The weather is cold, though sunny in Budapest now, so looking back at the photos make me miss Andalucia and the quiet beach even more. It was really one of the most memorable trips I’ve taken.

We didn’t have much sun this past week in Spain. According to Douglas, our Gibraltar guide, Spain received 55% of its average total year’s rain by mid-January! But we had such an amazing time, regardless. And the moments where sun sliced through the rain clouds were so beautiful it didn’t even matter.

On Thursday morning we were out early, at sunset, with the rest of the area’s sun-seekers. It seemed like everyone had a dog who was an expert ball-hound or stick-hound. Or sun-hound, an expertise that is not species specific, especially that morning after all of the rain.

Calm. Quiet. Those are the only appropriate words I can think of for that morning.

Andalucia. Southern Spain. Costa del Sol. What a little paradise.

On Wednesday we went to The Rock–otherwise known as Gibraltar. It’s about an hour’s drive from Marbella and only 20 kilometers from the coast of Africa. Gibraltar is also a British territory, and the 28,000 residents are proudly British. British flags, accents, police with their bobby hats, and fish & chips restaurants were everywhere.

We took a private tour of The Rock with Douglas, a native Gibraltarian and captain of their professional field hockey team.

We got to see a few of the island’s 280 wild, tailless apes, some of them who knew Douglas and came to his car for a few peanuts. The tour was well worth the money, as we would have never gone up to the Top of the Rock alone, probably, without the guide. And the accompanying info was very interesting (especially for history nerds) including the importance of Gibraltar and the straights of Gibraltar.

Also– for you Americans– we learned that the Prudential insurance slogan “solid as The Rock” is actually a bit incorrect, because during the 18th century, over 56 kilometers of tunnels were dug into The Rock.  We toured those as well.

Even though it was a bit touristy, I’m really glad that we went. From the top we could see Africa in the distance, which of course inspired our trip yesterday to Tangier.

On the way in and out of Gibraltar, before and after customs, you have to cross over the one and only airport runway. Technically it belongs to the Royal Airforce, but three times a day, planes come in from London and Madrid. I really got a laugh out of the sign “YOU ARE NOW CROSSING A LIVE RUNWAY. PEDESTRIANS ARE TO KEEP WITH THE WHITE LINES…PLEASE CROSS QUICKLY.“

Gibraltar was definitely a good day trip, and a total surprise in a week of interesting places near this part of Spain.

So, we were in in Africa today.  Morocco.  Tangier, specifically.  I can’t believe I actually touched Africa.  It seems like so many years and dreams ago since I was a little girl and thought about Africa as being a zillion miles away.

Anyway, I have about 200 pictures of the bazaar, spice market and kasbah, and I will be uploading them soon.

I realized today that the more places I see, the bigger the world seems. And how wonderful it all is.

We tried a few tapas bars, finally settling on La Taberna Del Pintxo, which had been one of Philippa’s suggestions. They have a really neat system there for tapas. First, every table gets olives, which are home-cured and fresh.

If you want cold items, you simply go up to the bar and take them. The cold items are mini gourmet open-faced sandwiches. We each had one to start.

Then, as you sip your small glass of beer or wine, waiters bring around hot tapas items. If you want one, you just take one. They know how much to charge you at the end depending on the color of toothpicks on your plate. We had a quesadilla and some fried shrimp in sauce on baguettes. It was the perfect amount of food and drink and we were able to sit, unbothered for over an hour. Also, the total bill was only 14 Euros!

The Spanish take their siestas seriously. Shops are absolutely closed here from 12-4 p.m. So after lunch, which was almost 4, we decided to drive back toward the resort. The rain wasn’t letting up and so we pulled into a little neighborhood grocery store somewhere in the hills and bought things to make for dinner.

The weather report is a little unclear for today, but for sure there will not be full sun like our first day. So we’re planning on charging up the camera and going to one of the must-sees on our list. Gilbratar, maybe, or Pueblos Blancos.

We left for old Marbella at about 10 a.m.  It’s a short ten-minute drive west down the Costa del Sol, which is lined by luxury homes and palm trees. We got there early enough to find a good parking place in town, probably because it was a solid four hours before the Spanish like to eat their lunch.

