Day Trip {Arcos Live Nativity}

Once a year for one day only, a nearby white hill town -- Arcos de la Frontera, puts on a huge belén viviente (live nativity) event.  We went two years ago and loved it, so we knew we wanted to take my parents this year as they were in Spain for all of the holiday season!

For one day only (and if it rains, it will be cancelled and not rescheduled), the entire town of Arcos transforms into Bethlehem in various scenes and reenactments all throughout the city.  It is no simple nativity scene, that is for sure!  It is insanely detailed and well planned out, complete with actual bread and other food being cooked and live animals.  It really is amazing and should be seen at least once, especially if you live in Spain!

When we went two years ago, we waited in line for easily 2+ hours before being able to enter into the upper city to see the nativity area.  So this year, we went much earlier.  We knew it started about 5:30pm but we didn't know when the town would shut down the upper city, so we arrived probably about 3/3:30-ish.  It seemed as if they didn't shut down the city until closer to 4:30/5:00pm so you could easily head up into the upper city about an hour before it starts and be good.

Closer to start time, we noticed people just hanging out -- drinking, eating and not moving up into the city to follow the route of the nativity event.  We decided they must know something, so we hung back too and we lucked out!  The event starts by the Three Kings parading through the city to go see the baby Jesus before taking their place in the nativity -- basically meaning they sit on their thrones and all the kids deliver their letters and sit on their lap and get their picture taken.
Remember Santa doesn't really come to Spain, the big holiday is Three Kings Day when the Kings deliver presents.  So for Spanish children, sitting on the Kings' laps is like American children going to visit Santa.

And then we just wandered the route of the belén viviente which is really well marked and will easily take you 1-2 hours (probably closer to two hours, even if moving at a decent pace).  The route takes you all around the upper city/hill area of Arcos past all the scenes and such.  You can go as slow or fast as you want!

Serafina has a slight obsession with the Baby Jesus (she does get religion classes at school) so she was so excited to go see the Baby Jesus and was just in awe when she finally saw Him.  It was pretty adorable watching her!  She would have stayed at this scene all night if we had let her :)

the real baby Jesus

Some quick tips -- we parked at the bottom of the hill in a dirt lot where everyone else was parking.  This really is the best place to park but just know that you will be walking a lot and up hills!  It also gets super crowded (literally wall to wall people at some places) so if you can wear your kiddo, that is best -- strollers can be tricky to navigate the large crowds.  We did a stroller our first year and I wore Serafina this year and wearing was MUCH easier!

We had a wonderful time and so happy we were able to experience this event again!

Day Trip {Grazalema & Zahara de la Sierra}

This past weekend we took a day trip to two more white hill towns of Andalucia -- Grazalema and Zahara de la Sierra.  Both are gorgeous and worth a visit* but I highly recommend going to Grazalema during their Sangre y Amor en la Sierra festival (Blood and Love), usually in early October.  The whole town reenacts the life of a famous bandit -- Jose Maria Hinojosa or El Tempranillo.  He wasn't born in the area but carried out most of his famous criminal acts in the area as well as married a girl from Grazalema.  All of this took place around the 1830s so for this one weekend, the town returns to the 1830s to celebrate El Tempranillo.

We happened to arrive right when things were getting started, we heard gunfire as we walked into town (don't worry, it was fake but very loud).  We watched a bunch of bandits take over some soilders and storm the government building -- to a crowd of cheering people!  We had no idea what was going on which pretty much sums up the rest of our time in Grazalema, but we had an absolute blast!

The whole town seems to go back in time to 1832 -- cooking over open fires, wearing period costumes, old/make-shift buildings... the whole works.  The main plaza was set up as if it were 1832 and quite fun to see, especially as more and more reenactments happened throughout our time there.  We ate amazing food, the best chorizo I have ever had, drank beer from clay mugs and Serafina even tried the hand crank ferris wheel.  Our personal favorite was the random flamenco show that took place in the middle of the plaza, that included a dancing horse.  Serafina's favorite part was petting the ginormous boa constrictor that she is still talking about days later....

