L'Escala day trips

 Our next excursion was to Figueres and Roses. Figueres is Salvador Dali‘s hometown and he is also buried there. We were really keen to go to his museum even though it doesn’t have his best works but  it is supposed to be pretty amazing. Aidan was telling me about this wacky dream he had the day before so it was a great way to explain the meaning of surrealism. Bad timing for us though as the line-up for the museum was too long (2hrs+) in the hot sun so we took a pass and decided we would come back on another day (only 40 minutes from our villa).

Instead we drove back to the coast to a town called Roses. The Bay of Roses is spectacular. Winding coast of sandy beach and turquoise water with the white homes built up into the side of the cliffs. We headed to one of the many beaches and set up for a couple hours. The kids were happy I remembered my bathing suit. Party poopers!  Calvin and Noah went for a little walk along the beach, like they do on every beach visit.  Hmmm what could they be looking at? We all enjoyed swimming in the very shallow, warm Mediterranean.

The kids were eyeing up this paddle /waterslide boat for the past few days, so we gave in and decided to rent one. If you can picture a paddle boat with a park slide strapped over the area where the peddlers sit – you got yourself a money winner on the beaches of Costa Brava.  We had envisioned it to be pretty pricey but it turned out to be the equivalent of $14 for an hour. Funny thing was that the guy who rented the boats didn’t have a watch so how would he keep track of the hour? Then he spotted my watch...darn! The MacInnis 5 fit on one and the Amanat family took their own out as well. It turned out to be lots of fun and we spent an hour and a little bit peddling and sliding into the water.  After an hour swimming, we came back to shore to join the sea of sunbathers for a little while.  Calvin and Noah went to the car to drop some more euros in the parking meter – an hour, two beer, one coke and a plate of calamari later, they returned.  I guessed they were on another inspection of the beach! Aidan and Devin built sand castles and I relaxed after all that peddling.

On our last full day in L’Escala we rented a boat/skipper with the Amanats to close out our Spain trip with a splash. The boat was absolutely perfect but it wasn’t easy to arrange as the owner, Peter, speaks very little English and Calvin’s Spanish hasn’t improved at the rate we had hoped.  Calvin was able to determine the cost, location and time.

We found the Marina and handsome Peter – finally!.  He showed us to his boat.  It was a 15+ meter power yacht with an upstairs for sunning and sightseeing and a downstairs with three beds (not that we were sleeping on this thing), a bathroom = plenty of room for the 9 of us.  Away we went. Peter and the kids downstairs and Mo, Jay, Calvin and I up top ! Perfect! 

We followed the coastline from L’Escala to L’Espertit. Peter took us into many coves with massive cliffs towering above us. The turquoise water and the caves were spectacular. It was some of the most beautiful seascape I have ever seen. We pulled into a few coves and jumped in for a swim. Freezing cold but it didn’t seem to matter to anyone.

While the Moms made lunch on the boat the Dads and kids took their masks and snorkels and went looking for fish.  This is Aidan jumping off the top of the boat.  The area was full of colourful tropical fish and a barracuda to boot.  Poor Monique got some wicked motion sickness and could not stand on the boat, so while everyone was eating she jumped in the water and treaded water until we were ready to leave. It was the only thing that made her feel better. I really sympathized with her and was worried Devin and I would end up in the “same boat”...ha ha - couldn’t resist. But we were both ok.

The ride back to the port was so relaxing.  I lay down on the top deck and fell asleep for a few minutes and it was heavenly. We said goodbye to handsome Peter and headed back to the villa.

Without any internet access at this villa it has been really difficult to book our next accommodation and we leave tomorrow!  We are looking at it as an adventure…not a problem!  We said adios to the Amanats who were on their way to France for a week or two before flying home to North Vancouver.  We had a great time with them and will miss them.  Safe travels back home!.

Barcelona to L’Escala

Out of our way, from Barcelona to L’Escala, we visited the Montserrat Monastery.  It is way, way, way up in the mountains of Montserrat (serrated mountains).  It is considered Catalonia’s (one of the largest provinces of Spain) holiest place and we arrived during the week that the Pope was visiting Spain so it was super-duper holy that day.  The drive up the winding mountain roads is not for the faint of heart or motion challenged…Devin seems to be growing out of his motion sickness while I barely survived.

