The Pedrera market

You are either a market person or you are not and I fall into the latter category.

It is hard to avoid markets in this area since every town seems to have one. Added to which, there are several more to choose from down on the coast. There are so many that I dare so you could visit a market every day of the week if you were so minded. What I’m sure you would find though, is the same stuff over and over again and the same people selling it.

There is apparently a so called “cement market” which quite a few people have told us about. It opens on Sunday mornings just down the road near to Los Montesinos and is by all accounts very good. The cement market does however possess three virtues that put me off; a) it is large b) it is often crowded and c) you have to get up early on a Sunday morning to drive to it.

As if there weren't enough markets in the area, José and Darren, ever keen to extend the business up at Camping de la Pedrera, have decided to open another one in what used to be the open entertainments area at the Albergue on Saturdays. The stalls are set up using the, now presumably defunct, tables and benches covered by the large sun umbrellas that José bought. At the same time, they are offering hot and cold food along with drinks both inside and outside the Albergue.

Putting my aversion to markets aside, I decided to saunter up there to find out what it was like. To be fair there weren’t that many stalls this week but I was assured that there would be more in weeks to come. The stalls that were there offered a wide range of goods from fruit and veg to bric-a-brac and included a flower and plant stall that I was tempted by. There was even one of our neighbours Maria set up to offer haircuts. If I have to go to a market then, apart from the one in Biastro, this is definitely one I would choose.

Apart from anything else, it was good to find a mix of people including Spaniards and Brits at the Albergue, many of whom had arrived in cars. Quite a few were taking advantage of the food and drink facilities filling the tables on the terrace outside so I imagine the venture was judged a success by the organisers and will be repeated throughout the summer.

Between the refurbished interior, a program of entertainment, theme nights, bar snacks, Sunday lunches and now an auction day and market, these people have put a lot of effort into making the Albergue a success. I really do hope they succeed.

On the 22nd they’ve organised a ‘Fools and Horses quiz’ in aid of cancer charity. Tickets, which are available from Mel, are 5€ if you want to enter the quiz or 10€ if you want a bar snack as well. With so many residents here either suffering from cancer or recovering from it, this is a cause which is dear to our hearts.