Sun, Fun and a little bit of Work!?

Not long after our arrival at Area Malaga Beach, we decided to extend our stay from a week to about 6! We felt like it was a big risk to take to book such a long time, as we don’t normally stay in one place that long. What if we get bored? What if we don’t enjoy ourselves anymore?

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There were a number of reasons for us to stay put however. One of us had an ear infection which needed treatment (again, yes I know!) so rest was definitely needed. More importantly, we had been talking about Stuart getting his commercial drone licence. He would need this if he ever wanted to fly his drone commercially, and with tightening regulations on drones around the globe it seemed like a good time to do this now. Next was figuring out where to do this, in the UK or in Spain. In the end, with one eye firmly on the dreaded B-word, we decided to get the license in Spain. So that was that.

Stuart found a drone school, and as the requirements in Spain are much more stringent than in the UK, he had to get to work. Studying hard everyday, the local library in la Cala del Moral became his regular haunt to do his studies online. I soon joined him there to work on a website for his drone business. This way we were both happily occupied, learning and creating. It felt really good after 2 years of a lot of travel but not much else.

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While I was working on websites, I decided to finally set up my own little business and website as well. The original plan we had hatched, about 3 years ago, would finally become a reality. We are starting our little digital businesses which we can work on whilst travelling.

Studying and working was keeping us nicely busy, and we got a new appreciation for the Spanish working day with the lovely long lunches which forced us to down tools and enjoy some time in the sun. Working like this was a great way for creativity to flow and we both had a very productive month of December!

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Of course, it wasn’t all work and no play! There was too much going on for that! Christmas was on its way and there was a big ‘Switch on of the Lights’ in Malága. We heard this was quite the event, so we were keen to see it. Little did we know quite how busy it would get! We arrived on time, but having already seen some videos on social media we realised it was going to be busy! And was it ever! We managed to get a spot behind the stage, where are least we could see Antonio Banderas (yes the very one!) climb on stage to address the crowd on the other side. Even so, it was worth the visit as the atmosphere was great and the lights were simply amazing! Really beautiful!

We ventured into Malaga on a number of occasions, to wander around this colourful, vibrant city. It’s such an international hub. Walking around the city, you can hear so many different languages! There are great restaurants, bars, shops, and so much to do (for information about Malaga, check this website out).

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We visited the covered market, with so many amazing cakes, fresh fruit and vegetables, delicious local produce like chorizo, walnuts and almonds. The little bars and restaurants here are so popular, people queue to get a seat for a plate of mixed fried fish. We highly recommend it!

We also walked along the coast to Rincon de la Victoria regularly. It’s a nice walk which takes in a cliff path or you can go through the old railway tunnels. It’s not very far, but just far enough to deserve a coffee or something a little stronger when you get there and before you walk back again.

It was a great way to spend December in the run up to Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

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