The Sweet Kitten

Driving on the Road to Trevelez – Part 2

As I promised on Monday, today we publish the video we made during the drive to Trevelez. I started shooting shortly before we arrived in Lanjaron and then all the way to Trevelez and a bit back as well, so that you can see the sun go down in the mountains. The road from Churriana de la Vega (where Lars and I live) to Lanjaron I didn’t film because it’s mostly motorway.

Not sure when I am going…

Driving on the Road to Trevelez – Part 1

Recently, Lars and I have bought a new second-hand car. The former one was a benzine car, but we desperately wanted to return to diesel, which would enable us to drive long distances. And so we did…

The first drive we took with it was in the Alpujarras again. This time we were smarter though; we actually checked a map before we left! Moreover, we had a clear goal in our head: drive through…

The bridge is located not far from the bullring.

And it attracts a lot of tourists!

Lars and I took our time to enjoy this dramatic scenery and had a drink in a cafe near the bridge.

All in all, we enjoyed our escapade to Ronda a lot!

Back to our escapade in Ronda. After a good night’s sleep, it was time for some sightseeing. And we didn’t have to go far; we only had to cross the street.

The first thing we visited was the bullring. You need to pay 8 euros as an entrance fee and they only accept cash. This is the oldest bullring in Spain and if you are interested in the history of bullfighting the museum is really worth a visit.

We found the bullring to be very impressive; it was a lot bigger than we had expected. I actually would like to see some bullfighting one day, but Lars isn’t a big fan.

If you want more information about this site, check out this website. As I said before, Lars and I visited Ronda in the month of Octobre and there were a lot more tourists than we had expected. Book your hotel in advance!

If you have been to Ronda before, you probably know what the final part of this post is dedicated to. If not, stay tuned! I am not sure when I will blog again: we are still waiting for our new car to be repaired and as soon as that is the case, we will be on the road again.

We didn’t book anything in advance, thinking that the touristic season was over and that we could easily find (cheap) accommodation. Big mistake! After a couple of hours of searching, we settled for the Hotel Catalonia Ronda, a four-star hotel which cost us 170 euros for one night. Not our usual budget choice, but Lars and I decided that it wouldn’t hurt our finances and that once in a while it is fun to pamper ourselves.

And let’s face it: the room itself was worth the money! Just look at that bed! And we absolutely loved the rainshower in the bathroom.

One of the first things we did was to check out the bar which was located on the roof of the hotel. What. A. View!

There is nothing as romantic as sharing a glass of cava with your favourite man in the world in a rooftop bar while watching the sun going down.

And then there was the restaurant, conveniently located next to the bar.

Excellent food and impeccable service, what more do you want?

Hotel Catalonia Ronda Calle Virgen de la Paz, 16 29400 Ronda, Málaga

Find out next week what we visited in Ronda! There will be no post next Monday, but we will be back next Wednesday.

We found the mountain road to Otivar by coincidence… In a nutshell: we wanted to drive to a lake and ended up in the mountains! To be more precise, it actually was our intention to drive around the Los Bermejales reservoir; instead, we first ended up in a small town called Jayena and sometime later in the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama and eventually in Otivar, not so far from the coast. This is how it looks on a map:

For your information, we followed the grey route and not the blue one, which takes you along a less interesting motorway. Anyway, the Sierras de Tejeda is a mountainous range that lies partly in the province of Malaga and partly in the province of Granada. The highest peak is about 2066 meters high.

This has become one of our favourite routes in the province of Granada. These are the pictures we took when we discovered the road:

On another occasion we took these pictures:

Of course, we found a restaurant along the route! And we had to try it. Lars had a big steak and I venison stew.

Last Sunday, Lars and I made a video while driving on the mountain road. We started filming just before we entered La Malaha and ended in Otivar. You can also see the Los Bermejales reservoir. Unfortunately, it rained that day.

We hope that you enjoy the video! Tomorrow, we will post our first part of our escapade to Ronda.

The first restaurant we tried was La Tinaja. Lars and I shared a tapas menu here and it was heavenly!

This is the place where Lars and I discovered salmorejo, a chilled tomato soup with egg and bacon. It resembles gazpacho and is a speciality of Cordoba. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a picture of it. We had a second soup, also cold, which was based on almonds. We finished it before we could photograph it… Anyway, the salmorejo was without any doubt one of the best dishes we had last year. The aubergine with honey and the stuffed pork tenderloin were fantastic as well.

