Los Nuñez - Feels like home again

This morning before the sun rose over the Mediterranean Sea, I drove Chloe and Awad to Fuengirola's train station so they could fly back home to Paris.  I miss them already.  Later, after a few hours rest, I was ready for my Saturday day trip --- to Los Nuñez, the village of my Ruiz family and good friend, Lyn M.

Yes, I got lost a few times...once I managed to drive to Mijas again, not my intention.  I got caught in a village that turned out to be a maze of tiny, narrow streets until I saw a car barreling by with a look of determination.  I followed the man, nearly flooring El Carro to keep up.  And he was indeed, on a mission:  Mine (smile).  Once he led me back to the highway, I headed east toward Malaga.  When I became disoriented, I followed signs to Cártema and when I saw a sign to Campanillas, I knew without a doubt there was pixie dust swirling around me... How I found the turns, I will never know.

When I arrived in Los Nuñez I couldn't stop smiling.  The ambiance of the small village with the white-washed houses, deeply-inclined streets and the casa redonda that waited for me, I felt my heart ease up.    Leaving the city behind me, I chose the quiet peace of the village for so many reasons.  Did I miss the barking dogs?  Pesky, Scally and Scamp were all waiting for me at the grilled gate.  Lyn, as always, welcomed me like a long-lost friend and it felt like home when I walked into the bedroom I spent eight days as my own a few weeks ago.

The sky was blue and the day was just warm enough as we chatted by the pool and then Lyn drove us upward into the hills beyond Almogia to visit with Saidie.  She created a wonderful lunch for us.  Steak pie, steaming cabbage, peas, green beans and boiled potatoes were perfect.  The table was "posh" as these lovely English women say.  And strawberries with cream! We chatted for a few hours pondering the world's problems and never ran out of conversation.

Once back home, Lyn and I sat on the west side of the casa redonda's balcony to watch the sun sink low behind the mountain and then out of sight.  With a glass of wine in our hands and bowls of olives and chunks of manchego cheese between us, she told me it was a favorite evening pastime she and her husband, Shaun, shared every night before he passed away.  These sweet memories touched me and I was happy to share it with her.

Later, as we sat in the living room, my eyes were drawn to her tiny solar birds that twinkled through several of her windows.  Red, green, blue and yellow.  I looked beyond the colored beauties at the backdrop of the village to see lights sparkling over the hillside.   And the peace of this village made my heart smile.

Tomorrow, my cousin (Angela) is taking me to El Chorro, a limestone gorge about an hour away from Los Nuñez.  She's sure I will enjoy it... the views, the beauty and...rock climbing?



The large rock at the beginning of my post is at the end of Saidie's road.  It caught my eye because someone painted it the colors of the Spanish flag.  Intriguing.