Hello and welcome to Issue 200 of Soltalk! We were so
happy about it being our 200th issue that we’ve arranged with
some of our advertisers to give away 200€ worth of Restaurant
Vouchers. To find out what you have to do to be in with a
chance of winning - please see page 20 of this issue! Hint - it
involves a very easy to complete Reader Survey! Many walk along with the procession but if you don’t feel that
energetic wait a few hours and then take the bus, there will be
extra buses running all day to Maro and back. This is a local
holiday only so if you do have things to do, shops and banks in
Torrox and Torre del Mar, well everywhere else really will still
be open.
May is a very busy month everywhere, starting with the
National Holiday on May 1 which means you might not get to
read this until May 2! Then Sunday May 6, is Spanish Mother’s
Day, but being a Sunday it isn’t a holiday. Just expect many
restaurants to be busy! I had some friends staying last week and had the pleasure of
taking them up to Maro on the red tourist train - the first time
I had been on it. It was great! Being a wimp I didn’t visit the
caves myself but enjoyed a coffee and the view while they did,
then I had a walk around the new botanic gardens. I can highly
recommend this especially if you have visitors to entertain.
Buy tickets at the Nerja Museum, Plaza España, one ticket
covers the train, caves and museum - the gardens are free.
The highlight of May in Nerja is San Isidro on Tuesday, May
15. For me and many others this is the best fiesta of the year,
starting as it does on the Balcón de Europa itself. This is where
the Saint (San Isidro) for Agriculture is blessed in the church
and then processed all the way to a huge party beside the caves
in Maro. Oh but he doesn’t go alone, no there are beautifully
dressed horse men and women following him, as well as carts
drawn by oxen and tractors pulling wonderful colourful and
often noisy floats! It really has to be experienced at least once!
APA Nerja the animal charity have now opened a shop, it is on
c/ Chaparil, Nerja at the back of the Irish Annies building, and
just down the road from Clinica San Fernando, the vet. You
can see pictures of the opening on page 52, so just bear them in
mind next time you are looking for a bargain or wanting
somewhere to donate your pre-loved books, etc.
In previous years San Isidro actually started with a party the
night before and went on into the night of the 15th but we are
told that this year it will only take place on the day of the 15th.
So in this very special 200th edition we still have all your
favourite articles: News, Smalltalk, Jottings, Sport, Health,
Books, etc! Plus information about clubs and organisations and
the trips they organise in our Essential Information section.
There are many good spots to watch the procession go past. Of
course the Balcón will be crowded but you will see a lot of the
action. People also tend to line the road between the
roundabout near Plaza Cantarera (map E6 on our map - page
63) and the caves. Some set up little umbrellas with tables and
chairs and some go to the Hotel Los Arcos or Nerja Club Hotel.
And finally, thank you all those of you have read the previous
199 issues and are still here to read this one, enjoy May and
enjoy this issue.
SARAH BROOKES
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