¡Hola amigos! ¡Hola amigas! Finally, I set foot on Spain, thanks to my Norwegian host family! We spent the summer in the hot, hot, hot Spanish beaches of La Cala de Mijas and Marbella and then, drove all the way south to the ancient port of Cádiz! I also did not miss the chance to experience the city center of Malaga, birthplace to the famous Spanish painter – Pablo Picasso, and the little seaside village of Zahara de las Atunes!
Who would have thought that I’d get to travel to Spain this year? Spain and the Philippines had a very long history — from “the discovery” of the islands to naming it after the Spanish King Philip II, to colonizing it and baptizing it as Roman Catholic! For about 350 years, the Philippines was under the political supervision of the Kingdom of Spain, until the Revolution in the late 1800s.
Visiting Spain was very interesting for me, as no other European country managed to create a sense of being home in me. While in Spain, I felt like I was just taking a stroll in Manila. The language is very familiar, the weather similar, and the people, warm!
We stayed in a lovely apartment resort called Doña Lola located in Torre de Calahonda beach in La Cala de Mijas. It offers a beautiful view of the sea and surrounding buildings, and there are plenty of restaurants, bars and shops around! There’s also a swimming pool exclusive for apartment owners. Read more about the apartment resort, rates and availability here.
The Norwegians are very relaxed when they travel. They really take “vacation” literally, with the purpose of destressing and enjoying themselves! I often take traveling as a learning – exploring kind of thing, so I often wandered off solo during the trip. I tried to learn and see as much, while my hosts enjoyed the time chilling by the beach or by the pool. I also spent some time by the beach, but there’s a lot to see in the Malaga that I decided to wander off alone.
Cala de Mijas has several watchtowers lining its beaches. I was happy to go inside one in the the town center of Mijas! More about that on the next entries. There’s also a watchtower near Doña Lola, the Torre de Cala Honda or Calahorra, but it was unfortunately closed when I had the chance to go there. The tower was built in 1497 for the purpose of watching over the cavaliers of Marbella, another city and resort area in Malaga. I bravely searched for the tower, following the seaside. There’s a geocache hidden somewhere there and I badly wanted to find it! It was tough — very well-hidden in the stone wall, and then, there’s the scorching heat of the sun, the smelly beach, and the biting insects!
Doña Lola resort is predominantly British, so many stores accept pounds as payment. Many people also speak British English, so it is easy to communicate, in contrast with the ancient town of Cadiz where one should know a decent/basic Spanish.
Eventhough I have a different definition of traveling, I do share the same appetite for good food when on a vacation! While in Malaga, I made my hosts Filipino breakfast, and I got to taste a weird type of pizza for lunch in return – with egg and prawns for toppings!
I’m excited to write about the rest of the Spain escapade! But this is all for now. 😉 Hasta la vista, baby! ❤ ¡Salud!
PinayOdyssey 