Once I boarded the train in Madrid, I felt relaxed and ready for the next adventure. Pushing my bags toward Coach 3 and lifting them onto the train was a formidable experience, but I found men everywhere willing to help this silver-haired lady lift, push and stack my maletas into place. The trains in Spain are magnificent, efficient and smooth. They are also on the dot with departing and arrivals. My day was just right as the high-speed train (AVE) headed south through Córdoba and then Antequera before sliding into Málaga. Over 175 mph! And then I was walking out the station’s doors. Relief washed over me when I saw my brother waving at me within minutes. Bags stashed, we headed toward Benalmádena, a glorious town sitting on the Mediterranean.
Leaving the frenetic pace of Madrid behind, I realized I exhaled into peace. My brother looks tanned and relaxed and we were both full of smiles. It is always lovely to spend time with my siblings and this was an added bonus as the sea stretched out beside us with the sounds of the seashore playing its music for us. We found a beachside restaurant on the boardwalk, ordered sangría and ate boquerones and a caprese salad with lots of oil and herbs. Delicious. Steven treated me to a gelato cone afterward before driving me to my friend, Lyn’s for the week. It was a special start to my time on the southern coast of Spain.
When I was reunited with Lyn and our friend, Saidie, who is visiting from the UK, we reminisced about our past times together. Always fun, always sweet. The next day (Sunday) we drove north toward Benalmádena Pueblo. I didn’t know the original town existed from my past visit and I was enthralled with its ambiance and delighted to look at the old places and enjoy the view of the city below from the Buddhist site above the sea. In the top photo below you can just see the moon shining into the Mediterranean. Mesmerizing.
The day passed into more hours of fun. At 4:30, Lyn led me and Saidie to the tennis court (no, not for tennis…). They call it skittles… a group of the residents here in the Sensara Benalmádena residential community arrived with tapas and drinks, prepared to play a game called Möllky. There were couples from Finland, Holland, America, the UK and Australia waiting for us and it was a fun get together. You toss a piece of wood toward other pieces of wood covered in numbers and try to get the most knocked down. Oh boy. No matter how many times I threw that wicked piece of wood, I played abysmally, but everyone laughed a lot and so did I. The view of the sea from the condo is breathtaking and I feel myself relax totally. And sharing it all with my sweet lady friends added to my enjoyment.
Tomorrow we have a lunch date down at the sea and I can hardly wait to hear the seawaters flowing toward us and smell the aroma of seafood. Life can be sweet.
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