spain
MALAGA
December 24, 2025
This is our home for four nights.
It was very comfortable inside and in an excellent location.
We went to El Corte Ingles for a few items. Because it was a few days away from Christmas, it was PACKED.
So was the local farmers market.
There were quite a few candy stores but I have no idea what the candy was. It's not any candy that Americans are familiar with!
Why are they laughing? We started our free walking tour but Robin couldn't hear anything over her headphones. Turns out she hadn't plugged them in!
We watched this street mime getting ready for his display. He was quite amazing!
Only one of them was him and the other was fake. Can you tell? He finally moved his eyes after a long time. He is the one on the left.
The most famous street in Malaga is Calle Marqués de Larios, often called Calle Larios, the city's elegant pedestrianized heart for shopping, dining, and major events, known for its beautiful 19th-century architecture. There are many brand name and designer stores, but the rent can range from €30,000 to a whopping €80,000 per month. This pharmacy opened in 1891 and one of the few places left on the street that wasn't a designer store.
In the foreground there is a Roman theater from 2000 years ago and in the background is an Islamic fort from the 11th century.
These elaborate thrones carry religious statues during Holy Week. To carry the one on the right, it takes 290 men to lift the more than 13,000 pound throne. It then takes 7-12 hours to travel 1-4 km since they frequently have to put it down and rest. To carry it is often a penance or contrition. Fun fact: Antonio Banderas is a native of Malaga and used to be one of the men to carry the throne until he had a heart attack in 2017.
One of the only restaurants open on Christmas Eve was this Indian Restaurant. So we met up with Kenny, Anna, and Anton. But where is Tom? He had food poisoning and (sadly) spent the next 2.5 days in his room.
We are now walking towards the famous Calle Marqués de Larios street to see their fabulous Christmas lights.
Amazing! It's so bright, you can read a book.
December 25, 2025
Christmas day... and it's SO quiet. I could sit down in the middle of this road.
It was busier near the waterfront.
The edge is very dangerous but thankfully there is one little lonely sign warning you!
Owned by UK hedge fund billionaire, you can charter the Arbema for 600k a week.
The sky was quite gorgeous.
A bullfighting stadium.
The most famous colorful building in Málaga is the Centre Pompidou Málaga, known as "El Cubo" (The Cube) for its giant, transparent, multicolored glass structure that serves as the entrance to the subterranean modern art museum in the port area.
December 26, 2025
We got an early start for our Caminito del Ray hike. We booked it months ago because it's a very popular tourist attraction.
No bathrooms for the next three hours so here is the line for the last ladies room available. This doesn't show the 25 people behind me.
First, we take a safety class. The helmets are mostly because the mountain goats above us to like to disturb the soil and send small rocks tumbling down.
One view of the gorge.
You can see the original walkway below us. It was built to provide workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls with a means to cross between them, to provide for transport of materials, and to help facilitate inspection and maintenance of the channel
The old walkway has been described as the "world's most dangerous walkway" following five deaths in 1999/2000. The most dramatic accident was when three men tried to cross by a zip line to a train line at the other side of the gorge. The cable could not stand the weight of the three men, and it broke.
The new walkway was built in 2014 and opened to the public in 2015. It was not one bit scary UNLESS you have a fear of heights.
However, the bridge swayed when we crossed it and that was a bit unnerving.
Robin took video while crossing and this is a screenshot of looking down from the bridge.
We survived!! Because Tom still had food poisoning, Anton's friend Theo went instead.
December 27, 2025
We got up before dawn for our transfer to the port so that we could take the ferry from Spain to Morocco.
Unfortunately, it's been delayed.
We hung out at the ferry terminal for two hours before departing.
Finally! Off to Morocco!
GO TO (AFRICA) MOROCCO PAGE TO CONTINUE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
MIJAS, SPAIN
December 29, 2025
We are back in Spain in the lovely town of Mijas for one more night.
Our view from the hotel lobby.
Not bad for €56 a night! It had a view of the ocean.
Stopped for lunch at this lovely restaurant but Robin was so eager to get a photo of the gorgeous orchid behind me that we never took one of the food.
Mijas is an all-whitewashed city.
Definitely touristy, but I could live here!
