The Old Railway Line at Zafarraya

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía

You might remember, I’ve told you before about the spectacular U-shaped Zafarraya Pass (El Boquete de Zafarraya) marking the boundary between the provinces of Málaga and Granada, and which can be seen for miles around.

Standing over 900 metres above sea level, the Pass has been used for centuries as a key route through the sierras, linking lands south-west of Granada, with the towns and villages along the coast, east of Málaga.

On the approach to the gap in the mountains, above the road on the left, a small tunnel through the rock can be seen. This once formed part of the Periana to Zafarraya railway line, abandoned fifty years ago. The tunnel is now used by horse-riders and walkers who enjoy strolling along the dirt road where the railway once ran.

Last time I went through the Zafarraya Pass, instead of whizzing by, I decided to stop and have a look. After driving under the the old iron railway bridge, I parked in the small car park on the left side of the road.

It’s only a few steps up the gentle slope to where the narrow gauge railway once ran. The main tracks were removed long ago, but there is still a short length remaining to illustrate what it must have looked like.

The views from the Mirador El Boquete (lookout point) both across the Pass and down towards the coast are stunning. This is a lovely peaceful place to stop for a picnic, and there are a couple of picnic tables for public use.

From here you can see the peaks of Tajo de la Cueva and El Morron de La Cuña, the hamlets of Espino, Los Cortijillos, Los Pavitos and Los Morales as well as numerous white houses, dotted like paint spots on a canvas, as far as the eye can see. The village of Alcaucín and the Parque Natural lie ahead, overseen by La Maroma, the highest mountain in the Axarquía region at 2066 metres.

If you cast your eyes further down the valley, La Viñuela reservoir and the Mediterranean Sea glimmer in the distance.

I wandered along the dirt track, and ahead of me I could see the old narrow railway tunnel.

As I approached, the enormity of the task in building the tunnel was obvious. It had been hewn through the rock by hand. What a job!

Rather than just strolling as I did, and depending on how fit you are, you might enjoy an adventurous walk or a more gentle ramble from Periana, the source of the old railway line, back to the Boquete de Zafarraya.

Whatever you choose, be sure to watch out for the fabulous birds.

How to get there

To get to the Zafarraya Pass, drive north from the A7/E15 Autovía del Mediterraneo, past the town of Vélez-Málaga and briefly alongside Lake Vinuela, before heading up the A402, a winding mountain road.

You will see the gap in the mountains ahead, getting closer and closer the higher you climb.

Where do you enjoy walking when you need to find some peace and quiet?

The First Almond Blossoms of the Year

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía

We’ve had to wait two weeks longer than usual in our garden, but they’re finally here ….. the first almond blossoms of 2014.

Flowering time: Early January to end of February.

Which flower do you always look forward to seeing in the garden?

Related articles:

A Year in the Life of an Almond Tree – Andalucían Style!

Pretty in Pink: The Almond Blossom of Andalucía

Men Bearing Gifts: Celebrating Three Kings Day

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía, Laws and Customs

Until I moved to live in Spain, January 6th only meant one thing to me – the twelfth night – or, more importantly, the day you are meant to have all your Christmas decorations packed away until next year.

[Image credit: Flickr (CC) Paul and Jill]

Now, of course, I know that it’s the day that La Fiesta de Los Reyes takes place throughout Spain to celebrate the day the Three Kings arrived in Bethlehem to present the baby Jesus with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. It is also the most important day for Spanish children, as they receive their festive gifts from the Three Kings rather than Father Christmas (although every year Santa is becoming increasingly popular).

The fun starts on the previous evening, usually with processions passing though most towns and cities. During the late afternoon, the crowds grow in anticipation of the arrival of the Three Kings on huge motorised floats, horseback, camels or, in the case of my local mountain village a year or two ago – in the back of a police car!

[Image credit: (cc) Paul and Jill]

As daylight fades away, you might hear the drums and music of the approaching parade, heralding the arrival of the Three Kings.

People on the floats throw boiled sweets towards the waiting crowds on either side. But beware! Some of the younger people on the floats can be rather enthusiastic throwers, with sweets being hurled out like missiles! If you’re not careful you’ll get your eye taken out! Many in the crowd come prepared, holding up-turned umbrellas to catch the booty, whilst others just scrabble around the ground, stuffing the fallen sweets in their pockets or bags.

It´s quite a sight to see adults scuttling around grabbing sweets off the floor totally without embarrassment – in fact, it´s easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all!

After the parade, most families head home where, before going to bed, the children will put out something nice to eat and drink for the Three Kings, plus water for their camels. They also leave out their best pair of shoes to be filled with presents. The next morning, if the children have been good then they will find presents in and around their shoes, if not, then only a lump of coal will have been left for them – though I suspect that doesn´t happen very often.

On January 6th, most families gather around the table to enjoy their Roscón de Reyes. This is a ring-shaped bun or sweet bread, sugar-frosted and decorated with fruit flavoured jellies and fruit. The bun is sliced in half and filled with a mock cream mixture. Hidden somewhere in the cream will be a novelty such as small model king and, if you are lucky enough to find one of the hidden figurines in your portion, then tradition has it that you will be blessed with good luck for the coming year. Though I guess it would be bad luck if you inadvertently swallowed it and choked!

