The Sierra Nevadas of Spain!

We took a fascinating, adventurous and gorgeous trip back to Granada and the Sierra Nevadas of Spain. Just like last time we really enjoyed Granada. There is so much unique culture in one place. Amanda and I agree it’s our #1 recommended spot to visit in Spain and it’s one of my favorite cities in Europe to visit.

It’s only about 1 hour in a tiny blue car to Granada from our house in Nerja! It’s fun to jam on the freeway and look down to see the speedometer at 130 (km/hr that is). Then, after marveling as we walk through the Alhambra, exploring the many caves of Sacramonte, watching the sunset with a beer in hand from a cave bar, and enjoying the odd but delicious tea, silly hookah bar, colorful knick knack markets, and African food of the Albaycin, we continued on to the mountains!

It’s a 40 minute drive in a red lining little car in 2nd gear up to the ski resort of the Spanish Sierra Nevadas. It’s way up there and it’s an amazing view from the top! We took a great hike up to we think around 12,000 feet.

Then… We decided to take the long way home. That means a curvy, dirt road filled, trip about 5 hours down, around, up and over the mountains and then back to Nerja. It was worth every bit. Gorgeous and way too much fun.

We saw a huge damn, a fake stag on a rock off a dirt road that tricked us for too long, the most amazing fall colors I’ve ever seen, and interesting geology similar to a mini grand canyon at times.

This was a really fun and freeing trip!!

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In the Alhambra in Granada with our “Watson” sign written in Arabic
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The Sierra Nevadas of Spain!

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Beautiful fall colors!

 

Norway: The Land of Stunning Scenery & Adventurous Folk

Norway was absolutely beautiful! We went on several amazing hikes and had a very relaxing 5 days through Norway.

From Stockholm we traveled to Oslo and spent one day there. Then Eric and I headed to Bergen! As we traveled to Bergen we did a Norway in a Nutshell Tour that took us on a scenic train ride, a fjord cruise, and a few bus rides to see many different parts of Norway – all of which where breathtaking. Here’s just a few photos…

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After leaving Oslo, we headed on a scenic train ride to Flåm. From there, we took a 2 hour fjord cruise!
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Boating through the fjords!
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After the fjords, we made it to Bergen! A beautiful, adventurous city on the coast. This view is from the top of an epic, half-day hike up Mt. Ulriken along the ridge to Mt. Fløyen.
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Another picture from our Mt. Ulriken hike – stunning! PS – While we were on this hike, we saw a Norwegian 8th grade class! There were about 35 kids with backpacking gear and a few teachers; they go out on the tough trail for a few days as part of their PE class – no wonder everyone is adventurous and athletic in this country!
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This pretty strip of colorful buildings is Bryggen (a street in Bergen) and it’s full of restaurants and shops. Right around the corner from Bryggen is an amazing sandwich cafe called Godt Brød – and boy do they have good bread!
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This is inside Bryggen (the colorful buildings). There are 3-4 stories of wooden hallways like this with various shops, restaurants, and cafes.
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We decided to have a little photo shoot in Bryggen because it was fairly empty and there was really cool lighting haha :)

Overall, Norway (Bergen especially) was a nice relaxing part of our trip. Lots of hiking, nature, and cooking dinners in our apartment. The air was crisp, clean, and refreshing!