After our stay in Sevilla we had a rental car waiting for us at the train station via Hertz. I knew it was a stick and that it would be like riding a bike. Once you learn you never forget. It took me stalling a few times before I picked it back up and we were on our way to Marbella. We decided that since Marbella would probably not have anything to offer us in the realm of tourism, other than seeing expensive cars and homes, that we would drive through the city of Ronda. Driving through the back roads of Spain was absolutely AMAZING! The views were truely breathtaking. Fields of lush green grass and olive trees as far as the eye could see decorated the mountainous landscape.
Upon arrival in Ronda, which is famous for the Puente Nueva bridge, we parked, got a map, and started being tourists. The city itself is built on a huge hill and the views from the bridge were spectacular. We couldn't really get a feel for how big the bridge really was until we hiked down this trail to where we could take pictures. You see how big it is in the postcards but seeing it in person is a whole different story. We found our way down the trail and headed down, which took about 15 minutes. Upon reaching the bottom, we were taken aback at the true beauty and size of this bridge. Pictures don't do it justice.
After an afternoon meal at McDonalds we continued our journey down to the Beverly Hills of Spain, Marbella. The second part of the drive reminded me of driving up to Big Bear. The road was very windy and trees covered the entire mountain. We arrived at the Hotel Guadalmina Golf in the mid evening and felt like we were at a 5 star resort. Upon entering the room, we went to our balcony to see the ocean staring us in the face with its waves crashing down on the beach. We looked up restaurants in the area and decided on Trader Vic's. Since we didn't want to drive we took a taxi, which took less than 10 minutes. We truely felt at home when he asked for the 15 Euro fare to take us a few miles down the road. Trader Vic's is like a mix between hawaiian and chinese food. More of a fusion type restaurant. We had an excellent meal and then caught a break only paying 13 Euro for our taxi home.
After breakfast in the morning, which overlooked one of the holes on the golf course along with the ocean, we set our sights for Granada, home of the famous Alhambra. The drive there was great...until we got into the city. For some reason, the GPS decided to take us on the scenic route through the city, instead of going the easy way and wrapping around the city to our hotel. I'll get to that a little bit later. Apparently, our GPS was set to take us the shortest possible route, not the the fastest route. So, as we were driving through the city admiring the sights, my GPS told me to enter a roundabout and take a left exit. Well, I went straight instead and ended up in the middle of the city in the Taxi and Bus Only lane, with taxis and scooters riding my tail. I guess once you drive the streets enough you get a feel for them, but let me remind you this was my second day driving in Spain and I was most certainly NOT comfortable driving these streets just yet. After making some more wrong turns and circling the city twice we ended up at the Hotel Alhambra Palace. It was a beautiful hotel that sat atop the hill, right next to the Alhambra, with a spectacular view of the city. After arriving at the 2nd floor we looked at the door and got a little giddy because we had a view of the city. The first thing we did was open the door and stand out on the small balcony and admire the beauty of the city; along with take pictures. Yesterday we had our tour of the Alhambra, which took about 3.5 hours, and then toured the rest of the city with a very nice Australian couple we met on our tour. From the time our tour started (around 10am) until the time we got back to the hotel (8pm) we figured we were walking around for about 10 hours. Needless to say our legs were tired.
This morning we awoke and left for Cordoba to return the rental car and to see La Mezquita. Two hours later we arrived in Cordoba at our hotel. I remembered to put on the "Fastest Route" setting on our GPS so I wouldn't be driving through streets as wide as the car and making impossible turns that would make me stall (like those in Granada). We returned the car (late of course) to Hertz and walked over to La Mezquita, which is a huge mosque. We had a bitter taste for the city in our mouths after an argument with the Hertz woman, who forced us to pay for an extra day for returning the car late. They'll be hearing from us! Anyways, on our bitter walk to La Mezquita we decided this city sucks and that we were giving them none of our business. Stef is a life saver and let me tell you why. Way back in Sevilla, she thought it would be better to spend an extra day in Madrid because she heard there was nothing to do in Cordoba. Also, our little Spain tour book said you could do Cordoba in one day. We were scheduled for two nights here, but luckily, Stef booked us back in Madrid a night earlier and we'll be gladly leaving this city in the morning via the high speed train.
We booked ourselves a day trip to Barcelona on Saturday while back in Sevilla, so we're really looking forward to that. I think so far our favorite city is Madrid. There's just so much to do and see and it's a more lively city. Sevilla and Granada were beautiful and historic, but we think Mardid has both of those qualities, but is also young and alive and not so touristy. Anywho, we're back in Madrid tomorrow for four more days before heading home next Tuesday. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.
A lake on the drive to Ronda
The Puente Nuevo bridge from the bottom of our hike
The view from our room in Marbella
The view from our room in Granada
At Saint Nicholas Square in the Albacin with the Alhambra in the background
