This post is long. We were so excited about this leg of our trip and there was so much to see. You may just want to scroll through the photos to get the jist. I have never been to the south of Spain but it has always appealed to me. It seems from afar like an area with a very interesting and rich mix of cultures from Europe and Northern Africa. I tried so hard to plan our trip to the south so that we would be in Andalusia as early as possible in the summer so that we wouldn’t melt. As it happens, one of the biggest heat waves in decades hit Europe exactly when we were visiting at the end of June. In Granada, temperatures hit 45 degrees C (113 F) while we were there. Too hot for my Canadian blood but surprisingly not as bad as I imagined 45 degrees to be. We’ll come back to that.
If you read our last post, you will know that I accidentally navigated us to the wrong ‘Chiva’ on our last car drive. I thought we were staying in Chiva near Valencia but we were actually staying at another town called Chiva farther north. Not only did that give us a painful day of driving on our way to the ‘right’ Chiva, it also left us with an epic drive from Chiva to Malaga – far longer than I’d ever consider appropriate for a carload of kids (830km). There was no choice but to push through. We made sure iPads were all charged and packed the cars with lots of treats and distractions for the kids.
Our first stop was 20 minutes into our 10 hour journey. We really should have taken Iain more seriously when he said he was feeling carsick as we navigated down the mountain switchbacks from Chiva. Thankfully I have a mini-pharmacy with an ample supply of anti-nausea medication so after we got the car (and Iain) cleaned up and everyone medicated, we were back on the road. Iain felt much better but Ronan spent the rest of the car ride in fear that Iain would hurl again (Are you sure Iain should eat lunch? Are you sure he should watch his Ipad, it might make him sick again …).
The rest of the car drive was relatively uneventful. The scenery was beautiful and changed quite a bit from Chiva to Malaga. There were a couple of short stops to stretch our legs but we tried to power through to Malaga so we could get there at a reasonable time. Brett did an amazing job of driving over 800km without much break. We arrived at about 7pm and checked into our Airbnb. The apartment was nice and clean but a bit too small for us. Fortunately, there were two rooftop patios that were amazing and spacious. The place was very central and walkable to everything. Not bad for $40/night. Our stay in Malaga was pretty short (three full days) so we weren’t planning to spend much time at the apartment anyway.
We arrived hungry only to remember that there are no stores open to buy food on Sundays. We all had a craving for pizza so I looked up a couple of local pizza places and we set off walking. They were both closed. The only one open was Domino’s…so our kids first taste of Domino’s was in Malaga, Spain. They LOVED it and still talk about how good the food was in Malaga 😊.
After getting a good sleep, we had a long and relaxing walk to the Malaguetta beach the following day. Malaga is a beautiful city. Many parks, tree lined streets, beaches, historical landmarks, and perfect sunny, warm weather to enjoy it all in. I’m not even quite sure why we chose Malaga over other Andalucian towns. I think it was just a place that always appealed to me, but for no specific reason since I knew nothing about it. It did not disappoint. Here are some views from that walk and day at the beach.
I miscalculated when it came to sunscreen. We made sure the kids were covered in sunscreen but I assumed I didn’t need it since it was later in the day and the sun probably wasn’t strong enough to burn. That is not the case here. At 4 in the afternoon, the sun is still high in the sky and incredibly powerful. My back got the worst of it . The worst sunburn I’ve had since I was 15 (an unfortunate and unforgettable trip to a water park with no sunscreen in the middle of a hot summer day).
On the second day I was happy to stay covered up and away from the beach. We walked into the shopping district in town to take care of a much needed errand; the twins needed new sandals. The ones I had packed were too small. After a lot of walking, we finally found the perfect (matching) pairs for them. I suspect they were happy to see us leave that shoe store.
Once the shoe situation was sorted, we walked to the Malaga cathedral. I honestly wasn’t expecting much, Malaga is not a large city so the grandeur of the cathedral was a surprise. Brett and I are not religious people but it was impossible not to be awestruck by the detail and beauty of the cathedral. They offer handheld audio-guides in all languages that were informative and were also a hit with the kids. They liked walking to the different areas of the cathedral and listening to the ‘stories’. Since the twins can’t read yet, and Ronan hates reading, this was a welcome distraction after visiting lots of historical sites that relied on us reading information to the kids.
We then went to the Alcazaba, once the palace and fortress of the city’s governing Muslims, built in the 11th century. The Alcazaba itself is beautiful and its location provides panoramic views of Malaga and the coastline. Brett and I were confronted once again with our biggest stressor on this trip; steep drop-offs with little to no protection to prevent pre-occupied children for falling over the edge. All around the Alcazaba are steep drop offs and in places there is only a little wall (up to about knee level) preventing falling over the edge. I’m not sure how people aren’t falling to their deaths regularly (or maybe they are). We stayed as long as we could to appreciate the fortress but it was not in any way relaxing.
Adjacent to the entrance of the Alcazaba is one of the best preserved and intact Roman amphitheatres, dating to the 1st century BC. The upper rows of the theatre are new, and the remainder of the theatre is as it once was. The lower, original portion of the amphitheatre is cordoned off but you can sit in one of the upper rows and just imagine what it was like in Roman times (which we did while catching our breath after the Alcazaba). It’s hard to describe what that felt like but it really did made the history of the area much more real to us to sit in that amphitheatre and imagine a performance, while having the contrast of modern-day Malaga as the backdrop.
