A Short Detour in Ronda

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Mr. Selfish is in charge of updating the location widgets on this blog. He finds the photos for our “Current Location” and “Next Location” and posts them at the appropriate time. I did not recognize the landmark in the photo he chose for southern Spain. When I asked him about it, he said it looked cool but didn’t know where it was.

Eventually, we figured out that the landmark was from Ronda, which we had not planned on visiting. When I mapped it, I realized that Ronda was in between Málaga and Seville. For the sake of accuracy of our blog, we took a short detour in Ronda.

It was worth the stop because Ronda is beautiful.

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Relaxing in Málaga

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Mr. Selfish and I stayed in Málaga for two nights. There wasn’t too much to do, and we were glad for it because the quick traveling was starting to tire us out. We basically walked around, shopped, and ate. It was quite nice and relaxing.

Our hotel was in the perfect location in downtown Málaga. We had a nice view from our window of the cathedral, the Alcazaba, and the water.

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Flamenco in Spain

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I didn’t know much about flamenco prior to arriving to Spain. To be honest, I still don’t know that much about it. But we did see it two times while in Spain (once in Seville and once in Madrid), and both were quite enjoyable experiences.

The first time that we saw it was in Seville at La Carbonería. The performances were free, and the food and drinks were cheap and plentiful. We got there early and stayed for two of the performances. On hindsight, we wished we had stayed for more.

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Continuing Our Selfish Year

Mr. Selfish and I have been in the States since Dec. 16th. We have truly enjoyed our time back “home”. Even though we are technically homeless (since we rented out our house), we consider the States to be home.

It has been wonderful to see so many loved ones and enjoy the comforts of home. I especially loved meeting my adorable three month old nephew for the first time and experiencing Christmas through the eyes of my 3 year-old and 6 year-old nephews. Mr. Selfish and I also appreciated all of the delicious food that everyone has been cooking for us. A home cooked meal with family beats eating out at a restaurant every time.

But tomorrow, it’s all coming to an end. We are continuing our selfish year. We have eight more months and about thirty more cities to go. Here’s the map of our itinerary:

Round 2

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Flashback Friday – Charming Chicago

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In May 2008, Mr. Selfish and I visited our good friend Becca in Chicago. Becca had been raving about Chicago, and we decided to take her up on her offer to let us crash at her apartment. This was my first trip to Chi-Town, and I found it to be quite charming.

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First, we went to Millenium Park, which actually was opened in 2004 (only four years behind schedule). I love taking pictures in front of the Cloud Gate, which is better known as the “Bean.” Also, Crown Fountain is nice because it’s fun to watch all the kids splashing around in the water and their parents trying not to get wet.

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Day Trip to Granada to Visit the Alhambra

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Mr. Selfish and I stopped in Granada to visit the Alhambra, which is a Moorish palace and fortress. It was built in the mid-10th century on a hill on the southwest border of Granada. It is an atypical example of Muslim art that is mostly uninfluenced by European style.

The drive from Murcia to Granada was beautiful. We even ran into a man herding dozens of goats. Once we got into Granada, we did get lost. Our GPS lost its signal, and the signs in the city directing us to the Alhambra were far and few between. Considering that it is one of the most visited sights in Spain, we were amazed that there weren’t more signs.

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A Short Time in Murcia

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It was a long drive from Valencia until Malaga, so Mr. Selfish and I decided to stop for a night in Murcia. There wasn’t much to do there but it was good to get out of the car.

First, we went to Monteagudo mountain, on which a Moorish castle sits. The castle was eventually converted to Christianity and an open-arms Jesus statute was placed on the mountain. I read online that you could walk to the top and touch Jesus’s toes, which are bigger than footballs. However, when we went, the path was blocked and looked a little hazardous, so we couldn’t venture to the top.

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The Main Reason to Go to Valencia – Paella

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When Mr. Selfish and I left Barcelona and started our road trip around the south of Spain, our first stop was Valencia. The city has some interesting sights, which we’ll go over tomorrow, but those weren’t what drew us to Valencia. The primary reason that we decided to go to Valencia was for the paella since it was invented there.

As soon as we arrived in Valencia, we called Casa Roberto for a reservation. They gave us a reservation for 9pm, which was apparently when they opened. Yes, they eat quite late in Spain.

We learned from our cooking class in Barcelona that traditional Valencian paella consists of rabbit, snails, and chicken. Prior to this trip, I had always thought that seafood paella was traditional. Of course, we ordered the traditional Valencian paella from Casa Roberto. It took about 45 minutes for our order to come out. (If you order paella and it comes out quickly, chances are it is frozen.)

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Barcelona’s Park Montjuïc

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On our last full day in Barcelona, Mr. Selfish and I visited Park Montjuïc and the Castle of Montjuïc. Both are in the southwestern end of Barcelona and provide great views of Barcelona’s harbor.

We climbed the hill up to Park Montjuïc. There were great views along the way, and we tried to find a view with sangria but there was none to be had.

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Cooking Class with Barcelona Cooking

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Mr. Selfish and I enjoy taking cooking classes during our travels. That way, we can make the recipes at home and reminisce about our trip. Since we were in Barcelona for an entire week, we decided to take a cooking class there.

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We divided into four groups with each being designated a course. The five of us (me, Mr. Selfish, his mom and dad, and his sister) handled three of the courses.

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La Rambla, Barri Gotic, and Boqueria Market in Barcelona

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Aside from Gaudi, Barcelona has some interesting areas to explore. First, there is La Rambla, which is a pedestrian shopping street. It was nice walking down the street with all of the Christmas decorations up. We didn’t buy anything on La Rambla, but we did people watch.

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Last Gaudi Sight in Barcelona – Güell Park

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To complete our tour of Gaudi sights in Barcelona, Mr. Selfish and I visited Güell Park. The park was built in the years 1900-14. It was one of Gaudi’s earlier works and is not as out there as the other sights we visited. Nevertheless, it is a very enjoyable park.

The entrance contains the iconic mosaic salamander, and the main terrace is designed like a sea serpent.

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