Spain, K.C., Neat sheet, parties, foodporn etc.

[linne]

Do you know, how it is to have the same melody summing in your head all the time?

It happened for me in Spain.

When I relaxed, when I cooked, when I cleaned, when I woke up in the night, Kenny Chesney was singing “ Be as you are”. Again and again.

Why?

Before we left Denmark, I was very stressed. In May I had an infection from a tick and got strong penicillin for 10 days. Hubby returned from USA with a bad cold (not good with AC in the planes)and infected me. I was more hit, than I used to be, and at the same time I had problems with my back, probably because I had worked too hard, when we removed our little cottage in Boennerup.
So I haven’t been up to par for a longer time.

But still I had a lot of other things to do, and I always do a spring-cleaning, before we go on vacation, and the house needed it. I also had to think of what to bring to Spain. All that was just too much for an elderly lady as me, and I felt so stressed. So the last days before we left home, I listened to K.C., when it was possible. It was, as if his voice and his melodies helped me to relax.

But the first 5-6 days in Spain the song “Be as you are” was inside my head. Only this one. Perhaps something with the text, I don’t know.

Except from that our vacation in Spain this year had the usual ingredients:

WE WORK- after a year the house need to be cleaned, and there is always something to repair or paint. Also we have to cut the bushes and the grass, so we are able to go around on the plot, and we also want that nothing disturb the view to the sea.

WE EAT AND DRINK – the food in Spain is good and cheap- the wine and the beer too, and a GTI (gin and tonic with ice) is obligatory every day before dinner. We normally have “tinto de verano” (see later) to lunch and beer or wine to our dinner. So the official advice about women only having 14 units of alcohol during a week, I cannot keep during my vacation!

WE MEET FRIENDS- we like that, but sometimes we have to say no, or it will be too much socializing during a vacation.

WE GO SIGHTSEING - we try to find new places to see, or perhaps return to places we have seen before just to follow the development. And of course:

WE GO TO THE BEACH - not every day but 3-4 times during a week. The beach is not a STJ beach, but we love to relax there after a good meal on our favourite beach restaurant having one of our favourite drink the “tinto de verano”: a bottle of red wine mixed with a special sort of soda water and with ice cubes and lemon in, uhmm! Afterwards it’s so good just to relax/sleep listening to the waves. Reminds me about a change in our lifestyle! For many years we have brought our sun beds with us to the beach. But this year we only used our Neat Sheet. It’s just so easy to bring with you, so I’m so grateful that I learned about it from this forum. And I cannot understand, why we don’t see it used by other people. Perhaps I should start a new business . So with sunshine, placed on a Neat Sheet, listening to the waves, and with KC singing in my head, I could have been in Caribbean!

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What experiences did we have? Oh well, many, and our 3 weeks vacation went too fast.

Picnic in the mountains

A couple of our friends - Danish people living in Spain - had invited us to a picnic trip high up in the mountains. We have never been to these mountains before, so it was so interesting to see, although it was a tough drive. We had lunch on the top. Our girlfriend is an excellent cook. We got a delicious tuna salad, rabbit legs- they breed rabbits themselves-, melon and ham and cherry tomatoes from their own garden. They just tasted fantastic. Never got them better.


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And of course bread and wine (so I had to take a little nap on the Neat Sheet afterwards). It was such a fine place, so peaceful, the smell from the trees and the flowers was wonderful, we saw a lot of different birds among them eagles, it was sunshine on the top, but we could see the clouds down in the valley. Just breathtaking. A great day!


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A new mirror/ Puerta Banus

I had another change in my lifestyle in Spain. For 27 years I haven’t had a mirror in the house, where I could see myself in full length, we only have had a small mirror in our bathroom. So I have used the window glasses to judge, how I looked. This year I was in a shore, saw myself in a mirror, and could see that I was dressed rather unbecoming. So I told hubby that now I need a bigger mirror. We had some other purchases to do, so one of our sightseeing trips this year was to a new Ikea in Malaga ! Afterwards we went to Puerta Banus in Marbella, because:


I wanted to have a look at my new car

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And my new boat

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In one of the restaurants you could buy smoothies- one had the name Caribbean Dream, so of course we chose this one.


