A lot to do about… bullrings

Like cathedrals in Britain, every town and village has a plaza del toros and treats it like it’s the only one on the planet, or at least the most remarkable one… I for one have a hard time understanding the tradition and just by saying this I will probably step on a lot of toes…since it ís tradition! But still, somehow you can’t escape seeing at least two or three bullrings when visiting the area. So okay, I will skip the whole discussion whether or not the bullfighting tradition is one we have to let go off and try to review the plazas del toros as I would with their predecessors: the amphitheatres of the Romans. We do not often discuss if they were ‘right’ in having these fights for hundreds of thousands of spectators, probably since this is ‘ancient history’. We just look at the facts: where were these theatres placed, did the location have any significance, how many people could fit in? Is the theatre shaped oddly or is it a ‘prototype’?  Is it shaped oddly due to the landscape or is there another reason? Is there political significance linked to the building? How long has it been in use for? All these questions can also be directed to the plazas del toros and when I compare the bullrings in the Costa del Sol area, you might get a notion  of which arena is really ‘unique’ and if you really MUST visit one, you‘ll know which one to choose (instead of just believing every plaque or guide book in telling you ‘this is the most perfect, unique, brilliantly shaped, highest, biggest etc.’

Ronda

So, let’s start with the one in Ronda. The bullring in this  town is supposed to be one of the oldest in Spain. Due to renewed popularity in the 18^th century (the birth of ‘modern’ bullfighting), the Cavalry of Ronda decided to built a new bullring. The same architect that designed the famous bridge of Ronda, Martín de Aldehuela, designed the bullring. The construction of the bullring started in 1779 and the building was opened in 1785. The ring has a double gallery of arches and is fully covered. The arena has a diameter of 66 meters.  Within the plaza del toro you’ll find 136 columns, forming 68 arches. The Royal box has a covering roof of Arabic tiles. There are five rows for spectators to sit per stone rings, of which there are two.  

Since this bullring is located in a rural surrounding, not many bullfights are held here. However, for a small fee, the building is open to the public. Madonna recorded her video clip ‘Take a bow’ at this spot and other American television shows have recorded here as well. Being ‘the birthplace of Modern bullfighting’ and the certain elegance of the building, this one might actually be worth a visit. Inside the bullring there is a bullfighting museum, that is considered the most informative of these kinds of museums in the south of Spain. The museum doesn’t only cover bullfighting history, but saddle making as well and it has a collection of old fire arms.

 Mijas

 

Plaza de Toros Mijas

Yes, we can immediately state that the bullring in Mijas is really something else. It is oval shaped, which is of course an odd shape! The oval shape is a remarkable feature, but Mijas isn’t the only town with an oval bullring, although it is one of few. The bullring was built in 1900 and is located in the center of town, which is a higher part of the village. When you first notice the building, you might not even think it is a bullfighting ring. It looks a bit like the surrounding houses, the access gate is in perfect harmony with the landscape, as is the rest of the building, which explains its odd shape. The bullring was modernized from 1986-1977. You can only enter the bullring during planned events.

Plaza de Toros Malaga

  Malaga

The bullring in Malaga is called La Malagueta and is an old building as well. Built in 1876, it was immediately inaugurated with an event. The building was modernized in 2010. The arena measures 52 meters in diameter and has a museum. Being a bigger plaza del toros, located in a bigger town, bullfighting events occur more often. The building style is called neomudéjar.

Antequera

The bullring in Antequera seems to have been build in a hurry. It was erected in 1848 and the upper sections were made out of wood.  Still, until 1980 the building remained in relatively good shape. In 1983 it was renovated. A new gate was constructed, although in the style of the 18^th century architects of the area. But still, the façade we see today is a bit ‘fake’, as does the interior. It differs quite a bit from the original plaza del toros from 1848. Of course the good people of Antequera will tell you this is one of the most beautiful bullrings of Spain. It certainly is in good shape…The location is nice though: surrounded by gardens. Not many tourists visiting Antequera will do so in order to visit the bullring, it isn’t famous. But, if you are interested in architecture, this one might appeal to you. The building materials are all local and the use of old architectural styles are interesting.  The plaza del toros also houses a museum. This bullring is frequently in use.

