Choosing LOVE over FEAR... NOW...

Today I awoke with the feeling that it was time for me and everyone to choose, it was now or never...  Normally I say it's never too late, there is always an opportunity to change, a new cycle comes around again... but this morning and looking back on today's events I instinctively knew that from now on I had to pay close attention to being present, being in the now moment,  following my intuition and LOVE instead of FEAR... (following a positive flow by being at peace, trusting myself and choosing what is good for me and for the good of all in every moment, depending on how I felt)...  Today was the last day of the old moon and from tomorrow the new moon would position itself to show a sliver of its new self on Saturday 12th January... Time for New Beginnings...

Since December 21st 2012, ( a date that millions of light workers & our guides, aspects etc... around the globe have been gathering with the same intention and vision of co creating a new earth... a peaceful, harmonious and joyful place, here on Mother Earth... to live in cooperation and love together)...  we, our earth have entered a completely new cycle and new dimension... and this last lunar cycle of 'our old ways' (our 3Dimensional & Dualistic World) has been helping us to finally cleanse, release and heal all our yesterdays... 

Today I knew this was a final warning... it was time to move on, new ways, living from the heart, from love, from YOU... otherwise... the spiral tips down and very quickly... when you choose FEAR and allow doubt, mistrust, failure to rule life, you choose an unhappy ending for yourself... 
YOUR CHOICE is YOUR DESTINY... 

The lion that you imagine will come and eat you up or be your best friend... what do you choose?

It was our golfing day today, we were celebrating our 14 1/2 year wedding anniversary (we thought it was 12 1/2 which we celebrate in Holland, but later checked the dates... whoops...) and I had a business deal going on back home...   Telephones rang, golf players in front so, so slow, my mind was all over the place,  my golf ball too...  and Tom wasn't much better...   I wasn't relaxed and felt very floaty, not belonging...  Later after a short break at the hotel we took ourselves off to the marina for our Anniversary Dinner... Everything was a disaster from visiting a lovely shop that was closed, our first drink, meal and getting our bill... I'll say no more...

I'm not one to go into too much detail or point the finger in blame at negative things... so you won't find any of my negative experiences in restaurants on my blog... as I take responsibility for my thoughts, my actions and my life and everybody who comes into it...  I know instinctively that we are responsible for everything that comes and happens in our life... maybe not on a conscious level, but definitely on our subconscious level...

Today was showing me what can happen if we don't focus on the present moment, trust and follow our intuitions...  choosing LOVE over FEAR.... Now it was time to sleep and YES we will return to the restaurant and have a great experience... which i'll write about next time we visit...

To help remind me what happiness is...  I am posting my quote which I was recently inspired to write... please enjoy...

Visiting Puerto Banus... and Being Rich...

Another early morning rise today... something in the air?  so making the most of this morning I went for a nice run and walk along this beautiful coastline... so peaceful early in the morning, a little chilly, nice and quiet... the wind was brewing and as I looked up natures artist was creating a cosmic muriel in the skies...

Today we are going to visit Puerto Banus... we've heard a lot about it but it is nice to see it for your self...

Within half an hour, travelling on the toll road AP 7/E15 we were nicely parked in the underground parking at Puerto Banus... (4 euros an hour...) First stop of course was a nice cup of coffee at a corner cafe we found... with a beautiful view of all the mega yachts and the sun pouring down... relaxing and people watching again... and listening in on the people sitting near us talking about their latest purchase of a Ferrari and what they were going to do with the 1. 5 million euro they had just made...

The buildings, yachts, restaurants and shops all stood tall and grand... We took a picture of a Mega Yacht and sent it to our son with a message saying... 'we've put a small deposit down, waiting to hear when you can pick it up and make the final payment'.

I loved the name of a jewellery shop... Be Rich... it stated just what this whole corner of Marbella was expressing... Richness... and what everyone could allow themself to be... as richness dwells in the depth of every person... waiting to express and create their unique richness and have it reflected in their surrounding... what a wonderful world that would be...

I found a lovely boutique Custo, Barcelona that had some gorgeous and unusual designed clothes... for a reasonable price too... Time for lunch and we chose the Azul Marino Restaurant, 1 Linea, Puerto Banus... Reservation 952 811 044... specialising in fish, seafood and paella.  We had a 3 course meal for 17 euros... and a red tempranillo Castilla y Leon, Almenada.  They gave us a lovely warm soup and crunchy bread from the house to start with, as a starter we had Green asparagus au gratin and little squids & tarter sauce and for the main meal... fillets of sole in white wine sauce and Entrecôte.  For dessert we had lemon sherbet with cava and crepes... It was a delicious fine dining experience... for a very reasonable price...

