Ella and Amblen, after seeing each other for the first time in six months!
The Marriott Marbella Beach Resort...lovely!
We headed into downtown Marbella for our first venture into a small Spanish town.
No, we didn't plan their outfits ahead of time...
Dinner on the Meditteranean coast—sangria, freshly-baked bread, and seafood paella.
Spain is known for all the beautiful fountains. Some are very ornate, and some rather simple—but they are all dramatically lit and create instant romance in the evening. If we ever go back, I'll take a roll of pennies for the kids.
We rented a car and ventured on a loop through several beautiful small towns. English was hardly spoken, siesta was strictly observed, and afternoon tapas were a way of life.
Mijas, Spain
Donkey taxis!
We walked down the cobblestone street and heard the most beautiful song birds. I looked up to find their little homes mounted outside this woman's door. What a lovely gesture, I thought...until I started thinking about how the birds felt when she put them out there...
"Hey, we've escaped the house!! Let's fly FREE!!" ...or not.
Worse, the cages are glass. (Fried sparrow in July, anyone?)
Our first visit to an authentic Spanish bull ring. Imagine the history!
Matador "Derek the Dude"
We took a daytrip to Ronda, about an hour north into the mountains. The elevation gave us beautiful views. The culture, the drive, the country's first bull ring - all of it was spectacular.
We came up to the plaza from the parking garage below and stumbled upon a celebration—Spain's Independence Day. Kids played soccer on the plaza, while adults chatted at the various surrounding cafes.
In the bullring...Ella chases AMBLEN THE BULL!
I finally answered Ella's question about what a bullfight really was. This is how she felt about it. While I respected the significance of being there, I can't say I disagree with her view.
Typical front entrance of a local home.
Amazing terrain - this gorge went on forever.
We could look past the town's edge at fields of olive trees, framed in by a beautiful range of mountains. It hardly seemed real.
We spent our last day just relaxing at the resort, savoring our last hours together.
Amblen finally jumped into the pool! Yeah!
We made a game out of dodging the waves. The kids shrieked at every advance!
My beautiful sis and her sweet boy...
The six of us walked along the Meditteranean and watched the sun descend. The impact of that setting sun hit home, and hit hard. We all realized how precious and amazing that our time was together, and we knew that our 4am departure meant it was quickly coming to an end. We returned to the resort from the shore, and entered through the property gate. I looked back one last time, and this was what I saw:
Ben shot the image for me. It's my desktop wallpaper now, to remind me of one very important thing: beyond the boundaries of our everyday routines, lies a vast sea of new experiences so broad and so new that there's no horizon line.
Ciao!
