Spain: Day 9. Nerja
Sunday, February 7. There's a large network of caves with limestone stalactites and stalagmites near Nerja, so we went on a morning hike to get there. The walk along the coastline was pleasant and we rewarded ourselves with a lunch before heading to the caves. They were fairly large and contained the impressive rock formations you'd expect. However, we felt gypped since all the information about the caves kept mentioning that there were prehistoric drawings but it turns out the area open to tourists doesn't go by these drawings at all. I wonder how many other people were deceived like us.
After the caves, we went to the nearby village of Maro, which lies on cliffs hanging over the coast. We wanted to walk along the edge of the cliffs back to Nerja, but there were too many ravines caused by streams that rendered that option infeasible. For dinner, we wanted a change of pace and got some Turkish food instead. This wasn't our first choice, but it was really hard finding anything open. Nerja caters to the British tourists and expats, so it keeps to their schedules. We even walked into a Thai restaurant at 9 and they said it was too late for food. Elsewhere in Spain, that's too early! In fact, almost every place in town had signs first in English, then in Spanish, and usually in German too. Funny thing, the German versions usually said things that were fairly different in meaning from the others. For example, at an internet/call center, the English and Spanish signs advertised "buy two hours internet, get a third hour free", while the German one said "buy two hours internet, get a free beer". Also in one restaurant, it seemed like every food, whether it be fish or salad or whatever, was translated into German as "Fleisch". That's all the Germans need.
One other trend about Spain that's only been amplified in Nerja: nearly every meal we've had at a restaurant, we've been offered free shots of liqueur afterwards. I think it has something to do with how much money we're spending (a regular vacation carefree amount) during the off-season, as well as us being the only people remotely below 50 visiting all these places. We get stared at by all the British and Swedish retirees with this accusatory look that seems to say "Don't you ruffians have a job?" It's great staring them right back with a smug "Yes, we do."
After the caves, we went to the nearby village of Maro, which lies on cliffs hanging over the coast. We wanted to walk along the edge of the cliffs back to Nerja, but there were too many ravines caused by streams that rendered that option infeasible. For dinner, we wanted a change of pace and got some Turkish food instead. This wasn't our first choice, but it was really hard finding anything open. Nerja caters to the British tourists and expats, so it keeps to their schedules. We even walked into a Thai restaurant at 9 and they said it was too late for food. Elsewhere in Spain, that's too early! In fact, almost every place in town had signs first in English, then in Spanish, and usually in German too. Funny thing, the German versions usually said things that were fairly different in meaning from the others. For example, at an internet/call center, the English and Spanish signs advertised "buy two hours internet, get a third hour free", while the German one said "buy two hours internet, get a free beer". Also in one restaurant, it seemed like every food, whether it be fish or salad or whatever, was translated into German as "Fleisch". That's all the Germans need.
One other trend about Spain that's only been amplified in Nerja: nearly every meal we've had at a restaurant, we've been offered free shots of liqueur afterwards. I think it has something to do with how much money we're spending (a regular vacation carefree amount) during the off-season, as well as us being the only people remotely below 50 visiting all these places. We get stared at by all the British and Swedish retirees with this accusatory look that seems to say "Don't you ruffians have a job?" It's great staring them right back with a smug "Yes, we do."