On the 9th of June 2019, I landed back on British soil after a trip that would change my outlook on Spain forever. I had just spent the most incredible week in the beautiful city of Almeria, exploring the sites and devouring the culture.
Before booking my last minute flights, I'd never even head of Almeria, and if I'm honest I was trying my hardest to convince my travel buddy to pick somewhere else to go. Why would I want to fly to Spain to spend a week with drunken Brits behaving badly? Spanish holidays just weren't for me!
Well, I can't have been too convincing because an hour and a couple of hundred pounds later, our trip was booked and we were heading to Almeria.
3 weeks after that we landed in the sunshine city and were pleasantly surprised as soon as we arrived. Our hotel was based in the centre of Almeria, between the old town, and the much more modern area. Within minutes I was falling in love with the Moorish architecture, though the heat left a lot to be desired. We didn't waste any time in the hotel and set off exploring as soon as we had dropped off our bags.
Armed with Google maps, and a funky tourist map from the hotel receptionist we walked across what felt like the entire city. We just kept going, coming across photo opportunity after photo opportunity - this was the life. Before long we realised we should probably grab a bite to eat so found a small cafe along one of the main streets. This was where we would realise that choosing Almeria for our week away was going to be a very good choice.
Almeria Alcazba
Inside Almeria Alcazaba
There were no English menus to be found. Not on any of the tables, and certainly not on a designated stand with the Union Jack sitting proudly on top. There were no French menus, no German menus, no menus in any language other than Spanish to be found anywhere. For a seaside resort, it was very strange to not cater to tourists, but maybe we had wandered off the beaten track somehow?
After a few minutes of translating the text in front of us, we decided that toasties and Sangria were in order, after all, you can't come to Spain without inhaling a gallon of the good stuff! Our waitress soon arrived to take our order and it wasn't long before we realised she didn't speak an ounce of English. It was a lightbulb moment and we realised that we were not in a typical Spanish resort at all. We weren't going to be catered for here, we were going to be experiencing a week of the real Spain, and we were ready for it. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
Ticket for Almeria Alcazaba
Inside Almeria Alcazaba
Emerging from our hotel at around 7 pm for our meal was a mistake. 7 pm may be late for most Brits to eat tea but in Spain, this is very early indeed. Throughout the week we would come to realise that 10 pm would be a more realistic time to head out for food, if not later.
After a nice but underwhelming supper of takeaway pizza (because nothing else was open yet!) we went off on a quest to find a bar. This would be surprisingly easy, and after a little bit of wandering, we soon found a quiet bar to guzzle Estrella.
As it goes in Spain it wouldn't be long before we were joined by a lovely group of Spanish boys, who you guessed it, spoke little English. But it wasn't a problem, it made communicating a little harder I'll admit, but if we really wanted to submerge ourselves in the culture this was going to be the way to do it. Besides, we were in Spain, it would be ignorant of us to assume everyone here should speak fluent English.
Several beers and a whole lot of chit chat later, we returned to the hotel but not before exchanging numbers with one of the lads who spoke the most English. We left with the promise to meet up later in the week, though we all knew the chances of that actually happening were slim.
Chicken and chips for dinner, with Sangria of course
The free tapas that came with our drinks
In the days that followed we embraced everything that Almeria had to offer. From sizzling on the beautiful beaches to exploring the old town and the 10th century Alcazaba fortress, we did it all. And there really was just so much to do in and around the city. We were living our absolute best lives.
Because Almeria is a city, we had the best of both worlds in our week away, and whilst we did occasionally splash about in the sea, we also made time to see the guts of the place. On one of our first days we took a walking tour, which is always my first port of call in a new place. We were taken to a few areas we had already seen previously but our tour gave us so much more insight than we had managed to pick up before. They did not have any English guide books when we initially visited the Alcazaba (which says it all about the number of English tourists they receive) so our second visit with our local guide was just that much better.
