Marbella Memories

I was so excited when I realised that our trip around Europe would mean we could visit with my dear friend Julie who moved to Marbella, Spain a few years ago. We planned our visit at the end of our time in Western Europe, as we knew we'd be pretty exhausted after over 7 weeks of hotels and hostels. We were all looking forward to staying in a real home with friends who spoke English!



Julie's hospitality and generosity was incredible and much appreciated. Cora and I flew to Marbella a few days earlier than the boys, who were attending a soccer game in Barcelona, and we enjoyed some "girl time." Julie gave me the most gorgeous nine-pointed star earrings she had custom made in Seville. Aren't they beautiful?!

She also insisted on doing a photo shoot of Cora and I in her neighbourhood which was full of flowers and traditional Spanish neighbourhood decor. Even though I resisted a bit, I'm so glad we got these mother-daughter photos capturing Cora as her sweet 7-year-old self and me, exactly 30 years older haha. 

We enjoyed so many lovely meals thanks to Julie's planning and the hard work of her assistant, Louisa. They very thoughtfully prepared a lot of Spanish dishes, which Zorion wrote about in his blog post.

Julie hosts a lot of Baha'i activities in her home so we were very lucky to participate in children's classes...



... and devotional gatherings. There were a few other events planned but, as you'll read later, COVID unfortunately altered the schedule.

Before COVID hit us, though, Zaf was able to attend a men's devotional gathering...

...and Zorion and Zavian were able to go to a junior youth group. It was really nice to be able to participate in these activities and connect with local friends.

Also before we knew we had COVID, Julie took a few of us to an organic farm which was meant to take 15 minutes drive to get there but took us about 45 because we took a back route through a mountainous dirt road. Here is our photo on arrival, making faces to reflect the crazy experience we had just had! It was a (now funny) memory Julie and I will always remember, I suspect :-D



The organic farm was amazing!!! So many different fruits and vegetables...

...all pollinated by the local bees, using no chemicals. 

The amount of food was incredible.

Cora and Zorion got to help pick some of the vegetables... seeing all the carrots come out of the ground was so fun!



Little did we know, this was the last outing we would have for a week LOL.



After we tested positive for COVID, I decided it was my opportunity to work on the children's activity book to use during pilgrimage. I spent two full days preparing the first draft, and another few days editing and getting input from Zaf, Julie, and another friend I met online who is a teacher in Norway. I'm so grateful for their help! 

Having COVID was a blessing in disguise because I had so much time to finish this project. Hopefully the physical form is what I'm expecting! A few friends who are attending our same pilgrimage will be bringing copies to Haifa.

We all had various symptoms throughout the week. I actually never tested positive on a rapid test, and only a week later did I get a positive test via PCR. There were two days in particular though that I had really bad stomach pains, during which I stayed in bed. Look at the beautiful lunch tray Julie brought me. It was such a godsend to be staying at her house when we were unwell. 



We spent most of that week in bed and on screens, but once we felt well enough we did take a few walks on the nearby beach. You can tell Zaf was feverish in this photo since he had a coat on!



Zavi, the first to test positive (and probably sick on the day we went to the organic farm, since he felt too tired to go), was also the first to test negative. 



Cora didn't have extreme symptoms and really enjoyed playing outdoors...



...swimming...

...and interacting with the two Persian cats of the household. As anyone close to me knows, I am not an animal person, but these cats were so incredibly cute and endearing that I may actually consider getting one.



When we were well enough, I went for a drive with Julie when she was going to do the necessities of picking up groceries or taking the kids to school (her daughters never tested positive for COVID, probably because they had it before!). This photo shows a Baha'i-inspired art project at the beach front.



Here's a photo of part of the downtown of San Antonio, near Julie's house.



We also spotted a few classic Spanish sites, such as this Plaza de Toros (bull ring).

And finally, we were well enough to do some basic errands like go to the grocery store where I got to use the orange juice machine...



...and see the crazy expensive ham.



We also took a walk along Puerto Banus...



...and went to the local market. The ceramics were so gorgeous and, if we were going straight home with plenty of space in our luggage, I would have loved to get some!

It was fun to see the Moroccan handicrafts, as well. 

We also fit in some clothes shopping, during which I picked up a few new pieces to use during pilgrimage from the Spanish brand Sfera.



Julie also took the kids out for a short walk around the Old Town of Marbella which was incredibly picturesque.

Photo by Julie :-) 

After we'd been mostly at home for over a week, Julie and I were well enough to have a morning out! She very sweetly took me out for an early birthday breakfast...

...a trip to the Saturday market, where I got some colourful fans handmade in Senegal...

...and an extra special experience of going to a Muslim Hammam!

One big disappointment of our trip was that we didn't get to stay with our dear friend Hami's family (because we were COVID positive) but luckily we spent a few socially distanced hours with Hami and his wife Rebeca on our last day, and made plans to meet up again next year... in Papua New Guinea!



On our last evening, Zorion and I made pasta using what we learned in Florence.

It was more time intensive than we expected but turned out pretty good!

Wearing handmade necklaces Julie gifted to us

Then, after nearly two weeks, it was time to say goodbye! It wasn't the trip we expected in southern Spain but it was very nice to spend the time with Julie and her family. If we had to be anywhere in Europe while we had COVID, this was the best place to be and I'm very grateful it worked out that way.

If anything, it just means we will have to visit Marbella again, to see what we missed this time around! Julie, if you read this, thanks again for hosting us!