Playas, Patios and Plans for the Future
Since the end of my time in Spain is rapidly approaching, the remaining days call for an exuberant amount of sunbathing, saltwater swims and sharing tapas. This weekend gets a perfect score of 10 for hitting all areas of how I intend to spend the rest of May.
Speaking of Spain, I applied, in February, to renew my English Teaching Assistant position for the coming year and I hadn't heard anything about whether or not I had a spot. That was, until last Tuesday. Right after finishing a sweaty spin class with Skye, I saw an email informing me I got a placement in the region of Cantabria!! This autonomous community is along the northern coast of the country and it was my first choice!
I was so happy and relieved to hear back from the program and I accepted the position...so it is very likely I will returning to España for the 2024/25 school year! I am excited to explore a different part of the country and to connect with a whole new group of students :) I have loved teaching so much this past year and don't feel ready to call it quits on living abroad just yet.
For this weekends necessary "let's leave Motril" trip, Renne and I spent Saturday in the beautiful city of Córdoba. Our daytrip ended being a 15 hour ordeal in total since the travel time is about three hours each way by car. We had the perfect day visiting different patios and seeing the most famous sites in the city.
Every year, different historical houses throughout Córdoba open their doors to let visitors admire the flowers and greenery they cultivate in their courtyards. Entrance is free for onlookers and you are encouraged to leave a small donation that is put towards maintaining the patios. There has been a competition amongst participants for the best architecture and floral display since 1921 and this festival has been on the list of Intangible Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO since 2012.
This was the first time either Renne or I got the chance to visit Córdoba and we specifically chose this past weekend so we could see the famous patios! The festival draws quite a crowd so we had to wait a bit to see some of the courtyards but overall we were able to experience 10 different ones. They close the patios from the hours of 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm (patios need siesta too I suppose) and because of this I am very proud of the number we were able to see.
Córdoba is very well known for extreme high temperatures during the summer (there is a joke about being able to fry an egg on the sidewalks...) and we got a little sneak peek of this during our trip. It was just under 90 at the hottest part of the day and I am so glad it did not get any hotter. Renne and I made sure to stay hydrated and in the shade whenever possible and I am proud of how well we handled the heat :) Being from the PNW and Connecticut, we're not exactly designed for or accustomed to 100+ degree days.
We spent a few hours having a lazy lunch at a wonderful spot that Victoria recommended to us after her recent trip to Córdoba. The Salón de Té was the perfect spot to escape the sun and enjoy some shared dishes and of course, tea. Renne and I split falafel, a fried eggplant and chickpea dish (called ziryab) and a spinach crepe. The falafel was super flavorful and easily our favorite, but I really enjoyed everything we ate.
After lunch we wandered over the Roman bridge and along the other side of the river that was thankfully less crowded than the main part of the city. The river running through Córdoba really adds a sense of natural beauty to the city and Renne and I were both captivated by it.
We got some delicious sweet treats, lemon and basil gelato for me and lemon granizado (the Spanish take on a slushie) for Renne to cool down while we waited for the patios to reopen. The two of us agreed that my dessert was very basil heavy, but it was refreshing nonetheless.
Before our Blablacar home at 7:00 pm, we hit five more patios and got to see a band preforming some typical songs in one of the courtyards. We also met a patio cat whose owner told us all about how much trouble he was! That house got extra high ratings from the two of us for having a friendly, four-legged greeter at the door :)
Our ride back to Granada was quite squished as three of us were crammed into the backseat of a small car so Renne and I were very relieved to see the bus station. A sweet shopkeeper had given her a free treat (!!) after we had bought some little trinkets and we had saved it to share during the hour before our bus to Motril. We both got a decaf café con leche and excitedly cut into the mystery pastry. It ended up having an apple filling and our very nonconventional dinner was a fitting way to end the day.
I bookended the weekend with my perfect kind of relaxation days: gym in the morning followed by a beach picnic lunch and lots of swimming. On Friday, Victoria and I met at Salobreña beach (we also ran into Lauren, Sophie and gang for lunch!) after our respective exercise classes and we spent almost all afternoon in the sea and sun. Going to that beach still has the "holy sh*t this is my life now" effect on me even though I've been fortunate enough to visit quite a few times this year. We had a wonderfully relaxing time and I am looking forward to spending our last Friday here in the exact same manner.
On Sunday, Davíd (Victoria's roommate from Cádiz) and Renne joined our beach group for a lovely afternoon in Torrenueva. We found a great spot on the sand and spent a few hours swimming, learning (and teaching) how to skip rocks and reading. The water in Torrenueva is inexplicably clear and no matter how far you swim out you can still see the bottom. The temperature is still quite the shock when you first get in but after a few moments it feels so good to be immersed in the cold saltwater.
Renne and I got some gelato before we hopped back on the bus to Motril and it truly was a perfect Sunday. Our last full weekend here is the week after next and I am looking forward to many lazy hours sunbathing and swimming together. I am so grateful for this little group of people who've helped make Motril feel like home <3 Os quiero mucho.
This coming Thursday Mimi is coming all the way from Boston to visit me and do some Europe exploring on her own! I am so excited to see her and show her the best parts of Málaga :) We already have a few plans in the works and I am positive that she will fall in love with southern Spain!
Safe travels Mimi!! I can't wait to see you!
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