Here we are on the road again. Actually much of it so far has been in the air. Winnipeg to Toronto: we spent a couple of days hosted by brother Georges. The highlights included visiting friends, eating, drinking, listening to opera and a fresh (cool damp zero Celsius, with a big wind off the lake, not the dry cold of Winnipeg) walk along the “Beaches” boardwalk with a great view of the Toronto skyline.
Toronto to Paris, Paris to Malaga, Spain: I am starting to like being searched and prodded. The personal attention makes me feel important. Both of us had our carry on swabbed for potentially explosive materials- nice to know we don’t look like innocent seniors. The seven hours swaddled in an Air France economy seat was the closest thing to tightness of the womb I’ve felt for a long time. To be fair, the flights were uneventful. Perhaps I should lose a few pounds before I succumb to economy travel again.
Toronto to Paris, Paris to Malaga, Spain: I am starting to like being searched and prodded. The personal attention makes me feel important. Both of us had our carry on swabbed for potentially explosive materials- nice to know we don’t look like innocent seniors. The seven hours swaddled in an Air France economy seat was the closest thing to tightness of the womb I’ve felt for a long time. To be fair, the flights were uneventful. Perhaps I should lose a few pounds before I succumb to economy travel again.
Paris airport is huge. The ½ hour walk between terminals to make our Spain connection was refreshing after the long flight. Compared to getting into the US, passport control was easy. Good thing we walked there fast so we could wait two hours. A pleasant and short flight over beautiful mountains and brilliant costal views brought us to Malaga. Easy disembarking with no customs (!), a twenty minute shuttle ride and we were at our hotel, the beautiful Sunset Beach Club in the town of Benalmadena. We were bagged, could hardly talk sense (that was Roland ), and happy to be here (that was both of us).
We stayed awake until 7 local time by walking and exploring then slept for fifteen hours. I haven’t done that since I was a teenager. (Since I never sleep more than 6 hours on a good night- it was a miracle- E) What a difference a good night sleep makes. We love our suite (even Elenore’s mother would like the high class marble floors and cleanliness) A full hot breakfast is included here. Half the fun of exploring a new place when you don’t speak the language is finding food. Mission accomplished, we found several supermercados . Supper for the next couple of days is handled. Did I mention that the local Spanish wines are delicious and inexpensive? Some bottles for under a Euro. I am a snob; I prefer one that costs 3.50. We have been here just over a day so who knows what delights are waiting for us.
Our first impression is that this place is like Mexico except cleaner and the buildings built to higher standards. Still Spanish- what a surprise.
We have been in Spain for a week and (as cautious as we are about jumping to conclusions) we love it. The weather has been cool with occasional sunny breaks. Although no blizzard, we experienced quite a rain storm. The waves on the Mediterranean were crashing on shore and it was a magnificent sight to see. The Costa del Sol of Spain has had more rain in the last month than anyone can remember. The tide has turned. Yesterday was clear and today is promising to be as sunny and warmer (18 to 20 degrees C).
If travelling is learning, that’s what we’ve been doing: how to shop for food, choose a good wine, get around safely, take the local bus, take the train, get to the nearby markets, find a bathroom, make new friends, get back to our hotel, build up your stamina walking, what are the nearby quality entertainment opportunities, what are the important Spanish phrases. Our first outing was a self managed guide around the old part of Malaga. It involved taking a bus, visiting the third largest cathedral in Spain, a Picasso museum, and an ancient Moor fort.
We have been following a philosophy of explore one day, rest the next. “Rest” often means lots of walking along the shore and exploring locally. Our next excursion was to Mijas, a beautiful white village on the side of a nearby mountain with a side trip to the popular Fuengirola market. After one and a half hours waiting at a bus stop watching everybody in Benalmandinas drive by in full busses, a British couple took us under their wing. We followed them by local bus to the train station, enjoyed a train ride to Fuengirola, and a long walk to the market. This is where the first disaster of our trip struck. It happened at a small churros cafe. Churros are fried bread fingers that you dip into a cup of melted chocolate. They had no more chocolate!!! In our usual intrepid way, we used sugar for dipping- yum! After touring the market our new British friends, David and Sue led us to the bus station to catch a ride to Mijas.
Well, it was cold and rainy. We had fun exploring for a couple of hours. Found a bus on our own, and made it back to our hotel before dark.
The next few days, we explored more the local area, some of it in the rain. Our planned trip to Morocco fell through, so we had to have fun here. More shopping, making friends, sea food restaurants, and a fantastic Spanish Ballet concert at a nearby casino. The Spanish dance troop dazzled us with sights, sounds and precision. The second half of the show included a Spanish trio with guitar, singer and percussion to accompany the dancing. We walked home after midnight, “high” from the event.