The setting is extraordinary – the buildings appear to be carved out of or into the mountain that soars 1,236 m above.  The original chapel dates back to the 9^th century but the history goes even further to AD 50 when it is said that the small wooden statue of La Moreneta (the dark one or the virgin of Montserrat) was made by St Luke and brought to here by St Peter and hidden in a cave to keep it safe from enemies.  The statue sits behind the alter, at the top of the Cathedral and the line up to touch it was 4 hours long… (super-duper holy week after all)….we opted to just visit the cathedral and we were lucky as a service was about to begin and we listened to the choir sing some beautiful pieces in languages we didn’t understand. 

The acoustics in this place are incredible.  I’m pretty sure Calvin would sound good singing in here.  We didn’t last through the entire service (Catholic Church having a 90 minute Friday afternoon service) and we ventured outside to explore the grounds.  We happened upon a large group of youth who had travelled from all parts of Europe to hear the Pope speak in Madrid. 

                         

I’m not sure if this was a ‘flash mob’ but the group suddenly formed a circle and two guys playing bongos, two more on guitar and a nun dancing in circles with a flute started playing while the group of 100+ started to dance in a circle….performing choreographed moves to various hymns. We watched four or five numbers before we started to make our way down the hill. Back in the car we headed to our next destination, L’Escala in the Costa Brava area.

We have been putting in some long hours in the car but the boys don’t mind if we keep it to a maximum of five hours per day which should be rare.  They have found many ways to keep themselves busy including the odd scrap but mostly, they are getting along extremely well and we feel so lucky.  They’ve even managed to create a bit of a curtain so they can have some privacy during the longer drives.

Once again we are sharing a villa with our good friends Jay, Monique and kids.  L’Escala is an untouched or was it unspoiled Spanish fishing village with white sandy beaches and is home to one of the world’s largest suppliers of anchovies…..or is it.   OK, so the internet does not always say it as it is.  Most of the Costa Brava has been overrun by tourists primarily from France and the UK…now, we have nothing against the French or the Brits but when you are searching (literally, searching) for authentic experiences of Spain, you will likely not begin in L’Escala.  Now, it is quite beautiful and there are plenty of great beaches but you do need to get to most of them early to get a towels length of space.  I’m sure, before the tourist boom, this sleepy town was primarily Spanish and a great producer of wine, olives and a successful fishing port. It is still one of the world’s largest anchovy suppliers - L’ESCALA ANCHOVIES. 

We bought a jar but I haven’t opened them yet so stay tuned for the review because I do love ANCHOVIES. Costa Brava translated is rugged coast and that it is. It has a very beautiful coastline with many curves and coves to explore. Villa Alicia (every home has a name – I like that) has enough room for all 9 of us to be comfortable a nice pool, ping pong and  pool table so that during the hottest hours, the kids have lots to keep them occupied.

The first night we arrived, Jay and Calvin took the garbage out at about 10:00 pm.   I suppose a scent of freedom wafted through the air and they decided to find the beach (in the dark) because the owner of the house said it was an 8 minute walk from where we are staying.  Turns out, the beach is more like 20 minutes by foot. The 8 minute walk likely existed via the cow path that once connected our neighbourhood to the fishing port…now, it’s a gnarly web of streets built haphazardly and without any sign of planning.  The boys, without water, watch, cell phone or GPS and just enough money for exactly two beers made it to the beach eventually.  I believe they were likely distracted by the ‘tourists’ as they completely (and I mean no freakin’ clue) forgot their route home.  They wandered the streets for a few hours asking everyone if they knew of our street ‘Canaloops’ which is home to approximately 12 homes in a town of 30,000.   Surprisingly, no one had any idea where they lived or how to get them home.  The speed of growth of the town was not equalled by the growth of the necessary infrastructure and funny enough (for me, not them) there was no taxi service.  Finally, they found a bar with internet access and a laptop and even the three locals that attempted to find the street gave up and drove them home around 1:00am.  They were exhausted and dehydrated – they downed a beer each in 10 seconds.  Pretty funny stories of wandering dark allies and peaking over fences and we all went to bed after a good laugh.  I thought ‘it might be one of those- went out for cigarettes and never came back’- but not so. Mo and I thought ‘oh those boys found a bar and are having a couple of beers ...rascals!’ I suppose it’s time to lower our expectations of them.   

