Marbella

Our return to the European continent was on a flight from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria back to Málaga, and from there we caught an Avanza bus (pre-booked, a requirement!) down the coast to Marbella.

Old town Marbella

Marbella isn’t on the list for most tourists like us. It was definitely a stopover, something to do before we ventured back into the Andalucían hills. This is a coastal destination known for its beach and high-end shopping, most notably along the Golden Mile.

We enjoyed catching up on some work and exploring the small old town quarter in historic Marbella. On our first night we watched the Wales - Scotland rugby game in an English pub with some Welsh men.

Roman mosaic tile floors

Eager to see this Golden Mile, Julie and I set off on about a 5 mile run along the beautiful coast towards Puerto Banús. Along the way Julie noted that we could visit some Roman ruins, and we were delighted to see an extensive series of mosaic tiled floors. We crossed a few inlet streams as well, with a nice finish as we entered Puerto Banús and were treated with egrets, ducks, coots, and more.

Personal watercraft in the port

In the port I was able to fill out my exotic car bingo card: Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Bentley, and so on. There were some large yachts, though nothing like the monster we saw in Málaga. I doubt this marina is equipped for the giants. Lots of beautiful people, many signs in Arabic, all the high-end shopping you could wish for. We wish for none of that, so we hopped on a bus back to Marbella.