A tour of Costa del Sol with the parents!
Trip Start
Feb 15, 2007
1
6
10
Trip End
Feb 25, 2007
Marbella, Casares, Tarifa, Gibraltar, Spain
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The day was perfect with not a cloud in the sky as we headed for a quick stop at Casares, a tiny casa blanca village located dangerously close to the edge of a huge cliff. The town's elderly residents sat in the shade of a tiny public library, shouting hello to passers-by as they caught up on the gossip with each other. It was so great but we had to head on to Tarifa, which is the southernmost point in Europe and only 9 miles from Africa.
As we drove, the gigantic mountains of Africa appeared on the horizon across the Mediterranean. I really wanted to go to Morocco, but Tangiers is not the "real" Morocco and that's all we would have time for, so we decided to save Africa for another trip. On a random note, with the mountains in the background all day, I could not get the Toto song "Africa" out of my head all day- you know the one!
Tarifa was gorgeous with narrow, winding streets and a heavy Arabic influence. We were supposed to meet Kevan at a café but ended up seeing him at the tourist office- I love how small Spain can be.
We had great coffee at Zumo, a local café that felt like something out of a movie. We then walked by old castles, ruins of a fort, and the most gorgeous beaches covered in fences because the wind is so strong and without the fences dunes would occur. It all was breathtaking.
We said goodbye to Kev and explored the town scene more before driving to the Arte de Vida, the most picturesque hostel and restaurant he recommended to us for lunch. A floor-to ceiling window provided unparalleled views of kitesurfers and beachgoers as I had fantastic seafood pasta.
The hotel was so cool- huge wicker swings floated in the breeze and Mediterranean bed-style lounges dotted the area. We headed to the gorgeous beach. I never wanted to leave the sight of dogs playing in the water and the kitesurfers being tossed on the waves, but it was time for Gibraltar.
Gibraltar is in Spain but technically is an English province so we had to show our passports to get into the city. To go into town, we had to drive across the airport runway, which was an adventure in itself. The magnificent, 423 meter limestone rock towered above us as we navigated through some confusing streets. Gibraltar is a funny city- the currency is in British pounds and all of the signs changed to English at the border.
We wanted to go to the top of the rock and had to take a wobbly cable car to get there. Anyone who knows me knows that while I am fine with jumping out of a plane, I am not a fan of the skyride at amusement parks and the ski lifts at resorts. I braved the windy day and luckily, we did not plummet to a terrible death.
The view from the top of Gibraltar was pristine. Africa loomed so close, while on the other side, Marbella and Malaga beckoned. The rock is really amazing- it slopes on one side with lush vegetation while the other side consists of a sheer, close to 90-degree drop into the ocean. It was astounding to see such a massive rock in the middle of a flat city.
Apes also dwell on top of the rock in ruins of forts and are known to snatch bags out of tourists' hands. I was absolutely amazed to see them walking so close to me- I could have pet them if I wanted to.
Too soon, we had to catch the cable car back down to earth. We wandered the narrow streets for a bit and I had a great Irish stout in The Star, Gibraltar's oldest pub, before napping in the car on the way back to Marbella. We had sangria and gigantic calzones on the water in Marbella before turning in early, since Dad and Nancy are leaving Spain tomorrow.
Their departure tomorrow really got me thinking. Tomorrow is my last night in Spain, and I don't want to go home. I have struggled with the language barrier but my Spanish has improved tenfold and I remember things I thought I had forgotten years ago.
Being a traveler, one must be flexible with change and should know that nothing lasts forever. This is what I have the hardest time with. I love my new friends and the town I have come to know. I also love how carefree life is here in Spain. People don't have much, but are happy with what they do have and live such full lives. The Spanish people I have met are so friendly and I'm sad I'm leaving Friday. Alright, I need to stop pondering and get some sleep... Goodnight!
