Life beyond Fuengirola Blog Entry 3

Andalucía, España

Hola a todos!! 😊

Linda and I are still enjoying a rented car.  Last week-end, we ventured up the coast to Nerja, about an hour and a half north of here.  All painted in white, this town has become the coastal destination for the discerning traveler. 

In fact, Rick Steves, the travel guru, recently picked Nerja, with its historical charm and beauty, as his favourite coastal Andalusian town. Our Ottawa friends, Lorraine and Bill, have been spending large parts of their winters here for the past decade.  Pretty, charming and tranquil, Nerja continues to captivate them to a point where purchasing a hillside property overlooking the Mediterranean was, for a time, a serious consideration.  And why not!

But, I do digress.  Our stay with Lorraine and Bill in Nerja was one full of little adventures and discoveries. 

From the cold glass of cerveza on a hidden terrace, hanging out over the Mediterranean...

....to a walk down the town’s “piece de resistance”, the “Balcón de Europa”, we loved it all.

The “Balcón” is a high outcrop, stretching out into the sea.   

Sauntering down it gives you a sense of how royalty might have felt, meandering over its marble balcony,...

.....glancing appreciatively from left to right and....

.....admiring the vantage point for vistas and pictures.

And of course, if you’re lucky,....

....you’ll also catch a glimpse of one or two of the guards of the promontory,.....

....Nerja’s famous cats.

Back in the car, Bill, our very competent and friendly navigator, was soon guiding us up a narrow road way to....

.....Frigiliana, their favourite white mountain village. 

Its maze of cobbled streets, all lined with meticulously maintained whitewashed houses were certainly a contrast that day...

.

...to the blue skies, the red slate roofs, the colourful plant pots and of course,

....the bright contrasting-coloured front doors.  

And the vistas of the surrounding countryside and.....

.......the coast below all made you understand why ...

....Lorraine and Bill consider Frigiliana to be one of the most beautiful villages in Andalusia and...

....for which it, indeed, has won awards.

The following morning, after a hearty breakfast, we drove up Andalucía’s historic coast to explore one of a chain of “Torres” or towers. 

Out of the car, we bounded up the trail (as fast as old farts do that) on our path to “La Torre del Maro” where.....

.... we first discovered wild plants and shrubs whose names ring familiar in any kitchen back home.  Lorraine and Bill, so knowledgeable about all things Spanish, put names to the faces. 

But for one, I had never seen lavender, thyme, and rosemary in real life.  All I had to do was crush the flowers between my fingers to release a scent that brought me back to our kitchen in Canada.  It was heavenly.

As for the “Torre”, the history of the watchtowers on the coast of Southern Spain tells of both an eventful and troubled past. 

Bill and Lorraine explained that for centuries, these Roman and Moorish posts had been used along the Southern Mediterranean, to warn against pirates and then (much later),...

..... any lurking enemy French or British warships.

Signals were passed between these watchtowers, using smoke by day and fires at night….

..... and as demonstrated by their longevity, they proved to be a very effective defensive tool. 

A day well begun!

Many beautiful and interesting sites were at our beck and call and we did a great job taking in as many of those hide-away spots that only long-time enthusiasts like Loraine and Bill could know.....

For example: Where does one go to find wild mountain goats? A winding narrow road and a look....300 feet below.

But all that work made for four hungry men and women.

For lunch, Lorraine had made a reservation earlier that morning, all in Spanish, at a beautiful beach-side restaurant in the small town of “La Herradura” or "The Horse Shoe". 

It was Sunday, so, of course, our sea-side meal was going to be Paella.  What a lovely way to spend part of the afternoon. 

Time went by so quickly and soon it was back to Nerja and then Fuengirola.  We will see Lorraine and Bill soon and are looking forward to hosting them here.

As for our car, well, sadly, days slipped by and in the end, it was time to give it up.

But hey, we could slip in one last quick trip!!!  Our landlords had spoken to us about a hillside town called Mijas,...

....surprisingly just 8 kilometres up the mountain behind our place here in Fuengirola and curiously, on the way to the airport to return the car. 

When we arrived, a Sarah Palen-esque thought came to mind when, just few steps from our parked car,...

