Life on the Costa del Sol
I. live. on. the. Costa. del. Sol. Unreal.
True to its name -the Sun Coast- the sun has shone every single day so far. I repeat, for nineteen days in a row, I have lived in a place with nothing but clear blue skies. Even if there’s a cloud in the sky in the morning, by noon it’s been washed away by that sea of electric cobalt. The white buildings gleam with the sun’s reflection, and potted plants line terraces like the sad desk plants I tried to keep alive in the United States. In larger high rises, balconies covered in clothes trying to line dry before the next sunset.
Somehow, I’ve lucked out with my temporary housing to be one of those with the high rise. The apartment I'm sharing for two weeks while I look for an apartment is on the highest floor in the building, so we have a giant deck complete with tables, chairs, couches, and multiple lines for which to dry our clothes. When you’re that close to the sun, pants dry in hours, and workout clothes dry in mere minutes.
So, what's the best part of living in the South of Spain so far?
Unsurprisingly, the beach. I'm walking distance from the ocean, something I've never experienced and am already taking advantage of. I should be down there every day walking on the boardwalk and soaking in the air. The air isn't salty in my town, but a few towns over I noticed it was perfectly distinctive of the Atlantic. Funny that I'm still living in a city situated on the Atlantic Ocean, just 3,000 miles east.
The best part of the beach?
Everyone here owns a dog. My hypothesis is that because the world is less stressed here, and there's a 2-3 hour break for family lunch in the middle of the afternoon, that people can afford the time to walk their dog each day. Also, without the bitter Boston winter, daily dog walks actually sounds great. People only own small dogs, and they are all 100X better trained than any dog you've ever owned. They aren't leashed, and so get to experience the boardwalk at their own pace.
The only con of the Costa del Sol so far?
Ironically, the sun. The minute my bus made its way down to Malaga, I realized that sunglasses were not a luxury, they were a staple. The sun impedes your vision when you’re trying to drive, walk, or look at your phone for directions. In reality, I think she's screaming at me to stop looking at my phone, but sometimes we have to be places Sun.
She blazes through my window each weekend morning letting me know it’s time to wake up, but not during the week, because sunrise is after 8:30am, something that took a long time to get used to. Then she warms you all day in preparation of nighttime, because apartments in Malaga don’t have heat. Technically you don't need heat because it only gets down to about 47°F, but I do now resemble Lenny Kravitz and his famous scarf.
Some images of me being attacked by the glare (don't look straight at it):
Even with all of this complaining about 47°F nights with no wind, and the beach in walking distance, I am grateful. The Costa del Sol is something remarkable, and I can't wait to see what else all happens over the next five months. If you have any questions about Andalucia, Malaga, or moving abroad, feel free to DM me @ogmeghansolo
MM