Marbella

Sunday afternoon I was invited by family friends to lunch on the beach at a place called La Red. Bryan and Lidia picked me up in their long wheel based Jaguar. Feeling like British royalty ensconced in the rear seat off we went. It was a sunny afternoon and the beach restaurants were crowded especially since it was lunch time 2:30 pm. A Sunday tradition - paella!
We managed a table and ordered drinks and Paella Mixta for three. Mixta consist of both seafood and land proteins typically chicken and/or some sort of pork sausage. It was a beautiful presentation and we hastily ate with abandon. But couldn't finish it all so I took home the remaining portion, about a fifth of the dish.
From there went by car to Puerto Banus the Monaco of Spain whose harbor is filled with multimillion dollar yachts and whose streets are cruised my six figure + automobiles. Not a Toyota or Nissan in sight not even a Tesla. The stores required a loaded wallet with platinum credit cards and most likely a credit score verification check! But we managed coffee at a small harbor front cafe within my spending limit.
Puerto Banus is the playground of very wealthy Arabs. Millionaires and billionaires.
Sunday evening I couldn't think of eating anymore. The weather was turning colder and the clouds began hiding the mountain tops. An Atlantic front was reaching the coast with 100% rain forecasted. So I stayed in and found The Handmaid's Tale streaming on Prime. Having wanted to see this series for sometime and liking Elizabeth Moss acting ability I tuned in. She was was really good in Shining Girls which I recommend.
Monday was wet, cold and dreary. The incessant rain not letting up. The mountains to the north still shrouded in fog. Not much to do or see. So after a vigorous hour long workout I did not venture out again. Luckily I had planned farmers market run on Saturday enabling me to able to prepare a tasteful vegetarian dish of Japanese eggplant, yellow bell peppers, red onion, a red spicy pepper, and garlic with a good pinch of sea salt sautéed in Spanish extra virgin olive oil. It was perfect.
The veggies and fruit from this organic market are locally grown. I found the pears, plums and bananas to have a very earthy flavor. I could literally taste the earth they were grown in. It was so different from the usual fruits that I purchase at big box markets.
Taking a break from The Handmaids I turned to watch Spanish news programing. Elections are coming up and the biggest story from the weekend is a bill up for approval to increase the penalties for sexual abuse of women and the transgendered minorities rights. It was reported that the increasing rate of female homicides particularly by boyfriends or husbands is serious enough to enact stiffer laws.
The political parties including the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, Podemos Party, Party of the Citizenry, The People's Party and the VOX Party have voiced their opinions. The parties representatives make up the Spanish Congress of Deputies and Senate. All parties are in agreement that more needs to be done to protect women's rights with large protest marches over the weekend in the major cities across Spain. The only party opposed to the legislation is the VOX party. No surprise here as it the conservative party. I fail to understand its reasoning and support.
Tomorrow Tuesday the rains are to subside and the sun returns. The forecast is for clear skies with no rain for the week ahead with daytime temperature in the 70s.Read more