I'm not even going to bother talking about my teaching in the second half of last week, because I was with the infantiles so we didn't do anything especially exciting except sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (by which I mean I sang along with a YouTube video while they stared at me openmouthed). I'm pretty sure that this will be a very long post, because I spent my weekend in Andalucía and Morocco!
On Thursday, I left my after school lesson and headed to the bus station. I boarded the 6:00 bus to Madrid because I had a flight from Madrid to Málaga at 10:10. One of the very few things that's tough about Quintanar is that, because it's a small town, it's difficult to go anywhere other than Madrid or Toledo. So even though Quintanar is south of Madrid, as is Andalucía where I was going, I had to go north to Madrid and then double back in the air. But what a problem to have, I keep telling myself. So my bus arrived in Madrid at 7:45, then I found my way to the nearby train station that runs a train directly to the airport (The same train has stops at the airport, the biggest train station in Madrid, and the biggest bus station. They really know what they're doing when it comes to public transportation.). I missed the train by 2 minutes so then I had to wait thirty more for the next one, but I made it to the airport with plenty of time. My flight to Málaga was less than an hour, so I touched down again at 11:00, and took a taxi to my hostel. So basically, getting to Málaga involved planes, trains, and automobiles.
Because I got there so late, I didn't do anything my first night in Málaga, especially because I lucked out with the other two girls with whom I shared a room in the hostel. One girl was from Kansas, the other from Ottawa, so we ended up talking for a few hours that night. Unfortunately, the Canadian girl was leaving in the morning, but the girl from Kansas and I really hit it off, and she was staying for most of the weekend. My favorite thing about staying in hostels are the people you meet along the way, and I've only had good luck so far.
On Friday morning, I took a walking tour of Málaga. Málaga is a 3,000 year old city, the second or third oldest in western Europe (Cádiz, another city in Andalucía, is the oldest in western Europe, and Lisbon is way up there too). Learning about the history of these cities in southern Spain is probably my favorite part of traveling there, because nothing in the US comes close to how old things are in Spain. Some of the people that have lived in Málaga were the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, and, of course, Arabs. Málaga is, first and foremost, a beach town, so I really enjoyed being there in December because it wasn't crowded (Although it would have been nice to take a dip in the Mediterranean. The temperature was in the high 60s that day, but that's still not quite warm enough to be swimming weather for me.), but it was decorated for Christmas, and the lights were gorgeous. Because Málaga is a beach town, there aren't quite as many things to see as in some of the other big cities in Andalucía, but it's still lovely, of course. The city is full of winding streets, tons of shopping, and the beach is within walking distance. They also have analcazaba, or a fortress/castle, which is a hallmark of the Arabs, and a breathtaking cathedral. The cathedral took 300 years to build, so each side has a different kind of architecture. The cathedral was my favorite thing in Málaga by far.
Plaza de la Constitución,one of the main squares in Málaga, which had the best Christmas decorations
The Baroque side of the cathedral
The Renaissance side of the cathedral
There's also a Gothic side, of which I don't have a picture. The tour also included seeing the Roman theater and the Atarazanas market, which had some of the best looking seafood I've ever seen, and I don't even like seafood. Málaga is known for their almonds, as well, and there were plenty of those at the market. I couldn't resist trying them, and take it from me that they're the best almonds I've ever had.
Roman theater at the foot of the alcazaba
Fresh food at the Atarazanas Market
So many olives! (The stand's purveyor wasn't thrilled with my photoshoot)
Famous Málaga almonds
Catch of the day
Málaga is also the birthplace of Picasso, and we saw the museum dedicated to him and his works on the tour but I chose not to visit, not being a huge Picasso fan myself. After the walking tour, I went on a walking tour of my own. I wandered through a big park full of exotic trees, past the ayuntamiento, which is a municipal building or courthouse, down to the Malaga port, and discovered they had their own small version of the London Eye named the Princess. So obviously I had to do that, and I love nothing more than a good view.
