Feria de los pueblos y ciudades de Málaga

The Palacio de las ferias y congresos in Málaga hosted the 13th trade fair for the local towns and cities of Málaga to promote themselves. It would be a good opportunity to find out more about the local places we have yet to discover.


Palacio de Ferias y Congresos, Málaga.


The Nerja Caves Stand.


Nerja was well represented. The ayuntamiento had a stand along with the caves. Most of the other towns were grouped together and represented as a region.


Entertainment at the feria.


There were a few groups performing to the crowd near the entrance and a few attractions for the kids, including a science park area. Most of the stands were there to hand out leaflets about their areas in an attempt to attract more tourists. Monica kept herself busy by collecting a ton of leaflets of all the areas.



Nerja, circa 1956.

One great exhibit was a passage in time. It housed a giant screen that showed a google-like satellite image of the coastline of Málaga. It reverted from 1956 to 2006 as it moved along the coast. A number of smaller screens were at the back where you could zoom in to a particular area. The satellite image of Nerja in 1956 shows just how much development has taken place in Burriana. In 1956 it was more like El Playazo. I wonder if a similar development will be seen there in another 50 years.

Reflections inside the quad.

So we have plenty of places to explore in the coming months. Probably starting with the various "rutas" in the Axarquía such as the "Ruta del sol y del vino"!

Noche de tapas - Chorizo infierno

Another night out with the school. We visited one of our favourite places in Calle Carabeo, Los Barriles. This is a very basic bar with a very simple menu displayed above the bar. It is very popular with locals and tourists alike.

The specialty of the bar without doubt is the "Chorizo Infierno". A skewered sausage is placed in a ceramic pig. The belly of said pig is filled with alcohol and set alight. We must of ordered about 10 of these treats and the temperature inside raised a few degrees.


Inside Los Barriles.

Another feature of the bar is the amazing memory man that is the owner, Rafa. If you look you will see that he never writes any of the bills out. When anyone asks for the bill, he recites everything you have had then tills it up. I've been going here for well over three years now and never seen him make a mistake yet.


Heating problem solved with Chorizo Infierno.

Classic Ange

You would think that I would have learnt over the years. As long as I can remember, any visit, trip or night out with Ange is accompanied with an “Angism”. Something so uniquely Ange that it is marked indelibly on the memory. Although she saved it for last, this visit was not an exception.

The day started off pleasantly enough. A typical relaxing Sunday morning you would think. I had planned to catch the 11:00am train (well, bus as it happened as there were engineering works on the route) to get me to Guildford, and then on to Gatwick in plenty of time for my 3:40pm flight to Málaga. Angela was not having it.
“Its only an hours drive away, I’ll take you to the Airport!”. Oh why did alarm bells not start ringing?

Angela had arranged a day out with friends at the London Irish rugby match for the Afternoon. So she would need to drop me off at around 12:30ish. Not a problem. She went out to pick up a friend from Reading station as I packed the last of my things. It was 11:30am when the Classic Ange moment struck, as she returned from the station.

“The traffic is horrendous. It might be better for you to walk to the station.”. A slight tinge of panic started to set in.
“But you were taking me to the Airport?”.
“Oops. Can’t you catch the train?”.
“Seeing that the train/bus left at 11am, not really.”
“OK then. Lets go”.

Off we crawled to Gatwick Airport. Still, there was time for Ange to take the top down on the Merc. Well, I suppose you have to take advantage every chance you get over here. The traffic around Reading was gridlocked due to roadworks. Ange started to panic. I can’t quite follow the logic of what goes through Angela’s mind at the best of times. During a crisis you can forget it.
“Shit. I’ve forgotten the rugby tickets. Should I turn back”. No problem, Grant was waiting in the apartment. He can collect the tickets for you.
“Shit. I haven’t got a cardigan!”. No problem, remember the solution to the first problem?
“Shit. I haven’t got my trainers!”. Mmmm. I’m pretty sure Grant can carry more than one thing at a time. The panic seemed to lift momentarily from Ange. I knew that this was only temporary.

Angela "Hamilton" Hughes in the Merc.

