Skip to main content

Andalusia: rain, wind and sun

I was hoping to getaway from the winter which installed in Bucharest...
White Bucharest
Instead, I was welcomed in Andalusia with rain, wind and a little bit of sun. Despite of the capricious weather I explored many treasures of this region.
Actually, the real reason behind this holiday was Victor's birthday, a friend and colleague of mine. He got together his closest friends and here we are, driving through the beautiful Andalusia.

Day #1 - Alhambra

Alhambra or "The Red One" is a palace and fortress complex in Granda. Some useful tips for a pleasant visit: 
  • Buy tickets online; if there are no available spots for the dates selected do not rush to buy guided tour tickets which are more expensive. Usually with 1-2 days before your visit tickets become available. This happened to us also.
  • On your ticket is mentioned the time to enter to Nasrid Palace. Try not to miss it otherwise you will not be able to visit it later. There is no timeframe for the other attractions. We missed the entrance, unfortunately 😞. This gives me a reason to come back again.
Now, I invite you to enjoy a photo tour of Alhambra:

The Palace of Charles V

Columns of the courtyard
The courtyard

Generalife - the summer palace and the gardens








Water Stairway

After rain the rainbow shows up 🌈
The advantage of raining: less tourists!


Day #2 - Gibraltar and Marbella

It was Victor's birthday wish to go to Gibraltar. Here we took a guided tour which took us to the highest point. The weather was worse than a day before and the tour was on fast-forward. I wished I could have spent more time admiring the panoramas. 
Inside St. Michael's Cave concerts take place due to good acoustic. The Cave was long believed to be bottomless. This probably gave birth to the story that the Rock of Gibraltar was linked to Africa by a subterranean passage. The famous Barbary Macaques were said to have come to Gibraltar through this under-sea passage.

The Rock of Gibraltar which separates the sea by the ocean

The runaway of Gibraltar Airport crosses the main street in the area, Winston Churchill Avenue. Each time an airplane needs to land the road closes. That's why the airport is ranked the fifth most extreme airport in the world.
A hole in Great Siege Tunnels, used to look out across the isthmus to Spain

On our way back to accommodation we did a small stop in Marbella, a glamorous resort town.

Narrow street in the city center

Balcony and window decorated with flowers and plants

Day #3 - Malaga

Finally a little bit of sun ☀!
The Roman Theater of Alcazaba (Alcazaba in Arabic means citadel). All important cities have an Alcazaba on the hill top. 

Cathedral of Malaga photographed from a narrow street 

View over port from Mirrador of Gibralfaro

View over Plaza de toros de La Malagueta

Enjoying the sunshines @Playa La Malagueta

Day #4 - Ronda

Puente Nuevo, a symbol and soul of the city. 

In background is Puente Viejo

I love Spain! 

Day #5 - Cabo de Gata

Meow 😸! If you were wondering where is the wind from the title
The place where the land ends and the sea begins!

Did anyone say wind? That's the way I like to style my hair!

Almeria

After having our hair done by the wind at Cabo de Gata we stopped in Almeria.
Sacred Heart of Jesus on Cerro San Cristobal hill

I always aim high! From Cerro San Cristobal hill it is the best view over the city. The way till here is a little bit shady.

Sunset - the best moment of the day! I love the warm sunshines touching my face
And the adventure does not end here! New territories are awaiting to be discovered!
To be continued!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Unforgettable Journey Through Indonesia: From Volcanoes to Coral Reefs

I have just returned from a 3.5 weeks unforgettable journey through Indonesia, from Jakarta to Bali. Our 3.5 weeks itinerary started in Jakarta , where we stayed for 3 nights . We were a bit dissapointed about the condition of the Indonesian capital, overcrowded and sinking. The highlights of this city were the stunning colonial-era buildings in the Old Town. In retrospective, 1 or 2 nights should have been sufficient, just for landing and continuing the journey towards more fascinating locations. From Jakarta we took the high speed Whoosh train to Bandung . The Woosh train was honestly “whooshazing” – super fast and comfortable! With 350km/h we were in Bandung in 40 minutes. The Grab from the train station to the hotel took longer. Get used with the traffic in Indonesia! While in Bandung we focused more on exploring the nature around. We had one tour to South of Bandung where we visited Kawah Putih crater, tea plantations, Rengganis natural hotspring and an old Dutch railway bridge wi...

Chasing Sunrises and Hidden Falls: An Unforgettable Journey to Mount Bromo and Madakaripura

November 9, 2024: A Long Travel Day and Off to Mount Bromo We woke up again at 5:00 for the sunrise… and once again, it was cloudy! Fortunately, we had to get up early anyway, as today was a big travel day: taxi to the Karimunjawa harbor, boat to Jepara, taxi to Semarang, train to Surabaya, and finally a taxi to the hotel. Luckily, everything went smoothly; we even managed to change our tickets to a cheaper option and arrived earlier. Lunch at Indonesian KFC while waiting for our train Very comfortable seats Trying to eat at the hotel turned out to be less successful: both restaurants were full, so we were directed to a strange spot at the front entrance. There, we had a mediocre meal at relatively high prices (and both Bintang and Coke were sold out—HOW?!). I even looked up how long Bintang stays good—9 months from when we drank it—making it even less excusable that they were out. After a quick one-hour nap, we’re already on our way for an excursion to Mount Bromo! November 10, 2024: ...

Bali Getaway: Snorkeling around Nusa Penida, Balinese Cooking in Ubud, and Exploring Uluwatu

November 11, 2024: Arrival in Bali Today, we traveled from Surabaya to our final stop of the holiday: Bali! First issue—there are street dogs everywhere, and since Mark is not a fan (just plain scared), that’s a bit unsettling. We had a smooth taxi ride to the airport, checked in, had a coffee, flew to Bali, took another taxi to Ubud, and finally arrived at our hotel. Fun fact: we got an upgrade and now have an ultra-luxurious mini-villa! After that, we enjoyed a nice dinner in Ubud and are now off to sleep, as tomorrow will be a long day! November 12, 2024: Snorkeling around Nusa Penida Today, we were picked up at 6:20 AM for another snorkeling adventure—the last one was such a hit that we wanted to do it again! We started the day with an exciting ride, as the speedboat took us racing over the waves. We spent the entire morning and afternoon together on the boat, though only Mark went into the water. At the first snorkeling stop, he spotted a manta ray and a whitetip shark. Later, at ...