Grandparents' Visit

Lots of baking with Ga!

It has been over three years now that I have ceased to be the main attraction for a visit to Spain, at least where my parents are concerned.  This is especially true in the case of my mother, who will have visited three times in six months come June.  On March 7th, when we met Ga and Papa at the arrivals area of Pablo Picasso airport in Málaga it was only after a full five minutes of hugging, squealing, chattering, and kissing Emily; and after we'd already got up the elevator and begun walking luggage out to the car, that my mother finally turned to me and said in an almost surprised tone, "Oh! Hi, Viola!" :)

Mind you I am not complaining.  Emily deserves the limelight and every bit of attention she gets, especially from her far-away grandparents.  My daughter's birth has had the wonderful side-effect of seeing more of my mother, which I am extremely grateful for.  This visit was especially great since my dad also made the gruling 14+ hour sojourn to Spain; but sadly thier three-week visit flew by all too quickly.

I was working the whole time they were here and the weather didn't cooperate much to allow for many excursions in my free time.  We've had a terribly dry and freakishly warm winter as most of you know, but beginning just a few days before my parents' arrival winter decided it was now or never.  For the entireity of their stay (minus maybe three days), we had very low temperatures and rain every day!

Of course it doesn't have to be sunny to put on a tutú and dance around the living room for a captive audience, or read books upstairs in bed with your grandparents, so I know that Emily was perfectly happy with the visit just as it was; and I think my parents were, too.  However, baby duty is tiring even though Emily is loads of fun, which meant that come the end of the day there was little energy for much "grown up" talk.  I got to spend precious little time with my parents alone.

The whole family in Mijas

Nothing better than exploring from the back of a burro!

But despite disagreeable weather and conflicting schedules we did manage to get out and about a few times.  We visited Mijas, a beautiful pueblo west of Málaga and slightly inland from the bustle of the Costa del Sol. Emily and Ga got a tour of the village on a "burro taxi" lead by Angelines (!) and fotographed by yours truly.  We also spent one morning exploring the Castillo de Gibralfaro on a bluff overlooking Málaga.  Gibralfaro is a fortress whose origins date back to the Phoenecians who name for the area, "Malaka" is the root of the modern city's name.  Since 770 BC the fortress and castle has been maintained and modified under succesive rulers--romans, moors, christians--in the area; and it remained a military fort through the beginning of the 20th century.

Entry to Gibralfaro

A highlight for all but Angelines, who sadly had to work over the weekend, was a mini get-away to Torrox, a costal town east of Málaga and just west of the border with Granada province.  My parents had rented two rooms in a little B&B run by a very sweet French couple and so we spent three nights and two days exploring along the coast and indulging in AMAZING French food.  I'd venture to say that the best part of our stay was discovering, after tapas for dinner on our first night, that we could order dinner at the house so long as we gave them notice in the morning.  We feasted like royalty from then on; and it was best for little Em, who really needed to go to bed early after full, napless days of exploring.

View of Málaga from Gibralfaro castle.

From Torrox we visited a tiny little village about 20 min. inland from the coast called Macharaviaya (a mouthful, right?).  This obscure little place is home to the only 4th of July celebration in Spain complete with battle reinactments and fireworks!  It is also the sister city to Pensacola, FL.  ...Why?!  I hear you ask.  Macharaviaya was home to Bernardo de Galvez whose family's wealth and influence changed history for Málaga and the Americas.  The first co-ed school in Spain was built on their order in Macharaviaya, two years before the first schools to accept girls opened in Madrid.  A playing card factory was built in the village and granted the monopoly on trade with the Americas.  They also brought water to the villiage with a plumbing system that wasn't replaced until the 1970's!  In Málaga capital, the Galvez family moved the necessary paperwork to make Málaga a port to the Americas (previously, only Seville and Cádiz had this right).

My favorite cavewomen

Bernarno de Galvez was a military general who later became the Vice King of New Spain and Governor of Louisiana Territory.  In 1778, Galvez repealed Spanish neutrality in the War for American Independance and the following year joined the cause, declaring war on Great Britain.  Galvez lead many battles against the British--most noteably, the battle of Pensacola.  His military assitance was key for the American colonists especially, since the Spanish owned Mississippi delta allowed entry of vital supplies to aid the rebel cause and was simultaneously blockaded against entry of British vessels.

In Macharaviaya today there is a small museum dedicated to the town's history and the history of the Galvez family.  We spent quite a while exploring the museum and had the good fortune to find that the docent was a British woman who had lived in the village since she was 10 years old.  She was extremely knowledeable and it was wonderful that I didn't have to translate for my parents! ;)  She also showed us the church and family crypt of the Galvez.

The second day of our mini holiday we visited the caves in Nerja, had lunch in Almuñécar and then visited the inland village of Frigiliana in the evening.  My dad agreed to stay with Norte (yes, the puppy accompanied us on our weekend adventure) so my mom and Emily and I could explore the caves.  I had been before, but this was a first for Ga and Emily.  My mom has seen many caves before including the Carlsbad Caverns, but according to her, the most impressive thing about the caves at Nerja was the fact that they had been inhabited throughout the ages--the human imprint on the geology of the caves was evident.  In her words it was more interesing from and anthropological standpoint than a purely geological one.

All in all, I think we did a pretty good job of balancing sight-seeing with staying home given the circumstances and most importantly we enjoyed each other immensely. :)  As my mom pointed out, it's a good sign that their stay seemed too short.  It certainly did leave me wishing we could have a little more time together.

Evening in Frigiliana