Almunecar: The Boca of Southern Spain

I’ve landed in a retirement community. There is no real other way to describe Almunecar on a regular day. It’s me and all the ex-pat Northern Europeans who have been seduced by Southern Spain’s beautiful beaches, its mild winter weather, and its copious amounts of cheap wine. I basically live in the Boca of Spain. Usually, this isn’t so bad; the retirees around here have a lot of free time, many speak English, and they’re always up for a rousing debate at the local pub. Recent topics include the World Cup (of course – and watching the England/US game with a bunch of Englishmen was quite an interesting experience), the BP oil spill (the European press is not focusing on the environmental implications, but rather on the losses to English pensions – I set some people straight), and the quality of beef in America (a German chef waxed poetic on his trip to the US to eat beef for 30 minutes straight!). But it get a little scary when you realize that a lot of these retirees are still big fans of topless sun-bathing!  And don't even get me started on the speedos...

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