A most beautiful coastal walk.

As I sit here listening to the ocean roar behind my open terrace doors, I am gratefully soaking my feet in a basin filled with warm water, colored in a golden hue, from the 4 bags of chamomile tea.

What a day! I never knew that Spain has thousands and thousands of miles of gorgeous pedestrian walks along the Andalusian coast line. The walks, a combination of board walks, hard packed sand, and tiled walks — wide enough for 6 cyclists to ride abreast, are dotted with palm trees, beach bars, restaurants, and tapa stands. Between clusters of trees, trickling waterfalls find their way into the hundreds of streams, flowing into the Mediterranean.

Spain: Andalusia Coast line

Although it seemed like a thousand miles, we walked ‘only’ about 15 kilometers. That’s a lot for me, since I’m not used to walking such distances, and my sore toe didn’t help either. The forever changing views of dancing lights reflecting over breaking waves, the peace, friendly faces, and the crisp salty air, spurred me on … causing me to forget that we have to walk back too.  Everything is so immaculately clean, shiny, and welcoming… (Is that a word?).

Click on an image below, in order to see a slide show and larger images. 

You get the impression that Spain is a rich country, flourishing, and happy.

But…. The other day we walked away from the fancy shore lines, and saw quite another Spain. Slums, poverty, and sad faces. Like in so many tourist areas, unfortunately those who serve the tourists, live in pathetic dwellings. Like in so many tourist areas, the real-estate lords, shovel in the cash, and the service folks, come way too short.

Spain is recovering, slowly but surely, though, from a serious crisis. Everywhere you look you see builders, construction workers, and shops opening. It surely must help that Europeans aren’t traveling to Turkey anymore, which allows countries like Spain to profit from the additional stream of tourism.

This is the second addition of our trip to Marbella Spain. Hope you enjoyed it, and if so … let me know. 🙂