Our Spanish adventure.....reflections.
In every sense of the word, this was a really great trip. I cannot think of one single thing which I would have changed or did not enjoy entirely. At the very outset I have to say that our hosts Bill and Paivi, were just amazing and outstanding in their hospitailty, even to ceding their bedroom to us in the house they are renting in Manilva! They are great company and we enjoyed both the excursions we made to various places as well as the times we just 'hung out' in the house on the days when the weather was not so good. It is hard to select highlights but our trip to Seville was terrific as was, of course, Granada but we also saw some great 'gems' in the smaller towns such as Ronda, Mijas, Ubrique and of course, Estepona, Malaga, Marbella and Jerez as well as our trip to Gibraltar. That is only a snapshot so it was a very full menu.
Although MAC had had a brief acquaintance with Spain on a business trip some years ago and I had visited a couple of places while at sea in the '70's, we were both new to Spain, especially its southern part. It is a large country, the second largest in Europe and covers many types of terrain and culture. The past is Moorish and their influence is everywhere. It has such a rich history and diversity of exploration, development, culture, architecture and ambiance.
The area where Bill and Paivi have their house in is called Puerto de la Duquesa and the house is situated on a hill overlooking the sea and close to a golf course. The development is occupied, mostly by people who live there occasionally although one of our near neighbors who had lived in Gibraltar seem to be permanent residents. There are many permanent or semi-permanent residents in the whole Malaga, Marbella, Torremolinos,
Fuengirola and Sotogrande area along the coast. Many are British ex-pats but there are also a lot of Scandinavians and Finnish who have made temporary or permanent homes there. This means that in some places, there is rather an emphasis on providing what the British want, such as fish and chips, pubs, English beer, etc. Even English food in the supermarkets. In some areas, it is hard to find real Spanish food, most of the menus being slanted towards the northern Europeans. However, the prices in the supermarkets are much lower than we were used to, the wine was amazing with an 'expensive bottle' costing € 3.00!!! Other food and commodities were relatively cheap so living in this area must be economically advantageous. If you seek the 'real Spanish' experience, then this may not be the area for you as you will hear every language spoken but not so much Spanish. Manilva seems to be on the very edge of this corridor and so there is not quite so much 'British influence'.
The area is still under intense development with new apartment blocks and house being constructed but there is also the residue of the 2008 crash with some unfinished developments marking the landscapes where developers abandoned their buildings due to financial difficulties. A large hotel and golf complex was one victim. The golf course has survived but the skeleton of the 5 star hotel which was to have been its centerpiece is all that is left. In some areas, the development borders on the realm of over -development but there is, presumably still a great demand for these Spanish 'bolt-holes. The whole question of BREXIT hangs over the British community with many issues regarding domicile, health care and taxes in play.
There are English free newspapers produced which give news, both Spanish and British as well as activities, often directed to the ex-pat population. These journals also contain some pretty scandalous advertisements for libidinous adventures!! In some quarters this area resembles a 'little Britain' atmosphere although Manilva is only on the very fringe of this.
In general I was very impressed by Spain. Things run pretty smoothly. The roads are in excellent condition, access to attractions is smooth and easy even if one has to pay for most things. It is not a hard place to be a tourist if you are interested in the local culture. If one is just a beach person, I am sure that it is even easier. What was slightly sad was that, by comparison, Gibraltar had a faded and slightly tatty air about it. The areas frequented by tourists seemed to be sadly dilapidated and uncared for. Quite why this should be so, I do not know. The area at the top of the Rock which should be the 'mecca' for tourists hardly shows the place off to its best. The main street is full of 'tourist' shops with little in the way of attractive merchandise. The whole place leaves a 'past its sell-by date' feel.
By contrast, Seville is a wonderful city with lovely buildings and great narrow streets and lots of atmosphere, restaurants and history. The Plaza Espana is just awe-inspiring, even if its construction at the time was a bit of a failure due to the 1929 crash causing the EXPO of the same year to be unsuccessful. The Seville cathedral just beggars belief and if, in my view over-adorned, it is a breath-taking building. So, indeed was the cathedral at Malaga and even, on a smaller scale at Jerez. Most of these buildings were constructed on the sites of mosques built by the Moorish settlers in the first millennium. What remains of the Moorish architecture is, in itself also very beautiful, the Alhambra being the crowning glory.
It was difficult to tel from what we saw whether the problems that Spain has had with its economy and unemployment were evident in the streets. On first glance the population looked prosperous and well-dressed with newish cars, etc. I am sure that in some areas, there is poverty as there is in every country and Spain has not been immune from the mass immigration from Africa which is almost visible from the southern shores of Spain. News when we were there talked of unemployment falling to 15% which is still a very high figure but much less than it had been. Young people are, sadly, leaving for other parts of Europe to find work.
Spain is, on the other hand, slightly surprisingly, quite a liberal and progressive contrary where gay marriage and other social issues are condoned. Perhaps the influence of the Catholic church is waning somewhat. There are, of course, still issues with some provinces wishing to leave and become independent, such as Catalonia and residually, maybe, Basque. if this will come to pass and what difference it will make to Spain remains to be seen.
As we have often seen during travels abroad, there is so much we,in America, could usefully learn from other countries. The innovative garbage collection system used in Manilva and other cities is just one example, the high speed rail service is another, there were others which just seemed to make so much sense such as water isolation valves in the bathrooms, waist-high electrical sockets, etc. which would be easy to adopt here. Of course the reduced tipping regime because restaurant and other service providers staff are paid properly is so refreshing as is the widespread use of chip and pin credit cards where the processing machine comes to the table. This latter system is only just coming to the US.
