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Facebook Marina found out that his name is actually Salvador, but in any case, he passed by Malka and me as we rested

and we both gave eachother a look and she couldnt wait to get back to the house to tell Marina. By the timewe got

back she was sleeping so Malka woke her with the news. Later she wondered if she had been dreaming! Anyway, after

our nap Malka andI were STILL/AGAIN tired and all five of us went back to bed. Next thing we knew, it was 7:30 p.m.

Where did this day go???? We rushed to get our act together and were headed to the beach to be with my little

nephew, 3 year old Rafa, and my other nephew, 12 year old Cristobal, but they were already outside the kitchen door

washing sand off their feet. The kids, I and Anna sat outside for quite a while visiting and then we walked them back to

their car about 10 minutes away.

Back in the house the 3 Ms had a preliminary dinner before our walkto Pedregajo (the neighboring beach) where

we had a lite meal at a merendero ofpescado/dorada, ensaladamixta, papasfritas and boquerones con limn. To her

credit Marina ate both fish dishes.Prior to sitting down we bumped into Kiko, one of Pepes younger cousins (now 29

years old) who we probably havent seen in 26 years. Funny though how we can recognize each other. During an after

dinner stroll along the water;Pepe commented on how bad the economy is here as evidenced by the lack of people out

at night. I pointed out that, in fact, it was a week-night AND we were still in June. All previous trips here have been in

August which is the height of vacation time for Europeans. So, true, it was calmer on our night-time saunter, but it was

also noticeably and pleasantly cooler than past vacations.

Now Im sitting in bed with this tiny lap top. It is nice being able to journal directly onto Microsoft word and not

have to come home and type from my hand scribbles. Its after mid-night and although Im not too tired (havent I slept

enough??? PLUS its only 6 p.m. NY time) Im calling it quits for today.

Wednesday , June 29

Wow, I slept so well, soundly and comfortably with a cool breeze in the room! I awoke at 7:50 and it truly felt

like a new day. I didnt let the kids sleep too long but we did not have any plans. After breakfast we all walked up to the

main road to buy a sim card for a mobile phone that is being given to us for the interim. That didnt take too long and I

wanted to go into the center of Mlaga to go to the tourist office and enquire about a day trip to Granada. I was vetoed

but we did get bus tickets from the local tobacco store for when we do, eventually, go to town. Pepephoned his brother-in-law, Cristobal, (who works for a major bus company) regarding transportation to Granada and asked about

tickets/schedule/prices. Actually I asked, since Pepe didnt really get the full picture of what I had planned, and then we

later booked reservations for the Alhambra on line. After returning from our quick outing we put on bathing suits and

headed to the beach (about 100 yards from the front door). Who would have guessed that I would spend more time in

the water than Pepe, Marina and Marcus. Well, its no surprise that I spent more time than Marina, but considering I

dont care for sun, salt, sand, Malka kept me very entertained as we chatted and walked in the water (Jacobo hunting

along the way). We stayed outside for about 2 hours before coming home to shower and almorzar. Now the family is

all taking their siesta as I write this and Im getting a little drowsy too. To be continued later.

Okay, there went another two hours to sleeping! I dont know if it is still the jet lag, the time difference, being in

the sun or the accumulation of an exhausting school year, but boy have I been tired and catching up on shut-eye. When

Malka woke up she came to my room a little perturbed because her nose was red. Had she slept on it? No. oops, she

forgot to put sun screen on her face (she did do the rest of her body). As she moaned that she looked funny I realized

my stomach was a bit itchy and when I lifted my shirt I realized I had missed the entire area of my abdomen, minus one

spot that shone brightly white, amid a rather lobsterish pink. Ouch indeed.

I cant recall much of what we did in the latter part of the afternoon another walk with both girls this time,

again heading east on thepaseo and then stopping by the cemetery which was already closed being 8:00. Eventually

Pepe and Marcus joined us and we sat on a bench outside looking at the water and the bathers still reveling in the sand

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and surf. One thing Malka took note of, aside from the fact that some, not many, women bathe topless, is the fact that

little girls and boys swim butt naked. Little kids running in the all-together is quite cute with their little tushies, and in

the cases of the little boys their privates, flying around, but she noticed a boy about 8 or 9 doing the same and thought

he was rather old for such free behavior. Well, I guess he noticed her gawking because as we sat on the bench, he came

over and flashed her, opening up his towel and giving a big silly grin. He was carrying a toy machine gun which he tried

to position over his jangley bits (as she calls them). Malka was soooo embarrassed that if her face wasnt red already

from the sun, it certainly was red now!

We waited for Anna to arrive with Rafa. Marina for

some reason has suddenly taken a liking to little kids and

wanted to play/talk with her cousin. They arrived around 9:00

and we went back to the house to play. I hadnt bought Rafa a

gift other than the Tommy Hilfiger clothes his parents had

requested, but I did have the free toy from the Wendys meal

bought back at JFK. The kids had said, you cant give that

stupid free-be toy as a gift, well, lo and behold, what does a 3

year old know or care. Rafa loved it and it was a great

icebreaker.

After playing and

drawing with the

girls for about

hour, Fali came

in from his day

of work, and at 9:45 we all headed back west on the beach to the same

restaurant where we ate last night. I had already eaten and Malka is

realizing it is not the wisest of things to be eating at 10- 10:30, but Marina

again had the same fish as yesterday plus tried another new one as

well.Rafa had begun the evening very quiet and shy. Playing in the housewas an ice breaker, and during the meal he started to really open up like a

typical silly little boy and everything he said was caca and pee-pee. Glad to

see hes feeling more comfortable around the family, and especially the

girls who adore him for his cuteness. By the time we all got back to the

house and in bed, it was well past midnight. Not wise either since

tomorrow we need to wake up EARLY and head out with Martin for

Gibraltar. Whether we cross the border remains to be seen as we are not sure if a visa is needed or not (I Googled and

saw no. Martin said yes) so well see what Thursday brings!

Thursday, June 30

I knew that it would be a bad idea to stay up late when I had to get myself and the kids up early for a day trip

with Martin. I was up at 7:15 and the kids were up shortly thereafter, and by 8:40 we had met up with Martin a little

further down the beach in front of Casa Pedro (a very famous restaurant which now has closed after 80 years!) It was

great to be able to spend a day with Martin, a former colleague of mine from when I taught at the most shady of

language institutes, 112 International, back in 1983-84. Martin and I have kept in contact since then and have

occasionally seen each other, the last time being when he and Jos Antonio came to NY 5 years ago for their

honeymoon, but we really havent spent a full day together in way over 20 years! Reuniting was like never being apart!

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longer be British. Well I guess that wont happen any time soon as there are 6 families

of apes numbering over 200 animals. They were adorable (and probably the highlight

of the trip other than spending the day with a dear old friend!) Although weve read

(and heard from my parents friends first- hand account) about them attacking people,

as long as you dont touch them or take something away from them, you are safe! We

watched them climb the building and other tourists and then Douglas said hed take us

further up the mountain to where he better knew another family. We crammed back

in the van, drove a little further and now were higher up where the clouds were trulyrunning over our heads. The apes were all

over the van, the road and soon, us. One

jumped unprovoked right onto Marina. To

her credit she didnt freak at all. If you look at

my initial reaction, I wasnt quite so calm and collected. Marcus and Martin

did wonderfully with our furry friends but Malka needed to hold Martins hand

before allowing a primate to stand on her (or mess with her precious hair).

There was a little ape that had a bottle

of water that he tried to drink from and

we really felt bad when he accidentally

spilled it and looked so sad.

