The bars of Cartajima
- Ayuntamiento de Cartajima
- Ayuntamiento de Cartajima
The first question guests often pose is where are the bars of Cartajima!
Well … it’s not an easy story at the moment. We used to have several bars – all very different. Unfortunately, some of them closed a few months ago. We, and everyone in the village, hope this is only temporary. A Spanish village without bars isn't the same. Bars are the places where people meet, chat, and share a coffee or a copa. Where people exchange news, the weather, and everything else. There, they find out whether the chestnut harvest was good or bad and what's happening in the neighboring village.
Currently, a bar is open. It's usually open during the day until around 8 p.m., so you can have breakfast or lunch. This place is also open in the evenings on Fridays and Saturdays. The Mirador del Genal is also known locally as the chiringuito which actually means beach bar and refers to the many bars set up along the Mediterranean shore on the beaches of the Costa del Sol. The rational is that our chiringuito is beside the swimming pool and until fairly recently just sold cans of soda and chocolate bars. Now it is a fully fledged restaurant with a complete, if fairly standard, menu. It only open during July and August, when the pool is open. For more information read more.
The people of Cartajima are turning the lack of bars into a virtue. Birthdays and festivals are celebrated in grand style, allowing many people to gather together. Almost every evening, you'll find small groups sitting in front of their houses on various corners, chatting, drinking a beer, and sometimes even eating together. The culture of the typically Andalusian 'charla al aire libre' (open-air chatting) is very much alive here right now. And somehow, for us, there's hardly a more soothing sound than people chatting and laughing in the streets.