Monday, April 24
Today we drove the three hours from Cádiz to Marbella so not a lot to report other than some general observations.
First, driving in Europe is dumb. We only did it because there is no train service and only infrequent bus service between Cádiz and Marbella. Between picking up the car (rarely convenient to your lodging), dropping off the car when you’re tired, hitting the grocery store, and longing to stretch your legs, driving just doesn’t appeal. Luckily, we only have one or two more drives this trip.
Second, Marbella has grown! We spent a month here in 1999 when it had 105,000 residents. Now it has 145,000. Automobile traffic is intense, and the Paseo Marítimo (boardwalk) is busy with pedestrian/bike/scooter traffic. That said, the Paseo is the place to exercise, and we had an enjoyable walk. It extends from Marbella Center to Puerto Banús, a distance of 4.2 miles.
Third, the Mediterranean Sea is beautiful here: clean and clear. Sadly, the surrounding skies are not. We’re not sure why. Our weather apps tell us the air quality is fine, so perhaps we are seeing dust, a result of the drought that has plagued Spain and North Africa for years.
Tuesday, April 25
A quiet day. Marbella isn’t exactly known for its cultural amenities. It’s more beautiful people, beautiful views, and beautiful geography…oh, and tourists. We walked the Paseo toward the Casco Viejo (historic center), and things got progressively more touristy compared to our Golden Mile location. Think street vendors selling knockoffs, running when the police show up, and restaurants with pictures of their food offerings rather than menus.
We expect more of the same all week. The cultural sites worth visiting are mostly open on weekends, so we’ll visit those on Saturday.
Wednesday, April 26
Had a good, long walk to Puerto Banús and back. Puerto Banús is Marbella’s port and luxe shopping area about 3.5 miles west of our apartment, easily accessible via the Paseo Marítimo. Gentle but steady sea winds have cleared out some of the air pollution often visible over Africa, so we could see a hint of land across the Med.
After checking out the jetties, piers, and boats, we headed into town walking along shops that attract an international clientele: Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Loewe, Carolina Herrera, Hermes, Louis Vuitton – you get the idea. Over 100 luxury shops. Dressed in hiking clothes and sweaty, we felt zero temptation to pop into any of them. Lunch, however appealed.
El Sol Lounge is a cool little place with marina views and an island vibe. Knowing we had a long walk back to Marbella, we ordered a bottle of cava to build courage. Then we had our first gazpacho of the trip. Beautifully presented, the famous soup held a garnish of watercress and a miniature pansy. The soup was silky smooth, with finely chopped vegetables resting inside. Next up were lightly fried vegetables gyozas. Our entrée was vegetable curry served with jasmine rice…nice!
Thursday, April 27
Today we ventured into Marbella’s charming historic center. The center is lovely, with whitewashed buildings, colorful mosaics, wrought-iron balconies, and lots and lots of flora: bougainvillea, hibiscus, jasmine, oleander, and palm and orange trees. The flowering plants pop against the pristinely white buildings.
Winding streets, most too narrow for cars, take surprising turns and open suddenly into breathtaking plazas. After wandering about for an hour or so, we headed back to the main plaza, Plaza de los Naranjos, for lunch. I got lucky, with lots of eye candy around:
Friday, April 28
We were so excited today to be able to see two dear friends that we have not seen since before Covid. We met Gil and Peta Supervielle on a cruise to South America many moons ago. They live on the Costa del Sol, and we always take the opportunity to visit them here, meet up in Madrid, and even rendezvous in Miami.
Next up, a visit to the Museo Ralli. This is a small museum, recently built, and is one of several museums founded by Harry Recaneti, who donated his personal art collection to seed the museum collections. In addition to Marbella, there are locations in Punta del Este, Uruguay; Santiago, Chile; and Caesarea, Israel. The focus is Contemporary European and Latin American Art.
Salvador Dalí
Joan Miró
Carlos Carmona
Mario Aguirre
Norah Borjes
Juarez Machado
Well, how do you top off a lovely visit with friends and a world-class small museum experience? Drinks on the beach! The Puente Romano and Marbella Club are two renowned names in Marbella luxury hotels. We stopped in at the Puente Romano to listen to mellow DJ tunes and try out their beer and wine selections.
Saturday, April 29
Our last full day in Marbella – sad. We had three important things to accomplish: another cultural visit, a farewell lunch, and rearranging the contents of our suitcases and backpacks to prepare for one night at the Parador de Granada (elegant!) and eight nights on the Camino (decidedly not elegant!)
We walked back to Puerto Banús to visit the Villa Romana de Río Verde. This is a stunning Roman excavation consisting of the mosaic flooring, column bases, and a bit of wall from a 1st -2nd century country villa. Discovered in 1960, it was fortunately preserved and protected just before Puerto Banús was developed.
The rendering above shows the general layout. The entrance is foreground left. It connects to a mosaic path that circles an interior courtyard. The two successfully excavated rooms are background right.
The entrance mosaics have been enhanced to highlight the archeologists’ best thoughts as to their colors. The smudge in the above photo shows the condition of the Medusa-themed mosaic before any intervention. Below is a rendering of the Medusa design.
Below you can see how someone cemented over the tiles in some misbegotten modernization.
Below we have a rendering of the southernmost rooms. Obviously, the furniture is not of the period! Below that is a photo of the excavations.
The designs had a fun culinary theme, and interpreters believe they represented the meal preparation process, at the end of which, the happy homeowners could remove their sandals (in front of and to the left of the doorway), recline upon their sofas, and dine in peace.
Leave a Reply