From Scotland with Love: Part II: Hola Espana!

My first time ever (and no, that time when I was nine months or whatever does not count) on the continent!!! I was so excited. We took the bus down to Edinburgh airport and caught it from there. As we were coming in to land I looked down and saw fields of olives and it was just amazing and beautiful and wonderful. After we landed and collected our belongings and such we went out to get our taxi and it was so wonderfully warm! Unfortunately it was dark as we were driving so I didn’t see much then. Our driver got a bit lost on the way to the resort but eventually we found it. It was beautiful. We had a temporary room for the night because our proper one wasn’t going to be ready until Saturday. It was just the three of us at that point (Skye, Holly and me) because Rhianna was coming on Saturday and Marissa on Monday). On Saturday we checked out of our little room and stored our bags until we could check in to our other room. I think it was ready around 2:00 and I was so excited. As we were walking I was thinking, “hmmm, I hope it’s right in the end building there!” It was. Then I thought, “Wow, wouldn’t it be great if it was on the top floor!” It was. Finally, “sure would be epic if it was facing the sea.” And three times lucky because it ticked all three boxes! It was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for anything better and Holly’s parents deserve so many thanks.

I’ll just give some of the highlights of the week. There were three trips that we did. The first was to a white village called Gaucin, the second was to Morocco, and the third was to a market. Other highlights were the paella making demonstration and family dinners.

The visit to the white village was on the Tuesday. It was absolutely amazing to get away from the coast and see the mountains. They were remarkably green because they’ve had so much rain recently. Gaucin was on top of one of the mountains and had a castle which had been turned into a church. That was where we walked first and it was breathtaking. It was right at the top of the mountain so we could look down and see the whole village and the valleys and other mountains around. When we climbed down we went to get lunch. I had a salad with delicious tomatoes and a special type of fruit (I can’t recall the name). I also had the most delicious olives I think I’ve ever eaten. I didn’t even realise they could taste that good; it was amazing. After lunch we got to sit in the sun for a bit before we headed back to Malaga.

Morocco was amazing and also a bit of an adventure. Originally we were supposed to go on Monday. They gave us the wrong time, however, and they didn’t end up going because the ferry wasn’t leaving that day. On Thursday everything proceeded properly. It was still rough water going over but the ferry was a bigger one so it was able to push through it pretty well. The bus took us to a special lunch. It was set up in big tents and it was a sort of traditional meal. It was delicious anyways. There was fresh bread and a lentil soup. Then we had lamb meatballs and a couscous/tomato dish. There were also some performances which were fun. Then we were driven to the centre of town to go to the market. It was amazing. The whole thing smelled like spices and fruits and perfumes, it was lovely. We went to a rug shop and a burbur apothecary and I got an amazing four spice. It was a hectic atmosphere but it was really nice. When it was all over and we were thoroughly tuckered out we went back to the ferry, where the adventure really began. First, we took the fast ferry this time. Second, the wind hadn’t died down; it was actually worse. You know the movie the Perfect Storm? That was our lives for fourty-five minutes. Initially, it seemed like a fun ride. Then people started getting sick. In the end it completely devolved. The only sounds by about half-way through were retching, groaning, and people calling for more bags. I’ve never been happier in my life to step on dry land. It’s hilarious now but it certainly wasn’t at the time.

Our final trip was to a market just a bit down from the resort. I was most amazed by the vegetables. I wanted to buy every single one of them. I don’t know how I’d use them but I’d figure something out. Then we went for lunch before heading back to the resort. There were just so many colours and smells and vegetables. Whenever I see a zucchini now I can’t help but think, “Scrawny little thing; I’ve seen you in your homeland.”

The paella demonstration was on our first day. The chef just had this massive pan and he started throwing in rice and spices and vegetables and then I’m pretty sure he threw in every creature in the sea. Including king prawns. I even had my own Mr. Bean moment although I didn’t toss anything into a handbag. I just tore it to bits until a lovely lady instructed me on the proper method. It was just absolutely amazing and I could have eaten plate after plate.

We also had family dinners. It was loads of fun because we had such lovely china and glassware and napkins. They were massive meals but they were so much fun and nice and relaxing.

The final thing about Spain was our epic adventure in the Edinburgh. First, I gave myself quite possibly the worst burn I’ve ever had on my legs. I guess I wasn’t in the shade like I thought so I turned tomato red. It got the point where I couldn’t wear trousers because my legs were about to burn clear off. Luckily Costa Coffee was open so we got paninis and drinks and hunkered down. I ended up sleeping across chairs which was more comfortable than I thought it would be but not nearly comfortable enough. We caught the earliest bus we could and ended up getting back around noon. Holly and I were knackered of course but we pressed through because we were heading to Ireland the next day.