Malaga beach

There’s no better way to bond with the sea than with toes in the sand.  I walked the length of the beach and at 5pm we spent some time with a cocktail, a beach chair & an umbrella.

Malaga, Spain

 

We made it to Malaga, which is in southern Spain.  Our apartment has a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea.  On a clear day you can see Africa on the other side of the sea.  

Alan will be here for another week and then my friend Rona is coming here for a week.  

Good bye to Ronda

 

We are leaving Ronda this morning and we’ll be in Malaga, Spain later today.  I thought I would leave you with the aerial shot of Ronda.  It shows how the city is split in half by the gorge and how important the bridge is.  The bull fighting arena is on the upper left and the famous Parador de Ronda hotel (with the blue pool) is in the middle left.  From the bottom of the gorge it always looks like this hotel is going to topple right off the cliff!

The bridge

 

I never get tired of looking at this bridge.  This is a view from both sides.  Their first bridge was completed in 1741, it was constructed quickly and poorly so it only lasted 6 years.  It fell to the ground and 45 people perished.  For the new bridge they used the best architects of their time and now it’s here to stay.  You can go inside the bridge (the top/center) so I did.  They used that space to put prisoners during the Spainish civil war.  The worst war criminals were thrown out the door to the rocks below.  

BTW; I can’t imagine how many photos have been taken of this bridge.  Every year they find over 100 cameras/cell phones at the bottom of the gorge that were accidentally dropped over the edge.

My heart cry’s today

 

After a long battle with cancer I have lost one of my best friends.  Since college this group of YaYa sisters has celebrated every glorious accomplishment in life and has helped each other through every challenge and heartache.  One of the last times I talked to Nancy she told me this blog gave her a brief escape from the sadness of her disease.  Love you forever Nancy 💔

What people from Europe do not understand about Americans

 

When we came to Spain I asked our driver if we are safe in Spain.  He said it’s a very safe country, and we chatted about it some more.  

Europeans can’t understand why Americans love guns so much?  A few days ago the US lost another 19 children to gun violence in Texas.  I did a little research and about 40,000 people per year are killed by guns in the US or about 12 per 100,000 people.  Spain is .067 per 100,000 so I guess they are much safer.  If we could only kill the same percent of people as Spain (.067) we would save 37,667 lives per year.

BTW; the NRA donated $50,000,000 to the Republican Party in 2020.

Ronda; the most romantic city in Spain

 

Ernest Hemingway spent a lot of time in Ronda and he was quoted as saying it was the most romantic city in Spain.  The city is filled with beautiful green areas and small parks.  There are walk ways along most of the cliffs with great views of the surrounding mountains.  They made sure the cliff side walking areas could be enjoyed by all rather than just wealthy people in large homes.