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Marbella
Costa del Sol…Yeah, right!
Our first full day here dawned
like yesterday…very windy and threatening, although no rain
today, yet. We got up and luxuriated in our suite. Marble
floors, great furniture, big bed, couple of TVs with BBC,
CNN, and MSNBC. We were in no hurry to get out.
Hooked up the computer with the
neat power adapters we have, finished writing Installment
#3, then got hooked up to Compuserve and e-mailed it off.
Although I don't yet know the costs involved on the phone
charges with the Internet, finding the access number via the
Compuserve menu was a snap. It really helps to feel connected
to you loved ones at home with this fantastic modern technology
of e-mail. Thanks to those who have responded and contacted
either Pam or me. However, I do have one petty request: Please
delete us from the forwarded jokes and cartoons, etc. It is
just not worth the connect time to read and download items
that aren't very pressing.
Went out for lunch, having skipped
breakfast, at about 2:00 p.m., a somewhat normal lunch hour
here. Spain businesses usually work from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m., take a three-hour lunch/siesta break, then work 5:00
to 9:00 p.m., and the dinner hour starts at about 10:00! In
the tourist areas such as here, lunch usually begins serving
at 1:00 and dinner at 8:00. It is not uncommon for the young
party goers to leave the discos at 5:00 a.m. Ah! The energy
of youth!
Roamed around the Marbella Club
trying to find the lunch area and finally had to inquire at
the front desk. They directed us down the 250 meter walkway
to the beach club. Now, on a normal day, I am sure we would
have eaten outside by the pool, with a lovely view of the
blue Mediterranean and the bikini-clad babes on the beach.
On this day, however, we sat inside and watched the sea smash
the shoreline and send spray everywhere as the trees bowed
in the gusty winds. No one was by the pool; the beach was
deserted.
As we entered, there were P &
A just finishing, so we joined them and commandeered their
table as they left. It was a buffet set-up. Elegant, delicious,
great wait-staff service, and oh-so-pricey! Oh well; you only
are here once, right? Lots of smoking in all restaurants here,
and it makes me appreciate the option of smoke-free dining
at home.
Although we hope to walk the
beach a lot - rather like the San Diego ocean beach it appears,
with a concrete and board walk above the sand - today was
not the day to start! So we retreated back to the room. I
did my exercise routine here since, surprisingly for such
a fancy resort, they don't have a gym room.
We have heard that nearly 90%
of Americans have cancelled their reservations in the area.
There are still quite a few to be heard and seen, along with
many Brits and Germans and others, but we feel somewhat proud
- or crazy! - that we went ahead with our plans. Everyone
seems very sympathetic to the anti-terrorist campaign and
thus far we feel quite welcomed.
We dressed up a little for dinner
- not being very hungry after the sumptuous lunch buffet,
but wanting to get out and mingle - and could not reach P
& A on the phone nor by stopping by their room. We walked
up to the lobby and asked the manager for suggestions about
where we could walk for dinner, perhaps a tapas bar. Oh no!
Within minutes, he had made reservations for us at Villa Tiberio,
an Italian restaurant, a couple of blocks down the main street.
Just as we were leaving the lobby to start walking, a cab
drew up with P & A! They had driven to the Frank Sinatra Bar
that had been recommended by an American woman they ran into
earlier in the lobby, but found it very disappointing. So
we were delighted that they could join us in the walk to dinner,
as the Marbella Club manager quickly increased our reservation
by two more persons.
The rain began as we walked,
and the umbrella I had decided to carry came in handy. The
restaurant was wonderful…delightful colors and Italian décor,
great service, and an archetypical Italian owner/manager with
camel hair sport coat, gold chains, hairy chest, shirt open
nearly to his waist, and a very outgoing, macho, attitude.
Fun! Believe it or not, we did eat rather lightly and the
food was outstanding. So was the wine! Again, a little pricey,
but what we expected.
Another walk in occasional rain
sprinkles back to the hotel, a little TV updating, and then
off to sleep in the canopied bed. I had developed a sore throat
on the day we left Scottsdale and that is usually a precursor
of a cold or flu for me. However, either luck or the extra
vitamin C I have been taking has worked, and I am feeling
100% fine now. Knock wood!
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Living Room Relaxation |
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