Not that I don’t love meeting friends and going out for tapas, but it was a refreshing change yesterday to be invited to lunch by Victor (We Love Malaga), this time at his parents’ house to try his mother’s fabulous paella. Their beautiful sprawling mult-level house (with huge garden and swimming pool) is up in the mountainside so Victor’s father picked us up in the centre of town. I have to admit that I was a bit unsure about going to a family meal like this and wondered if I would feel awkward and not have anything to say. Well… no problem! Turns out the whole family is quite gregarious and also very welcoming. I felt at home with everyone right away.

“Everyone” included Victor’s parents Paco and Mariola, and his older brother, Damien. Like Victor, Paco and Damien are also official Málaga tour guides, so of course I should’ve known that they would all love talking. Mariola is a retired school teacher and also an amazing cook. Aside from the wonderfully tasty paella we had a nice crisp salad and lovely fresh melon for dessert. Definitely the most “well-balanced” meal I’ve had while in Málaga. Also one of the most enjoyable.

Suitably stuffed (I swear Mariola gave me the largest portion of paella – I did my best but couldn’t finish it) Victor suggested we take a drive over to the nearby Botanical Gardens. I’ve been wanting to do this for ages,  but it’s really not that easy to get to by bus. In spite of The Heat and it being the hottest time of day this was actually a good plan because as soon as we walked into the garden the temperature dropped considerably and the cool breeze under massive shade trees and vine-covered arches. I’ll do a separate blog post on Azahar’s Sevilla Blog a bit later on but I already know that my photos don’t do it justice. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the gardens and still didn’t see even most of it. It was great being there with Victor because he knew his way around and also knows quite a lot about botany.

Finally got back home around 6.30 and an hour later met up with Arpy for a farewell drink and tapita as she was leaving for the UK in the morning. Luckily this was a much more subdued and sensible outing than the farewell evening we had for Arpy’s husband Fred and their friend Paul who have headed out on an Awfully Big European Adventure. In fact I was home again by 10.30 and tucked up in bed with Morcilla before midnight. Also had the best sleep I’ve had since I got here – must’ve been all that fresh mountain air. It really was a very special day.