Frigiliana and Nerja

On February 23rd we toured Frigiliana and Nerja. Travelling down the coast about an hour we started our day with a visit to the magnificent Caves of Nerja. Discovered in January of 1959 by 5 young friends who were out looking for bats these caves are a series of caverns that stretch for almost 5 kilometres.  Pathways have been built throughout the caves which take you on a wonderful journey throughout this wonderful creation of nature.  It is absolutely mesmerizing and no picture can do it justice.  It is one of those places that the best pictures remain in your head.

From the caves we went to the whitewashed hillside town of Frigiliana.  It is said to be one of the most beautiful in Spain and after our visit we certainly agree.  The cobblestone streets wind up and down the hillside by picturesque alleyways lined with plant pots well tended to. Doors are painted cheerful colours and the shops have eye catching displays.  Small restaurants with enticing aromas invite you to stop awhile..  The views of the surrounding farmland are so peaceful to make the whole package perfect.   The whole town was also sparkling clean.  After touring the town with our guide Peter we sat out on a terrace and had a lovely lunch including the traditional dish of megas which had some blood sausage in it which was actually quite delicious.  Reluctantly we left Frigiliana and ventured on to Nerja for which we had high expectations but were soon to be disappointed.  The redeeming factor was the incredible views from the town terrace of the ocean and rocky shoreline but the town itself really had no character.  After coffee in a local cafe we headed back up the coast.  A bonus of the day was spending it with Peter who spoke good English and shared so much information.  It is so nice to learn about the areas in which we visit.

The Caves of Nerja 

The formations were incredible and the lighting very subtle 

One wonders how many other magnificent caves lie hidden to be discovered 

Plant lined alley of Frigiliana 

A resident makes his way up the hilly incline 

A colourful display outside a store draws you in

Lots of stairs throughout the town would certainly help keep you in shape

Fountain was built in 1640 to bring water to the residents and livestock and still functions today 

Up or down depending on which way you are heading but so picturesque 

Alleyway to a private home lined with well cared for plants

Looking over some of the rooftops to the buildings perched on the hill

Looking towards the farmland which is a major source of income for the village 

A view from the terrace at Nerja 
A picturesque alleyway down to the beach at Nerja 

Gibraltar

On Tuesday February 21st we took a day trip to Gibraltar.. From Marbella it is about an hour drive along the coast ro reach the border of Spain and Gibraltar.  Gibraltar is an English Territory which was first settled by the Moors in the Middle Ages and was later ruled by Spain but was ceded to the British in 1713 and has remained a bone of contention with the Spanish ever since.  In the 60’s and 70’s Franco closed the border all together and closed off all communication so those living in Gibraltar were very isolated and could only leave by sea.  We had an amazing guide ,Tom, who has grown up here and raised his family on Gibraltar with only a brief stint in the USA where he met his wife.  Located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula Gibraltar is home to 32,000 residents but during the day that total increases by 50% as the workers from Spain come in to fulfil their jobs.  Tourism is the number one industry with online gambling being the second which was a big surprise to us.  Next is shipping as half the worlds ships stop here to refuel on their travels.  The rock itself is 426 meters at its highest elevation and was an important base for the Royal Navy duty the Napoleonic and Second World War as it controls the narrow entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.  The Rock itself has over 50 kilometres of tunnels built inside which were used during the wars.  The huge St Michael’s Caves are now a huge tourist attraction and are beautifully lit but during the war we’re kept as a hospital when the residents of the rock were mostly evacuated to other areas such as London.  Visiting the top of the Rock we were met with many Barbary Macaques which are native to Morocco and are the only monkeys living wild in Europe.  They do control the population of these monkeys as they do reproduce quite freely and would over run the rock in no time. They are very habituated and one has to be careful to hold onto one’s bag.  Thes views from the top of the rock were stunning.  Tom explained how they are slowly reclaiming back land from the sea on which to build as they have no more bailable land.  All food is brought in and water is through a desalination plant. All residents have two water lines with salt water being used where ever it can be.  We toured the caves and the tunnels and learned so much before a stroll through the town and a lunch of traditional English fish and chips before heading back to the hotel.  An amazing day!

