A Return to Andalucia, Spain 2018.

A todos, “Hola de España”. 

Sometimes we think our mantra should be:

“We haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on our bucket list.”

…. and yet, a return to Andalucía was absolutely the right choice.  

That had always been clear in our minds but until our approach to Malaga, over the sparkling blue Mediterranean waters, we hadn’t felt it in our hearts.  

Oh, yes, it was nice to be back in España!

As some of you may know, our return to Fuengirola marks a new chapter in our travel habits.  

We’re calling it “Savouring Andalucía” and serendipitously, that’s exactly what was needed after some difficult patches over the fall and winter. 

Returning to our familiar digs in this lovely little coastal town avoided those pesky stages of settling in ... to a new, well, everything, and that was wonderful. 

I guess it was like sharing a creamy cup of hot chocolate on a cold blustery winter’s night. 

Although, there’s a familiarity in that first aromatic whiff, it still warms the nose and awakens the senses. 

Happily, the Mediterranean is our hot cocoa this year …. leaving us to wonder what Spain had in store for us.    

So, here’s to familiar tones and new experiences!

Viva España!!

But first things first. 

Before coming here, we inserted a five-day layover in London, where we visited our friends Jeremy and Jo. 

It was a big year for them.  Both had become head teachers (principals) and together they purchased their first home.

Jeremy’s school was one in which he had previously worked for a number of years, both as a teacher and an assistant-head,

....with the result that he already had a profound knowledge of the school’s strengths and needs.  

It was my very good fortune to able to spend an entire day with him and his team at Three Bridges School Primary School, 

....marveling at the wonderful work being done there.  

It goes without saying that I was enormously proud and extremely honoured to see this gifted school leader weaving his magic.  

But sun and sea awaited us and soon we were sitting on the balcony of “our” little place, basking in the Andalusian sun,

…entranced by the view of the oh, so lovely Mediterranean and the Zen-like sound of waves rolling gently to the shore.

What a nice feeling, to be back... but with a difference!

Fred and Nikta with friends John and Lucy

... and you know who.

Two sets of Ottawa friends, who had also chosen this area as their 2018 winter holiday destination, had already arrived.   

Fred and Nikta, both incredible and wonderful hosts, have a beautiful apartment, just about 2 kilometers as the crow flies down the coast from us in Benalmádena.

It boasts a view of the Andalusian sunset that sometimes paints the sea and sky in shades of red and pink.  Predictably, their balcony has already become a hub for friends and family visiting from Canada.  

Benalmádena is, in itself, a wonderful long-term destination with attractive beaches and interesting places. 

Thanks to Nikta and Fred, we’ve discovered Colomares Castle. 

Interestingly enough:  Colomares Castle was the accomplishment of a life-time dream of a Spanish doctor who, having made his fortune in the U.S., ...

...  returned to Spain and set out to build a memorial to his hero, Christopher Columbus, whom he believed to be under appreciated here in Spain. 

Like many of those somehow involved with Columbus, he, too, ended up bankrupt and died. ☹

As well, we learned about the 33-meter-tall Benalmádena Buddhist Stupa, the largest in Europe,

the Benalmádena Marina and ...

the Benalmádena Cable Car. 

Enough practice, ….now can you say Benalmádena three times quickly?  😊

A curious note:  Although our two apartments face the same shoreline, (we can actually see their building from our balcony), their orientation allows them to see a beautiful sunset while ours allows us to witness incredible sunrises. 

Oh, the magic of Spain!

Another set of friends, Barb and Dwight, live right in the centre of Fuengirola. 

A brisk 35-minute walk along our promenade has us standing right in front of their building.  They, too, are real explorers and continue to discover places and restaurants that we knew little about. 

This week we set off with them to Torremolinos where, high up on its mountain, we visited a beautiful botanical garden featuring amazing water displays, statues, ancient grist mills, aviaries, and an oasis of Palm trees. 

A walk and a wonderful meal down on Torremolinos Beach topped off a great day.  (Yes, the beach is only meters away from the promenade.😊)

We, too, have had some guests here as well.  Our friends Jeremy and Jo visited us for a week of relaxation, dining, and exploring. 

At the same time, Karli, a terrific former Pinecrest staff member, took a room in a

house nearby for a couple of days.  For a number of years (4 over 5 program), she had been saving with one goal in mind: to travel for six months with her son, Jonah, throughout Europe and Northern Africa.  To our delight, she found a couple of days to spend here before setting off for Morocco. 

After seeing Jeremy and Jo off at the airport, we continued on with the light-rail train to Malaga to meet up with Jim and Beth, our long-time friends now living in Halifax. 

Our afternoon flew by, what with all the walking, catching up, and of course, delicious Mediterranean cuisine to savour.  Their plan is to do a week-long tour of Saville, Cordoba, and Granada, and then to return here to spend 7 days at shore’s edge…. and perhaps beyond. 

This year, Linda and I are both taking Spanish classes. I am amazed at how much Linda is learning in her course.  Her teacher, Rocia, has a program for beginners that has simply captivated her interest.  It’s really fantastic to see. 

We take Spanish on alternate mornings which, unexpectedly so, is working out fabulously for our fitness.  

40 minutes of walking to our little sun-lit church plaza (where we meet to have a café con leche or even lunch after class) and then 40 minutes back get us our 10 000 daily steps pretty quickly. 

