LOCATED in the southernmost eastern part of Spain, Torremolinos is bordered to the east by the Mediterranean. As such, its people there are very healthy from eating seafood coming from the Mediterranean like redfish, grouper, clams, oysters, shrimps and lobsters. Every day, fishermen are greeted upon coming back from their catch by the locals who are eager to buy their produce. They want the seafood cooked fresh and not frozen.
So if you’re a vacationing foreigner here in Torremolinos at this time of the year particularly in Halloween, it’s nice to go with the queue and haul yourself off with a big catch ready to be barbecued in the vacation home that you are renting. You may either dine that yourself or have someone with you. That entirely depends on you. The essence is to grill the seafood and put a dash of olive oil in it. Now you have a Halloween treat for yourself and your romantic partner. It’s not just delicious, it’s nutritious too since olive oil is said to be the healthiest cooking oil known to man as it contains minimal calories only.
And here’s more. Having your own Mediterranean catch for dinner is also making savings as these catch tend to be expensive when it reaches Madrid and Barcelona because they are not Mediterranean fishing regions and fish needs to be refrigerated before it gets to those urban cities.
Anyway, Halloween here in Torremolinos is a mixture of being conservative and being outspoken. The conservative kind is those who follow strict Catholic tradition to celebrate All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day the day after on November 2. As we all know, Spain is a predominantly Catholic country and Torremolinos has its own share of believers. The day before Halloween is another religious feast day in Torremolinos as it marks the culmination of Rosary Month. As we all know, Rosary is dedicated to Mother Mary and the Virgin is the patroness of all of Spain. On this day, balloons in the shape of rosaries are flown all over Torremolinos and those who can retrieve the balloons get a special prize of novelty items like a dinner for two at one of the hotels here.
Speaking of hotels, the ones here in Torremolinos are stuffed with Halloween gimmicks at this time of the year. Bars in these hotels organize costume parties and the ones who have the spookiest costumes of the night win prizes too. Again, these parties are monitored by the police so that no illegal drugs can be smuggled inside these bars. There really is nothing to worry about anyway as most of Torremolinos is a peaceful place and everybody here is law abiding.
Come to think of it, it’s really nice here to live in two years or two. There are lots of British expatriates who have retired early, earning their pensions and eventually spending them here. They like it here because real property taxes for foreign owners are only minimal. They also love the place because of the hospitability of the people here.
ANOTHER Spanish Mediterranean beauty, Torremolinos is frequented by both British expatriates and gays. The British expatriates love to frolic here during summer where the temperature is not so cold but not so hot either (think of 22 degrees Celsius and you’ll get the picture). The gays – who also come from other parts of Western and Northern Europe – are here for the nudist beaches gyrating their way with techno and house music. As winter approaches, now is the time to hunt properties in Torremolinos when all the party goers (both the old and the young) are gone. This is definitely an ideal honeymoon spot as Torremolinos slowly transforms into a winter wonderland of coolness.
It’s not like going to the Alps but temperatures here during winter can go to as low as -3 degrees Celsius. Tell me, no one’s gonna tan his or her body at the sun in that situation. But with a loved one in tow, this is definitely an ideal time to make and conceive a child. With the holidays around the corner, holiday leaves can surely be spent by young professional couples here in Torremolinos. Hey, I’m not talking here about Spanish locals. I’m talking about people from other parts of Western and Northern Europe – from Germany to the Isle of Man. Torremolinos can surely be a good place for honeymooning after all because the Mediterranean climate is not as cold as it is in the rest of Europe during wintry days.
Besides, Mediterranean cuisine is one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. Recipes are made from various Mediterranean catch like snapper, grouper or redfish. If one dares to go out during winter on a Mediterranean trip, there are numerous small yachts available to spice up your honeymoon. Just make sure to pump yourself with layers and layers of clothing because a Mediterranean sightseeing trip right in the middle of the sea can surely be cold. And oh, don’t forget to remember that the heater in the yacht must definitely be functioning.
Torremolinos has just celebrated the end of summer with the commemoration of the feast of its patron saint, St. Michael. The feast of St. Michael the Archangel in Torremolinos is characterized with merrymaking as the 2007 celebration featured a total of 200,000 tourists – both domestic and foreign – in attendance.
This translates into a gigantic leap in the economy of Torremolinos. Oxes and tractors were paraded in the urban confines of the city all the way to the local Catholic Church. This is one peculiar tradition that has stood even in these modern times. For Torremolinos is peopled with a heavily conservative populace. Despite the popular notion that Torremolinos is a sin city because of the existence of gay culture, residents of the place are still devout Catholics. Even the local government of Torremolinos led by Mayor Pedro Fernandez Montes was humble enough to join in the celebration. After all, he’s a Catholic himself, isn’t he?
Food, drinks and traditional fairs just like what you see in the United States featuring rides of every kind, shooting galleries, horror house and what-have-you were likewise prominently featured during the two-week activity.