The visit with the apes ended and we headed to the highest point of ourjourney to the Siege Tunnels which contain 60 km of caves dug through the rock

that only measures 5 km long. These date back to the 1700s and we spent about

20 minutes inside. Looking out of the holes carved in the face of the

mountainwe could barely see, under the mist, the runway of the airport which

we actually crossed in order to enter this territory.

Douglas drove us back to our point of

origin and instructed us how to walk to Main

Street and where to eat if we wanted the

traditional English fare of fish and chips at a

place frequented by the locals. The walk was

rather long (as the restaurant was at the far end

of the mostly pedestrian street) and we stopped

by a very old cemetery dating from the early

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1800s where the soldiers from the battle of Trafalgar were laid to rest. We finally found Roys and sat outside in the

shade and enjoyed a really nice lunch. Martin ordered a medium sized fish and chips, Marina and I each had a small and

all three portions were immense! (The

other two kids ordered chicken nuggets and

chips rather American). I scarfed down

my entire meal and it was yummy good.

Meal complete, we had to walk the

length of the road back to the car park and

headed out of Gibraltar. A cloud still

engulfed the top of the rock but as we

waited on the customs line I managed to

get a commemorative photo. Martin kept

us very entertained on the drive home,

telling us endless stories of escapades

hes had over the years living in Spain.

He also drove us by the campsite where

he HOPES (fingers crossed) hell be

employed in the not-to-distant-future.

Marcus, Malka and Martin (wow

another M to the mix!) wanted to stop

at a beach to swim since we had our

bathing costumes in the boot of his

car. Marina and I nixed the idea and

Marina told Martin she wanted to go to

his house instead. And so we did. He

lives in a lovely urbanization in a small

two bedroom flat with a beautiful back

yard and patio. I had been tired on the

way home, but with a cup of instant

caffeinated coffee and a sit-down in the shade and I was feeling pretty much back to normal. Next thing I knew, Martin

had slipped into his bathing suit and was headed to the pool and quickly thereafter followed Marcus, Malka and myself.

That was totally refreshing. We stayed in the water until the pool closed at 7:00 and then waited in the house for Jos

Antonio to return from his hair salon so at least wed get to see each other for a few minutes.

It was now time to head back to El Palo and when we got in the car it was completely dead. The battery had

worn down since Martin left the lights on (okay-it was kind of my fault but not worth writing about). Now, being a

manual drive car, I never knew that if you just let it run down a hill and you can start it that way so with all of us in the

car thats what he did. Only, it started, and then it stopped and by this time he somehow made a turn and was now

heading UP the hill. I thought, oh great, now what, but he figured he can roll down BACKWARDS. The kids and I all bailed

out and waited on the curb as he went backwards down the hilly street. A little while later he was WALKING back up

with our bags in his hands. I felt SO BAD! Malka even felt worse and said afterwards we should buy poor Martin a car!

We got some jumper cables and a nice neighbor to help and eventually we were on the highway home. It wasnt too

late by the time we got home, but it wasnt too early either, so knowing that tomorrow would be another LONG tourist

day the kids were in bed before 11:00, hopefully with lots of happy thoughts of a very fun day.

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Friday, July 1

Again I set the alarm for about 7:00 and by 7:30 had the rest of the clan up. Todays excursion was to Granada,

a trip which entailed a bus into town, a walk to the bus terminal and a coach bus to Granada. Cristobal had already

purchased our tickets for us for the 10:00 bus, so we left the house about 8:30 giving ourselves ample time to catch it.

The only thing was we werent quite sure where the terminal was and ended up taking the long walk around.

The bus pulled out at exactly 10:00 and, amazingly, exactly an hour and a half later we reached our destination.

I thought it would be a longer drive. By the time we got onto the street we could feel the day heating up. Not a good

thing when we had hours ahead of us to play happy tourist (or, some of the time, not so happy). We found the local

bus that took us to the Cathedral (from where we would later take another bus to the Alhambra). But first, we had to go

INTO the cathedral because Marina thought that Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand were buried there! So we each paid

an entrance fee of 3.50 Euros and entered an okay cathedral. It was commissioned in 1521 by Carlos V and completed

in 1714. It was really just okay (how many cathedrals have we seen world wide-were a bit jaded already) and it was

disappointing to find that the Catholic Kings were NOT buried there but rather NEXT DOOR in the Capilla Real(why

didnt I read my tour information ahead of time?!) So, we turned the corner and were accosted by a gypsy woman who

pressed rosemary into my hand and was telling me my fortune or something (Im pregnant, I want to get pregnant, I

dont know what! but a big fat NO on both of those counts). Of course she wanted money and got none! Pepe and

Marcus decided to get something to drink rather than to pay an additional 3.5 Euros to see the royal tombs so at that

point we went our separate ways.

The royal couple originally planned to be buried in Toledo, but Isabella changed her mind when the pair

conquered Granada in 1492. When she died in 1504,her body was first laid to rest in the Convent of San Francisco.

Work began on the Royal Chapel in 1506 and was completed 15 years later. In 1521 her body was moved to a simple

lead coffin in the crypt of the new building,where it was joined by that of her husband, Ferdinand, and later her

unfortunate daughter, Juana la Loca and son-in-law, Felipe el Hermoso. There is all a small coffin that contains the

remains of Prince Felipe of Asturias, a grandson of the Catholic Monarchs who died as a baby. Whilethecrypt

containingthe five lead coffins is simple, it is topped by elaborate marble tombs showing Ferdinand and Isabella lying

sided by side. Now, we had entered the chapel with a mission didnt much matter that there was a beautifulaltarpiece made up of 34 carved panels. Marina wanted to see the tombs! Now, no photography was allowed in the

chapel but then again, no photography was allowed in the cathedral and people were snapping away so naughty me,

I caught an image of both the caskets in the crypt AND the ornate tombs upstairs.

We exited feeling very satisfied with ourselves and now had to find the men who were NOT standing where we

thought they might be. The gypsy lady (same one) came at me again but I wiggled my way away. The guys were at a

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nice bar and were happily refreshed, but now Malka was getting hungry so we needed to find somewhere agreeable to

go. A simple McDonalds would have sufficed but none was around. There was a Kebab King on one side of the street,

and a nicely decorated Middle Eastern restaurant on the other, so we opted for the pretty one. This is where the happy

tourist label became disassociated with some of us. Personally, I thought the restaurant was really nice and pretty and

authentic. We sat upstairs (it had a/c, thank G-d) which was adorned with draperies, mirrors, stools, low tables, low

sofas very Middle Eastern. Music was playing in the background and that quickly grated on Marcus nerves and shortly

thereafter, on Pepes. Pepe said the place was

a gimmick and I pointed out that the foodwas Halal and we were near the Arab quarter

so maybe not! The menu was very good and

inexpensive so I ordered a falafel, Marina a

lamb gyro, Pepe falafel platter with humus and

the other two had burgers. Okay, so the

service was slow okay, it was VERY slow and

maybe we were freaking a bit because we DID

have timed tickets to the Palace of the Nasrids

at the Alhambra for 3:30. But I thought the

food was very good AND the place had thecleanest bathroom Ive seen here at a

restaurant probably ever! It turned out Malka

was totally creeped-out from the get-go having

seen hookahs being smoked downstairs and

reading about the different hookah infusions

one could order from the menu. Plus she said a

young couple was making out on one of the sofas and Marcus thought the teens at the next table/sofas who were

clearly enjoying a nice meal and convo were high!

Meal complete we now had to catch the bus up, up, up the windy, extremely narrow, cobbled streets to theAlhambra. By this time I dont know HOW hot it was, but Im guessing in the shade it was at least 95 degrees and,

believe me, we spent a lot of time OUT of the shade.

