Nerja Caves

We've had the full gamut of weather this week.  Temperatures dropped into the low 50's.  Winds  gusted so hard on Monday's hike that I feared getting blown off the mountaintop.  Then we had rain for two days, with a fog so thick on Thursday that I couldn't see past my balcony.  Finally, the weather cleared on Saturday and the temperatures soared back up into the 60's.  By this time I had cabin fever and decided to go visit  the Nerja caves and see whether all the excitement was justified.  I was not disappointed.  I've visited a lot of caves in the US and these seemed to have a unique character that is unmatched in my memory.  Discovered in 1959 by some young boys who ventured into a sinkhole,  the cave rooms that are open to the public are huge and they boast the largest stalactite in the world.  I couldn't verify it with the Guinness World Records; however. it was muy grande.  Several features that amazed me were the curtain-like stalactites that draped like fabric from the ceiling.  One feature was named the organ, because the stalactites looked like the pipes on an organ. There had been earthquakes in the caves some years back, so some of the stalactites had fallen from the ceiling and left great smooth patches.  There was evidence the caves were inhabited by an early civilization that used it as a burial ground and ceremonial site.  When the boys discovered the caves and found skeletons, they assumed these were the remains of people trapped in the cave and looked no further.  Several areas of the caves are open to smaller groups by reservation only, so I would love to do more exploring there.  Also, a song and dance festival is held in the caves every July.  I found some YouTube videos from past festivals that were inspiring.   I pulled these images off the Internet due to the no-flash policy