La versión español está después de la versión inglés.
SAN GERALDO HAS a second-cousin from Norway (yes, another one) who usually spends several weeks every year in Southern Spain, in Torrox, a pueblo blanco (white village). Her name is Vårin. We try to get together when one of her daughters comes to visit. Tuesday, we drove the 55 minutes to Torrox where we were served another one of Vårin’s typically delicious Norwegian/Spanish lunches.
As is common in Andalucia’s pueblos blancos, the streets are steep. In Torrox, it’s difficult to find any level ground at all. Most streets, like Vårin’s, are nothing more than stairways.
During our first visit, we watched a 127-year-old man (OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration) trot up one series of steps after another, leaving us in the dust. Vårin, at 81, goes up and down the streets like that 127-year-old. As her daughter Berit said, “My mother’s a goat.”
The weather was beautiful for our drive to Torrox, but midway through lunch there was a sudden downpour (with thunder and lightning… very, very frightening) that turned the streets into waterfalls. It rained a bit during our drive home and San Geraldo then said, “There should be a rainbow.” He looked in the rearview mirror and there it was. And not just one. We had double happiness.
NOTE: Click the images to double YOUR happiness.
.
SAN GERALDO TIENE una prima segunda de Noruega (sí, otra) que generalmente pasa varias semanas cada año en el sur de España, en Torrox, un pueblo blanco. Ella se llama Vårin. Intentamos reunirnos cuando una de las hijas de Vårin viene de visita. El martes, conducimos los 55 minutos hasta Torrox, donde nos sirvieron otro de los almuerzos típicamente deliciosos noruegos/españoles de Vårin.
Como es común en los pueblos blancos de Andalucía, las calles son empinadas. En Torrox, es difícil encontrar un terreno nivelado. La mayoría de las calles, como la calle de Vårin, no son más que escaleras.
Durante nuestra primera visita, vimos a un hombre de 127 años (OK, tal vez eso es una exageración) trotar una serie de pasos tras otro, dejándonos en el polvo. Vårin, a los 81, sube y baja las calles como ese hombre de 127 años. Como dijo su hija Berit: “Mi madre es una cabra”.
El clima era hermoso para nuestro viaje a Torrox, pero a la mitad del almuerzo hubo un chaparrón repentino que convirtió las calles en cascadas. Llovió un poco durante nuestro viaje a casa y San Geraldo dijo: “Debería haber un arcoíris”. Miró por el espejo retrovisor y allí estaba. Y no solo uno. Teníamos doble felicidad.
NOTA: Haz clic en las imagenes para doblar tu felicidad.
Dudo thinks the new divan is divine.
Dudo cree que el nuevo diván es divino.
Such a pretty place, the steep streets would “keep you young” or kill you trying.
David,
I couldn’t live there. Other than the fact that there’s nothing to do or see other than the views, imagine recovering from an illness or surgery… or a sprained ankle. You’d be housebound. Vårin rents a charming little house. Three rooms on three floors plus a roof deck. With low ceilings and a steep and narrow stairway switching back and forth with intermittent hand rail. I’d kill myself going for a pee during the night. She could do it blind-folded.
I might have asked that 127-year-old to piggy-back me up! And then just roll me down.
Oy,the boys!
Bob,
WordPress ate my photo captions. The boys were obviously part of the double happiness theme.
Everything white…….that would be bright alright! It looks wonderful.
The ‘locals’ must be in great shape cardiovascularly.
Double rainbow = double luck…..maybe?
Jim,
The white keeps interiors cooler in the summer heat. Double rainbows are magical to me, although I have no superstitions or mystic beliefs… to speak of.
Streets like that are why Europeans are in better shape than North Americans.
Debra,
Sadly, the American fast-food diet has had an impact here, but it’s still very different. A lot more walking and climbing. I love it.
Double rainbow=extra Skittles! YAY!
Deedles,
Oh Skittles! One of our Southern Norwegian cousins used to live for them. We went for Christmas in 2005 and brought her a gross of bags from Costco. I had never tasted them until then. They are GOOD!
I see it’s someone’s 18th birthday. Have a good day whoever you are!
Kirk,
Oh that graffiti pissed me off. It was fresh the first time we visited that house 2 or three years ago. I thought it was chalk and therefore sweet. When I saw it this time it drove me crazy. I wanted to go out with a wire brush and get to work on it. If I lived there, that would have been gone a long time ago. And to top it off it was done by a foreigner. Even if a Spaniard speaks English, they wouldn’t abbreviate birthday that way! See how much it pissed me off?
Beautiful PICTURES!!!!!! I swear any more all I see is double rainbows. Or maybe it’s the gin.
Mistress Maddie,
I saw my first double rainbow with Jerry’s grandparents as we toured their childhood farms and haunts and they told stories. That was in South Dakota. It was magical. The next time was perhaps 5 years later, the morning his grandfather died. We were on our way A work in San Diego. It wasn’t the gin… those times.
Such wonderful photos. The clouds before the rainbows photos are fabulous !
parsnip
So the Katties are happy napping away and not missing the daybed ?
parsnip
Parsnip,
The cats are fine, despite what SG might think. They have the new beds, the new sofa and chaise, two new recliners, their deluxe kitty condo on the terrace, and we moved their super deluxe kitty condo to Jerry’s office (so they won’t miss the day bed in there), plus separate cat beds in the bedroom AND my office. They are so deprived.
Parsnip,
Weren’t those clouds amazing? WordPress ate my captions, but I had written that Jerry said they reminded him of Midwestern tornado skies.
What a beautiful town – and rainbow! I think we that were raised on North America are sissies compared to Europeans who have dealt with lots of hills and stone steps since they were born. They just get on with it and wouldn’t think of complaining about them.
Cheapchick,
Hey, watch it with the sissy talk… 😉 San Francisco can also be an adventure in walking. But, you’re right nothing like these white villages in the States. There’s not much to Torrox other than the views and climbs. We only go to see Vårin. Many much more beautiful, interesting, and historic villages here.
YOU CANNOT DRIVE A CAR OR A BICYCLE UP those HILLS!
Anne Marie,
Nope. Not a bicycle in sight. You can park at the top or at the bottom. Moving day must be hell.
Galileo Figaro, magnifico!
Walt the Fourth,
I always included those words, too. I tend to want to sing the whole song once I get started.
My eyes widened at the ‘whisky’ title – I hoped you would have tried / posted holding a bottle of Elktyrne, a whisky made in Norway but got …. Jameson? boo hoo.
Unspoken,
I’ll have to ask about Elktyrne. Elin and Terje always have Jameson when they’re together.