Special Thanks
This web page is dedicated to my parents-in-law, Paul and Joyce
Cavenagh who invited us to join them for two weeks in Spain and
several days in London, and then made it possible for us to go.
In loving memory of Paul who went home to be with the Lord
before it could all take place, and special thanks to Joyce who
decided to keep the travel plans intact, and who proved to be an
invaluable tour guide.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
We found this to be totally true. We spent most of our time on
the hilly Costa del Sol and it never rained there at all. In
fact, the sun shone every day. We hardly even saw any clouds.
So . . . if it did rain in Spain, it must have fallen on
the plain (when we weren't there). Even though it was the
beginning of March, the temperatures during the
day were in the mid 20's Celsius, making suntanning a delightful
experience when we weren't out touring,
marketeering or otherwise entertained. This is how it went . . .
Malaga
We arrived in Malaga by British Airways from Prince George
and Winnipeg, via London (pic), on board several 737's and a 747 on
Sunday March 1 at about 7:30 pm. It was dark and the air
was humid, but delightfully warm.
Calahonda
After negotiating a rental agreement with a local car
rental agency and then surviving the hectic drive from the
airport to our condominium at the Dona Lola Resort in Calahonda,
it was great to be able to finally flop into our beds and pass out.
We used the following day, Monday, to rest up after 2
days of travelling, waiting in airport terminals and a night on
the 747 somewhere over Atlantis.
Our condo was luxurious with a gorgeous view of the
Mediterranean and the semi-tropical vegetation of the carefully
manicured courtyards. Orange trees were everywhere, and the pool
looked inviting.
While the girls suntanned beside the pool, Len and Brian
went for a walk down the beautiful sandy beach. This was still
winter in Spain, but before very long the warm sunshine forced
their shirts off.
Every few miles along the coast there were ancient lookout
towers in various states of disrepair. This one stands in stark
contrast with the newer architecture of a modern apartment
building.
Fuengirola
On Tuesday, market day in Fuengirola brought new
challenges to all of us. Here we were exposed to the bargaining
style of shopping, so foreign to us in Canada. One lady, who
didn't have a booth, sneaked into the market and tried to sell
Len a tablecloth. When the police showed up, she and a few
others that were with her jumped into a car and drove backwards
down the street.
Shauna and her Mom were not so lucky. After dickering in another
location, they each bought beautiful crocheted tablecloths for
1850 pesetas each. That's about eighteen dollars Canadian. Sheila
bought a watch, and Len and Brian bought some nuts. Brian sized
up some leather jackets but was not able to get the price he
wanted.
Marketeering is very tiring, so when market was over we returned
to the resort and rested on lie-low chairs beside the pool. We
could not get enough of this wall-to-wall sunshine!
On Wednesday, we went to a small market in Calahonda
near our resort and Len almost bought a couple of sweaters, but
the lady reneged on the deal she had agreed to so we left the
market without them.
Sheila and Brian drove to Malaga to visit some friends of
some friends at home who work at a Christian mission. Ab
gave them a royal tour of the mission, and then brought them to
his home where his wife Habiba had prepared a delightful Moroccan
meal of couscous. This was a real honour, and a beautiful
friendship was formed. What a perfect introduction for our
subsequent trip to Morocco!
Mijas
On their way home, Sheila and Brian drove up the narrow
road from Benalmadena up to Mijas where the rest of the group
had gone by bus. They did not find them, so they spent several
hours exploring the streets of the little pueblo on the hillside
above Fuengirola. The streets were very narrow and there were
many little factories and shops where they made and sold
furniture, pottery, etc.
Sheila and Brian were walking on one narrow lane in Mijas
toward the end of the day when twenty or thirty donkey taxis
decided to go home for the night, all at the same time. The poor
animals were anxious to get home for chow time, and nothing
would slow them down as they charged around the corners with
their fancy blankets and harnesses still on them, and their
carts and wagons bouncing along behind them. Everyone quickly
stepped off the lane and marvelled as the Mijas taxi fleet
passed within inches.
Nerja
Thursday found us heading east up the coastal highway
past Malaga to the town of Nerja. We went into the caves
which were nothing short of spectacular. The huge cathedral-like
rooms were bigger than I have ever seen before. Lots of
stalactites and stalagmites with every kind of formation
imaginable. The beauty that we saw underground reminded us
of the greatness and majesty of our Creator.
After eating lunch in a little restaurant overlooking
the beach we walked down the stairs and enjoyed a swim in the
Mediterranean. The water was cool, but after all it was winter.
After we got used to it, it wasn't at all bad.
The little guy on the rock was sombody we shrunk down and
brought over in our luggage. We left him over there.
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