“Can you drive the car?”. Alarm bells ringing. What is going through her pretty little mind now?
“I can run to the house and get my things and catch you up.”. Deep breath Dean. Respira! Which part of the plan “Let Grant bring your things” was not getting through? To take her mind off things I set about fixing her car kit. Car kit repaired. Dare I say it, calmness restored.

“Shit. They’ll have to leave my ticket at the box office!”. It was creeping up to 12pm. The rugby was not starting until 3pm. A quick call was placed to Karen. The sound of her voice calm, definitely sounding like the “Classic Angism” had been experienced plenty of times before, as Angela explained the latest crisis. Karen re-assured her that they could find there own way to the stadium, and with the invention of Mobile phones, could easily arrange to meet her outside when she arrived. Minutes later we had got to the roundabout and passed the troublesome roadworks. Ange put her foot down and the Merc hurtled towards Gatwick. Calmness restored to Ange. Panic beginning to rise in one slightly frightened passenger.

The next drama happened as we approached the M4. The entry ramped looked fairly busy from a distance.
“Better find another route!” and with that Ange swung the Mercedes out of the entry lane and continued on down the A road to Guilford. With that manoeuvre, was Angela back in control?
“The important thing is to make sure you catch your flight. Its not all bad, at least my briefs match my bra”. Normality restored. As we passed the Motorway, we could see queuing traffic stretching as long as we could see up the motorway. At this point I seemed to remember that there was a train that left Guildford at 1pm. We changed plans and headed for Guildford station.

It was touch and go whether we would make it in time. The sat nav had been programmed to Guildford. The problem was that it was showing two stations in the area. We decided to wing it and take our chances. The clock was ticking. A frantic race in true Top Gear style. A few wrong turns and with 2 minutes to spare we reached the station. A quick goodbye and I raced into the station to buy a ticket and find the Gatwick line.

So much for the 1pm train. My mind had been playing tricks on me. The next train to Gatwick was 13:50. I should have been safely tucked away in the exec lounge at that time. But what could I do? The adrenaline of the rush to the station had subsided, strangely replaced by a sudden urge to have a pee. All the time in the world now so I headed in search of the toilets.

Guildford Station. Quite a large station. Not as big as Piccadilly but bigger than Stalybridge. Must be at least 7 platforms. On the commuter route to London. God knows how many passengers come through this place every day. Sum total of toilets in the station? One, and that was closed for “upgrades”, since February. On enquiring where the nearest convenience was I was told to head for the town centre. Calm down Dean, plenty of time. I headed into the town centre.

My urge to pee was now being kept company by sudden hunger pangs. I spotted a Subway and thought it would be a good idea to kill two birds with one stone. I ordered my foot long sandwich and was about to head for the toilet.
“Sorry, out of order!”. What the bloody hell is wrong with Guildford! I hurriedly left shouting “back in a minute” as I renewed my search for a loo. Luckily I spotted a sign for a “24 hour” facility near to a multi-storey car park. That was going to be plan B but hallelujah it was open and fully functional. I quickly returned for my foot long and paid the extra for the meal deal. A bucket of coke is just what you need!

The train turned up on time and we headed towards Gatwick. I have never been before and didn’t have a clue how far the station was from departures, or where it was. All I knew was that the train pulled in at 14:40 and I had 15 minutes to find it. Luckily, the station is slap-bang next door to the south terminal, and that’s where Monarch fly from. What was all the panic about? I made it to the gate just as boarding started. Angela, you are forgiven. Until the next time!

Oxford

A weekend trip to see Angela in Reading. After managing to get lost at Reading train station (50/50 chance of getting the right exit and I go wrong) Angela finally rescued me at the back of the car park. We walked back to Caversham, Angela carrying a file with things that looked suspiciously like work (not this weekend kid) and other “goodies”. A pack of leaflets, flyers and printed Internet pages. 101 things to do this weekend. Although the wine tasting, James Bond experience (Speedboat up the Thames in reality), adventure parks sounded wonderful, I really wanted to go and see Oxford.
“Not a problem!”, Ange cheerfully replied and dumped all her plans in the bin.

Before that, a little shopping was in order. Gadget shopping so that’s OK. Ange wanted a Freeview recorder and I was deemed “expert” for the day. A quick trip to Comet and we found the perfect item. Unable to resist the lure of the gadgets I succumbed and finally bought a new Ipod classic. The previous model was well past its best and its better to stick with what you know. Besides, Monica wouldn’t let me get a PSP!