Okay, a little about the Alhambra before writing about our experience there: In 1238, the first Nasrid king, Ibn

el-Ahmar began building the complex which has three main parts: The Alcazaba, the Palacio Nazaries, and the

Generalife. The courtyard, patios and halls are a maze of Moorish arches, columns, rooms and gardens, complete with

ornate stucco carvings, cursive epigraphy which quotes the Koran and Arabic poems, colorfulgeometric ceramic tiles,

carved wood, fountains, and reflecting pools of water. Water is used throughout to enhance light, enlarge spaces and

provide soft background sounds (if you can focus on them over the din of the tourists).

We arrived at the entrance at around 2:45 and, as I mentioned, we had a timed ticket to enter the Nasrid Royal

Palace at 3:30, one of those, use it or lose it tickets. It was a bit of a hike (20 minutes) from the entrance to the palace

so we quickly walked through some gardens to get to the line to enter the Palace. The sun was beating down and it was

unbearably hot (there was no protection for the line) so we ducked into the Palace of Carlos V which was built in 1524.

This building is an example of Spanish Renaissance architecture and features a perfectly square exterior but a circular

interior courtyard. There was not much to see there. After climbing a long and sturdy flight of steps we came upon the

airconditioned entrance to the fine arts museum. Since it required ANOTHER entrance fee and we didnt have much

time we went back down to sit on the cool stone landing. By 3:25 the line we needed to be on was rather long but we

got on it regardless. Considering our entrance was scheduled for 3:30, we didnt get into the palace until closer to 4:00.

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The NasridPalace is divided into three sections

which we made our way through with a million other

sweaty tourists, taking pictures, marveling at the beauty,

catching the occasional breeze from an open window. We

spent over a half an hour inside and then came out and

rested for a while in the shade of Carlos Vs hulking

structure. Thank G-d for the water bottles that we continuously nursed and refilled. We were all dripping sweat. Next

we went to the Alcazaba, which is one of the oldest parts of the complex and the military area. Again, if youve seen

oneAlcazaba (fort) in Spain, you can almost say youve seen them all, and we have seen others (a nice one right in

Malaga), so Marcus and Malka opted to stay outside in the shade. After climbing the first of many watch towers, Pepe

also bailed out on me and Marina, and we also quickly decided that we were not going to do any more climbing (its

really hot up top these towers and the views are all the same) so we wound our way towards the exit, resting a bit in the

Jardin de los Adarves, the wall-walk garden, and gasp taking our shoes off and putting them in a fountain OH

WHAT A RELIEF!

We met up with our gang and after a stop at the

restrooms to cover ourselves in water (which evaporated

literally in a minute) we head toward the Generalife quite

a ways away. We stopped next at the Partal, anotherlovely garden area that includes the Palace of Yusef III

and the Paseo de las Torres. It was at this point that I

really looked at the site map and saw how far away the

Generalife was. By this time it was nearing 6:00 and we

were all pretty much spent (this last part of the walk was

up hill, and the sun wasnt letting up.) We had already

been there for 3 hours. The estimated time to see, more

or less, the entire complex is three hours. I guess no one

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We caught the number 11 bus back to El Palo with no problem and were finally home around 10:00. A pretty

long outing of 13 hours, sweltering sun/heat, and historic sights indeed! I was feeling grungy beyond grungy and was

the first to claim the shower. I can say for certainty tomorrow we are going NO PLACE further thanthe beach out

front!

Saturday, July 2

As I promised the kids, after two days of early rising, heavy heat and schlepping I did NOT wake them up or

expect them to get out of bed in the morning. As for myself, I was up at 7:30 to finish typing yesterdays journal and

organize some 140 photos.

Pepe and I had to pay a condolence call to his Aunt Angeles so we left the house at about 10:00. Before leaving I

just informed the kids where wed be and gave them the option to get up or not. We walked to Angeles house which

isnt all that far away but is up a steep hill and at this early time of the day the sun was already strong and stinging.

All things considered, she had just lost her husband 2 weeks ago after 5 years of sickness and the last 5 months

really bad, Angeles looked well and as usual didnt stop talking. Before we knew it, it was about 11:00 and we excused

ourselves to go back home. The kids were still in bed and once prodded moved along slowly. It was noon before Marina

and I made it to the beach. (Pepe, Marcus and Malka got there a little before.) Rafa was there but only briefly which is a

shame because the kids really like playing with him. By 2:00 we were pretty crispy and went back to the house. Cristi

and Curro had arrived from their home in Alicante, about 5 hours away, and with them, Ana (who just came from work

to get Rafa) and the other cousins, there were about 13-14 people in the house (in an area that is smaller than our den

and with seating for about 8.)

I showered with the girls because even though we rinsed off at the beach, between the salt, sand, and a thick

layer of suntan lotion, my skin was simply crawling.Then we ate lunch. The kids are feeling overwhelmed by the tight

quarters, the basic lack of room to roam and freedom to just do what they want (although there is nothing really for

them to do), the heat and the fact that at certain times of the day one really cant even be in the street for the heat, and

for the fact that they cant really communicate. Dont blame me for that any more please! So, what do kids do when

they are bored?... they start fighting! Oh yeah- what a joy. With no place to sit and just relax peacefully downstairs, we

all ended up falling asleep again by 4:00. Next thing we knew, it was 6:30 and we had done nothing all day!

The girls were really at each other and Malka (who at times is actually crying that she wants to go home) took a

walk with Pepe heading one direction on the beach, and Marina and I headed the other way. Marcus stayed home to

read if nothing else, at least the boy is reading this vacation! Good thing his book has over 1000 pages! By the time

we got back to the beach in front of the house, Pepe, Malka, Marcus, Cristi&Curro were out front ready to sit down at

one of the merenderos (beach front restaurants). We took a big table and waited from Cristobal & theprimosto come

back from their house to join us for a late dinner. By the time they got there it was after 10:00 and so we had another

late meal.

My three kids had really long faces (after insulting eachother and just being out of sorts for the day) so at 11:00 I

took them back to the house where Marcus and Malka promptly fell asleep and Marina stayed up helping me with this

laptop until midnight. Another day done fingers crossed tomorrow will be better.

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Sunday, July 3, 2011

Pepe and I both woke up pretty early without an alarm clock and a little later Malka and Marcus joined us

downstairs. Actually, I dont think they awoke on their own, but rather had the family marching through their rooms to

get all the beach gear together because

today, finally, we were going to set up the

tent/canopy to protect the extended

family from the sun.

We all got to the beach at a

decent hour, probably around 10:30

except for Marina because I decided to let

her keep her own schedule after I made

sure she had breakfast. She made it down

at noon. The weather was very different

than the other days, very windy, even a bit

cold and there were great waves for the

kids to enjoy. However, by 1:00 the wind

really picked up, the lifeguard had pulled

two people from the water (one taken

away in an ambulance) and it no longer

was very appealing to be outside with the

sand kicking up although it was a great day

to get a tan since you couldnt feel the sun. (An aside added later: I think I must have gotten sun poisoning or something

because the back of both upper arms are blotching, a bit swollen and hot!) I headed back to the house with the kids and

Cristobal came running behind to get abuelo because while disassembling the tent it began to take flight.

There were again 14 of us for a paella lunch and a table was set up outside in the little callejn(alleyway) next to

the house. I sat outside withthe kids as it was much more

pleasant than being in the

house. After lunch, Malka

wanted to take another of

her walks. Good for her, she

doesnt want to nap every

day, so we began to walk

along the beach. The sand

was really blowing so we

headed up to the main road.

Being a Sunday there wasnt

a single shop open, but we

walked around that area for

a bit before coming back

down to the beach and sat

on a bench for about 45 minutes or so. It was a good thing Cristi heard us at the door because we didnt have our key.