Most days have been spent swimming and relaxing by the pool. We are making our own dinners and they have been fantastic. Everything tastes great cooked over charcoal on the BBQ. ..Except Jay and Calvin’s attempt at grilled calamari, a little rubbery and chewy. There is a small croissanteria just down the road that Calvin and I have been frequenting in the mornings. Before any of the kids get up we have been walking to the shop, (don’t forget Jay & Mo are home too) which at 8:30 has had line-ups for the fresh croissants that come out of the oven right on to your plate in seconds. The croissants are chocolate, cream filled, ham and cheese stuffed.  They also have some killer almond sticks, and fresh baguettes. My favourite are just good ole buttery plain croissants. We sit at the outdoor tables and enjoy our café con leche and treat before walking back with fresh bread for the day and croissants for the rest of the gang.

Our first excursion from L’Escala was to the Roman Ruins in Empuries, just 3 kms from our villa.  It sits on a beautiful stretch of beach. The site was occupied by both the Romans and Greeks and is very well preserved.  The Greeks built down by the water while the Romans built on the top of the hill.  The ruins date back to the 7^th and 3^rd centuries B.C. This settlement was the first one that the Romans built in Spain and the Greeks used it for a trading port calling it Emporion (emporium) meaning trading place. It was a very hot day and of course the ruins are all outside so we walked through at a steady pace.

  

Luckily there was also a museum that was air conditioned and we spent more time viewing the artifacts. After many water breaks we found some shade and ate our lunch that we had packed. The beach at Empuries is quite beautiful so we had brought our bathing suits (except me) and headed there after lunch. All the boys (and Neeku) swam over to the rocks to explore but found that the rocks were very sharp so those that didn’t wear sandals had some cuts on their feet. Mo and I sat on the beach and people watched. Since I forgot my bathing suit I sunbathed in my underwear. I figured since most sunbathe topless what’s the big deal? It apparently was a big deal to my kids when they got back from exploring…not cool, Mom!   There were plenty of topless ladies of all sizes and shapes but Calvin and Jay picked out a spot directly between two groups of topless young ladies – I wondered why they walked so briskly to the beach….there was one bottomless lady that took us by surprise.   

Deanna’s Birthday – and last days in Barcelona.

 It turns out Devin doesn’t really think I am 25 as he greeted me in the morning with a big hug and a reminder that today I am …39…ok not really.  Anyway, he is fully aware of my age and enjoyed telling me all day how old I was now.  Such a sweet boy, our Devin.

The day started with lots of hugs and kisses and Noah woke up early for the first day of this trip! Calvin made a great breakfast that included fresh fruit and chocolate croissants and great coffee. He’s got his cup of café con leche down pat. The boys made me homemade cards and each of them had some reference to Spain on them. Bullfights and Spanish flags decorated the front and they will be real keepsakes for me. Lots of lovely gifts that they all picked out and were very excited to give to me. 

It was my choice how I wanted to spend the day so I chose to visit the Gaudi (am I a fan?) park that he designed, called Parc Guell.  Guell was a wealthy client of Gaudi. We once again took the metro and got off a little too early and as a result we had to make a steep climb to the park. Outdoor escalators were available but we still had to climb them.  They had stairs for the non-North American tourist.

The view was beautiful and the park is full of lots to explore.  There was a guy playing both the dijereedoo and the accordion at the same time?  A Polish Aussie?  He was really good and the boys rewarded him with .5 euro each.  

The park is Gaudi’s most colourful creation. There is a large public square with a snaking balcony of colourful mosaics that offered a stunning view of the city and is said to be the world’s largest bench. We took lots of pictures and ate our picnic lunch we brought – restaurants are really expensive here but groceries are cheaper than home…picnics for us.  

Aidan bought me a cool leather bracelet in Jamaican colours from one of the street vendors and Noah picked out a pair of silver earrings for me and they both paid with their own money.  Spoiled me and I loved it!  We enjoyed a gelato on our way back home. 

Calvin poured me a large glass of wine and cooked another amazing dinner while the boys began the art projects I commissioned them to do of me.

Aidan and Devin used coloured markers and Noah used pastels and I am as proud as Picasso’s mother must have been. We enjoyed our dinner, relaxed for about 20 minutes and then headed back out to a night of jazz music in the park. We used our beach towels (we have no beautiful afghan) and lay down to enjoy the music along with many locals and tourists. We didn’t stay too long as it was getting late and I am getting old don’t forget.

