The Arab Baths of Granada

Sitting huddled around the heater with our vino tinto and Manchego cheese, wrapped in blankets for extra warmth – we hatched our escape plan. We were tired of being so cold! You’d think we were in Antarctica – and not the Costa del Sol.

The Costa del Sol in southern Spain supposedly has over 300 days of sunshine a year – not that it wasn’t sunny. It was just so cold that the town now appeared devoid of people virtually turning into a ghost town overnight. A local bar owner told us that it was just too cold - the Spanish were staying inside.

Our lovely beach weather from mere days before had taken a turn for the worse – plummeting from a pleasant nineteen degrees to a very chilly six. Unheard of for this part of the country, even at this time of the year!

My husband Curtis (of Flashpacking Life) and I had spent the last two weeks in Nerja with friends who were visiting from home. Just as they were leaving, my friend Athena arrived from California, leaving behind scorching temperatures and raging forest fires.

When the cold snap struck, the three of us couldn’t stop thinking about the Arab baths in Granada. We made it our mission to go soak in the hot baths and finally thaw ourselves out.

The Aljibe Banos Arabes must be booked in advance. Each session lasts for an hour and a half; if you pay an extra nine euros, you’ll also get a 15-minute aromatherapy massage. For the baths only, it will cost you 17 euros, so the full deal with massage is 26 euros (if you visit on a weekend or holiday, you’ll pay an extra two euros).

The sessions start every two hours beginning at 10:00 am, with the last session at 10:00 pm (they close at midnight). Towels and lockers are provided free of charge, as are water and the tastiest sweet mint tea ever.

We arrived in Granada hours ahead of our scheduled bath session so that we could wander the streets and enjoy a tasty lunch before our soak. Wandering around the Albayzin – the North African part of town - with its narrow cobbled streets, shops full of colorful clothing and intricate carvings, and the endless choice of restaurants sporting hookahs, we felt like we were in Morocco.

Slipping into one of the restaurants where the smell of incense wafted about, we took a seat at a table tucked into what felt like our own secret nook. We had to duck under the archway (well, not Athena, who’s about the size of a Smurf) to get to the beautifully inlaid table awash in candlelight.

We ordered a delicious pot of Chai tea and the lamb with couscous – which was absolutely to die for!
With full bellies we continued our wander – eventually stumbling upon the perfect spot for a breathtaking view of the Alhambra, with the snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background.

And then it was bath time! The free map that I had picked up from a tourist info booth helped us navigate our way to the small street (which looks more like an alley) that houses the baths.

After changing into our swimsuits, we heaved open the heavy wood and iron door and entered a different world.

There are seven different pools: six of them ranging from warm to hot, with one cold plunge pool. The idea is to alternate between the cold and warm pools, never letting your body get overheated. The cold pool sits at the centre of the room, lit from below and backed with a beautifully tiled wall. Marble and tile reign here and the room is designed to provide some privacy in the nooks and crannies of various baths – some of which are hidden by arch ways or columns.

The number of guests per session is limited, which is great. There were eight people in total in the baths during ours, so we never even had to share a pool with anyone else. The atmosphere is tranquil, relaxing and romantic. If you speak, it’s in a hushed whisper.

We were all given a number upon arrival, and when it was time for the massages, the cute masseur wandered the baths, softly calling out a number in Spanish.

When my turn came, I was given a choice between a back/neck massage and a leg massage – so, of course, I chose the back. As I lay on my stomach on the massage table, the masseur untied the strings on my bikini and covered me with beautifully scented oil. Then his big strong hands worked their magic as I drifted deeper into the relaxation. The only thing keeping me from falling asleep was the occasional drip of cool water against my warm skin, the condensation from the ceiling.

Those fifteen minutes were over too quickly – but they were worth every penny. After a quick shower to wash off the oil, I slipped back into the baths as Curtis began his 15 minutes of fabulous pampering.

Twenty minutes later, a man in a white lab coat appeared. He looked very serious and important as he snaked his way through the baths. But then he pulled out a flashlight, flashing each pool of people with his blinking light several times.

We bathers looked at each other questioningly, barely suppressing giggles at this weird sight. After a moment of confusion, we guessed it must be the signal for the end of our session.

The flickering flashlight finished our time in the hammans but we left our newfound paradise of warmth and tranquility filled with a spiritual sense of ahhhhhhhh.

Lindsie and Curtis are traveling the world for a year - follow their adventure on Flashpacking Wife.

