adjusted to Spanish eating habits and now generally have breakfast at 10, lunch at 3 and dinner at 8. By the time we got back from the beach, the work on the plaza was almost finished for the day and we could have the evening in peace. The other major event in Nerja was that my regular email stopped working! We were very distressed, to say the least. I will spare you the drama we lived through (emotionally we NEED that connection with home); I will just tell you that we have it restored now and the problem had to do with strength of the internet service there.

After Nerja we traveled west along the coast to Tarifa. We stayed at a hotel highly recommended by our friends the Lagerloefs. It's called the Hurricane Hotel and is a haven for windsurfers, kitesurfers etc. because of it's constant surf and high winds. Again, the temperature was mild but the storm systems came through, one after another. Fortunately the hotel and its out buildings and vegetation are used to bad weather and everything survived nicely. We didn't even consider using the pool however! While we were there, it was New Year's Eve and the hotel did a great job providing us with a fabulous dinner and a fun celebration. They went all out in decorations and gave us all hats, noisemakers etc for the big moment. We made it until midnight, sharing the table with our new friends from Berlin and Galway, but then we retired for the night.

The next day we were off to Ronda, one of the White Hills towns. First we stopped in Gibraltar. What a sight! That is one huge rock! It was pretty stormy and we were glad to be in the little tourist bus that took us from the border to the far end of the community. We wanted to take the cable car to the top but it was closed because of high winds. I was glad that they had already made the decision before we were underway!

We loved Ronda! It is the home of modern bullfighting and has an amazing bridge. We stayed in one of the best hotels so far - all the soda, fruit juice, beer and wine we could drink was included! The location was really good and we had a spacious room (the Hemingway room) with its own balcony! It is a beautiful town and we loved strolling through it. The day was sunny and warm and we spent a long afternoon in the old town area. We saw the cathedral, bridge, and the bull ring. Because there are no bull fights currently, we could go into the actual ring and see the pens etc. plus the chapel for the matadors and the museum.

This morning we left Ronda and drove to Arcos de la Frontera. On the way, we stopped at a little town called Gazalema, back in the hills 16 km. off the highway. It was so picturesque! Beautiful white buildings, narrow streets, flowers in bloom in pots on balconies and a square complete with benches and cafes. We had coffees at one of them, walked around a bit and then rejoined the roads. We made it to Acros at about 2 this afternoon and have settled into yet another comfortable room in yet another quaint small town. I do like the small communities; it is so much easier to find your way around and to feel comfortable!

We are here for 2 nights and then off to Sevilla for 3 nights - and then Portugal!

Photos: me wading in the Mediterranean, New Year's Eve at the Hurricane Hotel, the Puenta Nueva in Ronda, stormy weather in Arcos de la Frontera