A look at O'Reilly's from our seat outside the other night. I can't wait until it warms back up and the live music comes back!
It is an interesting task figuring out what to do on the weekend in our neck of the woods. I’ve mentioned before that there isn’t a tremendous amount of nightlife in our area, especially this time of year. The Costa del Sol is a very popular second home hotspot, especially for people living in the U.K; this place gets mobbed with vacationers from May until August. Yet, when the summer season ends, the beach bars close up and more than half of the population scatters until the next year.
This proves problematic for the rest of us who live year-round. I’m convinced that the only two restaurants in our little town are closed until the warmer months return; we drive by from time to time to check. Therefore our weekends are a bit hit-or-miss. We were lucky last weekend, because we had gatherings to attend both Friday and Saturday night. However, this weekend Matt and I were left dumbfounded for something to do. I’ll take you through it…
Since I finished my first full week of work since moving here last Friday, I was exhausted. Yet the weather was being cooperative that day, so Matt and I decided to grab a Guinness at our favorite Irish pub in Gibraltar, O’Reilly’s. At most pubs around here, if you ask for a Guinness, they’ll give you a glass and the canned version of the famous stout. Not at O’Reilly’s. They pour a proper pint of Guinness from the tap, just how we like it. Granted, it’s not as good as the Guinness straight from the source in Dublin, but it’s the best we’ve got around here. So, we sat outside and visited, enjoyed our beverages, and had a relaxing Friday night.
A much deserved Guinness after a long week!
Saturday was a beautiful day, but we were content to lounge around the house. With my return to work, I don’t get to spend as much time in the house as I used to. We decided to catch up on some of our favorite American television shows and a bit of American football. In the evening, however, we were ready to get out and about. What to do in the winter months around here? We made our way up to the San Roque Club to enjoy some champagne and sushi! Kamakura is a fantastic Japanese restaurant around the corner from our town that is famous for fresh sushi and delicious main dishes; our favorites are the tempura roll and teriyaki beef medallion dish. Matt and I always have a great time and last night was no different.
A view from lunch at Terra Sana on one of the beautiful days earlier this year.
Today, Sunday, I was all amped up to go shopping in Marbella. Shopping here is not an easy task, either. There are few clothing stores I like in Gibraltar on Main Street, but only a few. The closest thing we have to a mall is called La Cañada in Marbella. We’ve been once before, but we don’t go too often as it’s a good 30-40 minute drive away. Todo, I don’t think we’re in Dallas anymore! Well, today I woke up with the promise of fluorescent lighting and mobs of people, only to drive 40 minutes up the road and find that it’s closed on Sunday. CLOSED ON SUNDAY?!?! Deflated and completely depressed, I forlornly stood in the parking lot staring at the beautiful mall.
In an attempt to salvage my ruined day, Matt took me to my favorite little beach-side village on the coast, called Laguna Village, for lunch. There is a bit of shopping there, but not the kind I had set out to do. Luckily, though, there is a fantastic little restaurant called Terra Sana that specializes in organic food, wraps, and smoothies. I absolutely love their California wrap – it’s got the best blend of flavors and it reminds me of American cuisine. We sat outside right next to the sea, and though it was cloudy, made the most out of our altered day.
As we made our way home I suggested we stop at the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for homemade hamburgers. Since we’d be watching American football this evening, I wanted an American staple to go with our plan. Can you guess what happened next? Yep, the grocery stores are also closed on Sunday…
It seems that during the winter months the Costa del Sol turns into a bit of a ghost town. Matt and I will have to make some adjustments living here, more than we already have. Shopping and grocery store runs will have to happen on Saturday, and Gibraltar might start looking like a more appealing nightlife destination. That, or we’ll just have to do some more traveling!
The inside of our preferred pub in the area, O'Reilly's. I love the map of Ireland on the wall in the back.
Laguna Village, home of the best wraps along the Costa del Sol!
