Nerja and Frigiliana

Fantastic day out cycling today following a circular route through Frigiliana and Nerja.
Once again I consulted Google maps and found another hilly route, but this one was shorter than the epic trip last week.  Fearing a mutiny from Darren I also took some chocs with us to keep us going up the hills.
The route was extremely quiet and the views of snow capped mountains and the sea were incredible.
Some of the hills were brutal and I got off and walked a few times, but Daz was made of tougher stuff and made it round the whole route without his feet touching the road.
Our first stop was the lovely hill town of Frigiliana which we approached from high above. We freewheeled down to a cafe with a view down to Nerja and the coast.
Feeling refreshed after a caffeine shot we carried on our way, but now it was mainly just rolling down hill. It was about 450 vertical metres down to the amazing Balcon de Europa.
This is a rocky outcrop in the centre of Nerja  where huge waves were crashing onto the rocks below. By now the sun was shining and I had my photo taken with a statue of the King of Spain (I think), before we headed off for a well deserved al fresco late lunch.

Parakeet heaven

I have cheated today as I took these photos a couple of days ago.
All along the seafront on the Costa del Sol are beautiful and very tall palm trees that are home to thousands of green parakeets.
They always seem very happy and we often watch them flying in large flocks, screeching loudly to each other as they fly from tree to tree.
Over the past few days they have started building nests, collecting large twigs from the ground then disappearing out of sight into the centre of the palm trees.
I was really pleased to catch this pair whose nest looks immaculate already, surely it won't be long before chicks start appearing.
By the way, the blue and white striped lighthouse is on the seafront at Torre del Mar and on our last morning there today we both ran 5kms past it along the beach.
We set off just as it started to rain and it got heavier and windier all of the way round. We got soaked through, but it definitely helped to speed me up and run my fastest time for ages.
Better weather forecast for tomorrow.

Tapas day two

After the success of yesterday's Tapas route, we caught the bus up to Vélez-Málaga to carry on drinking and eating our way through the town.
We managed four bars today, each lovely in different ways, but definitely the most eye catching tapa was this vertical effort from Taberna El Convento. Also, when I chewed my prawn, I heard loud popping noises, like mini explosions coming from inside my head! How weird, exploding orange sauce - only €2 each including wine.
We also explored the town which had ramparts and a fort with brilliant views across the town - down to the sea one side, and across the mountains inland, one even topped with snow.
The town was old with narrow streets and a mish mash of different shaped houses all nestled up close together. Although we are still on the Costa del Sol, both this area is very different to the other places that we have visited.  Vélez-Málaga and Torre de Mar are both busy Spanish towns full of Spanish people getting on with their lives, rather than having lots of empty tourist apartments and British fish and chip shops.
Having said that, our campsite is full of different nationalities, and we hear conversations being held in many languages. 
Our neighbours are all very friendly and lots of them have put little notices with their names on in front of their vans. We are just along the row from Mervi and Kennet, Ursula and Wolfgang, and Henri and Sabine amongst others. I think we must be missing out on some European socialising, so maybe we should make our own for the next site.

Vélez-Málaga

We decided to have a gentle bike ride, the first of the year, to the nearby town of Vélez-Málaga.
I decided that the direct route was too short, so chose a round about journey inland instead. Google maps is excellent for this, but as has happened to me before, it doesn't show the gradients. I did realise that it would be an uphill route, but I wasn't concerned. However, I should have been and this mistake was compounded by a very, very strong headwind.
It was very beautiful though and the roads were almost traffic free. We passed fields full of avocado, olive, pomegranate and cherry trees, with the pink cherry blossom already brightening up the hillsides. There was also huge mounds of prickly pear plants that the farmers use as impenetrable hedges.
Almost four hours after we started, worn out and cold, we rolled down the last slope into the town.
We could now begin the pleasant part of the day - the Tapas Tour. We had picked up a little booklet from the local Tourist Information that told us all about it. Until 1st March, 15 local bars are selling a drink and special tapas for 2 euros each.
Darren said he was so hungry that he could eat a horse, but it wasn't on the menu, so instead we enjoyed prawn, fish and ham in a little mysterious basket and vegetable couscous with spare rib.
We only managed two, as the wine was going a bit to our heads, so we will have to go back to try the remaining 13.

Torre del Mar carnival

We walked into the town this evening to watch the local carnival procession. It was great fun and most of the costumes were homemade. There was cash prizes for the best costumes, and lots of people in the crowd were dressed up as well.
It was all very friendly and loud as each group had their own music and dance routine. Competitors kept spotting friends in the crowd, so there was lots of shouting and kissing going on.
Happy Valentines day - yes, they do celebrate it in Spain too.

Spanish sardines

We have encountered a potential problem today that we were not prepared for - full campsites.
On our journey through Spain last year, from early October until just before Christmas, almost all of the campsites we stayed at were at least half empty. In fact, on at least two occasions we were the only guests there, which I found a bit scary overnight. From the washroom point of view it was fantastic though, as we both had about eight toilets and shower cubicles each to choose from.
We left our campsite in Torremelinos this morning and it was fairly full, although it's facilities weren't great. Cold showers aren't my thing, and a lot of people point it out on TripAdvisor, so that perhaps explains why there was plenty of room.
We arrived at Torre del Mar at about 12.30pm today and of the 120 spaces, 119 were already occupied. The only space left was a tiny triangle that backs on to a 12 feet high concrete wall. We also share the plot with three large tree trunks that tried their best to scrape the van on our way in. Our bottom sticks slightly out on to the road, but nobody seems keen on moving, so we should be fine.
The campsite is full of all nationalities - French, German, Dutch, Swedish, British and a few Spanish mainly.
With the notable exception of ourselves, everyone seems to fill almost every square inch of their plot.
On a quick stroll around I saw bicycles, electric bikes motor bikes, mobility scooters, quad bikes, dogs in all shapes and sizes, one pet cat, pot plants (plastic and real), awnings, separate tents with full kitchens in them, windbreaks, astroturf, trailers of all shapes and sizes, tables and chairs, sun loungers, flags, satellite dishes, etc, etc.
It makes us look really frugal, but just imagine having to pack it all away every couple of days. Fingers crossed that we can still keep moving.
Ps, it only costs about £13 per night so we can't grumble.