Wed 11.Feb.2015
Nerja, Andalucia, Spain
OK. Caught up with the present. The present week, anyway.
Amsterdam, Prague, and Madrid were cold, dark stopover points
on the way here, but it turns out they don't call this the Costa
del Sol for nothing. Even when Mr Sol isn''t here, the wind does not
bite in to you.
After a couple of gale-windy days, suddenly today was almost idyllic.
Hazy sky, but temperatures must have been high 60's F. I was out in a
t-shirt this afternoon - unheard of for Europe in February! People were
actually lying on the beach and swimming in the ocean. Savor that
while it lasts!
The small tourist resort of Nerja has a claim to fame, a cliffside plaza
overlooking the Mediterranean, known as the Balcony of Europe. It is
an L-shaped square (so to speak). From the angle of the L, I can look
south toward the sea ...
... or west into a church plaza. I am sitting at a cafe terrace on
the church plaza as I type this, working my way through a mass of small
squid and prosciutto, the latter known in Spain as Jamon Serrano, which I think
means something like "mountain ham".
Past the church on the next plaza is a cafe I often use for brunch.
Tostada
Believe it or not, this is what tostada means in Spain. Not a
tortilla to be seen, not least because tortilla here means Omelette.
You need to re-learn your Spanish for Spain, somewhat like you re-learn your
English for England.
That said, a Spanish tostada is a good anchor for a brunch. I do it
often.
There is a year-round ex-pat community of English retirees here, and I
hear (and see) a lot of Scandinavian languages as well. Gotta be that vague;
I can't tell Swedish from Norwegian by looking at them, nor Danish either
by listening. Real estate ads often seem aimed at the Scandinavians, more
vacation-like signs usually include French and German. There is a sweet
little English-run cafe that I am fond of, near the dental surgeon's
office that is my real reason for being here this month.
Yes, this is the town where I broke a tooth (while flossing!) last year.
My practical goal this visit is to get an implant to replace it. That
happens tomorrow morning. I don't know how long follow-up will take. I have
allowed time until the 25th of this month. If it doesn't take that long...
I'll probably stay right here anyway. I can't think of anyplace in Europe
that I would rather be in February. (Well, arguably Rhodes, but that would
be a long move for just one week.)
That is it for now. After last Fall's medical mis-adventures, it is
good to be back on the road!