Blog 604 Alhaurin el Grande
The pictures: Isabel's house, inside the main cathedral, a view of Seville from the bell tower (not the est, but don't know how to change it) a couple of views of the Plaza de Espana, and the stair case that I helped tile and grout.
The pictures: Isabel's house, inside the main cathedral, a view of Seville from the bell tower (not the est, but don't know how to change it) a couple of views of the Plaza de Espana, and the stair case that I helped tile and grout.
This is clearly the ‘other side of the coast. I find myself in a gated community of million dollar estates. My lovely host Isabel was one of the first to own a lot here, over twenty years ago, and it has grown up around her. Now she has neighbors (from England) who threaten to shoot her rooster. Sounds familiar… I met this guy and he was friendly, came to ask Isa if she wanted to join the new homeowners association he was forming- but she explained that there already was one, from 2002, and there could not by law be another one. He said he had never heard of it. But then, he speaks no spanish, maybe that's why.
Alhaurin el Grande is a pretty town, not very big but surrounded by what I would call unban sprawl- lots of summer homes owned by people from other parts of Europe. It seems rather vacant now, not many people or much traffic around.
Mark, the other helper, comes from a town called Cottbus In East Germany. It is famous for sweet pickles. Mark is 29, and was driving tanks for the soviet army at age 8. He is now a dance teacher, and interested in Flamenco while he is here.
He also told me about a place near Cottbus called Spreewald,a wet area where some parts depend on canals (irrigation ditches) and boats as the major means of transportation. From some pictures he showed meit looked like a gorgeous place. He has made me think about how it is that traveling to former soviet block countries has not even entered my mind, maybe some lingering fears or negative impressions that have nothing to do with reality?
Mark also told me that the most devastating event in his area after the fall of the Berlin Wall was the sudden closure of all business- because it was soviet- and failure to replace it with anything that would allow the people to make a living. An imposed poverty. I don't remember anything about that- who would have imposed such an edict, when and why.
Mark’s girlfriend and mother are staying here while visiting, and the three of them have been away every day exploring the Spanish south. Yesterday I got to go with them to Seville, a few hours drive climbing through rugged hills to a higher flat plain. And higher temperatures. It reached 40 celcius, which is I think high 90s F. We visited the Cathedral y Giralda (Catholic museum), had a good lunch at a classic pub place, then wandered through another church (Iglesia Colegial Divino Salvador), the main government buildings, Plaza de Espana, (under reconstruction) and a big park (Parque Maria Luisa). We wanted to see the Reales Alcazares, a palace or castle, in the middle of the old part of the city, but we were too late. One day is not enough to really see any city, and certainly not this one.
Traveling with three people from East Germany was fun- Marco was especially nice about translating what they were saying from time to time. His mother speaks some English but with difficulty. We were stopped by the Guardia on the way home, about midnight. I had my seat belt on, under my arm, because it was irritating where it crossed my neck, and they were thinking I didn't have it on. I guess even in the backseat, it is required. Otherwise they didn't even want to look at my passport, just the IDs of the others. They took some time to let us go on, but were polite enough.
Now I am relaxing, back here near the coast, and I think everyone else has gone off to Granada. In two days I fly to Girona, and take a bus to Carcassonne, France. Leaving Spain! Maybe it will be cooler near the Pyrenees. Surely it will be different from Malaga.
Alhaurin el Grande is a pretty town, not very big but surrounded by what I would call unban sprawl- lots of summer homes owned by people from other parts of Europe. It seems rather vacant now, not many people or much traffic around.
Mark, the other helper, comes from a town called Cottbus In East Germany. It is famous for sweet pickles. Mark is 29, and was driving tanks for the soviet army at age 8. He is now a dance teacher, and interested in Flamenco while he is here.
He also told me about a place near Cottbus called Spreewald,a wet area where some parts depend on canals (irrigation ditches) and boats as the major means of transportation. From some pictures he showed meit looked like a gorgeous place. He has made me think about how it is that traveling to former soviet block countries has not even entered my mind, maybe some lingering fears or negative impressions that have nothing to do with reality?
Mark also told me that the most devastating event in his area after the fall of the Berlin Wall was the sudden closure of all business- because it was soviet- and failure to replace it with anything that would allow the people to make a living. An imposed poverty. I don't remember anything about that- who would have imposed such an edict, when and why.
Mark’s girlfriend and mother are staying here while visiting, and the three of them have been away every day exploring the Spanish south. Yesterday I got to go with them to Seville, a few hours drive climbing through rugged hills to a higher flat plain. And higher temperatures. It reached 40 celcius, which is I think high 90s F. We visited the Cathedral y Giralda (Catholic museum), had a good lunch at a classic pub place, then wandered through another church (Iglesia Colegial Divino Salvador), the main government buildings, Plaza de Espana, (under reconstruction) and a big park (Parque Maria Luisa). We wanted to see the Reales Alcazares, a palace or castle, in the middle of the old part of the city, but we were too late. One day is not enough to really see any city, and certainly not this one.
Traveling with three people from East Germany was fun- Marco was especially nice about translating what they were saying from time to time. His mother speaks some English but with difficulty. We were stopped by the Guardia on the way home, about midnight. I had my seat belt on, under my arm, because it was irritating where it crossed my neck, and they were thinking I didn't have it on. I guess even in the backseat, it is required. Otherwise they didn't even want to look at my passport, just the IDs of the others. They took some time to let us go on, but were polite enough.
Now I am relaxing, back here near the coast, and I think everyone else has gone off to Granada. In two days I fly to Girona, and take a bus to Carcassonne, France. Leaving Spain! Maybe it will be cooler near the Pyrenees. Surely it will be different from Malaga.
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