Los Barriles

Another request from Meike was to go for Tapas at Los Barriles. The last time she was here we went for Chorizo Infierno along with Phillipe. This time we were accompanied by Ettore.

Inside Los Barriles.

Introductions were made and Meike was christened with her new name. “La Rubia”. It’s easier to pronounce than Meike (“Mike” + “er”), not “Meek” + e as I had always pronounced it. Anyway, ahora se llama Rubia, or Blondie in English!

Rafael hard at work.

No chorizo infierno tonight. I think 3 plates of Paella was enough for la rubia. Even Rafael was impressed. Don't worry, I'm sure we will be back for the chorizo another evening.

Back at Los Barriles.

Meike back in Nerja

Nerja says a big “Bienvenido!” to Meike as she returns to spend two weeks at the school. Her timing was impeccable as her flight landed just before I arrived back from another week in England. What does she want to do in her spare time in Nerja? First things first, Paella at Ayo’s!


Monica and Meike on Burriana.

So the next day it was a trip down to la playa for Ayo’s famous Paella. It was also the Spanish National Jet Ski championship at Burriana. The place was packed. We soon devoured our first plate of Paella. Mid way through the second plate and Monica was full and I was struggling. Not Meike. She finished the second plate with gusto and headed back for thirds.


Paella at Ayo's.

“No way she will finish it” Monica confidently predicted. A 5 euro bet was on. The easiest 5 euro I’ve ever made. Meike almost liked the plate clean. Monica was stunned, and 5 euro lighter.

On the beach and the Jet Ski race was coming to an end. We had a quick walk around the pits before realising that we were in a restricted area. Nobody seemed to care though. I’ve no idea who won but I thought I saw the champion having his photo taken so I went to investigate. The fact that he was surrounded by “bunnies” as Meike described them had no influence on my decision whatsoever.


In the Pits.


Spanish Jet Ski Champion.


I think this is the Champion but who cares!

Tequila

Monica, Joachim y Fabi.

The party zone was in full swing. We bumped into a few familiar faces on the way through. Joachin was out and about. His son was singing in one of the caseta's. We also bumped into my new "Intercambio", Julia, who was wearing an ace pair of sun glasses for the party. We headed to the cheap bar near the roundabout. The roundabout proved to be a good base. Not too crowded as it was inside the zone. Not as loud, but still everyone was in fiesta mood.


Julia y su amiga.

It was also convenient for the toilets. Monica point blank refused to use the portacabin loos. Instead it was the cleaner toilets at Caeli for her. Whilst she went inside I waited at the bar. Rebbecca was working and asked what I would like. Something quick I replied. Welcome to the world of Tequila!


Zona de Fiesta.

I’ve never had Tequila before. I was given quick instructions for my cheeky shot. Salt, down the tequila then the lemon. What did I think? Not to my taste. Not to be deterred, Rebbecca came back with another shot. This time with orange and cinnamon. The cinnamon is sprinkled on the orange slice. You down the shot and place the cinnamon side of the orange on your tongue. An improvement. Tasted a little like one of those Aftershock shots.

Monica arrived at the bar. Rebbecca asked if she fancied a drink.
“Maybe a chupito” replied Monica. A sly grin on Rebbecca’s face as she went to prepare another round of Tequila shots. A hat-trick inside 5 minutes. Something told me that I wouldn’t be having a good game of golf in the morning.


Ettore, Fabi, Monica y yo!

Back at the party zone and more dancing. It was a great atmosphere and definitely the best Feria I had been to. It was gone 4am before we decided to call it a night. Early start in the morning!


Las Reinas.

More rides at the Feria

Party time at the Nerja Feria. After a few beers in one of the Caseta’s it was time to tame a few of the rides. First up was the feared “Project” with its “Maximum Poder”. The swinging pendulum that twists around at the end.


Ready for the Project.

The others bottled it. I was sent on the ride alone. The safety harness down. No chance of escape. The ride started. It was almost at top speed before it got anything close to scary. The ride started to slow down. What a letdown! However, the two kids next to me told me the ride wasn’t over. “Maximum Poder!”.


Maximum Poder!

The ride started to speed up again. The music from the ride interrupted with a robotic voice, “Maximum Poder”, then whooshing noises. Still, it wasn’t as terrifying as I would like. Not a patch on the Montaña Rusa the other day.

Next up was the big spinning washing machine ride. Again I was the lone rider. Along with a bunch of kids. I must have been the oldest person on the ride. But you´re never too old to go on the rides. The spinning began. The speed it reaches is quite impressive. The neon lights of the Feria are a blur. Much better than the Project ride, but still no Montaña Rusa.


Top Gun Ride.

The ride torments you with the threat of getting wet. You´re left hanging upside down. Face down looking into the water jets that start to get closer and closer. Within touching distance but you don´t get wet. It´s all an illusion. Still the blood rushing to your head is not a great idea after a few beers.