Marbella is known now for being an exclusive place. Every guide book and online site I looked at said that the city attracts Europe’s “royals and jet-sets.” And next to each restaurant (note: not taberna or tapas bar) in the books, there are Euros symbols extending off the page. But there was a time when the area was more simple. Once belonging to the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans, it wasn’t really a “playground for the rich and famous” until almost the mid-20th century. And since we do not fall into ANY of the guidebook catagories for people you might find in Marbella, we decided to go to the old part of town and try to find a little bit of the old, quaint charm. Quiet streets shaded by orange trees. Large open squares flooded with sunshine.

The old streets were quaint and charming, and airy. In some ways they are exactly how you expect an old southern Spanish town to look like. I had to pinch myself several times. Moss-lined alleyways, window flowers, and greenery in pots on every single balcony.

And of course, because it is Europe, dogs peaking around the corners, old men chatting and enjoying a small beer or wine, and women of all ages gossiping window to window, window to street below.

After about twenty minutes (and after accidentally walking through a movie shoot) we made it down to the beach and the long seaside promenade. I call it a promenade instead of a boardwalk because there were too many of Europe’s “jet set” walking around with high heals in the sand and stone wagging Louis Vuitton bags in one hand and two year old children dressed head to toe in more expensive clothes than I will ever have in the other. These aren’t people who are munching fries at Thrashers, if you know what I mean East Coasters!

The stroll has been mastered here. It’s okay to go slow and enjoy the sunshine and rolling sounds of the small waves. In the little children’s park on the beach, next to the sand castle architect, I had to laugh out loud when I noticed that regardless of their parents’ income levels or lordships, nothing will stop children from rolling their little Burberry-clad selves into piles of wet sand.  It’s just life.

In the distance–one single sailboat. It seemed like everyone was on land, waiting for lunch.  So at about 1, we sat down at La Taberna Santiago tapas bar outside of the park lined by Salvador Dali’s sculptures.

We didn’t really have an agenda, so we ordered as we usually do when we don’t really know what’s on the menu—point to a few things and cross our fingers. I had a San Miguel cerveza, which was the type of beer they served at this particular taberna. Gy had a glass of Sangria.

And we ended up with four really delicious items: Fried cuttlefish (in a larger portion for 2), tortilla Espana, a small calamari sandwich, and a small cuttlefish in a sauce, which was nagyon delicious. Everything was delicious.

Let me use that word one more time to startle all you English teachers out there who want to underline and write in red TRY A NEW WORD:  delicious.  Delicious.  Delicious. It was the perfect lunch.

After lunch, we went back to the Marriott property at about 2 so that we could go to the pool for a few hours to nap and burn.

We noticed a constant procession of people down the beach toward a little seaside restaurant, so we decided to get dressed and follow the crowd. We ended up at a little placed called Merendero Cristina, an ocean-front restaurant, for drinks and dinner.

We were lucky that we got there when we did because we secured the last outdoor table. The sun was bright and warm and it was the perfect atmosphere for ordering a lovely pitcher of Sangria. I never really had Sangria before Spain, but it is simple and refreshing.

After thirty minutes or so we decided to eat at the restaurant because the air was so nice and we didn’t want to bother looking around anywhere else when we already found the perfect evening location.

The sun so so honest and healing. I was bathing in the evening’s warmth.

My cousin, Brandy was here last year with some friends. She wrote me a great list of places that we should see etc., and she ended her email like this: Remember – “Yo quiero paella, por favor” means “I want paella please.” Paella is serious in Spain, and especially on the coast…near the seafood.  So after a relaxing few drinks, we ordered the paella for two and really loved every bite.

At the restaurant you can only order paella for two or more, so Györgyi had to partake in the meal as well. And even though a year ago she would have told you that she despises “sea creatures”, as she calls them, she loves fresh fish now. Hungary isn’t exactly a mecca for fresh fish, so I don’t blame her delayed arrival to this understanding. I think it was the crab and trout when we were in America this summer, or the rock shrimp in Madrid in January that set the ball rolling. But at the restaurant I basically had to wrestle her for just one shrimp from the paella.  She even ate the king prawn with the big, dead eyes staring back at us from the plate.

After dinner we walked back to the property to sit out on the balcony and watch the sunset over the ocean. The air got chilly as the sun disappeared, but we didn’t mind it. We haven’t seen this much strong, rejuvenating sunshine in six months. It really was the perfect Spanish day. There’s a chance it might rain or be cloudy the rest of the week, or so warns CNN+.  But after this first full day, I don’t think I’ll forget about the sol in the Costa del Sol.