La Tinaja Paseo de la Ribeira, 12 Cordoba

A few steps away from La Tinaja is Sojo Fusion. Cool and refreshing interior, great music and food. We tried the salmorejo again – Lars and I had fallen in love with this dish – and had tuna as a main dish. We would love to come here again.

Last but not least, Taberna del Rio is also located on the Paseo de la Ribera. Keyword: generous portions! And of course, great food. Salmorejo again, noodles with tuna for me and risotto with oxtail for Lars. Not bad at all…

In the next post, we will talk about a stunning nature park we accidentally found in the province of Granada!

Anyway, Lars and I arrived there early in the morning of a hot day in August.

What does Wikipedia have to say about this architectural gem?

According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site.[10][11][12] In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. Córdoba returned to Christian rule in 1236 during the Reconquista, and the building was converted to a Roman Catholic church, culminating in the insertion of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the 16th century.[13][14]

I had been here before when I was still in my twenties, but I had forgotten how breathtaking the Mezquita  was. For Lars, on the other hand, it was his first visit.

Take your time to admire – and photograph – all the details!

One last look…

Check out the official website of the Mezquita; it has a lot of practical information.

In our next post, we will take you on our foodie adventures in Cordoba. Not to be read on an empty stomach!

Anyway, we started our tour in Lanjaron:

This is a spa town with a beautiful historic centre. Unfortunately, Lars and I couldn’t get rid of our car, so I can only show you this panoramic shot.

During our drive to the east, in the direction of Cadiar, I took some more pictures.

After having driven around for some hours, Lars and I started to realize how big the area of the Alpujarra actually is. We stopped in Cadiar, for some desserts and feline company.

Lars and I learned a valuable lesson that day: we had underestimated the Alpujarra. We have to discover this region step by step. Besides, there are vineyards and bodegas that we need to pay a visit to as well.

I am not sure yet what I am going to publish on Friday. My laptop broke down on Monday evening, so I am a little bit behind with the editing of pictures and videos. On the other hand, I still have a lot of material about our stay in Cordoba! Keep on following us to find out what I will publish!

When we arrived, we could park our car at the main plaza of the town. First things first, before we do some exploring, it was time for a cold beer and a tapa.

The historic centre of Santa Fe is well kept and is quite picturesque. Look around and you can still see the 4 town gates.

The Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation was erected in the 18th century and is built in the neoclassic style. Here are some exterior shots.

Churches in Spain are usually closed to the public. Lars and I were incredibly lucky that we could photograph this one just a couple of minutes before church service started. We were even given a small tour.

One last look before leaving again…

Such a charming town deserves a second visit! We noticed some tapas bars before we left and we really really have to try those.

Lars and I explored part of the Costa Tropical last weekend and were completely charmed by the small towns along the coast. Look at these pictures of Calahonda, a town not far from Motril.

Let me tell you something. If Lars and I ever find an affordable apartment in Calahonda, we will move there! We have become completely smitten with this place.

Anyway, we kept on driving east, in the direction of Almeria. Other picturesque towns that Lars and I passed were Castell de Ferro and El Lance. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a place to park the car, so therefore I have no pictures of these places. But we will be back!

Lars and I were luckier in Castillo de Banos.  I wouldn’t mind living there either, by the way.

As usual, we had become hungry. Lars and I had a portion of grilled sardines with a mixed salad. BEST. SARDINES.EVER.

We stayed in the restaurant for quite a long time, not just enjoying the food (and drinks). but the atmosphere and views as well. Afterwards, we drove back home.

On this map, you can see the route we followed:

You have two options for travel here. You can follow the A7, which is the motorway or – and this is by far our biggest favourite – you can take the N34o, which is the coastal road, perfect for some casual driving around and exploring.

As you can imagine, last Saturday Lars and I paid a visit to the distillery. Unfortunately, we arrived 15 minutes too late and missed the free tour. Luckily, we did have a chance to taste some rum. Ron Montero produces 4 kinds of them: 2  are suitable for mixes and cocktails, the other two are better to be consumed straight.

In between the tastings I had the opportunity to take some pictures.