Arriving in the city of the dreaming spires, we headed for Broad Street to find a walking tour. Spain is famous for its fiestas. The running of the bulls, Flamenco, Romerías and assorted festivals. England as Morris Dancing, and there was a competition running in the main street. I never quite understand it but young and old were participating in traditional dress. There were a group that had blacked out their faces. Don’t really understand that one but whatever floats your boat.


Very English.

The walking tour started from Broad Street, outside Trinity College. Our guide for the day, Stuart, started on a down note.
“My first advice is to never visit Oxford on a Saturday”. Oops, too late mate. The reason being that Saturday is the favoured day for weddings. Most Alumni of Oxford chose to get married at their old college. This resulted in most colleges being closed to the public. Trinity College was a case in point today. Closed for a wedding, a rather posh one at that as Stuart saw the Bishop of Oxford in attendance.

The tour started with Jesus College. Here Stuart explained the “Collegiate System” that is used at Oxford and Cambridge. All students belong to a college where they would reside, be assigned a tutor, and eat. They would attend college for tutoring but not lectures. Most of the students’ social life centred around the college. Therefore, the choice of college is all-important. A college does not specialise in a certain field but the student must choose a college that has a Fellow in their chosen subject. Therefore, students of smaller subjects are quite limited to the choice of college open to them.

Most colleges follow a similar design template. Many are based around an inner quadrangle. This was mainly for the protection of the students from the local population. Oxford is the oldest English speaking University in the world. It was founded after a fall-out with the French, where most affluent English people would attend University. The locals didn’t take to the students and violent confrontation was not uncommon. Indeed, many students were attacked and killed in its early days. Hence, most colleges have a defensive feel to them.


The Dining Hall at Jesus College.

Our first port of call was the dining room. This is dominated by the portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, the patron of the college, that hangs above the table reserved for the Fellows. Students would be served breakfast, lunch and dinner. The latter a formal occasion where students were required to wear their gowns and had to be seated before the Fellows arrived, and could not leave until the Fellows departed. At the end of the dining room is a balcony area which is known as the “Minstrels Gallery”, an area reserved for various entertainers who performed at the college. Jesus College is historically a Welsh college. To this day it still attracts a majority of Welsh students. Between 1571 and 1915 there was an almost unbroken chain of Welshmen principals at the college. Famous ex students at Jesus include Lawrence of Arabia and Harold Wilson, their portraits can also be found in the dining hall.


Inside Exeter College Chapel.

The next college was across the street, Exeter College. The inner quad here is famous for being where the fictitious Inspector Morse died. We headed for another standard feature of most colleges, the chapel. At the entrance there is a bust of another famous alumni, JRR Tolkien. The insides are as impressive as the Victorian Gothic architecture. The college walls are also decorated with chalk drawn coats of arms with a list of names. These are the colleges rowing victories in the inter-college competitions. At the back of the college is an impressive garden that is used by the students to play croquet in the summer. It has stunning views of the buildings surrounding the college, including the famous Radcliffe Camera.


Outside the Radcliffe Camera.

Another famous landmark on the Oxford landscape is the Bridge of Sighs. Well, the oxford version anyway that connects Hertford College and was designed by Sir Thomas Jackson. Just beyond the bridge is a narrow passage named “St Helen’s” that leads to a decent pub that Stuart handed out free taste vouchers for real ale. We would be exploring that passage later.


Bridge of Sighs?

Our next port of call was described as “Harry Potter’s” college. Apparently, a number of scenes from the films had been filmed here, the New College. This is one of the biggest colleges in Oxford and certainly isn’t “new” being founded in 1379. Its official name is “St Mary’s college of Winchester in Oxford” and as St Mary’s already had a college it became known as the new college. The college is home to an impressive cloistered area where many Gargoyles can be seen on the surrounding buildings that have been designed to represent various Fellows. The dining hall is quite impressive and has been featured in the Harry Potter movies, although not the grand dining room unless they use trick photography.

