The Coast of the Sun "Coasta Del Sol"
14 December 2017 | Coasta Del Sol, Span
low 60's in the day , cool low 50's at night
Blog Update December 12th
We left off in our last update with our first two weeks in Seville, Spain. We spent another two weeks after that exploring Seville and just doing some chilling. The weather is finally turning colder with a couple of days of light rain. We took in a couple Flamenco shows and learned a little about this dance. I call it a dance but it is as much a part of Spain as is bull fighting, wine and Iberian ham (prosciutto to us). We learned that the dance started in the Triana district of Seville, where we just happened to live. It first started out with the Gypsy women dancing to music on the poor side of the river. They say that the song is the heart of the dance, like an opera the dancer responds to the story being told, whether it be a sad, angry or joyous part. So dances vary greatly depending on the song or story being told. Also clapping is a big part of the dance as family members and neighbors would participate in the dance and encourage the dancers to really turn it on and tap and stomp her feet as fast and as loud as she could. Then at other points in the song a soft clapping with slow graceful movement followed by a soft spoken "Ole" by the group. The dance is customarily done by one guitarist, a singer and one or two dancers. Leiann loved this stuff and I always enjoy learning about history and culture. This dance really speaks to what was happening in Spain's golden years, the 1500's. This was at the height of the Spanish Inquisition so showing a little leg and bare arms was forbidden by the church, but this was the expression of the working people and some of the only entertainment they had. So the Flamenco was a rather underground thing in the beginning, until it became accepted as an art form and crossed over the river to the wealthier side of Seville. As the years have gone by elements of many cultures have added elements to the dance, Moroccan and Gypsy mix to make up the Spanish custom. So if you ever come to Spain you have to go to a Flamenco show. We loaded up the packs and headed out for our next stop Benalmadena, next to the town of Malaga or known to Europeans as Costa del Sol. We had planned to stay in Malaga but this place became available and was not as big a town. Overlooking the marina and the blue Mediterranean. We can spit on the beach from our balcony, life is good. So far we have done a little beach strolling, made a visit to the little tourist town of Miijas. At Miijas they have donkeys pulling little carts of tourists around town with lots of leather work for sale in the square. There was a famous little chapel known as the "Virgin La Pena" (Madonna) of the rock. Apparently a monk spent many years hollowing out a large rock to make a chapel for the little doll (a Madonna, statue of Mother Mary). The story goes that the Madonna (Virgin of La Pena or Virgin of The Rock) was found buried in an old church ruins hundreds of years old by a couple of goat herders who were led to the location by a dove. This was considered a miracle so the Catholic church took the statue to Madrid after the find. This monk who apparently had a vision of Mary above the rock pleading for it's return and worked many years to build a place for her, so they gave it back. Now many reports of the image of the Virgin over the rock have been sighted over the years and it has become a place of pilgrimage by the faithful. An interesting place to visit and yet there was another castle there also, they are everywhere here. We have spent a few days up in Malaga site seeing. Yet another huge castle, this one is supposed to be the largest "intact" castle in Spain. Again many beautiful churches and we visited the Picasso Museum (he was a strange guy and an acquired taste) he was born here in Malaga. We went down the coast a few miles to the town of the rich and famous, Marabella. It is the off season, thank God, so not too busy but we have been told that during the summer it gets crazy with lots of Ferrari's and Bentley's. We were just strolling through the town and happened upon the historic district with lots of little narrow alley ways and the remains of the old city walls in Moorish times. We have a couple more weeks left here and we plan to head up to the old town of Granada. This was the last city that the Moors held until they were finally concurred by the Catholic King Ferdinand and the famous Queen Isabella in the mid 1500's. After that the Moors headed back across the straights of Gibraltar never to recapture Spain again after a 700 hundred year occupation. We will be heading that way ourselves in a couple weeks. Stay tuned for more Chrysalis Adventures!