After the tour was finished we went on to have drinks with an English lad who was part of the group. He would be our only interaction with anyone from the UK in Almeria and whilst his company was lovely, it was just so refreshing to know Brits haven't yet swarmed this beautiful city. Whilst having drinks that evening we soon discovered that free tapas accompanies most drinks in Almeria - bonus!
We did also indulge in a few touristy things while we were away. Apart from the 6 hour round trip to Malaga (which was amazing but mostly just to visit the Hard Rock Cafe) we also used public transport for two other day trips.
Walking up the the steepest road in all of Spain
The view from the top of the hill we had to climb
The first trip, seemed very straight forward on paper but in reality, it was a disaster waiting to happen. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at navigating foreign transport by now but in all honesty, sometimes I still don't get it right. Our plan was to take a bus roughly 40 minutes from Almeria to Cabo De Gata, a popular beach where kayaking was available. Easy enough right? And after discussing with the bus driver where we wanted to go before boarding, we were certain we had got everything spot on. Fast forward half an hour later when we were being kicked off the bus in the middle of nowhere by the driver who insisted this was our stop. Confused and a little bit flustered we left the bus with the instructions to ''walk 4 kilometres that way''. Fantastic.
What the bus driver didn't point out was that this walk would take us up a rather high road in 40-degree heat. But whilst the walk was long, tiring, and very unexpected, what we saw on the other side was worth it. We arrived at a lighthouse and viewpoint which overlooked the most stunning stretch of jagged coastline. This was likely where the kayaking would have taken place though we never actually found it. We stayed here for a while, dipped in the cool ocean below, and had a small lunch of chips and sherry before enduring the long walk back to the bus stop. I decided this time we should crack open a carton of wine to accompany us on the journey, and so off we trotted back up the hill, merry as anything. This day didn't go to plan at all, but my god will I remember it forever.
Looking down over the jagged coastline from the lookout at Cabo De Gata
At the foot of Cabo De Gata Lighthouse
Our next trip was to be the most touristy day we had an Almeria. This time we boarded a bus to Mini Hollywood, an old American film set where movies such as The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly were shot. The set was preserved and is now a wild west theme park, with a zoo (???) for some reason. Throughout the day there were cowboy and Can Can shows, with characters roaming the fake streets in between performances.
Although it was an absolute tourist trap this small theme park was incredibly fun and my travel buddy and I spent hours running around living out our cowgirl dreams. We would have stayed until lock-up had it not been for the fact that buses in that area are few and far between and had we missed our bus at that time, we would have to wait 5 hours for the next one. So home we went, but we weren't disappointed because we'd managed to convince the beautiful Spanish boys we'd met earlier in the week to come out drinking with us.
At the entrance to Mini Hollywood
One of the Wild West shows at Mini Hollywood
We took our time getting ready as we likely wouldn't be eating until 10 pm and the boys probably wouldn't be on the scene until they had finished their dinner at midnight! We ate and drank and then met up with our new pals at some point in the very early hours. We were quickly running out of cash and were about to call it a night when they turned up and explained that it wouldn't be a problem as they don't pay for drinks in the bars anyway. Already drunker than I would like to admit by this point, we accepted the free drinks and began our night.
From there we moved from club to club, never paying an entrance fee, always skipping the queue to get in, and being showered with free drinks from the bar staff everywhere we went. This night seemed too good to be true, but it wasn't. The lads were friendly but never crossed the line. We mostly communicated via Google translate, especially once the music was too loud, but this was never a problem. If anything it only left me feeling a little embarrassed that I hadn't bothered to learn more Spanish before we came here.
We danced and drank and danced some more, all the time being joined by more and more friends of both sexes who tried their best to chat with us, no matter how much of a struggle it was. As hours went by and as we dipped in and out of multiple clubs it was starting to become clear why everything was free. One of the boys was a local DJ and from what I understood, a minor celebrity in Almeria. Everywhere he went, we went too, and were lucky enough to experience all the benefits of spending a night with the DJ. In our final club, he took to the stage and spent the remaining hours playing song after song in the booth.
