We slept so late that we didn’t have much time to meander along the Costa del Sol like we’d hoped before we met up with the Wagoners, an American family who moved to Spain 3 years ago.  We took a quick drive through Fuengirola, and found it to be quite a busy little city, with nothing particularly appealing in the few streets we chanced to navigate.  I know there is a church there that looks to be a good one, so we may want to go back and investigate further.

From there, we meant to take the coastal road, but missed our turn and ended up on the highway a little inland, so we took the next exit and drove through Benalmádena.  Wow, there are some WINDY, steep roads all along there!  We saw some really pretty villas, and the view is gorgeous.  It seemed less congested than Fuengirola – and it’s a good thing not many cars travel those roads!  But again, we really didn’t have time to stop and look around, so back to the highway we went (via more amazingly steep, crazy little roads!).  What would we have done without Google Maps?!?

As we drove east past Málaga, the scenery started to change.  There is a little more land between towns, more vineyards and farms (with plastic greenhouses stretched right over the plants!), and still the cute little classic white Andalucian towns. 

 When we took the exit for Almuñécar, I could immediately see why someone would like it here.  It’s beautiful!  There is a little cove and a point jutting out with an old castle on top, and the houses, like in Mijas and Benalmádena, are cut into the mountainside in a terraced fashion.  But there seems to be a lot less “city” between the mountain and the sea.  It is very peaceful.  El centro, the main “city” part of town, isn’t really very big and is definitely walkable.  The Wagoners, who we got to meet for lunch, are now living here with no car, and their kids walk to school.  This really appeals to me!   

 They have a view of the Mediterranean Sea from their apartment.  They can walk to the beach, and the water is clear and inviting (but cold right now!)  We walked by the area of town where the villas are – that’s the houses like we would prefer, with 4 or 5 bedrooms.  It would be a totally different lifestyle for us, walking or driving up and down a steep hill to house on the mountainside, but yet… I can imagine it.  We didn’t get to see any of the insides of the villas, because it’s really too early to be doing that level of research.  On the whole, it seems like a very peaceful town.  The people are friendly in the restaurants and hotels, although we noticed that most people don’t say hello when they pass each other in the streets here.  I’ll have to ask if that is a cultural thing?

We are staying at a nice hotel a block from the beach that only cost us 35 euros.  There is a really pretty garden out back with delicious smelling flowers.   

 The mountains are gorgeous and the sunset over the beach was fantastic.  We walked in the center of town at night after everything was closed (too bad), and stumbled upon the ruins of a roman aqueduct dating back to the first century AD!   

 Tomorrow we want to go check out the castle, maybe go ask some questions at the local public school, check out the parque de naturaleza, and then we meet with the wife of one of the deacons at a church here to get a feel for what it is like.  Then we go to check out another town!