Mijas is a little village above Marbella, looking down onto the coastline. It is a white village known for its great shopping--souvenirs, of course.
We spent two days in Mijas. We went Thursday afternoon, and again on Friday when we realized there was more shoppping to be done.
This street was a goldmine for most of us.
Donkey carts are a popular tourist attraction.
Mary found a great restaurant for us in her Top Ten book of Andulisia. It was a Morroccan restaurant called Arreyanas, in Granada. Unforturnately, we were so tired and hungry no one thought to take any pictures. It was by far our best meal here in Spain. These pictures are from the alley market near Arreyanas. We had a great time shopping and eating.
Another memorable note on the night, Arreyanas' had the second best bathroom in Spain. The first being at our resort! It was clean and did not smell like an outhouse.
This was the view from the ticket sales office at the Alhambra.
Cary waved up at us and then used another urinal.
Whereas, Darren laughed at us gawking, and proceeded to do his business.
I loved the detailed floors and walkways from the Generalife.
Maybe, I can talk Darren into doing this in my kitchen.
"Ah, Granada"
I have so many pictures from the palace. The audio tour was mostly excerpts from Washington Irving's The Alhambra. "Emotion overwhelms me, as I walk down the delicious hallways;" "capricious and precocious balcony". We laughed at the audio tour all day, and enjoyed quoting from it.
On Wednesday we drove to Granada to see the Alhambra, a ancient Moorish Palace that then became Home to Charles V. It was probably our best day of travel.
This is a view of olive orchards on the way to Granada.
We first visit the Generalife, which were the gardens and garden palace of the Sultan. This is an open breeze way with beautiful views and lovely gardens.
Part of the sculptured gardens.
View from above.
A detail of an interior wall.
This is the first pomegranate tree I've ever seen.
This is in the sultana's gardens.
Darren and I revelling in the wonders of the Sultan's garden palace.
Today was absolutely fabulous! We visited a city just west of Marbella. Puerta Banus was described to me, by a local, as Spain's version of Nice, or Monaco. The marina is a stop for yachts from all over the world.
This is 8 out of 10 of us. Jill and Stan stayed at the resort today, they had been here 6yrs earlier.
Heidi, Mary, Deborah, Suzy
The guys are communing with the sea.
The yachts were incredible. To see them up close was totally cool. I could just imagine Beyonce and Jay Z cruising into port, just like I had seen in People Magazine.
The castle wall
Cobblestone road
Gorge runs through the center of the village, during the civil war several hundred people were thrown from the bridge from where this picture was taken.
Dave wants to buy a sword from Spain.
The church on the main plaza.
I had ham and melon, Darren had gazpacho.
This is the view from our balcony.
Two views of the pool area.
View from the pool, looking toward the resort.
Looking south down the beach
This is another view of the beach.
Our simple abode.
Darren and I are vacationing in Spain with four other couples. It has taken us nearly a year to put this trip together. We have come together from Oregon, Utah and NY. I have a picture of all of us, but it is on my other camera and I can't get on my computer until I am back home. It is great to be with close friends and back in Europe.
Darren and I at JFK on our way to Marbella, Spain
A view from our balcony looking out onto the Mediterranean Sea. I need to take more pictures of our resort.
This a view above Marbella from the mountain road on the way to Ronda.
Ronda
To be continued...