Splashdown!

My feet firmly back on the ground and it was time to leave the fairground behind. The party moved along to the Tutti Frutti zone.


Just an illusion.

Why I Love Spain!

Back in the UK and Health and Safety has gone mad. You can't do anything these days without a hi-vis jacket or some other ludicrous regulation from the nanny state. In Spain it's slightly different. Rules don't apply if it interferes with fun. As in this case.


What rules?

The sign on the kiosk says "Prohibido Saltar". Jumping prohibited. Yeah right! That would spoil all the fun. The ride operator was actively encouraging the breaking of rules. I love Spain!

Feria 2009 – 3 must do things!

The feria finally arrived in Nerja. It was going to be a great one. I just knew it! Firstly, it landed on the weekend so no work to worry about. Secondly, the infamous “Feria rains” were nowhere to be seen. In fact, it was positively glorious weather.

The first day of the feria and I had a lunch time meeting with Julia on the playa. Julia is my new “Intercambio”. Half of the session in Spanish, the other in English. Not surprisingly, Julia’s English is way better than my Spanish. Anyway, talk turned to the opening of the feria. The “pregon” was tonight at 9pm. Julia gave me a “3 things I must do” at the feria. I was confident that I would pass this little test with flying colours.


The Feria gates.

At 9pm we arrived in time to see the “Pregon”. This is the official opening of the feria by the “Pregonero”. This year saw a rousing speech from Paco Haro, reliving past feria’s. I couldn’t understand everything he said but he spoke with such passion that you understood what the feria means to the town. Then it was the customary switching on of the lights followed by an impressive firework display.


Fireworks.

After a quick bite to eat it was time to start on the challenge. The first on the list was “jugar la tombola”. Bingo to me! There was a small crowd gathered around the trailer playing. First game and I got nowhere near. At least 5 numbers short. The second was no better. We tried to move on to the next task but kept being enticed to play another game with free tickets. This time, Fabi was agonisingly close. One number short. Time to move to challenge number two.


Monica, Ettore and Fabiana.


Eyes down!

This was an easy one. A ride on one of the attractions. I chose the “mouse trap” type roller coaster. Only Ettore was brave enough to join me. I had a few nerves as we went to pay for the ticket. They grew as we saw one of the carriages thunder past. The track shook violently. No time to chicken out now. Vamos!




Rollercoaster.

We survived the ride. Just! I was constantly ducking my head to avoid hitting the supporting beams. Every turn jolted my body and I was sure that I would have a severe case of whiplash before we reached the end. Time for the more gentle final task. Churros and chocolate. Wonderful!


Churros and Chocolate. Gnammy!!!

With all the tasks complete it was time to enter the Tutti Frutti zone. Not a late one tonight as the girls were working in the morning. The party night would be tomorrow. The zone was packed and the DJ was playing the latest dance music with a little Spanish mix. I can’t wait for tomorrow night!


Fiesta time.

Molino de Papel

Once again the walking season is upon us. Not that the temperature has dropped too much. It was well into the thirties as we set off to Maro. Our walk today was a gentle warm up for the new season. A walk along the coastal road and a visit to the beach at Molino de Papel.

Molino de Papel is on Km 298 of the N340. Since the opening of the motorway between Nerja and La Herradura, this is now a quiet track, mainly utilised by the bikers. It’s not the greatest place to walk along but there was no other route. Besides, Maro is on Km295, only 3 kilometres of road to walk.

We got a few supplies from the store in Maro and headed through the ghost town towards the N340. Maro hasn’t escaped from the roundabout craze that has swept through Nerja. Not one, but two new roundabouts on the east side of town. It’s not exactly a traffic hotspot but I suppose they have made it look nice.


Looking back at Nerja.

The journey along the coast was quiet. A handful of cars passed by. Just before the Molino de Papel turn off there was a path that lead up to a viewing point. We set off to explore and were rewarded with spectacular views over Nerja and the cliffs of Maro to the west. The west end of Burriana beach is visible, along with the Balcon. A series of secluded beaches line the east side, Molino de Papel being the closest.


Walking along the cliff.

We headed back to the N340 for the short walk to the beach turn off. We took a short cut down the cliff to arrive on the beach. It is a peeble beach, not a patch of sand to be seen. This is what probably makes the water crystal clear. It was the most inviting I’ve seen the Med all year.


Crystal clear waters.

We walked along the beach to find a nice spot for lunch. We headed to the far end, away from the majority of the nudist bathers that lined the beach. Before lunch we decided to try the water. Usually bathing in October is left to the Scandinavians. But it was far too inviting. We tip-toed in. The water was freezing, but surprisingly you soon got used to it. Swimming in the Med in October, Fantastic!


