During the last few weeks I've been extra busy with work. I'm a teacher and so the time of year leading up to Christmas means report writing, preparation and planning for next term, rehearsals and performances of after school shows and various other Christmas mayhem. Consequently my Estepona murals project had taken a bit of a temporary back seat (until this week!) but I hadn't completely neglected thoughts of my blog. I had been planning on checking out San Pedro's newest, and much talked about feature as soon as I found some spare time! And so, after school on the last Thursday before the Christmas holidays I ventured out with my youngest son Henry, my friend Carmen and her little boy Marcos to the brand new San Pedro boulevard.
Now I remember how San Pedro was many years ago, in those dark days before the new tunnel was even thought of, when we frequently had to drive mind nurmbingly slowly, often stopping completely, through San Pedro and Puerto Banus because the traffic was so badly congested. And I remember when the plans for the tunnel were announced and we were all optimistic at the (far off) promise of a smoother run whenever we ventured that way. That very first day in 2007 when the main road was closed and the traffic was diverted along the smaller roads that run past the school where I work was an absolute nightmare. On that morning my journey to school, which usually takes 10 minutes, took me about an hour and a half and I remember hoping that it wasn't going to be that way every day! Luckily it wasn't but we were all diverted along these minor roads that weren't really suited to the job while the main road was dug up. This lasted for 5 years at which time the tunnel was finally completed.
Then began the works on the boulevard above the tunnel. For 16 months my children and I have driven past the boulevard every morning on our way to school, watching how it was developing and my boys have been increasingly more excited at the newly installed parks that they could see being constructed along the length of it. My youngest was convinced that the bridge was actually a roller coaster and so was marginally more excited than his wiser, older brother!
And then, on Friday 12th December 2014 the boulevard was finally opened.
The following Thursday was the day we went to explore it. Through the masses of people walking along and through the multitude of children swarming like excitable ants over the parks we could just about make out that it is all very shiny and new and very bright and colourful. Henry went running off to climb the tall lighthouse climbing frame with several covered tunnel slides sticking out from it at different levels. Once at the very top he called to me through the bars, "Mummy! Mummy! I'm stuck!" (You can just see him in the photo below, clinging on a desperately to the bars!). Apparently the slide from the top was too scary for him and so I had to fight my way through the numerous children crowding over the lighthouse in order that I could climb up the ladder to reach him. I was eventually able to help him down to the next level so that he could go down a slightly less scary slide. Once I had fought my way back down the ladder, through the unceasingly high volume of small people fighting to get past me to climb up the ladder we decided that it might be a safer option to go for a walk over the bridge which offered considerably less chances of getting stuck.
The bridge is 300m long and has been designed to reflect the sea. The architect named it 'Un Mar de Sensaciones' and due to its sea-like qualities it provides lots of very steep, bumpy, wavy bits for children to tear up and down and for older, less-steady-on-their-feet type folk to shuffle cautiously down.
On the other side of the bridge we discovered yet more parks. For parents of young children the boulevard is a haven of play areas and places to explore. The boys absolutely loved it. Over the 55,000 sq/m boulevard there are 6 parks, the largest of which is 650sq/m. There are also a few very nice cafes/restaurants where you can drink a 'Tinto de Verano' (or more appropriately at this time of year a 'Tinto de Invierno') out of glasses made from jam jars! Alternatively, if you are feeling the cold like I was, and you would prefer to defrost rather than get squiffy then you can have a lovely pot of tea for a surprisingly mere €1.50! Make sure you get what you actually order though. I had ordered some English tea but when it arrived at the table it didn't seem quite right and I remarked to my friends how it smelt a bit spicy,like Christmas! Unfortunately the lovely, seasonal smell didn't quite compensate for the fact that when mixed with milk my tea tasted rather disgusting and on checking the label I found I actually had Pakistani tea! Maybe I should have joined everybody else and had a jam jar of alcohol after all!
Having traversed the boulevard for an hour (in inappropriate footwear for the task) I had had just about enough of walking. My feet were killing me and it was declared time to go home.
The boulevard is a lovely place to go though, probably even more enjoyable if you are wearing suitable shoes, and it is a fantastic place for children. It promises lots of future events and it has a Facebook page too - 'Boulevard San Pedro', so look it up and see what's on. Or just go to have a wander, or possibly to rescue your child from the top of the lighthouse or maybe even to enjoy some Pakistani tea!
(I'm still not sure what this metal structure bit is for though. If anybody knows what it is, please tell me!)
