Long Time Sun

I love synchronicity and particularly when it shows up in my life.  I went out for dinner the other night and found this sweet little restaurant called La Fuente, which has  about six tables and is  run by a Dutchman named Jan.  He's the chef, maître d  and waiter.  I ordered his recommendation, a variety of tapas, including grilled swordfish, chicken, albondigas, tomato and avocado salad, potatoes and dates wrapped in bacon.  [Note: I'll do a post about the food in this region at another time.]

Anyway, after this delicious meal and introductions, he mentioned his wife Linda teaches yoga on the beach, if I was interested.  In fact,  I told him,  I had researched her class before I arrived in Frigiliana and would love to join her class.  So this morning I hit the beach at 9:15 to watch the sunrise and listen to the waves lap the shore, while chanting  to this beautiful Irish blessing sung by Snatam Kaur.   I included the link to her video, which has some stunning imagery and leaves me blissed out.  I hope it does the same for you.

May the Long Time Sun

Shine Upon You

All Love Surround You

And the  Pure Light Within You

Guide Your Way On
Guide Your Way On.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1D3ejwQiVg

Sunrise in Frigiliana this morning

Sunrise on the beach in Nerja

Class getting ready

View from lunch spot

Hiking in Frigiliana

One of the big attractions to this part of Spain, or Andalucía, is its proximity to the  Natural Park of the Sierra Tejeda-Almijara mountains.  I's literally a stone's throw from my doorstep and offers some great hiking and walking.  I went on my first hike with John Keo, a local guide who arrived here about ten years ago from Ireland.  We were joined by Andy and Wendy from England and had the greatest day.  He took us to the small "hidden" village of Acebuchal(Wild Olive), which prior to the 80's was only accessible by foot or mule. There's some great history of the area which was once occupied by guerillas, who kept on fighting after the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939.  They were subsequently defeated when the Guardia Civil took over the town and made the residents leave.  They then  cut the guerillas off from supplies and starved them or shot them when caught fleeing. To prevent further guerilla occupation, they  proceeded to tear down the  rooftops.   Needless to say, the townspeople never returned either and the village was virtually abandoned for decades before a local man, Antonio, got a grant from the Spanish government to restore it.  But it had to be restored to its original historical state and each building had to retain its original footprint and building style and use of  materials.  He could introduce indoor plumbing and electricity.  Well, this turned into a labor of love and now Antonio owns virtually every building in the village and rents out places for vacationers. We had lunch in his restaurant, now operated by two of his sons.  We had a fabulous meal of homemade bread, Andalusian stew, pork ribs in a mustard sauce, potatoes au gratin and an assortment of baked goodies for dessert.  I had a local Frigiliana craft beer, which was really tasty.  It was really hard to move afterwards to make the trek back to Frigiliana, but we managed.  Distance: 14km;  Gain: 400m

View looking back on Frigiliana

John, Andy and Wendy

Acebuchal

la Axarca

My Apartment in Frigiliana

Several have asked to see photos of my apartment,  which is still getting properly set up.  Although  I've already made a trip to Nerja to purchase things I feel I will need, the list gets longer as  each day passes.  A steamer basket for instance.  Can I even buy one here?  The closest store to a WALMart is owned by the Chinese and about the size of a Dollar Store.  But they do pack a lot of merchandise into one place, so I got plug adapters, an extension cord, a yoga mat and lambs wool-lined Crocs.  The floors in the apartment are all tile and VERY cold, probably most comfortable in the summer months but hard on the feet right now.

WalMart ????

Removable lining for ease of washing

Thankfully, there was Internet when I arrived and so far I have had great service.  It's Wi-Fi, or as the Spanish pronounce it:  Wee-Fee.  I purchased a Microsoft Surface Pro while I was back in Ashland, so that will be my travelling companion.  All my files are on DropBox and what app's I need are installed.  Isn't technology great?  Until it gives me problems.  Like the da I decided to upgrade my iPhone to the latest iOS and thought it was charging.  The battery died in the middle of the upgrade and I had to first restore the phone to it's factory settings and then  restore from a backup.  That took the better part of a day.  Unbeknownst to probably most iPhone users,  iTunes  no longer restores your app's from a backup.  You have to manually restore them.  Apple decided to create a "slimmed down" version of the app for iPhone users, which doesn't take up as much storage as one installed on an iPad.

The other noteworthy mention about technology is that sites like Netflix, VUDU and even PBS will not stream in Spain.  Apparently its a licensing issue, even though I might have a Netflix membership, I can't view their programs in Spain.  Apparently, these sites have a way of determining your IP address as non-US based and restrict access that way.  With some digging, however; I found a site called HideMyAss which fools them into thinking you're based locally.  It is a whopping $7/month and seems legit.  But there were some reviews indicating some problems with Windows 10, which is what my SFP is running.    So I am not able to watch Downton Abbey at the present moment.  So if anyone has any other suggestions, let me know. 

Bathroom

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Guest room with trundle bed

Dining Area

Living room

The apartment is roomy enough--80 sq m.  The living room and both bedrooms have a balcony running the length of the apartment.  Very nice for sipping bebidas and checking out the scene below.  There is a spiral staircase leading up to the rooftop terrace, which has some privacy and adjoins with a neighboring apartment.  I haven't met any neighbors yet in this complex of 20 apartments.  I get lots of exercise if I want.  The apartment entrance is on the fifth floor from street level and on the second floor at garden level. 

View from Balcony

Spiral staircase to terrace

Terrace with 360 degree views

View of Mediterranean Sea

View looking back up the hill

Garden entrance with ramps

Frigiliana Here I Come

A year ago after completing the Camino Francais, I took some time to travel through Portugal and Spain, with the idea I might want to come back and spend a winter.  So last fall after finishing the Portuguese Camino, my friend Rich and I came to the Costa del Sol to visit with his brother Pete  and wife  Pam with the intent of finding a town on the Costa del Sol to spend the winter of 2016.  You can read all about my journey of discovering Frigiliana in my other blog, the Portuguese Camino.   I went back to Oregon to finalize my return trip and I arrived here in Frigiliana on January 21st.  I've rented an apartment in the Old Town and plan to stay here through May.

I spent the first few days settling into the apartment, doing some shopping and getting over my jet lag.  I had just missed the festival of San Sebastian just days before I arrived, so the town was still buzzing with celebratory energy.  But festivals abound here in Spain, so there will be many more opportunities, like Carnival on Feb 13th. 

View across to my apartment at upper left.  I'm in the heart of the village and within an easy walk of all the amenities.  The bus stop and taxi stand are just to the right and Nerja, on the coast is a ten minute bus ride for 1E. 

A Work in Progress

Many of my friends and family have asked me to continue 'blogging' while I am travelling.  So the first decision was giving my blog a name which would indicate what my life has been about these past two years.  So I decided to call it 'Finding the Way', which reflects the fact I have walked two Caminos, otherwise known as the Way of Saint James and my own personal journey of self-discovery.  Those of you who haven't followed me in the past can find my other two blogs at margitalagrotta-cf.blogspot.com and margitalagrotta-cp.blogspot.com. 

I consider my life a work in progress and travelling has always been in my blood.  Two years ago I was able to apply for Latvian citizenship and because of Latvia's entry into the EU in 2004, I was able to obtain an EU passport.  This has given me the ability to travel without too many restrictions so far.  But I am discovering that in Spain, where I am currently, you can be considered a resident of Spain if you are in the country for more than 6 months within any calendar year.  So as I navigate these waters, I'm sure I will discover specific laws pertaining to non-residents.  But enough of the mundane aspects of my travels.  On to the good stuff....