Swimming in October!

We spent a fair few hours on the beach, soaking up the sunshine. We could have stayed longer but the warm temperatures had caused a problem. We were desperately short of water. We headed back to Maro with only a drop between us. We saved it until we had reached the top of the steep section of the N340.

On the way back we passed the old factory that is the Molino de Papel, the old paper mill. From the back it looked deserted. However, the roadside of the building appears to have been converted into living quarters. The sound of large dogs barking persuaded Monica to keep walking, so we didn’t investigate fully.


Molino de Papel.

We rejoined the N340 and headed back to Maro. The sight of Maro in the distance has never been so good to see. Forget a cold beer, we just wanted water. Disaster in Maro as the shop that was the only sign of live in Maro earlier was shut. We had to go to the bar at the east side of town.The bottle of water at 2 Euros was worth every cent after a hard walk in the sun.

The Antequera Cheerleaders

So what happened to the cheerleading plan? Well they didn’t do me any good on the first hole. But what happened to them after that? They were supposed to follow our group for a while in their own buggy. Monica was quite happy to let Angela take the wheel. Big mistake!


Danger! Angela behind the wheel.

Things didn’t get off to a flying start for the girls. Angela caused mayhem in the parking area. Firstly, she couldn’t find reverse gear. Then she struggled to put the footbrake on. I had visions of them flying over the edge of a cliff. It’s a bit steep in places around the course. I advised Angela to practice with the brake. She promptly performed an emergency stop, almost causing a three cart pile up. All this and a ball hadn’t been struck in anger.


Nice vantage point girls but now your stuck behind the others!

So after the first shot the girls had managed to get themselves jammed behind the others. They had to wait until the third group went out before they could continue. By this time our group were long gone. So they decided to follow the third group around. Chris the Pro advised them that they could catch up later when you cross over to the far side of the course.


Our Cheerleaders giving support on the 4th Green.

They caught up with me on the 7th hole. But where was the buggy? Monica’s usual calm demeanour was replaced with a frazzled look. Her nerves had been shot to pieces with Angela’s terror cart driving. They didn’t fancy the drive down the steep hill at the 8th hole so had parked up.

"Keep walking!". Monica's plot to avoid Angela's driving thwarted.


Safer on foot.

They were soon reunited with the buggy and followed us all the way to the 9th green. Or should I say I followed them. Angela was doing her best “Driving Miss Daisy” impression whilst at the same time blocking me off so I couldn’t overtake.

We parted at the 9th green as they went for an adventure finding the new hotel. They were not seen until we had reached the 18th tee. I should say they were not heard until then. After playing my tee shot I could hear the unmistakable northern twang of Angela over the noise of the buggy somewhere in the distance. But where?

It was 2:30pm. They had initiated Operation Retrieve. We had to leave the course by 3pm latest if Angela was to make her flight home. The plan was to come and find me and if required, give me a lift back. However, there were a few flaws to the plan.
Problem 1 was they were heading in the wrong direction. They had set off following the course around from hole 1 to 18. If left to their own devices, it would have taken them the best part of an hour to drive around the course. “They” leads to problem 2. The plan was to pick me up in the buggy. There is only room for two. I would have ended up having run behind them. Still, at the speed Angela was driving, I would probably have won that race.

Luckily the pair heard my shout and turned to see me waving my arms like a lunatic. Disaster averted and they turned back and met me at the 18th green. Just in time to see me miss my birdie putt. I should have let them carry on!

Away Day at Antequera

The TOGS Away day trophy was at stake at Antequera. I had the backing of my two cheerleaders, Monica and Angela. Monica given explicit instruction to cheer my every shot. Angela’s role was to sledge the opposition. The major worry over the day was the weather. It was teeming down on the coast. The girls almost staged a revolt. Luckily, the weather kept improving the nearer to Antequera we got.

Out of the 24 players due to start, 16 had turned up. The others had cried off due to the threat of rain. The rains never came and it was a great day for golf. I was out in the first group. I’m always nervous on the first shot. More so with my cheerleaders in place. The nerves grew as I was last to tee off. The tension was too much as I fluffed the shot in front of a laughing gallery.


Nerves on the first tee in front of a packed gallery.

Things didn’t improve as I hoicked the second shot left. To add insult to injury my third shot to the green went sailing out of play. The second hole didn’t improve much. My tee shot got away this time but too far left. I hacked the ball around and failed to score again.


Approach to the 7th green.

The girls had long since abandoned me and my game slowly started to improve. 2 points on the hardest hole on the course after I wisely decided to lay up my second shot. The girls rejoined at the 7th hole. This time I managed two decent shots to the edge of the green. Then disaster as I hit a poor chip and three putted. My next Tee shot didn’t improve matters as I sliced it into the water. A pretty poor 10 point return on the front 9.


