Last days in Malaga

 

We are trying to take a breather between adventures and perhaps too much between blog posts but there is so much to experience that it is difficult to resist.  The boys are up for anything and have yet to push back and as long as we balance the day with water (drink and pool), food and rest, we can get hours of exploring in before they complain.  

We told Devin that until he could swim without his water wings in the deep end he would need to continue to wear them.  He decided that he would swim laps in the shallow end until he could swim without the wings…..he’s now diving (yup, full dives) into the deep end.   Calvin has told him that if he doesn’t start an Internet based company before he is ten that I would have to go to all his classes with him….let’s see what he comes up with ….watch out Facebook.

We have had our first need for medical attention and thank goodness it was for me.  This has taken its course so need to worry.  I woke up in Madrid….yup, two weeks ago, with a very sore leg and discovered a large bite on the back of my leg.  At first I thought of blaming Calvin but he eventually convinced me that it was a nasty spider bite.   It continued to grow in size (roughly an orange) so I visited a local pharmacy that are permitted to prescribe medicine for some things. She gave me a cream that took the redness away but it started to become hot and continued to grow in size. I went back to the pharmacist and asked for the address for the local clinic and within an hour we had found the clinic, registered, met with a doctor, and her translator, and got a prescription filled for antibiotics and pain.  Who has great healthcare?  It is better now but I still have no idea what bit me.  Is there a Spanish Tarantula? Not to dwell on the obvious, but Aidan broke his toe  (we think) prior to our departure for Europe and we waited in emergency for 5 hours before giving up…..and never saw a Dr.

Calvin found a flamenco show in Malaga that was rated very well on Tripadvisor, named Kelipe.  It is in Malaga centro and one of the reviews said “don’t be put off by the strip mall setting”??? Hmmm this sounds interesting.  We chose this flamenco show over others because this one is a more traditional gypsy style rather than the kind we have seen in the past.   Calvin and I love flamenco dance and fado music and have been to several concerts in the past.  Our history with this music goes back to our honeymoon in Portugal. We stumbled upon a concert of Spanish flamingo dancers and loved the passion and power of the show.  We recently attended a concert at Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver that also amazed us.  So, we decided to go with the gypsy style because it was more like the kitchen parties in Andalucía, Spain. 

We found our way to the “strip mall “ with only a couple of minutes to spare and sure enough there it was ,right in the middle of a little mall of stores on multi levels . Travellers tip – get a GPS if you are driving in Europe – it will save you hours of frustration circling your destination on one way, narrow roads.  The show was set up on the bottom floor in the centre court where the acoustics are fabulous (think Roy Thomson hall-not quite but the same cylinder structure). The show consisted of 3 performers = one very talented man on guitar and a male and female singer/dancer. What the setting lacked in atmosphere it made up for in passion and incredibly talented performers.  We felt like we were invited into their living room for a family fiesta! Calvin and I loved it and the boys would have probably been keener if it had more flashy flamenco dancers but appreciated the guitar playing just the same.  The guitarist never really knows where the singers or dancers are going with the song or movements but it’s that interpretive nature that makes this so cool. 

I would love to learn flamenco dance so don’t be surprised if you see me stomping around with a very serious face next year! The show started at 9:15pm and lasted about an hour.

When we surfaced from the basement out on to the pedestrian walkway the city was thumping. Every bar and restaurant was full of young beautiful people, and dressed up like it was Vegas…but more tasteful, OK, maybe somewhere really cool in Europe – like Spain.  You could eat off the streets and the buildings were beautiful.  We wandered around for another couple of hours, grabbed some gelato and found the main walkway full of street performers and more beautiful people.  I lost Calvin a few times … and he has a whole directory of photos that he insists will fill another blog.

 So many days have been spent by the pool, in the pool, at the beach and looking in stores. Aidan never seems to tire from perusing the aisles of souvenir shops. They all have the same inventory and they all charge the same prices but he continues to look for unique items.  Noah and Aidan are getting the hang of bartering. The street vendors on the beach enjoy haggling for their wares and Calvin has taught the boys what price to start at and at what point you walk away and more importantly, how you walk away….slowly.....slowly….so the vendor has time to call to you or tap you on the shoulder.   They really enjoy the challenge, it seems, where I would prefer not to have to do it… so they are doing it for me. If I even glance at something on a vendor’s blanket they encourage me “Mom, do you like it? Do you want me to get the price down for you? “Aidan has perfected the slow walk while Noah is using a bundling technique. Two for one ….what will we do with two fans, two bracelets, two scarfs …you get the picture. Priceless to see them in action and good for their confidence I think – I suppose it has served Calvin well over the years. 

The beach is packed during the day but we managed to section off a square for us.   Monique and I went shopping and left the ‘boys’ to find a spot for us on the beach.  A group of a dozen Italian girls were fresh out of university and coincidentally just happened to be next to our ‘boys’ when we found them…..what a way to enter puberty…..and I’m talkin’ about Calvin.   They are certainly all shapes and sizes on the beach here and I admire the confidence of the not perfectly toned bodies.  We have been making great dinners at home with the Amanat family and Calvin treated us to a dinner of fish cooked in a citrus butter sauce. How come I only get poached eggs at home?

Off to Barcelona in a couple of days to stay at the home of a distant family member and her husband who I haven’t seen in about 20 years.  She graciously offered their home while they vacation themselves.  So generous of them and fortunate for us.