For most of the trip, we’d spent time in major cities like Seville, Cordoba, and Granada. I scheduled us a little break from all that in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, though really it backfired. I knew that going to a place mostly known for skiing at a time with no snow would mean things weren’t as active, but the complete ghost town of Monachil was not what we had bargained for. The best part about that stop was the view on the way down.
Luckily, we only stayed there one night, and the complete lack of anything to do made it easy to set off early the next morning for Nerja. When I was planning this last stop, I mostly was looking for something interesting halfway between the Sierras and Malaga, where we’d catch our flight out. Nerja was basically a straight shot south from where we left the mountains and was on the coast, so I figured it was worth a shot. I saw in our guidebook that there were caves there, and it sounded like a nice way to beat the heat for a few hours. What I didn’t realize is that they were going to be SPECTACULAR.
Now, I’ve visited caves in various places before, but nothing comes close to the Nerja Caves. I’ve got plenty of photos, but it is difficult to grasp the enormity of the space from the photos alone. The main chamber had to be at least 200 feet from floor to ceiling, and the walkway circled it somewhere around the middle. This is my favorite picture from the probably 70+ pics I took that day because it at least hints at the scale with the stair case for reference.
Here’s a little sampling of more. There’s a 360 degree panorama thrown in there, but I am not sure how it will display on your device, so if one looks weird, that’s probably why.
As it was our last night of the trip, we sprang for a fancy hotel right on “The Balcony of Europe.” This bit of rock jutting into the sea used to be an important fortress in a whole system of watch towers and forts along the coast. But when Napoleon was poised to take it in 1812, it was blown sky high rather than relinquishing it. Nowadays, it is a lovely palm-lined terrace and overlook.
Our hotel was nestled right beside the rocks and had a private beach. The photo below is not one of mine because this may come as a shock to you, but I don’t actually own a helicopter 😉 The hotel on the left was ours, and our balcony was situated right above the bit of metal you see next to the beach.
And of course, we couldn’t let our last night in Spain go without a wonderful final meal that included both seafood and the melt in your mouth Iberico pork.
We fell asleep that night to the sound of the ocean and smiles on our faces. We flew out the next day and bid adieu to the magical world of Andalucia.
Did you miss any of the previous posts in this series? Check em out!
Phoebe Darqueling 