After my river walk, yesterday, I slept long and well. I wasn't too stiff thankfully, but glad of a quiet day. I wrote a Harvest Festival sermon, then in response to an email from Linda, wrote a Chaplain's Letter for the Chaplaincy Magazine 'Outreach'. This is by way of a farewell, as I will be moving to the Costa Azahar chaplaincy as their locum priest for November and the run up to Christmas. Even with a month to go, I feel I am running out of time to explore the region and travel to visit places I'd hoped to see. When it's this hot I prefer to take each day as it comes, according to the amount of physical energy I have for getting about.
This afternoon I felt like another long walk again, and went east on the promenade to Carvahal, before turning inland and going uphill, to get an elevated view of the coast. The road was far steeper than I'd imagined, going straight up at a steep gradient, rather than zig zagging, for much of the first kilometre. It was a slow climb. The road train that links the district with the beach overtook me on the way up, passed me as it descended, and passed me again as it went up and I went down. The third time, the driver gave me a friendly wave.
The road led to a holiday resort urbanización, on the hillside with an architecturally impressive hotel near the top, the up-market Reserva del Higuerón whose white marble finish with the afternoon sun behind it, reminded me of an Escher painting with its perspective tricks. Higueron is the name of the arroyo that descends steeply to the sea somewhere in Benalmadena from the Sierra de Mijas. I believe the name means fig tree.
I climbed right to the top entrance of the Reserva. It's about 200 metres above sea level, close to the motorway exit and Higuerón service area. I've been to this entrance before, to collect and drop off John Le Page the day we went to lunch with the Archbishop of Málaga. The views from up there are spectacular, well worth the climb. I retraced my steps back down to the sea shore and promenade, very pleased my legs hadn't turned to jelly. Having lost a few kilos with my delicious Mediterranean fresh food diet this past six weeks has certainly made a difference.
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