ISLS Travel Stories

Well, we just saw Kurt and Luis off early this morning and they are on their way back to their respective homes. It was a great visit and a lot of fun was had by all.

There is a little bit of a depressed mood in the Garrison household now that they have left. Each morning, over the course of the visit, Siena would get up and walk into the living room. She would peek around the corner and look at both Luis and Kurt sleeping. A smile would come to her face and then she would run back into our bedroom. This morning she walked out there and peeked around the corner and there was no one there. She came back to our room with a look of disappointment on her face. It was so sad!

Before their trip to see us we had all sorts of big plans; we were going to Morocco, we were going to Gibraltar, we were going to Sevilla or Granada. Of course we only had five days and there are a lot of things to do and see. Well, we ended up doing none of the trips that we had planned. Once more, I have not made it over to Morocco.

Instead we stayed closer to home and really enjoyed our time together. It is hard to describe how close we all are. Kurt and Luis are not just Siena’s godfathers; they are two of our very closest friends. There is a level of comfort that we have in each others company that is a joy to be a part of. We are sad to have them leave, but so very happy that they came.

We ended up taking only two day trips while they were here. Mostly we stayed around Estepona, the little port by our house and spent time at the beach. The weather during their trip could not have been better. Sunny days in the low 70’s and nights in the low 60’s. Each day, but the last, we could see Gibraltar and the coast of Africa clearly.

On Sunday we went to Puerto Banus and Marbella. These are the near each other and form the more exclusive sections of the Costa del Sol and are about an hour by public bus from Estepona. Marjo and I had not yet been to Puerto Banus and it was everything we had read. The yachts are numerous and huge and the cars are all Ferraris, Bentleys, Rolls Royces and every other imaginable luxury car.

We wondered around the port and looked at all of the boats and cars. We stopped in a waterfront cafe and had drinks and tapas. They were not cheap, but the people watching was fantastic. Most of the larger yachts were all registered in Brittan with some from other European countries. There were people from all nationalities out and about and most were dress to the teeth in designer cloths and accessories.

After the stop at the cafe we found the Fly Blue Gran Catamaran that was running a transport service from Puerto Banus to Marbella up the coast. The cost was 8 Euros each and worth every penny. It was the first time any of us had been on the Mediterranean and we got just gorgeous views of the coastline and mountains in the background. The beers and win were cheap, 2 Euros and the ride lasted about 30 minutes.

We wondered around the shore in Marbella for a few hours and stopped in a great little restaurant in the port and near the beach called The Saloon. It was British owned and operated and they had drink and food specials. They did not have much food left after the weekend rush, so they made us an off the menu selections of typical Spanish tapas along with a few British favorites such as Yorkshire pudding.

After Marbella, we hopped back on the bus to Estepona and eat out at a great restaurant overlooking the sea called El Palangre. We all had the Paella and generally enjoyed the food and company. After dinner Kurt, Luis and I made it down to my local Bar Ester to watch the NFL games to the wee hours of the morning.

Keep checking back as I will write about the rest of the trip in subsequent posts.