This is a delayed daily diary of my life in España. Read at your own risk...rants and opinions do occur but so do beautiful photos and links of information!
Thursday
España: Days 116-120 (Nerja, Granada, Córdoba, Seville)
Day 116:
30 of October is the start of our Southern España road trip! We will spend a night in Nerja, a coastal town along España's Costa del Sol. We stayed at a hotel that offers a room with a view of the Mediterranean and a complimentary bottle of cava waiting for us in our room! Hotel Balcón de Europa was not easy to get to if you are driving because at a certain point, you cannot drive through the streets. However, we finally found it after driving in a few circles. The view is beautiful but the room was just average. They allow dogs though so that is a second positive to the amazing view.
On our way, we stopped in a town called Almería for lunch. We did not want to take too much time here because it was getting late and cold but I found a good spot for a quick lunch. My first plan was to take the food to a park because the concept of Marco & Broders is street food takeaway but since there was a counter available on the exterior, there was no need to takeaway.
Driving into Almería is a beautiful sight to be seen!
Coco makes herself at home wherever we go! Dog friendly hotel in Nerja: Hotel Balcón de Europa
Complimentary bottle of Cava at Hotel Balcón de Europa
For dinner we found a hidden gem on TripAdvisor...and when I say hidden, it is because it is a little difficult to find. Julies & Valeri's is a Spanish tapas restaurant with a whole lot of Cuban flair! The vibe is great here...I think most or all of the staff are from Cuba and at times they would play instruments, sing and dance all while cooking and serving. The drinks were phenomenal...I had several mojitos! The food was delicious and of course we ordered too much but there were so many things we wanted to try! Toward the end of the night, the staff got most of us dancing as Valeri gave a little dance lesson....
Drinking my mojito at Julies & Valeri's
Grilled flatbread plate with hummus and falafel at Julies & Valeri's
A Cuban African American at a Cuban Spanish restaurant in España, Julies & Valeri's
Sweetcorn fritters with chili
Coco was very welcome at Julies & Valeri's
She does not look amused
Day 117:
Happy Halloween and Happy 10 years to us! Scott and I met on Halloween 10 years ago so we like to call this day our Hallow-versary! Before we make our way to Granada, we enjoy the view of the ocean a little longer...
10 years with mi amor ❤
View from our room at Hotel Balcón de Europa
Coco has claimed my suitcase as her new bed apparently
The drive to our next destination, Granada, was not great because of the stupid directions we were told to follow from the hotel we are staying at. This was another hotel that we could not drive directly to because it is part of an Unesco World Heritage district and cars except for buses and taxis are strictly prohibited. The directions were for how to get to the parking garage the hotel suggested parking at and taking a taxi from. If we park here, they will reimburse us for the taxi ride and parking so it does have an upside. The shitty thing is finding it. Since I am miss navigator when Scott drives, I have to be on my A game. The hotels instructions were not doing it for me so I switched over to my Google maps (which the hotel says not to do). I put in the address for what I thought was the parking garage, but it was actually the address for the hotel and we did not realize it until we were driving on the RESTRICTED road! I see why it is restricted too...the road we ended up driving through is Carrera del Darro and is full of tourists because it is one of the most scenic and oldest streets. I was freaking out of course because there was barely any room for our car to get through all while avoiding the people on foot. It was a nightmare and we were both irritated so it was a terrible combination...oh and we were lost. Eventually we found the parking garage and got a taxi to the hotel, Palacio Santa Ines. This hotel of course is dog friendly! We felt very welcome here and our room was huge!
Entry of our suite at Palacio Santa Inés
Salon of our room at Palacio Santa Inés
Accommodations for Coco at Palacio Santa Inés (although we all know she slept in bed with us)
Baño #1 of our suite at Palacio Santa Inés
Bedroom at Palacio Santa Inés
Baño #2 of our room at Palacio Santa Inés
Heartfelt love swans on our bed at Palacio Santa Inés
We were lucky to stumble upon this Moroccan restaurant for a late lunch, Restaurante Teteria Alhambra. We did not realize they don't serve alcohol but that is common in traditional Arabic restaurants. As we ate and then smoked some shisha, a woman set up a microphone stand and began playing the guitar. She was entertaining many people around with her unique vocals until a cranky old lady in an apartment above came out on her balcony and started yelling at this poor woman. She had to pack up her stuff and even as she was, the woman was still yelling at her. People are crazy.
Homemade lemonade at Teteria Alhambra
Teteria Alhambra on a little street called Placeta Silleria
Hummus at Teteria Alhambra
Pita at Teteria Alhambra
Tajine at Teteria Alhambra
Chicken kebab at Teteria Alhambra
Hookah, tea and cookies at Teteria Alhambra
Street near the Alhambra
Since it was getting late and the Alhambra closes soon, we decided to just walk up to where the park starts. I don't think I have felt the effects of high altitude until this moment. I wanted to go further but the walk was so long and uphill along with it being way colder than I anticipated so I suggested we stop. We wouldn't have gotten into the Alhambra anyways because it was just around closing time. When we got back to the hotel, there was a nice surprise....for our anniversary, Scott had the hotel set up a bottle of cava, chocolates and fruit for us! It was such a sweet surprise 😍
Happy 10 year anniversary to us!
View of the Alhambra from our room at the hotel Palacio Santa Inés
Coco thinks she should get something too...
