Nerja is a beautiful beach town located along southern Spain's Costa del Sol. "Nerja" is derived from the word "narixa", which is an arabic term translated to "bountiful spring". Nerja has a lush and tropical feel with the flowers, greenery and ocean. The town features views of the Mediterranean ocean and surrounding mountains.
We took a day trip to Nerja from Granada and were in awe of the white-washed town and beautiful beach. I felt like I was in paradise in this gem of a town. Nerja is a must-see if you find yourself in southern Spain- it's not too touristy and has traditional spanish charm.
While you're there, explore the fascinating Nerja Caves, Cuevas de Nerja, and spend the rest of the day lounging on the beach. We took a stroll around and fell in love with the white houses and terracotta rooftops and beautiful bougainvillea. There are many local tapas bars but don't miss out on the paella! We were told the best place to go is Ayo, located on the Playa Burriana. They had a GIANT pan of paella that looked amazing, but it was so packed and we were too hungry to wait. We ended up at a more touristy spot but found some other girls from our group and still were able to find some paella.
Oh, Málaga. The city that took me by surprise and captured my heart. We stayed most of our trip in Granada but on one of the first days went on a day trip to Málaga. I felt such a connection to this city, it was incredible! The colors, the art and architecture, the beauty of it overwhelmed me. We explored the historic city centre and I was so in awe that I just started crying tears of happiness. In one of my photos you can see a street mural I stumbled upon during our tour that I was crazy about. My Spanish soul sister!
Spain has long been on my bucket list but always thought I would be visiting Madrid or Barcelona first. But I am so happy that my program featured these southern Spain cities. Málaga is a port city located on the Costa del Sol. It's also Picasso's hometown, which I thought was amazing! This city has me considering extending my school to study Spanish in Málaga. As an art-lover you have to appreciate this beautiful city. I definitely will be back to explore all the museums and find out what else Málaga has to offer. There's a certain magic about Málaga that captivated me.
Granada is a city located in Southern Spain's Andalusia region. They're best known for the Alhambra Palace- a place so lavish and beautiful it'll leave you speechless. Granada has strong influence from the Moorish Empire which is apparent in it's architecture and culture.
Granada was our home base for our time in Spain. We stayed in the Gran Hotel Luna de Granada and started the week off strong with a welcome dinner and Flamenco show. Flamenco dance and Spanish guitar are both strong parts of Spanish culture. My mother was the one that introduced me to Spanish guitar and flamenco dance when I was younger. We even went to a Gipsy Kings concert together. She used to take lessons and I would tag along and watch and we also would explore local flamenco performances in Atlanta. Now that I'm older I can appreciate it way more- the passion the dancers have and the music is incredible. There was one guy on the drums, one singing, and one playing the guitar. The dancers would come out in their traditional flamenco wear and all of those elements combined make for the most amazing performance. I loved having the opportunity to see a real Spanish flamenco show during my time in Spain!
Some things I liked about Granada- my daily (sometimes a few times a day) café con leche. Little things like a great cup of coffee make me happy in the morning. I learned that the drink of Granada is tinto de verano- a cold, wine-based drink similar to sangria. Basically it's table red wine mixed with lemon-lime soda. Also something unique to Granada- when you order a drink, you get free tapas! We were confused at first, why are the waiters bringing us food if we didn't order anything? But that's how they do it, free tapas when you get a drink. I'm definitely a foodie, I live for good food! The seafood in Granada is excellent. One of my favorite things I tried was Pulpo Frito, or fried octopus. Fried eggplant was great too. Other spanish food faves were tortilla de patata, jamon cerrano, and paella, of course!
Visiting La Alhambra was definitely the highlight of Granada for me. We did a tour through the city center as well which I loved. The streets are so narrow and you get a glimpse of the medieval history of Granada. Make a visit to Los Italianos ice-cream while exploring the city center! There's also lots of shopping opportunities- especially Zara which is cheaper in Spain. I made sure to go to Stradivarius and Berksha since we don't have those in the US.
If you find yourself in Granada, La Alhambra you can't miss. I get chill bumps when I think about it. The amount of detail and the architecture is one of a kind. Read up on the history of the city because it's very unique and rich. Eat ALL the tapas, get lost in the city center, and make sure to see a flamenco show!
