For over 28 years, My Dad has talked about going to Spain for Thanksgiving - since he has a timeshare there that week. I think he has gone a couple of times, but not with us. Since he planned to be in Europe this year on his extended honeymoon, we decided to take him up on the offer, and head to Spain.
So we jumped on a Ryanair flight and flew down to Malaga.
It was a bit chilly, and we never seemed to figure out when the shops and restaurants were open..
but we had a nice time exploring the courtyards and narrow ally's anyway.
We even made it back up to Ronda for old times sake. The kids loved it, because they found a cheap Chinese store selling junk for a euro.
Of course they had no coats (they promised they would not be cold). Guess what? They were cold.
Luckily, My Dad and his new bride Ellen were with us. They sprang for a new jacket for Shaynie. So much for tough love!
We also spent en evening down at Puerto Banus, where the rich and famous like to play. The harbor was full for the winter. Not many sail boats. Mostly big yachts.
The kids spent their time running on the rocks of the man made jetty.
The beach by our condo was cold, and there was a small dirty river running into the sea. The kids discovered the banks of the stream were like quick sand, and spent some time sinking up to their knees!
On another day, we drove out to Gibraltar. What a rock. What a history. It was much more interesting then I thought it would be.
We had to cross the airport run way on our way into town. In fact we had to wait for a plane to land before we could start our journey.
We spent some time watching the local glass blowers work their magic. Of course the kids and Rebekah had many questions.
Here is a shot of downtown Gibraltar (a little slice if England in the Mediterranean).
The kids were very excited to learn this was one of the Pillars of Hercules. The end of the known world.
We visited the cave system inside the mountain.
And then stopped by the famous local monkey troop. There are a few families, but this ones gets all the attention and love.
If you are not careful, or approach the wrong monkey, you can be in trouble, or lose a pair of glasses or a hat. However, our guide was close with a couple calm, and well behaved individuals.
On another day we drove up to the the white washed village of Mijas. Once again, we arrived at the wrong time, and most things were closed for siesta. So we just explored the abandoned streets!
Mijas is famous for their donkeys, and donkey rides are almost mandatory. However it was cold and quiet, and there were no donkeys to be found. So we made due with a statue!
Before we left, we made time for some local food..tapas and an Argentina style BBQ
The last few days, we moved to Malaga itself. We were all pleasantly surprised with this town. It was much bigger then we thought, and actually quite charming and beautiful.
We happened to be there on the night they turned on Christmas lights. It was big event, loads of people, live bands, and of course plenty of lights. It started at 8 PM, and surprise, all the shops were finally open!
The final day we went to a local zip line park. We had so much fun in Dublin, we wanted to give the kids a chance to try it.
They did great, and were surprisingly brave. The zip lines were long and fast, and the obstacles were quite challenging. But the kids had a blast and wanted to stay longer!
I think we found a new fun family activity. If only it was a bit more affordable!
On the way home left Picasso Airport (he was born in Malaga) and flew over the Sierra Nevada's, freshly dusted with a layer of snow. We had en enjoyable time, if not an unusual Thanksgiving holiday. The kids were just happy to miss some school
As we flew into Dublin we had a clear view of Bray, Dublin and Killiney Harbor, and of course Dalkey and Dalkey island.
We could see sugar loaf and the lakes of
Glendalough in the wicklow mountains.
Another shot of Dalkey Island and our house.
I also caught of few images of the UK in the early morning, with city lights breaking through the clouds.