 Once we got home, at 12:30am, the wonderful men in my life surprised me with a lemon birthday cake, which just happens to be my favourite.  I had a great day with my great family and thank you for being so understanding of this very self-indulgent entry! XO

Our last full day in Barcelona was spent doing laundry and packing.  Devin stayed home to help me while Calvin, Noah and Aidan went to tour the stadium that the greatest football team in the world, FC Barcelona, calls home. It is the largest football stadium in Europe and comfortably seats and sells out to just fewer than 100,000 fans. The club has a museum inside that displays memorabilia and trophies on 2 floors. They were shocked at how many trophies they have actually won. Noah and Aidan got to hold up the European championship trophy and had their picture taken with the World Cup.  They toured the stadium including the dressing rooms and media rooms and left happy football fans. 

We have really enjoyed our time in Barcelona and  think it is a great city! Thank you to S & T for the use of their lovely home. 

Barcelona

The boys and I were excited to head out on our Antoni Gaudi exploration day. I didn’t know a lot about his work before arriving in Barcelona but we are now all fans.  I will not include too much of his history here but take a look online at some images if you are interested. He was one of the godfathers of Modernisme (a variant of Art Noveau) a style born in Barcelona. The city is full of highly original buildings that he and his contemporaries created. They included many aspects of nature in their designs and I suspect some ‘aspects’ of nature contributed to their inspiration, imagination and courage to challenge the conventional ways.  There is a mushroom from northern Spain that is said to be his favourite piece of nature.  As a result, there are not a lot of straight lines in any of his designs and many styles and colors are incorporated both inside and outside of his works of art. 

We decided to start our Gaudi tour at the Sagrada Familia temple – his final work.  It is one of the most unusual and unconventional churches in Europe and his greatest work.  In 1883, Gaudi inherited the task of designing the church and there could have not been a greater choice as he was in his prime.  He revised the initial plans that looked nothing like the nearly finished final product.  He died before he finished it and it still is not complete but bears his mark. The estimated completion date is still 10 – 12 years away.  

I can’t think of any project anywhere that began more than three generations ago and is still under construction ….OK, maybe our deck.  It helped the boys put some of these huge cathedrals and castles in to perspective.  Seeing a work of art in progress and the enormity of the effort required to complete the task helped them appreciate those that were able to complete buildings hundreds of years ago, without today’s tools or electricity to ease the worker’s load.  There were a lot of tour buses full of cathedral seekers so we decided to walk around and admire the facade from the outside where some believe the most beauty is visible. You can really spend several minutes on each small section as there is so much detail. We took lots of pictures.  You can’t help but be impressed with Gaudi’s vision but equal praise is due to those that were able to execute on his vision so well.  Some of the world’s greatest craftsmen have contributed to the Sagrada Familia.

Our next stop was the Casa Mila. It was built in 1910. It is a corner apartment block and was a big departure from conventional building construction and as a result was highly criticized. There are no straight walls in the building. Kind of like our house !!  Did Gaudi spend any time in North Vancouver? The building also lacks any colour, which is unusual for his work.  The kids were pretty impressed by the uniqueness of this building - sort of Dr. Seuss like. The chimneys and sculpted air ducts look so threatening that the locals refer to them as the witch- scarers .

We continued on to Casa Batllo down the street from Mila.  A complete contrast to Mila, Batllo is so colourful. The tiles on the roof are multi coloured and curved. The balconies look like skulls and Aidan picked that up right away. We sat outside on a bench and took it all in with the rest of the tourists and I decided it was one of my favourite buildings. We walked around a bit more and stopped for dinner. I was craving some red meat and ordered a steak but they just couldn’t get it cooked in the middle enough for my taste ,even after sending it back a couple of times so I didn’t eat it and was pretty disappointed. Calvin ordered fish and enjoyed it and the boys enjoyed theirs as well. Devin had a bit of a problem with the bathroom lock and thought that he would have to spend his holiday in there.  He was a bit freaked for the remainder of the evening.  We continued to walk after our dinner and didn’t arrive home until midnight, thoroughly exhausted. These boys are troopers and ice cream is a great motivator.

