Andalu-See-Ya!: Málaga

Hola todos!

As much fun as it is to travel, and no matter how often I have done it, I regularly forget how miserable it is to fly east. The exhaustion is so much worse if you aren’t able to force yourself to sleep on the plane but then you land at 5 a.m local time and then the only thing you can do is down a cheap but delicious espresso and then try to hard-reset your body clock with copious amounts of walking. Phew!

But on the plus side, the adrenaline of being in a new place and exploring a new city can help you (mostly) forget that you’ve slept for just a few hours in the last two days. So off to the races it was! A layover in Lisbon (involving a quick immigration line) and a hopper flight later, I was in Málaga.

I took the subway into the downtown area where our hotel was and stored my luggage at a nearby locker for the day, since the room wasn’t ready. Then, it was time to get my steps in!

First stop: ice cold Coca-Cola Zero Azúcar. (I am nothing if not consistent.)

 

A local panadería was on my way, as was an artisan market.

If there’s one thing to know about me, it is that I love getting lost in the rambling streets of a European town with beautiful architecture around every street corner. I walked for hours, stopping into churches, making note of tapas bars for later, and grabbing a grocery store lunch.

 

It was sunny and warm, and my parents weren’t arriving for a bit, so I decided to head to the beach. (No surprise there.) Between the warmth of the sun, the rhythmic crashing of the waves, and my beach book, I promptly fell asleep. In no time, it seemed, my parents had arrived!

We reunited in time for dinner: local meats, cheeses, and wine. We went for a dusk-time walk through the downtown that I had previously seen in the daylight; it was no less crowded, and the city felt both familiar and different, with a new vibrancy and liveliness from tapas and string lights.

 

The same church tower at different times of the day.

¡Reunimos!

Gelato in hand, we meandered through the town, absorbing the sights and sounds. Eventually, we wandered home in time to promptly crash in our beds.

*    *    *

The next day, we started our morning with a walking tour. If you’ve read my adventures in other cities, you know that this is a “must” for me in a new place. These tours are both history and culture lessons in one, and the local guides usually have great tips for places to eat, lesser-traveled sights to see, and streets to avoid. Although I already knew much of the region’s history from my studies, there were some cultural insights that were helpful. For example, why did we keep seeing “vermut” signs at every bar? Are malagueños really obsessed with, of all things, vermouth? As it turns out, yes—it’s their local sweet wine, and you can order it tradicional (with an orange slice), with club soda, or with Coke. (I tried it—it was decidedly *fine*.)

 

Tapas y vermut tradicional. Could have passed on both—as it turned out, this was a problem with what we ordered, not tapas writ large.

We also had tickets to see the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro, a defensive military complex from the Moorish occupation and built in the 11th century (!!). They’ve reconstructed parts of it to match descriptions and drawings of the original complex, but some of the stonework and columns are original (and you can just walk right up and touch them!). Increíble.

 

The architecture throughout is a mix of Roman marble and columns (repurposed by the Moors for the complex), brick, and stone.

 

Lots of green space throughout the Alcazaba.

 

Walking around the two parts of the complex took a couple of hours (and a lot of inclined paths and stairs), so we ended the day with a sunset on the mountaintop. In need of seats and refreshment, we then found a local bar that provided both. Afterwards, we found another gelato shop to give us energy for the walk home. (It was a 15-minute walk, but you can never be too careful...)

We’re off to Granada in the mañana, but I’m glad we’ll be returning to Malaga at the end of our adventure—there’s plenty more to see!

Besos,

Tina the Exploradora

Andalu-See-Ya!: Taking Off

 Hola todos!

This trip started out truly unlike any other on this blog: in an airport lounge. (Oooh, aaah…) With all of my work travel, I’m now United Gold, meaning that I can access Star Alliance partner lounges for free. So when I got to the Newark airport and through security in the international terminal (surprisingly drama- and stress-free, I am pleased to announce), I was able to get into the Lufthansa lounge. Pre-gaming my flight with some snackies and a glass of wine? Don’t mind if I do! (As it turns out, my affection is easily bought.)

