Málaga is quiet this time of the year. Temperatures under 20° make it unattractive for the beach crowds and all those coming for the nature are not staying in town for long. I like it that way and I’m happy to report that food and coffee are on a whole different level than the rubbish they serve in Madrid.

6:49, push-back. On the freaking minute! I have left behind a year of delayed departures on LCCs and opted to go for a normal airline for my trip to Málaga. It has its downsides, admittedly, a stopover in Bruxelles rather than a direct connection, but I think it’ll be worth it. Departing from terminal A at TXL and not the embarrassing tin shed that is Schönefeld. No giddy teenagers trying to mask their nervousness with idle chatter.

Visited café number nine this morning and lo and behold: decent coffee. Still a hipster shop falling for the 100% Arabica folly, plus I had to tell them not to water it down too much, but it was acceptable. Empanada lunch at an Argentinian place was enjoyable as well. What I really enjoyed was conversing in Spanish. I have by now reached a level that allows me to navigate and to talk about food and beverages.

There is a cathedral around the corner, it’s heavy old doors bolted shut. Just like my heart to Madrid. We are not becoming friends. Normally it takes me half a day to find out where the good stuff is. Food, coffee, staff, … not so in Madrid. After two days and eight coffee shops I still haven’t had a single good cup of coffee. Beer is mostly Heineken or Bitburger, local brews far in between.

We didn’t start off on the best foot, the trip to Madrid and I. Having boarded the flight and waiting for departure, the captain announced “the stairs damaged the door and we need to check whether the plane is safe to fly”. Not what I want to hear. At all. With a mere hour delay we left Berlin and arrived at the destination. Navigating Madrid is easy, thanks to an extensive tube network.

Cádi, as the locals call it, left a good impression with me the last time I went (late 2015). Wanting to get out of Berlin for a few days and seeing that flights into Jerez were dirt-cheap, I decided to have a second look. The weekend was fairly busy with heaps of visitors from the area flocking to the beach, but came Monday the crowds were gone. I really love Mondays by now.

Fun fact: Trains in Spain can be booked out, just like an aeroplane. Which then means you have to take an aeroplane instead of a train…

What better way to start a day than on horseback? After the excursions in Serbia and Montenegro, Andalusia with its rich Equestrian heritage was a prime candidate for another adventure on four legs. The hacienda was conveniently located right outside the city and a friendly English lady took me and a fellow traveller for a 2h ride through the hilly neighbourhood. The views were splendid and the horses very well mannered, really nice experience.

Walk around Ronda on an overcast day. Seeing the town from a distance gives a much better idea of its unique position on the edge of a cliff. Special program for the night: Food poisoning, throwing up and all. Feeling better after a whole day in bed now.

Seville is ok but didn’t blow me away. Ronda is quite picturesque. Has a lot of Asian tourists with selfie-sticks.

Joined a 2h walking tour today (free/by donation), learned a bit about the city’s history and picked up some fun facts along the way. Napoleon never managed to conquer the city and when he finally retreated, he left behind his cannons. To this day they serve as “corner protectors” for the houses’ edges in the narrow alleys. I had a really nice time here in Cádiz and it’s one of those places where I could imagine spending a little more time.

Cádiz, one of the oldest cities in Europe and surrounded on 3 3/4 sides by water is currently providing me with shelter within its ancient walls. The old town is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen. The buildings are in good shape, free of satellite dishes and the alleys too narrow to park cars. The place is rather affordable and a meal can be had for 4-5 Euros (small Cerveza included).

Finally, some sleep. My watch lead was kind enough to skip me for anchor watch and I got the night to myself. I’m far from well rested but definitely fitter than the days before. The sea is dead quiet and we run on engine towards Cadiz. Arriving in port in the late afternoon it’s once again all-hands-on-deck. Mooring the ship takes almost an hour and the shower afterwards feels extremely good.

Not much to say about the last 24h in Tangier. Took a taxi to the airport at noon and for most of the 25 minute ride, the cabbie gave me a briefing on Moroccan politics. He also proudly pointed out that his Mercedes (good German car!) was almost as old as me (built 1984) and had run 1,313,900 km so far. The airport sees about 1-2 flights per hour and is fairly relaxed.

The big and anonymous city hostel in Girona was a contrast to all the small, family run places I had stayed at on the Balkans. There I was welcomed, showed to my room and later on greeted by name. In Girona I was handed some bedsheets and given directions on where to find my bunk. Wasn’t too hard to leave this morning. From Girona to Barcelona there is an hourly train connection.

That’s it, Balkans! Pretty much one month after arriving in Budapest, I left from Thessaloniki today. It’s been a great trip with many interesting experiences, lots of great people and countless sights and places. If I were to do it again, I’d give myself more time though. Four weeks for 6-7 countries is too much of a rush. It is because of that, that I’m a little exhausted at the moment.