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Dear friends,
At the beginning of July, Moira
and I had a lovely holiday in Andalucia, Spain,
visiting Sevilla, Arcos de la Frontera and Calahonda
and Nerja on the Costa del Sol. The weather was
fantastic
J
We went to Benalmadena and toured
its extensive marina area, walked the attractive
promenade and used the cable car to the top of the
nearby mountain, from which the views were
breathtaking.
Around Benalmedena, there are
many interesting places, both on the coast and
inland, including Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella, Ronda
and even Gibraltar and, of course, the City of
Malaga, which has attractions like the Alcazaba,
Roman Theatre, the Cathedral and other fine
buildings and there is the world renowned Picasso
Museum. There are good train/bus services in and
around the area.
Attached are some pictures from
our visit – they are not particularly good, but give
an impression!
On the Tuesday, I visited the
Hotel Alay with Carlos Flores, Juan Lara and two of
his colleagues and we had a constructive meeting
with Jose Bermejo, Director of the hotel, who was
most helpful.
Hotel Alay is situated adjacent
to the modern marina at Benalmadena Costa, where
there are many shops, restaurants and cafes. The
Hotel Siroco is 10 minutes walk away, on the main
coastal road.
The Hotel Alay has spacious
reception/relaxation areas, good eating and
recreational facilities and an outdoor swimming pool
with nice roof top gardens. The meeting rooms are
ideal for a Congress and there are good facilities
for the congress office, with internet connections
available there and elsewhere in the Hotel. There
will also be plugs for laptop connections in the
main meeting room.
Our Spanish hosts are planning a
very interesting programme with the day trip to
Granada and the Alhambra. Ladies and visitors will
be looked after, whilst delegates are working on
other days!
The Outline Programme has already
been issued, but it is likely that the Simultaneous
Display and the ICCF vs Malaga Chess Club match will
be on the Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, with the
traditional blitz tournament either on Friday
afternoon or Monday evening depending on workload.
We are really looking forward to
the first ever ICCF Congress in Spain and I think
that our hosts have chosen a great venue. So please
try to come in October and meet many old and new
friends!
Reservation forms (available from
the website) should be sent to Carlos Flores as soon
as possible.
Carlos and our President, Med
Samraoui, will be waiting to welcome you all and
your families
J
Best wishes,
Amici Sumus,
Alan P. Borwell,
ICCF Honorary President. |
