Nerja Market

Hola,

Here is some information about the street stalls I hope that you will find useful.

I was in Calle Chapril area on Tuesday morning when I suddenly discovered that something missing.

Walking further down the street it was empty, it hit me that the market should be here. I should have been making my way through the hustle and bustle of hundreds of people shopping.

I asked a local who told me that a discussion was held in the morning with traders and officials. The stall holders decided to protest with a strike. A lot of the stall holders are strongly against the future move to Almajara, site of the Sunday car boot sale. The stall holders have been saying that it will be the end of their business. On the morning there was no warning of the strike so you had a lot of people standing about on Calle Chapril wondering why it had gone.

Almajara is quite a distance outside the center and is also a very steep climb up hill and the elderly may not want to or be able to walk to to the new site. The site up at Almajara is said to be a lot bigger with places for the stalls marked out. This means that it will be easier to see everything.

it will not only effect the stall holders but also the bar and cafe proprietors in the area where it is situated, now Calle Chapril will be empty with a great loss to local businesses.

The site that it is situated at the moment provides good access, plenty of facilities like bars, restaurants, banks and is perfectly placed for people to discover it if they previously didn't realise it was on. I can understand why the stall holder and local market goers are resisting the move unfortunately the council are equally determined.

If anyone has any thoughts on the proposed move please leave a comment below.

Hasta luego!

Antonio Cortes: Young talent

A young Flamenco singer Antonio Cortes made a public appearance on the balcony of the Town Hall to express his thanks and appreciation for the support given by his fans during his televised talent show Se Llama Copla

Shouts of Antonio Campeon (Antonio Champion) and non –stop applause from an emotionally charged crowd.

There were also words of support for his rival Joana who was finally proclaimed as the overall winner of the contest.

New Promenade

Hola

Information on the promenade.

The work on the promenade on the El Chucho beach between the Toreecilla nd Playoazo beaches will not be finished at the end of the month.

Town Hall and the coast authority agreed to postpone the start of the work work unti 1^st of October so not to disrupt the tourism season.

In doing so it is hoped that the promenade , will take six months to complete and is estimated to be 285 meters long . It should be finished for March 2009 and the arrival of next year’ easter holiday makers for the Costa del Sol

Ocio Axarquia Magazine

Hola everyone,

Hope you are all well I am giong to mention about a glossy magazine that is circulating round the Axaraquia area. The magazine is called Ocio Axarquia . If anyone has came across this Ocio Axarquia publication you will probably agree that it is a classy looking mag.

You might be saying to to your self ‘Oh no, not another free mag doing the rounds on the Costa Del Sol’ but you will notice that Ocio Axarquia is different from all the rest. Also the content is interesting, informative and full of great looking pictures on property, fashion, food and lots lots more.

I heard that their next edition has an editorial on Nerja so look out for this edition at the end of April to see if you recognize any pictures or if you are lucky enough maybe yourself!

On the edition out at the moment there is a editorial on Competa with a lovely picture of the square and a picturesque view of the white wash houses. The content has a lot of history on Competa and outlines some fabulous walks for the more adventurous.

You should be able to pick up your copy of Ocio Axarquia Magazine at Hotels, Restaurants beauty salons and coffee bars.

Have a look for the next edition and let me know what you think of it.

Cycling on the Costa del Sol

Hello everyone, hope you are well.

Last week my brother came over to vist us.

My brother has been a keen cyclist for a long while and is a member of the Glenmarnock Wheelers. He decided to bring his bicycle over and get himself into shape for the start of the racing season in Scotland. We took a run in the car the to find good routes for him. We looked at what sort of state the road surface was in and how steep the incline was. We took a drive up to Competa and Alhama de Granada both routes were steep but smashing views.

Before he was going to attempt any of the route I felt that I had to warn him about some of the driving here particulary at roundabouts as he had never cycled over in Spain before.

He decided to head up to Competa on the Sunday, going through Frigilana, through to Torrox .On the way back he came down through Algorrobo. Only fault with this route was the Frigiliana - Competa road which had a bad surface. This route was about 80 km and was part of Stage 2 of the Tour of Andalucia.

The next day he decided to go down the N340 to Motril. He told me that this route was a bit nerve wracking as he had to go through the tunnels and there are a lot of fast moving trucks. This route was about 100km

On the whole he said that cycling in the Costa Del Sol is superb and will be bring his bike over again.

Good luck with the first race of the season on Saturday morning . The weather for Scotland does not look very good!

Check out Glenmarnock Wheelers website: www.glenmarnockwheelers.co.uk and the Tour of Andalucia website: http://www.vueltaandalucia.com

www.sierracycling.com/

Samana Santa

Holy Week/Easter in Spain

Spain is renowned in the world for its Holy Week traditions. Seville, Malaga, and San Fernado in Cadiz see the most glamorous celebrations, while those of Castille-Leon see the more sombre and solemn events.

A common feature in Spain is the almost general usage of the "nazareno" or penitential robe for the participants in the Processions. This garment consists in a tunic, a hood with conical tip ( "capirote") used to conceal the face of the wearer, and sometimes a cloak. The exact colors and forms of these robes depend on the particular procession. The robes were widely used in the medieval period for penitents, who could demonstrate their penance while still masking their identity. (These robes intentionally served as the basis for the traditional uniform for members of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States, ironically a very anti-Catholic organization.) These "Nazarenos" carry processional candles or rough hewn wooden crosses, may walk the city streets barefoot, and, in some places may carry shackles and chains on their feet as penance. In other sections of the participants wear dress freely inspired in the uniforms of the Roman Legion.

The processions mark the main religious celebrations in Spain but none as the processions of Málaga. Holy Week in Malaga are famous countrywide Processions start on Palm Sunday and continue until Easter Sunday with the most dramatic and solemn on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Images from the Passion on huge ornate "tronos" (floats or thrones) with more than 5.000 kilos carried by more than 250 members shape the processions that go for the streets with penitents dressed in long purple robes, often with pointed hats, followed by women in black carrying candles. Drums and trumpets play solemn music and occasionally someone spontaneously sings a mournful saeta dedicated to the floats it makes its way slowly round the streets.