After catching a taxi at 3:30am, we left Prague for warmer weather, beautiful beaches, and the Mediterranean. We flew from Prague to Milan (where I proceeded to layer about 5 pairs of pants and leggings, 10 shirts, and smuggle my laptop under my coat so as to avoid paying 50 euro for an overweight bag) and from Milan to Barcelona. After arriving in Barcelona, it took us a little while to find our hotel but thanks to Johnny's Spanish we didn't have much trouble. The hotel, Hostal Residencia Australia, was located about 3 blocks from Las Ramblas, a pedestrian road lined with restaurants, performance artists, flower stands, and souvenir shops. If I ever return to Barce, I want to stay at this hotel again. The owner was one of the nicest men I've ever met and made us feel right at home. He gave us a map of the city, circling places he recommended seeing during out 2 day stay. The location couldn't be better either, across the street from a great restaurant where we went twice for delicious home cooked lentil soup, steak, and breakfast. And since it was so close to Las Ramblas, our first day consisted of walking the entire street, all the way to the beach.
Las Ramblas
And the harbor at the end.
I absolutely loved Barcelona. It's definitely a city I could see myself living in. It has everything, beautiful architecture, vibrant people, gorgeous beaches, and food that literally melts in your mouth. I loved the mixture of urban, art, and ocean. Who wouldn't want to live in a place that combines all these things?
Spanish boy throwing stones into the Mediterranean.
Boats in the harbor.
Flowers on Las Ramblas.
Our second day was devoted to seeing two of the classic tourist stops in Barce, Gaudi Park or Park Güell, and La Sagrada Familia. These two creations by the innovative architect Antoni Gaudi were must sees on my list and the weather was perfect for it. We took a bus from the hotel to Gaudi Park and I was amazed how something built in the 1900s could be so modern looking. It was like nothing I've seen before, the columns of rocks appearing to drip from equally rocky ceilings, the colorful mosaics that decorated geckos, ceilings, and walls, and the beautiful flowers that were planted everywhere. I would have spent hours exploring the park but shortly after the sun broke through the clouds, it was time to head downhill to Sagrada Familia.
Gecko, Johnny, and I at the entrance to Gaudi Park.
Mosaic fountain.
Two buildings by Gaudi at the entrance to the park.
Mosaics on the ceiling.
The architecture lends itself well to typical tourist photos.
I swear we didn't see this until after taking pictures! Not...
Since Sagrada Familia is downhill from Gaudi Park and it was such a beautiful day, we decided to hoof it. Several blocks later and we arrived at the most interesting church I've ever seen. We were able to get a student discount on our tickets and when we entered the church, I was blown away again. Gaudi received much of his inspiration from nature and modeled the columns inside to resemble a forest. It certainly felt like I was among gigantic trees as I walked through. We took an elevator up one of the outer spires and enjoyed a beautiful view of Barcelona as well as an up close look at the ongoing construction. Construction began in 1882 and when Gaudi died in 1926, less than 25% of the church was complete. The completion date is estimated to be 2026, so there still is lots to do. When aproached about the long construction time, Gaudi is reported to have said, "Don't worry, my client is not in a hurry," showing that the man had a great sense of humor as well as being an artistic genius. There was an exhibit inside the church describing Gaudi's nature influences which I found very interesting.
Passion facade.
Columns inside the church.
Beautiful stained glass.
Nativity facade.
This room was the only completed part of the church when Gaudi died.
The ceiling inside the church.
View from the top of the spire.
Close up of facade.
It must be odd to work at a construction site that doubles as a tourist destination!
When Sagrada Familia is completed, it will be the tallest church in the world.
The next morning we caught a train from Barcelona to Malaga, the closest train station to Marbella, our next destination. Because of my eurail pass, I only had to pay 10 euro for a 200 euro ticket! The AVE trains are extremely comfortable and there was a movie that played during the first few hours of the 6 hour trip. Unfortunately, I didn't find the headphone jack until after the movie was over. The train took us deep into the Spanish countryside and we traveled through a desert, farmlands, and the mountains. This was definitely a highlight of the trip for me because I felt like I really got to see Spain. When we arrived at the train station in Malaga we took a bus from there to Marbella. Then began the walk down to the beach, toting our luggage and heavy winter coats, reminders of the bitter cold of Prague. When we arrived at the hotel, we were pleased to find much nicer accommodations than one would find at a hostel. With a four star rating and views of the Mediterranean, we were surprised that we had been able to afford it. After settling it, we took a walk along the beach to find a place to eat and see the sites.
Elephants that double as showers!
