Dinner under the rain at restaurant 34 in Hotel Carabeo

We had a beautiful sunny day but it got overcast very quickly at about 5 pm. We had reservation on the terrace looking at the sea at the very sought after restaurant 34 at the hotel Carabeo. Amanda, who we will be renting the house from next year had highly recommended this restaurant for its view and romantic setting. We made the reservation a week ahead of time and could not change it. 

So we went anyway and got briefly got rained on twice before it stopped and gave us the most beautiful full double rainbow!

The food was just ok we felt but it is a truly beautiful setting and would go back. 

We met Christiane and Thierry Dieumegarde, a charming couple who invited us to visit them in Germany, on the Alsace border. They are getting married on Sept 1st and will spend part of their honeymoon in Nerja!

Competa, our favorite bueblo blanco

The road to Competa is made of endless twists and turns. Oh la la! Terry got us there and back with brio and said it was the most windiest road he ever drove. 

It is certainly worth the effort, Competa is truly beautiful and a bit larger than Frigiliana. There is also a certain vibe there. The local community seem to be made of very close friendships.

We had our best Spanish tapas meal at the Taberna of Oscar. The squid was the best I have ever eaten. It was melt in your mouth without any of the usual rubbiness of squid at all. Yum! We would go back to Competa just to eat at Oscar's.

We had dinner at Casa Nova that night.

Two days discovering more of Nerja

Nerja is a petit bijou de ville. Tout est jolie et magnifique! We went back to the Balcon of Europa, walked the streets, had lunch and walked back home. We walked a lot on this trip. 10,000 to 20,000 each day so far!

We also spent a couple of days on the beach which we so enjoy every time!

We went back for more great pizza on the strip! And an awesome cafe cortado!

We had dinner at a tapas restaurant close to home. The food was just ok but the outdoor ambience was good!

Mijas and drive on the Costa Del Sol

We got up a little earlier on Sunday and planned to drive all the way to Marbella, Estepona and Mijas but there was a lot of traffic and there is a lot of stops on the scenic road along the coast. The drive is nice up to Malaga and then slows way down as you approach the big city. We got mixed up a bit and ended up on the Autovia 7. It was a blessing because it would have taken too long to cross Malaga. We only went to Mijas and it was a good decision.

Mijas is a splendid but very busy Pueblo Blanco. There was also a fair that weekend and it took away from its charm. We really enjoyed walking the deserted street however and enjoyed a lovely tapas lunch at the super good Alboka restaurant on the entrance of the plaza. Delicious tapas!!

We had dinner at our Casa that night relaxing and dreaming of our wonderful road trip to Mijas.

Maro, La Herradura

We drove through Maro today on our way to La Herradura. The beaches along the costs are spectacular. We wanted to stop at one of the beachesbut it was so busy being Saturday, we decided to continuing on.

Maro is very small and didn't see the need to stop. We will come back next year and explore on a weekday.

La Herradura is a little rough on the edges and the beach is not as nice as the ones in Nerja but we were happy to come this way and have a long lunch at Realengo, a local pizzeria. 

 We had dinner at PataNegra in town and met Theo and Emma from the Netherlands who have a place at El Capistrano village. I had met them at the pool first that day and recognized them when they sat next to us at PataNegra. Nice coincidence!

Frigiliana Pueblo Blanco

What a gem of a village! It is only about 15-20 minutes from Nerja and a fun afternoon to spend walking the streets of the white village. We had a lovely long lunch with a view of the valley. Just beautiful bueblo blanco!

We stayed at our Casa for dinner enjoying the view sipping vino blanco and enjoying chorizo salami and manchego! Great day indeed!

2nd & 3rd day in Nerja, Spain

We went to visit a villa we may want to rent for six months in winter 2017-18. It is called El Jardin Secreto, is a 4 bedroom detached house with a pool. We liked it a lot and can see us enjoying our first few months of retirement in that house with periodic friends and family. We will commit only when we have also visited Malaga. The rate is 1000£ or $1750 Canadian which is very affordable and great value.

After the visiting the Villa, we drove to the Balcom of Europa in Nerja's town center. Quite the view of the Mediterranean. We enjoyed a stroll and lunch.

Here I have the fan Francine brought back from Spain when she visited in the early 80s!! A true piece of  art!!

We walked the streets of Nerja town and went back to El Capistrano to freshen up before dinner at Ayo on Burriana beach. We had the super famous and tasty Ayo Paella and watch the Flamenko show offered on Wednesday night only. A serendipitous treat indeed!

On the third day we went to Burriana beach, the largest and most beautiful beach of Nerja We had a wonderful pizza lunch on the strip. The server was super friendly and we will definitely return to this place!