Grey skies and more to come!
by Geoff_Wright
Oh to relax on the soft, sandy beach, with the afternoon sun on your back. If only...
This is the beach at Torremolinos just before the night of the storm which wrecked it. The next day, the beach umbrellas and the concrete walkway on the beach were washed away.
Mijas
by toonsarah
The hills behind Torremolinos are dotted with so-called “white villages” or Pueblos Blancos. Many can only be reached by car, but one of the nearest to Torremolinos, Mijas, is just an hour away on the bus, so some of us headed there on Sunday.
We caught the number 121 bus from the bus station; it cost just 1.40€ each way and took just over an hour going and a little less coming back. After leaving the Torremolinos sprawl, it followed an attractive route with views of the sea as we climbed round hairpin bends that seemed almost too tight for the bus to negotiate.
On arrival in Mijas we headed straight to the viewpoint to look down over the route we had taken, before visiting the nearby shrine, dedicated to the Virgin of the Rock, or "Santuario de la Virgen de la Pena" in Spanish. This was built in the 16th century on the spot where a long-lost statue of the Virgin was rediscovered by two children, led here by a dove.
Later we strolled the village streets, popped into a few shops (this appears to be a great place to buy leather) and had a lovely lunch in “La vita e'bella”, before a quick visit to the ethnographic museum in a lovely old house, and then back on the bus for our journey back to Torrremolinos. This all made for a lovely day out, and we really enjoyed our glimpse of another side to Andalucia – so near to the beaches and yet so very different in character.
Visit my small Mijas page to read more about our day out.
Lovely place for Afternoon tea
by suvanki about L Epanto Salon de te Pasteleria
We walked off some of our lunch calories, and ended up on Calle San Miguel, where we had the choice of 2 tearooms, Lepanta and a few doors away, Goyesca.
We decided that we preferred the window display of Lepanta - So many pastries, chocolates and other delicacies that were calling to be tried!
Inside were further calorie laden delights-Ice cream, delicate fruit tartlets, gataux etc.
It was so difficult to choose just one pastry-I eventually settled for an almond pastry 'cone ' wrapped around a custard filling. Then the decision was which tea to choose-I much prefer drinking tea to coffee, and am waiting for the forecasted 'tea room revolution' to hit the UK. Lepanta does serve coffee, as well as a selection of cold drinks
I chose Earl Grey, which came as loose leaf tea (Not a tea bag-hoorah) in a pot, with a strainer.
There was an extensive menu of speciality teas.
Pleasantly decorated, with an eye catching feature chandelier.
I can't find my receipt, but think it was less than 5 Euros for my pastry and drink.
We returned here again 2 days later, this time there were about 10 of us!
Again it was a difficult decision - I eventually selected a delectable chocolate mousse/truffle encased in dark chocolate - Bliss! my Earl Grey Luxus was presented in a tea bag this time, but made of silk! Yes, it felt quite decadent!
I enjoyed my tea room experience, and again something that I probably wouldn't have expected to find in Torremolinos. Apparently there is a branch in Marbella too.
Your Daily Exercise
by Geoff_Wright
The Camino de la Playa is the wonderful white marble footpath that takes you from beach-level up into the town. There are 130 steps here, and it is quite a struggle, at first, to climb them all in one go, haha. Actually, the main reason for this is because of the magnificent views from the path.
There is a lift which will take you about three quarters of the way up. You can see the lift tower in the photo, just to the left of the hotel. As Mary dislikes lifts, we climbed those steps every day!! Now that was some activity, I assure you!
Lift to the city center by Camino de la Playa.
by Regina1965
As I mentioned in my previous tip, then the steps at Camino de la Playa are steep. Fortunately there is a lift which takes you up to the upper view platform and from there there are a few steps and a short walk to the city center. As you see from the pictures the lift is hidden from view, so you have to look for it ;) at least I had to do it, but there are signs which you follow.
The lift operates from 10-12:30 and 13:15-18.
The view from the view platform is fantastic and there are binoculars there, you just pay a small fee for using them.