Sevilla - A Quick & Dirty Tour

I have yet to be disappointed by a single experience I have ever had in Sevilla, Spain. Sketched out, yes. Disappointed, NO. My most recent visit was this past spring, and was really more of a stop over on our way to Morocco, rather than a full-blown visit.

Irregardless (to use a non-existent word from my home state of Massachusetts), it was sooo easy in the 24 hours we had in the city to hit up most of the high points, at least enough to make every person I was traveling with want to stay for at least two or three more days. So, without further a do, here is my "quick and dirty guide to Sevilla if you only have 24 hours to see stuff."

1) Enjoy some Sangria in an outdoor cafe - we chose the roof deck of our youth hostel, because it was less dinero:

2) Have dinner at a restaurant with outdoor seating (notice a trend developing?) - paella is a traditional dish and is yummy at most restaurants. NO recommendations on best places to go, just walk around and find a place - there are tons of cute places spanning out from the Cathedral. Hello! It's the experience, get your nose out of the guidebook.

3) Visit the Cathedral of Sevilla in the morning. I have identical pictures from each visit, but that doesn't make the building less beautiful to see.

Home to the Sepulchre (tomb) of Columbus, and a spectacular view from the bell tower. The Cathedral sanctuary was under construction when we were there in April, but it was still worth the visit.

4) Real Alcazar. Loved it during my first visit, but was closed on the most recent stop over. Gorgeous architecture and HUGE gold fishies.

5) Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza. Ethical issues aside, it is another freakin' cool building.

6) Horse Drawn Carriage Ride. Sure, roll your eyes at the cheesiness, but when time is an issue it is a great way to a) cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, and b) learn some additional history about the city. Our carriage driver was willing to negotiate, and was more than happy to answer all of our questions.

So, there you have it, a quick tour of Sevilla (maybe it wasn't very dirty, but I like the expression more). If you don't spend too much time at one place, this is totally doable in 24 hours.

HOLY Toledo! Spain That Is.

Don't let people fool you. Showing a sheet of unconjugated Spanish verbs to the ticket agent in the Madrid train station DOES NOT make a) it easier to get the appropriate train ticket or b) not make you look like a total dope. This is the predicament my friend Ali and I found ourselves in as we attempted to purchase round trip tickets to Toledo. A town approximately a 30 minute train ride outside of Madrid. Really, when it comes down to it, I blame my friend Erin for the entire predicament. An unexpected illness that I accurately diagnosed as a hangover had hit her that morning, preventing her from accompanying us on our journey. While I would never throw a stone at the glass house of hangover, it did leave us sansinterpreter, and holding a dern scribbled piece of paper with dern unconjugated verbs. Okay - anger subsiding - rule number 12 (out of the arbitrary rule book for responsible travel) if you don't speak the language at the very least bring your guidebook. Pointing at a map is the universal language - screw math.

(Eww! Stock Photo :( My digital camera decided to be annoying this evening - will update when I figure out the situation!)

SHOCKINGLY (and 20 minutes of blank stares later) we were able to secure two round trip tickets to Toledo, and beyond the frustration (truly part of the fun) it was totally worth the trip. The town (while very small) has tons of history and some good sites to wander around and explore. The prominent attraction is most definitely the Alcazar of Toledo which dominates the skyline of the town. The cost of entry isn't too steep, so I would def. recommend at least checking it out. However, be warned most of the building is dedicated to a war museum. It's got some good history, but little solider figurines t'aint my favorite thing. Still, learning about the destruction caused during the Spanish Civil War was extremely interesting.

Beyond the Alcazar, we actually spent most of the afternoon simply walking around the city - which seemed very accessible. We also stumbled across several quaint restaurants with quaint little wine lists. The one we ended up eating at didn't have exceptional food, but the people were friendly and had no problem letting us sit for a "short" little 2 hour meal. Overall, I would say it is a good day trip if you have had your fill of Madrid.

Bolting Down to Sevilla: the Semi-Super Sonic Way

Gooooo. My brain feels like...um...uh...goo. I have to catch a train to Sevilla in 45 minutes, and my brain feels like G.D. goo. This has inevitably happened on any trip that I have taken where my plans haven't been "set in stone." While the opportunity for spontaneity and (oh yes) ADVENTURE are great, there are these types of moments where the night before was a wee too long, and the train the next morning had to be scheduled a wee bit early. In these situations you need to make a decision: hit the snooze button and sleep two more hours - heck the town/city you're in has to have some hidden charms. Or, you get your butt in gear, forgo the shower, pray you've packed everything, and get yourself to the that train, ferry, or airplane.

