Our trip started in the late afternoon on Wednesday; we dropped off the dogs at our pet-sitter and then headed down to Memmingen, Germany for a stay at a little B&B since our flight was early Thursday morning. Luckily the weather stayed manageable for our trip (it has since snowed at least 15" since then) and we arrived at just as it had gotten dark. Our hotel was actually really quaint--with an incredible cathedral nearby--and made us wish we had gotten into town earlier to explore. By 7am, after a hearty breakfast, we were headed to the airport and off on our journey. The flight was only a few hours and it was so exciting to see the change from snowy fields to the blue sea and sandy beaches...as you can see below.
We practically ran out of the airport, found our bus, and were beside ourselves waiting for our stop. Once we got off, we used our GPS (from our car, haha) to calculate which way to walk and found our way to our hotel. We were laughing, yelling, and just completely thrilled with the sunshine and incredible scenery. Even the smells were exciting! Our hotel, which like I said was no more than a block from the beach, was just perfect and had a panoramic view of both the mountains and the sea. Seriously to die for!
(Above: View from our hotel roof...isn't it great!?!)
After unloading our stuff, and changing out of our warm clothes, we grabbed a quick bite and headed to the water. We probably walked along the beach for a good hour or more, collecting seashells, walking into the waves, and taking lots of photos. I think our bodies were both in shock at how great the weather felt.
We worked up another appetite and headed into the main part of Malaga for an early dinner. We asked for directions to a restaurant called El Pimpi, a tapas bar that Eric had been recommended, and took our time walking there. The food was different, but good, and it definitely wasn't the worst place for Thanksgiving dinner...although unconventional!
(Above: Us in front of Alcazaba. Below: The entrance to El Pimpi, inside it was super dark and full of wine barrels--really unique.)
After dinner, we walked through town, going in and out of a few souvenir shops, then stopped by a grocery store to pick up a few snacks before we headed back for bed. It was probably only 8 or 9pm but we were exhausted already and wanted to be well rested for Friday (our last full day!).
Friday started with a delicious breakfast across the street from our hotel. It was this little hole-in-the-wall cafe that we spotted the night before, and was full of locals, good coffee, and great food. It was a little cooler that day, so we skipped the beach to head back into town for more shopping and sight-seeing. Along the way we stopped inside of a Bullfighting-Ring for some impromptu photos. It was actually really cool to see.
We grabbed a drink once we first got into the town center, had a seafood-filled lunch, then bought some really great souvenirs. We ended up with a lot of Spanish postcards and prints (including a large bullfighting poster), a small mosaic mirror, a blue & white ceramic plate, a shirt for Eric, and a couple other things. There was definitely a lot more that I wanted, but since we were just allowed ONE item each on the plane, we knew our space was very limited.
The weather began to turn a little bit, although it was still warm, so we headed back to our hotel for a nap and some delicious chocolate-covered fruits & nuts that we bought from the market. We headed back out for some more strolling around town, then again later that night for a late dinner and wine. Spain's schedule is soo different from that of Germany. Here, the stores close at about 3 or 4 pm and restaurants are done by 10pm. In Spain, most places didn't even open until about 8pm and most bars weren't allowing people in until 1am! We felt so old that we couldn't stay up that late, but still enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
We called a cab to the airport early Saturday morning, and were on the drive home by about 1pm. It was a quick trip, but just perfect. We loved hearing Spanish (German is starting to get on our nerves), enjoying new food, and miss that humid air. Sadly, we did NOT get our passports stamped!! We've been to 3 foreign countries now, and have nothing to prove it...we were quite disappointed. We did make it back in time to play in the fresh snow that night and Sunday with Peach and Rambo, who we honestly were missing a little on our trip. Yup, great weekend and we are soo glad we made the spontaneous journey south!
