Andalucia day

Hole everyone and happy Andulucia day.

Time for yet another holiday here in Andalucia. That’s right, February 28th is a day to celebrate. It’s Andalucia Day thanks to this region’s founding father, Blas Infante, the man whose ideas eventually served to make this region the separate autonomous community it is today.

The question many foreigners living in Andalucia is: what do people do on Día de Andalucía. And the answer is bound to be found in the heart of your nearest town or city where municipal bands are generally called out to play the regional hymn (el Himno de Andalucia) and speeches are made on behalf of regional traditions and politics.

As might be expected, the holiday is also observed at schools across the region. However, because it always ocurrs during the “Semana Blanca” (White Week) half term holidays, it is celebrated the week before with the youngest ones colouring Andalucian flags and the parents associations at many state schools organising large “bread and olive oil” morning snack times to ensure children are well acquainted with the “bread and (equivalent of) butter” of Andalusian cuisine.

At the town hall the red carpet was out and the band was playing Glen Miller then into traditional Andulucia music lots people were dancing

and having a great day the band was excellent.

At the stroke of 12 o clock up on the balcolny the town hall the flags were raised with Andalucia flag was the last to be raised this caused cheer from around the crowd for this day celebrates when the region became autononmous with the rest of Spain. Andulucian’s are extremely proud of their country and flag .

Hope you enjoyed this information on Andulucia day

Dia de Pedal- Bike Run

Hi everyone ,

Today there was a bicycle tour around the town . The event was really well turned out - from grand parents to kids all having a great day.

The Day of The Pedal was celebrating it’s 20^th birthday. Started at 11am at the Balcon de Europa. Everyone that took part in the Annual xx Dia del Pedal got a yellow t-shirt. The whole of the was in an abundance of yellow t-shirts what a sight see.

It looked a very well planned and everyone enjoyed themselves.

P.S next year I will take part

Hasta luego

Beaches in Nerja

Hola everyone,

During the last couple of weeks there has been quite a lot of rain fall and strong winds along the Costa del Sol . These storms have washed away large parts of the beach, left a lot of broken beach furniture and other debris.

Torrecilla beach took a bit of a beating. After the extensive repairs folloing Octobers storms once again broken shower stands, dislodged palm trees and stairs that go to nowhere.

Also along at Burriana Beach there has been similar damage but on a smaller scale.

The timing of this is particularly bad as Semana Santa (Holy Week) in in a few weeks. People regard this as the start of the holiday season. It will be very hard to get all the necessary repairs done in time.

Hopefully the weather will pick up so the repairs can get carried out in time for Samana Santa. and for the start of the busy tourist season.

I hope you enjoyed this information.

Adios amegios.

Information on Torre Del Mar

Hola amegos here is some information on Torre Del Mar. I hope you will find it useful and interesting.

Beside the mouth of the Velez River, located on the coast and 4km from the city of Velez is Torre del Mar, with more than 15,000 inhabitants and a spectacular urban development during the last 25 years. The number of inhabitants swells to 150,000 from June to September. Thanks to the sub-tropical climate, Torre del Mar is surrounded by agricultural land, primarily connected with the production of sugar cane. The land is also being put to use in the production of out-of-season fruits such as kiwi, mangos and avocados. Until the 70's it was a small fishing village. Tourism has however transformed it over the last few years and it has suffered to large, unorganised apartment developments. Torre del Mar is however, able to boast one of the best promenades on the Costa Del Sol and a small avenue and park from the beginning of the century.

It’s most popular and important festival is on 16th July, in honour of the Virgen del Carmen. It consists of a candle ceremony and maritime procession.

Despite its closeness to Velez-Malaga where all manners of historical attractions lie, Torre del Mar offers the visitor a relative amount of peace and quiet, all year round with time to sunbathe and enjoy the local cuisine. Many of the Spanish residents of the big cities come here along with visitors of all nationalities.

The town almost has two faces - that of the summer with the tower blocks and discos heaving with holiday makers and the tranquil face of winter when the town almost sleeps, awaiting the arrival of the following summer. The winter face is the true face of the inhabitants of Torre del Mar. Nevertheless, the number of visitors arriving to holiday in the winter is now on the increase and possibly one day the town will have a more stable number of residents. Already, local facilities are in place to cope with demand. There are no shortage of shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and specialised things like a yacht club and international schools.

Information on Frigiliana

Hola everyone, today I thought I would mention about a small and very scenic place called Frigiliana.

We had the pleasure of living in Frigiliana for 6 months. The street that we lived in was Calle Axarquia, it was a fairly new build with breath taking views of the Sierra Tejadas National Park.

The flat has a communal swimming pool although not very big it was great at cooling you down in the hot days. We shared the flat with 2 other couples so it was quite peaceful.

Our landlord was a very nice chap. Some morning he would leave buckets of lemons, oranges and avocado’s out side our front door. Sometime he taught us some Spanish. To repay his gesture we a asked relative to bring over a small bottle of malt whiskey for him which he informed he enjoyed but was hot on his throat...

