Fuengirola, Spain

     I have formed a poor opinion of Fuengirola. Located in Southern Spain, just south of Malaga, the city is situated on a beautiful beachfront, lined with large hotels and resorts. Sounds great right? Afraid not. The city is an awful tourist destination, filled not with your average charming Spaniards, but with the awful bitchy entitled-to-everything type from the English speaking community. Sorry to offend if you are one of those. Those who are not bitchy are either drunk or trying to sell you drugs. How could I forget the prostitutes? A huge drug-bust closed down our hostel halfway through our stay, forcing us to pay a substantial amount for accommodation and we lost the money we put into the hostel. Not to mention, unlike the wonderful northern part of the country, the food spots around Fuengirola were sub-par, if that.

     The city does have a beautiful castle though. Guess what? You can't go in! There is no fun to be had in this city. I wouldn't ever say that every city has its gems. Fuengirola is best avoided. 

"The Road Goes Ever On"

"The Road Goes Ever On" is a poem written by  J.R.R Tolkien and first recited by Bilbo Baggins in "The Hobbit." This is one of my favorite pieces of poetry and I think it is very relevant and inspiring for this type of journey.

 Roads go ever ever on,

 Over rock and under tree,

 By caves where never sun has shone,

 By streams that never find the sea;

 Over snow by winter sown,

 And through the merry flowers of June,

 Over grass and over stone,

 And under mountains in the moon.

 Roads go ever ever on

 Under cloud and under star,

 Yet feet that wandering have gone

 Turn at last to home afar.

 Eyes that fire and sword have seen

 And horror in the halls of stone                      Look at last on meadows green

                                                      And trees and hills they long have known.

The poem is altered by Bilbo in "The Lord of the Rings," and is a bit more to my liking:

                                                     The Road goes ever on and on

                                                     Out from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

Let others follow it who can!

Let them a journey new begin,

But I at last with weary feet

Will turn towards the lighted inn,

My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

Montreux and Chateau de Chillon

     
      Situated on the northern coast of Lake Geneva sits the small city of Montreux, Switzerland. This beautiful city rests at the base of the snowy Swiss Alps and is only a one hour ride to the top of the mountains. Although the ride can be expensive, it is most certainly worth the time and money. Also in Montreux is the stunning Chateau de Chillon. Chillon is an enormous fortress built on a rocky out-crop of Lake Geneva. Within the castle is its' small cellar where you can buy their unique wine, tour the battlements and prisons, and feel as if you are in the Middle Ages.
      The unfortunate thing about Switzerland is that it is one of the most expensive countries that we have been to in Europe. When you are traveling on a budget, the country is best avoided. If you are like me and you had to see the castle and the mountains, your best bet is to make it quick. We only spent 2 nights there. The country is beautiful and the people and food are great. It is just too expensive. Just be prepared to adjust your budget for the country or save a little extra before you travel.