Spain

We have had a heck of a time getting to an internet café in the past few days either because we haven't been near one, we couldn't find one or they are closed for the month of August for vacation. Far from being annoyed this, along with the daily 3-hour siesta, has me thinking that the Spaniards are on to something good...

We spent our first week here in the Andalucia and Valencia regions in the cities of Sevilla, Granada and Alicante.

The contrast between Morocco and Spain is really amazing. Where Morocco is magical and mysterious, Spain is sexy and sensual. The beaches, architecture, flamenco, food, language and even the bullfights drip with passion. We started in Sevilla (after an inadvertently longer stay than expected at the Algecires bus station due to our having forgotten the 2-hour time change between Morocco and Spain - oops). Not to worry - once arrived, we immediately medicated our fatigue with sangria. It worked amazingly well. So well that we repeated the treatment the next night just to be sure...

We also got tickets to see some flamenco! The women in Spain are among the sexiest I have ever seen. If you doubt me, take in a flamenco show. These women are not beautiful in a meak and subservient way. They could snap you in two. Flamenco is fiesty and powerful. If you leave a show able to go right to sleep afterwards, there's something seriously wrong with you. And Flamenco isn't the only thing that's sexy about the women here. They are curvy and proud of their bodies and aren't afraid to show them off - in whatever size they come in. It's very liberating (and not only because the beaches are topless...).

In Sevilla, we also got a chance to see la Catédral. This is the 3rd largest cathedral in the world and the largest gothic cathedral. It is really indescribable and our photos don't do justice to the grandeur of this building. We spent hours exploring every nook and cranny. This and the other buildings in Sevilla are just incredible. We just loved strolling around at night when they were all lit up. This is truly one of the most romantic places I've ever been.

Speaking of amazing structures, in Granada there is la Alhambra. It was originally built by a moorish sultan only to be taken over by the Spanish as soon as it was completed. He cried, and rightfully so. With the various takeovers, you can see alot of arab and christian influence in the structure - typical of Granada in general which still has a huge arabic population and feel to it. Only 8000 visitors are allowed to visit the Alhambra each day and our attempts to buy tickets in advance were unsuccessful. Our only hope was to get up early (I'm talking 6:30 am early!) and get in line hoping to get same-day tickets. Only 600 were available when we got there and there was already a substantial lineup ahead of us. But, after 2 hours in line, we excitedly entered the wonder that is the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a walled in city that took over 100 years to build. It was well worth the wait. We spent the entire day there strolling through the many incredible gardens, staring in wonder at the intricate patterns and carvings in all the palaces and climbing towers to look out over the rest of Granada. We were totally exhausted by the end of the day - the only cure being (you guessed it) sangria and a day at the beach. The former was necessary immediately to avoid certain catastrophe. The latter we fulfilled the next day when we travelled to Alicante on the costa blanca to dip our toes in the warm waters of the Mediterranean and sun our still-pale bodies on the white sand.

My description of what we have loved about Spain so far would be seriously lacking if I didn't mention the "helado" - ice cream. Oh. My. God. It is practically an art form here and, let's just say, we've been taking the time to appreciate its many interpretations :)

I'm glad we've been doing so much walking because, otherwise, I might be worried about all the wine, sangria, paella, ham and ice-cream.

Yeah. Who are we kidding...