[Zachary] Quinto Anniversary

Tuesday marked our five-year anniversary in Spain. Fifth is "Quinto" in Spanish. Our "quinto anniversario." So, my apologies, Zachary Quinto really has nothing to do with it.

As for me, I'd prefer five years in Spain (or anywhere) with San Geraldo. When you've got San Geraldo, who needs Zachary Quinto? (No offense, Zach.)

We went out Tuesday night to our favorite place in Fuengirola, Meson Salvador, and had a celebratory dinner with our friends Tynan and Elena — two more reasons to be grateful for our lives in Spain.

Tuesday afternoon, I went for a long walk in the 39C (102F) heat. I'd tell you there was not a cloud in the sky on our anniversary, only that would be a lie.

There was A CLOUD in the sky. Exactly one. But it wasn't around for long.

(Click for bigger pictures... except for Zachary Quinto.)

LOOKING EAST TOWARD HOME AT THAT CLOUD IN THE SKY.

THE PORT OF FUENGIROLA.

THE CLOUD BECOMING A MEMORY.

WEDNESDAY MORNING COFFEE ON THE BEACH WITH SAN GERALDO.
YEAR SIX, DAY ONE. 

And While We're On The Subject

I have no idea what subject we're on, but, well, here's something.

Yes, it was underwear.

And let's not even talk about the stripes.

(Click for a closer look... if you dare.)

LOOKING EAST TOWARD BENALMÁDENA (LEFT IMAGE)
FROM THE FUENGIROLA NEIGHBORHOOD OF CARVAJAL.

Casa Consistorial: Town Hall To Hotel

Another of the great 'before' photos on display in town stands in front of Hotel Casa Consistorial. The hotel opened just a couple of years ago after being constructed on the site of Fuengirola's original Casa Consistorial (Town Hall), which had stood on the plaza since 1868. The hotel was under construction when we moved here and I had no idea what had stood there before. It's about a 30-minute walk from home.

(Click the images for a closer look.)

TOWN HALL GOT A NEW FACADE IN 1959. HERE IT IS IN 1961.

AND NOW A 4-STAR HOTEL.

LOCAL POLICE, 1957.

THE NAME OF THE PLAZA IS LOS REYES CATÓLICOS (THE CATHOLIC KING & QUEEN).
A STATUE OF LOS REYES WAS INSTALLED AFTER THE HOTEL OPENED.
(I'M NEITHER A FAN OF LOS REYES NOR OF THE STATUE.)

JUST LEFT OF CASA CONSISTORIAL, A NEW ARTISAN ICE CREAM SHOP.
MAYBE THIS WILL GET SAN GERALDO TO TAKE THE WALK WITH ME.

Don't Ask Me

The T-shirt was priced at 10 euros, but I think it should have been free to anyone who knew what it meant. For me, it was almost a must-have.

I asked the sales clerk if she knew what it was supposed to mean and she said she didn't because her English wasn't good enough.

The Old And Improved Sohail Castle

Continuing my series on old and new Fuengirola (click here), here's Castillo Sohail (Sohail Castle). Built in 956 AD by Abd al-Rahman III, the castle was restored in 2000. (Click the images for a closer look.)

CASTILLO SOHAIL IN THE 1960s, FROM THE DISPLAY ON THE PASEO.

San Geraldo just discovered yesterday that he's got a family connection to the castle.

Abd al-Rahman's grandfather, (Abd Allah ibn Muhammad, Emir of Cordoba) was the first husband of San Geraldo's 34-greats-grandmother, Onneca Fortun de Pamplona, a Basque princess from the Kingdom of Pamplona (later known as the Kingdom of Navarre).

Great-grandma was a very rare case of a Christian princess marrying Muslim royalty. The union created strong ties between these Muslim and Christian rulers of the Iberian Peninsula.

Some years later she returned to Pamplona and married her cousin, Aznar Sánchez of Larraun with whom she had a son and two daughters. Both daughters married kings.

San Geraldo is descended from one of those daughters (I can't remember which) from that second marriage. Otherwise I'd be asking for the keys to the Castle!

NOT ON DISPLAY. ANOTHER IMAGE FROM THE 1960s.

AND TODAY, ALMOST THE SAME VIEW.

And a map to confuse you even more... (just because I find this all so fascinating).

The Iberian peninsula in the early 10th century:

  Emirate of Córdoba

  Kingdom of Asturias

  Kingdom of Pamplona

  Territories of the Banu Qasi

The Oys of Summer

From the man on the street, "Oy!!!"