The chapel is home to a number of treasures. The most prized being El Greco’s painting of St James, insured value around the 20 Million mark. The founders Crozier is also displayed nearby and is worth a fortune. In the Ante-Chapel there is a sculpture of Lazarus and fantastic stained glass window depicting the seven virtues.


Statue of Lazarus at New College.


Ange outside All Souls College.

That was the end of the tour and I would recommend it to anyone wishing to explore the colleges of Oxford. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to climb the church spire for views over Oxford as it had just closed for the day. So we had to console ourselves with a trip to the Turf Tavern for a taste of real ale. Being a lager man the barman recommended a light ale ominously named Dragon Slayer. Not too bad. We day was finished off with a visit to a nice country pub for something to eat on the way back to Reading. Then it was time to play with the new gadgets!


A quick pint at the Turf Tavern.

La Primavera

After a long walk there is nothing better than heading for the beach, a bit of Paella and then soaking up the afternoon sun.


Burriana Beach in Spring.




First steps in the Med 2009.


Paella and a pint at Ayo's


Watching the world go by...

Barranco de los perros

The second walk with the Nerja Walking club was along the Barranco de los Perros. This is a nice circular walk from the eastern end of Maro that climbs up to the track that heads up to Cielo, a little lower down than the Cortijo de la Civila.


Nerja in the distance.

The turn out was not great, probably due to the early start. It looked like we had picked a nice day for it. The winter weather seemed to be in the distant past. A lovely spring day on the costa, similar to the best summer’s day you could hope for in Manchester. We cheated at the beginning of the walk, the boring part, as Michiel took us up the track in the 4x4. Then it was a steady climb up the hill.

Donna lead the way and as last time was extremely informative about the area and the fauna. We stopped every now and then so that she could smell the herbs growing wild, in search of the elusive lemon tyme. Donna eventually found some and promptly put a sprig underneath her backpack strap. The invigorating smell kept her going, a little ritual she likes on all walks apparently.


Avoiding the prickly bush.

The Barranco de los Perros got its name from one of its eccentric inhabitants. In the past, the area was home to a group of isolated people of an incestuous nature. This resulted in their offspring being a little mad and wild. One such inhabitant kept a pack of wild dogs that would instantly attack anyone who strayed on to their territory. Thankfully, this was long ago and the dogs no longer roam the area.


On the track.

We reached an abandoned cortijo and took a break. It was designed in the typical style that allowed for the inhabitants to live in the south facing side during the cold winter months, whilst moving to the cooler, northern end in the Summer. This was the halfway point and it was not long after that we reached the familiar track to El Cielo, near to a garage below the Cortijo Civila.


The abandoned Cortijo.

In total the walk was just over 3 hours long and the pedometer registered 11 kms, although it was probably closer to the 15Km mark.

Ronda

Andalucia’s fastest growing town. A popular tourist destination, the third most visited place in Andalucia after Sevilla and Granada. Its famous for the dramatic gorge that seperates the new and old town, and is seen as the home of the modern bullfight.


Ronda.

Our journey to Ronda took us over the most famous landmark of all, the “Puente Nuevo”, the new bridge that spans the El Tajo gorge. If you don’t like heights, don’t look down from the bridge. The river is more than 100 metres below. We parked on the new side of town, below an impressive square with fantastic buildings.


Plaza above the Parking.

This is close to the home of Bullfighting. The Plaza de Toros is now a museum. This place saw the birth of the modern bullfight. Before, it was conducted on horseback. Then this tradition was broken by the Ronda-born bull fighter, Pedro Romero Martinez, in the 18th century. He paved the way for making Bull fighting an “art form” where the Matador stood toe to toe with the bull. He was immortalised in the famous Goya portrait and is also referenced in Ernest Hemingways “The Sun also Rises”.


Statue outside the Bull Ring.

The bridge that spans the El Tajo gorge is best viewed from below. There is a nice walk that takes you to various viewing points and a number of other bridges lower down. The old town is home to Plaza de la Duquesa de Parcent. Here you can see the church Santa Maria de la mayor and the convent Santa Isabel de los Angeles.


View of the Bridge from below.

A quick coffee and the purchase of the obligatory fridge magnet and it seemed that the girls wanted to do a bit of shopping. Shoe shopping at that. We quickly put paid to that idea and decided to call it a day. The drive back down the mountain is spectacular. The views and the sight of the various Spanish bikers whizzing past makes it a great road to drive.