On this particular morning my friends and I had already booked first class tickets on AVE - Alta Velocidad Espanola  the high speed train from Madrid to Sevilla, and we were running low on travel days before we had to fly back to Dublin - we were going to be getting on that train. A mini mental breakdown, some cobblestone streets, and a helpful cabdriver later, we had arrived at Atocha train station (one of the two main train stations in Madrid) with a solid 8 minutes to spare...just enough time to take a snap shot of Ali in from of some trains:

Now let me tell you: the extra effort was most definitely worth it. This was hands dow my numero uno first class train experience. Yes, it is only one of two first class train experiences, but lady has seen olde tyme movies, I know what it is all about. This extra HIGH Molly rating isn't due solely on my relief in actually catching the train, it is for the overall experience:

1. Roomy & Comfortable seats

2. Relatively quiet cars

3. Yummy adult beverages - my appreciation for Bailey's on the rocks grows

4. Only a 2 1/2 hour trip sans the aggravation of driving, and dealing with a rental car.

Beyond all of this, the scenery along the way is extremely pleasant, and both train stations are easily accessible via public transportation, because of their central location. The extra price we paid could have definitely been avoided had we booked in advance, and were willing to spend a little extra time getting to Sevilla. However, we had no problems booking the tickets just a day before our trip in a tourist office just around the corner from our 'youth hostel'. I would caution that we were traveling in November, which isn't a peek travel month in Spain. If you are more schedule inclined, then I would take a gander at this website: www.refne.com (the Spanish national railway company  website) or www.raileurope.com. This will give you rates and timetables for the Madrid to Sevilla train.

Siesta is the Best(uh)?

Upon my first arrival in Madrid, Spain, I was swiftly introduced to one of the most magical ideas ever conceived for the working individual, and the most annoying holdups for a traveling traveler: SIESTA. Siesta occurs daily most everywhere in Spain with shops and businesses closing from 2pm - 5pm, and bars and restaurants closing from 4 - 8pm. It is an opportunity for employees to go home for lunch, spend time with family, and overall just take a break from "the grind".  In my experience, it seems like pretty much everyone participates in siesta, leading most establishments to be shutdown between those hours. Which lead us, dear traveler, to a conundrum: whatever does a revved up U.S. tourist do during those 3 hours?

My friends (Ali and Erin) and I dropped into Madrid mid-afternoon, dropped our bags off at our youth hostel (Hostal Casto which was cheap, great location, and felt safe - but don't expect the Ritz! The most recent review is ABOUT RIGHT), and quickly went to work finding a place for a quick bite to eat before hitting up our first tourist destination. The restaurant we found had "succulent" duck and an attentive waitstaff - they were surprisingly happy to continually fuel us with bottles of wine. A little tipsy from lunch, we trolled over to take a tour of the Museo Nacional Del Prado - I'm a dope and totally thought it was called the Prada for most of the day. Inebriation aside, I highly recommend this museum. It houses beautiful pieces of art from well-known Spanish masters such as Goya and El Greco.

Following the Prado we scooted over to the Botanical Gardens, which were nice, but something I would recommend skipping if you visit in mid to late fall. Thus begins our introduction to...drumroll...SIESTA. A mere 15 minutes into our walk around the grounds we were kicked out because it was closing for the afternoon. Not quite ready to call it a day, we started to meander the streets of Madrid in search of something to amuse our little minds...or at least a bar or cafe to prevent the onset of a hangover. Closed door after closed door, we found what must have been the only open bar in Madrid - not surprisingly, we were also the only patrons in this lonely bar. With the exception of the bartender, and the late arrival of Ethan, a friend of Erin's who was studying aboard in Madrid.

Weathering siesta in our new favorite bar in Spain (plus a couple of hours), we were all ready for some dinner. It's reasonable to expect dinner around 7pm, right? WRONG-O! Workers will (actually) go back to work after siesta, which causes the work day to end much later. So, people won't eat dinner until 8 - 9pm. Beware - while I found it extremely fun to bop around Madrid getting my makeup done at some random department store, making late night pit stops for cheap and yummy chicken & fries, and do a little sightseeing:

(ha - nothing like taking pics in front of a monument - Casa de la Panaderia - in the dark, shortly after the chicken & fries).

This isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. Some good alternatives are to simply take advantage of the downtime (write some postcards, rest/freshen up for the long night ahead), take a long walk, OR FIND A BAR TO BOND WITH FRIENDS OVER SHARED SHENANIGANS. 

Algarve to Sevilla. The Bermuda Triangle of European Transportation

In their infinite wisdom, the governments of Spain and Portugal decreed that there should be no direct rail connection between the Southern Algarve region of Portugal and Sevilla, Spain. Really making it the Achilles heal of one fabulous vacation, and causing it to be the only time I have seriously thought 5 ladies with huge backpacks might potentially make a pact to eat my first born child - ha - that's not true, there have been plenty of people who have made that pact.
It really all started with hours of careful planning to get our bodies from Lagos, Portugal to Sevilla with the goal of NOT spending a ridiculous amount of money on transportation, and NOT spending 12 hours of our precious vay-cay time making what should be a 3 hour trip. Let me first lay down some rudimentary knowledge on you, so if you should ever decide to make a similar trip (and oh for sweet baby jesus you should), there won't be any pacts made.

You might be thinking: "Molly, get a freaking rental car, and call it a day!" Wrong-o, boy-o! You will quickly find that taxes and fees for international rental car drop-offs are astronomically high (even between E.U. countries). In the spring of '08 (this year) it was going to be over $1,000 TOTAL for a four day rental of a four-door manual compact (www.arguscarhire.com actually had the best prices I could fine for Portugal). Don't be fooled by initial costs, they will stick-it to you just as you are getting super psyched that everything is going to work out.

With both trains and rental cars out, the only other affordable option I found (via the internet) was to take a bus. Even this option provided very few bus lines, departure terminals (direct), and departure times. Here are the handful of companies who "said" they make the trip: Rede Nacional de Expresso, Linsesur and Eva Bus. I ended up selecting Eva Bus, because they had the perfect timetable, responsive email customer service, and I noticed they were mentioned in several blogs and guidebooks. So, my perfect planning in place, the only thing left to do was to call and order tickets once we arrived in Portugal - damn international phone rates, damn them to hell.

Flash forward two months to find out via the concierge at my hotel in Lagos, Portugal that in fact no buses run between the Algarve and Sevilla on Sundays (apparently "daily" in Portuguese means any day but Sunday). No matter who we called or what insane ideas we came up with, nothing seemed to work out (shuttles weren't reasonable, there weren't any accessible rental car companies across the border in Spain. NOTHING). Then, a ray of hope - a Spanish company called Alsa departing out of the Portuguese border town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio. Everything seemed legit, and ready to rumble. So, we got up at the ass crack and high tailed it down the coast to Vila Real de Santo Antonio (which I would define as potentially quaint, commercialized, touristy, and grungy). We easily found the bus terminals, but no one who had heard of an Alsa bus line (even the other ticket agents). The only information we got was that in fact NO BUSES run from Vila Real to Sevilla on FAH-REAKING Sundays.

You might be thinking: "well what now", my dear reader, and to that I say for shame. Knowing the answer to that question is rule #1 for any traveler, especially when time and $$ are concerned. Rubbing our 6 domes (brains) together, we realized some key points: 1. We still had our rental cars - they were due to be dropped off later that afternoon in Vila Real. 2. The town of Ayamonte, Spain was only a 5 min drive away. 3. We had a better chance of finding a way from Spain to Spain, than from Portugal to Spain. 4. We had at least two people that could butcher Spanish, and no one who could butcher Portuguese.

So, away we went, pedal to the metal to Spain (no border guards wahoo - smoke em if you got em). Oh, and the travel gods were smiling on us my friends, and it was in the form of a four star hotel on the edge of Ayamonte. And now begins a tutorial in one of the easiest travel scams for any 20-30 something woman. First, throw a scarf around your neck (DO IT). Next, walk into any fancy hotel (larger is better), and head straight to the bathroom - you'll blend in more easily. Next, go to the front desk and state your problem - for us it was "we need a bus TODAY from Ayamonte to Sevilla." Make eye contact and don't be too nice, the concierge will simply assume you are a guest. Finally, let the concierge do the rest, they are trained in GD high class service.

ALLAKHAZAM, you'll be sitting in a cafe in Spain, drinking a beer in the sunshine, waiting for your bus to Sevilla. No joke. Harmless scam. For you reference we ended up getting a bus via the Damas bus company from Ayamonte.

P.s. Hotel Parador, Ayamonte- thanks for your services. No concierges were harmed in the execution of this scam.