A Big "Hola" to all from Spain.
Our apologies for the lack of communication over the past weeks. Most of an ongoing issue with Google has been resolved and our blog is back.
Tres Desastres – Basta!
Maybe I’m innately superstitious (I hope not) or maybe just acutely
aware that we’ve been through a rough patch.
To be blunt, we’ve had some pretty devastating luck over the past 5
months. From the passing of my dear
sister, Lottie, to damage to our house, to a ridiculously stupid accident here
in Fuengirola, a pattern seemed to have developed. To this, I say “Basta”. It’s come in threes
and now: On with the good!
“Intercambio”
They say there is a silver lining in every cloud ... or maybe a rainbow after every storm!
Despite
the seemingly devastating effects of that very silly accident, one wonderful
thing did come out of it.
My doctor, Dr.
Carlos, and I had a little time to talk after an appointment during which I
mentioned that I was looking for someone with whom to practice Spanish.
The Spanish term is “intercambio” and the way
it works is that you essentially meet for coffee, once or twice a week, and
devote equal amounts of time to conversation in both languages.
To my great surprise and delight, I received a WhatsApp text from Dr.
Carlos’ wife, Zaira, who wanted to try out the idea.
Both she and Dr. Carlos had lived in England
for a number of years and she wanted to get back into practice.
Long story short, it’s really been a blessing and a ton of
fun.
We’ve met lots of times over coffee and
recently, Linda and I went with all the family to a basketball game in Malaga ...
... where Unicaja Malaga, was struggling to remain in the European League.
But we did win!!
.... and Malaga lived on to fight another day!
40 Days and 40 Nights
For us sadly, the
rains in Spain were the highlight of the entire
month of March. In fact, the deluge, almost biblical in nature, caused severe flooding all over Spain. Today, in the North, it continues to do so.
month of March. In fact, the deluge, almost biblical in nature, caused severe flooding all over Spain. Today, in the North, it continues to do so.
In Andalucía, where tourism is king here, everyone was in a
real quandary. Sure, the flooding was
impacting their bottom line, ....
 |
| Our favorite chapel in the mountains surrounded by cloud. |
.... but the protracted multi-year drought had depleted
the country’s water supplies. Severe water
rationing was all but imminent. That too
was a bombshell.
That is …. until “The
Beast from the East” arrived … with a bang.
Quite suddenly, the heavens opened up… and for weeks, it poured ...
… a necessary
inconvenience that brought so much rain that the average level of water reservoirs rose nationally to about 68% …
... and the national level of relief???
Oh, to about…
100%.
 |
| ... As we hide from the rain at a café in Mijas. |
The worst of it came during Jim and Beth’s visit, when at
night, the noise of the downpour, pounding on not one, but seemingly, on all sides of the building at once, was so
much more than just “audible”.
I’m
sure, that despite their brave assurances to the contrary, Jim and Beth didn’t sleep much either.
But then, I guess exhaustion-induced sleep is still sleep.
But then, I guess exhaustion-induced sleep is still sleep.
The Mediterranean Blues
In Andalucía, where tourism is king, the health of the
industry is monitored as if it were a patient in ICU (Intensive Care Unit). The fixation isn’t quite obsessive-compulsive
(yet) but it is bordering on hypochondria.
For example, this recent headline appeared in all of the local papers:
“Andalucía’s foreign tourist figures fall for
the first time in 33 months.”
Oh dear, the sky is
falling! The sky is falling! And what was this very dire news?
There had been a dramatic
0.3% loss in tourism this month. What to do?
Who to blame?
Hey, why not those other pesky Mediterranean destinations
like Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt. The nerve of them trying to regain some lost
business. Oh, what to do?
Well, Little Chicken
…. could that 0.3% dip not be due to all the damn rain we’ve been having? Couldn't we just say that Nature literally rained
on our parade ... and move on? Really, unless
they had plans to build an Ark …. chances are savvy European tourists (or at
least 0.3% of them) decided to cut their losses and face that Beast from the
East (Russia) in the comfort and safety of their own homes.
Cloaked in Tradition:
The Costa del Sol woke up early from its very wet winter
slumber just in time to see the early arrival of Easter. Holy Week, Semana Santa, in Andalucía is an event quite unlike any other
celebrated in the world.
One example is the procesión: a parade of elaborately decorated floats with
Jesus and Mary statues, groups of pointy-hooded Nazarenos (penitents), and
shrill brass bands, all making their way slowly through the streets of every
town and village here.
Again, this year, despite a certain level of immobility on
my part and some inconsistent weather on the weatherman’s part, Semana Santa
proved to irresistible. And how could it
not be?
The historical, cultural, culinary,
and religious bonds that tie Andalusians together are best seen in this most important
of religious week. Not even in Rome, is Easter celebrated with
such deep passion and devotion as here in Andalucía …
... where the term “public
penitence” is still part and parcel of the psyche … It truly is one of the world’s
most unique cultural experiences.
An “Oasis” arrives:
During Semana Santa,
Malaga is like a super magnet. Always a
busy place, the city pulls out all the stops at Easter, and this year, despite
the weather, was no exception.
Besides
the processions, there was another bright light Literally! We saw it as it passed in front of our place coming in from France the previous night, all lit up like Times Square. It was
the world premiere of the Royal Caribbean “Oasis” Class", Symphony of the Seas, the world’s biggest cruise liner.
Carrying nearly 9000 passengers and crew, this sea giant’s
unveiling took the spotlight, albeit for just a few hours, during this most
important of European Christian Holidays in Malaga … and fittingly, thousands
showed up for the ship’s christening … a baptism done by tugboats directing
streams of water towards the ship, ...
Yowser! I guess there’s a little devil in all of us … even at Easter.
A tad frightening? Sure but it was nothing that a little food and drink couldn't cure!
The Old-Farts Card:
This year, Linda and I are benefiting (A tad late! We could have done it last year!) from a
program for old folk called La Tarjeta
Dorada. It gives us reduced costs
for all train travel both local and afar.
The total cost of the card was about 6 Euros and, of course, it seemed
to pay for itself in the blink of an eye.
In a week, we’ll be heading to Madrid on Spain’s AVE high-speed train.
With 3,100km of track, these trains operate on the longest high-speed network
in Europe. They say that speeds can reach 310 km/h, but Linda says she’ll want
off if that happens… Yuk! Yuk! … it’s non-stop to Madrid.
 |
| Back for another year! |
Will we ever return? Oh, will we ever return?
Well, despite our disappointment in the weather, ....
.... and its
impact on the many who came to visit from afar, ...
...Linda and I have decided to
return to Fuengirola for at least one more year.
Others will be returning as
well. Nikta and Fred, Russel and Tracey, and Mike and Louise, have all found a place for next year, as have we.
Linda is really starting to enjoy learning
Spanish and although we’ll call our place here in Fuengirola home again, we’ll
be travelling a lot as well.
We realize
that there is so much more of Spain’s vast history and geography to explore,
not to mention its deeply-held traditions, groupings, and rituals.
As they say here: “Come back! Or you will never see anything like it again!”
Blessed!
Since our last blog, we have had the great pleasure of
having family and friends here with us in Fuengirola.
James and Sally and Jim and Beth were our
house guests. Thank you for the wonderful visits.
We recently said good-bye and “Hasta la próxima” to fellow snow birders, our friends Nikta and
Fred and our new friends, Russ and Tracey.
Soon to be gone as well are Dwight and Barb and Mike and Louise. Yes, it looks like we’re closing up shop
here.
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