Ugh, if only Spanish cooking weren’t so d_ _ _ (can you spell “darn”) good!

Recently, we met two of Fred’s many relatives, Kathy and Robert, former Newfoundlanders now taking up residence in Nova Scotia. 

Curious wanderers of the world, they have seen and done much.  The highlight of the evening was when Robert pulled out a bottle of Scotch, made to commemorate the storied Shackelton 1907 Antarctic Expedition, in which 11 surviving bottles of whiskey had survived in the cold Antarctic waters. 

An interesting story indeed, but one which can be Googled.  Even more interesting was savouring a dram of Shackelton on the shores of our blue (and warm) Mediterranean.

And on that note, we shall see you all, hopefully, very soon.

Hasta la vista!  And thanks for reading our blog.  

Our Final Days in London

Tea for two (times 4000):

On Thursday, the Queen hosted a “Tea” for 8000 Brits, the first of four she'll do this year. Having missed the invite (no proximity to a proper toilet would have been a problem anyway), we took a stroll down the Mall where many party-goers, proud as peacocks, were to be seen. 

Hats off to the ladies:

Needless to say, hats at Buckingham were the order of the day.

And yes, everything you've heard about British hat fashion is true.



And, did you know that....

Buckingham Palace, 

the Queen’s official residence, was built in 1702 on the site of an infamous brothel. 

Today, Buckingham Palace has its own police station.

Paddle boating on the Serpentine:

O.K., we weren't punting in Oxford but we did spend a glorious afternoon paddling on the Serpentine, a 40-acre recreational lake, in Hyde Park. Although not the heart of the city (too many other attractions could dispute this claim), Hyde Park is the green lung, if not the oasis, of this bustling city...and a happy destination for thousands daily.

A pub on Fleet Street

And by the way:

Although the Thames may be London's most celebrated river in the city, it's not the only one.  London has submerged a number of its streams and rivers. 

The Fleet River - one of the capital's many buried waterways - still runs under the cellars of the Cheshire Cheese Pub on Fleet Street.

Trooping the Colours

Trooping the Colours:

Held in London annually in June on Horse Guards Parade, partly out of military tradition and partly to celebrate the Queen's Birthday, this A-Activity requires practice. 


After all, not only the Queen but the entire Royal Family will be present. 



Again, we received no invite but thanks to a reliable alarm clock and wonderful collaboration from the police, we managed to secure some fantastic vantage spots to watch the full regalia.

Only her highness herself, was missing.

What a hoot! 

Our chatty neighbor, a knowledgeable 84 year-old, informed us that he had never missed a "Trooping" since he himself had served in the army. 

He did make us feel a tad colonial....i.e. not cultured in the matters of the Queen and her armed forces but.... 

....his presence did enrich our day considerably.

Go away, horsey!

We met many that morning, including this constable.... a delightful person.... with an irrational fear of horses. 

Another female constable we met was sadly somewhat melancholy. She had just left her job with the “dog-unit” due to those famous cutbacks that seem to accompany any conservative government.

All in all, a fantastic beginning to a great day!

Next stop: Harrods...a Mecca?

Week-end shopping at Harrods could be considered a sport.

In that light, Linda and Rebecca are true athletes.

For those who aren't in-the-know, this very upmarket 5-acre-large (20,000 m2) department store, has over a million square feet of selling space with over 330 departments.

Yes, it is the biggest department store in Europe.

You might remember that Mohamed Al-Fayed, (Lady Di's boyfriend's dad) did own Harrods.

According to Al-Fayed, Harrod is a special place that gives people pleasure.

“There is only one Mecca.”, he said.

Then, in May, 2010, he sold it to a Quatar Government investment group. Go figure!

Our Last Sunday in London:

Sunday began nice and slowly. Breakfast, coffee galore, and then a small trip to Notting Hill. We did some research Saturday evening by watching the movie with the same name, starring Julie Roberts and Hugh Grant.

Hikers scaling over the roof of the O2 Center

Millenium:

We then hopped on the tube and went to Canary Island and all the Millennium Buildings there.

PHOTO BOMBER at O degrees Latitude:

Work of a photo bomber

Photo Bomber caught red handed

It just so happened that we were in Greenwich....
....where a photo bomber, having a "Mean Time", took over some of my pictures.

I wonder who that was.

Jeremy and I seized the opportunity to take The Emirates Air Line (also known as the Thames cable car), a cable car link that crosses the River Thames at the O2 center.

It was all part of a fabulous Millenium building project, completed in 2012, with sponsorship from the airline Emirates.

Instead of taking the subway home, we took advantage of a beautiful setting sun to enjoy an amazingly fun and exciting trip down the Thames.

Traveling at high speed, we enjoyed viewing some of London's most beautiful architecture along the banks of this historic river.

Imagine beating the traffic back to the city, all the while soaking up some fantastic views along the way!

One last look:

Rebecca and Jeremy were back to work on Monday so Linda and I took a trip down memory lane, revisiting Parliament, the South Bank, the Millennium Bridge (pedestrian) ...


....and of course, Saint Paul's Cathedral.

And finally:

A huge word of thanks to Jeremy and Rebecca for their incredibly generous hospitality. 

 It was such a blast! 


 A la prochaine!!!