Polas on the Go

This Trip... By Gavin

Remember when we started this trip, at the beginning of the airplane trip, I was saying I can't believe we are doing this...I can’t believe we are doing this… I can’t believe we are doing this…..like a million times, well I can't believe we are doing this!!! Before I thought Spain was going to be like Mexican food and Mexican backgrounds but it is the exact opposite.

 

It has been so fun because there was a fair in Nerja. It was sooooooooooooooo awesome because there are all these huge and fun rides. My favorite was this human bop it. It is like a ride where you go around a small circle and this really funny guy hits you on the head with a balloon. Some balloons are big and round so they are harder to get and some are straight so they are easier to get. Brock likes the balloons the best.

There is this cool place where you can play all kinds of sports... Hockey, tennis, futbol and basketball and they are even nice enough to let you play. Before I didn't want to play hockey and then I figured out hockey was so fun. It's roller skating not ice skating hockey. I was nervous at first but Nate wanted to do it so I did it. The first day I did it we played a game. It was harder because it was all the little people verses all the big people. I was a small person. Nate was a small person too, believe it or not. We started out slow since it was my first time playing. I was on defense first but then dad told me to get "my butt over to the ball" so I ran over there and ran and ran and skated and skated with the ball and then I took a shot.  It was a long shot and the crowd went cccrrraaazzzyyyyy...just kidding there was no crowd. Do you think I made it?? Well, I DID...... not....  But, it was fun.

 

Spain is much nicer than I thought it was going to be. Well, so far...

Morocco

 
October 9th

   

We were apprehensive to take a long weekend trip to Morocco, primarily due to the concerns over aggressive beggars and/or fearing losing a kid…but when we heard that this weekend was the Ferria (fair) in Nerja-with music blaring right outside our window until 6AM, we decided we could take a chance and go. We decided against an organized tour bus trip-although it would’ve been easier and cheaper-because they only leave Nerja at 5AM on Thursday mornings and return late that same night. Liz looked up a highly recommended Moroccan tour guide (he led Bruce Springsteen on his tour) and we opted to stay a couple of overnights in the port town of Tarifa (as opposed to Algeciras which apparently is a bit of a hole). We are so happy we did-Tarifa is a beautiful little walled town with narrow streets and great food. We happened to be there on a not busy weekend-apparently the place gets very busy. We stayed in a small hotel room (the old man who ran it reiterated that “there were only 3 of us, right?”) So we had to do a little bit of staggered entry and exit. The fast Ferry ride over was indeed fast, but was so crowded that is seemed a little unsafe and disorganized. Due to the storms that had been hitting the coast, the seas were rocky and made for rough travel. I was reminded of the Seinfeld flashback episode where Frank was a cook in the army and prepared something that made the soldiers get sick…the scene was similar to that as one person would fill a seasick bag which would trigger another 2 or 3 and so on. We were fairly lucky with only one casualty. We arrived in Tangiers and were met by our guide-Said-who was holding up a “Pola/Karr” sign..which put us at ease. Liz had been to Morocco many years before and was bombarded by “hello my friend, do you have the time” as locals would volunteer to become your guide. We were asked a number of times by these very aggressive little men but Said or his assistant would shoo them away. At the time it was pouring rain and his umbrella and waiting van were welcomed. We first drove around the outskirts of Tangiers, which looked much like any other city town. It is a generally cooler environment as both the Mediterranean and Atlantic oceans diverge here-lots of breezes and beautiful ocean views.

We had an opportunity to ride donkeys and then later-the mandatory camel ride. The kids loved it. 

We went into a beautiful coastal cave that was carved out by early Phoenicians to resemble the continent of Africa.