The third day in Malaga we returned to the beach. I remained fully covered, sunscreened, and still in pain. Brett and the kids enjoyed the water and as usual the kids did not want to leave when the day was over. Even though there was so much more to explore in Malaga, we needed this day to relax.
The next stop was Granada. It was an easy 1.5 hr drive until we arrived in the city. After a bit of a harrowing drive around Granada’s narrow, winding streets before finding our parking garage, we arrived at our apartment for the week. It was really nice and right in the heart of the old town. Very clean with two bedrooms, kitchen, and a rare treat – a bathtub. Most importantly it was air-conditioned. A perfect place to stop for a week.
Both Brett and I tried to include destinations on this trip that were our bucket-list places. The Alhambra, in Granada, is on both of our lists. Like the Alcazaba in Malaga, it is a palace and fortress for the Muslim rulers at the time but on a much grander scale. The first construction was in the 9th century on the remains of roman fortifications. It was renovated and largely rebuilt in the mid-13th century by the Nasrid emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar. It later became a royal palace after the Spanish conquest in 1492. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Despite this being one of the highlights of the trip for me and knowing that it is a protected world heritage site, I did not think to book advance tickets. I didn’t realize that daily admissions are limited and buying tickets well in advance of visiting is required, especially in the summer. So on the Tuesday before driving to Granada on Thursday I went online to buy tickets and found that for the entire next 10 days (until we leave Granada), there was only one time slot available to visit – that friday afternoon at 3:30pm. That also just happened to be the peak of the heat wave – the temperate hit 45 degrees C (113 F) that afternoon while we were walking around the Alhambra.
The heat made it uncomfortable but Brett and I would still have spent days wandering around. It is beautiful, majestic, awe-inspiring, and much like the roman amphitheatre in Malaga, there were many instances while there that you couldn’t help but imagine what it was like during the time of the Sultans. The gardens were so beautiful and the palaces were unbelievably beautiful and ornate. If it were up to the kids, they would have done a quick run-through and got back to our airconditioned apartment. We are so thankful for their patience that day. They had their moments but for the most part, they patiently waited (in the hottest weather we’d ever experienced) and kept themselves amused while we enjoyed exploring each area of the palaces and fortress. It may be the most beautiful (man-made) place we’ve ever been. I won’t go into a lot of detail on our visit, it’s best just to see it through some of the photos.
Some of the other highlights from our time in Granada include:
Granada Cathedral: It was a huge cathedral but the inside was a lot less impressive than the cathedral in Malaga. Once again we had audioguides and we all enjoyed hearing the ‘stories’ in different areas of the cathedral.
Albaicin Quarter: We spent a day wandering around El Albaicin, the old Moorish quarter of the city. It’s located on a hill facing the Alhambra and there are amazing views of the palace from the one of the squares in El Albaicin. The neighborhood itself is a nice place to wander around and imagine the history. It’s beautiful whitewashed homes and narrow winding streets are largely as they were when the area was first settled by Moors fleeing the Christians in Baeza in the 13th century. So much so it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are not a lot of stores or things to do here, but it is a nice walk and well worth it for the history and for the views of the Alhambra.
Sacromonte: Wondering a little farther beyond El Abaicin, we arrived at Sacromonte, known as the ‘gypsy’ quarter in Granada. In the 15th century, a large group of Spanish gypsies situated themselves here and created houses by making cave homes in the hills. Sacromonte is known for Flamenco music and dance. The gypsies mixed the traditional Spanish flamenco with Arab belly dancing. We visited the cave museum in Sacromonte which allows visitors to enter some cave homes to understand what life was like for people who lived in these caves. We all found this really interesting and really well done.
Flamenco Show: We went to a Flamenco show at a small little theatre. It was spectacular – we both love Flamenco music and dancing so enjoyed the show. The kids…not so much. It was the day after the Alhambra so they were still tired.
The rest of the time in Granada was spent catching the kids up on their journals and me catching up on work. I somehow managed to fit in about 30 hrs/wk of work so far on this trip. The schedule is getting to be a bit of a grind. It’s not uncommon to still be in meetings until midnight. My goal is to get more discipline around my work hours and make sure to stop work by 10pm each night. We’ll see.
Overall we really enjoyed both Malaga and Granada. The Alhambra is a must-see and it was even more impressive than we envisioned. A week in Granada really felt like we had time to do it justice. It’s a pretty old town but very, very touristy. Malaga was beautiful and less touristy. Our time there was too short and we would have preferred to have a couple more days there plus a couple of days exploring one of the smaller coastal villages nearby.
Some key points from this leg of our trip:
Budget: We got by on $175/day including everything – accommodation, car, food, … everything. I was hoping for $150/day but factoring in all the admissions and the flamenco show, it pushed us up a bit.
Accommodation: We were so happy with the Airbnb accommodations that we had in both Malaga and in Granada. We would recommend either. They are both perfectly centrally located, air-conditioned, and clean. The apartment in Malaga (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/22925613?source_impression_id=p3_1562702704_QOcPXgjqqr7VFbB0) was small but the rooftop patios were amazing. It was about $40/night. The apartment in Granada (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/16924167?s=67&shared_item_type=1&virality_entry_point=1&sharer_id=15396563 ) was much more spacious. It was about $65/night.
Food: Unfortunately to keep within our budget we had to mostly prepare our own meals. We packed sandwiches and snacks each day. Most days we cooked our own meals at the apartment. Eating out as a family of 5 is $100 minimum. We did eat out one night, the food was mediocre, and it cost over $100.
Favorite place we visited: The Alhambra, hands-down. We loved it and will always remember that visit.
Onward to Madrid!