Spain 2009 - A Beach, A Bullfight and A Bar

Since I love to swim in the ocean but am total wuss when it comes to swimming in cold water I took advantage of the fact that the Atlantic ocean temperature in El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain was much warmer than the Pacific ocean temperature in Santa Monica, California.
So yes...it's true....I actually donned "the dreaded bikini" and spent pretty much every day on this beach.

Unlike the chic resorts, Marbella and Palma, teaming with elegant villas full of wealthy Europeans and Saudi royals, Puerto was a beach resort for the Spanish middle class. It was a very laid back place where typical Spanish families would rent a small villa or ocean view apartment for two weeks to a month for their annual vacation.
Obviously, my brother, aka Skipper, was enjoying the beach too.
The book in his hands is just a cover of course. Behind the sunglasses he was really scanning the beach for topless girls.

Oh and just for the record, for every nubile young topless girl with breasts like ripe melons, there was 60 something year old abuela letting is all hang out...and trust me....it wasn't pretty.

So while Skipper was checking out the chicas I was taking a break from the sun in this bar on the beach that served the best mojitos I've ever tasted.

A day of sun, sand and surf and then it was back home to get gorgeous for a night on the town.

Keeping with my "when in Spain..." attitude the night included travel by scooter, a bullfight, some pasear and tapas.

Bullfighting is a big deal in Spain...we all know that.

It's a challenge of hot pink socked, skin tight pastel suited man versus beast.

After sitting in the box seats with all the local big shots, and being introduced to the president of the local bullfighting federation, a rather elegant woman btw, I was glad that I experienced the corrida.

But, let's face it, once was enough.

And even though I was rooting for the bull, I did though kind of like the way that the matadors would turn their back on the bull and walk away with a swagger of machismo.

So very Latin.

Finally, we scooter-ed over to the old town Puerto where pasear was in full force. I love the Spanish summer tradition of families taking to the streets late at night after the weather cools off for a walk, dinner and sitting outside in a cafe and watching the passersby.

Eleven o'clock, midnight and later you will see small children and even infants out with their parents. But what's the rush to go home when it's summer vacation and you can sleep till noon the next day.

We ended up at this tapas bar, one of my brother's favorites, aptly named "little ham bar" because it was little and served jamon iberico. The tapas dishes were delicious, the best I had in Spain, particularly the calamari and the ham and cheese on toast.

and I discovered my new favorite summer drink....get ready for this...a wine cooler or tinto de verano which is cheap red wine on ice with fanta lemon.

Yeah, you know that sounds good!