Everyone else in the house was asleep and she assumed we were upstairs too.

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I took Malka up to the roof of the house to hang laundry since a line was strung at my request. I recalled how

years ago the family (and I) used to eat meals upstairs, hang out upstairs, sunbathe upstairs it seemed such a shame

that the area was now unused. Of course, me being me, I decided to look under all the tarps at what was hidden

beneath and I came across two nice cushioned reclining beach chairs. I untied them and Malka and I chilled for a while.

Everyone was STILL sleeping so we decided to go out AGAIN. Curro stirred on the sofa as he heard us descend the stairs,

and asked if we wanted to sit down. He was a bit surprised that we said we were going out walking again.

It was still incredibly and dangerously wavy and dont know why anyone would be in the water with only one

lifeguard to cover a huge area. He sure was busy today, because no sooner had we come outside we saw him dive into

the water to save a young lady! We continued our walk but this time walking along the shoreline with our feet sinking

into the cool wet sand. Malka was looking for poopy, some mangy stray dog we saw the other day (his name isnt

really poopy, but Malka gave him that name.) For some reason she really likes the dog???? We had fun looking at all the

little kids enjoying their beach outing. Malka wanted to adopt one adorable black toddler (sorry, cant call him African

American if we are in Spain) who was excitedly and nakedly chasing the birds, and another toddler who almost looked

Irish (he wasnt) who already seemed a master soccer player. Malka really likes being out and taking in the surroundings

and the people. We were sitting on a bench when all of a sudden it began to rain! RAIN in July! Imagine that. It only

lasted 10 minutes but that was when we headed back to the house. By this time everyone was awake and pretty

surprised how many walks Malka and I have been taking. Whats the option?

Its now 9:00 and I fed the kids up on the roof/terrace. I think this will be our new hangout while we are in

Mlaga. Pepe is making himself some dinner now and will bring it upstairs as well, and then well all take a stroll along

the beach, heading west to Pedregalejo, to people-watch. Oops..battery running out now. Guess Ill sign off for today

and recharge the laptop. Hasta maana.

Monday, July 4

By the time we got home from our evening stroll last

night I wasnt feeling too well. I think that between the wind

and humidity, or from the amount of time Malka and I satinhaling smoke in front of the open fire pits where they cook

the fish, my chest was feeling tight and bronchitis-like. Plus it

was nippy and windy during our walk. I had hoped to get to

bed early, but since the sun sets at 10:00, its NEVER early by

the time we turn in.

I woke up feeling better to a brilliant, cooler (at least

in the morning) dry day. For the first time the sky was the

beautiful blue that I recall from past years living and visiting

here (up until now its been soooooooooooo hazy!) Pepe and

I decided we would go into the center of Mlaga. How can we

come all the way here without taking in the beautiful old city?

We woke the kids up, fed them, but there was NO WAY they

wanted to go for a walk. Their excuse beenthere done

that. While it is true that theyve seen Mlaga many times

over the years, the city is being redone so nicely and there is

always something different, if not new, to see, that I thought

they should come. In the end we let them stay home lest they ruin OUR outing.

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We took the bus to the near end ofel Paseo de Parque and walked through the tunnel that was cut through the

mountains (obliterating the once-gypsy quarters). This path took us to la Plaza de la Merced(now under total

reconstruction/renovation) where Picasso was born. We made our way through the small winding streets of the old

part of town and came upon the site where they are now building el Centro Sefardiand a synagogue. I think Mlaga

realized (a little late, since they destroyed what was probably the Jewish quarter quite a few years back to make the new

Picasso Museum) that Jews make up a large percentage of tourists and all other major Spanish cities have some Jewish

history and attractions.

We stopped for a coffee at Dunkin Coffee and then continued to take in the lovely architecture and weather. It

really is a shame the kids didnt come next Sunday, even though the stores will be shut, I hope to get them up early to

spend a few hours down town.

We got back to El Palo around 12:30 and were

told the kids had JUST gotten up. Actually, I think

Marcus spent the morning reading. And they were

hungry. Even though it wasnt la hora del almuerzo I

fed them a la horaamericana! After lunch we chatted

with Alejandro about college plans, his idea to learn to

drive this summer and Jacobo el Lobo who, it turns

out, he knows. We also sat outside and played with

Rafa and took some nice family photos! Its now 5:00

and Marina and I are sitting outside the front door

appreciating the shade and cool breeze. The cousins

have all gone home and the rest of the family, aside from

maybe Marcus and Malka, are taking their siestas.

A little later Ill need to pack our suitcase for

Barcelona (the kids and I will be leaving the house at about

7 a.m. YIKES!) and then I will take the girls to El Palos

center to window shop (or shop if there is anything they

really want). Things are really nice and calm now and I think

we all (myself included) have finally adapted to the way

things are here. Vacation is about over. Tomorrow

another adventure begins as we explore new territory!

Tuesday, July 5

It just goes to show that if we have to get up early

we are perfectly able to do so! I set the alarm for a bit

before 6:00 and popped out of bed when I heard that peep-

peep. I dont know why I even set it so early considering we

werent going to leave until 7:00. The kids were up and

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dressed, ready is debatable, at that hour, and by 6:30 we were in Curros car headed to the airport. Its a good thing

we gave ourselves that cushion of time as there was an accident on the highway and we were basically at a standstill for

a half hour. Nevertheless, we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, checked in and then waited. As it turned

out, our flight to Barcelona was delayed and we didnt take off until 10:10, an hour and ten minutes late.

Audrey was waiting for us as we came out from baggage claim and we made our way to her car. The trip to her

house was about 20 minutes, filled with lots of catching up with lots more catching up to follow since its been years

since weve seen each other.

She andher family, husband Josep, 16 year old son

David and 20 year old son Marc who is currently in El

Salvador, live in a very nice residential neighborhood on the

top floor, tico, of an old ( maybe 100 years) building. It has

a huge heavy wrought iron front door and two caged-in

elevators that go up through the middle of the stair well.

The kids really had fun open the cage to get in and out. The

strangest of things amuses them. We were greeted at the

front door by a very attractive David in his very sexy

European briefs. Great first impression for the girls big

smile! I kind of knew, from Audreys past description, that

her dwelling was big, but I really wasnt expecting what we

entered. Its kind of a la old mid-size NYC Central Park West

apartments; HIGH ceilings (a good 3-4 taller than ours back

home), a long L-shaped hallway off of which are 4 bedrooms,

2 bathrooms, a dressing room, an ironing room, a little book

alcove, a terrace with double doors that they keep open all

the time, an eat-in kitchen and at the end, a living room/

dining room with marble fireplace and a far wall full of vast

windows. There are two interior air shafts that flood the hall

and inside bedrooms with light and breeze as well as many exterior windows with old fashioned heavy wood shutters.

The weather is cry and breezy and although each room has a/c, it is plenty comfortable without it!

We settled in well and sat around for a while with Josep telling his never-ending stories, poems and dichos and

serenading us with song and guitar. We then went for a walk in the neighborhood, through the market where we picked

up salmon for dinner and assorted other foods and then we walked to whatJosep refers to as the Al Qaida

neighborhood full of Pakistanis and other such immigrants. He wanted to go to his friends bakery even though it was

already 3:00 and the shop closes at 2:00. As luck would have it, we bumped into the baker on the street and went

inside, what a lovely sweet smell, to pick up some desserts, talk and get a tour of the baking area. On the way back

home, Josep pointed out another system of public transportation; a bank of bicycles from which one can pick up a bike

(there is a 15 euro annual fee) to drive from one point to another and then be dropped off at another rack. If used for

up to hour there is no additional cost and considering there are 100 kilometers of bike lanes throughout the city and

bike centers all around, it is a great/green commuting option.

