Day 3-5: A Few Low Key Days

This entry is just a few tidbits of what I did over the course of these days.

DAY 3: 

This morning, I tasted "Melon" for the first time. Woah, was it good. I asked what it was called, and the response I got was "It is Melon. That is it's name."

I wasn't entirely convinced. So I looked it up. And yes, it really is called Melon. Check it out. http://www.foodsfromspain.com/icex/cda/controller/pageSGT/0,9459,35868_6908150_6912156_4446312_7826884,00.html

At the Market with Pilar

Today, Pilar took me on a bike ride to an outdoor market. It was more or less an absolutely giant merchandise market with really cheap stuff. Some vendors sold the same things at a different price, but it was fun to walk around and look at things. I bought a bracelet, and that was about it.

Riding bikes to Puerto Banus

When we returned, Luis and the kids were waiting for us to go on a bike ride. We rode 6km down the bike path that followed the beach to the far end of Marbella and Puerto Banus. At Puerto Banus is where all the sailboats and yachts are kept.

It was gorgeous and sunny, without a cloud in the sky! When we arrived, we went swimming quickly before going to a restaurant for lunch.

Fun Fact #7: Ice is not a thing in Spain. Which I find rather ridiculous considering its sunny 300 out of the 365 days in a year and a solid 90 degrees. I told my brother about the ice problem, to which he responded, "But how do they drink their water?" The answer is warm, my brohan.

The mountain is called "La Concha" or "The Conch"

After we ate lunch, we went to the Abuelos' flat to swim in the pool in their complex. It was perfect as there is a deeper pool for the older kids, and a 1 foot deep pool for Paloma. Martha and Lucas are fairly good swimmers, while Jaime is still learning. His favorite thing to do is to jump in the water, cling to me until I launch him back to the side. I can tell I'll be building a bit of muscle
with how often I seem to be picking them up.

When they get bored with the pool, Lucas loves to play the card game "Uno". As a previous Uno expert and champion, all I have to say is that he most definitely cheats. There's no other reasonable explanation for why I keep losing to him. And it has nothing to do with how competitive I am, I swear!

Today, I heard Pilar singing "Once Upon a Dream" to Paloma after she fell over on the sidewalk to get her to stop crying. It really brought me back- that was my favorite song when I was her age. Now I sing it to her in English when she is upset, and it works every time.


DAY 4:

Again, we had a sort of lazy day. We went to the beach in the morning and captured hermit crabs and built sand castles.  I noticed that many of the women don't wear bathing suit tops on the beach! A little surprised at first, I realized that it wasn't a nude beach- this is just what they do. It took me a minute, but I got used to it. No one else seemed to care, why should I?

After lunch, I went back to the beach to read my book while the kids watched a movie. When I returned, we all showered and went to a play ground to kill time until we met up with Pilar's parents and her brother and nephew.

While we played on the playground and watched the sun set on the beach, Pilar pointed out Africa to me. Directly across the water, I could faintly see the shores of Morocco.

Marta and Lucas jumping on rocks

Paloma at her Grandparents house

The kids wanted to watch a street show, and then we headed off to dinner (at 10:00 at night, mind you). Abuelo noticed that I like white wine, so he bought a bottle for us to share. He's so sweet. Again, I ate some very different things, this time including a baby prawn omelet. It was very thin and crunchy, with what I thought were poppy seeds throughout. These were, in fact, the eyes of the small shrimp. Despite this, I ate it, and actually thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm finding that there is not much I do not like about Spanish cuisine!

From Left to Right: Pilar, Me, Abuelo, Marta, Lucas, Little Feliz, Big Feliz, Abuela, Paloma, Luis, and Jaime.

I was laughing so hard when my kids pulled their chairs up to another family's table to watch a movie on an iPad they had. They are so screen deprived- I love it!!!

When we got home, it was about midnight. We all went straight to bed.

DAY 5: 

Pilar went golfing with her father and brother, and Luis and I brought the kids to the Abuelos' pool. We had fun swimming, and the kids enjoyed spending time with their cousin who is 6 (Martha's age).

When Pilar returned from golfing, we went upstairs for lunch. Abuela made some delicious dishes like tomatoes with olive oil and garlic as well as some steaks and these small potato cakes. We talked at length about how much Pilar's family loves Bruce Springsteen! Her brother was wearing a Boss t-shirt, and told me he as seen him in concert 21 times! I told him about my Dad seeing the Boss at UVM in 1978, and he was extremely jealous.

After lunch, we returned to the flat to get ready to go to "Tivoli"- an amusement park about an hour away. I did not join them, as I was truly exhausted. I stayed in, watched "Bridge Over the River Kwai" and went to bed. I was out before they even returned.