Andalucía Road Trip

I spent a week traveling Andalucía with my parents in March.

Nothing is better than eating and drinking cheaply at 5-6 tapas bars a day with your parents, simply enjoying the ambience and relaxed way of life in Andalucía

First stop Córdoba: We wandered the old, narrow streets of Cordóba and visited the Mezquita in this beautiful city located 45 minutes from Sevilla on the fast train. Besides scratching the car on a street that was way to narrow (that is why there is insurance) the trip was amazing and Córdoba is a lovely small town.
On this trip we ran into one of my professors in Cordoba and a classmate from one of my linguistic classes at Appalachian State University in Granada.

                                         Just a normal man, wearing normal clothing.

We visited several of the pueblos blancos on our trip and my favorites were Zahara and Grazalema.
These villages are located close to one of the most popular white villages, Ronda, although Zahara and Grazalema are relatively off of the tourist track.

                                                                            Zahara

                                                                And Grazalema

Meeting friendly locals in the tiny villages who were happy to bring us tapa after tapa, was not a rare occurrence on this trip once they heard my parents speak spanish ;).

We even got to eat Paella on the beach made by this idol, Ayo!

morocco

The three days I spent in Northern Morocco were filled with new smells, ways of life, welcoming people, new friends and suprises. Morocco is only a short ferry ride away from Spain, yet the cultures are so different. I only skimmed the surface of this amazing country and I hope that I will be able to go back to enjoy more of this amazing country. When we first arrived we were rewarded with amazing views of the sea. So many families were walking on the beach, playing soccer and enjoying their Friday evening.

In the town of Tangier we were allowed an hour of free time and as my friend and I walked through the markets and the streets, I could not help but smile. And that smile must have been huge because a man selling colorful slippers at the souk told me "You are laughing too much." He said it with a smile and although the language barrier is evident, he meant this in the best of ways.

I highly recommend traveling to Morocco, especially if you are in Europe because it is relatively close and an amazing country of contrasts and friendly people.

Chefchauen is a village in Northern Morocco known for the various hues of blue, which encompass the city. We crossed a bridge over a river in order to see a view of the town. Although the view was beautiful, the people below the river were the one's who grabbed our attention. Families gathered near the river, little boys played on a roof, while an older woman washed her clothes.