 

 We later went to the street markets (meat, vegetable) which were stocked with only local Moroccan foods. Said took us into one area that is sort of “off limits” to westerners and we got a lot of puzzled looks but it was fascinating. Said took us for a big lunch, which we feared due to the universal fear of stomach “discomfort” after eating locally in Morocco. He brought us heaping plates of meat and vegetables and camel and goat cheese-all tasty. We waited for the stomach rumblings to begin but nothing…we were able to leave Morocco unscathed.
 

 
 
  

  

  

 

We then walked around the Kasbah. It was remarkable as families had lived there in the same units for many generations-they were all decrepit looking but some of the “wealthier” families actually had electricity and running water. We wrapped up in the evening and boarded the ferry back to Tarifa.

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 

ATypical "Day in the Life" in Nerja

We have been in Nerja for just over two weeks now and decided to stay in this small, beach town on the Costa del Sol for awhile.  The town is about 20,000 people but can be 4 to 5 times that in the summer season. We rented a three bedroom place with a shared pool that is a couple blocks from both the beach and the local school in the "Old Town" where Nate and Gavin are going.  It's  a gorgeous town right on the water with lots of winding streets and cobblestone roads.  You can walk across town in about 20 minutes. 

 
  

     
 
 
A Typical “Day in the life” in Nerja

· 8:00 AM Get up, hunt for uniform shirts and feed the kids

· 9:00 Walk Kids 6 minutes to their little Catholic school (Tablazo). I can hear the collective moans of Liz’s ancestors whenever the boys sing “Jesus Cristo esta Viva en mi Corazon"

  

 
 
 
 
 
 


· 9:20 Exercise - usually a run to the beach

· 10:00- A quick swim in the pool at our place

· 10-11-Liz and Mike do some work-try to figure out this blogging business, plan next legs of trip (Cruise with Weezie to Eastern Meditteranean for Liz’s 40th November 23rd-Wahoo!)

· 11:00 Grab café con leche and pastry-effectively eliminating all benefit of previous hour of activity

· 12:30 Mike, Liz and Brock go to lunch at one of the local Tapas places ("La Cunaos" being one of the favorites).

 

· 2:00 PM-Pick up kids from school

· 2:30 PM-Walk home with kids and pick up fresh fruit or pastries from local stores

· 3:00PM-Liz makes lunch for the kids –pasta or tortilla Espanola (egg/potato omelet), fruit etc.

· 3:30 PM-Kids do homework-mostly Nate. Gavin reads.

· 5:00 PM-Swim in pool or head down to the beach

 

· 5-7 PM-swim in surf, play paddle tennis, collect rocks, play volleyball, body surf

         
         

· 7-7:10 PM-shower off and head home from Playa Burriana…about 10 minutes up a path and around the corner.  

· 8PM-Dinner-either at Beach restaurant or back in town (usually 4 nights out and 3 nights eating at home). Dinners at home followed by walks into town for ice cream. (Are you picking up on the ‘eating’ theme?)

· 9:30PM-Play games-Dominos (slapping dem Bones baby!), Yahtzee etc.

· 10:30 PM-Kids off to bed to read (me love dat iPad, you betcha)

· 11:00 Bed

 

Granada

  

  

 
 
 
   
  

Granada is spectacular. Just gorgeous. The town is lively and the people are strikingly friendly; especially on contrast to alicante.  We were going to take a bus from alicante to Granada and then decided to rent a car for the month instead.  We picked it up at the train staion and drove it back to our apartment on calle rafael torress HOPING all of our stuff would fit. It barely did and we were off to Granada leaving behind "Shelley" from Maria Bonita and our newly found favorite bakery Donta (or something like that) and it's amazing white chocolate croissants and pumpkin surprise.

The ride from Granada was just over three hours and we headed to the mountains. Not much in btw towns. We decided not to take the coast and just to get there faster so we went via Lorca.  We had gotten our hotel on line a night before and chose it basically for the hotel and a little bit of amenitities.  Got a good deal for four nights. Decided to leave one bag in the car to diminish the chaos in the room.  Got there and the room was cozy but clean and pretty nice.  Two twin beds next to each other and the other against the window. Was going to be tight but would be okay.  Decided to hit the pool which turned out to be an ice cube..like literally snow water..or at least for the first few minutes and then it was okay. Especially given how hot it was outside.

