A Month in Málaga & Eight Days in Brussels

This is why we don’t plan our travel too far in advance. We are simply not a planning people. We tried to plan on saving money in Sevilla for the summer, so we could do our crazy spending in November and December, but (as you might recall from my previous post) that worked out for approximately the week it took to decide we were utterly dissatisfied (disgruntled?) with the living arrangement.

Hey, not being able to sleep is pretty much a deal-breaker.

So, our next month was spent in Málaga, which I didn’t have an opportunity to write about, given my more pressing writing, but I shall say all the pretty things about Málaga now.

Aside from that first week in our Málaga rental feeling like a damn paradise in comparison to our Seville place, Málaga was beautifully fitted to our lifestyle. Early to bed and early to rise and all that, but the truth of the matter is I am late to bed and late to rise. It’s a natural rhythm for me, and I like it just that way. So, the ability to get up and work twelve or thirteen hours ’til ten or eleven o’clock at night, then go out for dinner, a long walk and frozen yogurt at midnight? Don’t mind if I do. What a pleasure to have the convenience of things being open that late. Even if the hours for the grocery stores (and the selection) were… um… spotty, to say the least.

I had a lot of work to finish up during our time there, so my days were spent outside our mortal world. Nights in Málaga, however, were truly magical. There were many walks up the steep slope to the base of the castle that overlooks the sea, and one dedicated trip to the castle’s tippy-top. We spent a lot of time on the promenades along the waterfront, and went few nights without the best frozen yogurt in the entire world or the frozen bars just off the plaza. Unfortunately, due to someone’s work schedule (ahem), we went in nothing that was open in daylight only, which means a return trip is on the agenda.

Not that that’s a bad thing.

We came in on a late train when we went back to get our stuff in Sevilla, and it happened to be the last train in, which is the only way I could ever have gotten an empty train station. So cool.

The cathedral at sunset looks exactly how it looked. Such perfect lighting.

That parade readying for Noche de San Juan took place the night of Shawna’s birthday, so she chose to believe they held it on her behalf. Speaking of Sevilla, which I did, three paragraphs ago, we did a day of sightseeing the day we went back to get our things.

So, here are a few random pics –

And a few from Plaza de España –

This place is simply awe-inspiring.

If you would like to see a few more photos from Málaga or Sevilla, you can find them on Photobucket: Málaga, Sevilla, Plaza de España

The password is “bubbles”.

Brussels

Though Málaga was a rather lovely sort of place to be (aside from those grocery store hours/selection), realizing we could squeeze in a week someplace else before our transition to Scotland, we looked for another place to pop for a week.

Since I endure flight best when it doesn’t require more than one take off and landing in a day, we stuck to places with direct flights from Málaga with the hope we could train to our rental in Dunfermline from wherever we ended up. The solution to this equation turned out to be Brussels. Much like Oslo, Brussels was a place I had never given much thought, aside from the fact that I would kinda like to go everywhere, but, like Oslo, I was very glad to have ended up there by chance. The ever-present comic culture is truly captivating, the chocolate really is that good, and the frites… those frites… my God, it’s like pretty much straight-up lard poisoning, and yet… yet… we stuffed them in our faces almost everyday.

There were also multiple waffles.

On a contradictory note, we did eat incredibly well in Brussels when we weren’t eating animal-fat-fried fries, chocolate and cream covered waffles, just-out-of-the-oven chocolate brioche or straight up chocolate, thanks to my latest favorite food spot, Exki. Fresh, local wraps and soups and salads, oh my! Plus, they have these juices that are practically a religious experience. My favorite was raspberry and pear, pretty much everything right with the fruit kingdom. They also made perfect lattes, and apparently the first U.S. location just opened in New York in June. Because I must have done something karmically-satisfying.

We walked all over that damn city, up and down and all around. Honestly. We did not just eat.

Here’s some proof.

While spending our nights in Brussels, we also spent one crazy day visiting both Brugge and Gent. More proof.

If you would like to see more photos, you’ll find them at Brussels, Brugge and Gent. Password once again “bubbles”. There is also an album dedicated solely to Brussels street art – here.  Just a few, but definitely worth a look.

Preview with Zinneke Pis.