Tenpin Bowling in high heels - whatever next?

A group of us decided to have a trip into Aguilas today for a game of Ten-pin Bowling. We have a lovely Bowling Alley in the Commercial Centre which has 12 lanes and is generally quiet. There were 8 of us playing on one lane and the most lanes in use while we were there was 4. There are also Pool tables, air hockey and other games as well as a bar for drinks.

The whole place is much more relaxed than the Bowling Alleys in the UK, or at least when I last played there a couple of years ago.

The first thing here is, you play in your own shoes, no hiring of proper 'Bowling' shoes. Now those of us who are sensible wear trainers or something similar but I've seen people bowling tonight in flip-flops, bare feet and funniest of all, 3 inch high heels!! Now that was an accident waiting to happen - and sure enough within a couple of throws she was on her bum and she played the rest of the game in bare feet.

What I was impressed by (and forgive me if this happens in the UK bowling alleys, I've never seen it before)were the lane bumpers. The family at the side of us had a couple of children who were only about 4 or 5 and so when they has entered their names, they had obviously tagged it to a command in the computer to say they needed to have the buffers up to stop their bowling ball going into the gutter. Every time their name came up on screen, the buffers came up automatically and when they had finished and it listed the name of an adult to play, the buffers went down automatically - I suppose it's not difficult to do with modern technology but I was fascinated by it.

Also here, the pins are held up by wires, so that when they are knocked over, they are not swept away to the back as in UK alleys, but they are pulled back up like string puppets, they remind me of Pinnochio coming to life.

We had a great couple of hours, €6.50 for 2 games each plus the cost of a couple of drinks - it was airconditioned as well, so on a really hot day like today - it was a welcome break from the heat.

But really, high-heels and flip-flops - it's a bit much.

Shopping trip - a success.

I've been for breakfast with a number of friends who were all sales shopping yesterday, some in Lorca, some in Murcia and Lucy & I went to Aguilas. It would seem Lucy & I chose well. Murcia was manic, huge queues for the changing rooms and Amelia, who went with her sister, hardly got anything because it was so busy.

The ladies that went to Lorca did better but it was still reasonably busy whereas in Aguilas, it was really quiet. No queues for the changing rooms and we could happily shop, try things on and it was quite relaxing.

Lucy didn't have a successful day but I had a field day in C&A - yes, we have C&A here - and they had good bargains yesterday. So I topped up my summer wardrobe quite nicely with a number of tops and trousers.

I'm going back today with Neil so we can try and get some bargains for him.

Off to Fish? No, Fish was off!

For any of you following my blog you will be familiar with my ability to arrange to do things only to find the venue closed. Last week we arranged to go for Menu del Día at a local Chiringuita with some friends, only for them to phone me on the morning to say they had forgotten, it's closed on Thursday's and we would need to re-arrange. They said they knew it was closed on Thursday's and should have realised when were arranging to meet them there - so I seem to have passed on my ability to arrange to do things when places are closed

....and so,

Amelia, the Spanish lady I have lessons with, had told us we didn't have a lesson this week because it is Semana Santa - Easter week, but we would have a group outing to Águilas yesterday for breakfast and then on to the Fish market so she could explain what all the odd looking items are that we see on the fish counters and explain how the Spaniards eat them, she is really good at helping us in this way, and of course, we are expected to speak Spanish while we are out with her for practice.

We did question whether the market (which is indoor) would be open yesterday, it being Semana Santa and she assured us it would be.

Well, you've guessed it, well sort of. The building was open but none of the fish stalls were staffed or had any fish. Why? Well not because of Semana Santa, but because the fishing boats don't go out on Sunday so there is no fish to sell on Monday - apparently the fish stalls are normally closed on Mondays - every week.

No matter, in the same building there are some fruit & veg stalls so she took us over to one of them and started to ask us to name the various items. One of them was a prickly pear - ' un higo chumbo'. Well as you can imagine there wasn't anyone in the group that had tried one she Amelia asked the stall holder if she would show us how to peel it and to cut it up so we could taste it, which she was more than happy to do. The skin came away very easily to leave a peachy coloured flesh which had some small seeds in it but it tasted quite sweet, a little like melon but without the tartness.

