Siesta anarchy! (and more tapas!)

After lunch it was time to enjoy siesta and continue exploring Marbella. Which consisted of lounging in the warm sun and stretching a bit...

...over some chilled wine.

The local governance has actually tried to cancel siesta as it's considered to "significantly reduce the productivity of the employees". What do you think the stubborn, fiercely proud people of Andalusia did? Fought back for tradition they love. And so it continues!

If you're a fan of Salvador Dali, you might want to check out the free exhibition that is Avenue Del Mar close next to the beach - a promenade decorated with his sculptures.

The beach offered some art too. Remember the sand art in Fuengirola? Well, somebody decided to push the boat out even further...

As the afternoon continued to slide by, it was time to retire to the terrace and enjoy some more wine (and tapas!). This time our weary feet took us to San Lazaro street. The relaxed atmosphere along with the sound of La Vie en Rose in the background was a perfect way to end our day.

This place,too,  immediately won me over with the warm welcome we received. Cigarettes in Spain can only be purchased in tabac shops or in vending machines in establishments holding a special license. Most of the restaurant don't have the license, so as I was asking if there was a machine the waiter apologized and instantly proceeded to offer me cigarettes from his own pack.

We had old classics: pimientos rellenos (this time stuffed with spinach and tuna) and boquerones al limon. 

I was intrigued by what looked like a big pot of Fabada Asturiana, but wrong I was. It wasn't fabada. It was callos con garbanzos. This time (linguistical) ignorance was a bliss  - that's chick peas for you and me. With TRIPE.

You might remember how in Turkey I tried to keep an open mind but failed to fall for tripe. It's pungent aroma, reminiscent of a cowshed on a hot summer's day, just turned out to be too much. This dish on the other hand... delicate, tender, meaty... Ay caramba, I'm sold!

Now... where am I going to source some tripe...?

Lunching lady in Marbella

In Marbella, like everywhere else, I recommend steering clear of the big squares and their restaurants with the menus available in five different languages. Just around the corner you'll find small streets bustling with the locals in restaurants offering authentic experiences. If you find yourself around Plaza de Los Naranjos in Marbella  I recommend you check out San Lazaro street and Pantaleon street.


 

We settled for lunch in Taberna Casa Curro located in Pantaleon street. This small restaurant is as traditional as traditional can be - think of those walls devoted to bullfighting legends, the old man with that glass of wine that never seems to leave for home...

Menus in these places are more limited than in those big tourist traps, but they more than make up for that in focusing on local quality produce. Though... the fact there's a menu does not necessarily in any way correlate the availability of any of the things listed on it. So, somwehat amusedly we observed how everone around us seemed to be served more or less the same things.  "Is good! IS GOOD!!!" was the response to every question I tried to ask the waiter, who had the charm and warmth of those women that scrub your skin off is public bath houses in Kazakhstan.

 

Considering how especially Southern Spain lives off tourism it never ceases to bewilder me how little people speak English around here. In restaurants like this they never do, as we were  (once again) about to discover when ordering the pâté. The reply to our question about what the pate might be mad eof came in the form of pantomime: the washer lady stuck her fists into her armpits and mimed a bird.  Thank God for Google translator: it was partridge. And mighty fine partridge pâté it was, too. It was missing the tart clagginess that for instance so often accompanies pork pâté.

 

And though the gambas weren't the massive kind, they were incredibly fresh and juicy - all they needed was a sprinkling of sea salt.

 

Butifarra sounded vaguely familiar. And it was what I remembered - originally Catalonian treat of white sausage gently spiced with cloves. "Luncheon meat" was The Gentleman's verdict. Courtesy of the strangely pale colour, eerily reminiscent of human flesh my associations were some what racier...

 

And of course I had to sample the house bellota which was so good that only my palate got to enjoy it - my Canon not so much...

 

Marvellous Marbella

The restaurants in Puerto Banus aren't all that - for lunch I recommend you continue to closeby Marbella.

Currently Marbella is logistically somewhat challenging, owing to the fact that you can't get there by train. It is currently the only city with population over 100 000 that isn't accessible by train. For a long time there have been talks about extending the C1- line operating between Malaga and Fuengirola to Marbella, but it looks nothing will ever come out of those plans. Because of the heavy building going on all over the Costa, majority of the tracks would have to be built underground which means that the costs would soar so high Andalusia can't afford it.

Marbella in itself isn't much different from the other towns on the coast, but it's Old Town is beautiful. It's a wonderful place to lose yourself in the sleepy atmosphere of the charming little alleyways.

The Old Town in Marbella has a bohemian vibe. There are a lot of artisan shops as well as shops specialized in textiles and artefacts brought over from North Africa just across the bay.

Posh dreams in Puerto Banus

Rich history or cultural significance aren't the reasons why people flock to Marbella's marina Puerto Banus. Desire to see and bee seen is. The place doesn't even seem to come to life until right before lunch when the socialites worn off by yet another party at Ocean Club or Nikki Beach start a new day. Ladies who lunch, full of Botox in their massive sunglasses and sporting handbags with price tags every bit as massive. Old men taking out their Ferraris (and 20-something, invariably Russian-speaking girlfriends)

The marina has traditionally been the playground for the rich and famous and here the cars are expensive and the boats are huge. Though I'm not so sure how many can actually afford to take their boats out to the sea anymore: the rent alone goes up to tens of thousands of euros and filling the tank can, especially in the biggest boats, sets you back thousands more.

It's been amusing to observe the reactions shoeshops (that Spain is full of)  and their window displays have on women. Puerto Banus is a brilliant for observing this same reaction in men. There they are, casulaly walking with their wives, carrying a conversation until something like this comes along. That is a sight that stops them on their tracks as if in a trance and the oblivious wives carry on walking and talking to themselves.

In the recent years the glitz and glamour has made room for run-down tattiness, but a lot of money will still get you a lot of everything around here. And even if your budget won't quite stretch to Hermés handbags or Cartier jewellery, a magpie like me will find bling for less. Noelle Thames, an Ibiza-based Argentinian jewellery designer jas opened a hop here. My ears are sparkling now, courtesy of the three-stone earrings in the last photo!

First Saturday in August Marbella hosts Starlite Charity Gala. Antonio Banderas and Eva Longoria are among the regulars. Tickets to this year's event are stil available and the prices start from measly 500 euros...!