The Port of Almería

I frequently drive to Almería from my hometown of Roquetas de Mar. Approaching the city from the west, the first glimpse I get is a dramatic view of the town with the magnificent Alcazaba on the mountainside on the left and the port on the right.
Most days, in this part of Spain, the sun shines and so I can appreciate how the city of Almería got its name - it was the Arabs that called it al-Mariyah, meaning 'Mirror of the Sea'.
It is a working port with both fishing vessels and pleasure boats large and small.Tourist cruises stop here and there are ferries to North Africa - to the Spanish enclave of Melilla and to Algeria and Morocco.

 

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Playa de Aguadulce - a pristine coastline!

Aguadulce is part of the municipality of Roquetas de Mar but is a separate but equally appealing resort with a fine marina. I like driving along the coastal road from Aguadulce to Almería. It is a spectacular drive with the mountainside on one side and sheer drops to the sea on the other. The road hugs the cliff tops and passes through tunnels that have been excavated in the rock face. But back to Aguadulce!
 

 
It has an extremely clean beach and, like all the Roquetas playas, has blue flag status! My wife and I often go for our early morning walk along the Paseo de Maritimo and we observe lots of activity regarding the maintenance of this pristine coastline. Council workers clean the promenade and beach and maintain the numerous flower beds; tractors keep the beaches neat and tidy and a little boat patrols the coastline dredging the sea bottom. At the end of the walk, I usually take a dip in the crystal clear waters. Like all the beaches of Roquetas there are numerous showers to rinse off the salt water. 
 

  

The town of Aguadulce is pleasant enough with a park, shops, open-air cinema and some excellent restaurants and tapas bars. I particularly like El Boliche for tapas.

 

Probably the best part of the town is the harbour with its moored craft and numerous cafes.


more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

El Nacimiento

About 1 kilometre north of Laujar is 'El Nacimiento' - a delightful area of waterfalls, picnic areas and places to walk. My wife and I usually go there in Spring and Autumn on weekdays and, mostly, we have the place to ourselves. It is a haven of peace and tranquillity. Nacimiento means 'birth' and it is here that the Río Andarax starts its journey to the sea near Almería.

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Almería Cathedral

The cathedral was built in the sixteenth century and was designed as a place of prayer and of refuge. This was because the shores of Almería were continually under attack from Turks and Berbers.

Almería Cathedral

This east facing façade of the 'Cathedral' has a relief of the Portocarro sun, the symbol of the city.

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Almeria in pictures

some pictures of Almería are shown below

to see all the pictures on my Almería Pinterest pinboard click the following link:-

http://pinterest.com/robertbovington/almeria/

Further photographs of Almería on Panoramio...

http://www.panoramio.com/user/2391258/tags/Almer%C3%ADa

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Spanish Impressions

Part of my 'Spanish Impressions' pinboard on Pinterest...  

Click on the following link to see more  Spanish Impressions  pics...

http://pinterest.com/robertbovington/spanish-impressions/

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

More Spanish places

Part of my 'More Spanish places' pinboard on Pinterest... 

Click on the following link to see more photos of Spanish places: 


http://pinterest.com/robertbovington/more-spanish-places/

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Diverse Almería

Part of my 'Diverse Almería' pinboard on Pinterest...  

Click on the following link to see more photos of the diverse province of Almería

http://pinterest.com/robertbovington/diverse-almeria/

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Spanish Impressions"	http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

Almería Cathedral

The 'Cathedral' is one of the principal monument in Almería. It was designed as a place of prayer and of war, when it was built in the sixteenth century. This was because the shores of Almería were continually under attack from Turks and Berbers and so it was designed as a place of refuge as well as worship. It was built in a Gothic style with a Renaissance façade.

more photos of the Cathedral:

http://www.panoramio.com/user/2391258/tags/Almer%C3%ADa%20Cathedral

Robert Bovington

March 2012

https://plus.google.com/118235640981670233395/about

Níjar

Níjar is a pottery town. However, that is the only thing it has in common with Stoke-on-Trent. For a start, there is no river there - it is located in one of the warmest driest places in Europe - in the eastern part of the province of Almería. Secondly, unlike Stoke, it is quite attractive despite its arid surroundings.

I quite like Níjar. It has a distinct Moorish feel about it with its narrow streets and whitewashed houses. It lies in the foothills of the Sierra Alhamilla and is popular with tourists who make the short excursion from coastal towns like Roquetas de Mar and Mojácar. They mainly visit in order to purchase the attractive and unusual glazed pottery. That is what Níjar is famous for - pottery. And carpets! 

There are many pottery shops, some with thousands of pieces on display ranging from ashtrays to large planters and decorative lampshades. The most characteristic of the area is the blue and green pottery, produced from clay and marl with a kaolin coating. The other handicraft most typical of Níjar is the manufacture of jarapas - colourful cotton and wool rugs and blankets. 

There are many other hand-made items on sale in the shops: leather ware, jewellery, decorative ironwork, furniture as well as edible items such as honey, cakes and wine. Soaps, candles and many other items made from natural products can also be obtained in Níjar. 

I find the town a pleasant place to stroll. The high street is attractive with its many shops and bars and there are quaint narrow cobbled streets with the traditional whitewashed houses so typical of Andalucía. At the top of the main thoroughfare is the town's main square with an attractive church. The 'Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación' was built in the 16th century.

more photosof Níjar....

http://www.panoramio.com/map/#lt=36.965761&ln=-2.206510&z=4&k=2&a=1&tab=4&pl=all

Robert Bovington

Almería

I like Almería. I like its mix of old and new. It is essentially a Spanish city with a North African flavour. It is one of the most ancient cities of Andalucía. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans have all left their mark, but it was the Moors that really put Almería on the map! The Romans called it 'Portus Magnus', but later it was called al-Mariyah, meaning 'Mirror of the Sea'.

my Panoramio photos of Almería:-

http://www.panoramio.com/user/2391258/tags/Almer%C3%ADa

Robert Bovington
February 2012

Alcazaba Almería

The Alcazaba is an enormous fortress that dominates the city of Almería, standing as it does on a hill overlooking the town and the sea. It was built in the tenth century but over the centuries it has had further enhancements added such as a Moorish palace and, in the time of the Catholic Kings, a Christian palace.

For more phographs of the Alcazaba:
http://www.panoramio.com/user/2391258/tags/Alcazaba%20Almer%C3%ADa

my article about the Alcazaba:
http://bobbovington.blogspot.com/2011/05/alcazaba-almeria-google-docs.html

Robert Bovington
February 2012