Toes in the Mediterranean

Since I arrived here at my bungalow at La Cala Del Moral, I’ve wandered to the beach twice, each time meandering down narrow streets that didn’t go through and then I’d switchback and find another one.  Each time, I ended up about five blocks from Calle Jábega and each time, I hadn’t walked down to dip my toes into the sea. Today was different.  Today was my beach day.  And today, I saw a group of tourists coming, en masse, onto the boardwalk.  Hmmm.  I wonder?  So, I retraced their steps along a wide tiled walkway, past open air cafes and shops, lots of private houses and all the flowers that seem to permeate my surroundings.  When I arrived at the end, I started laughing.  It led directly onto my street.  I shook my head, turned around and headed back to the boardwalk.  And I tackled the sand, or the arena, as sand is called in Spanish.  I learned that the reason the Romans called the coliseum an arena was because it’s floor was sand, better for the blood to seep into the ground.  Ugh. Well, back to THIS sand.  Close to the surfs edge, the sand was littered with beautiful rocks, naked children, topless women and...well, back to the sand again.  I loved it.

I found a huge rock and settled down on it while I probed the sand with my toes.  The surf was mesmerizing and I spent a lot of thinking time there, feeling insignificant in the scheme of life as I stared at the many rocks constantly bounced around by the waves.  When I began overthinking and letting my mind become scattered, I picked up my sandals, found the foot spray near the boardwalk entrance and washed away the sand from my toes.  I had to jockey for position with a little boy about three, stark naked, who didn’t want the sand off his feet.  He wanted to run back into the sea.

And then, I saw Bar Juani just waiting for me.  I was sure it had an umbrella table with my name on it.  I chose the table on one end where I could gaze at the sea and feel the breeze without a neighbor on both sides of me.  I ordered a tinto de verano and the waiter brought it quickly, along with a small dish of olives.  The salad was a new one for me.  The menu read that salpicón is a seafood salad.  In the US, I assumed it would be similar...with lettuce.  Nope.  Green peppers, onions and pieces of
calamari.  It was perfect.

The day was lazy and I was in no hurry to leave my perch there by the sea wall.  And here in Spain, the servers do not rush you away.  Sometimes you need to ask for the bill more than once.  Their way of life is slow and very relaxing.  So, I relaxed.

Tomorrow,  I’ll ride a bus along the sea to Malaga again, as I have a date with my friend, Vicky.  I may need to sing happy birthday to her since yesterday was her special day.  In English, of course.