I quickly realized that Marbella was a vacation spot for old British people. There were very few young people. Even the locals seemed to all be old! It was nice to be a quiet place for a change though. And we were able to find things to do even though there were very few tourist attractions. The hotel offered excursions to nearby areas and one to Gibraltar sparked our interest. We were told to come back the next day and it would be arranged for us. Meanwhile, we took time to explore Marbella, seeing the ruins of a Moorish castle and the Bonsai Museum.
Ruins of a Moorish castle in the middle of Marbella.
200 year old bonsai tree.
Pond in the middle of a park.
Rose in the middle of the pond!
Sand art on the beach.
Awesome sand castle!
The weather the first day was less than perfect, drizzly on and off and cloudy. But waking up the second day, we were greeted with some much needed sunshine! Marbella means beautiful sea in Spanish and it certainly was beautiful the second day. We were torn between staying and enjoying the beautiful weather or going to Gibraltar as planned but we decided to stick to the plan and head to Gibraltar.
View from my balcony.
Mountains and Marbella from the top of the hotel.
Terrace on the roof.
When we went to the front desk however, we were met with unexpected and unfortunate news. The tour of Gibraltar was completely booked! We were told there was a bus we could take and from there we would be on our own so we decided to risk it and go for an adventure. When we arrived at the bus station, we were met with more bad news. The bus we wanted to take was sold out and the next one wasn't leaving for another hour or so. Despite our disappointment, we stuck to our plan and bought tickets for the next bus. After waiting in the station for an hour, we boarded the bus and set out on what became my favorite excursion.
Upon arriving at the final stop, we had to walk from the bus station to the border of Spain and Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a British colony and entering it meant we had to flash our passports and cross the airport runway. We took a bus from the border to a cable car place and took the cable car up to the top of the rock. The Rock of Gibraltar is really a huge mountain, stretching 1,400 feet into the air.
The cable car we took up the mountain.
The Rock of Gibraltar is also known as one of the Pillars of Hercules, created during his twelve labors for the gods. According to mythology, Hercules smashed through a mountain on his was to the island Erytheia joining the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean and creating the Rock of Gibraltar and Monte Hacho in Africa. Another account states the Hercules used his super-human strength to narrow an already existing strait in order to keep sea monsters from the Atlantic Ocean from entering the Mediterranean. In Plato's time, the expanse of ocean past the Rock was known as "The Unknown" and is said to have been where the lost island of Atlantis was situated. Either way, it is an extremely impressive sight.
One of the most popular attractions on the Rock are the Barbary Macaques that live on the Rock. These apes are so used to tourist coming into their habitat that they will jump on you if you stand close enough to them! They associate plastic bags with food and will steal them if they see you carrying one.
Baby ape on Johnny's back.
The eastern slope is extremely steep.
More apes!
As many of you know, I'm not the best when it comes to heights. For the most part, I did fine at the Rock. But when we attempted to go down the Mediterranean Steps, my nerves got the better of me. The steps are extremely narrow and can be uneven as they are literally carved into the limestone face of the Rock. I just couldn't do it. So we turned around and found some other beautiful views. I had to snap a photo before leaving (below) and I think it gives you a pretty good idea of just how steep the steps were!
Beautiful Mediterranean from the top of the steps.
This also made me quite nervous but I had to get a picture! This was an old war bunker.
At the summit.
More apes!
I love this picture because you can see the coast of Africa on the horizon.
After a long day of hiking and exploring the Rock, we headed back to Marbella tired but with a huge sense of accomplishment. We had gone somewhere no one else at the castle had gone. When we arrived back in quiet Marbella, I wanted to have a special meal so we decided on a restaurant along the boardwalk and ordered paella. BEST. DECISION. EVER. It was absolutely delicious and a perfect way to end an extremely tiring day.
Chicken Paella. Absolutely amazing.
The next morning we headed to the rooftop pool for a quick dip before heading out to catch our train to Madrid. We were flying out of Madrid since there were no airports close by that cater to Ryanair.
It was a bit cold, but worth it!
Before heading out, we went down to the beach one last time for some last photos.
Had to take one for Liz!
We made our train to Madrid without any hassle and caught our flight back to Weeze. I was sad to leave Spain but left feeling so relaxed. Travel break felt like a vacation instead of a frantic weekend full of running around and attempting to fit every tourist attraction into 36 hours. It was nice to go to a place where other people go to just relax. I don't know if I'll ever return to Marbella, but I would love to visit Barcelona and Gibraltar again.
Next up: Italia! Venice and Rome!
