April 11, 2010 -- Mediterrean Coast east of Nerja

Today we explored the small coastal towns Herradura and Almunecar and on return, Maro and Nerja. Here the mountains rise right up from the sea and the terrain is very rugged. The new Autovia going east employs mile-long tunnels and 200 foot-high bridges in an effort to smooth out the highway.

Herrdura is uninspiring, sporting a kilometre-long grey, gravelly beach, lined for the most part by one row of three story condos or hotels.

Almunecar is more interesting, with a life other than just tourism. This little town is built around a circular medieval village with short, narrow streets. Palm-lined streets and a decent beach make it quite attractive.

On our homeward leg we took the lower, older, winding road and ventured up a narrow river valley into the hills. Here the farmers cultivate steep slopes right to the top of the mountains with mangoes, olives, sugar cane and almonds evident. Near Maro we stopped to observe the lookouts which were built along the coast every five kilometres after the expulsion of the Moors from Spain. These were apparently built to warn of approaching pirates.

Maro, an attrac- tive little village, is a suburb of Nerja and features caves with prehistoric paintings, Roman ruins such as the Aqueduct of the Eagle, pictured here, and industrial ruins. We will return to explore these.

On to Nerja where we strolled beneath El Balcon de Europa and watched a wedding on the beach.

Then, it was home to Frigiliana where we dined out, enjoying wonderful fish soup, fresh salad and, of course, vino.

Meal Hours in Spain

"In Spain, breakfast, or desayuno, is eaten twice. The first is a light meal, often toasted bread with butter and jam and cafe con leche (milky coffee). A more substantial breakfast follows between 10 and 11 am, perhaps in a cafe: a bocadillo or mollete (a sandwich or muffin) with ham, sausage or cheese; a thick slice of totilla de patatas (potato omelette); or a suizo or tota de aceite (sweet rolls). Churros (fried dough strips) are sold mainly from stalls.

By 1 pm some people will have stopped in a bar for a beer or wine with tapas. By 2 or 2:30 pm offices and business close for al-muerzo (lunch), the main meal of the day, eaten between 2 and 3 pm, followed by a siesta. By 5:50 or 6 pm cafes, salones de te (tea rooms) and pastelerias (pastry shops) fill up for la merienda (tea): pastries, cakes and sandwiches with coffee, tea or juice. By 8:30 p.m. tapas bars are becoming busy. La cena (supper) is eaten from about 9 pm. In summer people eat as late as midnight.

Spaniards tend to lunch out on weekdays and dine out at weekends. Sunday lunch is usually a family affair."

Quoted from Eyewitness Travel Seville & Andalusia, but without the proper accents.

We're back in Business

Fortunately, our computer is working again, although very slowly. However slow, it does mean that I can start to post again.

We have just returned from a trip to Sevilla and Cordoba and after organizing our photos I will re-start this blog. In the meantime, however, I would like to share something from Eyewitness Travel guidebook for Seville & Andalusia so you will understand why Duane and I will each weigh 200 pounds when we return. See next post.

Computer KAPUT

Hi all,

Unfortunately our computer went KAPUT so I will not be able to post any more on our blog. Currently we are in Sevilla using a public computer (12 minutes for one euro) so I won´t be using the computer very often. I am so sorry about this.

However, lovely day today in Sevilla, and a bullfight tonight.

On to Cordoba for Friday and Saturday.

April 10 -- Comares

Today we took a road trip through some of the hill towns north of Frigiliana, our destination being Comares, a white village atop a mountain which, when seen from the coast, looks like a snow cap on the mountain. We travelled through hilly countryside on very winding roads, through the district of La Axarquia (La A Shar ia). This region is agricultural and we travelled continuously through mango orchards, vineyards, and olive groves, with citrus fruits and fig palm trees also in abundance. Every few kilometres we passed through a whitewashed medieval village with narrow streets.

The farmers use every hillside, no matter how steep, for plantings of some sort. Entire hillsides are planted to very old Muscat vines, pruned back to trunks not more than two feet long and hugging the ground with no supporting posts or wires. Drying racks in the backyards of numerous houses indicate the importance of raisin and Muscatel wine production. The villages are kept very tidy and we saw plenty of evidence of construction, indicating quite a vibrant rural economy.

Comares is perched atop a mountain with great views over the agricultural landscape. It is built on successive fortresses -- Roman, Moorish and Christian. At the very height is the cemetery with Muslim and Christian sections, the latter comprised of banks of crypts, many decorated with flowers. Both churches in town were formerly Mosques. The town is Moorish in layout and architecture, with winding, narrow streets, archways leading to courtyards, very low doorways of various styles, and few windows. The village has a hotel, a couple of other bars and restaurants, a goat dairy, a plaza, and numerous miradors or viewpoints.

When climbing through these hilltop villages one wonders how anyone with physical disabilities could live here as the tiled streets are so steep. Wizened, seemingly old, people slowly labour up the alleys, canes in hand. In public areas older men are seen huddled in conversation, enjoying the sun.

Frigiliana accommodation

Arrival in Spain

Our trip to Spain was long (a problem when using flight points) and we managed to miss a connection in Frankfurt, but -- Kudos to Lufthansa -- they managed to re-book us on another airline a few hours later and miraculously our luggage arrived with us!

We stayed overnight in Madrid where we had a late night tapas feast with wine, and in the morning, a lovely walk, before boarding an afternoon flight to Malaga on the Costa del Sol. Here our very gracious English hosts (whose Spanish vacation home we are using) met us and drove us through the seaside village of Nerja, and then on to our "new home".

The apartment is in a small complex on the fringe of the lovely whitewashed Andalusian village of Frigiliana, just three miles inland from Nerja. It is a "penthouse" (just four floors) with large French windows overlooking a swimming pool and the Frigiliana Valley. There are two double bedrooms, two bathrooms, an efficient and well-equipped kitchen, a large living room/dining room and a spacious terrace. Everything is extremely clean and is well decorated in white, blue, orange and yellow. Without a doubt we will be very comfortable here.

Our hosts, Ann and Mike Denny, offered for us to stay an extra week so we will now be "stationed" here until the end of April.