Wrapping it up.

Once we reached Granada, I went to bed. I was feeling so tired and so sick. It’s hard to fight a cold while traveling because you never truly get to rest. Mike and his parents went out to explore while I took a deep restorative nap. Oh that nap. It felt like such a luxury. When I woke up I felt like I had finally turned a corner on the travel cold that would not quit. Dinner that night was at my favorite restaurant in Granada, Paprika. My mom and I had a meal there in October that I was still thinking about (apricot tofu with peanut sauce). It did not disappoint the second time around.

The next morning Mike and his parents visited Alhambra while I extending my rest time into the morning hours. I think the desk employee at our hostel was personally offended that I wasn’t visiting Alhambra as well. As much as I tried to explain, “I know! It’s amazing! I went in October and loved it! But I’m feeling really sick now…” he could not fathom why I’d sit out. (Alhambra post 1, post 2, and post 3.)

Because I had already been to Granada and wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t take any photos around the city. I was not an enthusiastic photographer on this trip. Thank you, travel cold. So let’s move on to the next stop… Cordoba.

When we arrived at our hostel, no one was home. Turns out, we were the only guests in the entire place. The manager was out and about doing whatever so it took us awhile to track him down. We stayed in the teeny tiniest room and avoided taking showers in the really stinky water. Hostels: you win some, you lose some.

Cordoba holds a special place in history having served as a former Roman capital, an Arab state capital, and a Caliphate. It was a pretty important place and still has the architecture to prove it. The biggest tourist attraction in Cordoba is the Mezquita. Originally built in 786 as a mosque, it was transformed into a church after the Christian Reconquista in 1236. It is definitely a must see for the region. Tip: There’s free entry between 8:30am – 9:20am for individual tourists but not groups.

Other than visit the Mezquita, we mainly walked the alleyways and popped into bars and cafes to avoid the rain. In a town this pretty, just taking in the buildings around you is enough.

After our brief stay in Cordoba, we headed over to Seville, our last stop. Again, because I had previously visited and wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t take any photos. (Seville post 1, post 2, and post 3). The most memorable part of this visit was experiencing the thrill of foiling a pickpocket. I suddenly had a funny feeling in my stomach and turned around to check on Mike’s mom. A woman posing as a tourist with a map out had walked up behind her. The pickpocket had folded her map over Linda’s backpack and was unzipping it under the privacy of the map. When I called out to her the pickpocket backed off and pretended to read a poster, but Linda’s backpack was completely unzipped and hanging open. Luckily, there was nothing more than a jacket inside. Lesson learned! Be alert for fake tourists using their maps to rob you!

Early the next morning Mike and I flew back to Marrakech (not so) ready to begin the spring term.

xo, jill

***Big thanks to Mike’s parents for all their generosity on this trip.

Help me, Ronda!*

After leaving Portugal, we headed over for one night in Cadiz. I wasn’t feeling great and didn’t manage to take any photos. It was a nice city, but no match for my cold. Maybe next time?

The next day we continued on our way to Granada. Along the way Mike suggested we stop in the little town of Ronda. I’m glad he did. I had zero expectations and was very pleasantly surprised. It might have been one of my favorite stops the entire trip. If I could do it again, I would skip Cadiz and stay overnight in Ronda. (But that could be the head cold talking…)

One of the main draws to Ronda is the bridge situation. My photographs don’t do it justice so you really need to click this link. That’s the Puente Nuevo, completed in 1791. There’s no way this acrophobe could ever work on a project like that. Just looking at it was enough to make me feel woozy.

Pop culture is another reason why tourists are drawn to Ronda. Heavyweights like Hemingway, Welles, and Rilke all spent a significant amount of time in the town.

Personally, I was most interested in the Museo Lara but time prevented us from visiting. The museum consists of the private collection of Juan Antonio Lara Jurado. He began collecting at age 10 and carries on today… in his 70s. Apparently, he collects basically everything one could possibly collect and keeps expanding the museum part of his mansion and shrinking his personal living quarters. I need to witness this devotion. If you are ever in Ronda, please visit this museum for me. I need a full report. (Really.)

Once back in the car, we continued on the road to Granada.

xo, jill

* Sorry, couldn’t stop myself!

Tiny Spain.

Let’s get back to the trip Mike and I took to northern Morocco way back in November. Returning to this trip actually means returning to Spain! The last portion of our trip was a visit to Ceuta aka Sebta, a tiny bit of Spain attached to Morocco*. (Ceuta = Spanish, Sebta = Arabic)

Entering Ceuta was pretty easy if you don’t mind being pushed around in a line for 30 minutes or so. After lunging at the passport desk, we were waived on to simply walk across the border into Spain. From there you can take a taxi or bus into the city center. If you are crazy, you can try to walk. Yep, we tried to walk. The distance looked a lot shorter on the map. Eventually, we hailed a taxi that took us straight to our hotel.

We spent most of our time in Sebta enjoying the European feel of our surroundings and stocking up on essentials, like black beans and tofu.

I thought this was a funny place for this man to pose.

On the way back in to Morocco we joked about the relatively relaxed border. Turns out, it was even more relaxed than we realized. A man standing by a fence noticed we didn’t have an exit stamp, so he directed us up to the window of a drive through passport lane. After a smile and stamp we were on our way. It was also fun to see what other people were bringing back into Morocco. I noticed a gigantic garbage bag full of chips and quite a few containers of Nesquick making their way back over the border.

From Ceuta we headed back to Tangier for the night before returning to Marrakech.

xo, jill

*There’s another Spanish enclave on mainland Africa.

Final hours.

After my mom flew home, I had one more day to spend in Seville. For the most part, I took it easy. However, I did manage to walk across to the opposite side of the river. I later walked down to Maria Luisa Park to check out the Plaza de Espana. It was built for the World’s Fair in 1929

I think I spent the rest of my day shopping on the high street, trying to finish my book, and cramming packages of tortillas into my tiny backpack. Very early the next morning, I was headed back to Marrakech.

xo, jill

Figaro! Figaro!

The rest of our time together in Seville my mom and I dashed around town trying to see all the sights. There might have been a few siestas here and there as well.

We strolled along the river and took in the Golden Tower.

We also paid a visit to the famous Seville Cathedral which is the largest gothic cathedral in the world. While there we took a peek at the monument housing Columbus’s remains. Giralda, the clock tower, formerly served as a minaret when the area was under Muslim rule. It was modeled after the minaret at the Koutoubia mosque in Marrakech.

Columbus’s remains.

We also visited the waffle over the city, also known as Metropol Parasol, to check out the view.

Our last night together we took in a flamenco show at the Casa de la Guitarra and enjoyed walking through the town after dark.

The next morning it was time for my mom to head back home. I certainly hope the trip was worth the wait!

xo, jill

Can’t get enough.

After visiting the Alhambra in Granada, we headed over to Seville. After checking into our bright pink room, we checked out the town and ended up at the Alcazar. I guess I just can’t get enough of Moorish design and architecture. The palace is the oldest palace in Europe that is still currently in use. The Spanish royal family uses the upstairs chambers as its residence while in Seville. Not a bad setup.

Yep, I think I could live here too.

xo, jill