The city was filled with palm trees!
Ayuntamiento
View of the city and the alcazaba from the Princess
View of the port from the Princess
After I disembarked from the Princess, I wandered over to the beach. The beach closest to the city center, Malagueta, is quite nice, but I read that there are even nicer beaches further outside the city, especially to the east.
Malagueta beach
On my way back into the city center (and in search of a snack), I walked by the cathedral again, and I took the opportunity to wander through the small Arabic garden on the property. The loveliness of the cathedral really cannot be overstated.
Cathedral gardens
Cathedral tower
After a brief rest in my hostel, my new friend from Kansas and I went to a restaurant in Málaga that is famous for their moscatel, a sweet regional wine. Apparently even Antonio Banderas goes there when he's in town. However, much to our dismay, we both hated the wine, and struggled to even finish the small glass we were given. I'm glad that I tried it, but I'll probably avoid moscatel from Málaga in the future. After we finished eating and choking down our wine, we wandered around the city center looking at Christmas lights. It was a lovely end to a relaxing day, and I was going to need it, because I had a long few days ahead of me.
Málaga's swankiest shopping street, Marqués de Larios
Plaza de la Constitución at night
On Saturday morning, I met up with my tour group that was going to Morocco in front of the ayuntamiento. We boarded the bus and made the hour and a half drive down to Gibraltar, our first stop, where I met up with my friends Natalie and Kristina, who had left on the bus from Sevilla. We toured Gibraltar in minibuses, and my guide was a British man named Francis. I really enjoyed the tour, especially because I didn't know Gibraltar was so full of history. We got to see the Rock of Gibraltar, the Strait of Gibraltar and Europa Point, the Gibraltar airport runway (considered one of the most dangerous runways in the world because it's runs into the water), and St. Michael's caves.
"Is that your boulder? That is a nice boulder."
Lighthouse at Europa Point
Strait of Gibraltar (if you look under the cloud, you can see Morocco in the distance)
Inside St. Michael's caves
We also met some of Gibraltar's most famous residents, the Barbary apes. Francis explained that no one knows exactly how the apes got to Gibraltar, because of course Barbary apes are from Africa, but I'm betting they came on ships. After all, Morocco is only 14 kilometers from Gibraltar (about nine miles). They are extremely comfortable around humans, so I was able to get pretty close to them, which was really cool. At one point, I was crouched down inside a souvenir shop, trying to take a picture of a monkey because he was sitting on the doorstep, and he suddenly got up and passed so close to me that he brushed up against me. But in doing so, he came in the souvenir shop. The workers were totally unfazed; one guy just brought out a broom and chased him out. It was quite a sight.
Monkey outside the souvenir shop
Accidental action shot of him entering the shop
Making new friends!
After our tour, we had some free time, which my friends and I used to eat authentic fish and chips (and they were delicious), before heading back to the bus to make our way over to Algeciras back in Spain to get the ferry to Morocco. On our way back to the bus, we crossed the Gibraltar runway, because it runs directly across the road/sidewalk. With the Rock in the background, it was a pretty cool experience.
On the Gibraltar runway
We then hopped on the ferry in Algeciras and motored over to Africa, which took less than an hour, and the inside of the ferry reminded me of a cruise ship. It was gorgeous (but I didn't take any photos, so you'll just have to take my word for it.).
Leaving Europe behind
So when we disembarked, we were in Africa, but technically we were still in Spain. Spain controls a city in northern Morocco called Ceuta, which is where our ferry landed. So we had to get in a bus and drive to the Moroccan border. Trying to get across the border was a crazy experience. Because Ceuta is a port city, the products there are duty free, so Morrocans go into Ceuta, buy things in bulk, and smuggle them into Morocco. There were police everywhere just watching the smugglers cross the border or climb over the fence, laden with packages. That in itself was pretty surreal but more so were the things they were smuggling: blankets, pasteurized yogurt, cigarettes, etc. It was really eye opening for me to see these women stuffing as many blankets as they could into a pack before slinging it over their backs and hobbling away. And the things that they were risking smuggling were just blankets? The police generally let people through, because most of the stuff was pretty harmless (and because they could take whatever the people were smuggling for themselves), but we saw what happened when people tried to smuggle things of a more sinister nature. One man wouldn't back down when a policeman told him to open his bag, so the policeman beat him with a nightstick. I've never seen anything like that firsthand, and I have to admit it was a little unsettling.
