Marbella...by way of...England?
- May 8, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 3, 2022
Just an hour's drive on this gorgeously sunny day and we were at our next stop. Passports? Check. Covid Vaccinations? Check. Anything to claim? Nowat. We stood in a short queue just waiting to cross into England, red telephone boxes and all.
Yes, you read me right. What small part of England is right smack in the middle of Spain? Gibraltar! And we are here to have a proper climb of it. (If you'll indulge me, I shall change my vernacular to reflect the new country. Feel free to read it aloud as such).
When I imagined "The Rock" as it's been dubbed, I didn't imagine the size of it. It's really quite large. In fact, it's so large and so out of place on this flat peninsula on the Mediterranean that it appears simply dropped from the sky.
Aboard the local bus, we crossed over the airport runway (when an aircraft takes off they stop traffic altogether) and were let off at the cable car lower platform and quickly made our way up to the top at 412 meters above sea level. On this lovely day, it was brilliant to be able to see across the Straight of Gilbraltar to the mountains of Morocco. What a view!
What I did not expect was to be greeted, like the welcome wagon, by a greedy troop of Barbary Macaques. I was also unaware of how much my children dislike monkeys. Not even a little bit.
One cheeky little monkey leaped right into the cable car, forcing a few straggling passengers to move a wee bit faster off the tram. Apparently, these English streets are dodgier than I'd imagined after witnessing a mugging in full daylight when a hungry monkey latched onto a man's back and nicked the sandwich right out of his bag.
We first stopped for lunch atop the rock with a 360-degree view of the water around it. But, as we finished the last bits of our scrummy sandwiches and chips, Gaelan pointed to the sky behind us. It was looking a tad threatening and we'd only just gotten there.
We ventured to the lookout under an ominous piece of sky when a bolt of lightning crackled and drew a white jagged line. Kip, in his infinite wisdom, gently discouraged the kids from climbing to the tip-top of the rock where the lightning rod was embedded into the limestone.
Fortunately, we were close enough to St. Michael's Cave that we ducked in to have a rest and wait it out. Spotlights on the cave walls showed the formations clearly and the light show provided entertainment while also visually recounting the history of the cave itself. While ancient Greeks believed this cave was the entrance to Hades, another legend has it that there is a subterranean tunnel that leads across the strait of Gibraltar allowing the Barbary monkeys to make their way across.
When we stepped out, we found it damp, cold, with a slight drizzle. Perfect British weather. “Lovely weather for ducks,“ as they say. The cable car had been shut down due to thunder and lightning so we decided to brave the weather and descend the 4 km in shorts in hopes that the heavy rain might hold off. Yet, in less than 10 minutes, it was bucketing down. As Liam commented, "I could drink from my sweatshirt." The rain took a turn for the worse as pea-sized hail hit our heads and crunched underfoot. We gave up, stood under a tree for 10 minutes, and contemplated our next move when we realized that a monkey was perched on the branch just above us. The last thing I wanted was wet monkey poo on my shoulder.
I find it fairly ironic that the only time we've had bad weather in Spain, is when we are actually in England. Fitting, isn't it? At this point, Onora was gutted. Cold and knackered, she had a proper cry under the tree that, to be honest, was hardly worth being called a tree for all the good it did. I swear we came out more wet than if we'd just dealt with the head-hammering hail. So, I stood with her and told her (and myself a bit too) a little something about life going a bit pear-shaped. That, "Sometimes we can't control what happens. But what we CAN do is change our attitude about it. That we can find the humor in it or learn from it, and that sometimes we have to deal with what life throws our way." She left from the ’shelter’ of that tree, wiped her eyes, and soldiered on. That's my girl. I was rather chuffed. While the day may have been slightly botched for Onora, Liam and Quinn carried on like a pair of nutters, marching in unison down the path, frolicking in the rain.
We plodded along, sometimes sheltering in striking distance of monkeys, me giving them the Mom stare that clearly says, “Bugger-off.” We came upon a system of tunnels dug by British soldiers during WW2, led by Churchill. 52kms of tunnels dug in solid limestone in just 6 weeks were used as a place to live, sleep, and store food and ammunition. If you consider that Gibraltar itself is only 6.82 square km, the network is quite extensive. Frozen to the bone and completely sodden, even these tunnels felt cozy - which is a stretch.
A mere 6 hours later, bedraggled and ready for a Kip (I couldn't resist), we found our way back through customs, and into Spain just as the sun was coming out. Off to beautiful, sunny Marbella for the week!
