Nerja

This Mediterranean beach city is a paradise. Five of us decided to go for three days and two nights to this heaven to soak up the last bit of sun just as tourist season was ending. Excellent timing. We ran into a couple of our friends from our program there at one point which was also very nice.

Day 1:
We dropped our things off at our hostel ran by our new American friend Blake. Hah. What a character. He proceeded to give us the most stoned lecture on American politics the first night there. He's from Wisconsin, but wow. Talk about a California spirit. Anywho. He runs a pretty sweet hostel called The Fountainhead--yes, just like the novel I love. :]




Then we meandered over to the beach to get some grub before our full day of beach-lazing:


After a delicious meal of pizzas, bocadillos (sandwiches) and a couple tropical drinks later (Chelsea and her make-shift piña coladas, hah!) we were off to the beach. It was a little foggy the first day but wow. After it cleared up, it took my breath away. (Photo credit to Chelsea for the sunny photos.) The water was crystal clear and displayed a plethora of sea creatures including a fish that nibbled Chelsea and a JELLYFISH approximately a foot away from me at one point:





Relaxing on the beach:


My tan is an optical illusion. But Brandon and I on top of those big ol' rocks IS NOT. We jumped off those bad boys. We figured the highest one was about 20 feet or so. Such a rush!



That evening we explored the nightlife a bit more (under Blake's detailed recommendations). For dinner, we went to a fresh seafood joint that sold a huge plate of mussels for €3,00. Yeah. That's about $4.11 for fresh MUSSELS. Mom, eat your heart out. Of course, our finely-tuned noses found the gelato place right quick. Also, Brandon made the executive decision that he and I earned a beer after our death-defying leaps earlier that day:



Old and lovely church in Nerja's main plaza, as Natasha is demonstrating:


The beach is even more beautiful at night:




(Preciously awkward photo above that I wish Chelsea could have been in!)

Day 2: We took a bus to the famous caves of Nerja. While waiting for our tour, we explored the area:




This cave was discovered by two kids playing in the hills. When explored more thoroughly, people found 20,000+ year old cave paintings inside it. Also, this cave boasts the largest connection of stalactite to stalagmite in the WORLD:



This place was magical to say the least. But I was happy to come back to Granada. It's not quite as urbanized as Madrid, but much more lively than Nerja. I am still pleased with my choice. :]