17. Sept. 2018

ROADTRIP THROUGH ANDALUSIA

In my daily life I think way too much about everything. During travelling my head feels free and not full stuffed with complicated thinks. That’s the wonderful thing at travelling, you live in HERE and NOW. You are enjoying the moment that is happing right now in front of you. How often does this happen in everyday life? Think about it…

Enough philosophy for today. This summer I made a roadtrip with my uncles and friends to Andalusia, that’s an area in southern Spain. We flew to Málaga, rented a car and travelled in one week to six cities in Andalusia. That sounds very exciting and yes, it was an amazing adventure! I can recommend making a roadtrip for all adventurer outside and wanderlust people. But don’t underrate it, a roadtrip is also exhausting and associated with farewell. It was hard to say goodbye to each city, because all cities were beautiful and inimitably for themselves. But at the same time I felt leave, I still had anticipation to the next city and was excited what will await me there.

DAY 1 - MÀLAGA

The beginning of our journey was at the Málaga Airport, there we rented a car, that had enough space that everyone felt comfortable during the long driving periods, because nobody wants to drive long distances in a small car that you feel like tuna in the can! A rental car is an absolute essential. You are flexible and are able to see all the places and villages you want.

After we checked in in an apartment and found a car park (finding a car park was kind of a struggle during the week) we were ready to explore the first city and immerse in the spirited Spanish lifestyle. When we strolled through downtown Málaga I didn’t even realize that I am really here… I was a little bit emotional but in a good happy way. Whatever, I will quickly tell you some hotspots in Málaga before this will get too long, there are still five other cities I want to talk about! Not the best program for a very hot day but the “Jardines de Puerta Oscura” and the “Málaga Centro Historico” are great places to visit and connected with an incredible view over the city. Of course, enjoying a cool drink at the harbour, going hunting for a good ice cream parlour or swimming in the sea are also great options for a nice Málaga-day.

Insider TIP for a good breakfast café in Málaga: Café Aranda, Herrería del Rey, 3, 29005 Malaga You Should order a portion of churros and an Caffè Americano!

DAY 2 - RONDA

Ronda was kind of day trip. When we left Málaga in the morning after breakfast, we realized that we are finally the first time really on the road because we were travelling to the next city. During driving it was actually exciting to watch the landscape, but you should know about me that I am an extreme car sleeper. So, I spent most of my time during driving with sleeping and that was quite good thereby I didn’t get bored or dizzy.

The most famous sight in Ronda and PLACE TO BE is the gigantic bridge called “Puente Nuevo”. Going through the old town of Ronda was very relaxed. The old town of Ronda isn’t really a big area but also very beautiful and not full of tourists, so quite chilled.

DAY 3 - CÀDIZ

The first highlight in Cádiz was the incredible gigantic bridge on our arrival. You can compare that situation a little bit when you drive through the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco (only in the Spanish style). This city is located on the Atlantic, so the climate is a little bit different as in the other cities. It was the first time for us to swim in the Atlantic and it was quite cold but refreshing. In Cádiz there is only one official sand beach where you can go into the water, of course there were many people. At the evening it was actually very windy, so taking a jacket with you isn’t a bad idea for going out. A BIG point in your bucket list there should be to watch the sunset! It was a magical moment when the sun showed us its golden hour.

DAY 4 - SEVILLA

When we finally arrived in Sevilla, the city with the greatest and biggest old town of Andalusia, we were fascinated of all the gorgeous buildings. My favourite thing in this city were all the cute tight alleys, where you probably can get lost. Keep in mind that finding back to your hotel can be a little complicated, but you also will find lots of new places, inviting restaurants and cafes and beautiful houses and buildings. By the way, you will notice lots of colourful patterned ceramic tiles. There are typical for Spain and you can literally find them everywhere. We stayed two nights in Sevilla that means that we had one full day to explore this amazing city. Our program was visiting a cathedral and in the afternoon, we went to the Plaza de Espana. The Plaza de Espana is located in a huge park and a total MUST to see. Around the Plaza is water so you are able to make a rowboat trip. I really can recommend this because that was soooo freaking much fun! We laughed all the time, that the peoople around us also started to laugh with us. The reason for our laugh flash was that everyones row-techniques were so bad that it was such a caberet watching everbodys failing by driving the boat. I can’t really describe that whole situation, you almost had to be there to understand what I mean!

DAY 5 - CÒRDOBA

Córdoba is famous for its aesthetic beautiful courtyards or how the Spanish people say “patios” (just to learn a few spanish words). When you go through the city it’s kind of adventure tour slash courtyards safari because there are not very easy to find. Many courtyards are private or part of a restaurant only a few are public but hidden. So, in this city it’s important to put the explorer out of you and to be as curious as possible, it's going to be worth it!

DAY 6 - GRANADA

Our trip took us to the last city, to Granada. Granada is 4th biggest city of Andalusia and embossed by the architectural style of the Moors. Don’t worry the history lesson is over… For the grand finale of our trip, we visited a masterwork of Moorish architecture, the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a spectaculars palace with gigantic idyllic gardens. It’s absolutely important to order your tickets on the internet for the Alhambra before you go on your journey, otherwise your chances of getting in it are bad. If you pre-order tickets you are on the safe side. I was overpowered of all the new cultural impressions. The rest of the day we spent with strolling and in conclusion we all drank a glass of sangria and were grateful for our awesome roadtrip.