Except it's too hot in the summer.
We tried to go back to our hotel but this truck was stuck. We had to go a very LONG route around to get to our hotel.
Once again, I wish Portugal would do this!
The sunset was beautiful!
Like all of Europe, there were Christmas lights everywhere.
We couldn't find anywhere to eat because we didn't make a reservation in advance, So they created a table for us in the parking space of this restaurant. We were just waiting for chairs.
It ended up being an excellent dinner and a wonderful ending to our Christmas travels!
The trip below was more than fifteen years ago. But I'm running out of space to add European countries so I just had to add the 2025 trip to the 2010 trip!
Soller, mallorca
April 14, 2010
We are packing our suitcases for our 7 AM departure leaving Soller. Mallorca has been absolutely beautiful. When we arrived two days ago, we quickly bypassed the larger city of Palma, and went directly to the train station for our vintage train ride to Soller. The train took about 75 minutes, winding through beautiful mountain countryside and tunnels that go directly through the mountain. The train itself was rickety, cold, and bumpy. But the town of Soller – beautiful! High rocky mountains, orange trees and olive groves, strange-looking trees, wildflowers, and a quaint cobblestone street town around a small central square. We have a fabulous hotel right on the square called La Vila. The first day we arrived around 2 PM, so we just walked the narrow, winding streets and visited the small shops and markets. We bought an olive wood cutting board and ate at a restaurant on the square. It was pretty chilly the whole first day. We went into a very old and spooky Catholic church on the square. It was damp, dark, and cold inside. I hate to say this… there was nothing inside that felt “spiritual” to me. It felt more spiritual outside on the steps with the flower beds.
Today was our full day in Soller. We had a nice breakfast at our hotel, and then caught the tram down to Port de Soller. The tram is an old San Francisco cable car. The port is unbelievably picturesque. Dark blue and turquoise water surrounded in a U shape by the city with cute cafés, shops, and restaurants. We ended up taking a four hour hike up and up and up the mountains, first visiting an old lighthouse with scenic port views down below. We then went even higher up, through 600 year-old knotted olive trees, fragrant orange trees, scattering goats, and narrow rocky trails. We ended up at the Mulata, which is where there are these old stone homes dating to 1586. The rocky trail was extremely rough at times, almost like we were walking on balls. Our ankles twisted and turned, but thankfully, no injuries. When we got back down to the town, we ate pizza (again!) in bright sun at a seaside restaurant overlooking hundreds of sailboats. The town is filled with tourists, mostly German. We have yet to run into any Americans. I am so GLAD that we came to Soller and Port de Soller… it’s just visually stunning!
barcelona
April 16, 2010
We have been in Barcelona the last day and a half. Yesterday was cold and drizzly. We caught up on some laundry in our room (bathroom sink) and did some walking around the city. But we mostly caught up on our sleep for our big day today.
We woke up to more cold and drizzle. We headed south down Las Ramblas towards the old Gothic Quarter to an English-speaking AA meeting. It was in a very old church and we were really lucky to find it. There were a couple tourists there from Denmark and France, but the majority were Californians who now live in Barcelona. It turned out to be an excellent meeting and the perfect way to start the day. We left the Gothic Quarter to cut through a very large market on our way to the Picasso museum. The museum was of his earlier work; paintings with street scenes and portraits. It was nothing like the abstract art I was used to. Afterwards we were searching for a place for lunch, and stumbled upon our best restaurant on the trip. It was a vegetarian restaurant. We ordered a three course meal that included salad bar and vegan cakes. Robin was in heaven, it was her first salad in nine days! After French fries, pizzas with cheese, ice cream and potatoes bravas… I was so happy to be able to eat healthy again.
We have been in Barcelona the last day and a half. Yesterday was cold and drizzly. We caught up on some laundry in our room (bathroom sink) and did some walking around the city. But we mostly caught up on our sleep for our big day today.
