Blue summer in April
Tertulia, vol. 57
Asking Spanish people of my generation about Nerja, most will certainly start telling you about Verano azul (Blue Summer). This popular TV series portrayed the social reality of Spain in the early 80s from the perspective of a group of kids who spent their summer holidays in Nerja. I am no longer a kid, but I still went to Nerja this month. I just wanted to tell you about the highlights of this travel experience repeating a visit that I did in 1988 or 1989.
Hola, I am Barbara, your guide to the latest cultural news from the Spanish-speaking world.
General impression
Nerja is a picturesque coastal town located in the province of Malaga. We got there by taking a direct ALSA bus from Málaga airport to Nerja, which is about 60 km to the East of Málaga. One of Nerja's most famous attractions is the Balcón de Europa, a promenade that offers panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea and the surrounding coastline. Despite being a destination for mass tourism, Nerja manages to retain the charm of its intact historic centre, well, at least in April. We got there when all the Easter visitors had already left. Overall, the town and all beaches are extremely well maintained. The infrastructure is fantastic.
The mountains around Nerja
Nerja is an ideal destination for hikers. The city is bounded to the north by the Almijaras, which run on an east-west axis and connect with the Sierra Tejeda to the West and the Sierra Alhama to the northwest. Jim Ryan published a very nice book, Walking the mountains around Nerja, which got a new edition just this year. It is very informative and recommendable if you have a car because many of the suggestions require you to go to the starting point of the hike by car. Since we decided to rely on public transport only, some of the suggestions were simply out of reach for us. We stuck to hikes close to Nerja so we could just start from our hotel.
One of our favourite activities of the week was the hike to Frigiliana. We took route 2 of all the different options that take you to the little «Pueblo Blanco» (white town because of its many whitewashed buildings), as described on the Nerja Walking Holidays website. It is rather relaxing. This route follows the Río Higuerón which still has some water at this time of year. The village Frigiliana is very pretty, not because of a single building or square that stands out, but because of its overall impression.
Just one recommendation: We ascended to the "Castillo de Lízar" which goes back to the era of Moorish rule in the region, a steep climb to the mountain's summit, only to find nothing deserving of the name. However, it offers a beautiful panoramic view of the surroundings.
Frigiliana is one of the mountain towns where the Moorish population sought refuge following the conquest of Granada (1492). After the conquest, this population came to be called «mudéjares» to describe Muslims who remained in the Península after the Christian conquest and were allowed, in exchange for a protection tribute, to continue to live among the Christian victors without changing religion. When religious repression under Felipe II grew, a rebellion among this population started in 1568. However, in the following year, the rebels were defeated in the “Battle of the Peñón de Frigiliana”. In 1570, the remaining Muslims were expelled and their lands were distributed to Christians from Granada and Valencia. Today, Frigiliana commemorates this cultural heritage through several ceramic tiles that depict the fate of the Mudejar population in the 16th century.
A concert at the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias
When walking through Nerja in search of a good coffee, we found a poster announcing a concert by a flautist and a guitarist for late Sunday afternoon. So, we went and were pleasantly surprised. The location, Chapel of Our Lady of Anguish, is centrally located on Plaza de la Ermita.
The two musicians, on the flute and the guitar, performed both traditional and more modern Spanish music, mainly lesser-known pieces of well-known composers, like Rodrigo or de Falla, but also traditional folk songs. They started with some of the Canciones populares antiguas (old Spanish folksongs), documented and preserved by poet and playwright Federico García Lorca. His efforts helped to ensure that these folk songs, which were often transmitted orally and at risk of being lost over time, were preserved for future generations to appreciate and study.
You can listen to a collection of these songs recorded and released in 1931 featuring the bailaora and cantaora Encarnación López Júlvez, also known as La Argentinita, accompanied by García Lorca himself on the piano in its original version at the digital Library of the BNE, Biblioteca Nacional de España, or remastered on Spotify.
By the way, we were surprised that the concert was completely free of charge and that there was not even a possibility to donate. Apparently, the secretary of culture of Nerja had taken care of all expenses.
Excursion to the Museo Carmen Thyssen: Modernidad latente
On a Wednesday, we went to Málaga by bus to explore the exhibition Modernidad latente (Latent Modernity) at the Museo Carmen Thyssen. It is an easy ride of about an hour if you get off the bus at the Port bus stop.
The exhibition, which mainly consists of pictures from the Telefónica collection aims to offer a closer look at Spanish painters who developed various neo-figurative tendencies after the early avant-garde styles earlier in the 20th century. The exhibition takes cubism as its starting point.
The permanent collection of the museum, based on the collection of Carmen Cervera, one of the wives of Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, is interesting, too. Its primary focus is 19th-century Spanish art, particularly emphasizing Andalusian painting. I especially enjoyed the Sorolla paintings, with “The Courtyard of the Casa Sorolla” being my favourite. While Sorolla’s works sometimes feature scenes from Andalusia, his home and studio depicted in this painting were in Madrid.
Overall, Nerja has a lot to offer for memorable holidays blending outdoor fun, cultural experiences and relaxation. We had a wonderful time. We were happy we were there in spring. I better not imagine what the town looks like in summer when both streets and beaches are overcrowded and the heat becomes unbearable.
This is all for this week. I will be back in May with more cultural news.