Seeing Stars: The Night Sky over the Axarquía

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Marianne under Axarquía, Slice of Life

If you are fortunate enough to spend time in the Axarquía, away from large urban areas, one of the delights that you will encounter is the sight of the night sky, virtually free from the light pollution.

An amazing spectacle awaits you when you see what nature has to offer from the hillsides of this part of Andalucía during the hours of darkness. Instead of counting the visible stars in dozens, suddenly they will be present in thousands.

[Image:eastendpro]

You will become aware of the patterns that form the constellations, and even though you may not know their names, you will see that amongst them twinkle many varied stars. The brighter ones can shine in several colours ranging from orangey red, through yellow, white and finally to blue. The blue stars are the hottest of all, with temperatures so high as to be meaningless to our minds.

With our dry air up in the Axarquía hillsides, we get a really clear view of all that the night sky can offer.

One of the most awe-inspiring sights is the Milky Way, the luminescent band of light, clearly visible in the Andalucían night sky. The Milky Way spreads across the sky, passing through the constellation known as Cygnus (The Swan). It is quite astonishing to realize when we look up at this broad band of hazy light, that what we are actually seeing is millions and millions of single stars, too far away to be identified individually.

Can you imagine staying at your villa in the beautiful countryside, East of Malaga, maybe floating on your back on an airbed in your swimming pool, looking up at all this wonderful display that nature offers to us?

Let me tell you, it is MAGIC!

There is yet another cosmic masterpiece available. At certain times of the year our planet Earth passes through bands of dust and debris that circle the Sun. We see these as meteor showers. There are several occasions each year, but a good show is the Perseids meteor showers, around the 12th August. Once again we shall be floating on our pool, watching these tiny fragments of space dust hurtling into our atmosphere at enormous speeds, 30 miles per second or more, and burning up to provide magnificent celestial fireworks.

Much slower are our own Earth-launched satellites which drift lazily by, so often these days, that you can usually spot one within a few minutes. Their speed is deceptive though, because the satellites are very high, they actually have to maintain about 18,000 miles per hour to remain in orbit.

Do you have a favourite place where you can gaze at the natural wonders of the Earth?

Whilst you´re here, you might like to look at:

Photographs I love …. and why!

Mind your language – The Basics

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Marianne under Learning Spanish

When visiting this beautiful part of Spain, east of Málaga, you will notice that English is NOT the primary spoken language!

Even in tourist areas along the coast, where some local people do speak English, it helps to try to speak a little bit of elementary Spanish.

The following brief advice is aimed at those who up to now speak no Spanish whatsoever.

If you buy a small, inexpensive Spanish dictionary you will have all the words at your fingertips, but how to string it together into “holiday Spanish?” There are a few easy introductions to phrases which you can learn in a few days, or hours even. These are frequently used introductions which help you along with very little effort.

An important one is “Dónde está ….?” “Where is ….?” You can then find the word you want from your dictionary, for example, “Dónde está la playa?”, “Where is the beach?”

“Quiero” …., “I want”…., and just fill in what it is you want.

To the waiter you can say, after looking at the menu, “Para mi ….” “For me …..”, “Para mi una cerveza” “for me a beer”.

A good word to learn is “Hay?” which can mean all of the following, “Is there?, Are there?, There is and There are”, the last two without the question mark, of course. In shops and restaurants “Hay” can replace “Do you have?”, for example “Hay agua?”, “Do you have water?” … literally “Is there water?”

For politeness you will need to learn “Gracias” “Thank you”, and “Por Favor” “Please”.

Slightly more complicated but very useful in shops is “Estoy buscando ….”, “I am looking for ….”

All you need is the name of the thing you are seeking which you can check in your faithful dictionary.

Basic greetings are always welcome. “Hola” is “hello”. “Adiós” is “goodbye”.

“Buenos dias, buenas tardes and buenas noches” are “Good morning, good afternoon and good night” respectively. (Did you notice that the first “Buenos ends in “nos” and the other two end in “nas”?) That is because “dias” is a masculine word and the other two are feminine words, but don’t worry about that at this level, I’m just pointing it out for the sharp-eyed among you.

It is a good idea to try to learn the numbers 1 to 10 if you can and many people will already know that “Sí and No” are “Yes and No”.

If you buy a Spanish phrase book you may be overwhelmed by all the information. Just concentrate on short introductions to phrases such as these I have mentioned, and pick up the words to finish them as you go along.

Be aware that many Spanish words have more than one meaning, so don’t think that once you have learned a word it will always mean the same thing. The English language is just as bad. The apparently simple English word “set” has scores of meanings.

The locals of Andalucía have a strong accent, just as in some regions of the United Kingdom and they shorten many words, so beware! “Buenos Dias” is just as likely to sound like ”Bueno” in the villages, and on the street markets you may hear someone calling out the price of their goods not as “Dos euros”, but sounding more like, “Do uro”, almost as one word.

Speaking of markets, a couple of often used questions are, “Cuanto es?” or “Cuanto vale?”, “how much is it?’ When you want to know, “At what time … (does something happen)?” the question is, “A que hora ….?”

Finally you can make a statement a negative one by putting “No” in front of it. For example, “Tengo ….” “I have ….”, “No tengo ….” “I don’t have ….”.

Keep trying. Spanish is a beautiful language and the locals will love you for it!

