Torremolinos

This is the first in a series based on my travels in Spain over the last few years.(Forgive me if tenses tend to get a little jumbled… The sun’s just rising as I begin my morning walk. It’s a little tradition for me on my second day, after arriving. I flew in yesterday around noon, having left Indianapolis the night before and making connects in New York and Barcelona.I always avoid taking a nap right after arriving, in order to adjusted my internal clock to the local time. This little tradition simply arose from the fact that, after a good night’s sleep, I always seem to wake up on that first morning as the horizon is just starting to lighten up. It’s a grand way to start a vacation. This is the time to appreciate the quiet beauty of this place on the Costa del Sol. As a North American, one thing I always note during this walk is that, “nothing is open for breakfast“. It’s early but, it’s not *that* early. Back home, diners and coffee shops would be open, catering to workers heading off to the office. Here however, the typical work day starts later. Stores opening at 7 or 8 am back home, typically won’t open until 9:00am or 10:00am here. As a consequence, breakfast places also open up later. So, other than a few other tourists, fishermen and street sweepers, I have the paseo(beach-side boardwalk) to myself. To be more specific, me, the gulls and the fishermen. The fishermen are after the fresh anchovies and sardines to be served up grilled and fried for lunch, while the gulls following their small boats are hunting for a free meal. At other times, the fishermen will drive the fish near the shore, then net and draw the fish up right on the beach. This is illegal on this part of the beach but the cops don’t seem to care. At least, not this early in the morning. As the sun rises everything is bathed in its golden light, slowly warming the breeze blowing off of the Mediterranean. Looks like it’s going to be a nice day