We came back to the house. TRYING the pastries basically turned into FINISHING them, so light and delicious.

David then left to go to is moto lesson and Lucky, their West Highland Terrier, needed a wee walk. Leaving Marina and

Marcus behind, Audrey, Josep, Malka and I went out AGAIN for another long walk. It took a while as Lucky is slow and

when Malka attempted to take the leash he dug his little paws into the sidewalk and wouldnt even move so that added

to our time. I give Malka lots of credit for going much further than expected.

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Back at the house, Josep proudly showed off some of his unique art collection, each painting having an

interesting story and hidden symbolism. The house is full of eclectic art that he has picked up from his world-wide

travels. When it came time for David to return from his lesson, it was now Marcus turn to go for a walk. He was later

rewarded by playing video games with David for the rest of the night and going to bed at midnight after the rest of us

were all tucked in.

Wednesday, July 6

We got up easily enough. I set the alarm for 8 and had planned to be out and about by 9:30, but Josep laid out a

lovely breakfast and before we knew it, it was 10:00 (Audrey was teaching her first student of the day on the terrace).

After catching the #24 bus from the stop down the street, we arrived at the Plaa de Catalunya to pick up the Barcelona

Bus Turstic which would take us to the citys major sites. The line in front of the bus was crazy long so we went across

the street and downstairs to the tourist info center to get the tickets. Although that line was short, it was slow so

realizing we could actually get the tickets at a little kiosk by the bus stop we went back upstairs. That was a waste of 20

minutes. We bought the 2-day ticket and boarded a Red Route bus. Now, MAYBE I had told Marcus that wed be done

sightseeing by 2:00 (or maybe that was a white lie) but in any case, by the time we began our tour, it was probably close

to 11:00! If all we did was sit on the bus, that would last until 1:00, but we DIDNT just sit, we got off many times along

the 23 stop route.

The first place we got off was at Casa Batil, a colorful and

bizarre Gaud building that was built between 1904-1906. It is on a

block referred to as the Manzana de la Discordia because of the

extreme discord or contrast between Gauds bright and bazaar

structure and that of fellow Modernista architects Domenech I

Montaner and PuigiCadafalch. Many people were snapping photos

of the building(s), many also entering for a steep fee. We were

among the first group and then boarded the bus again to stop #2.

This was GaudsCasa Mil, also known as La Pedrera the stone

quarry. The tour book says that when the curving stone faade wasunveiled in 1910, the neighbors werent very happy with the look. I

quite agree and didnt appreciate the aesthetic. When I asked

Audrey last night what her favorite tourist sight is she named this

buildings. Barcelona truly has something for everyone! Again, the

entrance line was long and the price high. Back on the bus and

away

we

went.

All along this part of the route, the architecture,building facades, adornments and rooftops were

beautiful. We didnt get off the bus again until we

reached PlaadEspanya (where I had walked yesterday

afternoon.) This a very pretty traffic circle with an

impressive statue in the middle, an imposing art museum

way to the back in one direction and a refurbished Plaza

de toros (bull ring) that now houses a brilliant shopping

mall. We took the escalators all the way up to the roof for

a vista of the city. We could see the spires ofLa

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walked to the Monument o Colom, the 60-meter tall monument that marks the spot where Columbus stepped back

onto Spanish soil in 1493. Now Marcus was REALLY carrying on and tired. We stayed on the bus all through Port Veil,

Port Olimpic, past the zoo and to the BarriGtic(the Gothic quarters) where the Cathedral is. By this time ALL the kids

were DYING. They sat on some steps below the cathedral (built between 1298 & 1450 with neo-gothic faade added in

1892) eating the magdelenasthat we bought earlier on while I went to inquire about entrance fees. They were rather

costly BUT Malkasshort shorts and Marinas exposed

shoulders precluded us from entering. Nobody complained

about that. While they rested, I walked around the squarelooking at an antique market and some street performers.

Then we headed on our way home WALKING! I figured that

it made more sense to walk than to take the hop-on/off bus

back to our original starting point of the morning and then

having to find the public bus back home. The walk took us

through the tiny allies ofthe Gothic Quarter, the Jewish

Quarter (which I dont think now contains anything Jewish)

across Las Ramblas to the heart of the Arab/Pakistani/Indian

neighborhood until the recognizable structure of theMercat

de St. Antonicame into view. Then we knew one more blockwould deliver us to C/. Manso 52!

Right outside the apt. building, the clothing

market that was being set up early this morning was

now packing up. Marcus wanted some European

underwear(slips) so we stopped to shop. The lady

told me hed be a size M. I thought hed be L. We

bought one of each and it turned out I was right.

Well try to exchange and buy more on Friday, next

market day. By the time we entered the apartmentit was 7:00! What a long day. Immediately Josep

came up with the idea that we should do night-time

snorkeling at a beach some 20 minutes away. He

and David (and Marc too) are scuba/snorkeling

enthusiasts/experts. The photos from their 18 day

Bali trip were amazing. But we declined the invitation (anyone who knows me knows I wouldnt snorkel anyway AND we

had already been out and about for9 hours!) We opted to decompress, have dinner with Audrey, write my journal, do

Bat Mitzvah practice and go to bed (not too early in the end). Its a good thing we skipped the swim they got in at 2

a.m.! Crazy Catalans!

Thursday, July 7

Its 4:00 p.m. and I can say that today has been a much easier day for us (especially Marcus) regarding touring.

Having acclimated ourselves to Spanish time (its only been over a week!) we are all having a better time of getting up

and out. We were all dressed and fed by 9:00 and out the door hour later. Today would be the blue route but we

took the metro to La SagradaFamilia figuring that would be quicker than taking public transport to the tour bus to this

MAJOR attraction. The subway station, just down the block from the apartment, was spotlessly clean as was the train.

Within five minutes we were in front of this architectural masterpiece before 10:00. We stood facing the main entrance

down below at street level.

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A bit about this Gaud landmark: Construction began in

1882 and is still underway as in evidenced by the scaffolding, cranes

and workmen with hardhats. On the Nativity faade where we first

stopped, Gaud illustrates the genealogy of Christ, the constellations

in Bethlehems Christmas sky, the crowning of the Virgin, a cypress

(Christmas tree) the evergreen symbol of eternity pointing to

heaven; white

doves the soulsseeking eternity.

To the right are

scenes form

Jesus youth and

to the left,

among other

depictions; the

flight of the Holy

Family into Egypt,

Joseph with hiscarpenters tools,

the marriage of

Joseph & Mary. All of this is carved and resembles wind eroded

stone, stalactites, stalagmites or other organic shapes. We couldnt

see so well from our vantage point so we decided to find our way to

get inside the gate, and, I decided, to go inside the church as well,

regardless of the cost. It turns out that to get inside the gate to see

the outside, one has to pay the admission fee anyway. So we walked around

to the back of the building where the ticket booth was and there we saw it

a line that went around two blocks! So much for that idea. We crossed the

street to find the shade and from there looked up at the Passion Faade on

the southwestern side while reading up on the sculptor, Josep Maria

Subirachs, who was chosen, in 1986, to execute Guads plans. Gaud died in

1926 after being hit by a trolley car.

The contrast in style between the old and the new is enormous as

Subirachs style is angular and geometric unlike the organic feel of Gaud.

Each scene on this side depicted the Passion of Christ very well. Marcus

appreciated the modern, while the women in the family preferred the old.