Some tips for going to this small but amazing festival:
Parking is rough (aka non-existent) in Grazalema on a normal day, let alone a festival weekend, so be prepared to get there early, get creative with your parking and plan to walk a little into the town.  Bring cash -- you can buy plenty of amazing food (get the chicken paella and the chorizo) and beer from the various huts that are selling food/drinks, but all take cash only.  The only glassware we saw were various clay mugs, different styles for different huts/food vendors.  So do some research and follow the mugs you want and get drink tickets for that hut -- as drink tickets only work at the vendor you bought them from.  I am sure you can return the mugs for a refund (pretty sure we had to put down a small depost) but of course we chose to keep our mugs as souvenrs!  Be prepared for random and loud fake gunfire throughout the day.  It'll die down and pick up at various points throughout the day so if you have littles, just be warned.  Serafina hated the gunfire so we used her headphones to help mute the noise.  There isn't a lot "to do" but the performances/reenactments are kind of fun to watch.  There is plenty to eat and drink and there is a small hand crank ferris wheel for the kids (along with various live animals -- birds, horses, sheep, and that dang scary snake!).

After we had our fun in Grazalema, we moved on to another white hill town just a short drive away, Zahara de la Sierra.  Zahara is known for its olive oil and goat cheese (hard goat cheese, not soft like most Americans are used to).  Some of the best olive oil in the world comes from this region, so stock up if you go -- or better yet, go visit one of the olive making places (not sure what the technical term is).  You do need a reservation/tell the owners you're coming so this part requires planning; it is also usually a full day thing with making your own olive oil, lunch, etc.  But Zahara is still worth a walk through as the views are gorgeous -- if you decide to walk up to the castle (ruins), be prepared for a long, steep hike....

*So the drive into these mountains is a little rough -- narrow road and massive amount of switchbacks, but once you get to one town there are many others just a short drive away (typically no more than 30 minutes).  So plan on hitting a few of these towns in one day so avoid doing the awful drive more than once!

Day Trip {La Rambla}

Recently when my mom came to visit, she and I (along with a friend) took a day trip to a town about two and half hours away from here -- La Rambla.  La Rambla is famous for their pottery and ceramics.  In fact, this it the town were many larger companies get their pottery from (Crate and Barrel being one of them).*  And going directly to the source is a lot of fun and saves you the price mark up -- and the prices in La Ramba are amazing!

La Rambla is NOT a tourist destination, it is really only know to those that live in the area (and the Americans here).  It is a small (small) town, so you are only going for pottery.  Lucky for us, many Americans have gone before us and have shared their wisdom (word of mouth and also Facebook groups).  We had an amazingly detailed written guide to help us figure out the best places to go.  We strayed a little from the guide so here are my recommendations for La Rambla:

First things first -- BRING FOOD.  While we did get a few restaurant recommendations, I highly recommend bringing a sack lunch and snacks.  The stores close for comida (siesta) so you will definetly want to use your morning wisely and not stop to eat (snacks are okay) until you are done shopping!  Get an early(ish) start seeing as you only have until about 2:00 to shop until the stores close (we left Rota about 8:30 and pulled into La Rambla about 11:00 -- we moved quickly at each place and it was enough time for us... if you want to spend more time at the stores, leave earlier) and finally, BRING CASH -- some places will take credit card, but not all of them, so it is best to be prepared!

So -- the places to shop!  These are just the four we stopped at but there are plenty more in and around La Rambla, so if you have time -- stop into any store that's open!

El Titi: my personal favorite and right on the main street of town -- be prepared to call the number on the door (numerous times) when you arrive and maybe get help from the various old men having their morning chat or a street worker who knows where the owner lives (yes, this is how we finally got into the store)!  But once inside, it is WORTH IT -- gorgeous color spanish pottery and super cheap (but cash only)

Pepe Mejias: this one is down closer to the warehouse district of La Rambla, two floors of various pottery and outdoor pots and a really amazing collection of more Moorish influence pottery (like things you'd find in Morocco)

Rio Salada: in the warehouse district and has a HUGE selection of different patterns, you could easily spend so much time looking at everything!  Our personal favorites were the gorgeous plain colored pottery, very classic and different from anything else you see in Spain

Navarrete: also in the warehouse district and has a HUGE basement (tell the worker you'd like to go down and see if they don't turn on the lights for you aleady) -- mostly outdoor pots and other outdoor items but does have some gorgeous pottery

A few other notes -- while each place will pack your items, make sure you have it secure in your car so it doesn't break on the way home.  We brough blankets and packed things in the trunk nice and tight so nothing would move around -- the road out to La Rambla is a little rough and tumble :)




*So a friend of mine went to La Rambla and bought a gorgeous pitcher -- she got it home, went to wash it and saw the Crate and Barrel stamp on the bottom!  So yes, I turned over EVERYTHING I looked at to see if I could find one myself :)  (But I was not as lucky)

Day Trip {Tangier, Morocco #2}

So I went back to Tangier -- and it was just as amazing as the first time around!  My mom came to visit and another friend had her niece visiting so the four of us ladies took a day trip to Morocco.  And oh man was it an adventure -- and I think the best way to describe our day is to do a little time line, so here it goes!

