Marbella

Marbella is the Beverly Hills of the Spanish coast where the rich and famous come to vacation.  One can rub elbows with European business tycoons and Arab Sheiks looking to burn some of their oil money.   I was concerned this place would be devoid of character due to how built up it has become and envisioned an over-Americanized town with strip malls and chain restaurants.  Luckily, Marbella has managed to maintain a lot of its character.  The old town area of Marbella turned out to be very charming and extremely well kept.  We spent a lazy afternoon strolling through the maze of whitewashed buildings and exploring the neighborhood squares.

In the evening, the Christmas decorations gave the old town a soft glow and created a warm and inviting ambiance.  We had an amazing gourmet dinner at La Paloma Bistro, which we stumbled upon purely by chance.  The kids were really well behaved.  I am amazed how well they do at restaurants now compared to when we arrived.  We are so proud of our little travel veterans!

Our hotel was pretty average but we had a nice balcony with a view of the Mediterranean, so nobody was complaining.  After sunset, the Atlas Mountains of Morocco were backlit with a pinkish glow and really stood out.  Amazing how different life is across that narrow stretch of Sea, and truly amazing how good we have it on this side.  I have to remember this when we get too caught up in our first world problems.

Almost all of the buildings are painted white

The bistro where we had the amazing dinner is on the left (the best salmon ceviche!)

Old town charm

Playing with "Tigre," the local cat

One of the many Virgins around town

The Christmas lights were great for the girls

Very narrow street

We loved Marbella

- Dave