Spain Day Seven: Sorry Africa, We’re Heading Straight to Seville

We had originally planned to spend today seeing the rock of Gibraltar and then ferrying across to Tangiers, Morocco, so we could say we had put our feet on African soil. However, neither of us were feeling it. Adam had been told that Americans have been kidnapped there recently because American passports are worth about $60,000 a piece. I just didn’t feel like driving 4 hours round trip to see a giant rock covered with monkeys that steal your sunglasses. We agreed that adding a hill town and more time in Seville sounded more appealing.

We hit the road, and because Adam is the best BF ever, he suggested we turn off Spanish radio and put on Taylor Swift. This was both because he felt bad he had canceled Africa, and because I had watched the Cavs lose from 2am-5am and I was tired and depressed. But like T Swift, I was able to Shake It Off once I saw the beautiful countryside that spilled out between Ronda and Seville. There were sunflowers EVERYWHERE. Way more than I have ever seen in Provence or Tuscany. We were on small back roads, so we could easily stop to take photos. Which we did three times!

We went to Arcos de la Frontera, which is a cute little white town with an old center on the tip top of a very high hill. We parked in the central garage and then took the minibus to the top with the locals. It was CRAZY! The streets were insanely narrow and twisty, yet somehow the driver navigated them with just a quarter of an inch to spare. The local women on the bus laughed at us as we gasped, winced and made wide eyes at each other with every turn.

We did Rick Steves’ walk of the town, making our way to the viewpoint. But instead of the amazing view, I was drawn to the birds of prey at the the end of overlook. They were available for people to hold (we didn’t) for photos. Adam couldn't resist petting them, despite my protests about bird flu.

Adam petting birds of prey

Then we found the convent with the cloistered nuns, which has been there since 1642. Nobody is allowed to see these nuns, but they make money by selling cookies through a little lazy Susan device in the wall. It was weird, but awesome to think about the fact that nobody has seen these women’s faces since they entered the convent in their late teens.

That's the cookie menu on the left and the rotating window on the right. 

Next, it was off for another long drive through sunflower fields to Seville. When you picture Spain in your head, Seville is what you are seeing. Flamenco dancers, lacy fans, Spanish tiles everywhere… that is Seville. It is similar to Granada, in that it was settled by the Moors nearly 1000 years ago. But it is much larger than Granada, and thankfully, also much flatter.

Lobby of Hotel Amadeus, which is deceivingly cute. Avoid at all costs.

Our hotel, the Hotel Amadeus, was in the winding back alleys of the barrio, where all the main action was in town. Action, but no parking. We had to park in a lot about half a mile away and drag our luggage over cobblestones. This was getting old fast. We went into our room, expecting to see the suite with a bathtub I had booked. My reservation confirmation specifically said “room with a view and a bathtub” – it had neither. Instead, we had a shoebox of a room that barely fit the bed and a window that looked at a white wall. The pink monster couldn’t even lay down anywhere in the room. We decided we would just roll with it. We were sweaty and wanting showers, with no energy to switch rooms. I went first, and discovered there were no towels. Not one. (It only got worse from there. Later that night, we would wake up to a stifling, awful smell. Like so bad that it woke us both up. Adam tried to blame my sandals, but we finally sniffed out that it was the pillows. When they warmed up, the feathers smelled like death. And to top it off – the wifi was TERRIBLE. I couldn’t even upload blog photos. Thank goodness there wouldn't be an NBA Finals game while we were there. The moral of this story is…if you are ever in Seville, do NOT stay at the Hotel Amadeus.)

Seville Cathedral

Adam petting horses

We left the hotel around 5pm and followed Rick’s suggested walk again. We saw a million adorable squares and cobbled lanes. We had a dinner of paella, gazpacho, grilled chicken and on a cute square filled with orange trees. I was happy it wasn’t tapas again, as I wanted to tapa out from Spanish food a long time ago. Adam ordered fruit for dessert and the waiter brought him one whole red apple and a knife. HA! Oh, Spain.

