View of Malaga from Castillo de Gibralfaro.
Costa del Sol of Spain is one of those places where everyone else seems to have already been, some multiple times, and a few have even moved there. Everyone except me, of course. Part of the reason is that traditional package holidays don’t really work for me and especially my partner who avoids the sun and beaches like a vampire. Fortunately, we finally took the plunge, and now I totally get why around 30,000 Finns call Coast of the Sun their home. Beautiful rugged landscapes, endless sunshine, warm breezes, delicious food and drinks, all at pretty tolerable prices. Southern Spain also felt less chaotic than the likes of southern Italy or Greece. And in Fuengirola – or "Fuge," as the “local” Finns apparently call it – near Málaga, you can find practically every basic service in Finnish. Very convenient in case you’ve been too busy sipping sangria to be actually bothered with the local language.
We scheduled our trip for the off-season in Europe, hoping to dodge the worst of the holiday hordes. My expectations weren’t exactly sky-high; from the moment we boarded the Finnair flight, it felt like we’d wandered into a local bingo club. Surrounded by a lively crowd of senior citizens, I felt like part of the youth despite my midlife crisis. In the end, the experience wasn’t as touristy as I imagined and we managed to get treats of some semi-authentic local culture as well. With a glammed-up flamenco lady pounding her high heels just two meters from me, the intensity of the performance made me feel like a deer in headlights. On the flipside, I felt more comfortable in a hammam, an Arabic bath, which we took on the last day before flying home. A brilliant brainwave of travel planning by my wife.
Granada in the back, Galician Star shining in the front.
Our trip took us not only to Málaga, but also Granada, Ronda, and even squeezed in day trips to hike the Caminito del Rey and visit British-controlled Gibraltar. Each place was interesting and charming in its own way. We used public transportation to get around. On a train to Granada, my wife started chatting about how the gentleman sitting in front of us looked oddly familiar, at least from the side. I tried to calm her down by analytically referencing probabilities: the chance of her running into someone she knows on a regular Spanish train is, well, to put it politely, nonexistent. Since my wife never believes my theories, she jumped up to take a closer look, and sure enough, it was her former colleague who had moved to Spain a few years ago! Unbelieveable! It was just a coincidence that he happened to be in the same train, in the same car, seated just in front of us. Nuts! Thanks to this, we got a local guide for the evening and some great tips about Granada. This isn’t even the first time something like this has happened to us. Like the time we bumped into my wife’s old friend on a hiking trail in Switzerland and ended up spending the rest of the trip together. In a deterministic, materialistic universe, this is explained by something known as observational selection bias. For tinfoil-hat wearing kooks like me, such impossible synchronicities are proof of something far more interesting. A simulation? Metaphysical idealism? Or maybe even panpsychism? The truth is out there! 👽
All in all, the trip was yet another great success (except for the annual COVID we brought home as a souvenir). I was turned from a sceptic to curious: perhaps spending retirement days in Spain really isn’t that bad of an idea. I’ve been talking about buying a hut from Okinawa, but then again, there’s no typhoons in Spain. Please message me if you know anyone with a nice affordable holiday property available, muchas gracias! 😉
Catedral de Granada from the outside.
Catedral de Granada from the inside.
"Hola, gatos!"
Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Calle de las Teterias in Granada. There's definitely a Moroccan vibe to some areas, and we even ended up eating Moroccan.
Granada at dusk.
Visiting Alhambra. This kitty was on top of the security.
Tidying up before the tourists arrive.
So peaceful and quiet! I wonder where all the people are?
Getting serene pictures requires quite a bit of rushing.
One requirement is to be amongst the first in line in the morning.
Behind every shot there's a wife rolling her eyes...
...when I'm erratically hurrying back and forth the "best spots".
Generalife gardens.
Flamenco at Casa Ana. Unfortunately filming was not allowed during the show itself. We got front row seats, which was very frightening. Somehow a lady stomping intense dance moves on a stage two meters away is way more intimidating than e.g. playing ice hockey.
Last sight of Granada: Alhambra again in sunset.
Next stop: Ronda.
Buddy cops on patrol. Varying work ethics.
“Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda”. Ronda bullring.
Andalucian landscape is quite barren but beautiful.
The Streets of San Francisco.
In the garden of La Casa del Rey Moro.
The Guadalevín River, photo from the bottom of the water mine.
Another view of the Puente Nuevo of Ronda. We did a lot of walking and hiking during the trip, the daily average was 16km.
Byebye Ronda, hello Caminito del Rey.
They claim it's the world's most dangerous hike.
I wonder why.
The Caminito del Rey bridge is a fun experience for those with acrophobia. It's hanging 120m over the river. Remember to look down!
By the way, I just love heights.
Having the time of my life, swinging on a hanging bridge. I ran the numbers, it'd take 5 seconds plus the air resistance.
Leaving Spain, and the whole EU. Hello Gibraltar, aka. the Rock.
Gibraltar is a small exclave, 6.8 km2 and 34000 people.
Main street of Gibraltar.
Rey y la dama.
I really liked the Gibraltar locals.
It was like meeting my relatives.
"Juha go do your homework!" - this geezer reminds me of someone. Hmm...
Back in Europe. Visiting Alcazaba in Malaga.
These guys were establishing the pecking order.
"Mother, I want to be Finnish." This advertisement is about improving children's leukemia treatment in Spain. Apparently, kids in Finland have the highest survival rate in the world. To be honest, that's quite surprising, given how abysmal the public healthcare here nowadays is.
Beach life on Playa la Malagueta.
That's it again, thanks!