Andalucia - Spain
February 2020
Much to my jealousy, Amy was to complete her first Marathon in the Spanish city of Seville in late February 2020. Having just been there in October 2019, it was a fantastic opportunity to revisit the city, enjoy tapas, and take a break from the frankly awful Scottish weather of late. That we could do all this with our friends, Emer, Grace, and Kirsty, as all the better. As was the fact that we managed to tack on a ski/snowboarding holiday afterwards.
With Amy and Grace having left the night before, I flew out with Emer and Kirsty early on Saturday, meeting the girls at our apartment in Triana, Seville, after a very comfortable flight. It happened to be my first with Ryanair and to my surprise, the wings didn’t fall off.
Our first night was altogether quiet, as the girls were to race the next day. A simple pasta dinner and an early night gave way to an early morning and race-day nerves. Wishing I could do the distance, I walked the girls to the starting line and instead went for my own run by the Guadalquivir river as the sun began to rise.
With loose plans to cheer the girls throughout the next 4-5 hours, I began to track their progress online and at the end of my run realised they were soon to cross my path. Sure enough, Grace and Emer, then Amy, ran passed me as I shouted encouragement. I then made way to the LA Alameda district to wander about the winding lanes, pastel-coloured churches and bustling corner stores. There was a strange buzz about as hundreds of men throughout the suburb were beginning to prepare themselves for Semanta Santa – Holy Week.
I noticed an interesting coffee shop on one of the corners and decided to sit in and watch. Using my very best Spanglish, I ordered a rather strong coffee and the house tostada. I then enjoyed sitting by the window, listening to the owners and locals boisterously talking to one another, as through the window, I watched the young men continue to stuff calico bags and wrap them in white and blue cloth – It would’ve been nice to have understood exactly what they were doing or to have seen the finished product, but alas, my Spanish could only get me so much information from the locals.
I then spent the rest of the day crisscrossing the city to cheer the girls at different points, while taking photos of the outer suburbs of Seville. Having been there recently, there was little pressure to actually do anything, so it was rather relaxing to take my time and wander the back streets.
Meeting back with Kirsty at the finish line, we found the bedraggled girls, all of whom had finished and achieved their race goals. We then all walked back to our apartment and gave the girls some time to recover.
That afternoon coincided with the Ireland/England match in the 6 nations, so we began our post-run celebrations by heading to a local Irish bar. Unfortunately, Ireland lost rather badly, so we headed on up the street to a nearby tapas bar which sat against the river banks. We all enjoyed the golden sunset, a few dishes, and several drinks.
The next day began slowly, but eventually we left the house and began walking the town. After stopping briefly at the Torre del Oro, we stopped for a tapas lunch at Mercado Lonja del Barranco. Somewhat aimlessly, we then walked north and perused a few shops, before turning back in to town and arriving at the Seville Cathedral where we split up. Amy & I walked the back streets of Barrio Santa de Cruz while we waited for the girls to see the Cathedral.
Seville being typically hot at almost any time of year, we walked to a nearby heladeria for ice cream, stopping in a quiet plaza to enjoy it, prior to walking home.
That evening’s dinner ended up being a bit of a debacle. We decided to try the tapas bar across the road from us and although things began well enough, it quickly became apparent there was only one waiter and he was having a hell of a time managing 10 or so tables. So although the food a drinks were lovely, we ended up waiting something like an hour to get our entire order. We weren’t in a rush, but it was all rather awkward.
The waiter was very understanding and gave us a discount, so our two drinks per person and 5 dishes only ended up costing us 20 euro for the table. Not half bad, considering.
Winding our night down, we stopped for drinks at a nearby bar. The wine was stunning – Manzanilla, Pedro Ximenez, etc. But unfortunately, there was a great misunderstanding with seating/eating/orders (mostly my fault) so we seemingly ticked off the head waiter. Luckily the wine was fantastic otherwise the awkwardness might’ve killed me.
Sure enough our time in Seville had come to an end and we found ourselves at the bus station, beginning what was to be an exceptionally dull travel day to make it to the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
The rest of the week went by in much of a blur, but amounted to an amazing weekend in the (artificial) snow. Sierra Nevade is Spain’s main ski resort and is surprisingly high at a peak height of 3800m. So high in fact that I felt remarkably poorly due to the altitude - to the point of being short of breath after climbing one flight of stairs on the first few nights.
Throughout the week we kept ourselves busy with snowboarding, wine, tapas, and home cooked meals. I forgot how magical a snow holiday can be – physically active days, relaxed evenings, drinking and good company. You can't ask for much more, really.
Unfortunately, it didn’t snow at any point during our stay, so although the resort was excellent, the snow quality was rather poor, and many of the runs were icy and downright unpleasant to run down. Nonetheless, we managed to figure out our favourite runs by the week’s end and very much enjoyed ourselves – even spending some time in the park not breaking ourselves on boxes and jumps. Grace and I managed to find what I thought was the run of the place, a high line piste called Aguila that traversed the mountainside and took about 30 minutes to ride down - offering pristine views the whole way.
I really need to make more time next year for snowboarding...
Leaving the Sierra Nevada, we ended up spending a brief morning in Granada waiting for a bus transfer. Coffee and cake was a matter of course.
Soon enough, however, we were in Malaga, a city that has surprised me each time I've been here. Sure enough after landing, we were immediately caught up in Carnival - which wasn't at all planned for this holiday, but happened to be on. Lucky us.
Clowns, singers, dancers, and other various performers filled the streets, making for a truly vibrant atmosphere. We stood for a while watching the various acts, while we enjoyed a beer and Boquerones - fried local anchovies. Writing this in retrospect, locked in due to Coronavirus, I can't help but feel we were exceptionally lucky to experience everything that we did, given our lack of planning, and the fact that only a few weeks later, Spain would be in almost full quarantine.
We then made way for the Malaga Alhambra, which coincidentally happened to be free. Although hardly as resplendent as the one in Granada, it had a typically Andalusian charm. It was lovely to wander the gardens, enjoy the sun, and look over the coast.
A quick stop at La Teteria for afternoon tea and a wander through the Malaga old town, and soon enough it was time to leave - Malaga having successfully charmed me again.
In almost the blink of an eye, it was Monday and I was back at work, dreamily thinking back about my time away, after a late flight and an even later bed time. Writing this in March, with the UK in the grips of Coronavirus panic, looking back at February, it seems a world away, just as it did that morning in Edinburgh as I waited for my first patient to arrive.
Isn't life so very, very strange?
JC
"In modern life nothing produces such an effect as a good platitude. It makes the whole world kin"
Oscar Wilde
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