La Costa del Sol

This weekend my friend Katie and I took a trip to Malaga and Nerja, two cities on the southern coast of Spain. Bus travel between Spanish cities is so easy and affordable, so it makes it easy to see a lot of places in a short weekend. Malaga is bigger than Granada, although not as quaint. We stayed at a really nice hostel (free welcome drinks upon arrival!!) and spent the whole day exploring the city. Malaga also has an incredible cathedral, and an Alcazaba (fortress).

Malaga is famous for its wines, so we went wine tasting at an authentic little Bodega in the city central. I have to say I like Two Buck Chuck more.

  (Terrible photos but you get the idea)

            We ate dinner on our hostel’s terrace with a bunch of people from all over Europe. Then we walked around the city some more. There is so much life in Spanish cities! People are out till midnight and later eating al-fresco style at restaurants and drinking at bars, and that is before the clubs even open!

            In the morning we caught a bus to Nerja, because the beach there is supposed to be nicer than in Malaga. It did not disappoint! Nerja is a tiny town on the Mediterranean, very touristy but also quaint at the same time. All the buildings are whitewashed, which makes it beautiful when set against the blue background of the sea. Needless to say, swimming in the Mediterranean was amazing. But then this big group of American teenagers arrived (turns out they are also studying in Granada), and one of the guys was the definition of a stereotypical American. He was drinking a beer on the beach (just because it’s legal to drink at a younger age here doesn’t mean it’s legal to drink in public), and every other word out of his mouth was “fuck” or “bitch” (sorry to the young readers out there, although there probably aren’t any). Here’s an idea of how loud this guy was: There was a bachelorette party on the beach, and I could hear this kid over the celebrating women, the pumping music, and the waves of the Mediterranean. He attracted more looks on the beach than some of the topless women did. After that I pretended I was Canadian.

            In Nerja we also ate a fantastic Italian lunch. I like Spanish food, but nothing compares to eating Italian food in Europe. I will definitely have to plan a trip there soon!

After spending a fantastic day in Nerja, we decided to take a late bus home instead of staying overnight at a hostel, since we are cheap and there is only so much to do in a town of three streets. But I will definitely be returning to the beach soon, since there is nothing that compares to floating in that crystal clear water!!