Christmas will come around every year and you either love it or loathe it.
The hype of Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year. Christmas lights go up at the beginning of November. The TV advertisements tell us we are failures if we do not have the big family table groaning with food, with all our relatives having a lovely time, happy and smiling faces, looking at all the food that most people won’t eat and will be put in the bin on Boxing Day.
I know many people who love Christmas and enjoy the hustle and bustle of getting ready for the family to arrive but it can be a chore. The shopping, extra expense, juggling who will be where, keeping the peace, finding places for them all to sleep or have we got enough chairs to sit on, who eats what, the list goes on and on.
Not anymore for us. This year, we “escaped” to Spain for a week over the Christmas period. The weather ranged from 19 to 26 degrees, and the warmth of the winter sun was most welcome.
An all-inclusive package to Nerja in Spain with Hay’s Travel was our Christmas week destination, along with so many couples who had decided to have Christmas with their families before the ‘Big Day’ and come away to a beautiful town that was bathed in sunshine for the whole of the week.
Not everyone wanted to “get away from it all.” Apart from couples, many people were part of families of three generations or just mum, dad and children all wanting a different experience at Christmas time.
Papa Noel (Father Christmas) didn’t forget us. On the evening before Christmas Eve, the whole town of Nerja was taken over by a Christmas-themed Parade, with a very convincing Papa Noel. His helpers looked fabulous and the brass band was in full force as they meandered around the quaint, cobbled streets of Nerja, followed by jugglers and acrobats. There was even some fake snow. Wonderful!!!
Our Christmas Day was very relaxing, sunbathing in the morning, a pre-lunch drink with our all-inclusive package and a Gala 5 course lunch which was excellent and served professionally and quickly, and yes, it did include turkey. plus as much wine as you wished to drink and then it was a joy to walk out from the meal to brilliant sunshine. No clearing away, no “who is washing the dishes?” Bliss!!!
Nerja is a beautiful town on the Costa del Sol. It has a very Spanish feel and many bars and restaurants. Walk along the promenade to the Balcon, an area very popular with holidaymakers, with its shops and bars serving Tapas and good wine.
Walk further from the Balcon to Burani Beach to try the paella that is cooked in massive pans. This famous paella can be found cooking at the end of the Beach where the seating is under a large gazebo. This area is very popular with local people so be warned you may have to wait a little while for your meal but it is an experience not to miss.
The transport in the Nerja area is very good and we took the local bus to the charming village of Figrialani which costs only 1 euro 20 each way. It is up in the mountains and very popular with visitors. The shops and bars may be busy but it is well worth the walk up into the old town to take in the spectacular views of the surrounding area.
This Christmas holiday did take us out of our “comfort zone,” as we have never been away for Christmas before. Breaking out of the Christmas traditions was so refreshing and relaxing. I am sure this will be repeated, and it gives us something to look forward to rather than bracing ourselves for the pressures of Christmas.
