Nerja

We headed east to see the Nerja prehistoric caves and the Balcon de Europa/Balcony of Europe which is a spectacular viewing point. The caves are Spain’s third most visited tourist site after the Prado in Madrid and the Alhambra Palace in Granada. Nerja was once a small fishing village, but is now a popular tourist destination with a population of over 12,000 and a large mostly British expat community.

The caves are about 3 kilometers from the center of town and we stopped there first. It was a little bit of a bust because three of us did not make it despite buying tickets. We knew right away it was not going to work, but they did not give us our money back, despite it being only seconds since we bought them.

As is often the case in Spain and Europe, there were no rails to hang onto with lots of steep stairs. So the elders did not want to chance it and it felt much too claustrophobic to me, thus we sat outside while the other three enjoyed the tour. DaVinci said it was one of the most fascinating places he has ever seen and I have read countless times that they are breathtakingly beautiful and some of the best in Europe. They are so large that they have concert performances in the summer inside them.

We knew we probably wanted to have lunch on the beach, so we drove into the old town and walked to the “Balcony of Europe” which is a festive promenade on the edge of a towering cliff with sweeping panoramic views. They say you can see Africa, but all that you see is beautiful from the sparkling Mediterranean sea to the dramatic mountain range behind it.

There were carriage rides, street performers and music added to the warm sunny day and joyful atmosphere. It has narrow, winding streets and white washed houses and unlike many other high rise coastal areas, it has maintained its quaint Spanish character. We enjoyed just walking around and taking it all in.