....I looked out over the beautiful Mediterranean, only to see, not Russia, but the beautiful outline of both Gibraltar and Africa. 

What a discovery!  I can see "Africa" from here!

This thoroughly enchanting village, nestled in the mountainside 428 meters above sea level, with its population of just 7,500 has, somehow through the centuries, managed to retain much of its "white village" charm, ....

......with cobbled, narrow streets and staircases, dazzling whitewashed walls,...

......secret nooks and crannies, and, of course,....

....as we can see here to our right,....

.....breathtakingly beautiful vistas,... 😊

I was in love. 

So charming, .....

.....so full of possibilities, and so close, this...

.......little hillside town will certainly be a standard go-to place for us, over the months to come. 

And now on to Malaga, to return our rental and a light-rail trip (23 minutes) home. 

And oh yes...

.....as we admire one of Fuengirola's many green parrots, may I say that in the interim, we have learned of a small glitch in our plans. 

Our projected stay of 92 days in Europe is slightly illegal.  In fact, we're overextended by two days (90 being the limit) so, our next adventure is to scoot off to London for a few days, (England is not in the Schengen Zone).  Thanks to the incredibly cheap fares available from airlines such as Easy Jet and Monarch, it’s no burden at all and we'll get to see Jeremy and Jo.  Ready or not, here we come!

More to come! 

Hasta la vista!  😊

 

Life begins in Andalucia Blog Entry 2

Andalucía, España

Hola a todos!! 😊

Up early one morning, Linda and I drove high up into the mountains, here behind the house, to a Moorish mountain stronghold, called Ronda. 

Although it had snowed quite heavily there the previous week, Enrique and Rosa, our landlords and “trip advisors”, assured us that prudent driving was all that was needed.

The drive up was beautiful. 

Sure, there were patches of ice and snow that the winter Mediterranean sun hadn’t reached...

.....but nothing that the Spanish transportation department couldn’t remove with…shovels!!!! 

Prudence and good tires were the key and was it all worth it?

Hell, yes!!  Sitting in a fertile inland plateau surrounded by yet higher mountains, Ronda sits at the very edge of both sides of a 100-meter gorge called “El Tajo”. 

The superbly dramatic location of the town makes it, even as I write this, the region’s thus far most spectacular town.

Established in the 9th century BC, this is one of Spain’s oldest urban sites. 

The existing “old town” though, largely dates to Islamic (Moorish) times, when Ronda was an important cultural centre filled with mosques and palaces.

Its wealth as a trading depot made it an attractive prospect for bandits and profiteers, and so, ...

...its natural fortifications, beauty and history provide the town...

....with a colourful and romantic past in Spanish folklore.

In fact, Ronda is a place that leaves you yearning to return and....

.....I know we’ll be meeting again, many times.

Our home is a cute little place...two bedrooms, one bath,......

.....a stone’s throw from the beach,......

....and, without a doubt, a place to share

.....and it wasn’t long before we had our first guests ! 

Our friend, Jeremy, and his partner, Jo, both of whom live and work in London, were our first guests. 

Since they were flying into Malaga, we all took the opportunity to spend the day together, touring this big port city with its Roman ruins and Moorish castles,....

.

...warm sun, and of course, tapas and wine. 

Time with Jeremy and Jo was all too short but plans were made for a trip to London and, of course,.....

.... some get-away trips back here to the heart of Andalucía later on.

I’ve begun an “interest course”....

.....not in bull fighting....

...but in Spanish. 

Far less rigid and demanding than my Mexico City experience at La Salle University, it seems to suit my temperament (and perhaps “age”) perfectly this year.  For starters, classes begin at noon and the number of participants changes as we all pursue other interests involving travel or family.  Curiously, the more that show up (a maximum of 10) the longer the class lasts.  One day, we didn’t get out of class until 2:45….a huge surprise for someone's bladder contending with 3 morning coffees. 😊

And speaking of coffee…the best part of the course, has to be the beginning.  Just meters from our class, there is a beautiful, quiet, sunlit plaza. 

At one end, a small white church stands with doors wide-open, as it has for centuries, while in front, a marble terrace, babbling fountains, and fruit-bearing orange trees, provide the perfect setting for a few well-placed café tables. 

