Marbella

by Robert Bovington

Marbella is advertised in holiday brochures as the most exclusive resort on the Costa del Sol, which could possibly mean that if people haven’t got loads of money they are excluded! Certainly it is the playground of the rich and famous – and infamous! Film stars and footballers rub shoulders with foreign royalty but the town has also been the haunt of crooks and undesirables including the Russian Mafia and Osama Bin Laden though, to be fair, this was before he embarked on his terrorism career. Even local government has been corrupt there – so much so, that the Spanish government took the unprecedented step of suspending the Marbella council.

However, the town is a major tourist centre and for good reason. This jet setting resort has hotels, villas and mansions fit for kings yet despite its opulence it has a perfectly preserved old town. This old Moorish quarter is a warren of narrow twisting streets and alleyways. Small restaurants, cafés and boutiques occupy many of the whitewashed buildings that often have wrought iron balconies festooned with geraniums or bougainvillaea. This part of Marbella is extremely photogenic and is a mix of Moorish and Christian architecture because the old houses are interspersed with the occasional church.

Plaza de los Naranjos

The heart of the old town is the delightfully named Plaza de los Naranjos – so called because of its orange trees. Attractive buildings surround the square including the 16th century Town Hall. There are several outdoor cafés here and it is the perfect place to unwind over a glass of beer.

A couple of miles away is Puerto Banús. Here you can see how the rich spend some of their ill-gotten gains, as many luxury yachts are berthed at the marina in this chic suburb of Marbella.

more blogs by Robert Bovington...
 

"Photographs of Spain"	http://bovingtonphotosofspain.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Los Vélez

by Robert Bovington

Los Vélez is situated in the Sierra de Maria in the north of the province of Almería. Within this area is the impressive Parque Natural de María-Los Vélez as well as the twin towns of Vélez Blanco and Vélez Rubio.

Castillo Vélez-Blanco - Juan José Rodríguez

Vélez Blanco is a typical pueblo blanco with its whitewashed houses nestling at the foot of a rocky outcrop. At the top of this prominence, a majestic castle looms over the town. It was built in the 16th century on the orders of the first Marquis of Vélez. Unfortunately, only the impressive exterior of the fortress remains - the insides are in New York, on display in the Metropolitan Museum.

There are a number of fine religious buildings in the town. The 16th century parish church of Santiago mixes Gothic, Renaissance and Mudéjar elements. The Church of Magdalena was built on the ruins of an old mosque whilst the Convent of San Luís was also built in the 16th century.

A few miles away is Vélez Rubio. It is a small town with several mansions and a number of religious buildings. One of the churches is quite magnificent - the Baroque Church of La Encarnación which was built in the 18th century. The twin bell-towers dominate the town's skyline.

Another important building in Vélez Rubio is the former 18th century Royal Hospital, which houses a museum, dedicated to local history.

Despite the historic monuments in the two towns, Los Vélez is better known for its caves, which have UNESCO World Heritage status, particularly the Cueva de los Letreros which is situated between Vélez Blanco and Vélez Rubio. It was here that prehistoric wall paintings were discovered in the 18th century. The cave was declared a National Monument in 1924. One of the paintings, the Indalo, is the symbol of the province of Almería.

Robert Bovington
Roquetas de Mar
December 2011

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Photographs of Spain"	http://bovingtonphotosofspain.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Nerja and Frigliana

Robert Bovington

On the way back from a trip to Gibraltar, I stopped for a couple of hours at the delightful town of Nerja.

Nerja - view from Balcón de Europa

Frigliana

There are more photographs on my Picasa Nerja and Frigliana Album. To see them, please click on the link below...

Nerja & Frigliana - Robert Bovington - Picasa Web Albums

Mijas (a pueblo blanco nr Málaga)

There are many pueblo blancos in the province of Málaga including my favourite, Mijas. It is situated in the foothills of the coastal mountain range that overlooks the coast. The town's maze of old Moorish streets are awash with colour - pottery, basketwork and other goods are displayed in the many shops and colourful floral displays adorn the walls of the houses. Mijas is a good place to get away from the urban sprawl of Fuengirola.

My wife likes Mijas because of the shops. Yes, some are a trifle touristy and sell the usual pottery, leather goods and pictures of whitewashed houses. However, a few establishments are more tasteful and sell antiques and fine art. There are also the little bars and restaurants some with stunning panoramic views.

I just like walking the steep narrow streets and admiring the little houses with their white facades adorned by colourful pots of flowers.

On one occasion, I walked up to the little chapel, the 'Calvario Hermitage', on the hill high above Mijas. It was rather a strenuous climb amidst pine trees and I wished, at the time, that I had picked a colder day to do it but once there I enjoyed the views and the well-earned rest.

Calvario Hermitage

Another chapel in Mijas is the Hermitage of the Virgen de la Peña, the patron saint of Mijas.  Mercedarian monks built the chapel in 1520 and inside is a carved wooden image of the virgin allegedly dating back to AD850. It is a delightful little building, although I find it a bit incongruous that, just like a number of ancient churches that I have visited in recent years, it has electronic candles rather than the real thing!

Hermitage of the Virgen de la Peña

My favourite place is 'La Muralla' - a park with balconies from where one can view the coast below. It is a quiet oasis away from the bustle of tourists, yet is only a few minutes walk from the centre - just up past the Plaza de Toros.

La Muralla

Robert Bovington

Benidorm

by Robert Bovington

Twenty-nine years ago, my wife and I enjoyed a two-week package tour holiday in Benidorm. Yes, really - we enjoyed it!

Benidorm 1982

I am not quite sure how we came to decide to visit the Costa Blanca for a holiday - perhaps it was cheap - I can't remember.

Initially the resort itself didn't impress us too much. It appeared to suffer from all the worst excesses of mass tourism. High rise hotels and apartment blocks, restaurants that served "full English breakfast", burger bars, discos and nightclubs.

Even back then we weren't really into lazing on the beach - nor were we party animals. Our idea of a good holiday was to do some sightseeing that maybe included a visit to a museum. We might go for a walk in the countryside making sure that we visited a hostelry for a midday drink or two. So how come we found Benidorm so enjoyable?

For a start, the town is handily placed to visit some delightful places in the province of Alicante. On our holiday we went to Altea, Guadalest, Alicante and the Isla de Benidorm.

Altea is a pretty little town only ten kilometres north of Benidorm. The old village comprises a labyrinth of narrow alleys between whitewashed houses, dominated by a blue-domed church. The only problem is that one has to climb more than two hundred steps to reach it! However, it is well worth the effort.

Guadalest

Guadalest is quite spectacular. This mountain village is carved out of a mountaintop and breathtaking views can be enjoyed there, especially from the tower of the castle Peñon de la Alcalá. This ancient citadel towers over the village which itself is picturesque with its artists' workshops, cafes and museums. It is well worth a visit if you can tear yourself away from the beaches and bars of Benidorm. You won't be alone, however, because Guadalest is one of the top tourist attractions in Spain. It will still be less crowded than Benidorm's beaches though!

La Isla de Benidorm

The little island that can be seen from the beaches of Benidorm is a nice place to visit if you fancy a picnic. It is called la Isla de Benidorm because it is an island near Benidorm! Boats leaving the port take about 20 minutes to get there. The island is uninhabited except for a summer bar and hundreds of birds - the feathered variety - you need to visit Benidorm's discos and nightclubs for the other sort. Boat trips can be taken to other places along the coast such as Calpe, a pleasant place to visit despite modern day colonisation - there are Northern European establishments including British bars serving full English breakfasts and pints of bitter. The town is a mix of old and new and has a traditional fishing village and a quaint old quarter. The Peñon de Ifach, a 332 metre rocky outcrop that serves as a nature reserve, looms over the town.

Alicante, the capital of the province, is worth a visit. It has a castle, a marina, parks, promenades, museums and art galleries. In my view it is much more interesting than Benidorm. We visited by train. It was a pleasant journey travelling between Benidorm and Alicante along the narrow-gauge track. Another excellent train journey from Benidorm is on the Limón Express. It is a narrow-gauge vintage train. It is called the Limón Express because it is painted a sort of lemony colour. Travelling on this train is more of an excursion than a means of getting from Benidorm to Gata de Gorgos. At this destination passengers can visit a guitar factory or watch artisans at work making basketwork. The little train passes through spectacular landscape - enough to make you intoxicated if the champagne that is served to passengers doesn't!

Mirador del Castillo

We did do a little swimming and sunbathing during our fortnight in Benidorm but not on the crowded Levante or Poniente beaches. Instead we made our way to the little beach near the Mirador del Castillo. We much preferred the old town of Benidorm with its Spanish bars rather than the International bars and restaurants and had excellent paella, the speciality of this region, in one of the establishments near the Mirador.

I have to confess, though, that most evenings were spent in one of the hundreds of International bars. I had good reason - the 1982 World Cup was being held in Spain whilst we were there! It was the first time that I had encountered large screen TVs in bars. Many establishments also had live entertainment - a band playing on one side of the room - a football match on the other side. We positioned ourselves in the middle so that my wife could face the music whilst I watched the World Cup - I faced the music later for watching football on holiday!

We did a few touristy things like going to a medieval banquet where we watched jousting whilst tucking into heaps of barbecued food and great quantities of wine. We went on a trip to the mountains where we rode on a donkey to a picnic site, ate our packed lunch and consumed further great quantities of wine.

So even we museum hopping, party poopers enjoyed Benidorm and I would guess that many people still do. All the things that we enjoyed are still available and more. There are theme parks, water sports, night-clubs, discos, restaurants and bars galore.

Benidorm has also endeavoured to improve its image. Over the last couple of decades it has tried to appeal to all types of people not just the working classes of Northern Europe looking for a cheap foreign holiday. In a lot of ways it has succeeded. It is said that it is now the cultural centre of the Costa Blanca - I wouldn't go as far as that. It has a healthy pop music culture - many top artists have appeared there including Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. The International Song Festival is held there annually. However for what I call culture - classical music, opera, museums, art galleries and historical architecture then surely Alicante and Elche or, further afield, Valencia need to be visited.

However I will concede that Benidorm is an extremely popular holiday destination. It has come a long way from the small fishing village of the 1950s.

Robert Bovington
Roquetas de Mar
November 2011