A quick getaway to España

It was a week into december, when i realised that if i take three days off from job (which i could adjust by working the days before and after), I could get a mammoth 12 day vacation (Here is where you say "All Hail Norway", may be i'm just used only to the overworking asian culture).

First idea was to get an interrail pass and jump on random trains across europe. then i thought "Wait a second! I don't have many friends in this part of the world to crash on unlike my last impromptu trip in India" and since i had some time at disposal to see europe a bit more slowly or just push that crazy trip sometime else, because i need some amount of planning for that without places to crash whenever you want.

Okay then, with the new arrival and strengthened base of ex-colleagues who are my current colleagues inside this small bit of forest around 30km southwest of Oslo sat together for a plan. Options were a lot as it would become the first travel outside Norway and vast amount of schengen area to see. We decided on let's travel south(literally) let us dilute the winter to the maximum. Options now where Greece and spain. Pretty easily, since spain was a more happening place with bullfighting looked  much more attractive than the land of the olympic gods (sparing other insignificant detail like availability of cheap flights and availability of a good economical apartment for rent there), it was decided that we'll go to Malaga in spain. This place was situated well in Costa del Sol (literally "Coast of the Sun" what else do you need to escape the winter in "The land of Midnight Sun") kissing the strait of gibraltar with the balcony of europe and seemed promising. Now the dates, whatever decides the itnerary of a trip is the availability of the cheapest flight tickets, so mixing and matching and deciding, we ended upon on a 7 day trip utilising 3 holidays, because it was cheaper to fly that way. The plan was to rent a car a drive in spain. and the apartment availablity in malaga was two days from arrival due to the itinerary.Then we decided, let us do it crazy. Let us go to Madrid.

So in short plan a week before the trip, the itinerary skeleton is like this. Drive to Torp airport(70km further south) park the car get on the flight to Malaga on thursday 19th of December... Land in malaga, take the rental car from Hertz(BMW 1 series or Equivalent), Drive to madrid straight, stay the night directly to a hotel... see madrid next two days and drive down back to malaga that evening. Spent five days in Malaga somehow and then hop on the flight back. and the next week was to plan further details.

And not surprisingly, we end up on go as we plan trip for the next week (well at least we have bounds defined, good enough when bachelors are planning a trip).

So with all the scares of flying Ryanair, we reach the airport for a pretty decent flight and not so scary experience, we end up in Malaga. I think Ryanair is perfectly value for money, all airlines give you lot of luxuries and they charge you for it. Ryanair is different.The flight was a bit turbulent and landing was a fun event, it was so dramatic that the pilot got an ovation when the flight landed. I know it is not everybody's acceptable level, but suits me. The way they wrote the inflight magazine(surprisingly free to take home {since Ryan}) was entertaining. Well enough of the flight.

We walked to the Hertz car rental to lay hands on our BMW for the week, and the news was apparently BMW 1 series is not available and equivalent Volvo C40 shall be provided. It was a tad disappointing. May be BMW would have attracted more pics with the car than almost none with the solid Volvo. It was an awesome car none the less. Then we got the GPS, set destination to Madrid and we were off through Kilometers and kilometers.. ;)

Our Ride

It was almost midnight, when we reached Madrid and settled down in the abode for the two nights. Next morning we were off to collect the madrid card which gives access to a lot of museums and discounts to tours.

First place in madrid and of the trip was Museo Reina Sofia, Pablo Picasso surrealistic painting like Guernica was seen more as a proof of people need not be brilliant to be famous. What else do you expect from engineers who go to see an art museum. Then we had signed up for walking tour in Plaza Major in the evening and hence the gap was like perfect for once craze a lot of people hold dear to their hearts, Football (Soccer for the US terminology where you use your foot ;) ).


We had seen Vicente Calderón Stadium of Athletico Madrid from outside which was near to our hotel, but how can we leave without one of the most glorious stadiums and inside of one(and was included in the Madrid Card), The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. It was an awesome experience, and really seeing the pitch from inside the stadium actually inspired myself to put watching a Major Football match somewhere in Europe inside the stadium inside my long list of things to do. It was a long photosession mostly. walking on the pitch, sitting on dugouts, walking through the player dressing rooms, sitting on the stadium and memorablia purchase, they know well to sell stuff.  It was pure awesome.

