Days 10-12: Sweet Relaxation in Ibiza

Sorry for the lack of posts these past couple of days. We honestly haven't been up to too much, just surviving Eric's method of driving (I decided he treats traffic circles like a NASCAR racecourse) and being lazy. 

So what have we done the last few day that's worth noting... We left the fancy apartment with the fabulous views to go see the Roman ruins in Cartagena and that was pretty awesome. The theatre I actually in pretty good shape, although that could be from previous restorations. It still surprises me just how far the Roman Empire reached. 

After that it was on to Valencia where we wondered the streets a bit to kill time before our ferry.  We also had some delicious paella since this is what Valencia is known for. It definitely did not disappoint. We also had some yummy sangria! 

After that it was time for the ferry. It wasn't too bad since we had a cabin with beds, just stunk that it docked in Ibiza at 5:15am. Luckily when we got to the hotel they had a room available for us that we could go ahead and take so, as I'm sure any same person would, we napped. 

We weren't blessed with great weather that first day but we persevered and walked into town from the hotel and got some food at Hard Rock Cafe--sometimes you just want a reminder of home, don't judge. After that we walked around some more then headed back. We basically chilled the rest of the day since we hasn't really been doing any of that thus far on our trip. 

And then we got ready to experience Ibiza, and by that I mean the clubs. We went to Pacha which is one of the most well known ones. We got there close to 1am which some of you may think is late but it's actually somewhat early. Apparently the party doesn't really get started until around 2. 

We had a great time, I had forgotten how much fun European clubs are and how good the people watching is. We got some good stories like the one guy who poked me (literally poked me in the stomach) to get my attention and ask me to dance. Needless to say I said no. But he stayed close and then tried talking to Carissa about how I didn't even give him a chance (might I remind you, he POKED me. And he was short). So Carissa acts like she doesn't understand English and he's like "oh" then proceeds to tell his friends all about what happened. While still being next to us so they are all staring. People these days. 

Eric was the first one to get hit on though, by this fabulous guy who came and told him he was beautiful. He also got asked to take a picture, but instead of taking it of the other people, the Indian couple explained that they wanted a picture with him. So we spent a good part of the night trying to find them again so Carissa and I could get a good laugh. 

We ended up staying at the club until about 4:30 and then called it quits for bed time. And after sleeping about 5 hours were back up and spent the rest of our time relaxing by the pool and soaking up the sun before we had to go catch or ferry to Barcelona, which we are on as I type. 

Crazy to think this is our last stop and that the trip is almost over! 

Oh, and since today is the first Alabama game of the season, can I get a ROLL TIDE?! Beat Virginia Tech! :)

I'll post pictures from these days tomorrow once I have access to more consistent Internet. So for now, chau chau!

Day 9: The Alhambra and YOLO

We began our day in Granada with the fabulous and large Alhambra. The Alhambra is an old Muslim palace and fort in the middle of the city. And it's very old. That's your history lesson for the day.

We actually spent a good amount of time walking around the complex and I'm very glad I took my mom's advice and we got tickets in advance because it was crowded! You've heard me expound on the intricate details in the molding and tiles and well, the Alhambra was no different. I seriously cannot get enough of this stuff (so I took lots of pictures)!

Looking at the Palaces from the gardens, the details! and a lovely fountain in the garden

The garden was a beauty

I love the star shaped holes that brough light into the bath houses, Eric inside the Palace of Carlos V, and me with the flags

The Barracks of the Alcazar, looking from the Alcazar to the palaces, Eric and Carissa at one of the gates

Hope you don't mind, we may have converted into little Muslim men, a view of the town, playing with the windows

Stained glass--this was a good find by Eric, and looking into a courtyard

Inside the intricate rooms, a fountain in another courtyard

Lovely courtyard, I love the columns!

Panorama of Grenada from the Alhambra

After that we hit the road to do some scenic drives on our way to the apartment we're staying at this evening that's just outside Cartegena. Our scenic route added 3 hours to the drive but was totally worth it! When else am I going to feel like I'm going to die because Eric is whipping around curves on a mountain thats 2000m high? YOLO.