So, we had a good chat over breakfast sat in the square in Águilas and we met some ladies Amelia knew so we had a chance to practice our spanish on them by introducing oursleves and telling them a little about how long we had lived in Spain, who we lived with and what we did. Then we had a good nosey around in the fruit and veg so the morning wasn't a waste but I would have liked to have seen the fish stalls and had a chance for Amelia to explain what things were and how to cook them. Maybe another time.

Off to Fish

No, I haven't taken up sitting on a river bank for hours with road and line, as part of our Spanish class we are off to the local Fish Market in Águilas. There are so many things on that fish counter that I don't recognise and wouldn't have a clue what to do with I'm hoping to find this morning very informative.

I'll let you know later.

February is Carnival time in our nearest town, Águilas

Spain is big on festivals and every town has it's own festival week. Our nearest town is Águilas, about 10 minutes away. This weekend see's the regatta at the harbour/marina - so we may see some of that tomorrow when we take a trip in after the market.

Then from the 18th February, Carnival week starts. Now, the only drawback to the Spanish festivals is some of them start so late at night - very often not until 11pm, so we are all going to need our siesta's in the afternoon in order to stay awake long enough to enjoy the parades. However, there will still be plenty to see if we decide to drive in.

One's to make an effort to see are:

FRIDAY 27TH: EXHIBITION OF CARNIVAL MAKE UP AND DRAG QUEEN CONTEST. 23.00 H. - Apparently this is a real scene to see.

SATURDAY 28TH: FOURTH CARNIVAL PROCESSION THROUGH THE TOWN AND IX NATIONAL COMPETITION OF CARNIVAL GROUPS

SEIZURE OF DON CARNAL IN THE PLAZA DE ESPANA FROM WHERE HE IS LED TO THE PONIENTE BEACH WERE HE IS EXECUTED BY FIRE. FOLLOWED BY A MAGNIFICENT FIREWORKS DISPLAY MARKING THE END OF THE CARNIVAL.

Time to get the camera batteries on charge I think!

Full list of events:

CARNIVAL FEBRUARY 2009


SUNDAY 15TH: “XV DUATHLON CARNIVAL OF AGUILAS” SPORT HARBOUR. 11.00 H. BOAT RACE. “VIII COMPETITION OF PAPER SUITS” FEDERATION OF PENAS

THURSDAY 19TH: “MUSSONA” PROCESSION FROM THE CASTLE TO PLAZA DE ESPANA 23.45 FIREWORKS 24.00 H.

FRIDAY 20TH: BATTLE BETWEEN CHILDREN SUPPORTERS OF DON CARNAL, DONA CUARESMA USING CONFETTI FILLED EGGSHELLS. INAUGURATION AND WELCOME SPEECHES BY A CELEBRITY, MUSA 2008 AND THE MAYOR. PLACE: PLAZA DE ESPANA. 21.30 H.
SALSA MUSIC FESTIVAL. PLAZA DE ESPANA 24.00 H.

SATURDAY 21ST: BATTLE BETWEEN ADULTS SUPPORTERS OF DON CARNAL, DONA CUAREMA USING CONFETTI FILLED EGGSHELLS. INAUGURATION AND WELCOME SPEECHES BY A CELEBRITY, MUSA 2008 AND THE MAYOR. PLACE: PLAZA DE ESPANA. 22.00 H.
SALSA MUSIC FESTIVAL. PLAZA DE ESPANA 24.00 H.

SUNDAY 22ND: FIRST CARNIVAL PROCESSION THROUGH THE MAIN STREETS OF THE TOWN BEGINNING AT 18.00 H.

MONDAY 23RD: SECOND CARNIVAL PROCESSION THROUGH THE TOWN. CARNIVAL CHOREOGRAPHY/DANCING COMPETITION. 17.00 H. NIGHTLY CARNIVAL COMPETITION

TUESDAY 24TH: THIRD CARNIVAL PROCESSION THROUGH THE TOWN 18.00 H.

FRIDAY 27TH: EXHIBITION OF CARNIVAL MAKE UP AND DRAG QUEEN CONTEST. 23.00 H.

SATURDAY 28TH: FOURTH CARNIVAL PROCESSION THROUGH THE TOWN AND IX NATIONAL COMPETITION OF CARNIVAL GROUPS

SEIZURE OF DON CARNAL IN THE PLAZA DE ESPANA FROM WHERE HE IS LED TO THE PONIENTE BEACH WERE HE IS EXECUTED BY FIRE. FOLLOWED BY A MAGNIFICENT FIREWORKS DISPLAY MARKING THE END OF THE CARNIVAL.

