Parks and Seaside, Marbella

After our snack in Plaza de los Naranjos and wandering in the northern part of Marbella, we crossed Avenida de Ramon y Cajal to the Parque de la Alameda. The park has many things to recommend it, starting with a lovely fountain.

Fuente Virgen del Rocio

Some nice tile work on the fountain

The local seal?

Nearby the fountain is a carousel that was a little too expensive (3 Euros for one ride?!?). The kids were fascinated by it but happy to try out the little riding toys nearby.

Guess where the carousel is in relation to this jeep!

Ride 'em, cowgirl!

Ride 'em, cowboy!

Not so sure about this

The park has plenty of trees for shade (which wasn't so necessary in January) and has the fanciest park benches ever.

Lush park

Ceramic tile benches! Too beautiful and perhaps not comfortable enough to sit on

From here we walked down the Avenida del Mar which leads to the Mediterranean Sea (as you might have guessed from the name). The avenida is lined with a variety of statues cast from molds by Savaldor Dali, which might explain the lack of explanations I can provide.

Beheading Medusa

Maybe Icarus or Daedalus with wings?

Ride 'em, cowGreek!

Some sort of offering through a window?

The avenida also has a few fountains which commanded obligatory photos with the children.

J tries too hard to smile

Flagging energy at the pyramid fountain

At the bottom of the avenida is a board-walk-type street that's right above the sand.

View of the Mediterranean

View from the Mediterranean

J and L loved playing in the sand. Mostly they put it in the sea, which seemed fruitless to me but it made them happy.

J looks for the perfect grains

L tosses them into the sea

Back by the road they spotted a fun playground. Also nearby is a life-sized elephant. On closer inspection, the elephant is an imaginative shower for washing the sand away. Yes, the water comes out the trunk!

The beach playground

Elephant ready to work!

Not sure why the trash can was there

We had a fun visit to the park and the beach. Working up plenty of appetite, we went back to our hotel for some lunch.

Old Town and Fort, Marbella

After our snack in the Plaza de los Naranjos, we headed north to see the old fort (alcazaba in Spanish) and the original town walls. We also found a closed church and a bunch of interesting shops.

The stairs up to the fort were nicely decorated. Tiles really are everywhere here.

L makes a close examination of the steps

A tile deer to L's hart

View from the top of the stairs

The alcazaba dates back to the 10th century and was built by the Moors out of stone, recycling some of the ancient Roman material (they had a fort here too). The fort was rectangular in shape, situated on the highest part of town. Narrow, winding streets snake out from here.

Old fortification with a new home built on it

More narrow streets

Wall and tower

Another tower

The walls date back to the 9th century and include a niche where a rocky outcropping provides a little shelter from inclement weather. It hardly ever rains here, so I imagine the niche does not get much use.

Rocky overhang

J poses by the small shrine

L looks at the shrine

The little street chapels or shrines have been a part of the urban scene for a very long time. They are quite popular and nice reminders of the Catholic culture of Spain for everyone passing by.

We wandered a little further north to the Hermitage of the Holy Christ of the True Cross. This church is thought to be built by Franciscans, since the order has a devotion to the True Cross. It was built in the 16th century but had many additions (including the bell tower) in the 18th century. The plaza has a nice fountain and a random cat was hanging out.

Ermita del Santa Cristo de la Vera Cruz

Plaza fountain

Plaza cat

A flamenco joint is right next to the church, but the shows are at night so we did not get to see any dancing in Marbella. We did walk back toward the sea and saw many interesting shops and signs.

The pharmacy is on Estacion, it's been there for years!

Handbags in many styles, including dragons and crowns

We didn't think we'd see any Welsh on signs here

Plaza de los Naranjos, Marbella, Spain

The Plaza de los Naranjos is the center of Marbella. After the Christians took the city in 1485, they made some changes, including making Castilian-style squares in the city. This square was crafted in the 16th century to contrast with the slapdash Moorish streets and alleys around it. The name comes from the orange trees planted around the square.

Plaza de los Naranjos, Marbella

Looking for the plaza

The town hall looks over the square and has the tourist office, which was closed since we visited on a Sunday. We had a nice snack at one of the restaurants.

Bread with olive oil and tomato (more on this in a later post)

Map of Malaga over our table

At the other end of the square is the Casa del Corregidor, or the Chief Magistrate's House. The ground floor is now a restaurant.

Casa del Corregidor

The square also has the bust of King Juan Carlos I.

Juan Carlos I

In the southwest corner the Ermita de Santiago chapel breaks the square-shape of the plaza. The building was previously a mosque, converted at the end of the 15th century into a chapel for Christian worship. In 1905 it became a parish church but slowly became just a chapel. Inside we saw a large nativity scene. We could not get in, however.

Ermita de Santiago

Nativity that takes up the whole church!

Exterior altar

Right next to the church is a little fountain that, of course, J loved.

Spain has lots of fountains, you will see!

On our way out of the square, we saw a hotel with vine-covered outdoor seating for their restaurant. The vines were amazing! You could probably sit there and not get wet in a rain storm (though this area typically has 300 days of sunshine each year).

Gran Plaza Restaurant and Hotel!

From here we went to see the walls of the old alcazaba or fort that dates back to the Moorish period.

Marbella Cathedral Nativity

Inside the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion (or the Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation) a large nativity set presents most of the major events in Jesus's infancy from His conception to His family's flight into Egypt.

The setting took up the better half of the north aisle of the church and, since we arrived 15 minutes early for Mass, became the center of attention for the children as we waited.

Front side of the scene

Back side of the scene

According to the artist, the angel's visit to Mary to announce that she would be the mother of Jesus happened during regular house work in the kitchen. It's a nice homey touch. Typically, the event is depicted as she is reading or praying in a private room.

Annunciation

The story moves to Bethlehem, where the holy couple cannot find room at any of the inns.

The innkeeper hides his shameful face behind a tree

Further on, the holy family receives the three wise men/kings/magi in their humble setting.

Epiphany

Finally, the holy family returns to Nazareth, where they present Jesus at the temple according to the Jewish custom.

Nazareth square

Presentation at the temple

From here, the display shows their flight into Egypt, complete with the classic Egyptian icons--tombs and hieroglyphics.

Arriving in Egypt (leaving the windmills of Nazareth behind!)

The set includes lots of homey details of life, including people trading goods and the shepherds roasting a lamb while they were out tending their sheep! Naturally the kids were drawn to the silliest, earthiest bit.

Caganer, who apparently makes an appearance often in these displays

The wikipedia article about this fellow and his importance in the tradition has this funny story:

In 2005, the Barcelona city council provoked a public outcry by commissioning a nativity scene which did not include a Caganer. Many saw this as an attack on Catalan traditions. The local government countered these criticisms by claiming that the Caganer was not included because a recent by-law had made public defecation and urination illegal, meaning that the Caganer was now setting a bad example.^[13] Following a campaign against this decision called Salvem el caganer (Save the caganer), and widespread media criticism, the 2006 nativity restored the Caganer, who appeared on the northern side of the nativity near a dry riverbed.

After viewing the whole tableau, J whispered to us that this was "precious and beautiful," which made us both very happy.