Sightseeing!

It has been another full and eventful week here in Alhaurin and Fuengirola. The weather has been amazingly warm and sunny all week, even to the point of sunburns! Who would have thought in January? J

El Torcal de Antequera

Tuesday was school fieldtrip day. Almost all the students from the Ark, plus most of the teachers piled into two buses and we headed out of Fuengirola. A 1.5 hour drive along narrow winding roads brought us to El Torcal de Antequera. It is a high plateau covered with huge fascinating rock formations. 

Learning about the telescope and looking at the sun.

There is also a visitor’s center and observatory. I was one of the supervisors for the primary group, and we toured through the exhibits and had a session of looking at the sun with telescopes in the morning. It was a clear and sunny day so we were able to see sunspots and solar flares clearly. So cool! 

These rock formations are apparently only found in one other place in the world, near Ephesus in Turkey.

After lunch we headed out on a hike through the rocks. It was quite muddy and rather slippery in places, but the kids had lots of fun. There were of them several that resented having to stick with the group though. All they wanted was to head off and explore. I have to admit I really wanted to explore as well, but maybe there will be a next time! We did get to climb a bit near the end, which was fun. That’s the day I got a bit of sunburn. Who thinks to bring sunscreen in January?

On Friday I played hookey from school and took a little trip of my own. On the hill above Fuengirola there is a little village that is one of the top 10 things to see in Andalucia.

 Mijas is considered to still be a very authentic “pueblo”; narrow cobblestone streets are lined with tall white-washed houses. There are pots of bright flowers in many doorways and windows.

I would LOVE to live in a house like this some day

Neighbors congregate in the plazas and at the outdoor cafes, visiting and chatting. There is a shrine to the Virgin Mary of the Rocks "Virgen de la Peña", an old castle garden and wall with stunning views of the Costa del Sol and even Gibraltar on a clear day, which it was in all its glory. 

I wandered through the village poking into all the little shops and enjoying the quaintness. There weren’t many people and it was a lovely relaxing way to spend the time.

So many lovely colors and textures!

I had a bit of lunch in a restaurant complete with Tinto de Verano – “summer wine” – which is half red wine and half sprite served with a slice of lemon over ice. So far my favorite drink here in Spain.

Once I was tired of walking I took the bus back down to Fuengirola, dropped my jacket and sweater at school and headed to the beach, which is just a 10 minute walk from the school. The water is still a little chilly, I don’t think I would jump in, but the sun and sand was lovely. I might just have to do that again soon! Maybe I’ll take my beach bag and stash it at school so I can go if I have some free time someday J

Today is Saturday and it has been a lovely day. I did some emailing and organizing in the morning and helped with family chores. Around noon I headed out for a hike. There are beautiful hills around Alhaurin de la Torre and Dan showed me on a map how to get to the trails that go up there. I didn’t end up making it to the top as I got off the trail and eventually hit a rock wall. But it felt good to exercise and there was a good view from where I ended up. I think I will try again sometime and stick to the trail. J 

So that is a bit of my week! Posted with love J