Nearing Christmas

12/12 - approximately 20 people on today's walk, including 1 Canadian lady, escaping the wet & cold winter of Nova Scotia. A ridge walk to the viewpoint of Cruz De Pinto. The shrine here built by a grateful sea captain & his crew after their miraculous escape from a ship wreck on these shores. A steep, slippy descent to a country road & the rio Chillar, spotting a Short-toed Eagle on the way.
We are so used to Spanish ways that we no longer remark when a car, delivery van or motorbike drives along the riverbed! It can't do the vehicles any good, but everybody does it. There are numerous properties to which this is the only access.
13/12 - exploring by bicycle country lanes north of Nerja. A few promising routes came to nothing, but all passing interesting little farms. Ate our picnic lunch at a well-tended shrine to the Virgen of Lourdes. Most of the avocado crop now picked, but there are plenty of oranges & lemons still on the trees, & bananas coming on behind.
14/12 - walked up rio Chillar & Hiqueron riverbeds, then by road up to the Castillo above Frigiliana, & back down to the village by wonderful windey cobbled streets.
15/12 - walked to Burriana Beach & up to Maro road, finding a little footpath back via fields. Noticed a few more holidaymakers about including children (school hols already?). Visited the very friendly Spanish lady owner of the Hotel Regina where we stayed when we arrived in Nerja. Joined her in the bar to watch a terrible Spanish soap. It made Eastenders look cheerful. It was obvious to our hostess we were not taking it seriously, so she gave us an old-fashioned look & assured us that the programme was "muy romantica"!
16/12 - 1st cloudy day for weeks! Cycled coast road to La Herredura, trying to spot mountain road turnoff recommended by Gill. Eventually found it obscured by roadworks,but no time to explore it on this trip - will definitely return now we know where it is.
Stopped for usual wonderful sea view at Cerro Gordo - searching with binoculars the natural park cliff slopes below the road for ibex. After spotting none we gave up & turned to our bikes, to see a family group of 6 ibex close by on the slopes above, silently watching us (no doubt wondering what we were looking for!)