Pics from the top(ish)

After the mountain pass (which makes me think of LotR), we took the coastal scenic route. There was still a lot of whipping around curves but now we would plunge into the ocean instead of 2000m down the mountainside. At one point Carissa turns around to say something and I have tears in my eyes about to spill over and she thinks it's because of Eric's driving... In actuality it's because I was reading a book that was sad.

Gorgeous ocean views at Cabo de Gata!

However, I did hit my head pretty hard when we went over a speed bump at seriously 50 mph (SERIOUSLY). Eric was distracted looking at what he thought was a pyramid (don't ask questions) and Carissa sees it coming and is like "Brace yourself!" and bam! Over the speed bump we go and I leave the seat and actually hit my head (yes, hit my head! and I was wearing my seat belt!) on the ceiling of the car. That's a good 5 inches. So in a nut shell, that was our drive.

Somehow, we made it to the apartment and it has a fantastic view of the ocean and now we can all relax. It's the opposite of our Granada apartment which was, how shall I put it, a little sketchy. Then Eric cooked us dinner as he downed three beers--apparently living life on the edge (literally) makes you thirsty.

Our view for the night :)

Here's hoping that Carissa drives tomorrow to Valencia where we will return the rental car and catch the ferry to Ibiza!!!

Day 8: Grand Seville

Our day in Seville started off way too early for us. We arrived at the bus station before the sun did (aka 6am) and we got little to no sleep due to those dang uncomfortable bus seats. And there was a group of American students who would not shut up. Silly Americans! (we are clearly above that and therefore not silly Americans)

Off we go to pick up our rental car. But first, we must catch the bus! Easier said than done, for this was quite the plight. First we have to figure out which one, then we have to try to understand the bus driver and his lackey who keeps telling us "el frente, el frente" and I'm all "the front of what? no entiendo." But we're on the bus and we get where we need to go.

And guess what kind of car we got, a BMW! Woo! We are living the life, I tell you. It's a nice hatchback (I didn't even know BMW made these) and thank the Lord all our suitcases fit in the trunk so I only had to share the backseat with our small bags. Jolly good!

My backseat and our fearless driver.

Our first stop is to Italica and the Roman ruins per the lovely Mrs. Gann's recommendation. It definitely did not disappoint and since we were there right when it opened the guy gave us free admission! At least that's our theory, we don't really know why he decided to let us in for free. I lurves free. Anyways, we crawled all over the place and had some fun with the ruins, as you can probably tell in the pictures below.

Ancient Roman statue, and the beginning of our mischief amongst the ruins

Sitting pretty.

London Bridge! It might be falling down, so we clung to the pillars for support

We could have careers as ballerinas ahead of us.

Who knows if we're supposed to get on these things but... we did

I'm putting my foot down--because I want to see the amphitheatre!

This was my favorite part of the ruins

The amphitheater, a walkway underneat and looking into the bottom where the fighters would wait for their turn

I'm EVERYWHERE! Better watch your back.

Once we were done playing at Italica, we headed back to downtown Seville. First was the Catedral de Seville which I'll have you know is the biggest gothic building in the WORLD and the third largest cathedral (behind St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London). Exciting stuff! It was so big I even got separated from Carissa and Eric and had a panic attack (not really, I just went up the tower and took lots of photos). This place also had the tomb of Christopher Columbus who we all know and love.

Panorama from the Giraldi Tower, and Christo's tomb!

This was kind of disturbing to see, so I took a photo. You're welcome. And the outside of the church.

I don't know why but I am fascinated with all this attention to detail, and Carissa and I outside

After that we went to walk around the neighborhood and look at some of the other buildings. We also had our best meal yet at this Italian place. I ate wayyyy too much, but you all know how I love food. And I think with the amount of stairs we've climbed this trip that I deserve to inhale a lot of calories.

Once done with lunch, we walked around some more and headed to the Plaza de España which was probably one of my favorite parts. I loved the architecture and the huge square. The detail is exquisite on the tiles and molding. I couldn't stop taking pictures! I also really liked the fact that you could rent a boat and row around.

We could definitely have spent more time in Seville but by that point our long night was catching up to us and we had to drive to Granada for the apartment we had rented for the night. That was another trial, trying to find that place. Oh goodness. But we made it, and that's what's important!

You can find the rest of the pictures from Seville here.