The next few days, we explored more the local area, some of it in the rain. Our planned trip to Morocco fell through, so we had to have fun here. More shopping, making friends, sea food restaurants, and a fantastic Spanish Ballet concert at a nearby casino. The Spanish dance troop dazzled us with sights, sounds and precision. The second half of the show included a Spanish trio with guitar, singer and percussion to accompany the dancing. We walked home after midnight, “high” from the event.
Saturday, Jan 30th, 2010
A sunny and cool day was perfect for the guided tour of ‘The Rock’ known as Gibraltar. Our multilingual guide chattered in English, French and Spanish, enough bad jokes for the whole hour and a half drive along spectacular coastline. As we approached our destination, I was amazed. Gibraltar looks just like the pictures!
The Spanish border police did a quick walk through the bus. We weren’t sure what he was looking for, but not to be outdone, the British police walked through as well, just to verify we all had passports. We’d been told many times to bring them and they did eject one passenger from the bus for trying to get across with only a driver’s license.
A sunny and cool day was perfect for the guided tour of ‘The Rock’ known as Gibraltar. Our multilingual guide chattered in English, French and Spanish, enough bad jokes for the whole hour and a half drive along spectacular coastline. As we approached our destination, I was amazed. Gibraltar looks just like the pictures!
The Spanish border police did a quick walk through the bus. We weren’t sure what he was looking for, but not to be outdone, the British police walked through as well, just to verify we all had passports. We’d been told many times to bring them and they did eject one passenger from the bus for trying to get across with only a driver’s license.
After the border crossing, we had a green light, so proceeded to drive across the airport runway. Yes, you read that correctly. Gibraltar is 300% bigger than before WWII because Canadian military engineers made tunnels throughout the rock for defence purposes. The runway was built with reclaimed rock. A traffic light controls vehicle and pedestrian traffic. As we crossed we could only hope that the airplane side had a red light.
We transferred to a smaller tour bus and an even funnier driver/guide. He would switch between a fluent made-up French, Spanish and a hilarious British accent as part of his impeccable English. The small bus was just the right size to squeeze through the extremely narrow roads. I am sure there was at least a centimetre on each side when we went through some of the tunnels. The tour was quick and informative. I tried to take some pictures on the move but was disappointed in their quality.
The tour’s highlights included:
Europa Point, view of Atlantic Ocean on the right, the Mediterranean Sea on the left with amazing views of the Spanish and Moroccan coastlines. Wow.
St Michael’s Cave, a damp cavern with colored lights shining on ancient stalagmites and stalactites.
Barbary Apes (tailless rock monkeys) who entertained us near the cave entrance. When they weren’t sunning themselves, they’d leap on cars or busses and even onto one poor frightened young tourist’s head.
Sunday Jan 31st, 2010.
A warm and sunny Sunday, our day of rest. Perfect for a bus ride up to nearby Benalmadena Pueblo for easy exploration, coffee in a picturesque square on the side of a mountain overlooking the Costa Del Sol. Well! We thought we had figured out the bus schedule. After waiting 45 minutes, we decided to walk. After all, how far could it be? It was visible in the distance however, street names in this town are hidden quite well and the map we had was useless. We asked directions twice and both times were told to take the bus. Up and up we walked. After two hours, we had our picnic lunch on a bench about three quarters of the way up. We were done, “let’s take a bus back”. Of course there were none, so we walked back down. Not bad, it only took us an hour, and very few blisters.
A warm and sunny Sunday, our day of rest. Perfect for a bus ride up to nearby Benalmadena Pueblo for easy exploration, coffee in a picturesque square on the side of a mountain overlooking the Costa Del Sol. Well! We thought we had figured out the bus schedule. After waiting 45 minutes, we decided to walk. After all, how far could it be? It was visible in the distance however, street names in this town are hidden quite well and the map we had was useless. We asked directions twice and both times were told to take the bus. Up and up we walked. After two hours, we had our picnic lunch on a bench about three quarters of the way up. We were done, “let’s take a bus back”. Of course there were none, so we walked back down. Not bad, it only took us an hour, and very few blisters.
Monday, a new day of rest. This time we had a better understanding of the bus schedules, and there were actual busses. We had a great ride up, an easy exploration in a quaint pueblo, coffee in a picturesque square, and when we decide to return, the bus was right there. Sometimes the angels travel with you and sometime they don’t. When they don’t, stay home.
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