Lisa's Trip: Spain! Part III

We left Sevilla at a decent hour on the Thursday morning, and caught a bus to La Linea, then walked across the border to Gibralta. Here, we were transported to Britain! Well, sort of. The street signs were the same as those in England, there were English pubs everywhere, and even a Marks and Spencers. It was still warm though, and there were palm trees everywhere.

We had lunch at a pub, then caught the cable car up to the top of the rock. This was a bit like visiting The Planet of the Apes. There were monkeys EVERYWHERE!

The Rock

The view from the top of The Rock!

Barbary Apes

The Rock

The view of The Rock from La Linea

Some of the group caught the cable car back down to the bottom, whilst Nathalie, Margaret and I decided to walk. We got down to the bottom, which was separated from the road back to the town by a gate. Unfortunately, the gate was locked, but there was a sign pointing us back up the road 100 meters to a set of steps, at the bottom of which we were to turn left, then exit out the gate at the end of the path. Unfortunately, when we got to that gate we found it was also locked. So we turned back, and took another path which led to a patio, which was cordoned off by tape. This was much easier to jump than the spikey fence, however, so we crossed it and trespassed into the casino's yard and managed to get back onto the road and back into town. On our way, we passed the Trafalgar Cemetery, where many of those who died in The Battle of Trafalgar are buried.

That night, we caught a bus to Tarifa, a town on the coast, where the wind blows just about everyday of the year, making it a great spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing. We did our orientation walk in the dark, then had some dinner at a restaurant in the old town.

Andrew, Lilian, Margaret, Zar-Zar, Jess, Nathalie, Lenore, Matt, Yithette, Richard and Krisztina at Dinner in Tarifa

The next morning, we had the opportunity to catch a ferry over to Tangier in Morocco. Andrew, Margaret and Lillian decided to take up the offer, whilst the rest of us decided to spend the day checking out Tarifa. It was a very relaxing day. I had a bit of a sleep in, then after a late breakfast, went for a stroll along the beach and into the town. I met up with Nathalie and Richard and had a drink with them, then continued wandering around the streets, poking about in the shops. The three of us met up with Lenore and Matt for lunch, before we all went our separate ways again. I had a bit of a siesta, then had another bit of a shop in the afternoon, before heading down to the beach with Jess, Matt and Lenore in the evening. We watched the kitesurfers and had beer (non-alcoholic apple flavoured, very weird) and icecream, then Matt and I had a quick swim, just to say that we'd been swimming in Spain (it was very refreshing!).

That night, we all had cocktails at a bar which had happy hour, then Jess, Nathalie, Lenore, Matt and I had dinner at a hippy-type vegetarian restaurant, and the others had dinner at a Moroccan restaurant on the other side of town. I had the vegetarian lasagne, and it was one of the best meals I had in Spain.

A church in Tarifa

A plaza in Tarifa (during siesta time!).

The next morning, we caught a bus and then a train to Rhonda. This is one of the "White Towns", where whitewashed buildings line the gorge which divides the town in two. One of the main features is the large Roman Bridge which spans the gap.

Adam and Eve, on the facade of a mansion in Rhonda

The group on our orientation walk in Rhonda

Me, with the Roman Bridge in the background

The Bullring in Rhonda

The next day, we caught the train to Granada. Granada is the home of the Alhambra, which we all visited on our second day in Granada. The Alhambra is the well preserved, palace fortress of the Nasrid Sultans, the rulers of the last Spanish Moorish kingdom.

Statue of Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus in Granada

Street in the Albaicín

During our orientation walk, we visited the Albaicín, Spain's largest Moorish barrio. Margaret, Andrew, Krisztina and I were the only ones who walked there, the others were too lazy, and decided to catch the bus there instead. There were great views of the Alhambra from that side of town.

View of The Alhambra from The Abaicín

View of The Alhambra from the Albaicín.

View over Granada from the Alcazaba in The Alhambra

A water feature in Generalife, the gardens where the Royal family used to spend their summers.

Another water feature in the Generalife

A pond in the Palacios Nazaries, in the Alhambra

Unfortunately, the Patio of the Lions was undergoing restoration, so I didn't get to see it in all it's glory.

Columns in The Palacios Nazaries in The Alhambra

Inside the Palacios Nazaries in The Alhambra (again)

We spent two nights in Granada, and on the second morning we went out for Chocolate con churros, a rich, thick hot chocolate drink which tasted a bit like hot chocolate custard. The churros are long Spanish doughnuts which are dipped into the chocolate and eaten. It is a traditional breakfast in Spain which is eaten after a night out, before stumbling home!

Serving suggestion?

It was Nathalie's birthday that day, and we had to fill in time before catching the overnight train to Valencia at about 10pm. Granada is also famous for it's tapas bars, which serve FREE tapas with every drink! It is a fantastic idea, I reckon, so Nathalie, Richard, Andrew and I spent the afternoon and evening drinking and eating free tapas! It certainly helped to sleep on the overnight train!

It was a very early start the next morning, as we pulled into the station in Valencia at 6:00. We were there before anywhere was open, even the famous market. We were on the doorstep of the market when it did eventually open, and we were able to collect some supplies for breakfast.

The Market

The water fountain outside the Cathedral.

After refuelling, we went on a very early morning orientation walk of Valencia. At the end of our walk, we went inside the cathedral, where we saw what is supposedly The Holy Grail.

The Holy Grail?

Afterwards, we had the rest of the day free. Margaret and I climbed to the top of the bell tower of the cathedral where we saw all the blue domes of Valencia, and also the funny shaped modern buildings that house the aquarium and Imax cinema.

Some of the blue domes of Valencia, as seen from the bell tower of the cathedral.

We then went to a sandwich bar for lunch, where you place ticks next to all the sandwiches you want on the menu, hand it in, pay, then wait for your name to be called and collect your lunch. It was a very easy way to dine, as you don't have to worry about trying to understand the language (apart from what you want, obviously, although sometimes it's good to get a surprise!). It was also very cheap, as sandwiches were just 1Euro each! After lunch, we went to Museo de Belles Artes, and saw some great Spanish paintings including some by Velazquez, Goya and El Greco as well as some Valencian artists. We then checked out the Ceramics Museum, then La Lonja, a UNESCO listed building which used to be a silk exchange and stock exchange.

The Kitchen in the Ceramics Museum

The hall in La Lonja

That night, Margaret, Lilian, Jess, Krisztina and I went to a restaurant which is famous for it's paella. Paella is a Valencian speciality, so we all ordered it. It was definitely the best paella I had in Spain!