"Spain's southern coast" a Spain Travel Page by giselle900

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Rhonda-view from bridge looking down

Driving through southern Spain

My daughter and I landed in Malaga and rented a car ~ beware you lazy Americans (joking there)~ they only rent standard cars! As I was standing in line, the line of people returning to complain their car was standard shift was longer than the actual line to rent. My standard car was beautiful, brand new, and fun to drive. Leaving the airport was a breeze as everything is fully marked as well as all the roads, highways, and sights to see. Very easy driving throughout the whole southern coast. If you live in a place that does not have a 'rotary ' or 'roundabout' - beware - they are all over the place once you get off the highway. I live in New England and they are everywhere here but in Spain it was so refreshing to see drivers that knew how to drive through it!

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Gibraltor Apes running wild

Rhonda, Gibraltor, Morocco, oh my!

My place to stay was located in Espanona, in the Costa del Sol region. It was a time share Residencial Diana for those of you that can use it. Absolutely beautiful -three floors, white marble throughout, three bedrooms each having a walk out balcony - simply beautiful. Right off the highway and easy to drive to Gibraltor, Rhonda and everywhere in between; just to drive and see the towns and people.

We actually took a bus tour to the towns that were more than a two hour drive away - being the only driver I knew my limits. We loved Sevilla, with its white town homes and historical background, Rhonda with the view to see forever, tiny cobblestone roads, bullring and shops, Gibraltor is a must see and we took the ferry across the straight to Morocco - you cant miss it - what a culture shock but in a great way. One place I could have done without (and people will dislike this answer) Grenada. The grounds were lovely as well as the building, but didnt find the warmth of the other places that we visited. Much more of a tourist attraction than an experience.
Advertistment - you must buy Rick Steves book traveling to Spain. Even if it is a library book and a few years old; its a must. It listed so many out of the way places with great directions. He has excellent suggestions on food, places to visit, and tips on getting around so easily.

As it was only my daughter and I traveling to Morocco I did my research to make sure it was safe. I was very happy that I went with a bus tour as the market people are very forward and they will touch you to get you to buy their trinkets. One big plus for us ~ my daughter speaks fluent French. The Morocco people's second language is French. She did not let on that she spoke English and they treated us completely differently than the rest of the group. If you know French - use it to your advantage! And DONT take the camel rides unless you want to smell like camel for the rest of the day. Its the first stop for all the buses - a 25 second camel ride on the beach. They allow pictures to be taken without actually getting on board.

Speaking of languages, the Spanish people were all very helpful with my lack of Spanish speaking skills (of which there are none). I had a dictionary at hand all the time, and tried to speak it - laugh at yourself and they will laugh with you and go out of their way to help.

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mural in sevilla

Sevilla

I wish this picture could show how beautiful it really is. This is a mural of tiny ceramic squares, which in this town square there are about a hundred of them, each showing a different scene of a different part of Spain. This is located in Sevilla. Sevilla was absolutely beautiful and so much to see I wish we spent at least two days there. The town hall area, the Jewish section, the church which is gigantic and holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus, the walking minstrals, the streets lines with orange trees - just perfect.