When we finally got through the border (which took the better part of two hours), we continued on to Tangier. We were staying in a beautiful hotel, and when we arrived, we were treated to a delicious Moroccan dinner. I loved the food all weekend, actually, so it's good to know that I like Moroccan food!
Sunday was our big tour day. We were going to three cities in one day, the first of which was Tangier. We took a bus tour of the city, a lot of which was surprisingly green and lovely, and we stopped at Cape Spartel, which is the Moroccan side of where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet.
Cape Spartel
After the tour, it was time for probably the most exciting part of the trip: the camel ride. We drove over to the beach and descended the stairs along the dunes to where the camels were waiting. That was definitely a memorable experience, to say the least. And I think we all enjoyed being on the beach in December (although I got sunburn, much to my chagrin).
View from the camel
I had the pleasure of riding the angry-looking one wearing the muzzle
After the camel ride, it was back to the bus to travel to Chefchaouen, also known as the Blue City. Chefchaouen is in the mountains, so when we stopped for lunch, we went to a hotel with a lovely view of the surroundings.
View from our lunch spot
We toured the city after lunch. Chefchaouen is full of pretty, winding streets with vendors everywhere. They're really well known for their fabrics, especially anything blue, so I couldn't resist buying myself a few things while we were there. I could have wandered around for ages, just taking in the city.
Scarves and fabrics everywhere!
Chefchaouen alcazaba
Me, Kristina, and Natalie
Me and Natalie and some more fabrics
After we had some time to explore and shop on our own and try our hand at bargaining with the Moroccans, we continued on to Tetuan.
In Tetuan, we went to a Moroccan Fantasy Dinner that included a five-course meal and local entertainment, including dancers, drummers, and amazing costumes. It was a ton of fun, and we got to try the mint tea that Morocco is famous for (Unlike the moscatel in Málaga, this was warranted).
Performers during the Fantasy Dinner
In the morning, we took a tour of Tetuan, and we had the opportunity to explore both a food market and a handicrafts market. Seeing live chickens in cages at the food market was another eye opener, but the produce looked like it was to die for, and of course it was really cheap. Tetuan is known for their leather products, so I really enjoyed exploring the handicrafts market (I bought myself a handmade leather bag for €20). Then we went to a traditional Berber pharmacy, where they make a variety of products organically and locally. One of the pharmacists did a demonstration and allowed us to test many of their products, including authentic Argan oil, which is a miracle for both your skin and hair and it's only available from Morocco.
Plaza built by Europeans in Tetuan
Main square in Tetuan and entrance to the medina, or old city
Inside the Berber pharmacy
After the tour was over, it was already time to head back to Ceuta to take the ferry back to Europe. Thankfully, getting back across the border was totally uneventful and it only took 30 minutes. Back in Algeciras, my friends and I parted ways again as they headed back to Sevilla and I to Málaga. I was pretty tired that night, so I had some dinner and called it an early night. In the morning, I took the subway to the airport and flew back to Madrid. On a whim, I decided to see a movie while I was in Madrid, because I haven't been to the movies since I came to Spain, and I knew I would be able to find an English movie theater in the city. I saw the latest installment in the Hunger Games, which I really enjoyed, partially because I was able to see it in a theater. Not going to the movies is one of the things I really miss about being home. I continued on to the bus station and finally arrived in Quintanar around 7:15. I had school the following day with the preschool, but thankfully, it's only a two day week before the weekend rolls around again!
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