The first couple of weeks in Maalga were wet and chilly. It didn’t completely stop us from exploring, but we were more home bodies than maybe we normally would have been if the weather were nicer.
Lucas, Henry, and I still made it to the gym twice a week, rain or shine. The kids found a trampoline park and mini bowling with arcades that kept them busy for a couple of afternoons. We went to an interactive music museum one afternoon and stopped on the way home at a shop with vegan sweet treats. The kids got haircuts at a cool barbershop in town. They don’t always love their haircuts, but they were both happy with this barber.
The weather was nicer, so we were able to make it out to a few parks. We enjoyed the sunshine, fresh air and even a gorgeous sunset hike. We also continued enjoying the house with group dinners, arts and crafts, Legos and ping pong and balloon volleyball in the basement. Gabe and Jake found an open mic night with a warm crowd.
We checked out a rock climbing gym and met a great instructor named Tommy. He helped the kids build confidence and get better at their climbing technique. Kristian and I also tried rock climbing on the first day. We absolutely crushed it, but decided not to go back for more. The kids were chomping at the bit to go back and had a couple more lessons during the month.
Michael, Kristian, and I went out on the town. Michael found an event on the Meetup app. It is an app that connects travelers and digital nomads. We were just going out for a few drinks around 9 pm and came home around 4 am after dancing all night at a club. It was a lot of fun despite needing a nap the next day.
We had a few hiccups at our Airbnb. One of the showers was leaking. When you only had three full bathrooms for 13 people, that is challenging. Our host was great and had the bathroom redone in a few days. We also had a hot water tank leak. No hot water when the weather is a bit chilly is a non-starter for our group. Luckily, again, the host had someone come to replace the hot water tank. Our last few Airbnbs have had some issues. Laundry was a challenge with one washer that was only accessible through Vicki and Kristian’s bedroom and drying the clothes was a challenge with the wet weather, so Vicki and I took a trip to the laundromat. It is amazing how excited a person can get about hot clothes coming out of a drier.
Overall, Malaga was good to us, but I am ready to get out of Western Europe. The pace, culture, and price are too similar to those in the U.S. I have enjoyed our time, but I am looking forward to exploring outside of Schengen.
