To paraphrase Avery Sawyer in Notes to Self –
I couldn´t imagne living in a place that wasn´t near the sea.
It´s like a giant reset button.
I can go to the edge of the land, see infinity and feel renewed.
This post is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal
Related posts:
East of Málaga: So near, yet so far away
The Buddhist Stupa of the Eastern Costa del Sol
All Things Bright and Geometrical
For much less than the cost of an evening dinner, most restaurants in La Axarquía have a cheap, fixed-price meal available at lunchtime only.
Because the normal Spanish working day has a 3 hour break in the middle, many Spanish workers take advantage of this time (often referred to as a siesta) by catching up with friends or colleagues over lunch.
Why eat a sandwich at your desk when you can enjoy a leisurely lunch with friends?
Known as “Menu del Día“, you can usually enjoy a two or three course meal, including bread and your first drink, for around 8 – 10 euros. It´s usually a set menu, though there is often a choice of three or four dishes for each course.
A typical menu might include soup or salad to start, followed by fish or pork with flan or coffee to finish. Bread, plus your choice of first drink (beer, wine or water) are usually included in the price.
Look out for a board outside the restaurant, advertising the Menu del Día, which will usually be written in Spanish, and always remember to look out for restaurants and bars frequented by locals rather than tourists.
** Ferrara Asador on the N340, near to the Repsol garage. At only €8 with great service, good choice and quality of food, it´s well worth a visit, but go before 2.00pm as it gets very busy, especially in August.
** Fancy something a bit different ? Try the Jing Chinese restaurant on the Paseo Maritimo along Ferrara Beach. Their menu del día is even cheaper at €6, but drinks cost extra. Again, excellent food and service.
Where´s your favourite place to eat, east of Málaga?
Love food? You might like to drool over these posts:
Fresh Figs Stuffed with Goat´s Cheese and wrapped in Smoked Bacon
There are no foreign lands. It is the traveller only who is foreign. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
This simple sculpture of a world map (mapa mundi) can be found within the grounds of Málaga´s Botanical Gardens.
Being an English expat living in Spain, many things that I once might have considered foreign, have now become the norm.
Besides, the concept of “foreign” is all relative, isn´t it?
So, here are some things that you might think are foreign, but which are now part of everyday life here in amazing Andalucía!
This young girl was wearing her Yo Soy Español (I am Spanish) tee shirt to watch the Spanish national team play football on TV during Euro 2012, at the La Noche de San Juan celebrations.
Sunshine, the blue Mediterranean Sea and palm trees off the Balcón de Europa in Nerja, Spain.
Stunning yellow blooms of a cactus plant.
Herbs and spices for sale at a Spanish street market.
Delicious paella, freshly-made each day over wooden fires.
Street sign in the village of Torrox, which claims to have the best climate in Europe (mejor clima de Europa).
This post is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreign.
Other photo challenges you might enjoy:
CBBH monthly Photo challenge: Windows
Weekly Photo challenge: Near and Far
One of the things I love most about living in southern Spain are the mountains. They always make the views spectacular, both morning and evening, as the sunlight falls across the ridges of the nearby foothills, but never more so than when it rains. It´s always a delight to watch the clouds surging up the valley from the Mediterranean Sea between the ridges – almost making it look more like smoke than clouds.
The past few days have been cloudy and raining, so in between the heavy showers, I have tried to pop outside to capture the raindrops on the flowers and trees, as well as the rapidly changing cloud patterns. They are so pretty. Isn´t nature wonderful?
Some other rainy day posts you might enjoy:
La Viñuela reservoir: Water levels
Patatas a lo pobre is a classic Andalucían dish that can be served either as tapas, or to accompany a wide variety of fish and chicken dishes.
I have my own version that I sometimes cook in the microwave, using less olive oil than in the traditional way of cooking in a frying pan. It is just as delicious!
Ingredients (adjust according to taste/numbers):
Potatoes, sliced
Onions, sliced
Garlic, chopped
Green peppers (Italian), sliced
Red pepper, sliced (I just add a small amount for the colour)
Salt and pepper
Mixed herbs
Extra virgin Olive oil
Layer the ingredients into a glass Pyrex-type dish, drizzle with olive oil, cover with pierced cling-film and microwave on full power for approximately 20 minutes (or until potatoes are cooked). I usually check about halfway through, give it a little mix around and add more olive oil if I feel I need to.
Que aproveche!
Have you ever tried cooking tapas, at home?
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East of Málaga 