In Marbella, I’d probably have a better chance of learning Dutch or Swedish than Spanish. It is a stunning location, which is why international tourists flock to the area in droves. However, it lacks the Spanish authenticity that Cadíz or Sevilla wins, hands down. That being said, I’m happy to learn a bit of Dutch because “Deze plek is heel mooi” (This place is beautiful)! Nightly, Kip and I sat on our balcony overlooking the lovely Plaza de los Naranjos to watch people pass by and play the game, "Guess the nationality."
Marbella is a seaside town with wide beaches, a graceful promenade, and white homes cobbled together and topped with orange terracotta roofs. The walls of these narrow streets are adorned with red geraniums planted in blue buckets and the streets boast way more restaurants than seem necessary. Yet, they are always full. Shops selling boho style couture are a dime a dozen, and churreria shops tempt you with the smell of fried dough.
As we sat down for our obligatory churro dipped in chocolate, Liam joked that it looked like the entirety of a bull's intestine. He's not wrong, but it didn't taste like it!
The kids were still catching up on school in their free time and I can't think of a better work location than this one on the outdoor patio table. Even with distance learning (literally), the older two are engaged in school, emailing teachers for questions, doing projects, and taking tests. If there's anything that COVID prepared us for, this was it! Quinn even made dinner one night for a project in Geography on Guinea Bissau.
The sun here, even in early May, feels a good 500,000 miles closer (give or take a few) than in Baltimore. So, going to the beach is an afternoon affair. Some of the other beachgoers served as cautionary tales in this regard as they hobbled their Scandanavian skin back to their hotel for a soak in pure aloe vera.
While Kip's 46th birthday was officially on April 27th, we decided to wait and celebrate in Marbella. It just so happened that Sunday, May 1st was Mother’s Day in Spain so, we celebrated both occasions at the Farm Restaurant. (Don't worry, I'll get the American celebration too!) Unexpectedly, we stepped into what appeared to be a small jungle right off a side street and we immediately liked the vibe. Thumping music, bustling wait staff, lush trees, sail-top canopy, and delicious food with an original twist. This was the opposite of stuffy and we loved it! Hummus, falafel, vegan burgers (and meat ones too), pork barbecue, and fancy cocktails followed by decadent mousse (or as the waiter called it 'mouse'). Two and a half hours later, we were walking back into the night air, feeling like we'd just teleported.
We took a 3-mile hike the next day to La Ermita de Monjes at the confluence of three rivers. We made it out of the trees for a beautiful view of Marbella and the sea beyond as well as Puerto Banús, where "MTV Cribs" meets Southern Spain. Thanks to Wikiloc hiking app or we'd still be there, lost and alone on a mountain top. Gaelan, sensing we were consulting a map one too many times, repeatedly remarked, "I really would prefer hiking with a large group." As if 6 isn't large enough!?
The following day we felt good about all of the hiking we'd done and decided that a day of caloric intake was necessary. So, off to Mijas and Mayan Monkey Chocolate Factory for a chocolate-making experience. We tried our hand at bon bons, chocolate dipped fruits, truffles, and fully customizable chocolate bars with our own selection of ingredients! So fun! The owner, a British ex-software engineer turned Chocolatier was the happiest man I’ve ever met. Like Willy Wonka without the creep factor. He gave us his number and urged us to move to Mijas. I think I’ll hold on to his contact info. Anyone want to go in on a house in beautiful southern Spain? No wonder Monkey Mijas Jason is loving life! This village is set on a winding hill high atop a mountain, overlooking the Mediterranean. Even in the misty rain, it‘s beautiful.
We drove back to Marbella and counted our chocolate loot, determined to make it last until June 28th when we return home.
The kids haven’t had a gym class in a while so we thought we’d get them out to do some adventure sports for the day. In San Pedro, there’s a cable ski and wakeboard center on a
scenic lake. There are a series of 5 towers with cables that pull you at various speeds around a lake without the need for a boat…that is, unless you fall off the board and they send someone out in a dinghy to pick you up. The older two got some runs under their belt.
From there we switched gears and headed back to the beach in Marbella to “catch some air” on a bungee-style trampoline device with a harness. The boys took to it like birds but Onora, still a fledgling, hadn’t quite found her wings.
On our last night in Marbella, Kip and I were able to go out on our own for an hour to sit in the plaza just below the apartment within in earshot of the kid’s movie and in full view of our balcony.
I’ve loved everything about Marbella…except for this painting that hung over our bed in the apartment. It’s just so welcoming!
Oh my God I loved this blog!! Especially the British idioms and I could hear you and Quinn speaking your nonsense all the way through Gibraltar! Loved Kip’s birthday dinner complete with 2 songs in 2 languages. The pictures of these whitewashed towns make me drool to be there. I loved also the way you ended the blog. What in the world made the owners put up that painting. The knife was the icing on that cake!