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(Really many of the boats were for sale, so you could see the crisis here too.)


Dinner at American gays

Some of our neighbours were talking a lot about two American gays, who had bought an old house in the village. If you ordered beforehand you could come and eat in their private house, and they made the evening over a certain theme and for maximum 10 people. So we decided to go there together with the neighbours.


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Waiting for pick up


It was a lovely house

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The theme was pirates. First we got a delicious cocktail with a delicious appetizer, something with shrimps, everything served on the roof terrace. Then we got another appetizer. At the table we had 3 different courses, and all the wine we could drink. The guys were very nice, and it became a very pleasant evening. The costs? Including tip we paid 25 Euro per person (about 35 dollars). It was the most expensive meal, we had this year, but compared to Danish prices it was cheap.


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A 60 years birthday

Before we left home, we were invited to a 60 years birthday at some former English neighbours in Spain. When we arrived to Spain, we got the written invitations and could see, that they have forgot to tell us that they wanted that people were dressed in black, white or gold. What to do? That was not what we have planned to wear. I found some cloth I could use, but it wasn’t so easy with hubby. He is a big man, and in the stores in the area, they didn’t have pants in his size. But we found a pair of black shorts, and I persuade him to paint an older pair of shoes and a belt in gold, so that he could be gaily decorated.


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I also tried to have him to buy a gold chain, but that he denied. It was enough with the shoe and the belt! He also painted a pair of my old shoes in gold, and it happened that I have brought a gold belt. And of course I also had gold nail polish on my fingers and toes.

So we ended up so:


<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/lh/photo/imt ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4aSBK_jB-gs/SlZSS ... 6.JPG"></a>


Also the gift was decorated with gold – we sprayed different grasses from the plot.

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It was such a great evening. People admired hubby’s shoes, and we had a lot of fun. The musicians were soooo goooood. It was an old hippie near 70 years old together with a younger singer with a fantastic voice.


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So we drank, eat and danced (mostly the women) for several hours.

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Can you understand the big smile on my face?


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Space enough for a lot of people


When we came home my feet was filled with gold paint, and so was my pants and hubby’s shorts.
So the next day I had to use some time, before we were “gold free”.



Food in Spain

I have already told about some of our food experiences. But we had several. Of course we grilled and enjoyed it on our terrace many times. Just to sit there looking over the sea, no TV, no radio, no newspaper, only the sounds from the cicadas- and a few times from a mosquito – is just what we needed and enjoyed. I think it’s healthy!

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Our TV screen, the night programme



We visited our beach restaurant many times, hubby loves their grilled sardines, and I had different other fish courses. But we also had “menu del dia” in other restaurants. The price was normally about 10 dollars, and for that price you got 3 small courses, bread, and a drink for example a coke or a glass of wine. Not fancy food or fancy served, but we have never been disappointed over the taste. It could for example be such courses:


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An evening we visited a Brazilian restaurant on the sea front.

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Here you could have different grilled pieces of meat – all what you could eat – and different tasty accompaniment.

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The waiters were going around offering the guests the different meat


The price per person? 17 dollars! So cheap for us Danes. Beer and wine is cheaper too, so we don’t get ruined when we go out in Spain.


But I have to tell that all that eating and especially drinking meant that I put on weight! So home again I have to take care that we don’t continue with the same habits, or we need to change all our clothes.


I will finish my TR with a sunset picture. Not so spectacular as the ones from STJ, but sunset is always nice.


<a href="http://picasaweb.google.dk/lh/photo/nM4 ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4aSBK_jB-gs/Sl-Td ... 1.JPG"></a>


If someone should like to see pictures from our house you can find them here:

http://virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum ... ight=linne


Linne

[Bandit]

That's a great Trip Report Linne. That KC gets stuck in my head too. Sometimes I just have to listen to some Joe Walsh or Sammy Hagar to get him out.

