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Saturday, March 1, 2003
This morning we were up early (jet lag), we loaded our car and headed south toward Malaga. Once out of Madrid, the views became beautiful. As we neared Andalusia (south of Spain) the view improved even more. We saw lots of billboard style bulls nestled along the rolling hills and tons of sheep, goats, and olive trees. As we neared Granada, the snow capped mountains were magnificent. It took about 5 hours to drive to Malaga and our condo was 28 kilometers past Malaga near the town of Fuengirola. Soon we had arrived, checked in, and settled into condo at Costa del Sol #117. Our view from the deck was spectacular! Overlooking a kidney shaped pool, we could clearly see the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. That evening we jumped into the car and drove a few kilometers down to Costa Mijas and ate dinner at an Irish pub. So far, we are introducing Spanish food to the kids very slowly… We were tired but so jetlagged we didn’t get to sleep until 3 am!
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Sunday, March 2, 2003
We got up at 9:30 this morning and the kids were super jet lagged.
We had been invited to a breakfast at Zachary’s Restaurant by a man named Wayne who worked for the resort. We were expecting the hard sell on the condo sale, but we figured we would enjoy the free breakfast. He was actually great and just provided us with some info about the area. It was gorgeous weather and 20.5°C so we decided to relax and enjoy the resort and pool. That afternoon, we headed down to the beach to stick our toes in the Mediterranean Sea. The kids found some great stones and shells to bring home as souvenirs. One of Darby’s flip flops drifted out to sea and Mom had to run in after it with her shoes on! That evening we hung around close to the resort and dined at El Tajo. The food was more British than Spanish and fairly mediocre. Most of the people staying here are British and German.
On Monday March 3, we took a day-trip to Ronda. Click here for more.
On Tuesday, March 4, we took a day-trip to Gibraltar. Click here for more.
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Today, we decided to slow down a bit and enjoy the resort.
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It is hard for us to do because we like to do and see everything when we travel somewhere, but it is important to also relax a little and enjoy the scenery. Last night was the first night that everyone slept with completely no jet lag! After a late breakfast, the kids headed to the “Kid’s Club” resort activities at 11 am where they spent some time playing with two other British kids while we ran to the grocery store for some lunch items. We picked the kids up at 1 pm and enjoyed lunch of sandwiches and strawberries on our balcony overlooking the Mediterranean. We decided to spend the afternoon at the pool and although it was way to chilly for the grown-ups, Darby and Grayson loved playing in the pool! That night we decided to explore the town of Marbella, but when we arrived the traffic was so bad, we decided to head back to Fuengerola instead. We enjoyed a Mexican dinner at a place called Caramba Mexican Café there. It was nothing like Mexican in the States, but it was pretty tasty. After dinner, we enjoyed walking around the small town and exploring the quaint streets, shops and cafes. We found a big square that had a fountain and a church and was surrounded by the most gorgeous flowers. The kids identified a wonderful candy store on the way back to the car and had to indulge…
Thursday, March 6, 2003
Today, we went into Malaga to sightsee. It was somewhat
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difficult to wedge our car in between a Mercedes and a brick wall while parking! Mark did it though! We loved exploring Malaga and strolling along the tree lines wide side-walked streets to the tourist information booth. We procured a map and were sorry to learn that the Picasso Museum was not yet opened, but schedule for grand opening in October. L Instead, we visited the birthplace of Picasso on the Plaza de la Merced. We then toured the Alcazaba which cost 3 Euros per adult – free for Darby and Grayson! The Alcazaba is an old palace fortress for the previous Muslim Governors in Malaga and was begun in 1057 AD. It was amazing to see and think that it was 1,000 years old. The Spanish were currently excavating an old Roman theater at the foot of the Alcazaba and that was also interesting to peer into. Next, we headed up the hill to the Parador Gibrilfaro on bus 35. It is a 4 star beautiful hotel on the mountain with a fabulous view down over the town of Malaga. The views were fantastic and we enjoyed walking around and contemplating an area that was built so long ago… It was very neat to be able to look down on the bullring from the top too. We grabbed a late lunch at the hotel and the waiters were comically slow. We almost missed the bus back down! In the main part of town, we strolled along the Alameda Principal, which was filled in the center with gorgeous flower sellers and their wares. Finally, at 6:30 we headed back to our condo, stopping at a BP along the way to fill up the gas tank – 60 Euros! Whew, gas is expensive here!
Friday, March 7, 2003
Today was our last day at the Club la Costa so we headed
down to the pool to relax for a bit. We enjoyed lunch poolside and then prepared for our horseback riding adventure. Darby was dying to try this all week – every time we passed the stables, so we made a 4 pm riding reservation. Darby’s horse’s name was Polombo and she wanted to take him home with her! It was a great ride. Grayson was too little to ride alone so he rode on mom’s horse while the guide held the rope and led Darby’s horse. Daddy’s horse was the feistiest and he led the pack the entire way. After our ride, we headed to Costa Mijas to get some dinner at an English-style pub and then went to the restaurant next to the stables to watch the Flamenco dancing show. We knew we didn’t want to miss the show so we planned to enjoy dessert and coffee there as we watched the show. It was fantastic!
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