'Within a couple of hours the other grandma and I had decided to come to Malaga'

When Karen O'Connor, a retired teacher from Washington State, told her grandchildren she was planning to return to Spain having fallen in love with the country, and in particular Malaga, on a previous trip, they told her to get in touch with their other grandmother.

The family had heard Nana Juanita talking about how she had been born in Castelldefels (Barcelona) in 1959. However, her Irish-American parents moved to the USA when Juanita was a baby and she had never had the opportunity to return. "I texted her right away. Within a couple of hours we made the decision to travel to Spain together in the fall of 2024," Karen explains.

Karen, 71, had made her first trip to Malaga in April 2024. She came with her son who works in the IT sector and travels to Europe frequently with his job. So enamoured was Karen by the country and the Costa del Sol that she started a travel blog which she later published as a book, It Started in Malaga, which documents the trip that she made.

Determined to return as soon as she could, she and Juanita planned their trip for autumn 2024. That trip led to Karen's second travel book, Two Grandmas in Spain, which describes their adventures from Juanita's birthplace, through the country and back (in Karen's case) to Malaga.

Now Karen is back in Malaga to present her books at the English Cemetery, which she discovered on her first trip. The event is taking place at 1pm on Sunday 18 May. Part of the proceeds from the book sales will be donated to the church.

–Why did you first come to Malaga?

–I came with my son who had a work event in Marbella, which I had never heard of. He said he was flying to Malaga. I had never heard of Malaga, which I now think is rather shocking. When I told my 88-year-old mother who lives in Canada that I was going to Malaga, she said she had a friend she had been playing backgammon with for over twenty years who lives about an hour out of town.

–What inspired you to write about your trip?

–I did a Civil War walking tour and I was inspired by Joan Fallon's Spanish Lavender and Daughters of Spain to learn more about Spain's civil war. I fell in love with the place, the food, the walkability, the people, all of it.

–How did the books come about?

–I have always wanted to write a book. I have talked about it forever. However, when this huge opportunity came into my life, especially after fearing during Covid that my travelling days were finished, I just had to share my story. It started as a travel journal on the Travel Diaries app. Before and after that first trip in April 2024, I read everything I could get my hands on about that area of Spain. Joan Fallon's books really helped me with the history.

–How did the trip with 'the other grandma' come about?

–I was reading my journal to my youngest granddaughter. She suggested that her Nana, the other grandma, would like my story too. So, I texted her right away with the link to the online journal. Within a couple of hours we made the decision to travel to Spain together. I had been looking for a good reason to come back.

–How did she feel about coming back to her birth country?

–She was pretty happy about it. We have all heard her talk for years about how she was born in Spain, but never got a birth certificate and has never been back. I don't think she ever would have gone if I hadn't paved the way for her to go.

–What is her story?

–She was born in Castelldefels in August 1959. Her Irish mom lived there and had her own English school for the kids of the Navy stationed in Barcelona. Her dad was a US Navy guy. They met, married a few months later and she was soon born. Then they moved to the US. Why did she never have a birth certificate? This is an answer nobody can solve. They had several children. Juanita was the only one born in Spain.

–You said your husband was in Malaga in the 1960s?

–My husband James was on the Aircraft Carrier CVA 66 America for two years, 1967-1969, thereabouts. As part of the US Navy sixth fleet, he was in the Mediterranean most of that time.

–Why do you keep coming back?

–I fell in love with Malaga. My research for trip one and my experience that first week just whet my appetite for more. I have met so many people now, and I feel like my Malaga community is growing, so I have a lot left to see.

–How did you connect with St George's?

–I accidentally happened upon St George's on the way to my Civil War walking tour. On my second visit I made a point of going to a service and I met some of the congregation. St George's feels like my church now. Joan Fallon suggested I hold the book launch there.