We woke up to more cold and drizzle. We headed south down Las Ramblas towards the old Gothic Quarter to an English-speaking AA meeting. It was in a very old church and we were really lucky to find it. There were a couple tourists there from Denmark and France, but the majority were Californians who now live in Barcelona. It turned out to be an excellent meeting and the perfect way to start the day. We left the Gothic Quarter to cut through a very large market on our way to the Picasso museum. The museum was of his earlier work; paintings with street scenes and portraits. It was nothing like the abstract art I was used to. Afterwards we were searching for a place for lunch, and stumbled upon our best restaurant on the trip. It was a vegetarian restaurant. We ordered a three course meal that included salad bar and vegan cakes. Robin was in heaven, it was her first salad in nine days! After French fries, pizzas with cheese, ice cream and potatoes bravas… I was so happy to be able to eat healthy again.
After lunch we went to two more museums. Both were contemporary museums with some very peculiar things. Movies with monks lying on the ground cutting themselves, scary real-looking life-size midgets, and pictures of old Hollywood stars with their eyes and mouths burned out. That was at CCCB, and from there we went to the museum of contemporary art and it got even stranger. So then we blew through that museum and walked back to the hotel. That night, we went to an uninspiring dinner that costs $53. We think that our correct order got lost in translation. Dinner doesn’t start until 8 PM, and we were always the first ones to arrive in the restaurant. We had planned to go out for the nightlife that night, but after walking probably ten miles we were too tired.
April 17, 2010
Our first stop of the day was to Barcelona's most well-known landmark - La Sagrada Familia. We did the guided headphone tour. The detail of the sculpture and the building is unbelievable. I have more of an appreciation for Gaudi (pronounced Gow-di), because he took his inspiration from nature. He used shapes and patterns like beehives, trees, etc. He died with it unfinished forty years into the project. The restoration began in the 80’s, and they expect it to continue for at least 20 more years!!
Our first stop of the day was to Barcelona's most well-known landmark - La Sagrada Familia. We did the guided headphone tour. The detail of the sculpture and the building is unbelievable. I have more of an appreciation for Gaudi (pronounced Gow-di), because he took his inspiration from nature. He used shapes and patterns like beehives, trees, etc. He died with it unfinished forty years into the project. The restoration began in the 80’s, and they expect it to continue for at least 20 more years!!
We then took the Metro to a stop near Park Guell, went up what seemed like a mile’s worth of escalators, and ended up at another one of Gaudi’s masterpieces – the park. The view was spectacular. Everything in the park was done in mosaic tiles. The drizzly rain was over and the weather was beautiful this day, and we could have sat there forever.
We eventually made our way back down the mountainside and had lunch at a Lebanese café with ruby red walls. Pizza… again. We ended up going to two more museums, another strange one called “Antonin Topias” and then La Pedrera, which is another of Gaudi’s. La Pedrera is more of a building than a museum. It’s very stony looking and strange. La Pedrera means “stone quarry.” It was right around the corner from our hotel.
April 18, 2010
We headed to the airport to fly home early this morning. However, as we were standing in line to board the plane, they shut down the entire airport. A volcano had erupted a few days ago in Iceland, and most of the airports in Europe were closed. We didn't expect the shutdown to be as far south as Spain, but they weren't taking any chances. While waiting at the airport, we ended up meeting two women, Kristin and Sherri, from San Diego. After waiting for several hours, it was clear we weren't getting out today. So the four of us all came back to downtown Barcelona. They ended up getting a room at our same hotel - Hotel Sixty Two. We went back to the wonderful vegetarian restaurant for dinner. Our delay of 24 hours ending up being delightful rather than stressful, mostly because we were able to hang out with them.
Thank You, thank You, thank You…. for an amazing and wonderful trip!!!
We headed to the airport to fly home early this morning. However, as we were standing in line to board the plane, they shut down the entire airport. A volcano had erupted a few days ago in Iceland, and most of the airports in Europe were closed. We didn't expect the shutdown to be as far south as Spain, but they weren't taking any chances. While waiting at the airport, we ended up meeting two women, Kristin and Sherri, from San Diego. After waiting for several hours, it was clear we weren't getting out today. So the four of us all came back to downtown Barcelona. They ended up getting a room at our same hotel - Hotel Sixty Two. We went back to the wonderful vegetarian restaurant for dinner. Our delay of 24 hours ending up being delightful rather than stressful, mostly because we were able to hang out with them.
Thank You, thank You, thank You…. for an amazing and wonderful trip!!!
