Day Three – Mijas

 

     Sunday March 4

 

     We all had a good night of rest and hearty breakfast of fruits and grains, and then headed out on our next excursion.  About halfway between Marbella and Malaga is the Andalucia village of Mijas, situated about 1600 feet up the side of the coastal mountains.  The first thing you notice is that almost all of the buildings are white.  Casa Blanca. 

     We spent the day walking up and down the streets, popping in and out of shops and exploring the area.  Besides the artist’s pottery, Mijas is the site of the Virgen de la Pena Shrine dating from 1548.

 

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The shrine was carved by monks from solid rock to spread the Catholic faith in an area that probably still had some strong Moorish influence.

 

 

 

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From the top of the shrine, there are heavenly vistas of the rugged mountains in the area.

 

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Walking to this church can become a project for the whole day.

 

 

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We sat at a beautifully tiled little snack bar and sampled some Churro’s, a doughnut like tube that is dipped in a mug of thick chocolate sauce.

 

 

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Like doughnuts, you can’t eat very much without feeling like you have a lead ball in your stomach.  No, we didn’t come close to finishing the pile of Churro’s seen here.

 

 

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Here are a few more snapshots from the streets of Mijas

 

 

 

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In older sections of towns and cities you can often find evidence of Moorish influence, blending with more contemporary structures…

 

 

 

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 St Sebastian church in Mijas is more accessible than the hillside chapel…

 

 

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St Sebastian, Mijas

 

 

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…and roomier than the shrine.

 

 

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     After more shopping and walking in bright sunshine we paused for a cold beverage at a pub overlooking Costa del Sol and the Mediterranean Sea.

 

 

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After return to our resort headquarters, we strolled to another of the nearby beach restaurants for a fresh seafood dinner…

 

 

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…and one by one headed off to bed before midnight, though in the back of our minds we knew it was really only 6 pm on our biological clocks.

 

Day One Travel To Iberia

Day Two Marbella

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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