Rome: Take 2
It's surreal to say I jumped on a plane to Rome to visit my friend Kim from Dyess for no reason but that's exactly what I did. Revisiting a place like Rome is great. The first trip is go-go-go because Rome is just one of those places where 5 days will just cover the big stuff. For those of you that have friends that live in different European locations, GO visit them! Having someone to pick you up from the airport, a free place to stay, and joining them for home dinners make these trips so affordable. My plane ticket was $101 RT. I spent 4 days in Rome for about $200 with flight.
Crazy, eh?
I was most interested to see where they lived, what it looked like, how they lived daily life. Staying with someone who actually lives in the area is a completely different experience than visiting solely as a tourist. There is certainly nothing wrong with being a tourist but take advantage of any opportunities to see areas from a local perspective as well. Thank you to the B family for being such gracious hosts.
An ancient Roman seaport, Ostia is over 2000 years old and still standing. Well, some in ruins but for 2000 years old, it looks pretty darn good! We strolled through and quickly realized we probably would’ve gotten more from a guide here. There were English descriptions but they were a bit mundane. Still, a great stop. The highlight of this day though, was a beautiful, small pedestrian area around Ostia where we enjoyed cheap cappuccinos and later returned for the best risotto I’ve ever eaten. Too bad it was Kim’s meal and not mine.
The Crypt of the
Capuchins
We didn’t have time to visit this when Mike and I were there
so I was excited to go! Over 3000 monks' skeletons, in crypts underneath the
church, are arranged in bizarre artistic creations. Even the chandeliers were made of bones! Yeah, it’s creepy but fascinating to
see. Don’t sacrifice any major Rome
sites to see this but if you have an extra hour or so, check it out.
Pictures inside aren't allowed so these pictures are my scanned postcards
I like this Cooper dog.
It was nice to be in a house with a pup—especially one as sweet as
Cooper. He’s terrible at catching balls but
funny to watch because that fluffy-muffin tries so hard!
A week in southern Spain
Spain wasn’t really on my list. Not that I didn’t want to go because as most
of my friends know, I want to go everywhere. Not on my list because of limited time and I just didn’t see it happening. But it did.
And I’m so, so, glad. It went
something like this:
Me: Hey, you want to
go somewhere?
Nikki: Sure, where?
Me: England?
Nikki: No, must do
that with my boys. Spain?
Me: Sure.
Nikki: Canary
Islands?
Me: No, I heard it’s
not quite the Caribbean. Southern Spain? There are cheap flights right now--about $100
Nikki: Sure!
And that folks, is how it’s done. Within a week or two we were booked.
We flew into Malaga and rented a car. If you asked me two years ago if I would’ve
flown into Spain without Mike, rented a car and driven around, sometimes
aimlessly and sometimes up mountains --I would’ve scoffed. But, oh boy is it liberating.
That being said, driving in Spain was easy. Big roads, normal speeds, leisurely in the
beach towns—easy. This is a very relaxed
area full of beautiful beach towns, mountains in the backdrop with their own
little villages, and lots to do! Or,
lots to not do if you prefer. We did
both.
We stayed down in Marbella, a beach town about 30 minutes
from Malaga. Beautiful promenade full of
restaurants and beach bars. Tons of
little boutiques in the Old Town. The
streets and parks were made of marble--beautiful area!
Certain areas down the coast are known for their high winds therefore are popular with kite surfers.
Each street had a different colored flower pot
Puerto Banus
Puerto Banus hosts a large and busy flea market
every Saturday. Great fun and perfect
weather. Lots of cafes in the market
area (The cafes were filled with men- Ha!) and beautiful views out to the mountains. Lots of leather, silk scarves, baby flamenco dresses, breezy beach wear, etc..
After the market, we walked into town to check out their
marina area. Puerto Banus is a marina
town and there were quite a few monster yachts parked, most from England. This area is a little more upscale and felt
less relaxed than Marbella. It was nice but we definitely preferred Marbella.
Tarifa, Spain
We took a drive down the coast to the southern most tip of
Spain. From Tarifa, you can see Africa,
which seems a lot closer than the 14km I read!
You can take ferries from here into Morocco. Not this trip but maybe next time. Tarifa looked a big grungy which was surprising considering the big business of ferrying from Spain to Morocco and the beautiful beaches surrounding the area.
Just a little windy down here….
Little roadside cafe. Doesn't look like much until…
You look out over the terrace
On our way back we stopped by Gibralter. We didn’t cross the borders but we did pull over to snap
a quick picture of the rock.
Ronda, Spain
A famous town in Spain known for its views, the crazy
beautiful bridge, and the gorge running underneath. Ronda is also known to be the birthplace of
bullfighting with the oldest bullring located in the city.
I read about ‘getting to Ronda’ a bit before the trip and
was unnerved to read many people describe the route as dangerous or often, "terrifying". I am afraid of heights and even more afraid of driving without
railings. We sat at the bottom for a few
minutes. I was a little undecided
whether or not I wanted to attempt the trek but my voice of reason, Nikki in
the passenger seat, kindly reminded me the lady at the tourist office promised
us there were railings. We started up
and about 5 minutes into the 40+ km ride up, there it was: a car coming down had flipped upside down in
the ditch. It had just happened. Here’s the deal: The journey is not hard. At all. It’s actually quite easy if you drive like an
old person, which is fairly normal for me.
