No more unpleasant bending with the labour-saving magnetic petanca ball picker-upper (it probably has a proper name), or at least that is the theory. Watching a group of players, it invariably began with a ‘go fish’ exercise followed by a frantic untangling of several lines or, in one instance, one of them getting the line caught round their ankles and almost going posterior over mammary gland.
The Chapel bar on calle Jaén has reopened under new ownership. The Chique Lounge (formerly Stereo and La Bodega Nueva to name but two previous incarnations) in calle Chaparil didn’t last very long at all.
The Blarney Stone is now Bar Amigos, a fairly smooth(ish) transition there. Bar Amigos offers Full English and Irish breakfasts from 09:00 each day (Mon to Sat) as well as other home-made meals, caters for birthday, hen or stag parties and has two large TV screens with all major sporting events being shown.
Calle Chaparil is once again open to traffic after the planting of half a dozen palm trees. The original plan, according to the reports, was to replace the existing trees in the street and make parking easier.
Phase one, the six trees, has actually resulted in the loss of half a dozen more (and valuable) parking spaces. The idea is obviously to get everyone to try and get into the (overpriced) municipal car parks. Try being the operative word these days according to many.
A fair number of people around at the moment, particularly on the Balcon de Europa and in Plaza Fabrica de los Cangrejos, but not overwhelming as yet. According to many businesses, the number of British tourists is way down on previous years. Hardly surprising given the financial situation in both Spain and the UK.
All the carriages are once again operating as the owner-drivers try to make a go of it in the new location, Plaza Fabrica de los Cangrejos. It has been hard going for them so far and whether they will be able to survive is anyone’s guess at the moment. Things are picking up slightly but it could be a long, uphill struggle.
Haven’t seen any evidence yet of the Poop Squads which are supposed to be in operation to penalise inconsiderate pet owners. Still like walking through a minefield in several streets.