What exciting news for dog lovers!

Playa con perro

The opening of a new dog beach in the Levante region of Almería is a great addition for those looking for destinations where they can enjoy the summer with their pets. La Cala de la Invencible sounds like an idyllic place, with its combination of crystal-clear waters, fine sands and the beautiful Sierra Almagrera as a backdrop.

Cala-Invencible.
Cala-Invencible.

 

The possibility of taking dogs to such a picturesque setting is, without a doubt, another attraction for visiting this region and staying at Finca Arboleda. In addition, the viewing point and proximity to a car park make the visit comfortable and accessible. Of course, it is important to remember the need to comply with the established rules to guarantee the coexistence and well-being of all beach users, both human and canine.

This new space promises to be a great place to enjoy the summer in a relaxed way and in the company of our four-legged friends.

 

¡Qué emocionante noticia para los amantes de los perros!

La apertura de una nueva playa canina en la comarca del Levante almeriense es una gran adición para quienes buscan destinos donde puedan disfrutar del verano junto a sus mascotas. La Cala de la Invencible suena como un lugar idílico, con su combinación de aguas cristalinas, arenas finas y la hermosa Sierra Almagrera como telón de fondo.

Cuevas del Almanzora (Almería) inaugura su playa canina en la cala del Invencible, la tercera de la provincia
Cuevas del Almanzora (Almería) inaugura su playa canina en la cala del Invencible, la tercera de la provincia

 

La posibilidad de llevar a los perros a un entorno tan pintoresco es, sin duda, un atractivo más para visitar esta región. Además, el mirador y la proximidad a un aparcamiento hacen que la visita sea cómoda y accesible. Eso sí, es importante recordar la necesidad de cumplir con las normas establecidas para garantizar la convivencia y el bienestar de todos los usuarios de la playa, tanto humanos como caninos.

Este nuevo espacio promete ser un gran lugar para disfrutar del verano de forma relajada y en compañía de nuestros amigos de cuatro patas.

 


Directions to doggy paradise.

Discover Almería from within Andalucia.

Drone view of the Orange Grove Apartment

Finca Arboleda is a safe retreat for a change of scenery.

Drone view

If you live here, are on holiday or staying with friends in Andalucia this is the perfect time to discover Almeria.

Finca Arboleda is the perfect retreat for you. Set in 5000 square metres of mature gardens in the countryside but only 5 minutes  to Vera town and 10 mins to the coast.

We live here but the one bedroom apartment and the two bedroom villa are well equipped and totally self contained. Both have heating, TV and their own internet connection.

www.fincaarboleda.com will give you loads of information but just get in touch if you are interested.

You can even bring a dog if you like, we are fully fenced.

Early Christmas Present For Finca Arboleda

Tarmac our road
Tarmac our road
Tarmacking our road

Well we’ve waited two years with Pirkko prodding the town hall and now it’s happening TARMAC!!

They aren’t doing directly outside our gates today as apparently they need a smaller machine, but from the water crossing all the way down to the existing tarmac is being done as I write this. The water crossing will be concreted later and the last few metres up to our gates will then be tarmacked.

No more sleepless nights when we get our occasional storms, worrying if the road will be damaged, we hope!

Tarmacking our road
Tarmacking our road

Largest geode cave in Europe opens to visitors.

Geode Pulpi

The Pulpí Geode, the largest in Europe and second in the world,  opened this summer to visitors 20 years after being discovered in southern Spain.

The crystal cave is a major attraction in the Pilar de Jaravía area due to its size and the transparency of the rocks.

It is located 50 meters beneath Mina Rica, a silver mine that closed in the 1960s.

“The mine has an incredibly large variety of minerals. “One of them is a needle-shaped celestine covered with plaster crystals.”

Pulpí is the biggest accessible crystal geode in the world. The world’s largest, with crystals 10 feet long, is located in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

Visitors to the cave in Spain have to walk down a mineshaft before descending a staircase that leads to the vast caverns of the mine and arrive at the geode, an opening in the rock covered with white crystals that measure two meters in length.

The rock at Mina Rica is dolomite, a type of limestone, which in the past was fractured and filled with a hot mineral-rich fluid.

Over the years, the dolomite dissolved and the fluid created an egg-shaped cavity.

The cooling of the liquid and the tectonic calm caused the formation of plaster crystals.

Pulpí’s geode was discovered in 1999 by members of the Mineralogist Group of Madrid, who found a fracture with “impressive plaster crystals”.

ADMISSION

€ 22 Adults.

€ 10 Children from 8 to 16 years old (accompanied by an adult).

€ 15 Special rate for retirees, large families, people with a disability (more than 33% recognised).

LOCATION

The Geode is located in the “Mina Rica”, in “El Pilar de Jaravia” neighbourhood, Pulpi (Almería). Address: Poligono S-AG2A 33, 14640 Pulpí

 

Hairy Bikers’ Mediterranean Adventure

Shown on BBC 2 on 8th February

Hairy Bikers Mud Bathing

On the final leg of their Mediterranean journey, the Hairy Bikers are travelling through southern Spain in the footsteps of the Moors, heading for Costa del Sol and the midsummer festival of San Juan.

