No better way to end abroad than crashing a family vacation. Just when I was ready to leave Europe, the Kanes took me in on their trip to Spain and made me want to stay another 4 months.
With a week between finals, I decided to visit my friend from high school, Christine, in Spain. The timing worked out that her parents were coming to visit her at the same time. This was an absolute blessing. I loved spending the weekend as their second daughter. On Saturday I arrived in Málaga, Spain. Christine met me at the airport and we went straight to the beach. We ate fresh clementines her host mom packed her and listened to the waves coming in as we waited for her parent’s flight to arrive. After we met up with her parents we headed to the Airbnb. The Airbnb was a beautiful house right on the beach. The house overlooked the boardwalk which we strolled down to get lunch. For lunch, we stopped at a beachfront restaurant for some sangria and paella. I was very excited to be back in Spain to have a second chance to eat their deliciously fresh food. After our late lunch (4 pm may be a normal lunchtime for Spainairds but it was hard for me to cope with) we headed to see the lights show in city center. Surrounded by a Christmas market, the Main Street of Málaga was dressed to the nines in Christmas. The lights show which was coordinated with Christmas music could get anyone in the holiday spirit. I’ve noticed in every country I’ve been in no matter the language they speak the majority of Christmas songs they play are in English— the same Christmas hits we listen to the states. After the show, we headed back to the Airbnb to watch the Army-Navy football game! Mr. Kane went to West Point with my Dad so it was a nice part of home to spend game day cheering on the army team with their family.
On Sunday we had a lazy morning and didn’t get going until around 1 pm. Though very late for me, this is normal in Spain. Before we started our day we grabbed coffee and tea at a beachfront cafe. I learned how to properly pronounce the word “tea” in Spanish, “té”, is how I normally pronounce “tea” means “you” so I tried my best to order tea, not tell the waiter I wanted him. After tea and toast, we headed to the historic fort and castle in Málaga. Both situated on a large hill, we got a great calf workout in while taking in great views of the city meeting the Mediterranean Sea. Everything we saw had a great Arabic influence as the Iberian Peninsula was Arabic until just a few hundred years a ago. This meant everything was plain on the outside but beautifully and colourfully decorated on the inside to align with Muslim tradition of not being too showy. After learning more about the history of the previous rulers of Malaga, we headed to mass at the Cathedral. I think Assumption has a second location in Málaga as the mass was only 30 minutes. The short mass was probably for the best as it was all in Spanish so I didn’t understand much (okay like any expect for three words). The language barrier didn’t matter as the Cathedral was beautifully decorated so my eyes were very happy wandering. After mass, we headed to a rooftop for dinner. The rooftop was the perfect place to end the day enjoying a nice meal and divine Spanish wine while overlooking the city at night.
On Monday we started our day early with a bus to Granada. Granada is where Christine studied all semester. Fourth-five minutes from both the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Mediterranean Sea it is has something to offer for everyone. The city itself was the last one to be conquered and converted to Catholicism by Isabelle and Fernando. As the city was peacefully handed over, much of the Islamic artifacts are still present today and weren’t destroyed. The main attraction in the city is the Alahambra Palace. Place on the hill overlooking the city, the palace is full of beautiful rooms, sprawling gardens, and a combination of Islamic and Catholic culture. It was very interesting to see the additions to the palace made by the Catholics. The style was distinct as the Catholics’ buildings looked beautiful on the outside and not as elaborate on the inside while the Islamic buildings were plain on the outside and magnificently decorated on the inside. After the tour, we made our way down the hill to see Christine’s favorite places in town. It was very fun to see her school and all the other daily spots where she spends her day. Churros and chocolate were the perfect afternoon snack after walking up and down the hilly streets of Granada. At night we ventured out for Tapas. Tapas really means going out for drinks. The “tapa” is the little dish you get for free with each drink you order. After Tapas we took a midnight stroll through downtown Málaga which was also all lit up for Christmas as we ventured through the pebble decorated streets back to our Airbnb.
Before I left for the airport on Tuesday we had one final meal together. At one of Christine’s go-to coffee spots, we grabbed toast and tea before I left for Glasgow. I had some Moroccan tea which was uniquely delicious and sweet. All of the food was so pure, fresh, and simple which made it delicious. Olive Oil is also a staple in Spain and the amount I consumed this weekend gave me a new appreciation for the item I’ve always known to be in the kitchen cabinet.
I feel very lucky to get to spend a few days with people that feel like a second family to me. A family vacation was the perfect transition to tie me over before I leave for the states at the end of the week. After travelling so much with my friends I forgot how nice travelling with parents can be (and not just for the checkbook!). Mr. and Mrs. Kane and I also felt very grateful to have Christine with us as she speaks fluent Spanish and our vocabulary is few and far in between. Now it is back to Glasgow for 2 full days until I leave for the land of the free and home of the brave.