Okay, I admit it. I lied. This series was supposed to be about yours truly spending three weeks doing his best to live like a local on the Costa del Sol. Truth be known, I spent only two weeks in the Costa del Sol, the first and third. I spent the middle week in La Herradura. While only a few kilometers east of Nerja, the town is technically in the province of Granada, not the Costa del Sol region. I wanted to mention that to keep this report honest.

After driving east from Nerja along coastal highway N-340 (a trip as brief as it was breathtaking), I arrived at my new abode in La Herradura midday on Saturday. As in Nerja, the condo was more than this solo traveler needed: comfortable living and dining rooms, two bedrooms, and two baths. The balcony bestowed magnificent views of the Mediterranean Sea to the east and sweeping hillsides to the north--peaceful scenes that begged one never to leave.