But let’s back up: yes, I’m in an airport; yes, a passport is involved; and no, no one is surprised.

It has been too long since I’ve crossed the Atlantic (Over a year! The horror.) and I desperately need a vacation—to get out my routines and do something everything differently; to slow down and yet move more; to detox from tech unless it’s a museum audioguide (or this blog, of course!); to sip an espresso on the corner of a cobblestone street with the smoke of a European cigarette wafting from a nearby table.

So, what’s the itin?

Two weeks in southern Spain: enjoying the warmth of the coast and the people; touring cities with beautiful architecture reflecting the region’s fascinating history; and exploring a culture through its food and drink.

I studied Spanish language, history, and culture for nearly a decade—I listened to so many lectures on the Moorish occupation and read so much about the Reconquista. It’s been on my list for so long to actually see the places that I have heard so much about. Now, we’ll get to explore them together!

We start in Málaga, where we’ll get some beach time and good seafood. Then, we’ll move inland, hitting up Granada, Cordoba, and Sevilla, where we’ll eat tapas and tour mosques-turned-cathedrals and walk 20,000 steps a day. And we’ll end back in Málaga for some concluding restful days (more beach—duh).

Any special guests?

Of course—the ‘rents are coming along! I was literally minutes away from pressing “confirm” on my flight purchase when I got a text from my mom not-so-subtly inviting herself and my dad along on whatever adventure I had cooking. We travel well together, so letting them tag along was a no-brainer.

So grab a glass of Rioja, scoop of paella, or plate of jamón ibérico, and join me in Andalucía. ¡Vámonos!

Besos,

Tina the Exploradora

The French Riviera is Nice: Marseille

Hola todos,

At long last, the third and final installment is here. So, where were we...

Ah, yes. We moved west along the coast from Hyeres to Marseille, our third and final stop on this trip.  We had a few days to explore and, after resting for a decent chunk of time, intended to get plenty of steps walking around as much of the city as we could.

When we got to Marseille, it was a little drizzly.  But we walked around the downtown, in awe of the beautiful French architecture.

  

And, of course, as we explored, we also got our bearings.  This was a huge basilica across town (we went there a few days later) but it was unreal how well you could see it a couple miles away.

We made our way to Marseille's original port and waterfront to see what was there.  The answer:  another huge church.

  

The scale of this thing was incredible.

The next day on our walking tour, we learned that this church was built to be the first thing that ships coming into the port would see (and thus the size).  The original church was a bit smaller, so it was torn down and replaced with this bigger one.  Some walls of the original church are still standing.

 

We explored the inside, which was decked out with mosaic tiles and artwork (and, as a bonus, helped us escaped the drizzle).

 

 

 

The next morning was our walking tour (I'm nothing if not consistent...), which started in the downtown marina where we began our exploration the day before (also called Vieux, or "old", Port).  We got there with time to spare, but there was a farmer's market set up that we perused for a bit--fresh breads, fruits, and seafood.

  

And we walked up a main boulevard in the downtown area (in search of good coffee, but with the added bonus of getting to see the character of the city during morning commute time).

  

Our walking tour was led by an anthropologist from Argentina who moved to Marseille almost a decade ago, so he had a unique perspective to share and did an incredible job telling Marseille's story over the course of our several hours together.

  

On the walking tour, we got to see some street art that was just incroyable...

...and learned all about Marseille's soap-making history and culture. There's a special Marseille recipe and technique--something to do with the salinity of the ocean water used in part of the soapmaking process--and true savon de Marseille is uncolored and unscented, so it's great even for sensitive skin.