Estepona

The bullring of Estepona isn’t that old, it was built in 1972, but has typical asymmetric design and you can reach the upper terraces without climbing stairs. The feature that makes this plaza del toros unique are the museums that house inside the building: a bullfighting museum(of course), paleontology museum and ethnographical museum make the building still worth a visit. The best part: it’s free of charge!

I’ve done my bit, now it’s up to you. After a visit you can at least state you know what you’re talking about, without getting in to the animal rights discussion right away…Happy architecture gazing to you all!

The weather in Malaga in September

So, here we are, after the peak of the peak season. 

The traffic is more relaxed, the queue's are shorter, the beaches are calmer... and then there is that gorgeous weather of September and the first half of October. 

Sometimes warm, sometimes still even hot, but no longer suffocating. Sitting on the terrace of a tapa bar in smoothly calm square in Malaga, one can get the feel of an 'Indian summer'. 

Beach weather and lots of space... that is the autumn in Malaga. 

Marbella is never more pleasant than now. 

You know you are in a city, and you see the people pass by on the beach boulevard or have a drink or relax on the beach... but it is all so adorably calm and laid back. 

The occasional first shower doesn't disturb at all. It ads to the romantic feel of this season. 

Yes, when it comes to the weather and the ambiance, Malaga is never more beautiful than in September and October. 

If you have a rental car and can go to the more 'virginal' beaches, you are in for a great day. Because, yes, you can expect temperatures varying around 24 Centigrade, so tanning and going to the beach are still an option! 

The Luna Mora festival in September

If you are in Malaga in September and you happen to have a rental car... lucky you.

It's that time of the year again... Luna Mora!

On the evenings and nights of Friday the 6th and Saturday the 7th, and again the weekend after, Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th, you have the opportunity to experience a truly unique festival:

The village of Guaro is being transformed into a little Marrakech.  

Lit by 25.000 candles, this small hilltop village becomes the centre of wining, dining and nightlife of inland Malaga. 

Luna Mora - or 'Moorish moon' - celebrates the Moorish heritage of the region, and how!

Belly dancers, Moroccan tea tents, hundreds of stalls offering typical products, a whole street turning into a restaurant, Flamenco concerts...

For a few nights Guaro really is THE place to be.

There can be up to 10.000 visitors a night, giving this village the feel of a rock concert, but then for singles, couples, families and children alike.

If you don't like crowds: don't worry, it is only on the main avenue and in the main streets that it is (very) crowded: take a turn to the right or left, into a small alley, and Guaro is as typical and tranquil as always.

If you do like crowds, wining and dining, or just a romantic night and a very friendly ambiance... Luna Mora is your festival.

HOW TO GET TO LUNA MORA? 

You will find Guaro inland at half an hour from Marbella, or 40 minutes from Fuengirola or Malaga.

In Marbella, take the exit Ojen-Coin at La Canada. Keep following that beautiful mountain road until you see the sign Monda. Drive into Monda, and in the centre of Monda follow the sign to Guaro.

If you come from the other direction (Malaga or Fuengirola), drive to Coin and, in Coin centre, follow the sign to Guaro.

Take care! It can be so busy, with even coaches coming from Madrid or Barcelona, that you might end up in a crazy traffic jam for hours. So the best thing to do is to be there in time!! Before 5 PM the roads are still open and tranquil... but arriving after 10 PM will make you waste hours in trying to find a parking spot.

The alternative: park your car at the very large open air parking specifically created for Luna Mora, at 4 Kms outside Coin - and hop on one of the very many shuttle buses which will take care of the last 4 Kms. These shuttle buses continue the whole night.

Monk Parakeet in Malaga

The Monk Parakeet, or Wild Myiopsitta monachus, originally from Argentina, has been seen in large groups in Malaga.

This green Parakeet lives in palm trees on the coast and seems to survive very well in Spain. In fact, there are that many now, that the Town of Malaga has decided to sterilize the eggs and remove their nests to stop them to reproduce.

These bright green parrots from Argentina are becoming more frequent and numerous in Spain, living in large groups in the provinces Malaga, Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. 

