The Wild Honey Buzz: Surviving 2025 - November/December Edition: Travels in Spain

Wild Honey in Ronda, Spain

Hola Friends....Congratulations! We've almost made it to the end of the year, and what a year it has been! Once again this blog post is a travel diary in which I'll share some of the highlights from my recent travels in Spain (the Andalucia Region- Southern Coast). We spent about three weeks exploring six cities and surrounding areas. I would like to thank my long time travel companion and husband (Mr. Honey) for planning this trip which was filled with many pleasant surprises. It was our first visit to Spain.

First Stop: Malaga, the birthplace of Picasso

One of the paintings in the Picasso Museum located in Malaga where the painter was born.

We flew from Seattle to Dublin and from Dublin to Malaga. We enjoyed walking around the narrow streets of the city, visiting the Picasso Museum and the many lovely garden spaces. One of my practices is to bring a heart shaped stone from my collection with me when I travel and leave it as an offering in the place I visit (I shared about this in last month's post). I left a stone at the entrance to the Alcazaba, a palatial military fortress built in the 11th Century on a Phoenician-Roman site. If you happen to visit Malaga and see this heart shaped stone on the fountain adjacent to the sign that says "Alcazaba Teatro Romano" feel free to take it and contact me! The fountain doesn't have water in it and you can see the heart stone in the groove in the center of the back panel.

Heart stone I found by the Salish Sea and left in Malaga Spain.

Sign at the entrance to the Alcazaba across from the fountain where I left the heart stone.

On the topic of fountains, this one is located in the Jardines de Pedro Luis Alonso and is a favorite of the pretty wild green parrots who live in the gardens. It was fun to watch them splash around in the water.

We learned that this lovely tree is called a Floss Silk Tree (Latin name: Ceiba speciosa) and blooms in November.

A sweet gato (cat) napping in a pretty part of the city, the Jardines de Puerta Oscura

Marianne by the Mediterranean Sea in Magala

Second Stop: Ronda, birthplace of bullfighting

Statue of a bull in front of the bullfighting rink in Ronda, the city in Spain where bullfighting began

The beautiful gorge in Ronda

Mr. Honey takes in the view of the valley from atop the gorge

Many of the houses in Spain are painted white to keep them cooler in the intense heat of summer. The country is filled with whitewashed villages such as this one in Ronda.

We were delighted to see this marker in Ronda identifying one of the routes of the famous Camino pilgrimage. Our daughter walked 150 miles on the route that begins in Portugal and ends in Santiago, so this is very special to us.

Of course, being a flower fanatic, I always enjoy the flora in the places I visit. This heart shaped Cockscomb in Ronda just took my breath away! Isn't she stunning.....muy bonita!

Leaving Ronda on our way to Cadiz, we made a stop in the village of Setenil de Las Bodegas where the rock cliffs serve as roofs for the businesses and homes located in the caves - such a unique place!

Second stop on our drive to Cadiz from Ronda was the magical city Zahara situated on a hillside with an enormous old cathedral at the top and reservoir below.

Lovely scene at the entrance to the city of Zahara built on the hillside

With our expert driver and guide, Alejandro, at the Grazelema lookout on our way from Ronda to Cadiz.

Third Stop: Cadiz, the oldest continuously inhabited city in Western Europe

My favorite place in Cadiz....the Playa de la Caleta ..the beach where scenes from the James Bond movie, Die Another Day were filmed in 2002 and where I found these sweet heart rocks. There is a castle located offshore with a walkway leading out to it.

Wild Honey walking down a rare empty narrow street in Cadiz (probably empty because it was early in the morning (we were on our way to a history class/tour of the city.

A lovely theater in Cadiz built in the Neo-Moorish architectural style that can be found throughout the Andalucia region, reflecting the Islamic influence there.

Roman Theatre in the oldest part of Cadiz. The city traces its history back 3,000 years!

Fourth Stop: Sexy, Sensuous SEVILLE, flamenco capital of Spain

A flamenco dancer performs in the Plaza de Espana in Seville. I gained a renewed appreciation for the flamenco art during this trip, especially for its roots in Gypsy culture. I used to perform Appalachian clog dancing on an old stop sign that I'd lay on the ground so my tap shoes could be heard, so I could relate to the dancers use of a portable dance floor! The music and lyrics remind me of American Blues and Middle Eastern music. We enjoyed the street performers but we also saw a professional group perform in a theatre.

The Magnificent Cathedral of Seville, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, built on the site of a former mosque after the Christians took over Seville from the Muslims in 1248.

Inside the Cathedral of Seville

The ornate cathedral as seen from the inner courtyard filled with orange trees.

We made advance reservations to visit the Donana National Park and were disappointed that the day turned out to be rainy and windy. Needless to say, our walk around the sand dunes at the beach was a hurried one! The wind was whipping us around and sending sand into our eyes! We also drove past rice fields and saw many birds in the wetlands.

A stork nest in the national park. We saw the birds but weren't able to get photos of them.

The village of El Rocio is located next to the Donana National Park and is the site of a famous annual pilgrimage, the Romeria del Rocio. The religious festival occurs each year at Pentecost and attracts up to a million pilgrims who travel to the village to honor the Virgin of El Rocio - a statue of Mother Mary believed to impart miracles and healing to viewers. The village has no paved streets. Horseback riding is a primary mode of transport, with many buildings featuring hitching posts for horses and donkeys.