6:00am -- my mom and I are up and out the door to go pick up my friend (C) and her niece (L) and it is POURING rain, like can barely see, step outside for one second and get soaking wet -- pouring rain.  But we haven't heard anything about the ferries not running, so off we head towards Tarifa.

8:00am(ish) -- we make it to Tarifa in one piece but it was a slow drive with all the rain and wind.  We are shocked to find out our ferry is actually crossing but we are happy and figure we can handle a little rain!
A little note: so the crossing between Tarifa and Tangier is only 8 miles, but because of where these two countries are -- between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the winds and crossing can get pretty bad.... (remember this) 

9:00am -- our ferry leaves and the ride is pretty smooth, but in true Spanish fashion we left late.  We were all talking and having fun so I don't have any idea what time we actually left!
Always remember to get your passport stamped ON THE FERRY or you won't be allowed into Morocco and it'll create a big mess!

10:00am(ish) -- Morocco is a hour behind Spain so once we finally made it to Tangier, we met with our guide, Jamal (who we used last time too and again, he was amazing).  The first part of the day is the driving tour so off we went as we made our way out of the harbor area and through the city.  We saw the Grand Mosque and went up into the hills where all the government officials and those wealthy enough to afford massive mansions live.... we then drove towards the lighthouse where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic (and on a clear day you can see Spain and Gibraltar).  There is also a lighthouse, but you can't access it so it just makes for some fun pictures!

tiles on the Grand Mosque (gorgeous)

11:00am(ish) -- At the lighthouse lookout area there is a restaurant and so we had a traditional Moroccan snack -- mint tea and some thicker crepe thing covered in almonds.... so I enjoyed my mint tea!
Thus far we had been super lucky with the rain -- the only time it seemed to rain was when we were in the van, but we did have a few thunder crashes while we were driving towards the lighthouse so we were happy to take a snack break and wait out the rain!

12:00pm -- we headed to the Hercules caves -- the wind created some cool waves and sounds within the caves, but made for dark pictures of the rock formation that looks like Africa (so go to my first post on Tangier to see better pictures).  The rain finally let up so it was now.....

from above the Hercules Caves

12:30pm -- time for our camel ride!  Once again we completely lucked out and it was not raining at all for our ride -- but ALL of our camels decided that they needed to take their weekly pee the minute we got up on them.  It was hilarious as one camel after another just started peeing and well, they sure pee for a long, long time.  We also went on a much longer ride than last time and all we did was laugh and laugh some more!

1:00pm(ish) -- we drove back into the main part of Tangier for the walking tour.  We managed to be in the main square when the call to prayer occurred and it was quite the cultural sight to see... almost every single person moving in one direction towards the nearest church.  People were putting out large carpets outside the church, removing their shoes and dropping to pray.  It was obviously not appropriate to take pictures or even stare, but it was such an experience to witness and so very different from my own culture that all I wanted to do was sit and stare in awe.

1:45pm -- after purchasing my massive (but extremely inexpensive) quantities of spices, we made our way to an insanely yummy lunch where we were served SEVEN courses (not counting more mint tea)!  We started with the most amazing farm bread dipped in various things (lentils, eggplant, harissa (amazing red pepper paste)), then we had soup, then pastilla (without almonds for me), a couscous/vegetable dish, chicken kababs, fruit and then finally dessert -- we were all so stuffed and practically had to be rolled out of the restaurant!  

3:15pm(ish) -- we continued our walking tour, walking through the area where people live (the medina and kasbah areas), seeing all the gorgeous doors and tile work.  We got to peek into a communal bakery which people use if they don't have a place in their own homes to bake -- it smelled so so good!  And I got to practice my French with the people baking their bread that day!  We continued to explore and shop -- making our way back to the market.
I love this part of Tangier, the small winding streets and very maze-like layout but man is it easy to get lost!  I was so happy to have a guide.  But once again, we never felt unsafe or in any danger.  Everyone was extremely nice and welcoming -- we didn't feel like we got harassed to buy things, but we sure had fun bartering for things we did want to buy!

view of the bay from a restaurant in town

5:00pm -- we made our way to the ferry after a long and fun day.  We were all so happy to sit in the terminal area before we loaded the boat -- we had so much fun laughing, reminiscing about the day and looking at all of our pictures!

