Marvel at the sumptuous palaces, lush gardens, and imposing citadels that are the Alhambra. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most famous legacies of Moorish rule in Spain. Meander the narrow cobblestone streets of nearby AlbaicÃn, the ancient Arabic quarter, or see a flamenco performance in the whitewashed caves of Sacromonte, originally settled by gypsies.
The Moors’ last stronghold before falling to Spain’s Catholic monarchs in 1492, Granada still bears a Moorish influence. There is the Alhambra, the fortress-palace of the Nasrid sultans.
Discover geological wonders such as the world’s largest stalagmite in the Caves of Nerja and then meander through the lovely old quarter in the seaside village of Nerja.
After departing from the pier, you will enjoy a picturesque coastal drive to the seaside village of Nerja, a former fishing village that has recently become a popular resort town. A short distance away, you will find the Caves of Nerja, a series of caverns that stretches nearly three miles and contains the world’s largest stalagmite.
Although archaeological evidence shows that the caves were occupied from about 25,000 BC to the Bronze Age, it wasn’t until 1959 that they were rediscovered. Cave paintings reveal that the earliest inhabitants were hunters, followed by fishermen and farmers.
As you walk through the caves, you can expect to see eerily illuminated stalactites and stalagmites in the Hall of Ghosts, formations that look like frozen waterfalls, and geological debris in the Hall of the Cataclysm that an earthquake caused millennia ago. It will be an extraordinary experience that you will not soon forget.
We arrived in Olbia and had a rental car to drive around the island, but once we realized our cousin, Francesco was going to drive us around we decided to return the rental car. As most people do when visiting family, we stayed at my uncle’s house.
His house is in Nuoro it’s a beautiful little town. Once we settled in, we went to a local restaurant for dinner where we had brick oven pizza. What we found that was cool was they had their love of pizza with seafood toppings on it. After a filling lunch, we walked through the neighborhood and met a few of my uncle’s friends. We also had the chance to eat this homemade candy called Toroni which was made by my uncle’s friend.
The next day we drove around the city to see the sites there were a lot of tunnels through the mountains which were wild, and we even got a chance to see a new one being bored out the machine they were using was huge. Francesco also took us to visit the first family member also named the same as our last name which was exciting because I have never met another family member with the same last name outside the United States. It was an emotional experience for both myself and my new family member.
The next day Francesco took us took a great beach which was very popular it was full of locals we stayed there for a couple of hours and bathed in the clear blue beautiful water. Spending time at the beach made us hungry, so we decided to get a bite to eat at a local place which was delicious. One good thing is that my cousin loved food and wine, so he knew where to eat and what to drink.
At night my uncle invited us to his cabin that he built by himself which is in a wooded/forest area. It was amazing I loved it and told him that when we come back, we are going to spend a night there. It’s called Pineto there is a photo of it down below. Uncle Simone cooked us a mouth-watering roasted pig dinner. He was preparing for hours turning the meat until it was cooked to perfection. We felt like we were eating back in the Roman times on wood plates, a wood table and wooden chairs which were all made by hand using the local wood just like the whole place was built. It was like going back in time John and I both agree that it was one of the best experiences we have ever had and we are still dreaming about it, and we can’t wait to go back for round two.
The following day Francesco rented a boat for the four of us Myself and John and his brother Severino. We drove the boat along the shoreline, and we had such a great time we saw the bluest water ever. We decided to beach the boat and explore the caves that were on the beach, and we also spent some time swimming and just enjoying the beautiful beach and water.
The last few days Francesco took us to his apartment which is in Cagliari another great town. He took us to the local fish market it was cool they decorate all their little booths with the fishtail or the heads in such a unique way. It was great we purchased some fish, and he cooked us a Sardinian meal it was the perfect end to a great trip.