  

Exploring Mijas, Fuengirola and Sacred Ground...

I got up a little earlier today and went for a run along the coast, from our hotel to the marina... I also wanted to take a look at the promenade here in Benamaldena, Paseo Maritimo... very impressive, lush in places with palms, grass and flowers, even on the beach... there are some nice restaurants (although it looks like the majority are closed for the winter season) cafes, some villas, hotels and some shops at the far end near the marina. Everyday we have noticed people cleaning the streets, pavements and beaches... it is really nice and clean... no litter, dog muck and loose dogs and cats for that matter... It is really nice to see people taking pride in their home town... or is it the council here that still have money...

Today we decided to explore Mija, a village above Fuengirola up in the mountains... we took the scenic route from Benamaldena up into the centre, where we stopped for coffee and cake... and saw the beautiful sights of the coastline and Fuengirola below... It is bigger than we expected and quite far away from the coast...  We came down another way into the town below Fuengirola and headed towards the marina... We parked up and took a short walk around the marina where we found 'hidden' from view lots of restaurants and bars open for lunch and dinner...

Walking along the harbour something I sensed made me stop and look around... and in the water I saw lots of big fish swimming about in clear water below...  we continued walking to the end and back, stopping again by the fish and decided to have lunch at this spot in the Restaurant Bella Vista... Reservation 646 048 421.   Today we were not eating too much... giving our stomachs a bit of a rest, so we just ordered a nice glass of house red wine, an egg mayonnaise and a roast beef and onion baguette... simple but delicious and just what we needed today...  

It was nice looking out on the many yachts in the harbour and people watching...  I noticed many people stopping, sometimes men and sometimes women, but only ever one of them... just stopping and looking around as if they sensed something... some of them noticed the fish before moving on...  It was nice to see the fish here... it must be clean water... but i also sensed that it was something more... I stood by the water for a moment and asked one of the fish to make a big circle in the water if what I sensed was correct... and YES not only by one big one but all her babies followed too... 

The Earth has many energy centres, vortexes.. It is a permanent connection between the cosmos and the earth (imagine a vertical column of light flowing down from the skies deep into the earth)... it is where the human can connect to their spirit and soul more easily... as the veils, the separation between the physical and spirit is most thin in these places...  All ancient churches and sacred sites were all built on these vortexes as a place for a person to understand self, spirit and soul... So back to my observation of the fishes and people sensing something... even myself... YES there are fishes here, but it is also a place where your spirit and soul sings... but are you listening...  It is an opportunity for us to awaken to something more than our physical being... and the fishes are here to help us realise this...

  

Golfing Day...

Torrequebrada club de golf lies literally next door to where we are staying at the Benalmadena Palace... We had a pre booked tee-off time at 11am... (we were supposed to get a voucher from our hotel, which would of given us a discount, but nobody seemed to know about it...  so we ended up paying 205 euros for the two of us to play with a buggy)... A little different to what we pay around Mazarron...  If you lived here, you would no doubt become a member and pay a different sort of fee...

Anyway, we were ready to play this challenging course... thank goodness for the buggy, up and down each hole we climbed... nice wide holes, beautifully landscaped with abundant palms and fir trees, magnificent views of the sea, challenging greens and lots of bunkers...  For saying that it was our first time here, we both played reasonably well...  Tom and I just love walking around Golf Courses taking in the glorious and natural area of roughly 6 km... they are our 'walk in the park'...

The 19th hole was very much welcomed... the small beer tasted marvellous...

Monday evening, after a couple of hours rest... we ventured out just before sunset... returning to La Nina Restaurant, Plaza de Espana, Benalmadena Puelblo... Reservation 952 44 91 93.  
They advertise themselves as a funky new place where you can enjoy an exciting fusion of aromas and flavours, accompanied by great wines, all served in a modern and vibrant bistro setting.  I can't really add any more, other than to say we totally agree... We ordered their Ribera del Duero house wine, a roble Vega Cubillas that went lovely with our potatoe and coriander soup, pork kashmiri, suckling lamb with garam masala and bombay potatoes...  It was a real pleasure to taste these flavourful dishes...

A Lazy Sunday... Exploring Benalmadena Pueblo...