Although they make a pleasant sound for some and are beautiful to see, they can become dangerous for the population of Malaga.

All have the same origin: escaped from their bird cages. Since this bird is cheap to buy (about 20 euros each) many Spaniards bought one to keep as pets.

They estimate to have a population in Spain of more then 3000 nesting pairs, and increases at a great speed of 20 percent annually. No wonder that in Argentina these birds are considered a plague and cause severe damage to their corn and sunflower plantations. They seem to bread in large colonies on parallel power lines which causes damage and wildfires.

Last year they removed 91 nests in the city of Malaga in orderd to control the colony to expand. These birds build nests in trees, communication towers and power lines in Malaga, which are are composed of thorny branches tied together. With the removal of 91 nests, it will effect a larger number of birds because each nest is shared by multiple partners simultaneously.

The Monk Parakeet is the only parrot that builds a stick nest, in a tree or on a man-made structure, rather than using a hole in a tree.

This parakeet becomes about 29 cm tall with a 48 cm wingspan, and weighs about 100 g. 

Before its population gets a plague in Malaga also, we should consider twice before buying these birds, and then when we get tired of them, have the bad idea to 'let them free', we will just make things worse.

 

Gazpacho, a history of poor people’s food?

Scrumptious! With the hot summer weather it’s not even a question what to eat when in Malaga: a nice big, ice cold bowl of Gazpacho! 

But as always, when I eat a traditional and local dish, I start wondering: who invented this and how did they come up with this idea? I know Gazpacho is made with tomatoes and peppers, so it can’t be that old of an idea, right?

After some research I did discover the word Gazpacho could be derived from the Latin word ‘caspa’ which means ‘tidbit’ or ‘left over’. But the Romans did not have any tomatoes or peppers… 

There are etymologists who mention de mosarabic word for poor men’s food, also ‘caspa’, still no peppers, nor tomatoes. Tomatoes came to Spain after Columbus discovered America.

José Briz tells us the Hebrew word ‘gazaz’ means ‘to break into pieces’ and might also be a good explanation for the derivation of Gazpacho. All these words seem to tell us something about the techniques used to make the dish or the purpose of the dish, not much about the ingredients. 

What’s going on here… is or isn’t this a very old dish, traditionally made for centuries in and around Malaga? It seems like no one really knows the answer, the origins are not documented, but there are theories!

A bit more digging learns us that Juan de la Mata published a book called ‘Arte de reposteria’ in 1747, in which he tells the reader about different kinds of Gazpacho… Okay, so there are several kinds?

It also seems that pre-Roman Andalucians made something akin to Gazpacho in Phoenician times, which isn’t that strange since something similar was made by peoples on the Italian peninsula in pre-Roman times, so it seems to be common Mediterranean dish. A cold meal of stale bread drenched in vinegar, olive oil and water, flavored with garlic was eaten by almost all cultures in the Mediterranean. There might even be hints in the direction of this kind of meal in the Old Testament (Ruth 2.14), just sort of describing the ingredients, not sharing with the reader the name that might have been given to this meal. Nowadays, everyone seems to make a different variation of Gazpacho. 

But of course I want to find some kind of ‘traditional’ recipe.As soon as you start digging up the past of Gazpacho, you will notice there are different kinds, as I mentioned before. For instance in Antequera they make Porra, which is a thicker kind of Gazpacho. The Moors while in Andalucia also made their own variations, for instance a white variation with lots of garlic and cucumber, sometimes with asparagus. It seems if though when the sailors set sail for America in the era of the big discoveries, they made the traditional cold soup for themselves during the trip and after discovering tomatoes and peppers, they added it to their original recipe.

Nowadays we still know a white kind of gazpacho: ajoblanco. Ajoblanco, literally white garlic, contains bread, almonds, sometimes grapes and of course the base of bread, olive oil and garlic. And then there is Salmorejo. Salmorejo is the kind that is popular in the Córdoba area. It’s more silky and rich than the regular Gazpacho. It is served with diced Serrano ham and chopped hard-boiled eggs. A lot like porra, I would say. And then we also have arranque with less water and bread than regular gazpacho… again, sounds to me like porra, but hey, what do I know? Best way to figure out which variation is the best, you might as well go out and try them all!