Even though it was super cold out, we still went to dinner and brought Coco along (with many blankets in her carrier). Earlier, we stopped by this Italian restaurant we read about that has outdoor seating and made a reservation. The vibe at VidaXtra Restaurante was on point...probably because they are all Italiano (and one Montenegran)! I am not sure who are the official owners but Pepe is the head chef (possibly owner) and Davide (also possibly owner) was making fresh pasta. Our waitress and the other chefs were so pleasant as well. I could possibly have friends if I were to live in Granada! I don't think I have ever actually had fresh pasta...when I say fresh, I mean fresh like processed right in front of us. It was a special night and they don't normally do this so I felt I should get some! I was surprised by how much quicker I got full. Apparently fresh pasta is way more filling. I loved it but I could not finish my pasta. Pepe, Davide and co. welcomed us inside the restaurant after they closed as they were celebrating Pepe's birthday when the clock turned to midnight and it was the 1st of Nov.
From the Emilio Moro familia, Finca Resalso 2015 at VidaXtra
Davide at VidaXtra preparing the pasta from scratch!
Fresh pasta. A special night at VidaXtra
Fresh pasta dish at VidaXtra
Fresh pasta arrabiata at VidaXtra
Day 118:
It is the 1st of November and guess what that means? Here in España it means yet another holiday, All Saints Day or Dia de Todos Los Santos. It is a National Holiday which means good luck finding an open restaurant. We wanted to first take a walk up the hill to Sacromonte where there are supposed to be these gypsy caves. It sounded interesting as we read about the caves that the gypsies settled in dating back to 1492. You can apparently find food or live entertainment at these cave homes however, since it is a National Holiday, nothing was open. It was quite disappointing especially considering the hike up there. The positive though was the view...
I could really go for some watermelon on this walk...Granada Street Art! 🍉
On the walk to Sacromonte, a view of the Alhambra
View of Alhambra from Sacromonte
We made our was back and tried to find food along the way....unfortunately we had a terrible meal (or lack thereof since I only ate a couple of bites). When we got back to the hotel, we both fell asleep for "siesta" and woke past dinner time so we never got to eat.
Day 119:
Today we leave Granda and drive to Córdoba for 1 night but first, espresso...
I encouraged Scott to get this coffee, rum drink. It was mighty strong.
Our hotel in Córdoba also gave us special instructions on where to go because Google maps, or any GPS, apparently spits out wrong directions. These instructions were a bit better than the other. We stayed at the NH Collection Amistad Córdoba which is in a historic section of the city and it is made up of Moorish Mansions. The grounds were beautiful but I honestly have to say, the room was forgettable. The location was great though!
After lunch, we made our way to the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos of Córdoba but Coco is not allowed inside so I told Scott to go ahead and go in and we will relax outside. I stole some of his photos since I did not go in!
Bocadillos at Pan & Fusión
Streets of Córdoba
Alcázar wall
Alcázar exterior in Córdoba
Coco and me outside the Alcázar
Alcázar interior
Alcázar interior
View from the Alcázar
Alcázar gardens
We are really excited for our dinner at this Mexican restaurant called Cielito Linda Cafe Córdoba. We read great things about it and when Scott contacted them through Facebook, the owner was very responsive and so friendly while we were there. The food and drinks were great. Scott got to have a Corona, which is not as easy to find in España and I had a couple different things...first I sipped on some tequila and then got a margarita. The Margarita was very lime-y and sour. We started with the nachos, which I couldn't get enough of!
Margarita y Tequila a Cielito Linda
Nachos at Cielito Linda
Fajitas at Cielito Linda
Enchiladas at Cielito Linda
Chupitos at Cielito Linda
Day 120:
Before we leave Córdoba, we wanted to walk around a little more to see the cathedral and old town.
Popular form of transportation in Córdoba
Spectacular ceiling work at Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba
Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba
Courtyards of Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba
Old Roman water wheel in Córdoba - Molino de la Albolafia
Our drive to Seville (pronounced sa-vee-ya) was pretty easy and we went straight to lunch before checking into our AirBnb. I knew what to expect at Eslava ....a lot of reviews said you may have to wait a while but it is worth the wait....sure enough, we waited about 30 minutes and the food and drinks were very much worth it!
Eslava street in Seville
Jamón at Eslava
Costillas de Cerdo con miel (pork ribs glazed with honey and rosemary) at Eslava....we ordered this two more times!
Charlota de Calabacine (zucchini lined vegetable terrine) at Eslava
Finca Moncloa 2012 at Eslava
Not the same photo but the same order again (and again) at Eslava!
We immediately loved our Airbnb upon arrival! Here is a link to the place and a copy of our review of Wall Muralla:
We were very welcomed and shown around the Wall Muralla in perfect detail including restaurant and area recommendations! We enjoyed relaxing on the outdoor patio against the ancient wall. The location was (URL HIDDEN) more or less than 10 minutes (on foot) you can get to most of the city's main attractions (Alcazar, Catedral, Torre del Oro, river, shopping, food etc!) We always travel with our small dog and she felt the comfort of home here. We had to be a bit cautious with her around the stairs and loft because of the openness but it was not a problem. We stayed here for 4 nights and would love to spend more time there again (URL HIDDEN) is THE place to be! Feel free to check out photos and more of our adventures on Instagram @ali_de_la_tortuga @hatmanchego and @coco.coquito.poco_de_coco
Wall Muralla, our AirBnb in Seville
Torre de Oro in Seville
We wanted to have dinner at an Italian place we read about that has outdoor seating but at this time, they did not have outdoor seating or they decided to do away with it for the season. Of course Coco was with us so we had to find an alternative. Across the way was a place with outdoor seating,El Pimenton. The food was decent...we did not care for the patatas but that is really our fault because we didn't realize they weren't patatas bravas.
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