Bougainvillea in the Old Town

Just a couple of photos I took up in the old town yesterday of the flowering Bougainvillea, so vibrant!  The pale purple is a flowering Jacaranda tree which are in bloom all over town.

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I get around.

Today I am posting a mixed bag of photos from around the town so please enjoy.  If there is anything specific you would like to see, why not leave a comment and tell me, I will do my best to accommodate any requests.

In town

Top of Calle Rosa

Roof tops

Calle Manuel Montilla

The fog rolls in

Roof top garden

Painted Gourds

Lovely iron work on Calle Antequera

Red Dragon

Almost ready.

Road to La Guardia

Boat storage

Top of Calle Antequera, getting ready for San Juan on 23rd

Traffic jam

Animal shelter from the punishing Spanish sun.

Old farmhouse wall up the cemetery road.

 

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Not much to report today, however…

As I say, there wasn’t much to report today from sunny Salobreña, but I did manage to take a couple of photos out and about.. One of which was like catching a glimpse of a bird of paradise drinking from your back garden pool, startling  but yet quite a welcome surprise. It is of course a photo of our bus driver actually,  no wait for it.. SMILING!  Now I am not saying our bus driver isn’t a nice guy, he has a hard job, the streets are narrow, and the tourist and locals alike are always parking where they should not, making his life that much more difficult.  So to see him smile, without having run over a tourist wearing socks and sandals or just having removed a wing mirror inflicting a deep and punishing gouge in a rental car was something rare indeed.  To catch it on film, well was priceless as they say..

If you look closely, you can see just how narrow the street he is driving on really is.  Ladies and Gentlemen, you saw it here first! Look closely into the rear view mirror.

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Parking Passes in the Old Town put on Hold!

Great news, Heloise has advised in a comment on one of posts that the parking issue has been put on the back burners..here is her comment for those interested.

We have just heard that the council have put this made scheme on the back burner for the moment as the Association of Neighbours in the old town have suddenly cottoned on to what this could mean to them.  There will be a discussion period and the council hopes to implement new restrictions in June.  This doesn’t mean you should ignore signing the parking petition … you can find the link on this page.

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It’s not true, you can fight city hall, you just can’t win.

Hold on to your tortillas and pulpo everyone, our very own Town Hall has decided to make life that much more fun for the rest of us.  It has come down from the powers that be that parking in the old town is now no longer going to be an option unless you have a permit.  Permits are non transferrable and registered to a specific automobile.  Here it is in a nutshell.

* the permit is available to property owners only.

* the permit applies to a particular car registration number only.

* the permit is non transferable.

* the permit is free of charge

* penalties for parking without a permit are fines and or towing.

So basically, it means that just owning property in the old town does not entitle you to have a permit, you must be a resident here..as most of you are aware, a huge percentage of owners are not residents, but frequent visitors and rental owners. How will this impact the rental market I wonder?  As for those coming to the area, do not be discouraged, we are working on a solution.

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Hey it Works…

Signage, just about anything goes here… As it should be.. why pay for a new sign when you can just turn the old one upside down. 🙂

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Another Jewel in the Crown

Just another one of the little hidden gems to be found in Salobreña.  This flowered pathway serves as an entry point to 3 or 4 houses.  Back in 2005, it won first prize in a beautify your facáde competion.

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Parking in the old town.

The secret of parking in the old town, is getting as close to the wall as possible.  Obviously, this chap is a seasoned veteran,  not only does he leave more space for getting by the car, but he has cleverly protected one side of the car from the inevitable “scrape and run” that happens so often here..Remember people, Maximum insurance and the smallest car is the order of the day.

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Just another hole in the wall.

I have been remiss in my duties as of late. Actually, I have just been sick, it was either a bad chicken wing, or a bad reaction to antibiotics. I started taking them the day I had the chicken wing, so it’s all a mystery, I’m going back on them today so we shall see.  I was on them in the first place because I started growing a mini me on my shoulder. It could be my conscience manifesting itself, but the Dr says it’s more like a fatty cyst. It appears I have my own personal grease trap the size of a baseball. But enough about Me and MIni Me, here are some shots from around town.

Just a quick note for our friends down Frigliana way, which is just down the coast by the way and another very pretty little white washed village well worth the trip. Frigliana is hosting the 3rd annual 3Cultures Festival. There will be music presented on the 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st. As well, there will be Movies, Workshops, Artists, a street party, a 3 cultures street market, a Tapa Route, Conferences, and Exhibitions, and a Gastronomy Day, where you can try the foods from the 3 different cultures represented.

On the 28th at 11pm the wonderful Concha Buika will perform. Concha is from Mallorca, but her family is from Equatorial Guinea. She mixes funk, jazz flamenco and soul to create a unique sound. You can check her out on YouTube if you want to see what you will be missing. Here is one clip.

On the 29th at 11pm the world reknown Eliseo Parra will be performing his brand of Spanish Folk Music. He sings in Catalan, Basque, Castilian, and Galician. You can check him out on YouTube as well.. here is one clip

On the 30th, The Dhoad Gitanos of Rajastan will be performing at 11pm. The DGofRajastan hail from Indian province of Rajasthan, what many consider to be the original land of gypsies. Dhoad Gypsies wandered throughout the wild and wonderful Thar desert traveling from town to town entertaining Princes and their courtiers. You can check them out on YouTube.

On the 31st is the musical group called Klezmatica, I found their name on the web with the subtitle, the Jewish music of Eastern Europe, so should be pretty interesting.. You can find them on YouTube as well, but he quality of the recording is frustrating as it keeps stopping and starting.. You can try it here or you can go to this page and listen to them directly from the source. It is http://web2.nessmp3.com/bands/808/index.php

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Around ever corner a surprise.

One of the really nice things about Salobreña are all the little hidden gems you can stumble upon if you take a walk around up in the old town.  This is one of several potable drinking fountains that can be found throughout town.

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