Fish and chips in Águilas

We live very close to the provincial border with Murcia, in fact we live so close to the border that we leave Almeria to get petrol, do our supermarket shopping and go to the market - it's our nearest town, it has a castle on the hill as we do and it has some lovely squares to sit in and have a drink both during the day and in the evening.

Now, there is very little we miss from Sheffield but there is no question that good authentic Fish & Chips are, occasionally, just what the doctor orders. Now I know some of you think we spend our entire time eating out, drinking, walking the dogs and playing golf - and , well actually, that's probably pretty accurate. BUT, we do it out of a sense of duty to all of you who come out here and ask me where is a good place to go.......

.........so for anyone coming out here and wanting proper fish and chips, mushy peas, bread & butter with vinegar and ketchup......

we know the perfect place - Randy & Michelle's in Águilas.

Michelle is a Leeds lass and knows how to make a traditional fish & chip supper. Randy isn't from Leeds ( he is spanish, and as far as I am aware they met on a cruise ship) but is an avid Leeds United supported - but please don't let that stop you visiting.

When we were last in Sheffield one thing Neil wanted was some good fish and chips but we never got round to going to the chippy but we did have fish & chips in a local restaurant one night - and they weren't good. So when we got back and were telling some friends here that we had missed the opportunity to have traditional fish & chips, they introduced us to this place. It's up a little side alley a short walk from the main square, is covered if you want to eat outside but they do have tables inside and they do sell more than fish & chips.

Now, we came to Spain to embrace the spanish lifestyle, we don't shop in english shops, we don't buy english branded groceries and we eat in spanish bars and restaurants - but on the odd occasion, we will weaken and then a visit here is necessary.

Rather than last night being just about fish & chips I thought I would turn it into a small cultural visit and share some of the evening sights with you so here's the educational bit:

The castle dates back to the 18th century and although a ruin at present, I understand that there are restoration plans - for more brief history ( and a few photos) have a look at http://www.todoaguilas.com/english.htm

So, for an atmospheric view of the main Aguilas square on a friday evening,

The fountain with a 'Turkey' that looks like a swan! No wonder we failed on the treasure hunt - eagles masquerading as phoenix's, turkey's masquerading as swans - whatever next, security guards acting as historians? - Oh yes, we had that as well!

And finally, the castle on the hill all floodnight and looking gorgeous. (and yes, this IS the closest I have been to it - I understand you cannot take the car up and without a golf club in my hand, there is no way I am going to climb a hill like this)

The Terreros Treasure Hunt (Part 3 - The End)

So, we find the train station and we need to find the date the building was built. Lucy and I got out of the car looking for the stone that had been laid somewhere with the date on it. It wasn't on the front, not at the gate, not in the floor. By this time we have been joined by several other groups and we are all now running around like demented chickens trying to succeed where others were failing - and failing ourselves.


Being Sunday afternoon the station was all closed up as there were no further trains and eventually we came across a security guard who was most helpful and gave us a date of 1889.


Now, ask yourself, would anyone from Group 4 Security, looking after a building in the UK know when it was built? No, so why would we really believe that a spanish security guard would be so interested in the building he was protecting to have taken the trouble to find out all about it, including when it was built - oh how he must have laughed when he told his colleagues over a beer that evening how gullible the english are!


No points again! (We did find out later that you needed to go into the station to find the date - it had been open when they had been going around setting the questions).


All back in the cars and Whacky Races style departures saw us all heading for a cove on the north side of Aguilas to try and find out who declared their love for each other in a shady glen on the 19th March 2005














Somehow, I was expecting some lovingly carved hearts, with their names entwined with intricately carved long stemmed roses,


Sadly I was to be disappointed, it seems the advent of the felt tip has led to the demise of this ancient art of wood carving.


We headed back to the car when we remembered we still had several items to collect - not a problem, the Aguilas Plaza shopping centre was about 5 minutes away and was still open, so while Neil & Lucy ran in to do a bit of shopping I took the opportunity to walk the dogs, who had been happily sleeping in the back of the car while we ran around like idiots. We were doing well though, we had only just passed 2 hours and had completed the questions, just needed a couple of photos and these last few items and we were done. We had already met up with the 1st car and they were over the 3 hour time limit and hadn't started back yet - so we knew at least one car would be getting a 6 point time penalty deduction - mind you, they did admit to spending more time in the bar than they should, so they seemed fairly unconcerned about the points deduction.


