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Friday 5 January 2018

Introducing....Torre del Mar

On my morning walk today, I took loads of photos and decided that I would do a post of our local town as it is a really attractive place, I thought people might like to see it.  I sometimes wonder if when some people think of the Costa del Sol, so they visualise drunk tourists, British fish and chip shops and noisy discos!  Fortunately Torre del Mar is not a bit like that!


Torre del Mar is our nearest town and is situated 28km east of Malaga on the coast.  It has a population of approx 20,000 and is a very popular holiday resort with Spanish people.  It has the name Torre del Mar (tower of the sea) because it had many watchtowers along the coast during Roman and Moorish times. Today it has a 26m high lighthouse situated on the edge of the promenade.  During the 19th century, the area was the centre of the sugar industry whereas nowadays they grow mangoes, avocados, kiwis and salad crops, because of the  tropical climate.

The most outstanding feature is its sea front, which is about 2km long, and is apparently considered the longest in the Mediterranean! The beach is very wide, more than 50 meters in many places.  The whole promenade is planted with flowers and palm trees, making it a very attractive area to stroll along at any time of year.  This promenade is also lined with lots of seafood restaurants or chiringuitos as they are called here.  The photo below was taken at approx 9am this morning.



The town is busy and has LOADS of small shops, but this post is really just to show you the promenade area which is also very popular with joggers, people walking their dogs (as dogs are not allowed on the beach except for the 'dog beach') and cyclists who have their own cycle paths.

Most people start at one end of the prom and continue walking along to the busy fishing port of Caleta de Velez and then walk back to their original starting point, a distance of about 7km.  This is what Lucy, my Miniature Pinscher and I do when we choose this route for our morning walk.  We can watch the sunrise from our starting point, there are some beautiful sunrises seen from here.  Here is this mornings:


The temperature when we set out was a quite chilly 8C, but it soon warmed up and by the time we got to the end of our route it was 20C.....and that was at 10am!  It's why we have to set out earlyish as I don't want Lucy getting overheated.

All along the route there are different beach areas, special beaches allocated for different groups of people, or different activities.  The seniors beach has wooden gazebos with  picnic benches where older folk can be seen sitting chatting or playing dominoes!  Of course this time of the morning it's pretty empty except for a few people using the gym equipment on the seniors beach.


There are several areas with play equipment especially for children....




There is even a 'Biblio Playa' which means 'book beach' and you can see below the lovely wooden benches and armchair where I suspect local teachers bring groups of their pupils for reading...what a lovely environment to have a reading class!!


And safety too is big here.....there are First Aid and lifeguard stations all along the beach, including this one, which would be hard to miss!!!



All the way along the prom there are examples of local art.  What would normally be the plain back walls of the fishermens buildings, are covered with art!

Here are some examples, some are laminated, whilst others are made from ceramic tiles: (unfortunately because of the laminate there is a lot of reflection!)









I guess you can't have art without a contribution from probably the most famous Malagueño, Pablo Picasso....a ceramic tile version of his famous painting Guernica.


Even the public bathrooms are attractively decorated, and although I haven't got photos here, take my word for it, they are incredibly clean!!






These two below were taken a different day.....I missed them this morning!!! Must have been half asleep :)




Plus statues and fountains:



The fountain below is either new or having a makeover, you can see the workmen are still working on it,  the star shaped pool is completely tiled in tiny mosaic tiles!


This fountain is dedicated to the Virgen of Carmen, who is the patron saint of the town, and also the patron saint of mariners and seafarers!



 Also along the promenade is the lighthouse mentioned above, as well as the bandstand where they often have live music in the summertime!




Finally at the very easterly end of the promenade, so the town of Torre del Mar joins the area of Caleta de Velez where there is a busy fishing port and marina....







It is when we reach this point that we turn back and do the whole walk in reverse!

"Yes Lucy, we only have to walk back to about here.........!!!!!"

 
Well I hope you have enjoyed our little walk along the promenade at Torre del Mar!!

Thanks very much for visiting, have a lovely weekend!

Hugs Sharon x

14 comments:

  1. What a lovely place for a doggie walk. I love the ceramic tile art!

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    1. Isn't it Ursula, I really am happy living here on the coast and am lucky to be near such a nice attractive town to walk in :)
      xxx

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  2. Super town, super post!

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  3. Thank you for the tour, it looks lovely. What a great place to walk and get fit.
    Also looks warm! lol unlike here :) xxx

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    1. Thanks Dee, I'm glad you enjoyed it! It is a nice place to walk, I think it helps to have somewhere you can appreciate and makes it easier to be motivated I think.
      It wasn't very warm when I started out, about 8C but by the time I got back again it was about 19C I think.
      xxx

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  4. What an absolutely beautiful piece of journalism Sharon. Wonderfully descriptive. Great photos too. Sold! We’re moving! Warn Brian.

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    1. Thanks very much PJ, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for visiting my blog, I hope you'll come back again!! I'll tell Brian to get the kettle on!! ;)
      xxx

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  5. Oh what a wonderfully scenic walk you have, I am a little envious Sharon. It's been quite warm downunder, it was 42C on Saturday, but yesterday and today was in the mid 20's, just gorgeous. I should be doing more of what you're doing and moving some of this tummy, but I've been knitting like a crazy woman. :)
    Thank you for sharing all these photos, I do enjoy "strolling with you", I don't get so tired. LOL!
    Big hugs,
    X

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    1. Thank you Sandi, I actually thought of you when I was putting this together because in one of your emails you mentioned not knowing anything about where I live!
      I heard that you've been having a heatwave down there in Australia, I hope you're keeping cool...not good weather for walking. In the summer I was getting up at 5.45am and going walking straight away because any later and the heat was too much, if not for me then for Lucy.
      I look forward to seeing what you're knitting, you make such pretty things.
      LOL it was nice having you 'with me'!! ;)
      xxx

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  6. A most beautiful walk and I wish I could walk with you my friend. I especially love the statute of the Virgen of Carmen. A very special place to live. ❤️ XXX

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    1. Thank you very much Ginger, I wish you could too :)
      It's a lovely statue and I like how it looks as if it is floating over the water. In the summer, on the Virgen del Carmen's feast day (which for the moment I've forgotten the date of) they decorate a float with flowers and then a smaller statue is carried into the sea. Would you believe in all the years we've lived here, I have yet to see it happen in real life? Maybe I should make sure I do see it this year and then I can take photos!
      xxx

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  7. Such a exotic and beautiful place, so different to where I live. I could walk and walk and walk, take photos and enjoy the beach. The art is a good way to decorate the place and I did like the 'reading-place'. I could sit there and read.
    Thank you for sharing!
    Hugs!

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    1. Thank you. It is lovely Niina, I'm very lucky. I admit that I do indeed walk and walk and walk, and where other people have their headphones on and are completely focused on their walking, I tend to be looking around and taking photos along the way, my dog gets a bit annoyed with me sometimes and we can end up being out for more than 2 and half hours!!!
      xxx

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