They begin their exploration of the Moorish influence on the culture and cuisine of Spain in Valencia. Renowned as one of Spain’s most fertile areas, crops have been cultivated here since Roman times, but it was the Moors who perfected the irrigation systems that allowed farming to flourish and, to this day, Valencia is a destination for those seeking out world-class produce.

The bikers head straight for the market to taste a local speciality, horchata, a non-alcoholic drink made from tiger nuts. They meet food enthusiast and amateur historian Anton, who shows them how horchata is made and fills them in on the basics of local history. Inspired by the Moorish influence they are beginning to discover, they cook ajo blanco (a white gazpacho) and pataquetas (crescent-shaped bread rolls).

Back on the road, the bikers head inland to a secret valley where the Moors cultivated crops on dramatic hillside terraces before they were evicted in the 15th century and replaced by Christian families. They meet the descendants of those families to cook a local twist on paella – a rice dish with rabbit and cherries.

In the pursuit of the perfect surf and turf diet, they head back to the coast to an out-of-the-way restaurant with a reputation for seafood. Here, they get involved with the preparation of freshly caught octopus, which is washed and stretched out on washing lines to dry in the sun. In the restaurant kitchen, they see how the dried octopus is cooked. An octopus stew also makes an appearance on the dinner table – the full flavour of the Mediterranean on a plate.

See their web page here.

Fancy A Yoga Fix On Holiday in Vera?

Whether you are experienced in yoga or have just always fancied trying it, why not make it a must do on your holiday.

We have a friend who is a very highly qualified instructor and we can help you with details of where she has her classes in Vera or other places close by. It is also possible that she can visit here and give private tuition under our Orange trees by the swimming pool, sounds idyllic doesn’t it.

If you would like more information just contact us through the web site. I will post more details on this when I have spoken with Ashlí.

Created by Michael

Fiesta Nacional de España.

Spain’s National Day celebrates Christopher Columbus’ arrival to the Americas on 12 October 1492.

spain-national-day-dia-hispanidad

 

King Ferdinand of Spain sponsored the expedition west in the hopes of sailing to India. In August of 1492, Columbus set off into the Atlantic; two months later he would set foot on the Bahamas, establish settlements on Hispaniola Island and spread Christianity to the New World. Upon his return to Spain, he spoke of gold and riches and thus the Americas were opened up for European colonisation.

This day is a holiday in many countries, but it’s known under other names. October 12 is widely celebrated throughout Americas as Columbus Day (in the USA) or Día de la Raza (in the countries of Latin America).

The Spaniards began celebrating National Day in 1935 as Dia de la Hispanidad, that emphasized their connection to international Hispanic community, the Hispanidad. The name of the holiday was changed in 1987 to Fiesta Nacional. The holiday became one of the two major Spanish national celebrations. The date of National Day had been moved for several times, until a compromise was achieved.

Between Franco’s death in 1975 and 1981, October 12 celebrations remained very much attached to Francoist and imperialist values. King Juan Carlos’s solemn speeches to mark the day repeatedly painted Spain as a civilising force in South America.

But by the 1980s, a redefinition of October 12 was needed. There was a push for it to be used to renovate the old idea of a “Spanish nation”, despite the fact that the nation was comprised of a multitude of culturally differentiated populations, blended uncomfortably into the new democratic consensus.

The different historical nations within Spain (Galicia, the Basque Country and Catalonia) had, by 1981, declared their own respective national days. Catalonia even declared October 12 a normal working day in its territory. What’s more, the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) wanted to celebrate Spain’s national day on the December 6 instead of in October, as this was the day when the constitution of 1978 had been passed by referendum.

Since Oct 12th 2000 it has also been celebrated as a military day with parades of the armed forces.

Anti-colonial and anti-fascist protests are held every year in Bilbao and Barcelona, partly to counteract the rallies of Spanish ultra-right groups arriving from outside these cities on the national date, we hope it all passes off peacefully in Catalonia.

I imagine something will occur in Vera but it is not being publicised as far as i can see, but it’s a holiday and the weather is still fantastic. Enjoy!

Carrera de Cintas In Vera

On September 17th, at 17:30 h., On La Plata Street, a Race of Ribbons for ADULTS will take place. 

Women interested in getting a ribbon to embroider or paint it and participate, can do so contacting through the Commission of Celebrations, from September 1st. More information at the Tourist Office. It will be a fun afternoon!

Carrera de Cintas

 

The carrera de cintas, or belt race, is a traditional sport often played during the feria patronal in Spain and Latin America. In the carrera de cintas, short belts with loops on one end are hung from a wire suspended between two posts. Contestants, who may be on either horses or bicycles, ride towards the wire and attempt to capture a belt by putting a peg through the loop. Traditionally, the belts are given to a group of women who then award prizes. The origin of the sport is not known.

I couldn’t find a video from Vera but this gives an idea of the fun to expect.

Vera Fiesta 2017

VERA FAIR AND FESTIVALS IN HONOR OF SAN CLEOFÁS 2017, 21 to 25 September.

 

Vera Fiesta 2017

 

The annual fiesta and a promise of late nights starts on 21st September with one of the highlights for some people being the bullfights.

More information regarding the bullfight.

Reservation of tickets and more information can be obtained on the following telephone numbers: 676 385 583 – 650 275 262, and on the website: www.grupovientobravo.es

Vera Fiesta Bullfight 2017