Soltalk May 2019 | Page 22

Move It To Music Move It To Music! ladies toast their friendship and good health after another enjoyable season keeping fit and having fun. Left to right: Cecilia, Theresa, Rosemary, Heather, Lisa, Naomi, Liz, Mary, Stella and Sheila. Move It To Music! started in 2005 and, with an average weekly attendance of 20, it is the longest-running, most successful dance fitness class in Nerja. The classes take a break for summer and will restart in October. Lux Mundi trip Recently on a glorious day 49 people joined Lux Mundi’s day trip to Ecija in the province of Seville, bordering on the province of Córdoba, a wealthy cereal producing town on the banks of the river Genil. It is easy to realise why it is called the city of towers because you could clearly spot so many of them gleaming in the sunlight as we arrived. From the bus station there was a short walk to the old town where there is so much to see, as Ecija has one of the finest collections of monumental buildings in the province of Seville, including around 20 churches and convents and wonderful palaces, some declared as National monuments. A visit to the Palace of Benameji was not to be missed. This palace houses the city’s Archaeological Museum with its wonderful display of Roman mosaics dating back to the 9th century and many sculptures, including the Amazonian. The facade of the Palacio de Peñaflor is stunning; this palace was built between 1700 and 1775 and was the home of the Peñaflor family until 1958. It was declared of Cultural Interest in 1962. The Palacio los Palmas, built over an old Dominican monastery from the 16th century, was also well worth a visit with its beautiful orange- tree courtyard with a stone fountain and old monastery well. There are so many beautiful churches to visit, including the Iglesia de San Juan built in 1745. The detailed ceramic work on the triple bell tower was certainly a stunning sight to see and it was delightful to see the stork that nests above this church. Many of the group chose to have lunch in the Plaza, sitting in the glorious sunshine, surrounded by stunning buildings. Everyone had a great day in Ecija and we’ll definitely be returning! Lux Mundi would like to thank all who supported this excursion, which enables them to continue with their charitable work and we hope to see you all again at future events in the Centre and excursions. end of May and beginning of June, inviting visitors to see a wide variety of work by Spanish and foreign artists. The weekends have become a well-known fixture of the art scene in Andalucia, providing an opportunity to meet the Club Nerja Rugby Club Nerja Rugby has ended its most successful league season in its seven-year history. They finished as winners of the Andalusian Second Division Eastern Section. They then went into the Andalusian playoffs against near neighbours Málaga. The first league of the quarter-final was scheduled for artists, learn more about their work and techniques, and see and buy their paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs and ceramics. The event is set in the pretty village of Gaucin, one of the famous white pueblos near Estepona and Ronda. This year, the Art Gaucin Open Studios will take place over two long weekends – Friday May 24 to Sunday May 26, and Friday May 31 to Sunday June 2. Visitors will have a chance to see many new works by Art Gaucin’s member artists, as well as the paintings, sculptures and installations by this year’s guest artists, Pepe Barroso, Lieuwke Loth, and Karina Zothner. March 31 on which date there was an issue with player availability. Efforts to re-arrange the game were unsuccessful. They then went into the game missing a number of key players and with others playing out of position. Málaga scored five tries to open a 31-point gap in the first half but Nerja responded with a try. They then showed their potential by restricting the opponents to two penalties in the second half but went down 5-37. The 32-point gap seemed difficult, but not impossible, to close in the return leg a week later. Nerja ran in seven tries in their 43-point total but errors allowed Málaga to respond with 18 points so Nerja failed to tie the fixture by only seven points. Club Nerja Rugby have a number of friendlies against visiting clubs in May. Details of these games will be published on the CNR Facebook page. Art Gaucin weekends The artists of Gaucin will open their studios to the public for the annual Art Gaucin Open Studios weekends at the 20 Launched more than a decade ago, Art Gaucin has built up a strong following both locally in Andalucia and overseas. With its warren of quiet, pretty streets, Gaucin is a delightful place to explore on foot. It has ancient castle ruins, offers spectacular views across the coast and towards Africa, and provides plenty of places to linger over a coffee, tapas or something more substantial while enjoying those panoramas as the village has several popular and celebrated restaurants. Local artisans will also be showing a selection of jewellery, blankets and other handmade crafts. With the upgrading of the road from Gaucin to the coast, access is faster and smoother – now just 45 minutes from Estepona and 40 minutes from Ronda. For the full list of artists, details of their works and of the Art Gaucin Open Studios event, please visit the website artgaucin.com