Cait vs. Spain: Sometimes You Just Need a Beach

Málaga!

It appears that I will always be chronically tardy with these blog installations, but I guess better late than never! The semester is quickly winding down and it is hard to believe that it is almost time for me to return to the motherland. But that is just too depressing to talk about. So instead, I write of my latest experiences!

I feel a little silly referring to the ten days off from classes as a “vacation” because it seems as though I have been on vacation the minute I stepped off the plane onto Spanish turf. So no worries, I will not spend any time whining about the return to my normal schedule because I completely acknowledge the necessity of sympathy, haha!

But with the beginning of my free time, I spent four marvelous days on the Costa del Sol in Málaga, Spain. I have a friend studying abroad there (not sure how much studying one can do when your house is a block away from the Mediterranean, but I’ll just go with it) so it was nice to have someone who knew their way around! I made this trip solo, and of course the universe felt it necessary to make things a little interesting for me. I had a slight disconcerting moment as I was attempting to extract a little cash from the ATM, when it suddenly decided that it was NOT going to give me back my bank card. I asked it nicely, caressed the screen, whispered sweet nothings into the card slot, and waited patiently....but nothing. Apparently there was nothing that the bank could do(???) and I found other means of acquiring money before the journey.

After the pleasant train ride (this has become my favorite mode of transportation) I was quite excited to get a view of the sun setting over the beach. I thought I was lucky to have a hostel directly across the street from the shore, but that was before I knew what the living conditions might be like....

I THOUGHT that I had booked a four person suite of females, and you can imagine my surprise when I awoke the first morning to discover an Italian male in my room. He soon moved out and I was welcomed by Olga, a nice woman who, although seemed a little old to be staying in youth hostel was friendly. Our new roommates moved in the next day: two middle aged Irish-men, what a party! I brought the median age down by about 15 years, but it was quite the experience. As much as I loved having slumber parties with strange (also friendly) men, I was also thankful that it would be my last hostel experience of this trip. On top of that, the room was in the basement of the hostel, which brought clammy humidity and four-legged, antennae-wielding crawlers that resembled cockroaches. Luckily I spent most of my time on the beach and less time in my cozy little dungeon.

Enough about the sleeping arrangements and more of the fun! After all of the trips that I have taken that have been stuffed to the brim with cultural enlightenment, I was adamant about having this vacation be purely for relaxation and less work for my brain. Therefore, I have nothing historical or educational to offer to this post, but rather obnoxious images of me lounging in the sand with an ocean breeze keeping me cool. I thoroughly enjoyed people watching and the melodious calls of the men selling cold beverages (“cocaaaCOLA-cerVEza-Fanta-agua!”).

Málaga was definitely one of favorite cities I have visited thus far in Spain, as it has a relaxed, beachy, fun vibe. We also took a day trip to a little town called Nerja, which also makes my list of most beautiful, heavenly, picturesque locations. This quaint little town is also situated on the coast, and boasts unique beaches situated in between huge rocks. The wind, waves and sun made for a fun-filled, memorable afternoon. I didn’t actually swim during this trip, and was glad I chose not too because the waves were so big, and the current was too powerful. Our cute afternoon was almost tainted when one of our friends almost lost a battle with an ocean swell and a rock face; no worries, she evaded any injuries! Overall, however, great food, great weather, great company, GREAT DAY!

I finished the remainder of my long beach weekend by soaking up as much sun as I could get a hold of, and exploring the fun, casual nightlife Málaga had to offer. Eventually it was time to shake the sand out of my belongings and return to Sevilla with high anticipation of Semana Santa (More to come on that topic tomorrow!).