We’re underway. Right now we’re on board the Ave waiting to depart on our high speed train from Madrid’s Atocha station to Malaga. It’ll take three hours to go 325 miles at speeds of up to 190 mph.  Smooth as silk too. 

The flight over was smooth too and on time. For us, it was a new way to fly, having taken the plunge in our dotage to book business class. The big come-on, for Judy and me, was the “lie-flat seats. Sure, the seats are roomier and the chow a cut above tourist class but reducing wear and tear on the body was the main objective. For me, it worked great: three-plus hours of good shuteye after the three-course dinner. Judy didn’t sleep quite so well. For her, bumps from turbulent created a different feeling from the prone position than sitting upon. 

So was it worth the big bucks? Probably although we’ll wait and see how much the experience reduces jet lag. But if business class makes it possible to take long trips, then yes, it’s worth it. If the high price means staying home then I say, suck it up, you whomp, and suffer back in steerage. Travel is worth it regardless of the price and pain you have to endure. 

Once in Malaga Jeff has arranged a car to take us to the villa in Marbella. Reagan is going to grab her book and head for the pool. I suspect the rest of us won’t be far behind. 

We’ve got our fingers crossed for the Peicker crowd. Their flight from Boston to Paris was delayed, meaning they had one hour to board their flight to Malaga. 

The scenery outside the window as we travel south is mostly rural. Plainly, what rain there’s been hasn’t fallen here; everything looks pretty brown. There may have been a cutting of wheat or hay earlier but nothing much shows any hint of green. Nothing, that is, except the fairly numerous trees that I take to be olive trees. 

The temperature in Madrid is forecast to hit 106 today. Mara Ella, further to the south bot on the Mediterranean, is only going to hit 88 they say. 

Further south, the terrain has become more rolling, not quite mountainous, but the hills are more pronounced, we’ve passed through several tunnels and my ears have popped so we must be climbing. 

And indeed, we dropped down to flatter land as we neared Cordoba. There’s more green and even some pink and yellow. There’s more signs of industrial activity too. Could the yellow be sun flowers, grown as a crop?

Long story short: all six Peickers made their connection and we all met up at our villa in central Marbella, everyone a bit tired and jet lagged but healthy and with all baggage in hand.

The villa is just that: a four-level home that includes a swimming pool and basement game/fitness/movie room with two bedrooms, the main level with kitchen, dining room, large living room and outdoor patio. The next floor up has four bedrooms and there’s a bedroom and bath on the third floor. See the pictures for an idea of how beautiful this place is.

Our hosts raised four kids in this house but, being empty nested, have opened it up to the Airbnb market.

We were pretty lazy this afternoon, sitting by the pool and enjoying the Mediterranean sun.

We are divided into two age cohorts (maybe three if you count Judy and I as a separate geriatric cohort). There’s Carter and Reagan plus Matt Peicker, his girlfriend Dani, and Andrew Peicker. The old folks include Kim and Mark Peicker, Mark’s brother Carl, Jeff, Judy and me. Eleven in all.

The youngsters were dispatched to the nearby grocery store for food for afternoon snacks and breakfast tomorrow. They made a second trip to a liquor store to stock up on beer and booze. The liquor age here is eighteen and so all but Carter qualify.

Around six PM we all headed down the hill toward the Mediterranean and D’ Herber Pizza for dinner. It took more than two hours but we ordered 3.75 meters (about 11 feet) of pizza for the 11 of us – they sell square pizzas by the length. We had a great variety and everyone was pleased with the taste and quality.

The restaurant’s owner showed up as we arrived, rolling a barrel of beer (his distributor had left him short). Over the course of the evening he told us his life story. Here are the highlights.

• He was born in Venezuela and has nothing good to say about the communist takeover of the country, which caused him to leave.
• He is. a graduate of the University of Oklahoma {“Go Sooners!)
• He was an airline pilot for more than 30 years, retiring when the line he worked for cut its workforce in half. 
• He spent a number of years (10?) in Shanghai where he met his current wife, who is Russian from Vladivostok.
• He has three kids, two in Florida and one in Lima Peru. She has two kids, both in Vladivostok. 
• They chose Marbella, Spain because: a) the cost of living here is less than the USA, especially health insurance; b) It’s half-way between Lima and Vladivostok; and c) driving from northern Spain south with their car radio on”search” mode, they found that Marbella has a Russian language radio station – three in fact.
• They opened this pizza restaurant that is part of a chain. They plan to open a second location nearby.
• “Flying is an adventure. This is a job.,” he said.

So travel is not just the sights you see, the history you learn about and the culture you experience. It’s just as much the people you meet.

Afterward we all walked down to the Marbella downtown beach that includes a pleasant pedestrian walkway and all the shops and outdoor restaurants you’d expect in a high-end resort town. Then back home for a before bedtime dip in the pool.

Tomorrow is a “down day” to rest and recuperate from travel. We’ll see just how much “down time” this hard-charging group can take.