Flights to Málaga: Which airlines fly to the Costa del Sol?

Whenever we take our car for service in Vélez-Málaga, we usually jump on the tranvía to Torre del Mar for a few hours, whilst we are waiting.

The Vélez-Málaga to Torre del Mar tramway is located about 30 km east of Málaga and was inaugurated on October 11th 2006. The standard gauge tramway is 4.6 km in length, and runs between Parque Jurado Lorca in Vélez-Málaga and Paseo Larios, in the coastal town of Torre del Mar.

The journey only takes a few minutes, passing the El Ingenio shopping centre and the Hospital de Axarquía Comercal along the way.

A single journey costs €1.30 and there is no need to pre-purchase a ticket – just jump on board and pay the conductor. Trams run approximately every 20 minutes between 7am and 10pm.

It´s great to wander around Torre del Mar for a few hours, have tapas and make the return journey to collect our car!

What´s your favourite form of transport?

Shopping Centre (Centro Comercial): El Ingenio

Posted on May 29, 2011 by Marianne under Axarquía, Places

You can easily find the El Ingenio shopping centre if you take the exit at km 272 of the A7/E15, Autovia del Mediterraneo.

Free parking is plentiful, beneath large sails which offer shade from the heat of the sun.

There is a good selection of shops spread over two floors including Zara, Pull and Bear, Primor, Calzados (for shoes) Dunnes (the Irish equivalent of Marks and Spencer), Casa, C & A and Bookworld (an English bookshop), plus many more. There is also a choice of mobile telephone shops as well as travel agents and a large supermarket – Eroski.

On the upper floor is the Plaza de Restauracion where you can sample any one of a selection of bars and restaurants, before going to see a film at the multi-screen cinema. A few years ago there was always an original version of a current popular film, but these days the films all appear to be dubbed into Spanish. That´s a pity, as it usually means that if we want to see a VSOE film we have to travel to Plaza Mayor, near to the airport in Málaga.

Opening hours of the El Ingenio centre are 10am -10pm, Monday to Saturday – closed Sunday.

Where is your shopping centre of choice?

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Posted on May 22, 2011 by Marianne under Axarquía, Laws and Customs

The Day of the Cross: Día de la Cruz

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Marianne under Axarquía, Fiestas and Festivals

Día de la Cruz (The Day of the Cross) is celebrated throughout Spain each year on May 3rd.

This is a popular festival where crosses decorated with flowers (often carnations) are displayed in public plazas and alleyways throughout most town and villages.

Throughout the pretty white village of Frigiliana, there are usually around twenty of these floral bedecked crosses adorning the streets. At each cross you may see shawls and fruit on display, as well as morcilla, chorizo, nuts, olives. The local villagers try to outdo each other with their floral tributes, and offer free tapas and the local sweet wine to visitors who stop to admire their handiwork.

In the early evening, the village band conducts a tour of the crosses, followed by a group of folk musicians and dancers, all colourfully clothed in their best flamenco dresses.

The Day of the Cross celebration in Frigiliana was a casualty of the Civil War and the tradition was only restarted in 1981. Unlike in many towns and villages, Día de la Cruz in Frigiliana is not a competitive event but a day to celebrate and enjoy the beautiful flowers and hospitality.

Which is your favourite fiesta or festival in Spain?