Frigilana has a number of excellent bars and restuarants. There are many recommended restaurants within Frigiliana. Chinas and Virtudes are excellent budget restaurants, popular with locals and tourists alike. Good, reasonably priced meals are served in an excellent atmosphere. The portions are generous and the staff are very friendly.
Jaime’s Restaurant is situated within the narrow lanes of the old part of Frigiliana and is spread across a number of floors and terraces with some of the best views in Frigiliana. The Taverna de Iglesia is situated in a charming square fronting the San Antonio church. It is probably the most traditionally Spanish of the restaurants we visited, with a range of rich meat dishes.

There are many cafes. Try El Mirador, situated in the highest part of Frigiliana - once again, the views are magnificent.

There are several restaurants within easy drive of the villa, all with good food and spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. Try La Venta, Bar El Cerro, Posada Morisca and Los Caracoles. Los Caraoles has the best views in the area with a menu suitable for everything from light lunches to full evening meals - you will be assured of a warm welcome from Kim and Carlos.

Frigilana was Voted the 'prettiest town in Andalucía' by the Spanish tourism authority, Frigiliana is an important from an historical viewpoint. El Fuerte, the hill that climbs above the village, was the scene of the final bloody defeat of the Moors of La Axarquía in their 1569 rebellion. The hill is topped by scanty remains of a ruined fort from which some of the Moors reputedly threw themselves rather than be killed or captured by the Spanish. It is said that bones and rusted weapons dating from this encounter still lie among the scrub on El Fuerte.

Frigiliana is a tangle of narrow cobbled streets lined by whitewashed houses, their wrought-iron balconies filled with planters of brilliant red geraniums. Small plazas provide shady seating while the bars are popular with visitors who come here to taste the locally produced wine. There are several excellent shops selling pottery and ceramics, including decorative plates with their distinctive Arab design.

Frigiliana is best explored by foot. There are several buses a day that run from Nerja or, alternatively, leave your car at the car park at the bottom of the hill. Although the village is deservedly on the coach tour circuit, thankfully it hasn't yet succumbed to the demands of mass tourism with innumerable souvenir shops and overpriced bars.

Valentine's day in Spain

Valentine's Day in Spain

Valentine's in Spain gives much emphasis on the Valentine presents. It is the usual practice of the husbands to give their wives bunches of flowers and unmarried couples exchange other gifts. The most common gifts to be given on this day are roses to the girls from their sweethearts and books to the men from their girls. Couples, whether married or unmarried are at their amorous best.
Though Valentine's in Spain is not officially a holiday, amorous couples still spend the day together, careless of its being a holiday or not. There are many outdoor spots which are also frequented by the loving couples. Parties and dances complete the day.

St. Valentine's is not a traditional Spanish celebration, but during the last few years it has become more and more popular, and many Spaniards are celebrating it. As in many other countries, Valentine's traditions include making presents to the one you love, and - quite obviously being in Spain - a romantic dinner.
There are no customary recipes on St. Valentine's dinners, but Spanish people tend to favor mild, aromatic tastes, sometimes with an exotic touch. To Spaniards, a romantic diner is often the prelude of a night to remember in a good restaurant.

I hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's what ever you get up to or even might find this information useful.

Nerja caves

On the east side of town is the Cueva de Nerja (caves of Nerja). They were discovered in 1959 and are regarded as one of the most historic monuments in the world; with archaeological remains dating back over 20,000 years. The ‘Room of the Cataclysm’ reaches the height of sixty metres, and is formed by the fusion of amazing stalagmites and stalactites. In the month of July the caves play host to the International Festival of Music and Dance, an event not to be missed!
It is possible to explore some of the chambers and caverns that are not yet open to the public by joining a speleological group, consisting of a maximum 10 people over the age of 14. No special physical skills are necessary.



Opening Dates and Times: July: Every day from 10.00 to 14.00 and from 16.00 to 20.00 . September-June: Every day from 10.00 Hrs to 14.00 and from 16.00 to 18.30 . The Caves are Situated 3 kilometres from the town centre and are well signposted.

Nerja Carnival

Hola buenos Dias, here is some information on Canival, it is a busy time here with the Carnival, fantastic costumes and floats and a superb atmosphere.
Here is the programme and dates for the carnival.

Friday from 6pm in Parque Verano Azul the children's fancy dress competition followed at 9.15 by the choosing of the Carnaval Nymph. Then at 10.30 the official introduction and the Carnaval song contest.

Saturday 2nd The Big Carnaval Parade starting at the Balcon de Europa 5pm and on to C/Pintada, C/Angustias, Plaza de la Ermita, Avda Castilla Perez, C/Jaen and on to the Parque Verano Azul for more music and dancing.


Sunday 3rd The Funeral of the Chanquete
Starting at Parque Verano Azul with screaming and wailing and accompanied by the official widow, the baby sardine will proceed along C/Jaen, Diputacion, C/Granada, Animas, C/Pintada and ending on Calahonda beach where it will be set on fire and put to sea.

A sort of Mardigras where people go to extraordinary lengths to dress up in costumes and make floats for the procession that starts around five pm Saturday.
Because the carnival is held in February (based around the date for shrove Tuesday and always the weekend before) the weather is not usually brilliant, but don't miss this and definitely bring your camera. There are competitions for the best float, best costumes and of course a Miss and Mr Nerja competition too

If you are popping along to the Carnival I am sure you will have a fantastic time.

Hasta luego.