Fifth Stop: Cordoba, home of the Mosque-Cathedral

The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba viewed from the courtyard. Due to its status as a former mosque (up until 1236 when it was converted to a cathedral by the Christian forces during the Reconquista), it is also known as the Mezquita (Spanish for mosque).

Ceiling inside the mosque-cathedral reflecting its Islamic origins

Last Stop: Granada, home of the Alhambra, the Royal City built in the 13th Century

The Alhambra receives 10,000 visitors each day!

The Alhambra is a prime example of medieval Islamic architecture and the last remaining royal city of the Moorish period. It was built in the 13th century as a walled city within itself, containing palaces, residences, gardens and mosques. It showcases intricate geometric designs, stucco work, and Arabic calligraphy on the walls. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, It also includes a Renaissance-style palace built by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V after the Christian conquest.

A reflecting pool inside the walled city of Alhambra

Our guide explained that rectangles are a feature of Islamic architecture and they are incorporated in the garden designs at Alhambra. I enjoyed strolling around the gardens even more than walking inside the palace with the crowds! Water is a central element, with fountains, pools, and channels that irrigate the gardens.

Many courtyards and views like this one of the city of Granada in the distance connect the buildings and gardens of Alhambra.

Outer walls of Alhambra

Our trip to Spain concluded with this a lovely visit to the countryside and the GeoParque outside Granada. The hill to the left of the path in this photo is actually a tall aqueduct built up by calcium deposits in the water! It was an unusual site, and we even saw wild mountain goats on the surrounding cliffs - a special treat!

View of the Gorafe Desert which looks like the "Grand Canyon of Spain" with its many hills and deep canyons. In the distance are the Sierra Nevada snow-covered mountains. On this trip, I learned that there are three Sierra Nevadas in the world - this one in Spain, and the other two in California and Columbia!

I'm running out of storage space on this site due to all of the photos and videos I've shared, so I will just summarize some of the additional highlights of the trip in words, lol!

There were so many fabulous sites and such beautiful scenery, and I took so many photos - who could resist, right? In the Gorafe Megalithic Park we saw a dolmen, an ancient rock structure used as a burial site that is estimated to be 8,000 years old! The cliffs in the surrounding area contain numerous cave dwellings that are currently inhabited. Houses are carved into the hillsides, and one of the residents in the village of Guadix graciously invited us to tour his cave home! We were also stunned to learn that in 2023, a site in Guadix was dug with plans to build a parking lot on it, but the project had to be abandoned when a Roman theatre dating back 2,000 years was discovered there!

Spain's most famous export: OLIVES!

It seems appropriate to end this report on Spain with a photo of one of the major symbols of the country - the olive tree! Spain produces more olives and olive oil than any country in the world, including Italy and Greece. We also very much enjoyed the famous oranges - were spoiled to drink fresh squeezed OJ each morning for breakfast! We've heard that in spring when the orange trees bloom, the scent fills cities like Seville. Other delights were seeing pomegranate trees and enjoying the signature dish, paella, brought to our table in a large skillet.

Muchas Gracias to the people of Spain for being so welcoming, hospitable and patient with us as tourists! One of our guides shared that Americans are his favorite tourists which surprised and pleased us as we have a reputation of being not so great, ha! I think that the Spanish can sympathize with us given our current political climate due to their own history of suffering under the dictatorship of Franco from 1939 - 1975. Another of our guides who was born after 1975 said, "I was born in a democracy but I am still living in the shadow of Franco." Someone asked, "Is your government as bad as it appears to be on TV? And of course we answered, "It is worse!" I wish that we could feel pride when we answer the question, "Where are you from" when traveling abroad, but sadly we feel embarrassment. We are grateful that we aren't judged as individuals based on the failings of our government, and hope to extend this grace and understanding to others.

I like to read a memoir or travel book (in addition to the regular guide books) about the places I visit and for Spain, I chose "Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past" by Giles Tremlett. It is a long but fascinating and enlightening book that I recommend. I think another good book would be Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Hemingway served as a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War (1936 - 1939). There are statues of him in Ronda, the city that inspired this particular novel.

I am thankful for the opportunity of travel and for the many other immense blessings in my life. The beauty of the natural world continues to sustain me, as does the love of my family and friends. I am particularly thankful for the election results on November 4 and for everyone who voted and campaigned, especially my great nephew who traveled all across the state of Virginia on behalf of Abigail Spanberger, and my father-in-law who contributed to her campaign even though he resides in California! He is a 94-year-old veteran who sent me an email after the election that has made all my efforts in the resistance movement and fight against authoritarianism totally worth it. He wrote: "From No Kings Days to the ballot box, Trump and his ilk are being protested and rejected. You helped to make this happen. Good job." And now the opposition continues. I am thankful to all the patriots out there defending democracy. A special note of gratitude goes to veterans like my father in law and to Senator Mark Kelly and the others who reminded our military of their duty to uphold the constitution by refusing to follow illegal orders.

I am wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed holiday season. I am thankful for everyone who has taken the time to read my posts, especially for those who have shared comments or messaged me with responses. I will resume blogging in the New Year, unless something urgent (or especially newsworthy) comes up beforehand.

All my love,

Wild Honey (aka Marianne)

P.S...If you contact me via the chat mode on my website, be sure to include your email address so I can respond. I have received feedback that this feature is confusing. The other option is to email me at marianne@mariannemersereaudotcom