While we were staying at the El Granado Hostel we met some fellow travelers who had just come from the south and raved about Nerja.  As we were on our way down to Malaga, we decided to stop and check it out!  From Granada, we drove along the beautiful A-7 highway through southern Spain and wound through mouwontains, went through tunnels and gasped at the beauty of the mountain peaks to our right and the blue ocean to our left.  It was a magnificant drive and as we arrived in the charming seaside town of Nerja we knew this was going to be an epic day!

Like most of southern Spain, the town is drenched in history and you could spend days in the famous caves and local museums…  but we came for one thing….. the beach!  Living in the Alpujarra mountains for so long was wonderful, but we missed the ocean!!

We started first by going straight for the water where we found an absolutely beautiful mirador and from there we climbed down hundreds of steps and it opened to a gorgeous beach!

While the girls soaked in the sun Quinn went hiking down the coast through the rocks and caves….

We took off a couple of hours later, stopped at the one of the seaside bars for a Tinto Verrano and then headed over the the famous Balcon de Europa!

In the past, the balcony was part of the watchtower of an Arabic fortress and still has the cannons in place facing the sea.

It’s filled now with Gelato shops, cafes, restaurants and small tourist shops, and frankly…. it’s overpopulated with people.  In spite of that… it is strikingly beautiful and worth a trip!

It was a great day in Nerja and we’re off to Benmadena!