Of course, we will be going back one day, because Lars and I really want to know more about the production process. Maybe with or without a friend? Anyway, as soon as we go back I will publish new pictures. In the meantime, we are enjoying a bottle of 5-year-old rum at home.

Have a look at their official website. All the practical information is there.

On Friday I will be back with a first look at the Costa Tropical.

Anyway, today we will show you Granada Cathedral, a splendid building indeed.

You can find the cathedral in the heart of Granada, not far from the Tourist Information Office. The centre of the city doesn’t allow any traffic, except for public transport and taxis. Bus 11 stops not far from the cathedral.

According to a brochure of turgranada.es,

After conquering Granada in 1492, the Catholic monarchs ordered a magnificent Cathedral to be built over the great Nasrid mosque. It began as a Gothic project, continued in the Renaissance style, and then Alonso Cano finished off its beautiful facade with baroque features.

You pay an entrance fee of five euros, but that includes an audioguide.

Lars and I will shortly come back to this neighbourhood so we can explore the nearby Royal Chapel and souk (yes, there is a souk!).

In the next post, we will show you a unique place in Spain and even Europe!

This is the Los Bermejales Reservoir, created in 1952. It’s located to the southwest of Granada; you can reach it by traversing Churriana de la Vega, Las Gabias, La Malaha, Fuentes de la Huelma and Agron. At a certain point, you will see a road sign to a camping site at your left and then you are very close to the lake.

Already at the end of February, Lars and I were there for a picnic. And we loved it!

Feeling hungry and/or thirsty and not in the mood for a picnic? In the surrounding villages like Arena del Reyes and Fornes, there are enough bars and restaurants.

Apparently, you can swim in the reservoir during summer, but there is no supervision. Anyway, in our next post, we will pay a visit to Granada’s cathedral.

As I said in the previous blog post, Lars and I moved to Churriana de la Vega, a lively small town, 7 kilometres to the west of Granada. This time we live only a few steps away from the main square, which boasts a couple of bars.

Our favourite bar is El Mosketero (or Mosquetero – we have seen both spellings). 20 different tapas await you here and they cost nothing! You pay for your drink and that’s it. Want an extra tapa? That’ll cost you 1,80 euros. A beer and a glass of excellent red wine cost 2,50 euros.

As seen in the pictures, some of our favourite tapas are a juicy burger, a sandwich with pork fillet, meatballs in tomato sauce, fried cod and toast with artichokes and anchovies.

By the way, why not try a “tinto de verano”. a very popular summer drink, consisting of red wine and lemonade? It has become our favourite drink!

In our next blog post, we will show you a lake that we had discovered not so far from here, untouched by tourism!

If I am not mistaken, I published my last post shortly before Christmas. Since then we have been celebrating the holidays.

After the festivities, Lars and I had to move house. Not because we wanted to… We really loved Torrox, with its perfect location between the sea and the mountains. We were happy in our little white house in our picturesque street not far from the main tapas bars… Unfortunately for us, that same house had some terrible humidity problems and we were forced to move… very quickly.

We decided to go inland, where life is even cheaper. Lars and I now live in Churriana de la Vega, not far from Granada, in tapas paradise. Not only are tapas bigger and better here, but they are also… free! Anyway, a first look at our apartment…

The moving itself went very smoothly. But getting electricity again proved to be a real nightmare… To cut a long story very short, we had to wait three weeks before we had electricity and another 7 – 10 days for the Internet. In the meantime, we stayed in hotels.

Luckily, all that misery is over now… Spring has come and Lars and I are eagerly exploring our new neighbourhood and surroundings. Moreover, we feel at home here; who wouldn’t by the way with two cheap supermarkets full of fresh produce and a lovely tapas bar just outside the door. Anyway, we have a lot to share and I will try to go back to blogging three times a week!

As soon as we arrived, a green Santa Claus greeted us and in the background, we could hear Christmas songs. We soon felt surrounded by a jolly atmosphere!

Outside there were a handful of other stalls…  and more importantly: food and drinks! Cheap but delicious food and drinks!

And there was some entertainment as well.

To be honest, this wasn’t as big as the Christmas market in Brussels…  But it was so charming and heartwarming. This was certainly one of our favourite experiences of this year!

Merry Christmas from Lars and myself!