20 Saturday Jul 2013
… including my first ever michelin star experience. Wasn’t impressed. But as you can see, I’ve been eating well. In fact it’s been a crazy social whirlwind of tapearing and dining with friends in Málaga and other friends who came over to visit me. Expect next week will be a bit quieter and I’ll be staying at home a bit more. How was your week?
17 Wednesday Jul 2013
Posted in animals & pets, cats, holidays, Malaga, spain
16 Tuesday Jul 2013
So I woke up yesterday morning with a little tortoiseshell girl curled up next to my head and it finally dawned on me that I AM ON HOLIDAY. The whole getting to and getting set up thing on Sunday took until mid-afternoon, and then there was the challenge of finding a decent place to eat on a Sunday (really should have travelled on Monday, but hey, live and learn).
Anyhow, after getting up and remembering I couldn’t make coffee (aaargh!) I decided to do a little internet stuff and then go out for a coffee when I went to the neighbourhood supermarket for supplies and, since I’d had two showers the day before, I thought I’d wait to wash my hair, etc until I got back. But then I had a closer look at The Hair and suddenly wished I’d had it cut before coming on holiday. And that was when I remembered that my friend Annie @CookinginSpain actually makes special trips to Málaga to have her hair cut here by Mónica, and I reckoned I should do the same.
So I went downstairs to a little bar and was just about to order a coffee when my friend Victor @WeLoveMalaga texted me and asked if I’d had breakfast yet. What great timing! And so I did my bit of shopping and then met Victor for a late brekky and a long chat, after which I made my way to the centre to visit Mónica. I was very pleased when I saw that where she works is a place I’ve adored for years because of the totally kitch Big Red Scissors hanging on the façade. About an hour later I walked out looking GORGEOUS with the hair I should have been born with – all straight and shiny – which was fun while it lasted. Which was maybe two hours. Ah well…
While my Hair succumbed to the elements (it’s really humid down here) I went out for a lovely snacky lunch at Taberna Uvedoble, one of my favourite places in Málaga. Then took a nice walk home through the new port area. All in all a fabulous spontaneous day. The next three days will be busier, as you shall see, but I am really loving having no real plans and just getting into the holiday groove.
08 Monday Jul 2013
I’m really not much of a beer drinker, other than during the summer. And really mostly since I moved to Sevilla. Though the main problem with wanting to drink beer in Sevilla is that usually the only thing on offer is a gassy unpleasant brew called CruzCampo. But the good thing about Cruzcampo is that about two years ago they started installing taps in bars that served the beer at -2º, not only perfect for slaking one’s thirst but at that temperature you really can’t taste it anymore.
Trust me, when it’s 45º like it’s been the past few days you really want something that’s both COLD and refreshing…and slightly alcoholic is nice too.
Tonight I had the evening off – the calm before the storm – before a crazy busy pre-holiday week gets going full steam. So I found myself taking a stroll and then decided to go up on top of the Mushrooms (aka Metropol Parasol) for a nice cold one. And it was delightful just sitting up there taking in the view, enjoying the breeze, and drinking ice cold beer.
What’s your favourite summer beverage?
26 Wednesday Jun 2013
A little while ago I made some changes to my original summer holiday plan to have a northern Spain adventure. The idea of schlepping around the northern coast on my own suddenly felt like it would be more lonely than adventurous. And it turned out that I really didn’t feel okay about leaving Morcilla (aka Smudge) for two whole weeks. She’s still too small to comfortably leave with the two bigger incumbents.
So now she is coming on holiday with me to Málaga! My friend Manolo (once again) very generously offered me his beachside apartment so I’m going to spend my first week there and then have another week in the centre of town in a very chic duplex apartment. I quite like the idea of having two very different Málaga experiences.
This is going to be my first “proper holiday” in, well, probably my whole life. I can’t remember ever taking an entire TWO WEEKS off, staying somewhere else, and just hanging out and enjoying myself. As I’ll be on my own it turns out that Málaga is a nice choice because I feel very at home there and also have friends I can visit. I also want to do a couple of day trips. But mostly I don’t want to over-plan. I just want get down there, unpack my stuff and get the kitten set up, pick up some groceries, and then…. BREATHE.
casa azahar 