So here is where things get REALLY interesting....

6:00pm -- our ferry was supposed to leave at 6:00, but it most certainly did not.  It soon became almost seven before we finally asked someone when we were actually leaving -- we left probably about 7/7:15-ish.

7:30pm(ish) -- we are all having a blast on the boat, laughing and talking (drinking wine -- no alcohol in Morocco) when the boat started rocking pretty good.  Big, huge, gentle rocking like a roller coaster so we were joking and putting our hands up and laughing -- I am pretty sure half the boat was videoing us acting like idiots.... when things quickly went sour.  All of a sudden the rocking was much more violent and fierce, waves were crashing up over the boat and people were screaming (us included).... and then EVERYONE started getting sea sick.  And I mean just about everyone -- a good 75% of the boat was sick and miraculously no one in our group of four got sick, which was good because we went into help-mode.  Right next to us was a mom and her two young sons, all of whom were sea sick.  I ended up with one of the boys on my lap while the mom and the other boy went to the bathroom to throw up.  My mom started handing out cold, wet paper towels to people who were sick.  L started helping clean up some of the mess created by all the sick people -- because when some of the workers are also throwing up, you know its bad.  C held down all of our stuff making sure nothing went flying or got broken, while I was still with the one little boy (who eventually fell asleep).  Everywhere you looked, someone was getting sick.... the bathrooms were full of people throwing up.  One poor mom was nursing her baby and throwing up at the same time.  It was insane.  It took us over an hour and a half just to go the 8 miles across the water.... we finally docked, we helped the mom and her sons off the ferry while our group of four were literally the last ones off the boat and through customs.
There are pictures and videos of this insanity but you don't want to see them :)

10:00pm -- we finally are back in Spain and made it to my car.  We still have a two hour drive home, again in the rain and dark... and thankfully everyone stayed awake!

12:00am(ish) -- my mom and I finally pull into our driveway after dropping off C and L -- we touch nothing as we walk into the house, and immediately jump into the shower!  Then fall into bed, still in awe of our crazy, insane, amazing and wonderful day!

Once again I had a wonderful time in Morocco and seriously need to go back for more -- but this time to a different area and for more days!

Day Trip {Arcos -- Live Nativity Event}

Everything for the Christmas season just seems bigger in Europe.  And Spain is no exception (more on Spanish traditions for Christmas in a later post).  Spain focuses much more on the religious aspect of the holiday season -- each town has a nativity scene set up in the main square.  But one town fairly close to us takes the nativity scene to a whole new level....

Arcos (this was actually our very first day trip) is a town about an hour away which I highly recommend visiting whenever.  But in December, the ENTIRE town puts on a live nativity scene (or belén viviente) -- basically the whole town recreates Bethlehem -- for one night only.  We had heard about it and read about it and knew we had to experience it -- but we weren't sure what to expect.  We knew we needed to get there early because thousands (yes, thousands) of people come to Arcos to see their live nativity.  And my Spanish teacher informed me it was a "not to be missed" event but that I should most definitely put Serafina in a buggy so that she'd be safe from all the people!

So on the only Saturday that the town does the live nativity we enjoyed a Spanish lunch (aka eating a very late lunch) at our friends house.  We all had some hot chocolate, soup and other treats and then we were on our merry way -- it was a fun caravan to Arcos where we parked at the bottom of the hill town, loaded up the strollers and hiked up to the entrance of town where there were already SO many people!  We got in line with everyone else and just hung out.  In true Spanish fashion, bars were open and there were many food stalls serving hot chocolate (very thick hot chocolate) and doughnuts called buñuelos (bland dough fried in olive oil that tastes like olive oil melting in your mouth -- sounds gross, but actually very good).  We ate and drank while the toddlers ran around and waited... and waited some more.  Almost two hours later (it actually went by very fast), we finally made our way to the front of the line!!

Tip: we arrived right when it started (at 6:30) and the line was already so long!  I have heard that people can go very early and see set up and then hopefully get "stuck" up by the cathedral to see everything.  However, it wouldn't have worked for us to be there that long with a toddler -- it worked well to let Serafina have a good nap and meal at home, then head out.  And she had so much fun running around with her little friends and all the other Spanish children that it worked out for us!

