I arrived in Torremolinos well after lunch and was ready for a meal about 4 – 4:30. I walked along the promenade for fresh air and to find a restaurant. At the first one, it was both too late and too early to eat. At the second one, Rancho Maritimo, the waiter said of course to my request for a menu. The beer was sharp but heavy. I chose hake steak, which was very fresh and deep fried. (Later I saw this dish spelled at various restaurants as hake , hacked, haked, and hack.) The French fries were marvellously fat, cooked in olive oil. Spanish onions and tomato were the attractive fresh garnish.
The breakfast buffet consisted of various breads (crusty rolls, soft maria cookies, dried out bread/toast, brown bread, dark brown rye bread, French bread), butter, apple and peach jams, plain and strawberry yogurt, various dried cereals, various preserved fruits (mainly canned), apples and oranges, sliced sausage, ham and cheese, hot cereal, granola, scrambled egg (from dehydrated?), boiled eggs, European wieners, fried dough, powdered
juices and coffee (dark and delicious!). I took a couple of pieces of bread, a selection of fruit, fat tasty prunes, strawberry yogurt, ham and cheese, and coffee. I also took a piece of fruit and a few cookies for even though theres a sign that says anything taken out must be paid for. They havent stopped me yet.
I got caught out of sync again with service hours for lunch/supper, so I just strolled up the promenade again. I stopped at a beach restaurant. I ordered beer and calamari, which came unadorned by any vegetable. There was lots of delicious bread, a tasty, tender, fresh version of French bread. Thoroughly enjoyable. A man played three songs on a guitar. He came around collecting tips. I put in 100 pesetas, thinking he would play some more, but he didnt.
I wanted a glimpse of night life, so I went up to Calle San Miguel , the main tourist mall. It was fun to see the bright lights and people milling about. Lots of ice cream shops with bars, all with outdoor tables (also some indoors). The ice cream confections were pictured for easy selection. Each must have
For supper I yielded mildly to the pastry temptation – a relatively unsweet cinnamon bun, and some very soft blue cheese. Also, some green grapes. These I bought in town and brought to the room to eat while gazing at the sunset over the sea.
My one organized tour was in the evening, a visit to a Flamenco club. Background music lulled me into the atmosphere of romance and intimacy. When the professional dancers came onto the wood floor, their stomping heels, clicking castanets and swishing skirts got my heart pounding. The exquisite fiery artistry of the hard steps and sinuous body movements spoke of the deep history of the dance.
This morning it was time to sample the wares of the upper town. A cliff somewhat separated the tourist town from the promenade. For those who needed it, an elevator connected the two, and a pathway led to shops clinging to the almost perpendicular cliff.
Money woes forced me into paying 8 on a $50 travellers cheque, but then I was free to go back to the improbably named Viking restaurant.
About half the restaurants were improbably named, because they were trying to entice tourists of various nationalities into establishments faintly representing those at home. (If they are like me, they rarely go into the restaurants at home anyway.)
The terrace of the Viking restaurant was invitingly located on a lot. The tables had red cloths with white cloths overlayed The menu was printed in many languages. Most waiters and others servers seemed to prefer tourists to speak in their own languages. Probably it was tiring to interpret their many fractures of the Spanish language.
Several patrons were enjoying long leisurely chats over their lunches, especially two women friends. While I was eating, they ordered another bottle of wine, to extend their conversation. Their obvious enjoyment underlaid my own.
My lunch was la carte.
