Our story!

For several years now I have had the urge to travel which has been a dream of mine before marriage and children. My husband was never keen on the idea until one afternoon in 2016 he said, "let's do this!" The next day I began to sell, donate and give away items from my home. He was a bit shocked when he got home from work. I immediately called a realtor and our home sold within 24 hours for more than we were asking. I had sold, donated and given away EVERYTHING so that the day we moved we didn't even need a truck. We were able to drive away with everything we had left in both our vehicles. We moved to a smaller place directly across from the beach to enjoy the sunrise and sunsets for the following year before taking off to travel full time!

Torremolinos, Ardales, Tarifa & Malaga 🇪🇸

We had a great trip to Torremolinos with the Morton’s. We stayed at a great apartment that had everything we needed and a view of the Mediterranean Sea. It is more of a resort area and has a different vibe than the pueblos we stay in. We like the views of the sea and if you love the beach then it is a perfect place to see.


When I was growing up it was a place that we went to regularly so I have memories there of the area. My mom still loves to go there for lunch and a walk by the beach. During the summer it is filled with tourists but this was November and not many people there. 


It’s located near enough for day trips to Malaga, Ardales & Tarifa which are definitely highlights of Southern Spain. There are many more but these are the ones mentioned in this video. 


We took a bus from Marbella to get there. If you fly in to Malaga then you could take a bus or taxi.


Cafe for breakfast in Torremolinos: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6gu3cwWRN6uSNTQr8?g_st=ic


Restaurant on beach in Torremolinos where we enjoy eating: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2xUa9qNFhkvszwT49?g_st=ic


Historic steps in Torremolinos 


Restaurante La Pescaderia in Tarifa: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4xtz6ZaZk8vQ9dEA8?g_st=ic


View of the coast of Africa and walking area where one side is the Mediterranean and the other side is the Atlantic-great picture area: https://maps.app.goo.gl/mzrM4vQyubz59KGT8?g_st=ic


Our favorite cafe in Tarifa: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dEcroAwXd94Q5FWZ9?g_st=ic


El Kiosko Restaurant in Ardales: https://maps.app.goo.gl/QtP5DSvACewkWpMk7?g_st=ic


Roman amphitheater: https://maps.app.goo.gl/bXcydx7ZqStKa7zQ7?g_st=ic


Medieval Moorish Palace: https://maps.app.goo.gl/bXcydx7ZqStKa7zQ7?g_st=ic


El Pimpi Restaurant: https://maps.app.goo.gl/y4Krq8wekzZZqwFA9?g_st=ic


Port of Malaga: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hzhJZEreusTjWPNVA?g_st=ic


Palace in Torremolinos https://maps.app.goo.gl/96awuhoTTJpGWSgs9?g_st=ic

Street Entertainers in Torremolinos, Spain 🇪🇸

 


There was a cafe below our apartment in Torremolinos where we had breakfast or lunch nearly every day. We loved our waiter and the location was wonderful. We could see the Mediterranean Sea and enjoy the sunshine. These street entertainers would come by and display their acrobatic talents. It's one of the things I love about Europe when performers will publicly entertain as we walk along the city streets. I especially love to hear musicians perform and it is getting more difficult for them to be able to do this now in Europe because of so many city ordinances. We did not see any in Italy but there were still a few in Spain.

Chasing a Sunrise (Retirement Planning)

Written 8/22/17 as we were planning retirement:

One of the many things that I have enjoyed most about our life change is chasing a sunrise or sunset on any given day. Never did I dream we would be enjoying a year of them here living on the beach. It is one of those amazing things to enjoy and it's absolutely free. 

Over the years I have enjoyed many sunrises on the beach when taking my morning walks. Unfortunately, sunsets have been few and far between because of family obligations and many other things. When we moved here we went out each afternoon because it just felt magical to be sitting on the beach until sunset. 

The sunrise, of course, doesn't care if we watch it or not. It will keep on being beautiful, even if no one bothers to look at it.   Gene Amole



 

Estapona, Spain 🌺

Estapona is home to us! We fell in love with this Pueblo on the Mediterranean when we visited last year. It is not as much as much a tourist destination as some other pueblos and cities in Andalusia Spain. This is a place for Spanish locals of every age. We love hearing all the children playing on the school grounds and in the squares. It’s a great community where people are out and about enjoying the shops, cafes and many restaurants in this town. 

We love the unique local shops they have available and the restaurants are amazing. They have the traditional Spanish foods but they also have other types of cuisine. Our favorite restaurant there is The GRILLHOUSE Restaurant where they have a hamburger that is so good that we go there for lunch twice or three times a week. The waiters are always friendly and provide great service. Here is their link on google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GbYhnDy97i5AnNZD9?g_st=ic

This little town is known for their flowers which they have blooming all year in solid painted pots. Some streets in the old historical district are lined on the walls with the same colors. There will be all green, or all blue, all red, all yellow, all purple and then some streets are mixed colors. The plants, shrubs and trees are taken very good care of on a weekly basis. There is also an Orchid House here with some beautiful orchids displayed within some great tropical plants. We are gardeners and had our own orchids and beautiful flowers in our backyard so we really appreciate that they are displayed everywhere.

Another delight of this area is that it is one of the prettiest beaches here on the Mediterranean. There is a wonderful boardwalk from one end of the city to the other with restaurants and cafes available. I can only imagine the amount of people that are on that beach in the summertime. The main road throughout the beach were closed off for walkers with great landscaping. It’s absolutely beautiful!