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Costa del Sol Leaving Lagos and arriving in Sevilla early and taking a bus onward late the next day let us "steal" some time unexpectedly in Sevilla. But Marbella, on the Costa del Sol, was our next intended destination, there to visit with a Panamanian friend, Graciella Acedo, and her friend Maribel. Another five hour bus ride? No problem!

Sevilla bus terminal	Compared to the Lagos, Sevilla is a busy place, and that applies to the bus terminal. We were ready half an hour before our bus was, but we left right on time, sitting in our assigned seats. These european busses are pretty civilized ...and they don't go too fast! The road to Marbella from Sevilla cross the Sierra Nevada -- not snowy at this time of year, but dry, bare, and sere, much the way I expected the interior of Spain to look.
These mountains are dotted with "white towns," so called for the obvious reason that they are all painted white. Our bus stopped briefly in Ronda, one of the most "touristic" of these hill towns ... and a rest stop was enough for us.	an Andalusian white town
olive trees cover the foothills	If there is any vegetation, it has been put there, and been cultivated for centuries, by man. Hardy olive trees stretch as far as the eye can see wherever there's enough water for irrigation. The mountains beyond are unbelievably sharp, and the road is an engineering marvel as it cuts through and winds over harsh outcrops far above the dry river bed far, far below.

When we finally reached Marbella, our first look at a Mediterranean "town," we couldn't believe the sprawl, smog, and rampant development. But we came not for the town or the sea, but to visit with friends who, we hoped, could give us some insight into the Spanish world we were travelling through, and (under the circumstances) some insight into the European response to the plane bombings. Graciella and Maribel met us and showed us around their town. We had a great dinner, and got instruction in how Spaniards eat. Maribel, a native of the Costa del Sol, promised us a Paella lesson, and early the very next morning it began with a trip to Marbella's seafood market. I'm sorry to say I was too busy carrying bags to take any pictures.

Maribel's Paella (amounts for 8 goodly servings) as many mussels as people (or twice as many if they're small) big shrimp (twice as many as people) olive oil squid (cut in postage-stamp size squares; 1 large squid body) red and green peppers cut in generous bite-sized chunks tomatoes cut the same (1 kilo) garlic cut large (1 or 2 large cloves) bay leaves paprika or chili powder fish bouillon (1 large cube) fresh peas (2 cups -- well, frozen peas if you MUST) rice (best: Spanish short grain arroz; 1 kilo) saffron clams (four per person if, ideally, small) Pull heads off shrimp, and put them and the mussels in enough boiling water to cover, and cook them to get their taste into the water. This is the "secret" step that gives the dish its characteristic taste. In a large flat ceramic paella vessel sauté the squid, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, and paprika in a generous amount of olive oil, and when tender, add the boiling liquid and enough boiling water so that the total amount of liquid is a bit more than twice the volume of the rice, and bring to a boil. Add peas and rice, and 5 or 10 minutes later, the saffron. Stir as little as possible to prevent burning. As soon as the mixture begins to simmer, adjust the flame so that the mixture simmers and cooks the rice. Simmer until the rice is nearly plump and the liquid has been absorbed, about half an hour. Place the remaining ingredients -- shrimp, clams -- atop the paella and cover and allow to rest for fifteen minutes before serving. Elsewhere in Spain we encountered paellas with chunks of fish and chicken as well as Maribel's ingredients -- delicious! Graciella's Sangria 2 apples 2 pears orange lemon mandarin orange banana (if you like) 2 bottles of nice red wine sugar lemon juice to taste Mix. Drink. Don't drive. Maribel advises that Spaniards will adjust the strength of the Sangria by adding vodka and/or light rum to suit the occassion.

We six enjoying our paella and sangria

Marbella bench

We couldn't help noticing that Marbella's streets and parks are extremely well turned out with trees, street lights, tourist signs, and comfortable benches in the beautifully landscaped plazas -- a veritable rich-person magnet, you might say.

"Ah, yes," Maribel hastened to explain, "Marbella's alcalde -- you would call him a mayor? -- has a special way with attracting funds for beautification of 'his' town. He asks, 'does not the end justify the means?' And along the way, would it surprise you to know that he has become a wealthy man? He owns one of Madrid's two soccer teams now, and is a very important man in all Spain."

We spent a day at Maribel's and Graciella's employer's house (where we made paella) and a day just rattling around Marbella, but except for cheap chocolate we didn't find much of interest. Expensive shopping. Wall to wall condos. The water wasn't in the least inviting. Graciella and I took a long walk and talked about saving Panama's San José island, our common interest. Then we decided to move on, eastward along the coast to Nerja, "a small town," we were told...

The beach at Nerja

Small, indeed! There doesn't appear to be a small town anywhere along the Spanish Riviera!

(Well, we found one later, Cadaqués, nearly in France.) Nerja was very busy, and large by our Caspar standards. Compared to Marbella, Nerja was a delight. We enjoyed a couple of calming days there, Chad celebrated his 31st birthday (pizza), we enjoyed good food, good walks, even a little surf and a beach umbrella. On Sunday, Graciella and Maribel brought friends down for the day and we shared a last almuerzo.

a swimming cove at Nerja

The rugged coast south of Nerja

Walking back from almuerzo at the beginning of siesta, we enjoyed the finer, finished qualities of Nerja's (and Spain's) approach to seaside towns: dramatic scenery held at bay with polished plazas, chaotic collections of buildings snuggling together, and a thin fringe of wildness along the ocean for recreational purposes. We could feel more of Spain beckoning. With Graciella's help, we got reservations on the Hotel Train from Granada, which bought us a night and two days in Granada, IF we caught the VERY early morning bus from Nerja to Granada. Early bus? Before dawn?

By now we knew enough to walk some the afternoon before our bus ride, and enjoy an early dinner, and get packed up and ready to travel ... and that's just what we did. Sadly, the impression that the Costa del Sol made on us was that we'd arrived about two decades two late.

pretty paving on a Nerja stair

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