And the lighting was gorgeous for viewing the scenes but terrible for pictures -- so we did our best!  You had to be quick with so many people wanting to view the scenes, pet the animals or also take a picture that you couldn't take your time to get the settings right!

The town has the whole thing very organized, they let people in in waves so that the route through all the scenes moves fairly smoothly.  So once you get to the front of the line, you enter through the fancy gates (that have been set up as part of the event) and you begin to see various scenes from biblical times set up on patios/entryways of various homes and shops.

Then you'll enter into the main square (where the church and castle are located) where the whole square has been turned into various scenes -- complete with animals (a donkey plowing, sheep, chickens and more), fires, people eating and singing and making food.  It was so unbelievably cool and a little surreal.  The attention to detail was just amazing.  And there were the Three Kings for kids to sit on their lap and get their picture taken (the kings are like Spain's Santa Clause).  We were all so in awe of everything that as we made our way on the path away from the main square (complete with signs and everything), we were shocked to find more scenes!

It ended up taking us TWO hours to go through the whole town and we did not move slow (nor fast because of all the people, but at a decent pace).  We came across Mary on a donkey being pulled by Joseph, lots of people singing, people actually making dough...  And at one point, just Trevor, Serafina and I ended up at the bottom of a small road when we heard drumming.  We looked up and saw the Three Kings coming straight towards us.  All the Spanish around us rushed over to join in the festivities, but Serafina was the only kid, so the Three Kings came immediately up to her to wish her well and she.... Well, she flipped out.  Started screaming and crying and trying to hide in her stroller.  It was oh so sad and the Kings felt awful, apologizing and telling me they felt so bad.  All I could say was no pasa nada (don't worry about it) and tell them that she hates everyone in costume!

And eventually, we turned a corner and in one of the smallest scenes was what many know as a nativity scene: Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.  And yes, the baby was real (it had a pacifier!) and was insanely tiny (easily a true newborn) and in a manger.  I could have stood there for hours, I just couldn't take my eyes away from this precious scene where a mother was looking over her baby.  It brought tears to my eyes (and I could tell I wasn't the only one as people just stood there in silence).

But this was not the last scene!  There were plenty more as we made our way back down to where we started.  Serafina even got a certificate stating she attended the belén viviente in 2016!

Tip: for toddlers, a stroller was the best (or a carrier).  It was chilly and actually very smokey from all the fires at the various scenes that it was perfect to let Serafina run around and see the animals when it was safe and then place her in the stroller for when we had more walking to do between scenes.  The path is very easy to follow (signs and just follow everyone else!) but it does take a while -- it isn't a quick in and out so be prepared.  And all the streets are decorated with palm leaves, rosemary and torch lights so that's another way to know you're on the right path.  The scenes often had simple signs stating what it was, but that required some translating and also recalling the biblical stories so we mostly just enjoyed the insanely detailed scenes rather than focus on what was what.  

Overall, I cannot recommend this event enough -- it was not a traditional Christmas event that Americans are used to so it was quite fun doing a more traditional Spanish event.  We will for sure be going back year after year as long we are in town and it doesn't rain (it is almost always cancelled if it is raining).

Day Trip {Medina Sidonia}

This past weekend we also took a day trip to Medina Sidonia, another small hill town in our surrounding area (just about 45 minutes from our house).  Most often, each hill town is often known for something that makes it unique from the next town.  Medina Sidonia is known for their gorgeous views and desserts!

To be honest, I could've easily skipped this town or made it a very short stop on the way to somewhere else.  The desserts were fine...  I couldn't eat any of the ones the town was known for thanks to my tree nut/peanut allergy and Trevor didn't want to risk eating it either, so we settled on a few other pastries.  They were good, but not "make a special trip" good.

So, with that said -- the views were absolutely gorgeous, so if you do go then just drive through the town all the way up the hill to the castle, take a few pictures and be on your merry way.  We made the mistake of parking at the bottom of the town and then had to hike (with a stroller) up the hill.  Pretty sure all the locals thought we were crazy!  The pastry shop (founded in 1852) is located in Plaza de España.  On your way up (or down) you'll most likely go right past the plaza and there seemed to be a few places to park, so you could easily grab some pastries.  Let me know if you try either pastry the town is known for -- alfajor or polvorones (and maybe bring us some so Trevor can try it too)!

But the views....  You could see all the way to Cádiz!

And of course, a picture of our Peanut and Trevor walking (holding hands, as usual)!