Left England in Search of Summer

After a couple of weeks in mostly cool, drizzly England, we couldn't wait to get into the sunshine of southern Spain! No disappointments weatherwise so far - but as we're expecting a few guests over the next 3 weeks, Murphey's Law might kick in...

Two weeks of hard work (cleaning, shopping and redecorating intersperced with beach and pool breaks), and the apartment in Marbella has been revitalized! We spent 6 of the first 10 days, in a daze at "La Canada" - a super mall, with everything we could possibly need. It occured to us that the reason shopping trips were taking so long, was the need to spend a lot of time trying to decipher labels and compare products. But it's been fun to be in a 'western' type of shopping environment again. Even if we can't read the labels very well, items are organized in a way we can understand!



The apartment here is in a lovely complex, just 4 minutes from the beach and a fantastic broad pathway that runs along the ocean for 3 or 4 miles. We've been running / walking and working out along this path almost every other morning and are starting to recognize the regulars. One older woman shuffles along very quickly without hardly picking up her feet; a couple of gorgeous buff guys in red shorts sprint down the path; a big guy with two little fluffy dogs on leashes wanders along... In addition to the workout, it's great for people-watching:)

Now that Brian has found his new favorite beach bar (Victor's B-side, where the dress code is swimsuits and tee shirts) learning Spanish is our next goal. He's got ordering coffees and beers in Spanish down pat...now for some real conversational skills though...