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Since we opted not to wait hours to enter, we

got on the bus at this point and headed to ParkGell

in upper Barcelona. This is Gauds Art Nouveau

urban garden (now a municipal park) that was named

for his patron the CountEusebioGell, and was

intended as a garden suburb. The project failed

because the bourgeoisie of Barcelona were happier

living closer to the town. The park (one of my favoritethings in city) is a gorgeous example of Art Nouveau;

gingerbread gate houses, colorful mosaic work,

whimsical creatures, serpentine benches overlook

flower filled gardens, man-made caves of interlocking

stone. We had a really nice time there, strolling,

sitting and appreciating. There were street vendors

(all illegal) with their waresspread out on the dusty

ground on sheets. I was going to buy some things

from them when all of a sudden, in one swoop, they

grabbed their goods and scurried away like micefleeing a cat. Although I didnt see them, I guess the police had arrived.

On the way out of the park I wanted a quick photo in front of, and with, the patchwork tiled lizard that guards

the park. I handed the camera to Malka, threw myself into the frame so to speak. With so many tourists waiting for a

similar picture I needed to be aggressive. Not as aggressive though as the fat, old, over-jolly andover-exuberant Saudi

who came next to me for the photo shoot. His friends were all screaming and took a picture of me and him with their

cell phone. Malka looked totally disgusted but luckily got a solo shot of me. The men were yelling some foreign word

which Im sure meant kiss but I managed my way away. A bit later I saw him in front of another fountain with another

woman. I hope she was his wife!

We walked back down the steep hill that we hadschlepped

up and hour earlier and got the bus to our next stop, Palau Reial

and Pavellons Gell. The first is a royal palace built in 1924 for the

king, Alfonso XIII. It now houses two museums. We had no

intentions on visiting either of them. What we did want

to see was the estate of Gauds patron. We walked

through the very nice palace gardens to get to the

second site to find it was closed! It seems it is only

open for a one hour English tour ONCE a week! That

wasnt mentioned in any guidebook or map. Sigh So

we looked at Gaudsiron gate in the form of a dragon

and walked back to the bus.

This time all of us, minus Marina, opted to sit

downstairs in the a/c rather than up top where, while

the breeze was pleasant, our legs were singeing from

the sun. We passed the Futbol Club Barcelona which

we know we wouldnt stop at. Surprisingly to me, it

was THE MOST POPULAR stop! Did I haveany idea that

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Barcelona has THE BEST soccer team? Obviously not. But the line to get onto the bus from that stop, and the stampede

of the people to get off showed me that there are some serious soccer fans in Europe!

We got off the but at the stop ofel MuseudArtConemporani de Barcelona and el Centre de

CulturaContemporania de Barcelona which I knew was a short walk from the apartment. It is really nice to feel so

comfortable in a large city and actually be able to make my/our way home by foot from various locations. Having the

old market as a landmark a block away is very helpful. We ate lunch before going home and arrived there shortly before

3:00.

Originally Audrey and I were thinking to go to a museum in the afternoon with Marina, but while she had a

dentist appointment at 4:30, David, Marcus Malka & I took a walk around the block to the dog grooming shop, MAI

FRIENDS, of Davids cousin. David gave Lucky a bath (Malka didnt want to do that part because she didnt make an ass

of herself and get all wet-her words!) and M&M helped dry him with hair driers (Lucky, not David!) He looks much

better now. We then walked to a supermarket to get

some snacks and passed by Davids Avi(grandpa) who

was sitting in front of his buildings door. We stopped

to say hello. Back at home, as we opened the door to

enter the apartment, we were greeted by Audrey, Josep andthe recently awakened Marina (she likes her naps) who were

about to set out to look for us.

We all came back in, sat and chatted and made plans

to go out again tonight. That never happened because I was

too tired in the end. Marcus took a short walk with David

and his friend while I attempted to write my journal but failed

as I always found myself distracted. We had a casual meal on the terrace, talked about the running of the bulls for San

Fermn in Pamplona and then Josep took out the guitar and began to sing (really nice voice and great spirit). I learned a

song that I think Ill use and incorporate with a new PowerPoint for school, and by the end, many of us were singing and

our crazy host was dancing around with a red glass bull!

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Its now 11:50 and Im overdue for bed. I told

myself Id quit writing by 11:30. Im trying to keep to a

more American vs. Spanish time schedule. Tomorrows

plans; 8:00 a.m. get up and watch the running of the bulls

on TV, go to the neighborhood market and then see what

the day brings and who will go where. Sigh, itll be our las

day (for now) in Barcelona, but with so much left to see, I

hope we come back. Bona Nit.

Friday, July 8

By the time I got to the living room and turned on

the TV it was 8:03 a.m. and the days running of the bulls

was nearly over (to be repeated via re-runs on the news

throughout the day). The casualties: one cornuda, an

Australian got gored, and a few tramplings. I let the kids

sleep until 9:00 (lazy morning, lucky children) and while

they breakfasted in the living room Josep put on a LP of

Sardanas, the typical folk music of Catalua. Now, unlike so many Andalusians who seem to innately know how to

dance the Sevillanas, the typical dance of that region,

Josep really doesnt know the steps of the Sardana

but he certainly had fun pretending to know and to

dance in his fashion with me, with Marina but hardly

with Malka who quickly pulled away in

embarrassment!

After breakfast the kids and I made a

compromise and abbreviated the mornings outing

by taking public transportation to our destinationwhich was, in effect, a long walk unto itself, Las

Ramblas. But first we went back to the clothing

street market to see if we could exchange the size M

slip that we bought two days ago, and buy Marcus

some more. The woman at the stall remembered us

and had no issue with taking back the briefs. More of

an issue was what would Marcus buy; He liked plain

and boring, Malka, who likes to dress her brother,

wanted sexy, and I liked the cute and comical. I think in the end Marcus won. I suppose thats only right. A young man

SHOULD be able to choose his own underwear! A quick stop at the estanco, the tobacco shop, to get another bonobus,

public transportation card, and we were on our way.

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width. Thank you very much Mr. Fodor for your tour book information! Keep in mind this was all created by a mere

stonemason and not a major architect or engineer. The church was impressive for its size and symmetry, but it was hot

and humid inside, not what Id expect from such a vast space.

We continued walking around the neighborhood and the Gothic area as well,

and went to the Jewish quarter/gettoor Call(from the Hebrew word for community). I

had thought there was nothing to see there, but actually there are the remains of

Europes OLDEST synagogue. When we walked this area the other day, I wouldnt

have even known it existed; its

that tiny and hidden. Going

through a petite door and down a

few steps, we entered the first of

two very small rooms. We paid

the suggested donation and a

lovely young lady told us the history of this synagogue, which, until

recently had been used as a storeroom. The faade of the

synagogue is oriented towards Jerusalem. Originally constructed in

the 3rd century, it was rediscovered only 20 years ago. There is a

document showing when the church gave permission for the

synagogue to raise the height of the roof, I think in the 1300s (a

synagogue always had to be shorter than the churches.)The walls

dating back to the third century are visible. The second room is

actually where the mens section would have been. The

womans section is now part of a bar next door. This space had, for

years, been used as a residence of a Jewish (Marrano- forced

convert) family in the textile dying business. But they were

eventually forced to flee.Now, the synagogue, in addition to being

a tourist destination, can also be used for Bar Mitzvahs andweddings. There is an arc and a Torah that was donated by an

American family as well as

other donated/antique judaica.

I told Malka it would be really

cool if she could recite part of

her Haftarah or Torah portion

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there. It was just the four of us in the room. To be able to say she did that in what could be the remains of Europes

oldest place of Jewish worship should have seemed important, but she didnt see the significance of it, much to my (and

Audreys dismay). Kids!!!!

