Hotel Selenza Thalasso Estepona

... only seven suites, Hotel Claude is a stylish little sanctuary in the bustling historic center of Marbella!
This is the place you want to go when you are looking for a quiet and romantic break in an authentic Spanish village, but also perfect for any relaxing long stays if you wish to feel at "home"!! Not a place for those "Nikkie Beach" and "Puro Beach" party animals!!!!

Welcome to the house of Claude

... Benalauria. The restaurant was an old converted olive mill. It was very cool inside and had 3 levels and an outside terrace for dining. We started off outdoors, but the bee's were scaring us so we moved indoors and sat next to a woman who was in her late 70's holding court with her 3 friends. She spoke 7 languages and was really interesting to talk to. It was nice meal. Again, great salads! We headed back to town and decided to eat in and pack up our things ...

... took us about 30 minutes to get to Grazalema and we fell in love with it as we were driving in. It's set in the hillside but is surrounded by national forest land. I've said it a hundred times about how beautiful the scenery is, but this by far was our favorite. It was breathtaking. The village was so cute set up a bit more for tourists than where we're staying. It has a great square where everyone was meeting. Monday ...

... we anchored off of Gibraltar and were able to see Europe and Africa at the same time. It was a cool site but the weather is horrible outside. When it was our turn to fuel, the fuel ship came out to our ship and connected on the port side of our ship. Unfortunately we were not able to get fuel because the seas were so rough that the fuel line could not be transferred to our vessel. So after trying for a few hours ...

... the allies in WWII set up some strategic stations. I thought I might be able to handle the walk, but the tunnels were another matter. People were exhausted when they returned (remember I'm the youngest in the bunch). I sat on the bus and had a lovely chat with a couple from Illinois, talking about pets and books (we shared reading lists and our wish that we had a Kindle). We also talked with the bus driver. Once again, and this is something I may not ...

... Spain. Another complication to the diplomacy is the fact that both Britain and Spain are EU members. Obviously, no war will happen again, but there are ongoing negotiations, debating over complicated issues of sovereignty and the validity of the 1713 treaty. After the presentation at the Chamber of Commerce and lunch, we headed straight to Main Street, the quaint street that spans from Casemate's Square and the cable car up to the rock's summit ...

... all the glass window through out the airport. My flight left 4hrs earlier than everyone else, so I had to rush through to get to the next gate. It is a huge airport so it took quite some time to get to the gate. Also Lisette wanted to get on to my flight so we didn't have much time. Unfortunately Lisette wasn't able to get on my flight, so I was on my own until the rest of ...

... British). It was Friday the 13th so we can't complain I suppose... Not to worry - our combination of hangover, heat exhaustion and hapless timing would have amounted to naught in the scheme of things. Especially compared to the poor heavy artillery-men stationed here over time, whose duty it was to haul massive cannon up ...

... Rainclouds and drizzle. I knew it was officially independent from Spain, but I didn´t expect it to have it´s own micro-climate! I don´t know if any of you have been to Gibraltar, but as a pedestrian you have to cross a live runway, there are big signs everywhere saying ´MOD. Be afraid. Be veeeery afraid.´ (Well they say MOD, so I was near enough really wasn´t I?). Anyway, my point (before I rudely interrupted myself) was... Christina immediately whipped out the state ...

... ja paikoitellen hyvinkin jurkkä kalliokieleke. Meren puolelta kieleke on aika jyrkkä ja hyvin kallioinen, sisämäähän päin hieman loivempi ja kasvillisuuden peitossa. Kävimmé ensin pyörähtämässä Euroopan eteläisimmässä kohdassa ja ihailimme lahden takana näkyvää Afrikan rannikkoa. Sitten lähdimme ajelemaan kohti kallion huippua, missä sijaitsevat pääasialliset nähtävyydet. Ilmeni, että paikan nähtävyydet ovat juuri sellaisia, jotka miellyttävät meitä molempia. Kävimme ensin erääss ...