I am so glad to finally be here in Marbella. Yesterday we flew into Frankfurt around 10 a.m, about an hour late, because of the insane winds and storms in western Europe. The landing (and take-off to Málaga) were honestly the scariest landing and take-off I’ve ever experienced.  And that was even with my flying companion, Mr. Xavier Xanax. But we made it, and driving down the Costa del Sol as the sun set was just incredible.

When we arrived at the resort, it was already dark, so we really couldn’t look around. But the moon was full and we knew we were on the beach from the sounds of the waves and the loud wind whipping up shore.

We woke up this morning and were a little shocked that the sun was still not up by 7 a.m That didn’t deter us from taking a walk around the resort. The pools are beautiful, as you can see from above. Then we went to the beach to watch the sunrise.

Like all of the Marriott resort properties, this property is absolutely lovely.

The apartment itself is beautiful. It’s a two bedroom, two bath unit.  King sized beds, full kitchen with an espresso machine! Modern technology appliances including iPod docking stations and 3 HD flat screen Tvs. Marble floors, giant jacuzzi bathtubs, washer and dryers and a balcony that is about 1/2 the size of our whole Budapest apartment.  With a great view:

I’m not totally sure what we’re going to do today. I think our plan is to explore Marbella a little bit, eat some tapas and drink some Sangria. And the rest is up to weather and whim.  In the meantime, here is a little video of the sunrise this morning. You can see that looking west, the fat full moon was sinking down behind the mountain, and to the east the sun was rising. And in the meantime, a little pack of sea birds were racing the waves up shore.  I’m really looking forward to this week.

So tomorrow we are heading to the Mediterranean coast of southern Spain–to a little resort town about 40 minutes west of Málaga. We’re going to be there for a full week and I absolutely can’t wait.

My parents weren’t able to use their Marriott winter property this year and so gave us the AMAZING present of booking the week for us on the costa del sol!

We picked up our Seville & Andalusia book at the mall today and now I am just so excited for the beautiful weather, sun, beach, sand, Andalusian food, white washed towns and maybe (just a little) Sangria at sunset.

Posting will be lighter during this week, but I will hopefully upload some pictures when I can.  Happy March Everyone—and a slowly-waking spring!

You have to believe me when I say it started with this duck costume, which was intended to be for Carnival. Yes a little jokey, perhaps, but no harm in it.

But then our carnival costume shopping ended.  And then next aisle over there were sales upon sales upon sales of little clothes. So I rummaged around in my head for an excuse and came up with a good one– I needed Barnabás to model for me as I tested out the aperture and shutter speed settings on my new camera. Barnabás with a little outfit on would be perfect for depth of field experiments, I convinced myself.

But when I saw the pictures uploading of Barnabás in his office-wear, I knew we had taken it too far.

Then I received an email from my mother, and I was sure that when I opened it, she would set me straight about Barnabás’ costumes getting a little out of hand. (After all, I had written to her explaining the challenges of his size– boys’ 24 months, though his hips are skinny and his belly occasionally sags after long weekends.)  But instead of a well-deserved critique, she told me that her dog, Coco Elaine Jewell, was probably (she wasn’t sure) a 3T.  Toddler that is.  3 years old.  She does have a thick neck.

You have to understand that Barnabás really is a care-free soul, as long as he can always hang out with us.  Sometimes when he gets up from the couch, he drags the blanket that was covering him around for hours. He’ll lay down with it somewhere else, then move again, taking it with him. And honestly he would carry around a baked potato on his head if I asked him too, and I gave him a little treat.  I think he genuinely likes taking pictures now (probably because he knows that all photography sessions end in a salami or bone). And I know I’m not the only one who does these things.  Coco Elaine Jewell got a Martha Stewart bed for Christmas.  And a pearl necklace.

According to the amazing Horizon documentary I watched a few nights ago– Secret Life of the Dog– since they mapped the dog genome and went through half a century of research into dog’s domestication–we now know that dogs are closer to humans in terms of behavior than even chips. Smart dogs can even perform analytical thinking skills, can retrieve objects after being shown pictures of the objects– understand that one things REPRESENTS another thing.  This is something that not even human toddlers can do until 2 or 3 years old. Dogs respond to pointing even though they don’t exhibit this behavior in the wild. And scientists in Hungary found that, like humans, dogs look directly into the left eye of humans to gauge emotion (just like humans do). If you are a dog-lover, you honestly need to find that documentary on Youtube and watch it.

And I’m not saying that Barnabás is some kind of genius for sitting still when he wears a duck costume. Or for falling asleep halfway through our photo shoots.

But he is patient. And damn cute.