9th Tee and a decent shot for once.

The girls left to go and explore the new hotel and have lunch. My game improved no end. The highlights being a monster drive on the downhill par-5, A 15 footer for par on the long par-4 15th, and a final tee shot within 10 feet of the pin on the 18th. I finished the back 9 with a respectable 18 points.


Final putt for par.

The runaway winner of the first away day trophy was Chris Broderick with 38 points. Chris played in our group and was faultless all day. A symmetrical 19 and 19 point, and a full 6 points ahead of the second placed man, Captain George Clay. Another member of our group took 3rd place with 29 points. So I was only a point off the placings!

Rainy Saturday Blues

The weather held up for Angela all week until the end of her holiday. Her date with Paco and the beds were a complete wash out. Still we headed to the beach for lunch. Angela was looking forward to having the Wraps at Blue Med. Alas, the combination of the downpour and football on TV meant the place was packed, as were most other places on the front. We decided to give the Cosmopolitan a go.

Here they had Wraps on the menu so Monica and I ordered them. Angela went for the fish burger. The Cosmopolitan restaurant is very plush and has an up-market feel. The prices are a little on the high side. The wraps were OK but I prefer the Blue Med. Angela enjoyed her Fish burger so it’s worth a try.


At the Cosmopolitan.

With not much happening and the skies still grey we headed back to the house for a game of poker and to finish off the beers left over from Monica’s cleaning duties. We were joined by Fabiana and Ettore, who brought along some nibbles. Ettore brought more than that. He cleaned everyone out at poker with some dubious hands. Lucky sod!

Around 8ish I was getting restless. The Big Game was on at La Traiña, Malaga v Barcelona. The others weren´t too bothered but they eventually agreed to go, thanks to the lure of fish tapas. The others were content playing card, Uno I think whilst I had my eyes glued to the screen.


Uno at La Traiña.

Malaga had started off well. Half an hour played and 0-0. The writing was on the wall though. Twice Ibra looked offside. Twice the Linesman kept his flag down. Twice Ibra missed. Unbelievably Ibra broke the pattern on his third attempt, about half a yard offside. Useless officials!

Malaga didn’t really look like scoring and it was only a matter of time before Barca scored a second. This came courtesy of another dodgy bit of refereeing. Pique headed in unmarked from a Xavi free kick. The reason he was unmarked was a blatant push on the Malaga centre half that should have been covering.


Malaga v Barcelona.

Another black spot on the night was the disgraceful theatrics of Dani Alves. He was caught with a late challenge by Luque. He fell to the ground as if he had been shot and rolled over at least three times just to make sure the referee knew that he was in agony. The challenge wasn’t even worthy of a yellow never mind the red that was brandished. Needless to say, Alves was sprinting down the wing a minute later. Usian Bolt would have struggled to keep up.

So 2-0 to the referee at the end. A terrible start to the campaign for Malaga after the euphoria of the opening win against Athletico. That counts for nothing now as they are in a worse position than Malaga. Still the tapas were good and I even won a few rounds of Uno.

The Restaurant at Burriana

Angela treated us to a meal out down at The Restaurant at Burriana. This used to be the “Fusion” restaurant, and more recently the Burriana Properties cafe bar, next door to H2O. They do a set menu of two courses for 20 Euros and three courses for 25 Euros.

Angela enjoys the Prawn starter.

The place is popular and we have often been tempted in the past whilst sat at H2O. The dishes always seem excellently presented and we were not disappointed on our last visit. The menu is presented on a printed A4 sheet as the menu is changed on a weekly basis. At times you need to be a culinary expert to understand exactly what each dish is. It seems exotic to me anyway.

Monica tucks into the Goat's cheese.

For starters Angela went for the prawns with sweet chilli sauce. I had the Mozzarella and tomato whilst Monica went for the Goat’s cheese. The plates were beautifully presented and tasted great. Monica and Angela chose the Thai curry option. Both glad they went for “mild” after tasting the spice on the chilli sauce. I had the confit of duck. Another tasting session and I think I had the best plate.

Two Courses for 20 Euros.

It was all washed down with a couple of bottles of Chardonnay which comes highly recommended. I’m not usually a lover of white wine but that one was very nice. Angela used the remnants of the second bottle as an excuse to order a dessert. As she was the only one to go for a sweet she asked for the low fat option, a third of the calories. With the waiter looking suitably confused she said “Three Spoons!” Monica held firm but I had a little taste. Heavenly!

Angela's "half-fat" dessert.

We ended up at H2O to round off the night. It seemed the letter “B” dominated the conversation. Angela getting “Breasts” in as often as possible. And the less I know about Paco’s beds the better. I’m not sure what Monkey Nuts had to do with anything but it sure put a smile on Angela’s face!

What goes on in Angela's mind?