 

Then we went for a walk instructed tour through plaza major, a few interesting things were told which i have already forgotten, but then point to look up history of a place before going there.It is wish, i am no history major and history doesn't mean much but then it is fun to have tours and know stuff. A lot of knowledge gives you just pleasure for sometime before disappearing in the depths of your brain. This also among that kind to imagine and feel when we were walking. After that there was some night time walks, eating churros dipped in hot chocolate, getting some Tapas and then we ended that day.

Plaza Major

Near the Square

Next day, what we set on was for Museo Del Prado and Royal Palace of Madrid. Royal palace of madrid is like any other royal palace a lot of showoff that they were rich and powerful and they had  huge tapestries and expensive decor. I didn't find anything that stood out, i was too probably worn out from seeing a lot of palaces. It was big one and art and sculpture isn't really my cup of tea.

Madrid Royal(Real) Palace

 Then we went to Museo Del Prado which was hailed as one of the best things to see in madrid. I know what you are thinking what i had in mind before entering,"More art" and we did a quick flicker through the huge set of paintings seeing a few, to make sure we have visited Del Prado and checkmarked it and left, it was goodbye to madrid, Metro de Madrid, that made a few other metros i have seen look super luxurious(we chose if because a 2 day pass was better than risking around a rented car on the congested city, not really for the environmentally friendly reason)

Museo Del Prado

the small town west of Malaga on Costa del sol

Then we drove down south again to marbella where we had an apartment for the rest of trip. we reached there and settled down by midnight. Now it was different lazy part of the journey. It was in a true vacationing spirit and relaxed, we had five days to do everything we wanted. Most of the five days we were relaxing at home or doing some small things....:)

the road behind

We had disappointments, like Gibraltar being still a british territory and the royal Indian passport needed a seperate visa stamped to get in there(so something we wanted to do was gone). we weren't keen on going for the long drives to many places like balcony of europe, granada,sevilla etc either. Bullfighting which was trademark of spain was off season. So we went to a sweet slumber in and around the place. I also finished the second DORK book by Sidin vadakut and picked up another book(Seven Days by Deon Meyer) which was lying the apartment and read through it and was interesting enough to keep me reading through.

A spanish Bull ;)

First day, we went to Peurto Banus a rich place where all the big big people park their yatches and have fun. It was all ferraris, prosches, aston martin etc. The orange Mclaren stood out. the view was scenic and good.

Definitely, an eyecatcher

View from Puerto Banus

Next day we went to Gibraltar Faroe a fortification near malaga. It was also nothing special, but the view of the sierras was simply breathtaking and we just roamed around the place and walked to a nearby beach called malagueta. It was beautiful place.

The Marbella Bullring, Plaza de Torros, sadly offseason

A view of Sierras from GIbraltar Faroe

Beach of Malagueta

 Next day we went to a mall nearby shopped myself a pair of polaroid glasses for no reason and was just mall-walking. Nothing special.  Then we went throught peurto banus on night again to see how it was. dropped by the HRC there and then came back home.

Our Humble abode for the week

Then came the christmas day, since most things will be closed and we were in the ending mood of the trip, and the climate wasn't the most pleasant, I just got out of the apartment and walked south seeing mediterranean and headed for the nearest beach with my camera and roamed around for sometime.

Medditaranean Blues

Lashing Wave at Puento Romano

The rainy cold beach

 The next day morning we packed and left and nothing special really happened. The flight was more normal and since it was day after christmas, flight was almost empty and return journey wasn't as exciting as the ongoing one... ;)

So i return to norway to find it still green, no snow, nothing... was disappointed at first glance. This is not what i expect of norway.

Let me end this post on the musing i ended the trip with..
"Costa del Sol is amazing. It is among one of the places, i had have a villa if i had truckloads of Cash and This will not be the last time i visit Costa del Sol and/or sierras. I'LL BE BACK"

Just  in case somebody wants to donate me a villa, this view looks cool, similar would suffice

 P.S: Events in tale might be dramatised... if you don't like it please let me know... i'm not gonna change it... too much work.. but as every boss says, I appreciate feedback, positive or negative. :)

P.P.S: Thanks to a few encouragements i have recieved, and the many discouragements i haven't received, I'll continue scribbling here