Our visit to Spain had started out with two days in Madrid exploring the capital and meeting up with good friends, followed by a wonderful few days getting to see Cádiz and visiting with dear friends there as well. Now it was time to head to Granada with a brief stop in Gibraltar. We packed into our friends’ car and off we went on our little road adventure.

My husband Ben is a fanatic of geography and maps as well as a pilot, and having flown over Gibraltar in the past, he couldn’t pass this opportunity to set foot on it.

While Ben was crossing over to British overseas territory, we went shopping for some food for lunch. We had tickets for La Alhambra for that afternoon, so a quick picnic style lunch is what we would have before that visit. (La Alhambra is such a magical place that it deserves a post all by itself, click here to find out more about our visit.)

After our afternoon in La Alhambra we drove to our hotel in Granada, which was in a great location and surprisingly modern, very fitting for a city of such contrasts. Here imposing buildings coexist with colonial architecture and narrow busy alleys in an interesting kind of harmony.

Our approach to exploring Granada was relaxed and leisurely, wandering around the city, stopping here and there for a little break or an impromptu game on the street.

We visited the Catedral de Granada and the Capilla Real. We walked up Calle Calderería Nueva, a cobblestone street lined with shops and bright colors, and found a tetería where we tried a couple of different teas while our little guy dug into a chocolate tart and enjoyed the lively view from the window.

We walked up Carrera del Darro and Paseo de los Tristes, enjoying stunning views of La Alhambra.

We saw colorful displays of traditional Spanish dresses in all sizes and ornate Spanish hand fans.

We fully experienced the tapas scene in Granada, where for every drink you order you get a plate with a generous portion of delicious food for free. The drink glasses are small, so we were able to have a taste of two or three different tapas at every bar we visited. Some of these even had displays like this one below, showcasing their iberico ham, know also as ‘pata negra’ (black hoof).

We couldn’t leave Granada without heading to the Gran Café Bib-Rambla for some chocolate con churros. The square also gave our little guy an opportunity to chase pigeons at his leisure.

What a wonderful time we had visiting Granada, a city of contrasts and rich history we will not soon forget. Our next stop: Córdoba.

I had wanted to visit La Alhambra for many, many years, and in our recent trip to Spain my wish was granted. After a short road trip from Cádiz, we found ourselves in this magnificent ‘red castle’, surrounded by incredible history and stunning views that did not disappoint.

I simply walked around in awe, looking up at the ornate ceilings, out of the elaborate windows at the beautiful views and just enjoyed taking it all in.

There were also enough fountains to keep our son entertained for a good portion of the visit.

And when he got tired, he just rode the rest of the way on daddy’s shoulders.

After this wonderful stop, we were on our way to explore the city of Granada for a couple of fun days.

On our recent trip to Spain we enjoyed two days exploring Madrid before heading over to Cádiz in Andalucía. Our last meal in Madrid had to be breakfast at La Mallorquina, conveniently located half a block from where we were staying. I love that you can have jamón for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Spain, so tasty!

A four-hour train ride took us through fields of olive trees and small quaint towns all the way to the beautiful coast of Andalucía and what is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Europe: Cádiz

Our dear friends Paco and Lorena were there to greet us at the train station and after a round of introductions and hugs we set of to the lovely vacation rental they had arranged for us. If you ever plan on visiting Cádiz, contact them, you will not be disappointed.

We got settled in and then went for a walk around the historic downtown and Paseo de Vendaval, where we got to see a beautiful sunset.

We ended our day at Freiduría Las Flores, having our first taste of the local fried fish and seafood, quite the feast!

The next day we got to see even more seafood when we visited El Mercado Central de Abastos, the oldest covered market in Spain.

After a stop at a small playground nearby where our little guy got to play for a while, we continued exploring the city with the best guide in town: Paco. Born and raised in Cádiz, this proud Gaditano made the streets come alive through his stories.

Next we visited Torre Tavira, where we were treated to a panoramic view of Cádiz through a camera obscura and got a different perspective of this city surrounded by beautiful blue water.

Having a map always helps.

That night we experienced flamenco like the locals at the Peña Flamenco La Perla. We ate montaditos and yelled “Olé!” while our son stomped his feet and watched a Japanese woman dance flamenco accompanied by four local musicians, all of which danced beautifully. It was a wonderful performance!

The following day we headed to Jerez de La Frontera for a tour of Bodegas González Byass, home of the Tio Pepe brand and makers of world-famous sherry, wine and brandy.

Back in Cádiz we visited several museums that walked us through the history of the city, all the way back to the Phoenicians in the 8th century: Museo de Cádiz, Yacimiento Arqueológico Gadir, Puerta de Tierra, Oratorio de la Santa Cueva, Museo de Las Cortes de Cádiz, Plaza de las Flores. This is definitely a city that caters to those wanting to explore it by foot, and we loved it.

The next morning we got to taste the typical breakfast of the region which consists of a special bread called mollete that is toasted, then topped with olive oil  fresh crushed tomatoes and ibérico ham, absolutely delicious! The little bar, called “Porme Otra” (loosely translated as ‘pour me another one’), had a Simpson’s character for their logo, simply hilarious.

We couldn’t visit Cádiz without going to Playa de La Caleta, where we had fresh seafood for lunch and our little guy got to play in the sand and the ocean for hours.

In the meantime my husband walked over to Castillo de San Sebastian.

The city of Cádiz allowed us to experience a part of the world that was new to our little family with the added bonus of time spent with friends who showed us what life is for a local gaditano. There is something special about seeing a city through the eyes of someone who is proud to show you why he thinks his city is the most beautiful there is… it’s the best kind of wandering.

The next morning we bid farewell to beautiful Cádiz; next stop: Granada!

Looking at my most recent post I realized it wasn’t particularly recent, which made me think about how much our lives have changed in these past four years: we lived in Alaska for over 2 years, had a son, moved to Franklin, Tennessee and have done a bit of traveling. I definitely have some catching up to do here! But today I’ll revisit our latest adventure: España!

A couple of months ago we went on our first trip abroad with our almost 3 year-old son, our destination of choice was Spain. We had 2 very good reasons: my husband had never set foot on Spain (always good to add another country to the list) and I have dear friends there that I had been wanting to see.

After a series of uneventful flights (our son slept most of the way), we landed in Madrid. We decided to rent a small apartment near Puerta del Sol, which turned out to be a great location. It wasn’t particularly quiet but it was within walking distance of everything we had planned to see in the 2 days we would be there. It also offered great views of the city.

We started off at the trendy Mercado de San Miguel, where we had some tasty treats and enjoyed looking at the locals doing what they do best: tapas, drinks and conversation.

Then we wandered around Plaza Mayor and the surrounding streets, looking at the variety of ‘entertainers’ and great architecture.

We finished our day with dinner at El Museo del Jamón (the ham museum) with a couple of good friends.

The next day we walked to Parque del Buen Retiro, passing Plaza de la Cibeles and Puerta de Alcalá on our way. El Palacio de Cristal was an interesting site within the park.

We stopped for lunch (which included jamón ibérico, of course) and kept wandering around Madrid, making our way to Palacio Real, where we stood in line for the free-entry day of the week only to find out that it is free only for citizens or Europe and Ibero-america.

Once we were done looking around the Royal Palace we made a quick stop at the Cathedral next door before heading to Templo de Debod to enjoy the sunset.

We ended our day visiting the statue of Don Quijote and Sancho Panza in Plaza de España and walking along Calle Gran Via.

There was so much more to explore in Madrid, but that night we packed our bags and got ready to head to Andalucía the next morning. Our next stop: Cádiz!