Day Tripping
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Thu 15 Oct 2009 07:16
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On Tuesday we spent the day on jobs,
polishing the bright work on the boat doing the gelcoat, windows and
decks. I also got the dingy cover fitted and modified to take the davit lifting
straps through the cover which will allow us to prevent the dingy filling with
water from heavy rainfall or being pooped in an extreme circumstance. We have
the bungs released anyway but just as a precaution and also while we store
rubbish in the rib during our ocean passages it will look a little more sightly
with a cover on. The strong winds forecast for the straits did not really kick
in here at Estepona though the breeze did freshen a little bit. I also got a
haircut in fact a CREW cut No 2 all over - excellent! I had my haircut by a very
nice blonde woman from Donegal who because she works on the Costa del Sol asks
the opposite of what one might be asked at home - so instead of the "where are
you going on holiday this year" she asked "are you just here on holiday this
year?" It must be taught as the first lesson in the International school of
hairdressing.
So all jobs up to date we decided not to hire a car
and try the local bus service - something I have almost never done in Scotland
since I was a kid. Which reminds me that when we took the bus then it was
quite often in a very different way. In Stornoway when we got snow my friends
and I used to gather at the street corners and once a car or the bus
(because the driver couldn't see us) stopped we would quickly run out
behind the bus or car and crouch down grabbing on to the bumper it was an
absolute ball - and one which you needed to wear your oldest baldest soled
wellies for. Of course if you went to far you inevitably hit the bare piece of
tarnac just by the time the driver had picked up some speed and got a few
lesson teaching knocks and grazes for your best stuntman efforts. Recently
on the BBC news I had heard of this "new" craze that kids were getting up
to - running out behind cars and holding on to the bumper in the snow - can
you imagine it - the young people of today......
Anyway the day trip to Marbella. This to those who
know might not sound very me - but I spotted in a piloty book that Marbella was
much more than the brash Costa del Sol resort town that we hear about in the UK
and that it had a very interesting old town. So off we went before 9 to get the
bus which was EUR 2.6 each and after an hour or so we got into Marbella and
after a quick walk along the promenade cut North into the old town and
spent an amazing day exploring the narrow streets and alleyways and old churches
and castles of the old town replete with beautiful flowers and orange trees
just starting to ripen. We rouonded things off with an amazing long
lunch of the non tourist type with a range of tapas and main courses so
sardines, jamon with figs, black paella with squid, bream grilled baby squid
lamb shoulder off the bone washed down with water, wine and a wee brandy for the
skipper. A great day and a discovery that its OK to sit inside
buses.
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