Make Time: May 2014

Sevilla for the Night

After seeing beautiful fields of sunflowers on my trip back to Spain, I got into Sevilla about 20 minutes after my rental car was due. Cost me about 10 Euros, but could have been a lot worse. Of course, when I got into town I took a few wrong turns and got lost, but nonetheless I made it and dropped the car off. It's a short walk to Fatima's office, so I made my way there but of course I got lost again. The streets really aren't numbered very intuitively in Spain…it's not my fault. I had to go to a bar to get wifi to text Fatima but then she came and got me and we headed back into the office. She was with her closest friend Loes (pronounced Loooos), who's from Holland but has been in Seville for 5+ years. She is absolutely hilarious and completely crazy - I was a big fan from the minute I met her. It's great to see two smiling faces when I get back to Sevilla, which makes it that much more of a second home for me now. I go up to their office which is very modern and cool. The company is called Genera Interactive, and they focus on mobile games and mobile products. Very progressive and cool company, and they are doing very well globally. Fatima and Loes are in the marketing department, and I speak with Fatima about Facebook advertising and my point of view, as well as my experience. It's a good exchange, and it would be cool to work there, but for now I'm going to stay on the road. I have a feeling I might end up back in Sevilla - it's just a gut feeling I have. The city itself is about 800K people but the vibe is full of energy and youth. There is a ton of great food, art, and music, and it's SO close to the beach, Portugal, Morocco, and so many other things (skiing, wineries, etc). It would be very easy to live there. We hang at the office for a while (they were working and I was figuring out my next travel plans), and then I head back to Fatima's place to drop my things. She has been so kind to me and offered to let me crash at her place for the night. I cannot say how good hearted she is - definitely one of the best people I've met on my travels. We go to dinner and meet up with Loes again, and have some amazing pizza, wine, and tons of laughs. The COO of their company (Pablo) joins us as well, and it's great to talk to him and get his POV on the business and about his travels to the US. All in all a great night. I pass out around 1:30am and then wake up around 7:45am to catch a bus to Tarifa, which is the southern most point in Spain - just across the sea from Morocco…my next destination.

A great dinner with two funny and crazy chicas!

Fields of Sunflowers

On my drive from Sevilla to Ericeira I remembered seeing a bunch of huge fields of sunflowers, so on my drive back I made sure to keep an eye out. I stopped on the side of the road to really appreciate the beauty of these fields of sunflowers, which happen to be my favorite flower. So breathtaking. I felt very very lucky. Some good pics below and some funny videos I made :)

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS remember to stop and smell the flowers. Best advice I could give you. It's always worth the time.

Crossing the bridge from Portugal into Spain the only way I know how to do it…
Stopping in the sunflowers video

This was amazing - a sunflower about to bloom with a ladybug perched on top.

Burgau, Portugal - The Best Place in Portugal

After I got out of Lisbon, including some traffic, I made it down to the southern costal town of Burgau within a few hours. I had set my phone's GPS to the destination located here in the AirBnB I was going to stay, but the address wasn't completely right, so I had to pull into a random grocery store and bum their wifi to get exact directions (which were a mile back down the road). I'm glad I went the wrong way first because the initial town I was in was desolate and depressing, so when I finally pulled into Burgau I was so happy. People walking about. Tourists. Locals. Cars here and there. A bunch of little cute shops and restaurants. And most importantly, a block from the Mediterranean. I follow the updated directions that my host, Ali, gave me and I arrive at a house called Casa Nana - right in the main street of town. It's pretty nondescript from the front, but when the door opens I'm greeted by the most friendly English woman I have ever met. She's smiling and gives me a big hug, and as I walk into the house she tells me to drop my things and asks what I want to drink. OK! This is a hell of an entrance. Definitely my favorite so far on AirBnB - that's for sure. I walk into the living room and her boyfriend Phil (also English) is sitting there and we say hello. Both Ali and Phil are about 50 years old and they have the voices of long-time smokers. I love them instantly. We go out on the back porch area and have some wine and talk about my travels and their home. Ali was a cop in London for 20 years and then retired and bought this home in Burgau soon after (about 12 years ago). She has been renting out rooms in it ever since, though she really loves AirBnB because she says the guests are the best. Phil came to Burgau on vacation about 7 years ago and fell for Ali and then moved in as well. They are an amazing couple. They poke fun at one another but you can always sense the absolute love between them - definitely inspiring. They tell me they had just been in Antigua for the last few weeks, and they are planning to sell this rental home and buy in Antigua. Not a bad life!! The house I've booked into is absolutely amazing. Three bedrooms - each has its own bathroom. A huge living and dining area, as well as an outside lounge-type space. Above the rental bedrooms is Ali and Phil's space, which consists of two bedrooms adjoined by a bathroom. They've also setup this amazing outside living room outside of their room on the top floor. Check out the pics below - completely rad.

So that first night I get to them around 8:30pm and we have a drink and then I order a pizza from the place just around the corner. Apparently it's the best pizza in town and it's owned by some English ex-pats as well. When I walk in and tell them I'm staying with Ali and Phil they laugh and we have a fun conversation about traveling and how great Burgau is. I head back - chow the pizza - and then we have more wine until I pass out around 1am. The next morning I got up and headed out on a hike along the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. The next town from Burgau is a place called Luz, which is bigger and not as classic in my mind. I walk for about 3 hours, which feels amazing. The views and vistas are breathtaking - hope you enjoy the pics below. I listened to some of my band's music on the walk home and was more inspired than ever. I really love our music. Makes me happy to listen to it, especially in such a beautiful setting. I get back to Burgau around 5ish and Ali greets me with a gin and tonic and more and more laughs. We start talking and it comes out that my favorite food is Indian food, and so we decide to go up to the best Indian food restaurant in town (and in the world, according to Ali :) - The Spice Cottage. I have to say - this place was AMAZING. Of course Ali and Phil knew everyone, so it was like a homecoming. We ate like kings and managed to have way too many shots before we headed back into town to have some drinks at a few bars. We called it quits around midnight and I was happy to pass out with a full stomach and a nice little buzz.

The next morning - Wednesday - I got up and realized that my friend in Sevilla, Fatima, might be leaving on Thursday morning, so I wanted to make sure to hang with her and discuss possibly working together before I headed back to Sevilla and then onto Morocco. I was really hoping to stay another night in Burgau, but my rental car was due on Wednesday and would have cost a ton to turn in late, so with those two things in mind (the meeting with Fatima and the car cost), I decided to head back on Wednesday morning. It was incredibly hard to leave Phil and Ali. They are such amazing people and they made my stay in Burgau so incredibly special. I know I've said this before, but good people are really what matters in life. And let me tell you, these two people are some of the best I've ever met. I'm already thinking of bringing my mom to Burgau and staying in this house for Christmas this year. Would be an absolute blast. Until then, I'll miss my new friends and this amazing little town in the south of Portugal.