Gaucín

Our next white village was Gaucín. Set in the mountains of Ronda, it has fantastic views of the coast. On a clear day you can see Gibraltar and the Rif Mountains in North Africa. It is set some 600 metres above sea level and has a strong ex-pat community.


Gaucín.

We parked up on the West Side of town and headed towards the centre. The first thing that stuck us was the Castle, El Castillo de Aguila, The Eagles Castle. Walking towards the castle and another noticeable feature of Gaucín was the decorative Geckos affixed to the walls of most of the houses.


El Castillo de Aguila.

The Geckos of Gaucín became a feature of the town last year. The idea, known as the Gecko Project, was inspired by the “Cow Parade” in Switzerland, where life sized cows were made from Resin and local artists were encouraged to decorate them to boost tourism. So Gaucín ordered 400 resin Geckos, giving 175 to local school children to decorate. A competition was held and the locals displayed their painted Geckos by hanging them on the outside walls of their houses. Gerry was so impressed she made enquiries to purchase one and intends to decorate it herself.


Gecko de Gaucín.

Another poster seen in the town advertised a local festival to commemorate “la toma y reconquista de Gaucin”. This is a recreation of the French Army taking control of Gaucín in 1810. The French were overthrown by a group of mountain guerrillas. The whole historic episode was to be celebrated the following weekend. It may well be worth checking out the 200th centenary next year.


Calle de Gaucín.

Gaucín turns out to be a town steeped in history. A ceramic portrait of Guzmán el Bueno can be seen in the Plaza of the same name. Guzmán dates back to the 14th century. He died here defending the town from the Moor invaders. It would take until 1457 before the moors were driven out of Gaucín by King Henry IV of Castile.


View of the Church and roof tops of Gaucín.

Back to the 21st century and Gaucín boasts a great tapas bar, “Paco Pepe”. It proudly claims the title of the best tapas in Gaucín 2008 and it was easy to see why. We ordered a few raciones and each one was a delight. Better still, they were showing the Man Utd v Liverpool clash. Gerrard scored the penalty to take a 2-1 lead before we left. Quite simply one of the best tapas bars in Andalucia. You want more proof? Follow the link.
Even the Times says so

Casares

The first “pueblo blanco” on our tour was the beautiful village of Casares. It lies about 15 kms away from the coast and is a spectacular setting in the mountains. You can see several signs with the slogan “Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad” on the drive up. It is the Andalusian motto meaning “Andalucía by herself, for Spain and Humanity”.

Casares is the birth place of Blas Infante, the father of Andalucía. He was the driving force behind Andalucía being an autonomous state but fell foul to Franco´s forces during the civil war, whom arrested and then executed on a roadside in 1936. The main Plaza de España in Casares has a statue in his honour and his birthplace is now home to a museum.

We parked on the road that looks down on the village. Here is a perfect place for any keen bird watchers. Various Eagles and vultures glided high above, magnificent creatures. The walk through the narrow cobbled streets were inevitably charming and hard work as the village is based on a hill.

An old castle dominates the skyline of the village. Its in pretty poor condition but several walls still exist. It must have been a foreboding sight for enemy armies. The defenders would have had an easy time picking off any idiots who would try to scale the cliffs to attack this place. From the top you have magnificent views of the coast. The Rock of Gibraltar is visible from here. Today, the peak of the rock was visible sticking up out of the clouds.

After walking around the place we sat down in the glorious sunshine for a cafe in the plaza. This looks out to a roundabout which is wonderfully ignored by the locals. I suppose the village wasn´t designed for vehicles and so the villagers make up the rules as they go.

A trip to Estepona

Monica had a rare weekend of work, Gerry and Mike were in Estepona for three weeks so it was the perfect chance to get down there.

We had planned to tour a few of the “pueblos blancos” in the area before finally going to visit the beautiful city of Ronda. That would require an early start on Saturday so we made our way down on Friday Evening.