Palmeros Vs. Palmeras

I was so caught up in la musica (the music) and Los Mellis yesterday that I completely forgot to include some photos of Teatro Cervantes, built in 1870. It replaced the previous theatre (destroyed by fire), which had been built in the early 1500s to celebrate a royal visit by Queen Isabella II.

Years of neglect, and poor management and planning culminated in Málaga City Council acquiring Teatro Cervantes in 1984, then obtaining public grants to renovate and restore the space. (Don't forget to click the images.)

CEILING BY BERNARDO FERRÁNDIZ, 1870.
AN ALLEGORY OF THE CITY OF MÁLAGA.

PHOTOS TAKEN PRE-CONCERT.
MY QUICK COMPOSITE TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF THE INTERIOR.

When I talked about "palmeros" in yesterday's blog post, I might have confused some of my readers. So, I've provided a couple of photos below to clarify the difference between "palmeros" and "palmeras."

TWO PALMEROS.
(FROM LOS MELLIS' FACEBOOK PAGE.)

TWO PALMERAS.
EQUALLY DELICIOUS? YOU DECIDE.

Argentina And The Twins

San Geraldo and I went to Teatro Cervantes Friday night to see a performance by Argentina Maria Lopez Tristancho, known simply as Argentina. She's a brilliant cantaora (flamenco singer). Her voice and delivery are magnificent. Her two guitarists, percussionist, and three "palmeros" — those are the accompanists who clap and perform other percussive effects using their hands — were equally magnificent.

The dialects, the additional (traditional) sounds and non-words added into the lyrics, and all the other variations made it difficult for me to follow more than a small bit of the Spanish. But my favorite performers are the palmeros, who also sang. Some of their skills:

Palmas
— hand clapping; an intricate art requiring skill and knowledge of compas (the measure, and the rhythmic skill of a performer.

Palmas Altas (Palmas Claras, Palmas Agudas)
— percussive effect performed with the fingers of the right hand on the left palm, resulting in a sharp sound

Palmas Sordas (Palmas Graves)
— muted clapping (more often done by Argentina)

During a moment between songs, I commented to San Geraldo, "How do you like the twins?" 

"Which ones?" he asked. 

"Uh... the ones that look exactly alike?"

It turns out the twins are equally famous performers. Like Argentina, the brothers are from the town of Huelva, about an hour west of Sevilla. Their names are Antonio and Manuel Montes Saavedra, but they're known as Los Mellis. (One of the words for "twin" in Spanish is "mellizo.")

(Click here if you want to read more about them.)

CAN YOU PICK OUT THE TWINS?

I chose this video to give you an idea of the power and importance of the palmero.

The Old And New Virgin Of Carmen

Fuengirola has a great installation along the paseo in our neighborhood, Los Boliches. Large historic photos of what the city looked like when it was still a sleepy fishing village, through the 1960s and '70s when the city changed drastically.

(As always, click any image for the bigger picture.)

FROM THE TERRACE.

At the time of major development, not much thought was given to quality, environment, or history. All that mattered was tourism. Some cities and towns in Spain lost a lot of their history and beauty. Some fought back in later years and are still fighting. Fuengirola fared a bit better and was rescued sooner. It's no longer a small, simple fishing village and some history was lost, but not all, and even more was uncovered. And the city is making every effort to improve what was done badly and to maintain control over current and future development. The improvements we've seen in our 3+ years here have been very positive. There are also displays in specific locations around town so you can immediately compare the old with the new. Here's the first of several I plan to share.

IN TOWN, THE OLD CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN OF CARMEN.

THE NEW CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN OF CARMEN.

THE OLD SAN GERALDO ... NO, THE NEW SAN GERALDO...
WELL, THE SAME OLD SAN GERALDO — WALKING HOME.
(CHECK OUT THE CREASES ON THE BACK OF HIS CALF FROM THE CAFÉ CHAIR!)

Crunches, Push Ups, Leg Lifts And Eye Rolls

It's been nearly three weeks since my first eye surgery, two weeks since the second, and today I received the all-clear.

I'm especially excited because I can finally get back to physical exercise. Strolling just hasn't cut it for me. And when I'm out and about I can never seem to stop myself from doing quick-turn double-takes at some of the sights (i.e., people) I see around town. Those quick turns were specifically forbidden.

More importantly, I can get back to doing eye rolls. And after the double-take, the eye roll is my favorite exercise.

SO MUCH TO TAKE IN ...
WITH A MORNING COFFEE.

Larga Duración, Long Beautiful Hair

1973: A HEAD WITH HAIR.