Hasta luego!

Whilst you´re here, why not have a look at:

Learning the Spanish Language: Online Resources

A Slice of Life: Garden and plant irrigation

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Marianne under Slice of Life

We have a great climate here in Andalucía, east of Málaga, with warm, sunny days and little or no rain from May to September or even October. So, how do our gardens and plants survive?

If you live in a town or village house with a small garden, or just a few pots, you will easily be able to water your plants with a hose pipe or even a watering can, using the village water supply.

Before I go on, I should also explain that many plants such as established olive trees, almond trees, and various cactus and agaves etc. will continue to thrive without additional water.

The matter of irrigation really arises in larger gardens, especially in the countryside, and where trees and shrubs are fairly recently planted.

Depending on the shape and size of your land you will need quantities of black plastic, low-pressure, irrigation pipe, (the high pressure pipe is for a powerful mains supply only). This pipe comes in long, coiled lengths of 200 or more metres. It is quite flexible and can be run out in lines or curves, up and down slopes of your land.

You will find it for sale in almost all towns and villages and a common useful diameter is 22 millimetres.

You will need to look at the layout of your garden and see how many different ways you need lengths of tubing to go, in order to take in all of your plants. It is unlikely that one single run of tubing will reach all the areas of your garden. As you can see from the photo at the top of the page, it would be quite easy to hide the irrigation pipe under gravel, if you wish.

Wherever your outdoor water supply is, it is worth getting a plumber to fit several taps next to each other so that each irrigation pipe can be permanently attached and you will be able to operate each one in turn on irrigation day.

If it suits you better (or you are not a permanent resident) you can buy automatic timers to switch the water on and off, but we prefer the freedom to adapt the timing according to conditions.

You will also need to buy plastic end fittings for each length of pipe, together with some PTFE tape (favoured by plumbers) to make the joints watertight.

The other part of the system is the thin diameter ”spaghetti” tube which leads a small jet of water to each plant, together with a small hand tool, similar to a bradawl. This tool will have a brass point on the end, the same diameter as the “spaghetti” tube and you simply poke it through the side wall of the 22mm irrigation pipe and insert a short piece of the thin tube, say about 30 cm to 60cm long. Fortunately this is self sealing.

When you switch the water on, a small jet of water will squirt out of each piece of the “spaghetti” tube to water your plants.

Obviously you can have one or more of the “spaghetti” tubes for each plant – or more can be added later. If you have two outlets for a plant, for example, you should have them inserted into the 22mm irrigation pipe about a metre apart and lead the outlets near to the newly planted tree roots.

Later as the plant grows and it’s roots spread out, you can move the spaghetti pipes further away from the tree or plant stem, to encourage the roots to continue to grow outwards.

How often to irrigate? This is difficult to specify but try not to overdo it. In high summer probably twice a week for 20-30 minutes, but after a year or two, once the plants are more established, the frequency can be reduced. It’s best to give more water but less frequently, to prevent shallow rooting. Always avoid giving little and often.

We usually irrigate our garden once the sun has gone down, which makes for less evaporation.

Hopefully, once the plants are established, winter irrigation shouldn’t be needed.

Happy gardening!

Photographs I love …. and why! [2]

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Marianne under Axarquía, Photographs I love

This is just one of a series of photos I have taken, and will share with you over time, capturing the essence of living east of Málaga. Each one, in it’s own unique way, reminds me of why I love living in southern Spain, and in particular the Axarquía.

This photograph shows the coastline of the Axarquía, as it drops into the Mediterranean Sea. The view, looking west from Cerro Gordo towards Maro and Nerja, is the one that I have chosen to incorporate into the heading of this blog. I captured the moment on a particularly beautiful summer’s day, after having had lunch on the terrace of a local restaurant.

What’s your favourite photograph, and why?

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Other photographs I love …. and why!

Balcón de Europa, Nerja

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Marianne under Places

In the heart of the old town of Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol, the Balcony of Europe (Balcón de Europa) stretches out into the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.

History books show that in the 9th century this was the placement of a Moorish castle, with a fortress being erected on the same site in the early 16th century to provide coastal defences. The fortress was completely destroyed in 1812 by the English navy during the Peninsular War.

The scenic promenade adorned with palm trees and exotic plants is paved with marble, and is the focus of many local cultural activities and a popular meeting place. Pavement artists, buskers and groups of talented local artistes can be found here most evenings, making it popular with locals and tourists alike.

The Balcón de Europa is usually buzzing with activity as visitors wander along the promontory to the mirador or viewpoint which affords panoramic views along the rocky coastline to the east, with their backdrop of the magnificent Sierra Almijara mountains.

In 1885 King Alfonso XII visited the area to see the damage caused by a disastrous earthquake on Christmas Day 1884. The King was captivated by the beauty of the area and legend has it that he was responsible for naming it “Balcón de Europa” however, local archive documents are said to show that its name predated this visit.

A bronze statue of King Alfonso XII has been erected to commemorate his visit to the town. The statue depicting the King leaning on the railings enjoying the magnificent view has become a focal point for many souvenir photographs, along with two iron cannons which provide a significant reminder of the Balcon de Europa‘s strategic past.

You might also like to visit:

The beautiful Lake Viñuela

Capture the Colour: Red, Green, Blue, Yellow and White

In Plane View: Inside Out