After this stop we continued in the small streets looking in shops, passing the Mammoth Museum (who would

go there?), the Museum of the History of Catalua, the Picasso Museum and theDal Museum. An extremely cultural

city indeed!!!! We walked back to the Plaa de Catalunyaand from there took the bus home.

The house was empty. David had gone out with friends and it

turned out the Josep took Marcus for avery long walk, to the Gothic

quarter as well, and through the red light district, to get a fresh fruit

juice and some exercise.

Prior to our having made definitive plans to come

to Barcelona, Josep had purchased four tickets to see the

opening nights performance of A Streetcar Named

Desire. As much as I would have liked to go, I knew it

would be impractical as we have a VERY early morning

ahead. Audrey didnt want to leave us home alone on our

last

night here, so Josep took David and another couple. Before they

left we ate a nice dinner, again outside, with David running in at

9:00 when the play starts at 9:30. Cutting things that close

would make me nuts! What was even nuttier though, was, #1,

Josepteaching the kids how to make zucchini/potato soup with

his very unique and funny instructional methods does he do

that when he teaches his university classes as well?, and

#2,Joseps lesson on how to drink from thepurrn, a drinking

vessel where the water flows in a stream gracefully into the

mouth. It seems effortless enough when Josep and David drink

this way. You cant even see them swallowing. Out on the

terrace the demonstration began with the what not to do as

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he poured water into his eyes, all over his head and face, leaving his clothing dripping and puddles on the floor. Poor

Audrey, she must have been mortified by her husbands behavior, but Ive known Josep for 20 years + so its all good! I

gamely gave it a try and except for one little dip I did very well. Marina surprised me by also trying and but for asingledrop on her shirt she did beautifully. Malka got the mouthful, but spit it all out as she started hysterically laughing

She tends to do that a lot, laugh, not spit! Marcus, being Marcus, wouldnt even try!

David and Josep left for the show (we later, tomorrow, found out they came home at midnight missing the

entire second act as it was so late) Audrey, the kids and I enjoyed a quiet evening, packing, e-mailing, Facebooking (a

rare occurrence for us in Spain this trip) and getting to bed at a decent hour (11:00 for the kids). I had a 15 minute

private talk with Audrey, the first time all vacation that we were alone together, and then I was asleep by 11:30.

Saturday, July 9

4:30 in the morning! 4:30!!!! What an ungodly

hour to wake up but what is the option when there is a

6:50 flight to catch? By 4:50 everyone was dressed and

ready. Marina wasnt feeling too well: a little warm,

stressed, sleep deprived and a bit out of sorts! AT 5:15

the taxi called the house and Josep accompanied us

down to the street to let us out of the building in case

the door was locked from inside. Only, he couldnt

open the door! Panic!... okay, not real panic but an

uneasiness because I dont think there is another exit.

He started taking the door apart, about to remove the

HUGE glass storm window from the decorative iron

frame, and pulling some other thing off from the top,

and then he realized, he was PUSHING the door instead of PULLING! Oops.. I hope he put it back together again before

the crazy mafia neighbor finds out! Malkasinterpretation of these moments was that Josep was so sad to see us leave

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and wanted to keep us longer. While Im sure that was not the case, I think(hope)they enjoyed our company as much as

we enjoyed theirs and our stay in Barcelona.

The taxi ride at this time in the morning was quick and

uneventful. Surprisingly, the lines at the airport were very long, but

Marina managed to figure out how to get the boarding passes from the

machine and afterwards there was no queue for us at all. We sped

through security although Marina needed to be frisked (after they asked

my permission) even though all she had on were a tank top, sandals and

tiny short shorts! By 6:30 we were on the plane and by 7:10 in the air.

We lucked out. The three kids sat together but I got a row of 3 seats to

myself. Notice, I didnt write that I lucked out, I said we. I moved

Marina to my row and that way we all had more room. Marina always

manages to sleep during flights, so this one was no different. Marcus

nodded off as well. Malka and I, not a chance! We landed in Mlaga

around 8:30 and Curro was there to pick us up.

Now, between some point A and another point B there was a

WWIII with the girls. It really was the STUPIDEST of things, but escalated

to the point of lasting until 1:00 a.m.! Girls being girls have silly crushes

(or something) on boys. Okay normal enough. David was very good

looking - normal enough. Marina snuck in multiple (and sneak attack)

dibs on David. I guess that means hes mine. Malka didnt like that.

Then they started insulting each other. Believe me, I wouldnt even

consider the comments insults. Then to add fuel to the fire, Curro told

Malka she was too young for a 16 year old so by default David was

Marinas. Malka took great offense and held a grudge against her uncle

the rest of the day (and beyond).

By the time we arrived in El Palo it was time to separate the kids. Pepe took Marina for a walk in one direction

and I took Marcus and Malka on a walk to the supermarket. By the time we got back, Marina as asleep under an

umbrella on the beach. The other kids and I put on our bathing suits as well and nearly froze as the water was so cold.

Malka and I have enjoyed daily walks (as long as we are in El Palo) back and forth along the waters edge. So we kept

our pattern.

From noon until 2:00 we were outside and then we came in to eat. Actually, Pepe had set up a small table

outside the frontdoor as Marcus had expressed a desire to eat in the fresh air and not be so closed in in the tiny living

room/dining room elbow to elbow on the sofa. That was not to be and we found ourselves again crowded, 10 of us

because little Rafa was there too, around the table with the forever-on TV in the background. Malkas mood seemed tofester and get worse as she said Curro again insulted her. When lunch was completed I needed to sleep. I dont know

why Marina did too considering she slept on the plane and already napped on the beach, but she wanted alone time

with me. Malka again became upset but I dont recall much more than the fact I fell asleep and woke up at 6:40. What

a waste of a day! I hate sleeping it away. Granted we were tired from the early rise and all, but this was crazy.

Pepe and I decided to take the kids into Mlaga center to walk around and tapear(eat small plates of food) but

Tita Angeles called and invited us for an ice cream first. She wanted to make sure she had the opportunity to see the

kids before we left on Monday. We met her up the block at theHeladeria Santa GemawherePepe and I each had a little

cup of turrn, Malka chocolate and the others nada, nothing. In spite of her situation (Juans death) Angeles seems to

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who she is, I asked her if she wanted a photo with him. Of course she said yes, and he said yes, and he took her behind

the bar for a good shot. Pepe and the others were 1/2 way down the block waiting for us with the what

the.expression on their faces. The bars and restaurants were packed at the city full of families and friends enjoying a

cool, crisp evening. We probably would have stayed later were it not for the fact that it was nearing 11:00 and thats

when the last bus leaves for El Palo.

We got back to the house about 11:20 and there sat Mam and Pap, Pepes folks, looking as depressed and

forlorn as they have since we got here nearly two weeks ago, and surely for the entire last 9-10 months (more on that at

the end of my journal). With barely a word said, the five of us made our way upstairs. I went to have some private time

with Marina at her request and that turned into a melt-down for her. I finally left the two girls to work out their issues

and to help Marina calm herself, at 1:00. A very long, difficult day.

Sunday July 10

Today has been the perfect experience and one

I wish we would have had every day here in Mlaga. I

woke up at 8:45 and got Marcus and Malka up a little

later. Okay, really Marcus had already been awoken by

the traffic through his room but enough of that! Nocomplaints today thats the goal! I never woke

Marina up but left her to sleep. Malka and I decided to

go back into town to have breakfast. The men didnt

want to come. We were in town by 10:00. The city

was still very much asleep. A few cafes were open for

business, a few tourist shops open for tourists. It

actually looked like the Picasso museum was open

(surprising for a Sunday, especially early morning) and

the clip-clop of the horse drawn carriages could be

heard on the recently hosed down and glistening stonestreets. We went from one point of the city to another,

through streets we had been on last night to ones

Malka had never seen, past many people begging for

money in front of open church doors from which the

sound of the Sunday Mass could be heard. We stopped

at Dunkin Coffee for our meal and then were back on

the bus by 11:10.

