Málaga end of week 6 of 12, August 9, 2011 Tuesday

If you like noise, you’ll love Málaga. 1) Half of the bums (who can’t feed themselves) have a dog. Our neighborhood bum’s dog barks at anything and everything. 2) The customers at the Tapas Bar come to hear the sound of their own voices and usually end up saying something stupid. It also seems that they don’t really listen to what anyone else has to say. 3) Some neighbors were going to the beach. Well first you have to go up and down the block singing ¨Va-mos a la pla-ya, O, E, O, E, O, E¨ (We´re go-ing to the beach, doo dah, doo dah).

I broke down and bought 2 electric table fans. Now, I don´t open the doors and windows. God bless Thomas Edison (he killed two birds (temperature and noise) with one stone (the fan)).

Wow! (you’ll need to hit the >(play) button first, and later click the [x] to close the advertisement box). I saw her on TV. She is so, very PROFESSIONAL. How does someone compose magic like this? Must be the water/wine? in Málaga. I’ll have to try my hand at composing flamenco. heehee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtUswc-bYMc

Lyrics at http://www.quedeletras.com/letra-cancion-brindo-por-ti-bajar-95548/disco-24-rosas/diana-navarro-brindo-por-ti.html

My translation to English is shown below.

I’m going to Marbella this week, O, E, O, E, O, E. Nah, just kidding about the doo dahs. But, I bought a Tarjeta Dorada (Golden Card) for 5.05€. This gives us old (over 60 year old) farts a 40% discount on the Renfe rail system. Kool. For now, the Renfe train only goes ¨south¨ (west, mostly) as far as Fuengirola, after that the Portillo bus system takes over. However, Renfe trains service Granada and Sevilla, which are on my list of cities to visit. Too bad I couldn´t take the Renfe to Mallorca (an island) and it turns out the ferry system does not go there directly; so I’ll have to forego that experience and fly there instead (from August 19^th Friday through the 26^th Friday).

The lady next door is cooking again ... Lord have mercy.

Finally stuck my toes in the Mediterranean Sea. Ahhh. The water is very cold, and very salty, but clean. At waist high, you can still make out your feet. The beaches here are very well kept. Some beaches have lifeguards on duty. All beaches are free, but permanent palm-hut-style post umbrellas(?) rent for 6€ a day, lounge chairs for 2€. Policemen (on motorcycles) patrol the beach from the brick malecón (boardwalk? brickwalk?); great idea that: protecting local and foreign sources of income to this country. Beach vendors (yeah, ugh) sell beer and hats, which they are wearing (yaow). It is hot, humid, and crowded. Once you get used to the cold water, the heat and humidity problems disappear. Occassionally you will see a young lady laying topless (t’aint no big deal, all men are topless too); bottoms are required though, for all. Although I understand there is no law against nudity anywhere in Spain, the police will make one waste his/her day at the police station if one bares it all. Also available are chirinquitos (food stands), bars, toilets (very clean!), and rinse-off stations (the water is potable, the drainage is perfect). The sand is kept clean but there is a 10 yard wide (10 meter wide) band of coin-sized smooth rocks starting at the water line (that has got to be there by design, to lessen erosion?); I wish I had brought my beach shoes on this trip instead of my sandals; my feet are tender after all the walking (BTW, I broke the heel on the left tennis shoe and had to buy a new pair here). There is just barely a small surf breaking, and no major undertows. Beaches are a mere 2 to 8 blocks away from the bus stops, so it is just a matter of deciding which beach you want to visit. I feel safe here.

Brindo Por Ti (I Drink A Toast To You)

 
No me dijo ni palabra, (He said not a word,)
Me clavó su mirada en mi mirada. (He fixed his gaze in mine.)
No me dijo ni quien era, (He didn’t even tell me who he was,)
Ni de donde venía (Nor where he came from)
Y sólo me amaba. ([And] he just loved me)

Ay, el aire salado del puerto, (Oh, the salty air from the port,)
Las gotas de su frente (the drops from his forehead)
Y esa corriente casi quemaba. (And that current that almost burned.)
Le besé con los labios que besan las hadas 
    (I kissed him with lips that (until then) kissed fairies)
Y le canté, (And I sang to him,)
Y le canté... (And I sang to him ...)

Brindo por ti (I Drink A Toast To You)
Con vino malagueño de amor. (With wine of love from Málaga.)

Quiero que bebas de mí  (I want you to drink from me)
Traguitos de mi vino interior. (Sips of my inner wine.)

Brindo por ti  (I Drink A Toast To You)
A medias con la luna y el sol, (Halfway between the moon and the sun,)
Y ojala te lleves de mí (And hope that you take from me)
El líquido de mi corazón. (The liquid from my heart.)

Brindemos juntos tú y yo. (We’ll drink a toast together you and I.)

De él no queda casi nada: (Of him, little remains:)

La mitad de un recuerdo y media mirada. (Half of a memory and half of a stare.)
Se marchó por donde vino (He left from whence he came)
Y el calor de poniente, ay amor, me lo borraba. 

    (And the westerly heat, oh love, continued to erase him from me.)

Ay, cómo cantaban mis entrañas, (Oh, how my ¨being¨ sang,)
Cómo temblaban los cielos (How the skies trembled)
Cuando su cuerpo y mi cuerpo volaban. (When his body and mine soared.)

Y gocé (And I enjoyed)
Agarrándome bien a su almohada, (Grasping tightly his pillow)

Y le canté, (And I sang to him,) 
Y le canté... (And I sang to him ...) 

Brindo por ti (I Drink A Toast To You)
Con vino malagueño de amor. (With wine of love from Málaga.)

Quiero que bebas de mí  (I want you to drink from me)
Traguitos de mi vino interior. (Sips of my inner wine.)

Brindo por ti  (I Drink A Toast To You)
A medias con la luna y el sol, (Halfway between the moon and the sun,)
Y ojala te lleves de mí (And hope that you take from me)
El líquido de mi corazón. (The liquid from my heart.)

Brindemos juntos tú y yo. (We’ll drink a toast together you and I.)