Friday 27 May - Saturday 28 May

The road to San Fernando...via Ronda, Jerez and Cadiz.


Before heading out of Ronda on Friday morning, we took a stroll through town to view the Puente Nueve, the 18th century bridge that spans the 100m El Tajo gorge. It is truly spectacular, and one feels quite dizzy peering over the thick stone walls into the gorge that plunges down below.

We also visited Ronda´s Plaza de Toros, the famous bullring which is the oldest in Spain. There is a small museum attached to the bullring, and this gives a brief glimpse into the history of this controversial sport/cultural activity.

It was then back on the road, and by this time I had figured out my navigating role, and we managed to stay on track and get from A to B without any major detours. We took the mountain road connecting Ronda to Jerez de la Frontera which winds through the Pueblos Blancos, or white villages. These are amazing little towns, whitewashed with red-tiled roofs, that cling to the mountain side. One of the most quaint was the village of Gramazela - with a name like that, how can you go wrong!

We stopped off for lunch in the town of Arcos de la Frontera...the town was lovely, the lunch was interesting! We ordered the "local dish" of meat and chickpeas...the Spanish have a very wide interpretation of the term "meat". We´re not entirely sure what the dish consisted of, but it definately wasn´t any sort of meat that either of us could recognise!!

We finally arrived in Jerez, a town which is famous for its sherry and its horses! As we had mistimed our visit somewhat, we didn´t end up visiting a traditional sherry bodega. We did however have a fantastic meal overlooking one of the main plazas, and R. finished off his meal with a Senor Lusta brandy, made in Jerez, and served by a very proud and photo-happy waiter!

In both Ronda and Jerez, we had simply arrived and looked up a hotel recommended by the Let´s Go Guide. On both occasions we found excellent hotels at amazing prices. Arriving in Cadiz on Saturday morning proved to be a different story! We tried serveral hotels and were informed that everything was "completo" or full. As a last resort, I went into an internet cafe and did a quick search through one of the sites I had been using in organising our other accommodation. The fact was, there was nothing available in Cadiz. So on a whim, I booked us into a hotel in the nearby village of San Fernando.

Before heading out to find our hotel, R. and I drove through Cadiz. The city was founded in 1100BC by the Phoenicians, and is thought to be the oldest inhabited city in Europe. The city is located on a penninsula, and we drove through the old town and along the beaches of the new town. We eventually stopped and took a walk onto the beach for a drink at a little beach cafe. We ended staying for lunch and enjoying the best-tasting, freshly cooked seafood paella ever! What a way to spend a Saturday afternoon, sipping Sangria, eating paella, and looking out on the sand and sea of a Spanish beach. Oh, and the people watching was pretty darn interesting too!

After a very long and lazy lunch, R. and I took a slow drive to San Fernando. We arrived in the town just after 4pm, and as we drove along the eerily deserted streets, we wondered whether we had stumbled into some sort of ghost town. There was not a person in sight, shops were closed, cafes were empty with chairs stacked up outside their doors. The main street was completely desolate! It was not until we noticed that there was not a single other car in sight, that it dawned on us that we might just be driving along a pedestrian avenue during siesta! The appearance of a police car, and a surprisingly friendly copper, confirmed this suspicion! We did however manage to find our hotel, which was conveniently located on the pedestrian avenue. At 7pm we decided to venture out in search of a drink and some tapas. The hotel was located on a main plaza and as we strolled around, the area slowly began to fill with people. We settled down at a table of a little cafe overlooking a large square and spent a hugely entertaining hour watching the local toddlers and pigeons terrorize each other in turn. As Barcelona was playing Manchester U in the UEFA Cup final, we decided to find a bar in which to watch the game.

The tapas bar we ended up in was probably one of the best we´ve been to - the food was not free as in Granada - but the staff were just fantastic! We ended up staying to watch Barca win the Cup, and we had such a great time chatting with the barman/owner. It´s been these sorts of expereinces that have made our time here so special.

Friday 27 May - Rory´s Blog

How to NOT get lost 101...

Get yourself a husband like Rory!

Thursday 26 May 2011

Travelling by car to Ronda...or "how to get lost 101"

This morning we made our way to Granada airport to pick up our hired car. The plan was to drive ourselves through the Spanish countryside, overnighting in Ronda, Jerez and Cadiz, before returning the car in Seville. Being ever-prepared, I had duly printed out a route guide and detailed directions. However, no amount of preparation can prepare you for Spanish country roads...and the general lack of signage!

So, in order to lose yourself in the back roads of Andalucia, you must first try to drive through the town of Antequerra with its narrow winding roads and numerous one-ways. Oh, and you must do this in a left-hand drive car, and preferably keep to the right-hand side of the road.