My personal favorites og Granada included the tapas hopping on Calle Navas, the streets of Albazin, our dinner off the river, and at a distant lead...TAPAS HOPPING!  What's not to love about a surprise, full size treat with every round ordered.  As Mike said, he was happy to do his part as were the kids.  Gavin quickly joined in the adventure of eating, Nate was an excellent sport given he didn't like many of the things that were served and Brock was happy to try everything, polish off the olives and drive his two inch toy car aound the tables and floors of cafeterias, bars and restaurants.

Mike loved the Alhambra and I enjoyed it, too. Great tour guide who made it interesting, beautiful grounds and detail and a very friendly, international group on the tour including people from Greece, Singapore and Los Altos!  Many complimented all the boys for their terrific behavior and patience and one said we should get a discount for Brock as he swept the Alhambra floors for the last hour (of three) while pushing his car around...this time it was the little orange one.

Nate wasn't so Keene on this town. Maybe it was too big or too hot. Maybe it was the hotel or lack of parks which we didn't find until the last day. Gavin liked it.  Probably a combination of the tapa hopping AND the all the toppings you can fit, yogurt for 2.50 euros!l

Personally, I could see living here one spring,  would want to do it after the snow and before the blazing hot summer. I love the energy, friendliness, strolling non hurried mentality. People are walking and enjoying each other vs staring at their cell phones. They stop to chat. They wait in line and aren't impatient about it. The meet for cafe..constantly.  Multigenerations go out together. Packs of 70 year old women meet for dinner. There is a sense of community and interaction.

4 days in Granada was about right...probably because of the small hotel room.  The pool was fun, despite the initial freeze zone, paco at the bar was a sweetheart and the kids had fun playing with a girl from Morrocco at the pool.   She wanted to play with them so badly that she slowly got into the pool with all her clothes on!

On our last day, we were going to tour around the city again on the open air bus but decided to go to the ciencias museum instead. It was amazing. We spent eight hours there.  Taking our time, see the many great exhibits, having lunch, playing the outdoor chess and puzzles and just not rushing.  Went to the bird show (where the falcon escaped to a neighboring roof) and up the tower for great views, too. I think this place is really impressive... an acad sciences, exploratorium and discovery museum all in one.

The second to last night in Granada, we went online to places like bookings.com and idealista to reserve a place in Nerja, our next destination. Decided we wanted to go back to an apartment and the freedom of our own kitchen. Chose a place in the center of town and crossed our fingers that we would like it.  Packed up our stuff, which is really not that fun to do, and looked under the bed four times until we found Nate's red crock. We then closed the door, took the room key out of the socket (where it keeps the lights on) and headed down the glass elevator one last time.  We  were ready to go, programmed our newly purchased gps and had everything... Or so we thougtht!

 
   
 
  
 
  
  
 

And, of course, you can't go to Granada with out visiting the Alhambra:

 
  
  
 

 
 
 

 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Alicante

  
Our week in Alicante is probably best described as a "transition" week.  We arrived in this, not well know but large city in Spain that is a couple hours south of Valencia around 8PM after a long travel day.  The kids did great but we were all exhausted. Went to bed and slept until about 2:00 the next day which catapulted us into "Spanish Time" and we were immediately ready to live the life of late nights and siestas.  Nate Gavin and Mike started spanish class (at 11AM!) and Brock and I scoured the streets to find a place to get new cell phones, find the market and get situated. Our teachers   were great, the kids loved the esplanade and the Mundo del Ninos but the city was bigger than we wanted and Nate and Gavin were eager to travel and see more places. We stayed in Alicante for a week, enjoyed the beach, the great teachers and the chance to get settled in an apartment before heading off to Granada.