Everyone, except my in-laws,was already on the beach,

but before going there ourselves, we first hung thelaundry on the roof/terrace and changed into our

bathing suits. Just like the old days, the toldo was set

up with a table, numerous chairs and LOTS of family

present: Tita Angeles, TitaJuani, TitaPaqui, Tito

Revi,Fali, Ana, Rafa,Juanis grandkids Martina and

Pablo, and later Maria (one of Pepes cousins, Juanis

daughter) and her husband Pablo joined us as well.

Marina was reading when she wasnt napping, Marcus

was sulking when not reading, Malka and I walked back

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and forth and back and forth (as per our routine) along the shore looking at the people on the sand and at the end

points, the sea life on the jetty rocks.

A larger table was set up and around 2:30,

Pepe and Fali returned from where they bought

lunch. In two shifts (thats how many people we

were) we ate gaspacho, rotisserie chicken and fries.

Unfortunately, Curro and Cristi werent with us

because they chose to stay in the house so as not to

leave Pepesparents alone. It is even more

unfortunate that the latter two wouldnt even

consider coming to join us. Cristobal and his boys

spent this part of the day down the beach with his

family, but we were able to see them briefly and

hope to see them later this evening. After

completing lunch, Malka and I took one more lap

to burn off some of what we had eaten. We are

now on the roof (probably have been for nearly two

hours, Im not wearing my watch) chilling,

writing and in the case of the girls, resting

AGAIN! In a little while Ill check to see if

Pepe has awakened from his siesta and

we will begin the joy (not) of packing.

No relation to Pepe!

Fali and Rafa

Paqui, Angeles, Revi, Martina, Maria, Juani, Pablo

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Ana and Fali

All smiles today!

I dont know why packing takes so long, especially when we didnt even bring so much clothing (although its

always too much when washing machines are available). Actually,why did Pepe bring THREE pairs of jeans, twodress

pants and only one pair of shorts to a place that is over ninety degrees daily? After packing and everyone was showered

(that is very time consuming with so many people in the house) we went out to dinner with Cristi, Curro, Cristobal and

kids. We ate outside of a local Italian restaurant. Marina ordered all by herself AND had a nice conversation, in Spanish

of course, with Cristi. Whats the saying; better late than never. We then went around the corner to have an ice

cream. It was 11:15

by the time we

headed home. Malka

was feeling bad

because she again ate

at such a late hour

and was going to

sleep on a full

stomach and because

it was, according toher, a shame that the

waiter had to be

serving ice cream at

such an hour.

Apparently she had

another little crush

thing going. She

wouldnt have felt

bad had he been

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ugly! Tonight was the first real chance I had to talk to my younger nephew Cristobal, as we sat together over diner, and

the second opportunity to speak with Alejandro. I told them both to try to check in with us once in a while on Facebook.

Then we said our good-byes.

Monday, July 11

The alarm sounded at 6:10. Time to collect the final items to be

packed away and to slowly get the kids ready as well.Falishowed up

around 7:45 with Rafa fast asleep on his shoulder. After thegirls gavehim

kisses on his soft baby cheeks and I took one last photo (next time we see

him hell be a much bigger boy), wesaid our good-byes to Pepes parents

and piled into two cars to go to the airport.

No problem getting there at all. We decided to saran-wrap the

previously crushed suitcase so it now resembles a huge green sandwich.

The check-in process was ridiculous. They separated us into 3 groups; me

and Pepe, Marcus and Malka and then Marina, and asked us all the

security questions, whiles others too our passports away from us. Notvery

efficient for 5 people to work with one family. Then we passed to thecounter to check the luggage and to get our boarding passes. We were informed the flight was overbooked and given

the option to take FIVE $1000 Delta vouchers,

round trip transport to a beach front hotel, a

one night stay at the hotel plus food vouchers

and be put on tomorrows flight! Why then

am I now sitting on our NY bound Delta flight

163 as scheduled?!?! If I would have been

travelling alone with the kids I would have

jumped at the opportunity and used those

vouchers for our next European trip, but Pepewanted to come home! Oh well.

We still had two hours untilour flight

home. We sat for a caf con leche, Pepe took

a walk to the duty free shop to buy his wine,

and I went to see if there was anything worth

wile to spend our euros on. There was not.

Marina then had one of her anxiety attacks (I

am writing this at her request so shell

remember????) It is not that she hasnt flownincident-free 3 times in the past 15 days! We

just took off a few minutes ago; 11:10 a.m.

for a flight that is to last 7 hours 42 minutes.

I was hoping to use the laptop to type this

journal, I havent done so since going to Barcelona, but alas, the battery is run down. Marina is already asleep on my

shoulder and it looks like this will be a long flight.

Vacation impressions: It would be nice if when people ask How was your trip to Spain I could just answer,

great! But, where holidays should be happy, uplifting experiences, unfortunately that was not totally the case over

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the last two weeks. The girls and I have been accustomed, from our British trips, to sightseeing vacations;always doing,

doing, doing. So any day in the past two weeks that included such activities, even in the heat of Granada, provided

enlightenment, distraction and amusement. Not being a swimmer or great lover of sand and sun, hanging out on the

beach doesnt really appeal to me and Marina too much. Malka enjoys frolicking in the water with Marcus when the

opportunity existed and there WERE some pleasant relax moments on the beach, especially yesterday. The kids and I

really enjoyed seeing my old (and nutty) friends with whom I share history and recounted stories. They found that very

entertaining. The sad part of the trip was the fact that they couldnt do the same with our family, especially their

abuelos (grandparents).

Since Isas death in September, they have sunk into a depression from which I dont think they (especiallyPepes

mom) will emerge. She seems to have converted herself into one of those old ladies in luto (mourning), wearing black

every day and not (or hardly) leaving the house. There was not one day during our stay that they took a walk with us,

ate out with us or sat on the beach with us. Neither was there much conversation in the house. Okay, so the kids dont

speak Spanish (we heard that over and over.) Marina actually is able to speak very well and if someone would have

spoken to her she would have engaged in conversation. But no one asked about their school, hobbies, plans, anything!

It was a sad and strange experience. I know it bothered Pepe although he chose not to discuss it much. What can he do

with his frustration? And he felt even worse when we (me and kids) were uncomfortable or unhappy. The whole

thing left me feeling a bit empty. Of course we all miss Isa and it is strange not seeing her, but what I saw of my in-laws

was basally hollow shells, very sad indeed.

Since the mood in the house was overwhelmingly somber, the kids, when not on the beach or out on tourist

excursions, stayed isolated upstairs; Marina doing a lot of napping, Marcus reading an entire 1000 page book, and Malka

sticking by my side. I feel badly that they felt the need to do so, that my in-laws seem incapable of helping

themselves,and that Pepe was uncomfortablebeingin the middle of these confused emotions.

But, there are plenty of good memories to recall, way over 300 (mine alone) photos to look at and organize into

a slide show, and even now on the airplane, the cute boy in seat 37C (Benjamin Nicholas, 7/21/96 from Connecticut

wearing a pink shirt) that Marina and Malka are giggling about as well as our efficient cabin staff consisting of Glenn (a

handsome Vigus/Hidasi look alike), Luis (very Jose Antonio-esque) and Ricardo (a cross between Alexis Mateo and amatador with a little

pony tail). Thank G-d

the kids can make

their own amusement