What better way to follow the Gaudi 10km walking tour of the previous day than a hike up the mountain in Barcelona.  European tourist maps can be deceiving and legends are rarely accurate.  Using the legend, we calculated that the trail to the mountain top was no more than 1 km from the house – after several attempts and 2.5km later, we reached the dirt trail leading up the hill.  The hike lasted close to 3 ½ hours and was well worth it. The views were panoramic and the sea beyond the city is a beautiful expansive blue – it reminded us of the view from Grouse. We sat and ate our picnic lunch and felt pretty proud of ourselves. It was very hot so we didn’t stay up for too long and found a shorter route down.  Noah grabbed the map and navigated us home where Chef Calvin prepared a great stir fry and I enjoyed a wonderful bottle of red wine for all of 4 euros. The only thing missing was a masseuse to work on my calf muscles.

We are in Barcelona for only 4 more days and we want to see everything – we are falling in love with this city.  We discussed our options over breakfast and the vote to go out yet again was won by a slight margin of 4 to 3 – Calvin and I have two votes each.  There were a few grumbles from the kids. After we leave Barcelona we will be staying by the beach and there will be plenty of time for chilling out so off we went.  

Today was the Picasso Museum.   Calvin somehow attached the computer to the TV to play our tourist videos of Spain a few days earlier and the boys were fascinated with Picasso and his work.  The thing that captured Noah’s interest the most was Picasso’s changing styles and the significant difference between his work as a young boy and his abstract paintings as he grew old.  They seemed to contradict logic to the boys – it appeared, to them, as if he became a progressively worse painter as he aged.  His work as a young boy focused primarily on portraits and landscapes where his precision and attention to detail was astonishing.  There is a painting of his, in the museum, where the wind is rustling the veil on a young girl’s head.  It is so perfectly painted that you would swear you should be able to reach out and touch the veil.  The boys were asking to see Pisaso / Pichatico / Pistachio / Piclaso’s work and after butchering his name for a few days, Calvin came up with a great way to help the boys remember his name…..phonetically….pickasshole.  I doubt they will ever forget his name and it felt as if they said it every 30 seconds while we waited in the long line to enter the museum. Mom stepped away and pretended not to know any of them.  

There were plenty of street vendors to keep the boys occupied while we waited in the line-up.  Aidan negotiated the vendor down to 1,5 euros for a fan to keep us cool and Noah snagged a new pair of “REY BEND” sunglasses for only 5 euro (1/2 of the original asking price). Ray Ban’s brother I guess, and truly authentic just like the Rolex for 15 euro. The line-up took about 45 minutes which wasn’t as bad as I thought and the kids were admitted for free!  That’s always a nice surprise and makes for a pleasant visit when we don’t feel we have to stay long enough to get our monies worth even though the kids may be complaining. That wasn’t the case this day.  The museum holds Picasso sketches, his ceramics and some graphic works. We were all really impressed with his talent at such a young age and his self- portraits.  At age 15 he was already painting major works. We came across a pastel portrait of his mother that he did when he was about 16 and since my birthday was the next day, I told the boys that for my birthday, I wanted them to each draw, pastel or crayon a portrait of me. They were keen to do it. Should be fun to see what they come up with. The boys took their time in the museum and were rewarded with a couple of pretty explicit nude sketches. Giggles echoed through the museum and they of course had to race over to grab us.  We were about to take a pic or two when the security guard tapped us on the shoulder and we were told “eXCuse mE, but it is abSOLutely foRBIDden” so no pics of Pickasshole but we regularly use the new phrase so money well spent at the museum.   We passed through his blue period (sad and lonely) and finished up with his modern, abstract stuff full of colour.   A quick visit to the gift shop (fridge magnet) and we were off again.

Our last stop before heading home was a visit to the Palau de la Musica Catalana.  This is a real palace of music in the Modernista style. We decided to splurge on the tour of the music hall as it was a recommendation on trip advisor. We found that the kids were free again and at the end of the tour we would enjoy a glass of cava (sparkling wine) ...sweet !  The tour lasted 55 minutes and was brief but well worth it. The hall is decorated with mosaic, stained glass and sculptures. The auditorium is lit by a huge inverted dome of stained glass that is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. At the end of the tour we got to go on stage and see what it is like from that perspective and to enjoy our glass of cava. We tried to talk Devin into playing something on the piano so he could really appreciate the feeling of performing on a stage of that size but he didn’t want to show off or he was too shy.

Back on the metro we headed home for dinner and relaxation. Tomorrow – Deanna turns 25, according to Devin….and Deanna.

