We had been looking forward to going to Spain. We love the country, the culture and the food. It was nice to be able to speak the language again and after more than three weeks in Morocco we were both a bit tired, dirty, and chilled to the bone.
From the ferry terminal Marcela took us to her place in the coastal town of Benalmádena. Located 20km west of Malaga, this area is part of the Costa del Sol and is a heavily built resort area for British and German vacation goers during the cold European winter. The area was gorgeous and the climate warm and sunny year round.
Marcela and Daniel are Argentineans who have been living for many years in the south of Spain and along with their daughters Lourdes and Sabina. Along with Gaby’s Aunt Selma they were fantastic hosts for us and after a hectic three weeks in Morocco we were able to rest, eat great home made food and catch up on the latest with the family. In the morning I would get up and go for a run on the beach and in the local supermarket they sold Belgian beer, Jamon Serrano & Manchego cheese (my favorites).
Spain was the first place that we really saw the effects of the global financial crisis. The Arabic countries where we had been until then are less dependent on the global financial system and seemed to be more immune from the effects of the global crisis. But Spain is suffering a lot from the overbuilding of the last five years and the lack of credit and vacationers from northern Europe is seriously affecting the local economy.
From the ferry terminal Marcela took us to her place in the coastal town of Benalmádena. Located 20km west of Malaga, this area is part of the Costa del Sol and is a heavily built resort area for British and German vacation goers during the cold European winter. The area was gorgeous and the climate warm and sunny year round.
Marcela and Daniel are Argentineans who have been living for many years in the south of Spain and along with their daughters Lourdes and Sabina. Along with Gaby’s Aunt Selma they were fantastic hosts for us and after a hectic three weeks in Morocco we were able to rest, eat great home made food and catch up on the latest with the family. In the morning I would get up and go for a run on the beach and in the local supermarket they sold Belgian beer, Jamon Serrano & Manchego cheese (my favorites).
Spain was the first place that we really saw the effects of the global financial crisis. The Arabic countries where we had been until then are less dependent on the global financial system and seemed to be more immune from the effects of the global crisis. But Spain is suffering a lot from the overbuilding of the last five years and the lack of credit and vacationers from northern Europe is seriously affecting the local economy.
One day Marcela, Daniel & Lourdes took us for a drive to get acquainted with the area. We drove high into the hills outside of where they live to visit some of the whitewashed villages up in the mountains. In Mijas we found a view point and enjoyed the panoramas of mile upon mile of the Costa del Sol spread out below us. From there we walked through its cobblestoned old town with its historic Plaza de Toros. Then we wound down to the coast and drove along the road that paralleled the ocean. We drove through and explored Marbella, Fuengirola, and Torremolinos. Some of Spain’s hottest summer party spots were in hibernation during low season around us.
For us, our stay with Gaby’s family in the south of Spain was one of the highlights of our entire trip because it was such a fantastic place; it was so nice to meet and get to know Gaby’s family there and we got to visit so many beautiful places. With some great home cooking I was able to get over my touchy stomach, we warmed up and recharged our batteries from Morocco. We enjoyed ourselves a lot.
Steve
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