Southern Spain Part 2
Welcome to the rest of our trip across southern Spain! In our previous post, we explored Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla, Cadiz, and Madrid. Did you miss the first part? Read about Southern Spain Part 1 here!
Below is our full itinerary:
Barcelona: June 23-25
Granada: June 25-27
Sevilla: June 27-30
Cadiz day trip: June 29
Madrid: June 30-July 4
Toledo daytrip: July 2
Mijas: July 4- 24
Cordoba: July 24-25
Madrid: July 25-26
Ok, now let’s move on to part 2!
Toledo
Toledo Day Trip
While staying in Madrid, we took a day trip via train to Toledo. Our day started with a mad dash running to the train. We made it by seconds! Our first train was delayed, which made our connection near-impossible to make. We were the last people they let on. Phew!
Toledo is an intact, walled, medieval city. It was such a cool place! There were many winding, hilly streets. Quite easy to get lost, but if you want to go up, follow the local tips and “just follow the uphill roads; you’ll eventually get there.”
We have had many picnics this year, and of course, Toledo was one. We packed our lunch and sat in a tiny alley people watching. It was a nice break from the heat! There were not many shaded options in this town.
Surprisingly, we also received free tapas with our drinks. It was a nice surprise! We thought Granada was the only city that did that.
Spain pretty much closes in the afternoon. It can be hard to find eateries that are open. They are open in the mornings and evenings, with unknown closing times in between. This is true of most places, not just Toledo. At one of the spots in Toledo, the owner kept peeking around the corner, wondering if we had left yet. As soon as we left, he pulled down the gate and locked up. This was around 3-4pm.
As a touristy medieval town, there were lots of knife and armory shops along with quite a few tour buses. Walk uphill away from the main drop-off area to avoid the tourist groups. We normally try to find the not-so-touristy places, but sometimes, you gotta go! Toledo is one of them. It’s a great spot for a daytrip!
Mijas
Workaway assignment
We were at this assignment for about 3 weeks, with our lovely host, Farshid. Greg built stairs, I cleaned and organized, and we both did lots of yard work. In Europe though, they call it ‘gardening.’ We had lots of fun exploring the area, going to fiestas with Farshid, and meeting people from all around the world.
Read about our Workaway experience here!
Fuengirola Beach Days
From our workaway assignment, we could easily get to the beach via a short bus ride. As described in our workaway blog, we enjoyed this beach! We went multiple times.
Our favorite thing to do in Fuengirola was relax in a cabana. We rented chairs and an umbrella for a total of just 12 Euro! This included a cabana attendant to take food and drink orders. He was originally from Portugal, lived in the UK for 30 years as a bodyguard, and now lives in Spain, working this beach operation. What a life story! Along our travels this year, we have met quite a lot of people that left their careers for happiness.
Mijas Puebla
This was such a lovely spot! It’s honestly what I thought Greece would be like. The buildings were white, lined with painted flowerpots. Small shops filled the streets. It was beautiful! We got there very early, when it was empty and felt local. Once 11am came around, souvenir shops started opening. It never felt too crowded though.
If you are ever near here, you must stop! Parking is just 1 euro.
Things to do:
Visit the bull fighting stadium
See incredible views from the park’s lookout
Find the floral mosaics in the park
Eat ice cream at Mayan Monkey Company
Have a drink on the balcony of the Snug
Buy local goods at the market (in the town square)
Take a donkey ride
A 45-minute climb from Farshid’s house got us there. We could have taken a bus, but we opted to walk. On our next visit, we took a bus, but walked downhill on the way back. If it was closer, we definitely would have went more than twice!
Forest Fire
This was quite scary! We were preparing lunch when Farshid recieved a frantic call from one of his friends saying there was a forest fire. She lived right next to the fire and could see the flames. We looked toward that direction and saw a sky of smoke. Luckily, we never needed to evacuate! Helicopters flew by all day and even the next morning. Below are some views from the house we were at.
Cordoba
Our train from Malaga to Cordoba was fantastic. It was cozy, had wifi, and even had an entertainment system which we watched the newest Batman movie. Spain has the nicest trains we have encountered so far.
Cordoba Day 1
When we got off the train in Cordoba, it was like we were transported to an abandoned city. There were no other trains, not many people, the escalators were still, and the shops were closed. It felt like the stage of a post-apocalypse movie. Even walking around town felt that way. It was 110 degrees Fahrenheit. We later learned that people do not go outside in Cordoba between 11am-7pm; it’s just too hot.
Our Airbnb was amazing! It had the most luxurious perk of AC! When we walked in, the cold air hit us, and we were immediately so happy and refreshed. Remember… we didn’t have AC at our Workaway house. The building’s architecture was amazing, with lots of arches and detail. It even had a rooftop terrace, but it was much too hot to enjoy it.
We fought the heat, walked to the grocery, and got a large load of groceries for just 33 euro. Spain prices are amazing! Greg bought beers for just 28 cents!
I kept saying over and over “I’m so happy!”
Cordoba Day 2
We started our sightseeing at 830am before the temperature got too hot. We walked around the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, which was incredible. I love the architecture so much! It was an Islamic mosque that was later turned into a Christian cathedral and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Keep walking around the edges and it is even more amazing! I felt like we had been transported to a different country. Look below and you can see how the architecture differs significantly from what you would normally see in Spain.
We continued our sightseeing on foot, walking along the river and city wall. It was nice and shaded. We could tell the walls and towers were original due to the circular engravings (one of our previous guides taught us that).
We checked out the San Francisco Cathedral. So impressive! We almost didn’t enter, but I’m glad we did!
We did all of this before noon! Below is a variety of pictures from this morning’s exploration.
In the evening, we went to O’ Donoghues- the one Irish pub in town (we try to find an Irish pub everywhere we go). This was the strangest Irish pub we have ever been in. It was decorated as one, but the ambience did not match. They were playing pop-party music, did not have the Irish Futbol Final on tv, and was also a hookah bar.
Walking around the city was still dead. Shops were closed up, nobody was out, it still felt like we were in a deserted place. It was such a strange feeling for 6pm! We wanted to stop at the grocery for more drinks, but they weren’t even open.
We took a late-night walk at 11pm to see the bridge and cathedral lit up. It was still 99 degrees!
Madrid
This was our final night in Spain before flying to Scotland. We stayed at an airport hotel: Ibis Budget Hotel. In the evening, we strolled around to a nearby park and went to the grocery to satisfy my chocolate craving. The chocolate melted on the walk home, because well, it was summer in Spain. For dinner, we split a pizza from the hotel lobby.
Tip: Always make sure your hotel has AC before booking! Ours did not…
The next morning, we took a taxi to the airport for our flight to Scotland. This was not our favorite airport experience. Security was easy, but nothing else was. Expect to wait at least an hour to check your bag (especially with British Airways), and expect to fight your way onto a tram to get to customs. We arrived to the airport 3 hours early and walked right onto the plane, without any time at the gate. In summary, arrive early and expect craziness!
Next up on our travels: Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland