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We started our day in the Caves of Nerja -- rightfully Spain's 3rd most popular tourist attraction. The site is well researched with excellent explanations in Spanish and English. A well-lit staircase safely manages the crowds through the first set of caverns known as the Upper Gallery.
The entrance area explains the background of the caves and displays tools recovered here. The highlight is a skull with a hole in it -- a remnant of an early surgery. The place was used for living on and off from about 25,000 BC!
While stalagmites and stalactites make every spot look similar, parts of the caverns open to the public have been given various names. This one is the Hall of Ballet since performances are held here. RoboCamera took this of a sensitive caring caveman of the 90s and his woman.
Exposure times were slooooooow here and so we'll get a few blurs! The caves were discovered in 1959 and run at least 3 miles (but probably much longer once the scientists explore everything). A tourist entrance was added later. These were late additions: the caves were formed at least 5 million years ago and the stalagmites and stalactites have been dripping in place ever since. I won't ask you which is which.
Behind these two ballet dancers are the seats also added much later. Performances are scheduled during the summer. Air conditioning is probably not an issue.
A couple "halls" down the pathway is the world's largest (at least discovered) stalactite/stalagmite. It's in the Guinness World Records at about 20' by 40' at its base and about 100' tall.
This is the center of a hall about the size of a football field and about 100 feet high.
Our excellent fellow travelers for the day were Najad Tuffaha Al-husseini and Carole Graves from Columbia, Maryland.
Paleolithic cave drawings have been found here, but are not on view for tourists. The site remains a major research area. Its about 3 miles from the sea and about 2 miles from the lovely town...
of Nerja. Lovely, that is, except for the area around the parking garage. This huge building site seems to be at a dead stop with no sign of workers or even construction materials. We found many such places with building cranes but no activity as the Costa del Sol economy slows up with the liquidity crisis hitting the financial world.
But just beyond that barren area, Nerja bustles in its main plaza, named after its famous Balcony of Europe.
The name, Balcón de Europa, was given by King Alfonso XII who visited here to revive morale after the 1885 earthquake.
This lovely mirador replaced a gun battery: Tourism and trade may be the best diplomacy as no one wants to shoot their customers (except maybe Jack Kevorkian.)
The Mirador stays level with the square while...
...steps lead down to the sea...
...through gardens...
... to a lovely beach. Nerja has about 10 miles of beaches with coastal views, Mediterranean blue water, and views of the Sierra Almijara mountain range
Back up at the square, some had traded their swim suits for wedding dress as they readied for nuptials in the church of El Salvador.
Finished in 1697, this is pretty much your white-inside with golden altar Andalusian generic church with a few variations such as ...
... the tronos (throne) of San Miguel to be carried in parades and religious processions. It's fairly small, probably a reflection on the population of this town -- only about 12,000. Nearby and much larger Malaga supports floats with 200 carriers. All have the bell to communicate commands to those lifting -- typically about 175 pounds per bearer.
And this church claims to be one of the few to have images of all three named archangels. We saw Michael on his float and here's a modern Gabriel (or is it really George Stephanopoulos?) doing that Annunciation thing with Mary. But I didn't see any sign of Saint Raphael.
We ended our visit with a stroll through whitewashed Nerja.
Like all good Andalusian white towns, the homes sport grilled iron porches. But here we saw tile work under these porches.
Sometimes, at least.
Even those ghastly high-rises try to mimic the whitewashed homes -- but on a severe budget.
Tile was also used to accent the white walls.
But my favorite was not the old white but these modern recycling cans -- much more attractive than the huge plastic behemoths that we found overflowing with trash along the sides of streets elsewhere in Andalusia. THE END: See all of our travel pictures by cutting and pasting this link into your browser: http://www. dickschmitt.com/travels.html