It is here, 3 times a week, that Francisco parades proudly and professionally, towel on arm, out of his little coffee shop facing the square, with my steaming cup of “café con leche”, perched proudly on his platter.  And with a happy “Buenos Dias”, I begin the ritual surrounding this first cup of ambition…drinking quietly, and intentionally, even reflectively, until duty calls and it’s time to turn to the books.  What a joy!

Until next time!  Hasta la proxima!

Fuengirola, Andalusia, Spain Entry 1

Andalucía, España

Hola a todos!! 😊

It is said that Andalucía is the passionate heart of southern Spain,...

.....and this year, we’ve come to Spain to discover why.

This large autonomous region of mountains and hills, rivers and farmland, caps the whole southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, and so, borders Portugal, the Atlantic Coast, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Mediterranean coast. 

Part of Andalucía’s allure is its Moorish architectural legacy left during their Islamic-influenced rule from the 8th-15th centuries. 

Over our 3 month stay, we hope to discover some of the culture that makes this area unique and, along the way, have the opportunity to visit landmarks such as the Alcázar castle in Seville, Córdoba’s Mosque-Cathedral and Granada’s Alhambra palace.

Our “home” for the next three months will be a beach front in Fuengirola,.........a larger town on the Costa del Sol, nestled between the mountainous embrace of the Sierra Nevada and the generally mild-tempered Mediterranean Sea.

But a busy day of flights and car rentals, finding our way to Fuengirola and settling in, had the Andalusian sun all but setting before we could even notice.  And, frankly, we were kind of thankful because, for the first time in two days, we could settle in for some much-needed sleep

Curiosity did get the better of me though. 

Up at 7:30 for a peek at our new surroundings and a couple of deep breaths of fresh morning air, I hurried into the living room so as not to wake Linda and gently pushed open the curtains and doors, only to be surprised by…complete darkness. 

In fact, only the sound of waves spilling gently up onto the beach, confirmed that we were indeed here.  Patience, Charles. The sun will rise.

My next move was to strategically place a lounge chair next to the window....

....and wait...no pray… that our first Spanish sunrise would happen where I had hoped…right in front of our window. 

And did it ever!!!

Not to digress, but we do wonder about flags sometimes, don’t we?  You know: where they come from, their history, their purpose. 

Why even Sheldon (Cooper), in Big Bang Theory, had an ongoing Vlog about flags. 

As for Spain’s flag, I for one, had no prior knowledge but,....

.....were I a gambling man, I would bet that part of the inspiration for that red-yellow-red banded piece of cloth was a Mediterranean sunrise. 

It was SPECTACULAR!!!

And so now, every morning, I and a hot cup of fresh coffee, remain true to our morning rendezvous...

with this late-rising Spanish beauty, which somehow, each day,....

...brings a fresh new view to the Mediterranean Sea and....

....fresh hope to the fishermen, working just meters off our shores.

We’re so glad to be here.

Historically, Fuengirola has run the course of historical twists and turns...

...that many once-tiny Mediterranean fishing ports turned tourist-haven have endured. 

Historical records show that all the big names in European history showed up here at one time or another. 

From the Phoenician colonizers, who founded Fuengirola as a salted fish trading post, and for which it is still famous (had some, they’re delish).....

.... to the fierce Romans, to the Visigoths (a Germany inspiration), to the Islamic North African Moors, whose reign lasted over 800 years and exercised a profound impact on the area.

It wasn’t until 1492 that the Christians (under Ferdinand and Isabella) sent the Moors hoofing it back home, to Northern Africa. 

By the way, did you notice that date?  Interesting, n’est-ce pas?  Someone sailed the ocean blue that year, from Spain, and changed, well, EVERYTHING. 

And thereafter, this little fishing town continued to endure all that European history had to offer….

.....right up to and including that harsh period of squalor and poverty under a recent Spanish dictator called Franco. 

But since the early 80's, this 10-square kilometer gem, with its 7 km. beach, continues to grow without yet bursting at its narrow seams. 

With a population of 76,000, it lives at peace with itself and with all those who come to visit her. 

In fact, it takes little time to realize that Fuengirolans are simply courteous, friendly, and welcoming people that you can easily live among. 

Did I say that it was a pleasure to be here?

More to come.  Hasta la vista!  :)