Fortunately it’s a beautifully scenic journey that unfortunately attracts motorcycles in groups and tempts speed
demons. And then you have the town
residents that have driven the route umpteengazillion times in their lives, could
do it blindfolded, and live impatient and annoyed with tourists like me driving 40kph for 40km. I want to clear up the incorrect information I read on several different travel forums that claimed there were no railings. There absolutely are! And where there isn't, you would really have to be trying to run off the mountain to get that far. Those people had me in a fit about this drive that was no more than a beautiful, gently winding route up a mountain.
k
Down, down, down...
for a view of the river running through the gorge
Hi. Sometimes I accidentally take pictures of myself.
Nerja, Spain
The Donkey Sanctuary
Nerja is another pretty little beach town on the Costa del
Sol but it is also the home of a special place called the Donkey
Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a rescue
charity for donkeys, horses, and other farm animals. They operate without grants and rely solely
on donations and volunteers. Things like
this make me all warm and fuzzy and Nikki was stoked about it too so we just had to go! On our way to the Alhambra, we stopped by to
meet and feed the animals. These
animated guys nudge you from all sides and the pigs nudge your ankles. Most wait patiently for your carrots,
apples, and dried vanilla beans—except Chalky.
You can’t help but to giggle at this guy. He is so pushy and really, a snot but he
is so very funny.
Nikki's surprised face is so funny. Chalky dove in with no warning.
Hey! I'm back here too! Nice little shove from that guy.
Oh look, It's Chalky trying to scumbag my bucket again.
The Alhambra- Granada, Spain
Here are my shamefully horrible pictures of the famous Alhambra. There were people everywhere, the grounds (it's actually an entire city) are massive, and I was just a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing! It was the most impressive palace I've ever seen.
Tip: The only bad meal we had in Spain was at the Alhambra cafe. No huge surprise really but just a heads up.
Tip #2: You must carefully plan your visit here. Only a certain number of people are allowed in daily and at only certain times. Read the ticket sales because often tickets are sold-out weeks in advance. We did not pre-book and became a little concerned we weren't going to be able to buy tickets. Many of the time slots were sold out. This is March so if you're going in high season, be prepared to buy your tickets a month or so in advance.
Malaga
We intended on taking the fast train from Malaga to Cordoba for a day trip. It's a 45 minute train ride verses over 2 hour drive. We didn't make prior reservations simply because we didn't want to be stuck to a predetermined itinerary so unfortunately when we arrived at the train station in Malaga, we were told a ticket would be 111€. That was more than our roundtrip flight to Spain (!!!) so we ditched that idea and alternatively visited Malaga for a bit and then drove up to a pueblo blanco named Mijas.
Malaga is a city. On the water. Busy busy. Fantastic pedestrian area. Lots of history, cafes, and tons of shopping! But still a city.
Harp player in front of the cathedral in Malaga
A sweet little pueblo blanco named Mijas
Just precious! A hill town north of coastal Fuengirola, Mijas was one of those places that makes you gush… And made us completely forget about our failed Cordoba excursion! Many artisan shops here with lots of leather, rugs, pottery, jewelry, etc.
What?
This picture really depicts my feelings about Spain. Winning.
We loved this region. It's not a 'been there done that' area. It is definitely one of those places you could easily go to over and over again for a relaxed, affordable vacation. 7 nights and we only scratched the surface. So much to do and see! It was clean, the food was wonderful, and the people are very friendly.
I have been so lucky to have great travel partners and this trip was no exception. Thank you Nikki for this trip! She was easy to be around and just as cute and giggly as I remembered. I can't wait for our next adventure!
Favorite Espana Memories
1. Best meal: 4 tapas to share + 2 drinks = €9.50
2. Ordering a glass of wine and the owner brought a bottle. (funny language barrier moments)
3. The Italian restaurant that after dinner, left a small bottle of Baileys and two shot glasses at our table for us to enjoy. There's just something funny about shooting Baileys….
4. I saw a group of REAL gypsies. Just like the ones on the show. Dressed to the nines and speaking in their language with that distinct accent.
5. The jolly front desk guy at our apartment who babbled to us in Spanish every day with a big smile! We never knew what he was saying but it didn't matter.
6. Pina Coladas on the promenade
7. Sleeping with the balcony door open so we could hear the waves crash all night
8. Chalky the Donkey
9. The guy in the cafe below our apt that did a Michael Jackson spin move, Spanish style, as he slid across the floor to deliver my coffee. Seriously suave for 8:00AM.
As much as I love to travel, I love coming home just as much. The morning after, Mike made us his Oma's Dutch pancakes for breakfast--one of my favorites! Thank you to my sweet sweet MikeyBear who understands or at least, tolerates my travel obsession and never bats at eye at my ambitious plans-- even when he can't go.
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