Malaga - a trip to Nerja

Hello to you all from Nerja, a lovely Spanish town on the Costa del Sol and which is close to my heart.

A bit of history ...
Mum and I first learned of Nerja many years ago whilst watching the TV institution that was "Wish You Were Here", prior to the days when the internet revolutionised the travel industry.  Back then, Nerja was a sleepy fishing village in the process of being discovered and developed for tourism and, fortunately, high rises are not allowed along this stretch of the coast so, although the town has expanded to accommodate the North European's love for a piece of Nerja, the villas and apartments are, mas o menos (more or less) in keeping with the Andalucian style.

My brother and I treated Mum for her birthday to a week's holiday here about 25 years ago and we both loved it.  We did our own thing much of the day as Mum isn't a sun worshipper but we always met up for a coffee at the end of the day at Bar Anahi and it's still there today plying it's trade from a knockout, clifftop location.  It was here that I learned of a language school and when back in the UK, with the help of my lovely Spanish-speaking friend, Laura (hola Lau!), I put together an application to study a 2-week diploma course in Nerja.

I returned to the school in 1995 and stayed with a lovely Spanish woman - Asuncion - and her family.  They were lovely and had received students for years and, as it turned out, Asuncion was a very special lady indeed.  Yes, some of you know that I didn't get to complete the diploma as Dad died really suddenly.  It turned out that Asuncion was a faith healer and she took care of me in my hour of need until I could get home to help my brother and Mum.  So, a bitter-sweet connection with Nerja and definitely unfinished business and is how my interest in getting some kind of Spanish qualification started.  Its taken some time but the interest has never waned and with the help of Lau, Leticia and Catherine (my Spanish teachers in Whitstable) I managed to bag an A level.  Quite what I'll do with the language when Mick and I return home next year I'm not sure but it will form part of my working future.

So, fast forward 10 years and Mick and I returned for a long weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  Mick fell prey to the charms of Nerja and is why we revisited today.  Whilst here 10 years ago we happened upon Asuncion's house.  A neighbour came out of a nearby house and I inquired of Asuncion and if she was still living here.  The neighbour turned out to be her sister-in-law and she remembered me too.  So, I plucked up the courage to knock on Asuncion's door and, within seconds, she remembered me and invited us in for a drink and a chat.  And whilst we were there a baby was brought to her with colic and she did her healing and the baby just stopped crying, in front of our eyes.  An amazing and very special woman indeed and I was blessed to have met her.

Saturday 7 December - Nerja
So, here we are again today and the sun is shining.  We just thought we'd have a look around and enjoy the coastline.  At one point you could walk about 5km uninterrupted around the coast but only parts are accessible today but, hey, what a view!

The stunning view from The Balcon de Europa, Nerja

In fact, on walking around it appears that Nerja has had a face lift.  It was looking a bit tired when Mick and I visited 10 years ago but its definitely been spruced up - good to see as it really is a pretty place.

Whilst here, we couldn't resist that Andalucian speciality - sopa de mariscos y pescados (shellfish & fish soup) served out of a terrine - how very Spanish!

Que aproveche de Nerja!

So, apart from a bit of Christmas shopping (in the sun) that just about wraps up our visit to Nerja.  Tune in soon for our post on Ronda, another dramatic clifftop town.