We left a quiet Nerja and arrived at the relatively bustling Estepona. It seems that Estepona is a more all year around resort. It is also cheaper than Nerja. We went to a beautiful restaurant that had a three-course evening meal menu for 10 euros. I had the Pimientos for starters, followed by Chicken Curry. Great value. Nerja restauranters should come visit and see for themselves. Have they heard about the crisis?

Streetwise Top Dog - Antequera

Streetwise magazine is holding a "Top Dog" competition for all local Golf Societies. The format is a better ball stableford with teams of 12. The top four teams scores from each society makes the team score. The first round was held at Antequera and some how I made the team.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Antequera. Earlier discussions of other societies using "bandit" handicaps was forgotten and I was determined to enjoy the day come what may. I was partnered with John Kilroy and was hoping to post a decent score.


Dreamteam! Me and John Kilroy.

We were playing with a team from the GINS, the Nerja golf society. It was a "shotgun" start so we headed to the 8th tee to start. At least I wouldn't have my customary bad start at the first on this course. First tee short of the day set the pattern for my driving. Not bad at all for a change. However, a good start was ruined with careless shots around the green. We managed to score 1 point from the first two holes. The GINS pair, Jack and Phil, were looking to run away with it with 5 points already.


Plenty of Agua on the course.

As we started to mess up the next hole thoughts turned back to handicaps. John was convinced that he couldn't play to his new handicap of 11. Capped with that it looked like the GINS may have a "ringer" with Jack playing off 23, giving him 26 shots on the day. He was in his 70's but after the first hole, never looked like duffing any drives. Still, the Sun was out and we had a little laugh and started to relax and enjoy the day.


Long Par-5 down hill.

Looking back, this turned out to be the turning point for us. We started to pick up points but so where the GINS. We were convinced that we were well behind throughout the match. However, we kept racking up the points, the GINS excellent play probably helped us to respond. John chipped in with two great birdies. The final one coming on our last hole was for a crucial 4 points. Totting up the scores at the end and we were in for a pleasant surprise. We had tied with the GINS with 40 points.


Driving up the slope.

40 points turned out to be our teams top score. Other teams came in with impressive results and we ended up with 157 points to take fourth place. We didn't come away with any prizes. The Vinuela society seemed to sweep the board, taking the individual team score with 46 points, and a combined team score of 166 points. A few whispers of "Bandits" were heard and a few tales were told. One of which was that a member of the winning team was on a handicap of 36. But at the end of the day who cares. It was a great day out and beats work!


On the first Tee (Our 12th hole)

Noche de Tapas Otra vez!

Another trip out with the school for tapas around Nerja. This time we headed for the west end of town. The first bar was Los pescaditos near plaza tutti frutti. I was sat next to Fran, one of the teachers, so hablamos en español.


Tapas con Quorum.

An interesting fact was discovered about the various types of tapas bars around. One of the things I don’t like about certain places is the very bright light. Apparently, this marks out the bar as a “marisqueria”. Somewhere you go when you want fish or seafood. Bars with softer lighting are “Mesons” and specialise in Meat. Los Pescaitos as the name gives away is a “marisqueria”. Tapas included “almecas” (shellfish) and “gambas” (prawns).

The next bar we visited was los sevillanos and is a “meson”. Here we had a variety of tapas including a rather nice “ensaladilla Rusa”. It was here that we broke from Spanish as Philipe came over to the naughty corner. He told me that he was a keen guitarist and was hoping to learn Flamenco, so I told him to check out “El Molino”. I didn’t realise we would be going that evening.

The next bar was one of our favourites on this side of town, El Bodeguilla. We took our places at the back of the bar and was soon tucking into more lovely tapas. It was here that Mari-Carmen told Philipe about El Molino also. It turns out that her father owns the place! So off we went for a bit of flamenco.


In El Bodeguilla.


Elena tucking in.

We took pride of place below the virgin and I took my first ever taste of vino de frigiliana. A very sweet wine that has a bit of a kick Monica warned me. Mari-Carmen plonked 3 bottles of the stuff on our table. As the wine kicked in, I discovered other hidden talents of the Quorum staff. Fran fancies himself as a bit of a Flamenco singer. Elena then treated us to a display of Sevillano dancing on the stage. Great night out. I’m sure to have a sore head in the morning.


Fran enjoying the Flamenco.


Mari Carmen enjoying the local wine.