Our dinner spot

Next would be gelato at Bolas, an artisanal ice cream maker (YUMMY!), and then it was off to our room. My bangs were driving me crazy, so Adam trimmed them with his beard clippers. I was nervous, but bad bangs are better than bangs hanging into my eyes. So I dubbed him the new Barber of Seville, and went to bed with my fresh bangs that were actually just perfect.

Tomorrow: A long, hot day in Seville reveals unexpected beauty

xoxo

Spain Day Four: Ole Saves The Day

Today we would drive to Cartegena, which was 3 hours south of Valencia, and 3 hours north of our next stop, Grenada. Adam went out to get croissants and coffee while I got ready. I stood outside with the luggage while he fetched the car, then we were off!

The amazing gas station/rest stops have signs with symbols that tell you what can be found at each one. Along the way, we laughed as we saw signs for freeway rest stops that offered swimming, pottery, wine, gifts, and much more.

This part of Spain was very dry. I was surprised. I’m not sure what I expected, but it reminded me of the drive from LA to Bakersfield – not much to see except rocks and dirt. We stopped for fuel and ran into another Runball Rally team in an Audi. I asked where they were going. They told me they had started in Germany, went through France, Italy, Monaco, and would end in Marbella, Spain. What a cool event!

At the gas station, I bought a European Kit Kat so Adam could see how different they taste. He agreed – they are so much better here than back home! Creamier chocolate and better flavor!

We pulled into Cartegena and were instantly disappointed. It was very small, and we couldn’t see much charm from the road. It was located on the waterfront, but there wasn’t a beach, just an industrial looking port. We checked into the HN hotel (our room had a terrace, but it didn't overlook anything good) and walked to find lunch. The town was empty. The streets were dead! Not a fellow tourist in sight. We also noticed that we hadn’t yet seen one cat in all of Spain. They were all over Greece and Italy. Where where the Spanish cats?!

We had more tapas – ham croquettes, sandwiches, etc. They weren’t great and I was feeling let down by Cartagena and like I had failed at trip planning. I dubbed the town Cartege-NAH. We headed for the waterfront to look at the public art displays we saw on our way in.

We rounded the bend and saw this HUGE mega-yacht, the Katara, which apparently belongs to the Emir of Quatar, who is worth $10 billion. He gave the throne to his son, who is only 36, so he could sail the world in his 408 feet long, $300 million yacht. Wow! (And thanks, Google!)

(Note the normal sized boats next to it that come off the Katara to run ashore)

I was still meh about the town, when Adam spotted a tourist catamaran named Ole, and ran to ask if we could board. For $8, they would take us on a one hour ride out of the harbor, into the Mediterranean, and over to look at a small beach. SOLD!  I love being on the water, so my mood immediately improved. I laid on the net on the front of the catamaran and watched the teal sea go by underneath me. It was heavenly.

Back on land, we walked to buy pastries for the morning, then decided to try to find an early dinner (it was only 7:00 – would any kitchens even be open?!). We walked back down the same main street we had walked to find lunch earlier – but this time it was totally different. It was full of life! It was as if every family in town was out, strolling the streets. There were old couples walking arm in arm. Teens roller blading and playing soccer. Young couples holding hands and kissing on benches. Kids riding the carousel. It was filled with music and laughter. We stopped for an orange juice (me) and a beer (Adam) and watched Spain go by. We had been dropped right in the middle of authentic Spain – and it was really sweet and fun to watch.

We found a pizza-by-the-slice shop and grabbed 2 slices. Then we passed a waffle shop. They smelled amazing. I hesitated, but Adam told me I was on vacation, could have a waffle, and he would share it with me. We had the banana caramel waffle and it was to die for! It wasn’t light and airy like a Belgian waffle. It was dense, chewy, and sticky – in a totally awesome way.

