Old Town Marbella and the Markets

every saturday 

marbella hosts it's village market.

visiting the local market is such a great

way to learn about the place you

are visiting or living in.

wherever we travel

i try and find the local markets.

i wanted to bring home all 

of these gorgeous spices and herbs.

i did bring home some saffron..

and i'm excited to try making paella.

later in the week we went back

to old town marbella.

we knew we wanted to 

bring home some olive oil

and after a little research,

we found a place here.

this was such a gorgeous

little town to stroll around in.

we finally did find

the olive oil shop

and were able to try

many.

it was hard to choose

and we ended up buying a 

few different ones..

as well as some sherry

and some gorgeous salts!

on our last evening

in spain we had dinner

outside in old town marbella.

i wanted to find a place

with paella and flamenco dancers.

we did see a flamenco dancer

but opted on a different restaurant.

i'm glad we did as

it was such a memorable meal.

sharing meals together is one

of my favorite parts of traveling as 

a family.

not only are we trying new things..

but, when we're here at home

it's rare that we get to eat 

together.

steve travels frequently

and even when he isn't he's never

home for dinner.

every sunday we make it a point

to come together as a family

and have a nice dinner.

 but, when we travel,

we eat every meal together

and it's one thing that i cherish.

Mijas, Spain

mijas is a charming little town

nestled up in the mountains...

only a few minutes drive from our 

hotel in marbella.

we spent the day here,

had lunch and picked up

some pretty souvenirs.

when i think of mijas..

i think of the white washed buildings,

the bright blue flower pots

and the red geraniums.

a feast for the eyes!

we loved mijas!

Gibraltar

on an overcast day 

we drove to gibraltar.

for me,

this was one of the 

highlights of the trip.

to travel to the top of the 

rock of gibraltar in the U.K..

look back towards spain

and out towards africa...

was just so very cool.

it took us about an hour 

to drive from our hotel to 

the border.

we parked and took the cable

car up to the top of the rock.

the wild monkeys were 

a huge hit.

hola africa!

back on the ground

we walked around the 

town of gibraltar.

i loved the mix of 

both english and spanish

seen throughout the town.

yes..

i love shutters.

especially chippy 

gorgeous blue/grey ones.

and shutters and wrought iron

are just lovely

we had a great day 

in gibraltar.

we went to an

english pub for 

fish and chips 

and pimm's!

cheers!

Ronda, Spain

we are home.

and we had an amazing

vacation on the costa del sol!

as hannah says..

it was a nice balance of rest

and sightseeing.

we spent the first few sunny

days hanging by the pool 

and the beach.

we stayed at the marriott marbella

resort.

plenty to do for all of us.

on monday we drove up and over

a mountain to the lovely town of ronda.

with it's pont neuf (new bridge)

that was built in 1751..and took 42 years 

to construct..

and the oldest bullring in andalusia (1784)

ronda was a great day trip from marbella.

a few of us were a little queasy driving 

up the windy mountain road..

but once we arrived the views from the bridge

down through the gorge were breathtaking.

we stayed late and enjoyed a delicious

dinner of paella and tapas of course!

pretty spanish tiles

this was just ronda!

we traveled to gibraltar 

and mijas during our stay as well.

more to come this week!

while we were away,

my mom came to paris with 

her best girlfriend from high school!

they stayed here in our flat..

and when we arrived home last night

at 9 pm..

the table was set,

and my mom's spaghetti and 

meatballs were waiting for us.

thanks mom and di!

so glad you had a wonderful trip too!