The light awoke us, the sun was rising and the last sliver of the old moon was showing her presence... a time for final cleansing, meditation, releasing old patterns to be ready for something new... how beautiful and colourful... the sea glimmered.  Breakfast was served, coffee con leche enjoyed... and it was time to explore the area, find a golf course, a sunday newspaper and a place in the sun to sit and relax...

We decided to take the mountain road to visit Benalmadena Pueblo... we were very impressed... with a 10 minute journey by car to the top... After parking the car we walked to the Plaza de Espana where the popular sculpture 'La Nina de Benalmadena' stands proud.  She is twinned with the 'Manekken Pis' situated in Brussels.  We enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee on the terrace outside the Restaurant 'La Nina'.

Next we wandered to the Church of Santo Domingo Guzman, that stands on the site of the former Moorish Castle and is surrounded by the Jardines del Muro and wonderful views of the coast. Of course I'd heard about the Buddhist Temple, La Estupa de la Iluminacion and went to visit it... What a marvel, a majestic building 33 metres high and 25 metres wide... such serenity... my heart opens with joy to see it... to feel it... The temple represents Buddha's enlightenment... the nature of an awakened person... I hope that many people will take the time to see this... to feel the peace it radiates and allow it to initiate their awakening...  

For lunch we drove to the top of the village where there are some shops and restaurants.  We sat on the terrace of Le Parador, a spanish restaurant and enjoyed 'a spanish pizza with oregano' 4 staggoni and Le Parador ensalade with a glass of their house rioja...  We had beautiful views of the village below and the Mediterranean sea...

Sunday evening we returned to the port of Benalmadena, and headed directly to the
Angus Restaurant, Puerto Marina, Benalmadena Costa... Reservation 952 57 57 98 
as we wanted to taste the famous Argentinian beef.  As we stepped into the restaurant from the cold and windy evening, we were pleasantly welcomed by a lovely warm room and friendly smiles.  We ordered an Argentina Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Goyenechea, a very full and fruity red wine which complimented our dinner.  We were given a taster of their delicious homemade pate to tempt the taste buds... we followed this with a medium rare filet mignon accompanied with a jacket potatoe, sautéed vegetables and corn on the cob.  We loved the Argentina tango music playing in the background, the romantic atmosphere and the view of the sunset and moored yachts bobbing on the water...  An excellent experience, food, wine, atmosphere and service...

January 2013... New Times...

You can feel it in the air around you, something different... life feels different... It's as if life is communicating with us on a higher frequency... the air feels charged... the dynamics have changed and it calls for ACTION...  and we are off on a journey down south... to explore a town Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol... We'd heard several people mention the place, so we thought it was about time to take a look for ourself...   It took us a good 5 hours from our home in Mazarron, with a short stop... to arrive at the four star Hotel Benalmadena Palace... We eventually settled into a great room... (we paid half price for an upgrade to have a room on the front with more sun).  This was quite a strange happening, because at the check in when we were given room no 313, I made a point of saying 'my lucky number!'   So you can imagine how disappointed we were upon entering the room, we felt quite 'unlucky' for a moment... It was situated at the back corner end of the hotel and was very dark.   We didn't like 'this unlucky' feeling and quickly took this opportunity to practise communication skills and changed the room.  

Now time to explore the hotel... down one floor from the reception area which has much 'local' information, a wifi section, library and comfy sofas to relax inside and outside on a small terrance...we found the snack bar/cafe and sat outside on a terrace, facing the 2 swimmings pools and sunning area... they served us 2 lovely bocadillos and refreshments.   Next door was the restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Down another pair of stairs or by lift was the Spa with indoor swimming pool, gym, beauty & hair salon... same floor as the indoor parking.

Just before sunset we took a brief walk to see the surrounding area... we walked towards the port, the marina... but after quite a walk, we realised the port was a long way... and we needed the car... We drove to the port, a good 10 mins away by car, parked up and walked around the marina...  which we thought was very impressive... lovely apartments (Las Islas) in the middle of the water and shops and restaurants circling the outside of the marina... very majestic... We stopped for a cocktail in one of the bars before deciding to indulge in some 'Benalmadena' cuisine...

We finally chose the Italian Restaurant Metro, Puerto Marina, Benalmadena Costa... Reservation 952 446 460.   We ordered a glass of the house red Rioja... very tasteful... We shared a Classic Caesar Salad to begin with, followed by a Puerto Marina Tagliattelle - a delicious dish with red mullet, shrimps, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, garlic and white wine...  and the Bolo Classic - Spagetti Bolognaise...  It was a very good choice, friendly staff, richly decorated room and tasteful cuisine...

Metro Italian Retaurant