Once, you've become completely disorientated in the maze of cobbled streets, try to find your way back out of Antequerra and locate the main road that you were on. Don't find your starting point, and now only decide to made use of Google Maps on your Blackberry.

The next step is to drive for at least an hour, travelling further and further from any signs of civilization. Oh, you can stop at a roadside restaurant and try to order lunch - definately opt for the house salad of tomatoe, potatoe, tuna, egg, green pepper and oranges!

You may still have a vague sense of where you are, and feel that you are headed in the right direction. At this point it is important to find the smallest back road possible, and drive for at least two hours into the mountains on roads that would make a mountain goat queasy. And try to remember to stay on the right-hand side of the road - the locals, when you do see them, really appreciate it!

By now, you should feel completely lost. (If you don't, you're not very good at following instructions!) You will need to make sure that you backtrack at least once, and you'll have to ensure that you reach at least one deadend at the very bottom of a mountain pass it has just taken 40 minutes to travel down.

At this point, just when a vague but definite sense of panic is setting in, you'll be rewarded for your daring with the most spectacular views and scenery. This, of course, must be a vista that none of the guide books have told you about - and you couldn't tell anyone else how to get there, because you don't know where you are or how you got there. And herein lies the beauty and the joy of getting lost in the back roads of the Spanish countryside - you may just see something beautiful, and the sight will all yours - unless of course you chose to share your pictures on your blog:

The real trick to getting lost lies in getting found. And luckily, we found Ronda with just enough time to spare for a stroll down through the main plaza, and glimpse of the surrounding valley, and a delicious dinner!

Wednesday 25 May 2011 - Postscript

San Nicholas Mirador, Granada...

After an amazing day visiting the Alhambra, R. and I made our way by bus through the Arab Quarter of the Albacin to San Nicholas Mirador. This is a beautiful look out point, and offers a spectacular view of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada.

We might have paid extra for our drinks on the little terrace, but the views were well worth it!

Tuesday 24 May - Wednesday 25 May 2011

Granada...

Granada has a population of 300 000 people, 50 000 of which are students! The result is a hip, funky vibe and fantastic opportunities for people-watching from every corner cafe and bar.

Our hotel is situated down a funny little alley which is covered with graffiti, but once you step behind the heavy wooden door, you enter a beautiful oasis with rooms overlooking a garden courtyard. In many ways the city is the same - sprawling and frenetic, with old moorish-style whitewashed houses clinging to the hillsides, but then you turn a corner and come across an absolute gem of a view. The Sierra Nevada rises up behind the city, and I'm constantly taken aback by the snow-capped peaks that backdrop the green, olive-covered, hills surrounding the city.

On Tuesday we took a bus tour of the city and saw many of the famous sites, including the Plaza Isobel La Catholica with the statue of Christopher Colombus presenting his plan to sail to the New World to Queen Isobel, and Granada's bull ring.

We spent our evening moving from one tapas bar to another. The fun thing about tapas is that you only have to chose what you want to drink - the barman decides what you'll eat. I'm not entirely sure what most of the dishes were, but they were delicious! I've included a picture here of the barman slicing the jamon serrano, or cured ham that is so prevalent here. Also, R. was very happy to stumble across a small bar selling San Miguel beer on tap - and soon made friends with the barman!

On Wednesday, we spent the better part of the day touring the Alhambra complex. From the streets of Granada, the Alhambra, meaning "the red one" in Arabic, appears as a large, sprawling military fortress. And this was its primary purpose for much of its existence. However, the rough exterior conceals the grandeur within. The Alhambra consists of four main parts, the Generalife gardens, the Alcazaba, the palaces of Carlos V, and the Nasrid Palaces. 7000 visitors are allowed through the Nasrid Palaces each day, and on most days the tickets are sold out before the crowds even arrive!

We began our tour of the complex in the gardens of the Generalife, made our way down to the Alcazaba for some of the most beautiful views of Granada, and ended our visit with the Nasrid Palaces, which are truly spectacular with intricate carvings in marble, arches, and courtyards.

Where's Wally?

Waiting in line to enter the Nasrid Palaces...

The Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada in the background...

Monday 23 May 2011

Travel Day...Chefchaouen to Granada!

Today was a loooong day! We were up early to catch our taxi from Dar Gabriel, Chefchaouen to the port town of Ceuta (Spanish) or Sebta (Moroccan). It was a two hour drive that required we pass through the inland hub of Tetoun, a huge, sprawling Moroccan town. I soon realised that Moroccan drivers only share a very vague consensus as to which side of the road to drive on, and that neither of our taxi drivers were overly concerned regarding this!