There is this place in Malaga, a tapas bar, called Ajo Blanco. It is located in the Plaza de Ucibay,8. Here they are supposed to serve the best Gazpacho in Malaga, so do go and have a try!

But, if you feel inspired and like to make some gazpacho of your own, here are some recipes:

Gazpacho Ingredients

•        4 chunks/slices of stale white bread (crust removed)
•        2 cloves of garlic
•        olive oil
•        1 onion
•        500 g tomato
•        2 red peppers
•        0.5 cucumber
•        50 ml red wine vinegar
•        100 ml tomato juice
•        salt
•        fresh black pepper

Dice the bread. Soak the bread in a small amount of water. Gently remove and “squeeze” dry. Peal and chop the garlic and onion and dice the peppers, tomato, cucumber and place the tomatoes, bread, cucumbers, onions, garlic and peppers in a blender, bit by bit, adding the tomato juice and vinegar. Add salt and pepper and when everything is blended smoothly, place the gazpacho in a non-metallic bowl in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Ajo Blanco Ingredients

•      200 g blanched almond
•      4 chunks/slices of stale white bread (crust removed)
•      2 cloves of garlic
•      1.5 liters of cold water
•      200 ml olive oil
•      1 tb vinegar

Dice the bread. Soak the bread in a small amount of water. Gently remove and “squeeze” dry. Grind the almonds and garlic cloves. Mix bread, garlic and almonds until it becomes a white paste. Bit by bit add the oil, while stirring. After that add vinegar and water, again bit by bit until the mixture is nice and creamy (to your taste). You can add salt and pepper to taste. Place the gazpacho in a non-metallic bowl in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Visit the dinosaurto park in Torremolinos

During the summer of 2013, from July to September, the Torremolinos Exhibition and Conference center will be the host of a true Dinosaurios Park.

With 2,100m2  makes it one of the largest dinosaur events in Europe. In this exhibition you will learn  how dinosaurs lived, what they ate and many other interesting faqs about them. Some of the dinosaur replicas are 12m tall and look nearly alive, thanks to the movement and sound technologies used.

You can see over 30 species of dinosaurs in real size, moving and roaring in their natural habitat ... as in Jurassic Park ... There is also information about the dinosaurs, explanations of their habits, games, a sandbox to find dinosaur bones and pretend to be paleontologists and lots more ... a fun day out guaranteed for young and old!



Contact information:

Dinosaurios Park
Palacio De Congresos De Torremolinos
C/ México, 3
Torremolinos,Málaga

Tel: +34 627 632 338

This years Malaga Fair: 11-19 August 2013

Nearly time for this years Fair of Malaga! The fair will be celebrated from 11-19 August 2013.

The opening of the fair will take place at Playa la Malagueta during the night Friday  to Saturday (Malagueta beach on thr left hand side of Malaga Harbour), with music and fireworks at midnight. Live music from the Spanish group: Efecto Mariposa.

In the morning after, horses and carriages will come together around 11 o´clock at the "Paseo el Parque".

During the fair there is plenty activity in the entire city of Malaga, on the feria ground during the evenings and Malaga centre during day time. There are bullfights every day at 19.00hrs, be quick to buy tickets as usually they are sold out far in advance.
You will find food-stands, drinks, attractions, candy-stands, party, music, live music in the "Casetas" on the feria ground, in between the attractions and in the historical center of Málaga.

The fair with attractions has its official opening at 21.30 on Saturday 11th of August 2013.

Those who like to visit Flamenco dance and music, they should visit the: CASETA MUNICIPAL DEL FLAMENCO Y LA COPLA. During the fair there will be live music every night from 23.00hrs onwards.

For small children there is a CASETA MUNICIPAL INFANTI, open every day during the fair from 21.30 with shows and music especially for children.

The youth can listen to live music in the CASETA MUNICIPAL DE LA JUVENTUD open every day from 22.30, live music groups and DJ´s with modern music.

Enjoy!!!