Our very good friends, Bob and Irene are a couple of sexagenarians (no, not that, they are aged between 60 and 69) who we met in 2017. Following a chance meeting while eating tapas at Mr Grumpy’s* (not his real name) we became immediate and firm friends. Despite the years that have passed and the distance between us, it’s like we’ve never been apart.

So as a result, today’s blog comes to you from B&I’s San Pedro apartment, where I sit on the terrace listening to the twittering of birds and the occasional aluminium-whack of a 1-wood as golfers tee off from the 8^th.

B&I walk every day. Inspired by both Covid and The Proclaimers (who they saw in the pouring rain, July 2019, Edinburgh castle) they decided to walk every day until they too, had walked 500 miles. And then they walked 500 more. They have now walked 4,200 miles since Covid. We want to be like B&I when we grow up.

Bob is a spry, whippet thin man, a talented violinist, lover of wine and the orator of droll one-liners. There’s a little bar in San Pedro La Tizona, which Bob prefers to call “(look at the) tits on ‘er”. As a result, we can’t go to the bar, or even walk past it, without using Bob’s pseudonym.

Irene is an irrepressible, talkative, wee Scotswomen who regularly bamboozles us with her crazy Scottish expressions. According to the international rules of Irene, the words spoken during our nightly games of Rummykub must be pronounced the Scottish way. When you need to pick up a tile you must say ‘I’m pookin’ (translation: I am going to pick up a tile because I can’t make a move) which to me, sounds very much like I’m puking, but them’s the rules, and we dare not disobey our tiny, crazy, wee Scottish overlord!

To maintain the daily walking average, we decide to go for a walk at Benahavis, a small village in the hills, just a 15-minute drive from San Pedro.

We walk the Acequia del Guadalmina, a series of paths that follow the old irrigation channels built by the Moors more than ten centuries ago. It’s ancient engineering genius at its best, with water flows from the Guadalmina River redirected along ancient stone channels hewn into the hills that rise steeply from the valley floor.It’s a gorgeous 6km walk that celebrates the ingenuity of the Arab Moors, the stunning views, and the diverse vegetation. We even saw a lion in the branches of a tree.

The river below has formed deep rock pools connected by tiny waterfalls over smooth boulders.  Kids of all ages climb atop the rock formations and jump into the pools below, then float, swim and wade in the river to the base of the valley, where they climb up to the pathway to run back and do it all again.

Having earned our exercise credits for the day, we dragged our tired, hot and famished bodies up the hill, along the decorative footpaths to the centre of the Benahavis village. It is a charming place, bedecked with brightly coloured pots, flowering street trees and charming, whitewashed villas. A manicured hedge spells out B-E-N-A-H-A-V-I-S at the lower entrance of the village.

We ended up at Rufino Restaurant, mainly because it was full of Spanish people with an elevated terrace to catch the cooling breeze.

Despite the frowning, mono-syllabic mutters from the waiters, we managed to secure the last unoccupied table on the terrace. Bob gleefully tells us that it’s a sign of a good restaurant – to have full tables and gruff waiters! Turns out, Bob was right! Everything was fabulous, the food, the service, the atmosphere, even from the very first moments.

Four small glasses of sherry were delivered to us, without a word.  Whilst is usual to have complimentary drink at the end of a meal (like a limoncello) we’ve never received it at the beginning of a meal before. It’s delicious, slightly sweet and a deep cherry colour.  I drank Irene’s as well as my own. Irene, who for reasons unknown, is not feeling great today, something to do with “those Australians, wine and Rummykub”.

Next, and also complimentary, is a plate of goodies: cheese, cured sausage, toasts, blueberry jam, pate and olives. We order food and drinks with the not-so-gruff Miguel, our waiter – prawn and avocado salad, shoulder of lamb, and grilled whole fish. We have long since learned that Spanish meal servings are huge, meant to be shared, rather than a meal for each person.

Miguel, as it turns out, is quite the entertainer.  He scares me half to death with a ‘magic trick’ before our salads, and then Irene and I both scream in fright with his antics at the end. We are doubled over laughing, and everyone in the restaurant laughs with us.  As it turns out, Miguel is well known for his little tricks, and there are knowing grins from other waiters and some of the customers.  I shan’t tell you the details of his antics, because when you go there (and you must), I want it to be a surprise for you as well.

We were offered complimentary drinks at the end of the meal. Irene abstained (for reasons noted earlier), I asked for limoncello, and Bob asked for Baileys. Miguel feigned horror at Bob’s choice by using the limp-handed gesticulation known around the world, indicating that Baileys should only be drunk by women!! Again, we fall about laughing.

It’s an amazing meal. The combination of the food, the service and the location make it the best meal we’ve had in Spain. It wasn’t expensive. I’d be eating there at least once a week if I lived anywhere near Benahavis.

It’s our last full day in Spain today. Tomorrow, we have a 6-hour drive to Madrid, the chaos of a European airport amid airline strikes, baggage-gate, Covid-normal (whatever that is) and staff shortages, then a 2h10m flight to Italy.

It’s been entirely fitting to spend these last few Spanish days with our dear friends.  We’ve enjoyed our daily walks, and hopefully, we won’t need to walk 500 miles, or 500 more, until next time, when we (again) fall down at your door.

Sing it ….. da da da (da da da ) da da da dun diddle un diddle un diddle uh da da.

Viva España

#Spain #ILoveSpain #RufinoRestaurant #Benahavis #SanPedro #friendship #ScottishOverlord #500miles #BobandIrene