I would love to see more of Spain and would have no hesitation in going back there. Madrid looked great and Cordoba is said to be wonderful, there is so much more.
To be continued....
Although MAC had had a brief acquaintance with Spain on a business trip some years ago and I had visited a couple of places while at sea in the '70's, we were both new to Spain, especially its southern part. It is a large country, the second largest in Europe and covers many types of terrain and culture. The past is Moorish and their influence is everywhere. It has such a rich history and diversity of exploration, development, culture, architecture and ambiance.
The area where Bill and Paivi have their house in is called Puerto de la Duquesa and the house is situated on a hill overlooking the sea and close to a golf course. The development is occupied, mostly by people who live there occasionally although one of our near neighbors who had lived in Gibraltar seem to be permanent residents. There are many permanent or semi-permanent residents in the whole Malaga, Marbella, Torremolinos,
Fuengirola and Sotogrande area along the coast. Many are British ex-pats but there are also a lot of Scandinavians and Finnish who have made temporary or permanent homes there. This means that in some places, there is rather an emphasis on providing what the British want, such as fish and chips, pubs, English beer, etc. Even English food in the supermarkets. In some areas, it is hard to find real Spanish food, most of the menus being slanted towards the northern Europeans. However, the prices in the supermarkets are much lower than we were used to, the wine was amazing with an 'expensive bottle' costing € 3.00!!! Other food and commodities were relatively cheap so living in this area must be economically advantageous. If you seek the 'real Spanish' experience, then this may not be the area for you as you will hear every language spoken but not so much Spanish. Manilva seems to be on the very edge of this corridor and so there is not quite so much 'British influence'.
The area is still under intense development with new apartment blocks and house being constructed but there is also the residue of the 2008 crash with some unfinished developments marking the landscapes where developers abandoned their buildings due to financial difficulties. A large hotel and golf complex was one victim. The golf course has survived but the skeleton of the 5 star hotel which was to have been its centerpiece is all that is left. In some areas, the development borders on the realm of over -development but there is, presumably still a great demand for these Spanish 'bolt-holes. The whole question of BREXIT hangs over the British community with many issues regarding domicile, health care and taxes in play.
There are English free newspapers produced which give news, both Spanish and British as well as activities, often directed to the ex-pat population. These journals also contain some pretty scandalous advertisements for libidinous adventures!! In some quarters this area resembles a 'little Britain' atmosphere although Manilva is only on the very fringe of this.
In general I was very impressed by Spain. Things run pretty smoothly. The roads are in excellent condition, access to attractions is smooth and easy even if one has to pay for most things. It is not a hard place to be a tourist if you are interested in the local culture. If one is just a beach person, I am sure that it is even easier. What was slightly sad was that, by comparison, Gibraltar had a faded and slightly tatty air about it. The areas frequented by tourists seemed to be sadly dilapidated and uncared for. Quite why this should be so, I do not know. The area at the top of the Rock which should be the 'mecca' for tourists hardly shows the place off to its best. The main street is full of 'tourist' shops with little in the way of attractive merchandise. The whole place leaves a 'past its sell-by date' feel.
By contrast, Seville is a wonderful city with lovely buildings and great narrow streets and lots of atmosphere, restaurants and history. The Plaza Espana is just awe-inspiring, even if its construction at the time was a bit of a failure due to the 1929 crash causing the EXPO of the same year to be unsuccessful. The Seville cathedral just beggars belief and if, in my view over-adorned, it is a breath-taking building. So, indeed was the cathedral at Malaga and even, on a smaller scale at Jerez. Most of these buildings were constructed on the sites of mosques built by the Moorish settlers in the first millennium. What remains of the Moorish architecture is, in itself also very beautiful, the Alhambra being the crowning glory.
It was difficult to tel from what we saw whether the problems that Spain has had with its economy and unemployment were evident in the streets. On first glance the population looked prosperous and well-dressed with newish cars, etc. I am sure that in some areas, there is poverty as there is in every country and Spain has not been immune from the mass immigration from Africa which is almost visible from the southern shores of Spain. News when we were there talked of unemployment falling to 15% which is still a very high figure but much less than it had been. Young people are, sadly, leaving for other parts of Europe to find work.
Spain is, on the other hand, slightly surprisingly, quite a liberal and progressive contrary where gay marriage and other social issues are condoned. Perhaps the influence of the Catholic church is waning somewhat. There are, of course, still issues with some provinces wishing to leave and become independent, such as Catalonia and residually, maybe, Basque. if this will come to pass and what difference it will make to Spain remains to be seen.
As we have often seen during travels abroad, there is so much we,in America, could usefully learn from other countries. The innovative garbage collection system used in Manilva and other cities is just one example, the high speed rail service is another, there were others which just seemed to make so much sense such as water isolation valves in the bathrooms, waist-high electrical sockets, etc. which would be easy to adopt here. Of course the reduced tipping regime because restaurant and other service providers staff are paid properly is so refreshing as is the widespread use of chip and pin credit cards where the processing machine comes to the table. This latter system is only just coming to the US.
I would love to see more of Spain and would have no hesitation in going back there. Madrid looked great and Cordoba is said to be wonderful, there is so much more.
To be continued....
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