As we entered Terreros we had everything but a beer mat with a date on it. That's OK, we'll call in one of the bars on the way to the finish. We couldn't surprise them anymore than we had when Lucy jumped out of an almost moving car to take a photo of a man walking dog, or for that matter the man on a bike! (different men)


As I ran into the Montesol, it became apparent we weren't the first. I dived into the bar, a quick 'Hola', picked up a beer mat and headed out of the door when this little voice followed me out saying '.....there isn't a date on that......' 'There soon will be.....' was my response as I continued back to the car without breaking stride. Once back in the car, out came the biro and I neatly wrote on 21.9.2008 We now had a beer mat with a date on - see, initiative - and yes, we did get our 3 points.


So, back at the finish (and yet another bar) Lucy & Neil got the drinks in and checked the sheets to make sure we had answered everything, collected everything and had photos of everything.

















And how did we do?

Well, we didn't get the booby prize for least points but neither did we win, we were mid table. Points ranged from 60-86 and we got 76. But we'd had a brilliant afternoon, seen parts of Aguilas never seen before and learnt a little about the place and of course, will we ever forget the spanish for eagle? Somehow, I think not.

The Terreros Treasure Hunt (Part 2)

Ok, fully refreshed, a quick trip was required to the loo in the bar, not for necessity but because the answer to one of the clues was hanging on the wall next to them. (It's OK, we were only looking for a picture of a Harley Davidson!)



Several questions were related to the square in Aguilas, including one about the type of bird hovering above the castle. This was to be found on the floor of the square where the local crest was inlaid into the paving stones. Now, it would probably have helped if we'd known that águilas was spanish for eagle, but trust me, it looked like a Phoenix to me - no points there then. Another was relating to the type of bird in the fountain in the square - looked like a swan to us - no points scored there either! (We never did find out what it was supposed to be)



Maybe we'll have better luck with the photo - remember, a unique living 'bird' - here's ours, a Strelitzia reginae!





















Yep, a 'bird of paradise' flower - 3 points!







Ok, back to the car, we need more points! A 'brief encounter' would be just the ticket - gotta find the railway station!

The Terreros Treasure Hunt (Part 1)

Sunday saw 13 cars and approximately 60 people (and our 2 dogs) driving around Terreros and Águilas trying to find answers to a variety of clues and collect photos and articles on the list. A little inventiveness came in useful along the way.

We were the penultimate car to set off, so we were soon catching up with those already on route and could gain a little advantage from seeing where people were coming back from. Some of the answers could be found while driving by whilst for others we needed to park up and walk around (headless chickens came to mind a few times, believe me)

There was 1 very simple rule - we were not allowed back to any of our homes to retrieve any of the items. The items we needed to collect were: An item of ladies underwear, a restaurant menu, a safety device, a pocket size image of britain, a spanish Sunday newspaper, a beer mat with a date on it and a fire lighter.

We also needed photos of a unique living 'bird' (take note of the quotation marks!), a British licence plate, a team photo of us all drinking through straws from one glass (dogs were excluded 'cos they can't handle a straw) something with a girls name on it, a local town official, a stranger walking a dog and a stranger riding a bicycle.

We had a time limit of 3 hours and anyone back late would start of with a deduction of 6 points. Harsh, but hey, we had a halfway stop at a bar - without a time limit some maynever get around to leaving the halfway house.

We started off on a short trip along the coast and down one of the coastal tracks to the beach where we were instructed there was a secluded spot for us to remove an item of underwear. Lucy and I chatted about which if us would be the one to remove said garmet - I got the short straw so out of the car I went..........

No, that isn't my leg! 1st item collected.

Several clues later, having seen us at the beach a second time, in a rather nice public garden in Aguilas and having had a debate on who actually did paint the Mona Lisa, we found ourselves parked up at the marina in Aguilas counting painted fishes on a notice board, that was until we looked closer and saw that someone had already written on each of the fish as they'd counted them so we no longer needed to count all 44!

We finished the clues on the first set of sheets and headed for the bar in the main plaza for a well earned rest and a drink (don't forget the straws)

Halfway there.