Love in the Land of Free Tapas

Last weekend was Keely’s 26th birthday, so naturally I jumped on the bus for my first trip to visit her.  Keely lives in Almeria, which is a coastal town on the southeastern corner of Andalucía.  The city itself is apparently known for having “nothing but a beach” by all the snobby (said with love, mostly) Andalusians.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find an adorable city with gorgeous views and (best of all) a free tapa with every drink you order!

Jess and I took the 5.5 hour bus ride from Córdoba to Almeria on Friday morning.  I’ve learned that, in general, the busses here aren’t too bad as long as you’re in a front or middle seat with the air working.  Having a bus buddy also improves the trip significantly.  The bus trip from Córdoba to Almeria makes a halfway stop in Granada, which means that the entire ride is several hours of the most gorgeous scenery in Andalucía.  First, you drive through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range (yes, this one came first) which give way to networks of caves visible from the highway.  Apparently some of these caves are rented out like hotel rooms, while others are permanent residences for some of the more eccentric locals.  After this bizarre and remarkable landscape, the terrain gives way to hours of breathtaking mountains.  The Sierras are one of Andalucía’s main claims to fame, and after this trip I can see why.  Eventually, snowy mountains become desert cliffs and tumbleweeds.  This backdrop is what surrounds the province of Almeria, making it a popular site for “spaghetti westerns.”  Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson both filmed many movies here—a fact that guidebooks never cease to boast about.  On the bus ride home, Jess and I actually saw a film set, which looked like a two dimensional ghost town!

a glimpse of the Sierras from the bus

When we finally arrived, Keely was there to meet us at the station.  We got drinks and caught up at the bar while waiting for Kelsey’s train.  When she arrived, we inadvertently spent another hour at our table bringing each other up to speed about all of the news in our lives.  It was so nice to have a reunion!

That evening, we went to one of Keely’s favorite tapas places for dinner.  The food was delicious—among my favorite were treats like mild, creamy cheese wedges with hot almonds and something that tasted like garlic breadsticks.  Kels and Jess bought Keely single stem roses from one of the passing vendors and we bothered the locals by taking lots of birthday pictures.  Perfection.

roses for the birthday girl!

beauties

reunited, and it feels so good

On Saturday, we visited the Alcazaba, which is an old Moorish fort that rests on top of the valley overlooking the city.  It originally was built as a precautionary measure to defend the port from in case of siege and in more modern times has been used by the Spanish navy.  Nowadays though, it’s just an impressive monument with spectacular views of the Mediterranean.  It is also inundated with cats, like most historical sites in Spain.

Almeria from the Alcazar

castle

self timer success

grandeur 

patio

We hiked down from the Alcazaba to enjoy a birthday picnic for Keely on the beach, complete with brie, wine and figs.  The Almeria beach faces northern Africa, which still feels awe-inspiring to me.  We watched the sun set on Keely’s twenty-fifth year while drinking wine and discussing the future.

so content

hello, Africa!

Mediterranean sunset

Kelsey and I

That night, we celebrated Keely with homemade pizza and secret birthday cake (carefully smuggled by Jess and I in a shopping bag from earlier in the day).  The only incident occurred when Keely dropped the second pizza face-down on the floor, which allowed for some hilarity.  We had piled the first pizza so high with toppings that nobody could even think about eating another bite, so we deemed it a blessing in disguise.  Besides, you’re allowed to do whatever you want on your birthday, right?

top chef

disaster!

so distressed

birthday cake

We dressed up to go dancing that evening, which was really fantastic because Keely lives less than a five minute walk from the downtown center of Almeria.  We went to several clubs which were all filled with hilarious people who were excited to celebrate Keely’s birthday.  Well, maybe they just liked to party in general.  Regardless, it was a great evening that ended with us sleeping until noon.

ready to dance!

celebrating

Our next reunion will be for Thanksgiving weekend when we will be joined by our missing link, Kerry.  We’re planning on going to Jess’ house in Cabra, which is a pueblo (village) outside of Córdoba.  Updates to come!