The food looks yummy, especially those rabbit legs. And I'm all about a good theme party. I went to one years ago where the invitation said "Wear Whatever You Wear To Bed." Now that was a party!! People kept trying to step on my sheet though.

Since I'm looking for a different vacation experience next year, can I go with you on yours? The only problem is I can't do three weeks. And will people make fun of the way I talk? I also don't do nude beaches as I can't handle the people whispering.

Any way...hej hej!!!

Bandit

[Xislandgirl]

Linne- You write the best trip reports. I am jealous of your trip, it looks just perfect!

[Connie]

Linne, great trip report! Love your new boat and car lol

Thank you for getting that song in my head all day long. I know that's going to happen.

Going out to garden now, I'll just get the ipod and solve that problem.

Thanks!!

[PA Girl]

Linne - your trip sounds like so much fun! I would also enjoy the food in Spain.

Why are the ends of the rabbit legs wrapped in foil? Is that to keep the bones from burning while cooking? My grandmother used to make rabbit but it has been 20+ years since I had it.

The scenery and houses are lovely.

[lprof]

Linne...it is so interesting to read of your vacation time in Spain. You and your husband have a wonderful enthusiasum for work and for play.

Can you tell me again where in Spain this lovely seaside area is located? We'll be in Barcelona next summer and always enjoy visiting the smaller, less touristy areas, as well as the metropolitan ones.

The food in your pics is so appealing, especially with mention of the cheaper prices. The outings and parties certainly appeared to be fun too. I am glad that you recovered in time to enjoy a great vacation. Thanks for sharing it here; I really savored every detail.

Edited: ...just reviewed your above link to a previous post with the information that Torrox, Spain is the town...
your house looks so peaceful and calming and the area amazing with mountains and the sea!

[Boston Mike]

First of all, GREAT REPORT! The pictures are awesome.

Secondly, there is nothing you can do to avoid the songs ringing in your head. It happens to me all the time when we go on a little vacation other than St. John. Lets just say its the MAGIC of the rock. It knows you are cheating on it and spending time elsewhere. Its just reminding you not to forget about it.

[Chickadee]

Thank you for this, Linne! What a wonderful start to my day. You and your husband are a VERY handsome couple with a verve for life that is very easy to admire.

[liamsaunt]

I always love reading about your vacations in Spain, Linne. Everything sounds and looks great--the food, the scenery...

Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

[linne]

Thank you for your nice word. I'm on my way to our
cottage - well what's left of it - and tent in Boennerup.

I will answer questions later.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Linne

[LysaC]

sounds like such fun! thank you so much for sharing linne!

[waterguy]

Great report, have fun this weekend.

[djmom]

I loved your report. There was so much cool stuff in there-what a fun time you must have had!

The photo in the clouds from the mountain...when I saw it my stomach did a little flip-it really tricked my eyes and I felt like I was up there!

Again, thanks!

[Pickle]

Gosh... Linne, your report makes me seriously wish to go back there. It has been a decade since we were last in Spain and I've been thinking a lot about the places we visited in that country for the past few years. Ever since we started going to St. John, we haven't really vacationed anywhere else, except Japan, which is my home country... so the trip is not exactly a "vacation" (we are busy seeing all the friends and family, relatives, etc. - fun but, frankly, too much socializing!).

I tell my husband that I miss going to Spain and he tells me to play the lottery. If we win, we can go without skipping our visit to St. John and Japan. Right...

The food (yes, quite good AND cheap), wines, mountains & valleys, the sea, the people... I can still hear the peaceful faint tinkling of goat(?)-bells wafting in from the fields.

I am envious of you, Linne. However, from where I live, it's only a few hours to the Caribbean, so I can't complain. Can't have everything. Don't we all know that!

Thank you very much for your wonderful report - and for brightening my day.

[California Girl]

Thank you for your nice word. I'm on my way to our
cottage - well what's left of it - and tent in Boennerup.

I will answer questions later.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Linne

Loved your report! You and your hubby look so cute in your black & gold! Now you've got me very curious about what happened to your cottage in Boennerup!