A wild cowboy appeared as we were doing a little photoshoot
Locked in a Pillory at Mini Hollywood
I thought the fun would never end, but a 7 am it did, and off we went to find breakfast. When my new pal said ''In Spain, we party hard'' he wasn't lying. For that night, these people were my best friends and I will never forget them.
After that evening we only had one last day which was spent recovering on the beach and enjoying our last few hours in the city that stole our hearts.
Almeria was not like any other holiday resort I'd had the pleasure of staying in. Few of the people we met spoke English and the ones that did asked us why we would come here on a holiday?! I imagine is a very valid question if you're a local, but to us, this was a dream break. In our entire 7 days in that city, we only met 1 other Brit. Apart from that, we barely heard anything other than Spanish the whole time we were there, but that made our trip just a little more special.
Almeria has not yet been ruined by tourism, and as much as I would recommend visiting the place, I would hate to see it become the next Benidorm. As one of our Spanish friends said ''Almeria is paradise'', and they were right.
I fell in love with this city and I fell in love with the people who welcomed us and showed us what Spain was really like. Before my trip, I avoided Spanish holidays like the plague. For me, they had the reputation of being sunny resorts for British people to have week-long piss ups, but now I know better. Now I know the real beauty of Spain and I cannot wait to experience more of it.
Thanks for reading!
x
If you liked this post don't forget to click here to follow me on Bloglovin!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for more travel related content?
Here are some popular posts below!
As we've all learned recently, there are going to be times where travel as we know it is just not possible. Whether it is due to finances, or you know, a global pandemic, sometimes you're just not going to be able to jet off.
So how have I been 'travelling the world' without even leaving my house?
A big part of travelling for most people is trying out new and exotic foods. Although I'm the fussiest eater known to man, I too love trying out new dishes and tasting foods I never have before. So when I can't try those things in their natural setting I just have to make them myself, or get food poisoning trying.
I'm a massive fan of oriental foods so I've been trying my hand at chow meins, stir frys, fried rices ect. and I've got to say, I think I'm getting pretty good at slapping those meals together! I've also been trying my hand at a couple of european dishes such as Polish Sausage, and Chicken Souvlaki. Maybe I won't be eating these things in my preferred settings but for now at least, I'm bringing a little taste of travel to my own home.
My favourite recipes at the moment are:
If cooking isn't your thing, I'll bet drinking is and there's no harm in whipping up your favourite holiday cocktail now is there?
Chicken Souvlaki
Another easy way of seeing the world is through travel shows and vlogs. The internet is saturated with fantastic travel vloggers capturing every inch of the globe and telling their stories along the way. I know I could sit for hours watching someone else explore, even if it does leaving me wanting to get up and go myself.
- Touropia
If you have Netflix I'd also recommend the following:
- Expedition Happiness
- Dark Tourist
- Ibiza (not a travel show, but it eased my longing for adventure for an hour or two)
If you're looking to get offline for a while, why not lose yourself in a good book? I've travelled thousands of miles with some incredible characters over the years, and lately I've rekindled this passion for reading. Over the last couple of weeks I've been dipping in and out of Full Tilt by Dervla Murphy. Murphy is an inspiring travel writer who in the 1960s rode alone from Dunkirk in France, all the way to India. Her journey is detailed in this book, and although I'll admit some of the use of language and the opinions are definitely of that time period, it is a fascinating read.
- Ibiza (not a travel show, but it eased my longing for adventure for an hour or two)
Full Tilt Ireland To India With A Bicycle - Dervla Murphy
One other thing I've found that surprisingly helps ease my post travel blues is looking back over my happy holiday photos. Reliving my own memories and remembering the beautiful places I've seen not only fills me with good nostalgia but pride too. Seeing so much of the world is actually a big achievement for me and especially when I look back at my solo trips, I'm reminded again that I can do anything.
