La versión en español está después de la versión en ingles.
I HAD A NICE WALK on the beach Wednesday morning before it officially opened for the day. In the afternoon, I had a couple of errands to run (well, to walk, it was warm out), so I decided to wander the side streets of our neighborhood, which still does have some of its old charm. It was at the tail of end of siesta, so the city was quiet.
It will get busier in the coming days. And August is when many Spaniards have long vacations. When we lived in Sevilla, a couple of hours north of the Mediterranean Sea, the question in June wasn’t, “Are you going to the beach?” It was “WHEN are you going to the beach?” Our second summer there (we were living in a hotel our first summer), we were the only residents in our building of seven apartments during the month of August. Everyone was at the beach. Most shops and business were closed.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy walking around Los Boliches with me. Many people who live here don’t even know what Los Boliches means, and it’s difficult to find a proper translation. I’ve been told, the name refers to the “bolicheros” who fished for anchovies here and that it describes the fishing technique used — the type of nets. If anyone can tell me precisely what it means, I’d be grateful. Online translators think it refers to bowling and bowling pins, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how they caught the fish.
The photos end with My Mother the Dowager Duchess, my adored sister Dale, and adorable me, strolling down a street in our neighborhood, East New York, in 1955.
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TUVE EN AGRADABLE PASEO POR la playa el miércoles por la mañana antes de que abriera oficialmente ese día. Por la tarde, tenía que hacer un par de encargos (bueno, caminar, hacía calor), así que decidí deambular por las calles laterales de nuestro vecindario, que aún conserva parte de su antiguo encanto. Estaba al final de la siesta, por lo que la ciudad estaba en silencio.
Se pondrá más ocupado en los próximos días. Y agosto es cuando muchos españoles tienen largas vacaciones. Cuando vivíamos en Sevilla, un par de horas al norte del mar Mediterráneo, la pregunta en junio no era: “¿Vas a la playa?” Fue “¿CUÁNDO vas a la playa?” Nuestro segundo verano allí (estábamos viviendo en un hotel nuestro primer verano), Todos estaban en la playa. La mayoría de las tiendas y negocios en la ciudada estaban cerrados.
De todos modos, espero que disfrutes caminando por Los Boliches conmigo. Muchas personas que viven aquí ni siquiera saben lo que significa Los Boliches, y es difícil encontrar una traducción adecuada. Me han dicho que el nombre se refiere a los “bolicheros” que pescaban anchoas aquí y que describe la técnica de pesca utilizada, el tipo de redes. Si alguien puede decirme exactamente lo que significa, estaría agradecido. Los traductores en línea piensan que se refiere a bolos, pero estoy bastante seguro de que no es así como atraparon a los peces.
Las fotos terminan con Mi Madre La Duquesa Viuda, mi adorada hermana Dale, y adorable yo, paseando por una calle en nuestro barrio, East New York, en 1955.
Thank you, I needed that visit to tranquility. You don’t look entirely happy in New York?
David:
I was never really entirely happy in New York, although I don’t think the blues had actually set in when i was a year old (shortly thereafter). But I was always “considering” something!
What a wonderful family photo! Your mom ‘showing off’ her beautiful family.
I see now why you went for your errand/walk during siesta……..nice and quiet.
Jim:
Even the beach has been more quiet than it usually would be first week of July… although it HAS picked up. Anyway, our parking lot is now full on weekends (as it usually is in July), so I’m guessing the Spanish owners will be back full-time in August.
The streets sure do look quiet. Lovely photos!
~Michael
mcpersonalspace54:
It does look very quiet in my photos. There was more activity than appears, but never a crowd I couldn’t avoid.
Looks gorgeous. X
John:
It’s grown on us.
WOW!!!!! Such pretty pictures. That what I’m talking about!!!! So beautiful and hardly any people. Sort of reminds me of Puerto Vallarta.
Mistress Maddie:
I’ve never been to Puerta Vallarta. Really never hit any of the Mexican beachy tourist spots. Depending what you read, the population of Fuengirola is 70 or 72 or 85 or even 55 thousand. Probably between 72 and 85. So, it’s easy to find places where you can avoid the people.
Lovely, just lovely! The picture in my head of men going down to the shore armed with bowling pins for bopping fish in the head is going to keep me smiling all day 🙂
Deedles:
I know! I laughed at the thought of that. What skill!
Charming photos, both past and present. Was that really tile on the underside of those little balconies? I like the older little one story buildings tucked between the newer and slightly larger buildings and also the wall tiles along the lower part of the walls. Hope you can continue to find the less populated times and locations for your walks.
Wilma:
I know where to walk to avoid the crowds, so I’ll always have little escapes. I don’t think the “mosaics” under those balconies are real. Modern one-piece imitations. However, in Sevilla and Málaga, this is very common AND real and original Really beautiful.
I would LOVE to wander your town! the architecture, the colors, the smells…and I see a cute kid in a stroller with a pepsi sign in the background.
anne marie:
Yeah, weren’t those Pepsi generation kids adorable? They don’t make em like that anymore. It’s a nice place to wander because it’s not a huge city hundreds of thousands of people.
So many fabulous colors!
Judy:
Yep, it IS uplifting.
Such a gorgeous place to stroll; peaceful.I love the narrow streets.
Bob:
At a glance, the city is modern. So turning down these streets is a nice surprise and escape.
What a great set of pictures. I feel like I’ve been to Spain. I love the one with the bougainvillea — that must be a beautiful courtyard. And who are those guys with the sombreros and the bandoliers? Pancho Villa and his lieutenants?
Steve:
Many of the old fisherman’s cottages do open into surprising courtyards. Those “guys” are painted on the side of the biggest Mexican restaurant in town. It’s really large, fun space. Looks authentic. The food… um… well, it sucks. The waiters walk by regularly with large metal trays which they throw forcefully on the floor to scare the crap out of you… while you’re eating. And, after dinner, they come around with after-dinner drinks carrying an empty copper pot and a wooden spoon. They put the pot on your head and hit it with the spoon. SO… for a variety of reasons, we stopped going there several years ago. I don’t know if they stopped doing those nutso things (which they constantly said were what “they do in Mexico” (they don’t) or if the food has improved; they said it “exactly like you’d get in Mexico” (it was not).
It’s a very pretty place. I can imagine those cafés and restaurants brimming with people in the wee hours. They probably won’t be so brimming this season.
Walt the Fourth:
It’s much more quiet than a usual July. It will probably start picking up a bit. But I’m curious to see if August is also more quiet or the usual (due to Spanish summer holidays).