IN NERJA

Nerja is a picturesque beach town located about 75 km east of Torremolinos. Although it has beautiful beaches, the main draw for tourists like us are the caves located in nearby Maro. Interestingly, 4 km of caverns there were rediscovered in 1959 by five boys who were out looking for bats.

(As I heard that story yesterday, the cynic in me wondered whether the creators of the Flintstones, circa 1960, were the actual ones to discover the caves.)

According to archeologists, skeletal remains found in the caves indicate that they were probably inhabited from 25,000 BC until the Bronze Age around 3,000 BC. They were used seasonally by a small group of humans for about 4,000 years before larger groups took up year round residence bringing a culture based on hunting and fishing.

As we descended through a narrow tunnel into the large cavernous area, I began to feel like Indiana Jones entering the Temple of Doom. A hush came over our entire group of pilgrims as we entered what seemed like a cathedral from antiquity.

Giant stalagnate columns, like inverted organ pipes, hung from the roof of  the cavern that could probably enclose about half of the Scotiabank arena. Smaller icicle-like stalagmites hung everywhere, even right next to the cement stairs that lined the periphery of the giant cave. (There are smaller caves but they are not open to the general public.)

At one point, I reached out to touch an "icicle."...in hindsight, probably not a good idea, especially if the cave had collapsed. LOL!

All in all, it was an unforgettable experience and one that my ipad camera was woefully incapable of capturing. 

But please have a look just the same.