Ceuta is actually a Spanish enclave, and thus we had to pass through the border control on the outskirts of the town. We almost had a hiccup here as it appeared there was a particular stamp missing from one of our passports, but then the officials were quite taken by R.'s sweet-talking and we eventually made it onto Spanish soil.

The next leg of our journey to Granada involved catching the ferry, and a one hour crossing to Algeciras, paasing the Rock of Gibraltar.

Once in Algeciras, we took a short taxi ride to the train station and bought tickets for the four-hour train trip to Granada.

We eventually arrived at the Granada station at 20h00!

After a quick shower and change of clothes, R. and I hit the Granada pubs for a drink and tapas. Granada knows how to do tapas! After three drinks, we had shared three enormous plates of food, including cold meats and chorizo, beans and ham, and a mushroom and steak stew! There really is no need to pay for food in this town - just drink and you'll be fed!! (And no, the drinks are no more expensive than Madrid, or even back home, for that matter!)

Friday 20 May - Sunday 22 May 2011

Chefchaouen, Morocco...

Friday morning saw us bid farewell to Madrid as we made our way to the airport to catch our EasyJet flight to Tangier, Morocco. Coming in to land at Tangier Airport is quite an experience as the runway almost starts on the beach. It almost feels as though you’re about to land in the sea!

We were introduced to the Moroccan penchant for bargaining almost immediately as we tried to find a taxi to make the two hour trip to Chefchaouen. We eventually settled with an old Mercedes Benz and an even older driver! Before leaving Tangier, we had to stop for the driver to get a permit – this involved the local transport police, a bureaucratic form, and small fee and our passports! As we couldn’t really follow exactly what the procedure involved, R. accompanied the driver and our passports to the transit office...I turned to watch them and saw the old taxi driver take R. by the hand and walk off down the street with him, hand in hand! How we survived the next two hours, I’m not entirely sure! Driving in Tangier was a crazy! The Moroccans seem to be quite taken with traffic circles, but haven’t quite figured out how they work. The result is that traffic appears to enter the circle from all directions, and drivers just drive and hoot, and somehow, everyone comes out the other side more or less in one piece. I thought that once we were out of the city and onto the quieter country roads, things would be a little saner – how wrong was I! I’m pretty sure I saw my life flash before my eyes several times before we finally reached our B&B. Our driver seemed to prefer driving on the wrong side of the road, and only swerving back into his designated lane in the face of oncoming traffic. He also appeared to have remarkable faith in his very Merc, and quite happily overtook slightly slower vehicles up hill, on hairpin bends and blind rises. Again, oncoming traffic didn’t seem to be an issue for him, and he’d merrily swerve back into his lane at the last minute.

We finally reached Chefchaouen, a town of 50 000 nestled high up in the Rif mountains. Our first impression was of a dusty, rural and fairly rundown settlement. We were dropped in the middle of the street outside the old medina walls, and were immediately accosted by youths trying to make a buck by guiding us to our B&B. We headed off through the gate, Bab Souk, hauling our luggage along the rough, cobbled streets. Once through the old city walls, the town is transformed! Chefchaouen has one of the most beautiful medinas, largely due to the “blue wash” that is used on the all the walls and buildings. We found our B&B up a little side street not far from the gate, and once we stepped inside the cool interior we felt as though we had been transported to another world!

Before dinner at the hotel on Friday night, R. and I took a walk through the winding streets of the medina – shapes, colours, smells and sounds were overwhelming!

We slept late on Saturday morning, dozing through the sounds of the muezzin’s call to prayer and the children shouting in the street below us. After a breakfast of delicious flat bread, jam and goat’s cheese, we headed back into the warren-like streets and made our way to the main square and the 17th century Kasbah. We haggled for carpets, drinking sweet mint tea as the negotiations progressed. We stopped for a lunch of lamb tagine and couscous, before heading back to the hotel for an afternoon sleep. As the evening progressed, the town became busier and busier as locals and tourists alike swarmed into the medina to buy, sell, eat, drink, see and be seen. R. and I sat at an outside table at a small restaurant close to the main square and watched the passersby. As R. has already mentioned, many of the passersby slowed to offer us “good smoke, good hash”, some a little more persistently than others!

Our last day in Chefchaouen was spent walking down to the river and watching as the locals gathered along the banks, and jumped in and out of the small cascades. Women arrived with baskets of laundry and children ran about touting garlands of yellow flowers. We walked slowly back through the narrow alleys that twisted and turned, going up and down steps and through archways. We eventually ended up back at the main square where we stopped for a cooldrink before heading back to the hotel.