Day Two - Marbella
Saturday March 3
We lost a day from all of the travel, so day two is actually day three. But we felt well rested with eight hours sleep, waking at 7am, until you realize that the body thinks its 1am. Never the less, the bright sunshine and the excitement in knowing that you are in Spain counteracts impulses to go back to sleep.
We walked down to the beach restaurant for a buffet breakfast featuring fresh fruit, pastries, meats, cheeses, and made-to-order omelets. Dining outside, looking across the sea, there appeared to be a cloud bank in the distance, or possibly mountains. Then it dawns on you. That is Africa! It’s exciting knowing such a vast continent is within twenty miles, across the Mediterranean Sea – waters once plied by Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, Phoenicians, and Christopher Columbus for goodness sakes!
The first things on the 'to do' list are to explore the immediate area, find an ATM, meet with Mitzi, the liaison for Marriott Properties, and pick up some groceries. Mitzi will be more than happy to sign you up for your very own time/share condo, but drops the subject after we let her know we’re not interested. She is quite personable and feeds us lots of tips on nearby restaurants, markets, and sightseeing suggestions. Since we have a kitchen, we draw up a shopping list and head to Super Mercado.
It is just like any other supermarket you've been to with a few exceptions, such as not being able to read the label and understand and what is inside the package. As Dave said, "They have a word for everything!"
But, you can pick out a word here and there and figure it out after a few moments. We stocked up on fresh fruit, coffee, cereal, milk, and pastries, and it was interesting to note that milk is not refrigerated, (until you open it), and is packaged in a box. The oranges were the best I ever had, and we all ate at least a few every day. And, I wish Kellogg's, General Mills, etc, sold the Muesli cereal we found in Spain and France, containing chocolate bits, mmmmm...
In the afternoon, we headed to Marbella Centro – city center – about 5 kilometers away. It didn’t take long to figure out that the speed limit changes constantly, depending on road conditions, congestion, urban areas.
Short entrance ramps keeps you alert for tiny golf cart-like vehicles zipping into the flow.
Downtown, we found the public parking garage and walked through a mall with several sculptures by Pablo Picasso, and continued toward ‘old Marbella’, the oldest part of town.
On the way we passed through a little, well shaded park with beautiful tiled benches and fountains.
From there we entered the old section with its narrow streets laid out with no rhyme or reason. Each turn would get you more ‘lost’ as you strolled past many shops and restaurants. If you walked around the block, you would not end up where you started.
It was very interesting adjusting to hearing the language, observing the architecture, absorbing the culture. But we didn’t understand why the street suddenly became empty a little while after we arrived. We ordered a pitcher of Sangria, (served with olives), at a tiny bistro and tried to figure it out…
By the time the second pitcher was empty, shops began to reopen and we realized ‘siesta’ was over. More walking and shopping ensued, followed by an ever growing sense of hunger.
As we strolled, we would check the prices at various restaurants, determined not to repeat the financial fiasco of the night before. Once we decided to eat, we had to figure how to get back to the Italian eatery we’d seen earlier. Thanks to my uncanny sense of direction, we went straight to BONO. Like the singer. A young fellow wearing a bandana over his head greeted us.
Again, we were the only customers. The owner's kids sat at a table doing school work. Our waiter engaged us and we found that he’d worked in Chicago as a chef but was unable to get his visa renewed. We proceeded to enjoy a tasty meal, and as we were getting ready to leave, little aperitif glasses were placed in front of everyone. Our chef insisted that we stay for a shot of Grappa, on the house. We argued over which arm he should twist, but before he could pour the first shot the bottle fell and shattered, soaking G-Pa’s right sock.
Unfortunately that was the last bottle of Grappa, so we were presented with some type of lemon liqueur. A few rounds and many goodbyes’ later, we stumbled back to the parking garage and drove back to Marriottville.
After a long day it was time for bed and more readjustment to our bio-clocks.
Day One Marbella
Day Three Mijas
Day Four Granada
Day Five Gibraltar
Day Six Ronda
Day Seven Marbella
Day Eight Paris
Day Nine Pere Lachaise
Day Ten Louvre mall; in Notre Dame
Day Eleven Ste Chappelle; Le Tour Eiffle
Day Twelve Versailles; Musee D'Orsay
Day Thirteen Louvre Musee
Day Fourteen Musee's D'Orsay, Rodin, Paris Modern Art
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