This is also the final opportunity to see one of the many Belénes (Nativity scenes) around the town or city. I photographed this one inside Málaga Town Hall (Ayuntamiento de Málaga) last Sunday. There was quite a queue to get in by the time I left.

Which is your favourite fiesta or festival?

You might also like to look at:

My Travel Reflections on 2013

Malaga’s Urban Street Art

The Buddhist Stupa of the Eastern Costa del Sol

CBBH Photo Challenge: STREET ART

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía, CBBH Photo Challenge

In November, I featured some of the fabulous urban street art in the Soho district of Málaga – which proved to be a very popular post!

Since then, more murals have been commissioned by the city, including these two on the facade of the Colegio García Lorca. The one the left is by British street artist D*Face whilst the other, (Peace and Liberty) comes from American contemporary street artist, Shepard Fairey (aka OBEY).

There’s great street art in many cities around the world, so please share some with us in this month’s CBBH Photo Challenge: STREET ART.

Don’t forget that the CBBH Photo Challenge is a little different from some other challenges, in two ways. First, it’s only once a month – giving you lots of time to consider your entry before the end of the calendar month. Second, and most important, this is a BLOG HOP (after all, it is the CBBH – Conejo Blanco Blog Hop, meaning white rabbit in Spanish), so DON’T FORGET that in your post you need to add links to two blogs that you have visited and commented on during the past month. That way, when we visit each other, we can HOP OVER to your links, connect with others and share a little blog love around!

My Featured Blog Links for this month:

Casa Az provides an online scrapbook of daily events in the life the Queen of Tapas! Canadian by birth, Shawn is a cancer survivor now living with her little friends in the Andalucían capital of Seville, where she conducts tapas tours for visitors to the city.

Caroline Angus Baker is a self-professed Duende-loving Kiwi novelist, commentator on modern and historical Spain and Spanish Civil War nerd, full of bullfighting praise. She’s had a busy 2013, too!

I’d love to you pop along and say HOLA to both of these ladies. Tell them Marianne sent you!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for January, everyone!

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look. Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month´s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite! I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

My Travel Reflections on 2013

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Marianne under Places

JANUARY: I kicked off the year by fulfilling one of my long awaited “Bucket List” dreams – to see the New Year fireworks over Sydney Harbour, Australia! If you want to see what I saw, click HERE!

FEBRUARY: By now, I had moved on to New Zealand. This is the view from Mt. Paku, a twin-coned volcanic peak dominating the head of Tairua Harbour on the east coast of the Coromandel peninsula, New Zealand. See what I saw by clicking HERE.

MARCH: If you had been in my shoes, you would have been in Melbourne, Australia, sitting by the Yarra River. I was there for the opening race of the Formula One motor-racing season – well I am a petrol-head! Join me for a look around beautiful Melbourne, HERE.

APRIL: Time to head home to the white, mountain village of Cómpeta, east of Málaga. Behind the village you can see the highest mountain in this part of the world, Mount Maroma. Let me show you around the village, HERE.

MAY: My birthday treat was a few days away in Seville, the fourth largest city in Spain and capital of Andalucía. Seville is well known for religious festivals, flamenco, world-class tapas and sherry drinking, but did you know that the tomb of Christopher Columbus is inside Seville Cathedral? See the city for yourself, HERE.

JUNE: Whenever we have visitors come to stay, I always take them to the pretty, white village of Frigiliana. If you watch THIS VIDEO of the village, you can practice your Spanish, too!

JULY: Situated in Jaen province, Andalucía and crammed full of Renaissance architecture, the towns of Baeza and Úbeda celebrated the 10th anniversary of being granted UNESCO World Heritage status. The towns offered a special accommodation deal over a ten day period of only 10 euros per person each night. How could I resist?! To see what you missed, look HERE.

AUGUST: This is the month of the Málaga Fair – and OH BOY – the city sure knows how to party! In the above photo you can see the elegant pedestrianised shopping street of Calle Marqués de Larios transformed into a huge party venue, full of people dressed up, dancing and having fun! Watch the video and join in the fun HERE.

SEPTEMBER: A trip to the nearby town of Nerja happens every month, and it’s always a pleasure to stroll along the scenic promenade adorned with palm trees and exotic plants to the Balcón de Europa. Indeed, in a few days I will be seeing in the New Year 2014 in this very place. If you want to see more of Nerja, click HERE.

OCTOBER: Porto, the vineyards of the Douro Valley and Lisbon, Portugal were my destinations in October. Even though the weather was showery for most of the time, there were plenty of places to get out of the way and enjoy the cakes! Here you can see one of the iconic Lisbon trams. There’s an introduction to Portugal, HERE.

NOVEMBER: At the end of the month, I began a 16 day trip to the German Christmas markets (another Bucket List dream) as well as to Prague in the Czech Republic and Budapest, Hungary. First stop was Nuremberg for the Christkindlesmarkt, the oldest of the German Christmas markets. If you’d like a stroll around the market with me, click HERE.

DECEMBER: My final destination of the year allowed me to cross off my third Bucket List item this year – Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. As the train from Munich got nearer to Fussen, snow began to appear – making for a picture-perfect scene. I couldn’t have wished for a more wonderful day! I hope you will join me HERE to learn more about the structure on which Walt Disney modelled his fairy-tale castle.