After nearly five years living in (and loving) Spain, San Geraldo and I have been approved for our first "larga duración" (long duration) residency cards.

When we first arrived, we obtained "residencia temporal" (temporary residency). We renewed those cards in 2012, and again in 2014.

Our "larga duración" cards will give us the right to "work and live indefinitely in Spain with the same rights as Spaniards."

So, this week we'll head back to the Foreigners Office with new photos and we'll then wait a few weeks for our new-and-improved cards to arrive.

WHAT APPEARED WHEN I GOOGLED "LARGA DURACIÓN."
"LONG-TERM" HAIR REMOVAL.

Let the celebrations begin!

THIS IS NOT US CELEBRATING.

Give me a head of larga duración!

Saint John's Summer Solstice Celebration

It's 2:51 Friday morning, 24 June, the day the Christian Church designated as the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist.

It didn't start out that way. Before the Christians decided to "de-paganize" the day, it was called Midsummer, the pagan celebration of the summer solstice. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits.

Following this ancient tradition, bonfires have been burning all night on our beaches in honor of St. John's Eve. Revellers have been heavily drinking spirits (which may protect against evil ones; I don't know).

At midnight, everyone quickly dashed in and out of the water and then hopped over the bonfires three times. The intention is to drive off witches and evil spirits (I guess that's if the booze doesn't work). Then came the fireworks.

OUR BEACH IN THE AFTERNOON: THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME.

AT 9:00 P.M., THE PARTY HADN'T YET STARTED.

The chiringuito (beach bar) nearest to us added additional serving areas on the Paseo and on the beach. They had an exceptionally good band performing the most of the night. For the past one or two hours (I've lost track), it's been pre-recorded music at twice the decibel level. We should get some sleep when the party officially ends (any minute now).

Meanwhile, I've finished off the top layer of chocolates, so I'm not complaining (although I may be complaining later about that).

It's 3:04 Friday morning and the music has stopped. The silence is deafening. I'm off to bed.

ON OUR WAY HOME FROM DINNER AROUND 11:15.

TOASTED BUNS AND BEER.

NOTE THE BAND MEMBER
IN THE "OREGON'S PORTLAND" T-SHIRT.

HOME: STROBE LIGHTS AND MUSIC AIMED IN OUR DIRECTION.

FIRE ON THE BEACH AND IN THE SKY.

THE MOON ROSE JUST AS THE FIREWORKS STARTED.

The Cure

Less than a week until I can stop strolling and begin hustling these buns again. Meanwhile, I've had a miserable allergy attack this week, spending several days in bed. Trying to not suddenly jerk my head in the middle of a sneezing or coughing fit has been challenging. But my eye seems to have survived all assaults.

Besides, I think I found the cure for my allergies.

First Cure Theory:
Sunday, our friend Kristina gave me a 500-gram (1-pound) box of Swedish/Finnish chocolates. I was feeling so miserable that I didn't even unseal the box until Wednesday. I then had a couple of chocolates and was feeling much better later that day.

Second Cure Theory: 

San Geraldo came home Wednesday afternoon from the market with some chips and surprisingly good ready-made guacamole. I commented on how much better I was feeling later that afternoon.

Third Cure Theory: 
Of course, it could be that the weather changed. We went from several dry, warm, summery days, with breezes from all directions stirring up every kind of pollen and dust to a Wednesday afternoon and night of fog and humidity blowing in off the sea.

Then again, it could just be that my allergies have started to run their course, like they always do, and will return another time.

Nah! I'm going with the chocolate cure. Even if I'm wrong, what's a little extra suffering?

Tuesday, Wednesday, stay in bed...

Whiskey And Soda, And Rock And Roll

Our favorite pizza place (we don't eat Spanish food every day) — here in Los Boliches, Fuengirola, Málaga, Spain — is another great spot just a few minutes from home called Pizza Maestro.

Pizza Maestro, although in Spain and serving excellent Italian food (and thin-crust, very healthy tasting pizza), is Finnish. Well, Finnish-owned.

Everyone speaks Spanish. One of the waiters hails from Morocco and his native tongue is Arabic. Some people find English easier. But the language one hears most often is Finnish.

They've been playing great music lately. Perfect atmosphere.

This afternoon while we shared, of all things, a pizza Hawaiana, San Geraldo blurted, "Listen. It's Klezmer!"

"What?"

"They're singing Yiddish!" he exclaimed.


Here's what was playing (for the umpteenth time, by the way). Yiddish?

(The translation isn't the best, but you get the idea.)