I’ve always had the travel bug ever since I can remember. My wife, Laurie, has been a great travel companion for almost 26 years. She has been more adventurous at times than I. However, I have always been curious about how people from other cultures live and interact with one another. I’m just trying to understand the world around me.
So when I came across a magazine called International Living a bunch of years ago I was highly intrigued about how to diversify my life overseas. The last 15 years since the 2007/2008 financial crisis has made me realize that life shouldn’t be this difficult to earn a living and to obtain good healthcare. The United States is an outlier amongst other first-world countries because healthcare is not provided except on the open market or through your employer (if you qualify). Living in New Jersey for the last 23-plus years has opened my eyes to just how expensive it is to live in the U.S., and that there’s a better way to live.
This would be the first time we left the kids home for more than a few days. They would be on their own for two weeks. My son is currently doing a paid internship in Parlin, NJ, and is living at home for the semester. My daughter is finishing her senior year in high school. Laurie and I set them up with lots of extra food that we had prepared and then frozen, so they didn’t have to cook every night.
When we initially left the kids on Sunday afternoon, we got to the airport, I could tell my wife was very sad that she had left the kids and we wouldn’t be back for 2 weeks. It got even worse on the long airplane ride. We flew economy, and the new Airbus A350 was unbelievably uncomfortable. The worst seats I’ve ever flown on. Needless to say neither one of us got sleep. We departed from Newark, NJ, and landed in Paris, where we had a 3-hour layover, before flying to Malaga, Spain. The second flight into Spain was much more comfortable, and we both slept for roughly 30 minutes. Once we landed in Malaga, we had a shuttle to the airport, but we couldn’t find our driver. After we finally found the driver, I breathed a sigh of relief. He was an Englishman living in Malaga. It was a short 20-minute ride to our hotel, which we were thankful for. We stayed at the Vincci Seleccion del Patio. It was a smaller boutique hotel where the tour group was scheduled to stay; we had just flown in a day earlier than the rest of the group. Upon check-in, the tour operator, Barbara, was nearby in the lobby, overheard our last names, and said hello. We introduced ourselves and chatted for a few minutes. It was around noon local time, so unfortunately, our rooms were not ready, so we decided to get something to eat and then come back. By the time we ate, got back to the hotel, our rooms were ready, but it was around 3ish pm, and there was no time to take a much-needed nap. I had booked two tours on TripAdvisor. One was scheduled for Monday, after we landed at 4 pm, a tuk-tuk tour around Malaga, and the other was for the next day, Tuesday, around 10 am, a walking tour of some historical monuments in Malaga.
By the time we walked to where our tuk-tuk was supposed to pick us up, I had been awake for almost 30 hours, and my wife was not too far behind me. We both had a couple of shorter naps, but that was it. Our tuk-tuk driver, Adriano, took us all around the east side of Malaga and up into the hills, but after 1 hour, I started looking at my watch. Laurie and I were beyond tired. After the tour, we had an idea of where to catch a great meal and a sunset. It was atop the Hilton AC Malaga Hotel at their outdoor/indoor restaurant bar. We had a delicious dinner, some great wine, and a complimentary chocolate truffle, which was served inside this elaborate wooden structure that stood almost a foot high.
After sleeping for 10-plus hours, we decided to cancel the second tour we booked through Trip Advisor. It was just too much, and we were still way too tired. We took our time getting up and around the corners. Since this was free day until around 6 pm we explored the area around our hotel. The hotel was situated right on the edge of sensational walking to shops, cafes, restaurants and even a monument. It was raining, so it kept the crowds to a minimum, but we didn’t mind. Just before 6 pm we met our whole tour group in the hotel lobby for the first time. We all walked over to the AC Malaga hotel, where Laurie and I had dinner the previous night. We had our own area, but it wasn’t big because other people were eating and drinking there. We met our 2 guides who were going to be with us throughout our time in Spain. Helene, originally from Paris, lives in Sevilla, Spain, and Aryanne is from Barcelona. It was a mixer or getting-to-know-you over drinks and hors d’oeuvres. We all were a little shocked at how many hors d’oeuvres kept coming. It was a nice time. We got to know Don & Michelle from Florida; Michelle’s mom Diana; Rick and nice Karen also from Florida; Richard from Washington State; Tom from Minnesota originally; Mike and Ellen from North Carolina; Dave and Polly from Texas; Barbara, the head tour operator and we had the two guides, Helene and Aryanne. Almost everyone was so easy to talk to and very friendly.
The next day was Wednesday, March 26th, and the tour began with a walking tour of Malaga’s historic areas, which we had already explored on our own. Lunch was on our own, but most of us ate at the same place outdoors, which was a spacious area for all of us. After lunch, Laurie and Richard wound up walking back to the hotel. I think my wife was still a little tired from the previous day. I stopped with Barbara and Tom at an Irish pub for a few drinks. It was more of an outdoor cafĂ© than an Irish pub, but the setting was beautiful and made it a great spot for people-watching. Tom is a retired airline flight attendant and a very likable person. Barbara’s company, Opportunity Travel, collaborates closely with International Living, and Barbara has traveled extensively throughout the world. Dinner was scheduled for a place on the beach called Merendero de Antonio (Malengueta Beach). Geoff joined us from Always Marbella, whose company has a booth at the International Living conference, and was a fascinating guy. I ate right across from Geoff, and I occupied most of his time by asking him questions. He had some properties in Spain for us to look at later in the trip.
On Thursday, we had breakfast at the hotel, followed by a 2-hour bus ride to Granada, Spain. There, our guides, Helene and Aryanne, took us on a 2-hour walking tour of the historic town. Some of the views were spectacular, and the weather for the trip thus far was amazing. Lunch was at Estrella de San Nicolas. Whether it was lunch or dinner, we were always served copious amounts of wine (my wife and Richard do not drink alcohol), accompanied by a variety of appetizers, a salad, a main course, and, of course, dessert, all followed by coffee. Unlike in the States, though, I never felt bloated or uncomfortable after we ate. After lunch, we headed to the stunning Alhambra Palace. Only pictures can do this historical palace justice. Spain was under Muslim rule in the 11th century when construction of the palace began. It was expanded and eventually developed into a self-contained city. After the Spanish reconquered the area in 1492, it became a court for Ferdinand and Isabella. In the 16th century, some of the Alhambra was partially altered to a Renaissance style of architecture. It eventually fell into disrepair, and fast forward to the 19th century. It was restored and is now a major tourist attraction, a UNESCO heritage site, and an important Muslim monument.
