One Day in Spain
Life in a mountain village
Our car’s driver turned off the modern autoroute bordering the Mediterranean and away from Costa del Sol’s hotels, condos, and strip malls towards the mountains and small villages of Andalucia. We made our way up the twisting two-lane mountainous road to a town where living life is at a slower pace.
The passing of time in 2018 had not changed the character of these somewhat remote mountain towns populated mainly by an older population while many of the young have left for urban life in Madrid, Barcelona, and beyond. Small communities of British ex-pats, middle age, and retirees have Anglicized daily life a bit. However, it seemed the Spanish and ex-pat British communities live life apart from one another to my eye.
A day here is spent over a leisurely breakfast with friends and neighbors in the town café, hanging out on the town hall stoop, grocery shopping at the local market, and then siesta when the scorching midday sun bakes the town.
When the sun sets and night falls, the streets are quiet again.