24.1o.2o18 • Málaga

as my mum lived in spain for 12 years i always had a special connection to this country. since i was a child we often came there to visit friends, spend vacations or just in order to improve windsurfing & sailing skills. at home we often spoke spanish, cooked the typical food, listened to flamenco & lived kind of a spanish touched lifestyle. i really enjoyed this even if it seemed pretty normal to me that time. now i know that this had a great impact to myself, my development & my future plans. travelling multiculture & adventures as well as my gusto for good food & languages turned out to be my way to go .. my way to happiness. and now i`m back to spain once again !! i always wanted to visit `Andalusia´ .. not only because my fav movie was shooted here but also because of its beautiful cities. one of them: `Málaga´ .. my first stop on my first real solo travel through `Andalusia´. after arriving in `Málaga´ super late & getting some sleep in the fancy `Urban Jungle Hostel´ i started my first day here with a free walking tour. this might be the perfect way to start exploring a new city .. especially if you are travelling on your own !! you get an overview over the city, meet new people & learn interesting things about history & culture. furthermore you can improve your language skills (you can choose between two groups: english or the local language) .. my chance to proof my spanish skills .. haha !! after 2 1/2 hours of exploring the city with Amanda (our spanish tour guide) it was time for some food .. especially if you had nothing more than a cup of coffee that morning. you will find a lot of combo offers in spain .. mostly main course, dessert & drink for a special price .. the best option for having lunch !! i had a delicious quinoa bowl combo at `Picnic´ right beside the `Plaza de la Merced´. full of new energy i started my own city exploring program: 1. stop: `Museo Picasso Málaga´ .. as the famous artist `Pablo Picasso´ was born here visiting the museum is a must do if you like art & cubism. an amazing exhibition !! 2. stop: `Castillo Gibralfaro´ .. the beautiful castle towering all over the city with an amazing view over the harbour of `Málaga´ is the perfect place to calm down & to enjoy the sunset !! my second & last day here in `Málaga´ started very early at the `Mercado Central de Atarazanas´. watching all the busy people while experiencing so many different scents & sounds is pure relaxation for me !! i could have stayed there for hours just watching & maybe trying the one or the other spanish snack. especially nuts, fruits & chorizo are very popular in spain !! at about 11 am i finally got myself a breakfast. a typical spanish breakfast: café con leche, zumo de naranja, pan casero con tomate y aceite. i really can`t help loving this .. it tastes so so good .. you have to try !! my breakfast place recommendation: `Brunchit´ .. a sweet café near the central market which offers damn good food & strong coffee. after falling in love with my breakfast i finally made my way through SoHo towards the harbour of `Málaga´. you can walk along the promenade until you reach the beach front which is a really nice place to rest for a while. before returning to my hostel to have a siesta i walked through the beautiful streets of `Málaga´ & realized that spain casted a spell over me once again !!

27.1o.2o18 • Sevilla

i finally arrived in `Sevilla´ in the late afternoon after a very comfi 2 1/2 hours bus ride from `Málaga´. during the 3o minutes i walked from the bus station to my hostel i already couldn`t handle the beauty of this city. the sun was shining, street musicians were playing flamenco music & people were having lunch in the fancy tapas bars all around !! then i got to know the `One Catedral Hostel´ located in the most beautiful area of `Sevilla´ named `El barrio de Santa Cruz´. i couldn`t be happier about my choice of accomodation !! the atmosphere, the style, the people .. everything seemed to be so perfect here. at 5 pm we started a little city tour to one of the most famous attractions in `Sevilla´ called `Las Setas´. this pretty modern wood structure in the heart of `Sevilla´ was built in 2o11 & offers an amazing view over the whole city !! furthermore the entrance fee of 3 euros can be changed into a free postcard & a free drink in the bar right beside of `Las Setas´. nothing better than having a cold beer together with some other guys from all over the world !! we talked, laughed & forgot the time until we all got pretty hungry. so we went to the next tapas bar & ordered some super tasty tapas !! by the way `Sevilla´ is known for its special food & delicious spanish dishes .. so you HAVE to try tapas there. we had `Paella´ `Tortilla´ `Chorizo´ & all the other typical spanish stuff & it was so damn good !! to sum it up we had a really nice evening with such a special international flair. i guess you don`t talk to people from Australia, France, Brazil or Iceland every day, right ?! the next day started pretty rainy .. nevertheless i took part at the free walking tour through the city. we visited the huge & beautiful palace `Real Alcázar´ walked through the university of `Sevilla´ & got to know how to produce tobacco in the local `Fábrica de Tabacos´. as the rainy weather still held on i took a long siesta in the afternoon & planned my further travel route. in the evening i explored the local district `Santa Cruz´ strolled through the beautiful small streets had a look at all the fancy shops & enjoyed the special atmosphere under the spanish night sky !! at 9 pm we had dinner all together in the lobby of the `One Catedral Hostel´ & let the evening end on the fancy rooftop terrace of the hostel. my last full day in `Sevilla´ was super sunny again (luckily) & so i went to one of the most famous & spectacular places of the whole city: `La Plaza de Espana´. the huge square with the beautiful historic museum is a MUST visit in `Sevilla´ .. you can even do a boat trip on the small river leading around the square !! i walked further through the parc area called `El Parque de María Luisa´ & ate some ice cream tasting like `Crema Catalana´ which is a typical spanish dessert .. so yummy !! and as the international festival `La Fería de las Naciones´ is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year i had the chance to visit the international food festival that day .. lucky me !! together with some other guys from the hostel i explored various food stands & enjoyed all the different smells & tastes. they offer food from almost every country there !! in the evening we joined a typical spanish flamenco show, drunk `Sangria´ & enjoyed the vibes of `Sevilla´. as you can see we had a blast in `Sevilla´ & i will definitely return here some day !!

here you can see the two main attractions of `Sevilla´: `Las Setas´ & `La Plaza de Espana´ !!