Our first glimpses of Gibraltar in the distance from Marbella

Arriving at the border and seeing Gibraltar through some haze

A monument on the top of Gibraltar which pay homage to the belief that the Rock is one of the Pillars of Hercules 

Entrance to the Great Siege Tunnels

One of the restored canons pointed out to the Strait of Gibraltar 

Formations inside st Michael’s Caves

Some of the beautiful lights reflecting on the caves during the light show

It is mating season for the monkeys and they spend hours grooming each other hoping for a mate

These ancient rings are in the rocks all the way up to the top of Gibraltar and it is how the workers hauled supplies up the steep inclines

Eric out on the glass platform looking out over the ocean at the top of the Rock

A monkey just sitting surveying his domain

This is an example of land they are currently reclaiming and which will eventually all be housing 

Around the marina shows housing built on reclaimed land. The houses at the top of the picture sell for several million pounds each 

The pedestrian street of the town

The airport divides Spain and Gibraltar with the red topped building’s being the Gibraltar border with Spain behind. When airplanes are landing or taking off all traffic stops which apparently in the summer can be quite a hold up

Puerto Banus

We ventured down to Puerto Banus which is 8 kilometres down the coast from Marbella and is an area which was developed as a marina in 1970 and has become a very upscale area for the rich and famous.  Many movie individuals have homes here as well as wealthy Saudi Arabians and Russians. The stores and restaurants are very upscale and though it was worth a look it was not a place we would ever want to spend more time. We did have a wonderful seafood lunch right on the beach in a delightful restaurant where we were greeted by the owner and the food was delicious.  After looking at some of the huge boats in the marina we walked back the 7.8 kilometres along the promenade to our hotel.

One of the ‘small’ yachts tied up at the marina

The small boats were all tied up out far from the hotels and condos but were definitely more our style

Lunch at this delightful restaurant made the visit worthwhile 

Marbella, Spain

February 15,2023 we set off for our trip to Spain.  We are doing something new for us and staying in one place for 3 weeks so will be a new adventure.  Our flight path took us to Toronto, Frankfurt and then to Malaga where a one hour taxi ride took us to our hotel apartment at the Puerto Azul Marbella.  Our timing was perfect as the Frankfurt airport had shut down the day before due to IT issues and was going to be closed the next day due to a strike.  Phew!!!  Our location is perfect, right on the ocean with a beautiful promenade along the water going for kilometres in both directions.  There are a multitude of bars and restaurants situated along the walkway so lots of choices.  Our first night after a long walk we chose a lovely Spanish restaurant where we shared an assortment of tapas and of course some Spanish wine.  We even had an order of bocquerones, which are deep fried whole anchovies with lemon.  We ordered them with a little trepidation but they were delicious and we will be having them again.  Friday we spent some time exploring and walked up to the old town which is just a short walk from our hotel.  The old town is beautiful cobblestone narrow pedestrian streets lined with small shops and a delightful array of restaurants built around a colourful town square named for all the orange trees that rim its exterior.  The trees are laden with oranges which apparently are very bitter and were specially chosen when planted so people would not pick them.  A visit to the local grocery store was interesting and even resulted in the purchase of a couple of different foie gras which made me very happy.

Dinner is late in Spain so arriving at the restaurant at 745 we were early.  We returned to old town to a restaurant we had seen which had won many awards for its traditional paella and we discovered that those awards were well deserved.  The seafood paella was amazing and we will be returning.  A late night stroll along the promenade was a perfect ending to the day.

Beautiful view of snow covered mountains flying between Germany and Spain 

Our first view of the beach in front of our hotel

Spanish tapa dinner so good. Even Eric was a fan of the deep fried anchovies and for someone who used to detest them that is saying a lot

The narrow streets of old town

Fountain leading into the square with orange trees in the background. Raining at the time so square now busy

So many of the walls are beautifully decorated with colourful plant pots which along with the intricate cobblestone make for a stunning display 

Intricate decks and overhead sign welcome one into the town as the sun sets

This was just some of the paella choices. Each one is made fresh and the wait is at least 30 minutes. Delicious!!!

Anticipating a wonderful dinner

The streets had an almost magical quality in the evening 

This promenade goes on for kilometres along the ocean and will definitely give us our steps every day!