I’m pretty happy we decided to return from our East Coast trip early. This gave us plenty of time to organize ourselves for this Spain adventure. Getting our ducks in a row was super easy so our planned drive to YYZ at 4:30 PM was not difficult. It did feel a bit weird having much less stuff to carry. My Dad drove us to the Airport and I used this chance to show him the Viscount Station rather than fighting the AirportArrival/Departure nightmare.
We were flying KLM which was pretty far down the line but we did not care. The kind KLM agent wanted to know why I had paid for my larger bag. It was well beyond the minimum dimensions for checked baggage but he insisted I contact KLM support for a refund on what I paid. That was wild. Security screening went smoothly. They had to swap my laptop which was weird. Once finally at our gate we had several hours to chill and write. My opengeeks 3 month hiatus email went out at 4:30 PM. It was so nice to see how many well wishes I had.
Our plane boarded on time and really really quick. The captain noted later how fast it boarded and with a tail wind most of the way, we landed 30 minutes early. KLM was great. Great service, lots of food and plenty of time to sit and try to sleep. I used ear protectors, an eye mask and noise cancelling headphones. It helped and I certainly rested. As for falling asleep, I don't think so. Michelle was the same.
Baked we both were in Amsterdam. I had just enough steam to fire up my iPhone to check the Airtags. This required activating my previously purchased Airalo eSim. Thankfully that was not that hard. Yay, 100 GB in Europe for 180 days for an ouchie $258. Oh well, I wont need to think about data for this entire trip.
The Amsterdam to Malaga loading was a little late but that’s ok. The staff were awesome and the plane had no electronics to distract you. Nice. During the day, Malaga had a crazy amount of rain. Thankfully it ended just before we were at risk of getting wet. We all waited at the standard baggage area and soon learned that Non EU travellers are to wait at another area. The signs indicated this but where to wait was not. We soon found ourselves with familiar faces all waiting for an unmarked baggage area. I overheard another Toronto traveller say that some or all of our bags fell off a delivery truck only to be left in a puddle before being picked up. Our knapsacks were kinda wet but no biggie. It’s honestly a first world problem anyway.
After finally exiting this area and a final baggage scan, we were on our own to find the Train. The signage was awesome. The ticket machine was a little tricky so a handler helped us with our first purchase. Michelle rushed back to offer him our first of many Canadian pins. I think he appreciated it.
Once on the train, our simple Hotel in Torreollinos was only 4 stops away. For less than 3 Euros each this train is a bargain. We love experiencing the people and culture from the public vehicles they use. It’s nuts but our Hotel is literally a 1 minute walk from the Train station.
SolRoom Torremolinos is a place Michelle found. It’s not pricey, very clean and simple and an awesome location. https://maps.app.goo.gl/ESUbQGALj2LJ5GLbA
Check-in what a little clunky as there are a few door locks to pass through and the documentation on the path to your room could use some work. Whatever the case we were soon into our simple room. After unpacking and a short cleanup it was time to walk the town and grab some grub. We walked past a few contenders including what looked like an English pub. After walking past that pub, I could only think of a nice meal and a beer at this same English pub.
Michelle had no issues with this English Pub. We were greeted warmly by CJ and his staff. CJ had something on tap I had never heard of and Michelle and I ordered some grub. My choice was a Caesar with grilled chicken. It was out of this world in quality. Michelle's Spicy Chicken wrap was equally good. Later research revealed it was Guinn's Sports Bar https://maps.app.goo.gl/oQMwFYaCc6PLhmZm6 Such a great space.
After our grub, we headed back to crash. I tried to blog but was too tired. It was time to snore and keep Michelle up.
Is that a bird giving a double-bird? lol
ReplyDeleteHi CK, He is. Do you want one?
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