Barcelona

Fuengirola, Malaga was a great home base for visiting Andalucía (Southern Spain).  We were less than a two hour drive from all major cities and attractions and Malaga itself is a beautiful city with plenty of history, culture, beaches and food to experience.  This is a pic of the Moorish Castle built just above the Roman amphitheatre that is within a few blocks of Malaga’s University and some of the best walking / people watching streets we have seen.  We had a great time in the Villa and highly recommend this area of Spain for some R&R.

We decided to fly from Malaga to Barcelona instead of driving for 10 hours.   Flights within Europe are cheap if; you time it correctly; are willing to fly on the very late or early flights; deal with some unsavoury smells, and; choose the standing room tickets (just kidding, Mom).  We watched the Spanish Air website and picked up five tickets to Barcelona for 15 euro each which came to a total of $225 after taxes (taxes aren’t quite as high as Air Canada) – not a tough decision vs. a 10 hour drive.  The boys have been handling the drives reasonably well but 3 to 4 hours seems to be the breaking point with these small European back seats and growing boys.  Their elbows start creeping east and west as the rolling sunflower fields turn to boredom and thoughts of wrestling.  We returned our rental car at the airport and started our first of many MacInnis Uno Family Championships.  Aidan won the first 3 hands and seemed to have a lock on the first victory but was handed a pick four card just before Devin won the fourth game and Aidan went from first to last.  I think Devin won the first championship.   We discovered on our flight to Madrid that Devin gets motion sickness just like his mom.  I sat beside him with the barf bag ready, just in case but we were ok.  Travellers tip – this is also a great way to get a couple of empty seats beside you….just break out the barf bag when you take your seat and watch the area clear. We were scheduled to arrive in Barcelona at 11:30pm - we arrived at midnight. 

Two cabs and 30 minutes later we arrived at our casa in Barcelona with a set of accurate but challenging instructions to find the keys to the gate and then to the house. It reminded us of a clue in the show Amazing Race but everything seems like a chore at midnight! Luckily, Calvin bought a high powered flashlight that our neighbour, Darryl, recommended so we flicked on the prison watchtower beam and searched for the keys.  I was a little worried that a neighbour would call the police or send a guard dog our way but it was pretty uneventful and after 10 minutes we found the keys. The house is beautiful and we feel very lucky to spend our week here rather than in a hotel. We fell into bed with a thump. The next morning, the early birds of our family, Aidan and Calvin ventured out to get the lay of the land and came home with savoury and sweet freshly baked croissants and a couple of café con leche (coffee with milk). It was after noon before we got our act together and went in search of food and metro.  

 

The metro system here is inexpensive, clean and easy to use.  Our Barcelona casa is located about 10 minutes from one of the stops.  The area is full of shops, parks and a few Palaces and churches (yes, Palaces and churches in Europe) and we walked quite a bit that first day and decided to get some food and crash.  We found a large grocery store within 15 minutes and picked up supplies for the week.  Calvin carried most in his backpack and in two large bags – a great workout when you have to walk 2 km with 23 kilos of wine.  

 The next morning we managed to get a 70 ride metro pass for less than 50 euro.  With over 6 million Barcelonans, they need efficient transportation.  We read all the websites warning us of subway pic pockets and we did see a team of three pic pockets try to snatch a purse that seemed built for stealing = two small clasps connected it to a thin chain around her shoulder.  Luckily they failed but it was interesting to see them at work – well planned moves but a bit weak on execution.  There were many security guards and police with large dogs roaming the metro cars and subway stations – we never felt unsafe or had any problems – it helps when most families  go out for dinner at 10:30pm and return to home at 1:00am. 

We made our way downtown and decided to head to La Boqueria Market which is an amazing food market said to be the biggest in Europe (I have my doubts) – probably a man oversized it. The first stalls you see are fresh fruit and freshly squeezed juice, which on a hot day is a welcome sight. We all picked our favourite combinations of juice and sipped our way through the market. After sampling a couple of different olive selections we bought some with garlic and tomatoes and some in a spicy sauce. We also bought figs, bread and a selection of nuts. Aidan and Devin were surprised how much hazelnuts taste like Nutella…go figure. Nutella is a staple here but peanut butter is a rare sight. We bought our lunch and ate while we stood and people watched. We do that a lot. After a considerable amount of walking we hopped back on the Metro and headed back “home” for a movie and popcorn and bed.

The next couple of days were spent relaxing indoors playing ping pong, uno, charades and poker. Devin is now a pretty good poker player. He’s still working on when to fold but heck that’s something we all need to work on.

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.