As we strolled back to the hotel for an early night, we passed a drug store. Adam suggested we go in and try to find bath bombs so I could take a nice relaxing bath back in the room. I said, “Cartegena is not going to have bath bombs!” But they did! Adam bought me one lavender and one vanilla bomb and we headed back so I could read my book in a hot bath, which was the end to a perfect evening. Ok, Cartegena, I forgive you.

Tomorrow: Granada (no Adam, not Granada Hills) and the Alhambra

xoxo

Spain Day Three: Road Trip to Magic Mountain

We had pre-reserved a rental car through Europcar, and planned to pick it up at the Barcelona Sants train station, because that was closer to our hotel than the airport. We took a cab to the station, easily found the rental counter and received our car. I was a bit worried that the pink monster wouldn’t fit in a tiny Euopean rental car, but the VW Golf handled it just fine.

That's the pink monster, glowing in the back!

And…we were off! Using Google Maps GPS, we headed for Valencia. Because there is a Valencia, CA very close to us at home – and it is the location of Six Flags Magic Mountain – we kept joking that we were driving to Magic Mountain. Along the way, I introduced Adam to the wonders of gas station food in Europe. We stopped at a rest stop that had a full barista-staffed coffee bar, a fresh salad bar, freshly squeezed juices, hot handmade pizzas and sandwiches, etc. Seriously, if gas stations were like this in the US, I would actually spend more time (and money) there!

At the gas station, we saw a Lamborghini with rally race stickers on the side, and noted that it would most certainly go blowing by us back on the Autopista. It never did, but a few miles down the road, we found ourselves in the middle of the rally! A Porsche Panamera, F-Type Jaguar and Mercedes AMG GT with the same stickers all flew past. Sweet!

The drive was an easy three hours. I told Adam that kilometers go by much faster than miles. We both laughed. I know that’s because they are smaller – duh! But it’s true! It makes a trip feel faster!

When driving in Europe, finding a hotel and parking is always the most stressful part. We pulled into Valencia and found our hotel, but couldn’t figure out where to park to unload. Finally, we just pulled over, dumped the bags, and I stayed with them while Adam drove 4 blocks to the parking garage.

 

Our hotel

Our hotel was amazing!  It was the One Shot Reina Victoria, which was the first ever hotel in Valencia, built in 1913. I didn’t even know this when booking! I never read reviews when making reservations because people are crazy. I book purely on photos. If a place looks cool, I’m in. Turns out Hemingway stayed at this hotel while writing The Sun Also Rises in 1925. Faithful blog readers will know that I accidentally follow Hemingway everywhere he goes. Without planning to, I went all the places he did in Key West, Paris, Cuba, and now Valencia! It is like we are travel soul mates separated by a century.

I loved Valencia. There isn’t a major landmark, so there weren’t many tourists. But for me, the attraction was the city itself. It is full of clean white baroque and colorful art deco buildings. Compared to Barcelona it felt more graceful – softer and brighter. Orange trees line the streets.

We walked around, taking photos and shopping. Adam scored a great vintage poster in an old dusty book store for $5. I stopped at a place called Zumm Salads to grab a quick sandwich and had the best turkey/cheese/green apple sandwich I have ever had. I also wanted to try fresh OJ since Valencia is known for its oranges. OMG. Best orange juice EVER.

Valencia also has a section outside the historic quarter that is full of modern buildings. They are art museums, an oceanographic studies center, a zoo, and a few other things I don’t remember. It was such a nice, airy district – all centered around a huge park where locals run, ride bikes and picnic.

We returned to our historic hotel for showers, and headed out to dinner. We picked a place because it had my initials above the door (unrelated to the name of the restaurant, and we still don’t know why it was there). 

Beautiful blue glass bottle full of plain water; note the empty restaurant

We arrived at 7:30, but the kitchen didn’t open until 8 (of course), so we sat on the patio and had sangria. When we finished dinner at 9:45, people were just starting to fill up the restaurant. But we were exhausted so we said buenos noches to Valencia.

Tomorrow: Cartegena shows us the real Spain.

xoxo