Over the last couple of weeks I've actually been curating and selecting photos to print so that I have hard copies of my favourite snaps and I can fill my room with my travel memories. Even if I can't globe trot right now, I can always be reminded of my past holidays.
Places featured: Liverpool, Krakow, Malaga
So maybe travelling isn't my reality right now, but until I can go back to catching flights not feelings, I'm doing what I can to experience what the world has to offer from the comfort of my own home.
Thanks for reading!
x
If you liked this post don't forget to click here to follow me on Bloglovin!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for more travel related content?
Here are some popular posts below!
At the start of the month I wrote a blog post about shopping sustainably and how and why I'm doing it. Along with buying second hand clothes, and selling on my unwanted clothes, I've also started 'shopping my own wardrobe' a lot more too.
"What on earth is shopping your own wardrobe?" I hear you say! Well to me it's basically digging out those pieces you haven't worn in forever and giving them a new lease of life! For me it also means actually wearing the clothes which have been sat in my wardrobe with the tags on for months, oops!
This t-shirt is actually one of those items. I bought it forever ago when H&M released their William Morris collection as I just had to have something from the collection and most of it was too long on me! It's actually a pretty gorgeous embroidered top that I just haven't really wanted to wear yet?
Well I finally styled it up with this pretty midi skirt from Asos and honestly I love the look. I liked it so much that I just had to head out to the park to get some snappy snaps of the outfit. Actually the first person I passed at the park stopped me to say she loved what I was wearing! That doesn't happen very often to me and it honestly made my day!
Apart from the skirt, which I admit is new (but it has pockets, come on!) every other part of my outfit is pretty damn old. But they don't feel like old pieces to me, because I've mixed in a new item and an item I haven't worn before!
So how else can you 'shop your own wardrobe'? Well a fun way to mix things up is by getting a little crafty. I'm forever chopping up t-shirts to make them slightly cropped, which not only makes them look better on my short arse body, but also gives them a completely new vibe! In the past I've also dyed older clothes new colours and ripped jeans that were already on their way out. There's no end to the kind of things you can do to your old clothes to make them feel new again!
- Shop the look -
(or shop your own wardrobe for the look if you can!)
Shopping sustainably, and reusing clothes as much as possible is something I'm really going to make an effort to do in the coming months because it just makes sense!
Thanks for reading!
x
If you liked this post don't forget to click here to follow me on Bloglovin!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for more fashion related content?
Here are some popular posts below!
Finding a decent makeup remover seems to be a bit of a battle at the moment. The last few removers I've used have not been worth the packaging they came in, and I was seriously considering investing in some high end products as they never let me down.
But the cheap bitch in me resisted and so I bought the Nivea Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover instead. Rated as the UK's number one eye makeup remover I thought it was well worth putting to the test.
So here are my thoughts on the Nivea Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover...
One of the main reasons I picked this product up is because its an affordable oil based makeup remover. I've tried oil based removers before and they've always done a fantastic job of clearing off my stubborn eye makeup. That being said, they have usually been higher end products from the likes of Clinique ect. so I was curious to see if a cheaper product could do the same job.
Well I wasn't disappointed. Although the makeup remover didn't quite give the same results as my beloved Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover (which was gifted to me last year), it did do a cracking job considering the price difference.
My favourite Clinique product comes in at a hefty £19 for 125ml, whereas the Nivea Makeup Remover costs roughly £4 for the same amount. That's a serious price difference. Granted there are likely to be more costly ingredients in the Clinique product, and I will admit it is also the superior product, however the Nivea product is an effective and affordable makeup remover for the price.
I've also found the makeup remover solution to be gentle on my skin which is always a concern when using products around the eyes. Also for anyone concerned about using an oil based makeup remover on their face, it doesn't really leave an oily residue after using and I don't think it affected the amount of natural oils my face produced day to day either.
So would I repurchase the Nivea Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover? It's a resounding yes.
☆☆☆☆
Thanks for reading!
x
If you liked this post don't forget to click here to follow me on Bloglovin!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for more product reviews?
Here are some popular ones below!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