The best "locals know this" thing that we learned on the tour was that the park space next to the cathedral that we had been to the day before had stunning sunsets overlooking the vieux port. That night, we took a picnic dinner to test it out. As advertised, it was beautiful. (And, fortunately, there are very few people who read this blog because otherwise I'd be at risk of letting out Marseille's most stunning secret.) There were locals and tourists walking around, running by, or picnicking themselves, but it wasn't too crowded or loud. We snacked and sipped and watched the cruise ships enter and exit the harbor and other boats cross the horizon.

(No, the pictures do not do it justice. I guess you'll just have to go to Marseille and see it for yourself!)

The next day was our Count of Montecristo day--with a trip to the Chateau d'If! It's a short ferry ride from Marseille (you can actually see the island from the city).

The ferry ride itself was beautiful--the water is a beautiful blue and you can sightsee some of the different parts of the Marseille coastline on the ride to the island.

They have a self-guided tour that takes a couple of hours, so we wandered around the former prison  (yes, it was a real prison!), learning about the stories of the prisoners and Alexander Dumas and the history of Marseille.

Prisoners' names are etched into the wall throughout the prison, sometimes in these beautiful custom designs.

  

The views from the chateau are so beautiful, and the weather was perfect.

After getting back to Marseille and resting for a little bit, we wandered across town to the other side of Marseille. The church we had spotted the other day--the Notre Dame de la Garde--is Marseille's basilica and, due to its hilltop location, has incredible views of the water and city. We took a local bus to get up there and were not disappointed.

We ate lunch just outside the basilica on some benches with this view. Not too shabby!

  

The inside of the basilica was stunning. Just like the other church, the mosaic work on the walls, ceiling, and floors was breathtaking. Unlike the other church, though, this basilica is rather small. (At least by square feet. As you can see, the vaulted ceilings were pretty high up there.)

We went back to the Airbnb to rest our legs and enjoy some air conditioning, but then it was time to head the other direction in Marseille to the fine arts museum--but not to see any art.

Well, we would have gone to see some of the art, except that the museum was closed that day. But that was okay, because the real attraction for us was actually the exterior of the museum.

Um, wow.

 

It was stunning, and it's this lovely public space that leads to a park behind it. So even when the museum is closed, you can still appreciate the beautiful architecture, sculptures, fountains, and green space in the midst of the city.

 

Climbing up the stairs earns you a little treat--that lovely view of the garden and Marseille!

We rested in the park for a little bit, enjoying the calm green and the cooler air until the park shut down. Then we were off to the port for another sunset picnic dinner on the water.

Another peaceful evening, but make sure to bring a light jacket, even in the hot summer months. After the sun set, it got a little chilly!

Our final full day in France was a relaxing one--there was plenty more we could have done, both in and around Marseille, but I wanted to have a relaxing, stress-free end to our time in France. (And it had been a few days since we had been on a beach!) So off to a small local beach we went. And the best part was that it was accessible via the city bus and had a grocery store within walking distance for reprovisioning throughout the day.

The water was blue, even though it was close to the city's harbor. (No dirty New York Hudson over here!) It was a little cold but ultimately refreshing as we got hot throughout the afternoon. I think we were there from like 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. just chilling. It was parfait.

Once we were ready to change out of our salty, sandy clothes, we went back to the Airbnb, but not for long--we wanted to see one last sunset at our new go-to spot: it was time for a picnic dinner and gorgeous views.

  

We had yet another lovely and relaxing evening watching the sun set and the locals walk by and the ships sail off. Truly the perfect end to not just an incredible day, but also a perfect trip.

*    *    *

Marseille was a refreshing city adventure in the midst of days filled with beach time, adding some travel to our vacation. But I think it's fair to say that Nice was tough place to start because it so totally captured our hearts--very little would have been able to top that.

This girls' trip was 10 out of 10--the locations, the food and drink, the weather, and the company all combined into a truly special time with my mom that neither of us will ever forget. I am so grateful that we were both able to find the time and space to take this trip!

The next travels are never too far away. I'm saving up (both money and vacation time) for some exciting adventures soon to come. Stay tuned!

Bisous, et à la prochaine--

Tina the Exploradora