Back to Nerja - Paella, Beach and Caves

Sue is a great travel companion for many reasons, but one is that she researches the heck out of everything. That means when Sue has an agenda planned, it's always top notch.  Nerja was on her list of cool places to visit, so we drove about an hour to return there for the day.

First stop was an awesome beach called Playa Burriana.  This was a little nicer than the beach we visited the day before, but the water was still "refreshing".  It had free showers, and beach chairs and umbrellas to rent, as well as a string of good looking "chiringuitos" (beach bars) along the beach.  The kids swam, I did some poi practice, and Sue read until we all got hungry.

Sue read about a spot called Chiringuito de Ayo on our beach. Apparently the owner started it 40 years ago, and it is renowned for it's all-you-can-eat Paella, as well as employing people who need a second chance.  A huge pan of paella is always going, and Sue and I HAD to get some.  The kids tried it and they even liked it.  I had three helpings, and one Sangria, justifying my excess by swearing off dinner that night.  As we walked back to our car, we tried some artisan gelato that was also outrageously good.  I then swore off breakfast the next day.

Part two of our agenda was to visit the famous Caves of Nerja.  They were discovered by a group of ten year old boys around 1960 (one of whom owns Chinguito de Ayo), and is one of the best caves to visit on the entire planet.  The rooms are huge, including one with the tallest known stalagmite (32 meters high).  Some prehistoric skeletons and other artifacts were found in the caves, and were on display, but the sheer size and massiveness of the caves enthralled our whole family.