LAS VENTANAS CAVE IN PIÑAR
More than 73,000 people have visited the Las Ventanas cave, situated in the Granada town of Piñar, since it opened to the public in Autumn 1999.
Visitors have the chance to cover 500 metres of marvellous rock formations which give us an idea of how life was in the first settlements in Andalucía.
The Las Ventanas cave was inhabited by man 25,000 years ago. But the history of man in Andalucía has a far more remote past...
Without leaving the province of Granada, in the village of Orce, we can visit the Prehistory and Palaeontologic museum, where an exact copy of a skull its believed belonged to a child who lived more than a million and half years ago is on display- A fragment which the locals call La Galleta - ‘The Biscuit’.
And if we are visiting this area of Granada province there is nothing better than to stay in one of the 22 caves in the village of Galera. A form of rural accommodation in restored caves with all the comforts of a normal home, with a capacity of 2 -8 people.

SEPHARDIC CULTURE EXHIBITION
The city of Córdoba is going back to its Sephardic roots with the exhibition ‘Dreams of Spain - 500 years of books in Ladino’.
A collection of documents, books and manuscripts belonging to the time before the Sephardic exodus and other writings from the last five centuries, the time in which the decedents of those expelled by the Catholic kings continued to use Ladino on certain occasions.
Before their expulsion in the 15th century, the Spanish Jewish people lived a culturally rich time. Poetry, religion, novels and literature in general was written in Ladino - a tradition which has been maintained for centuries.
This exhibition is an initiative thanks to the efforts of the National Authority for Ladino and the ‘Caminos de Sefarad’ Jewish network in Spain - and it will be shown in the ten cities which form part of this network.

OUKA LELE EXHIBITION
Still lifes, story tellers, objects and portraits of famous artists. These are part of the photographer Bárbara Allende, known in artistic circles as Ouka Lele, and which we can see in the Rivadavia hall in Cádiz until May 25.
The provincial government of the city has managed to bring together 30 pieces from the private collection of the artist dating from 1986 to the present day.
Ouka Lele, who came to prominence in 1976 with the book ‘Principio’ is winner of the Icaro prize, a frequent collaborator in several communications media, and whose intention with this show is to transmit a kindly gaze over daily events, which take on a special note thanks to the intense added colours.

JEREZ HORSE FAIR
The city of Jerez, in Cádiz province becomes the place where the most beautiful horses of the world can be found between May 13 and 20.
It’s the Jerez Horse Fair, a fiesta declared to be of international tourist interest and which expects to welcome more than a million visitors this year, anxious to enjoy the displays of 1,500 horsemen and 200 carriages.
A unique spectacle for its colour and beauty in which the riders, dressed in the custom of the Andalucian cowboy, parade for the delight of the visitors.
The Jerez Horse Fair comes into its own in the Real fairground where more than 300 casetas host cuisine, local wines, and flamenco, adding to the festive character of the event.
This year, as a parallel event to the fair, The International Horse Rally will be held, with the national competitions for pursuit and doma vaquera dressage, as well as an exhibition of carriages.

END OF THE SEASON IN THE SIERRA NEVADA
The Sierra Nevada Ski Station in Granada has ended the season with nearly a million visitors since it opened its piste to the public last November.
This record figure comes with good financial results which are up 16 per cent on the previous year.
The plentiful snowfalls have helped to attract the large numbers of skiers to the Sierra Nevada, which, despite the season being over, still has 22 kilometres of snow-covered piste.
Now the Granada winter station plans to work on improving the facilities, with a redesign of the lifts and an increasing of the size of the beginners area.
For this the Junta de Andalucía is to invest more than 3,000 million pesetas.
The ski season is over, but the Sierra Nevada offers summer activities such as rock climbing, trekking, horse riding and training during July.

ROUTE OF THE GREEN VILLAGES
There are villages in Andalucía which, thanks to their great ecological value, offer a privileged place for those who live there and for visitors who are looking for a place that is as healthy as attractive.
On the route of the green villages of Andalucía we find Ohanes in Almería. In 1998 it was the first village in Europe and the second in the world to be awarded the Ecological Village certificate issued by AENOR- the Spanish Normalisation and Certification Association.
Also added now are the Málaga village of Parauta and La Tahá in the Granada Alpujarras.
Parauta is found in the Sierra de las Nieves nature park - 800 metres high in the Genal valley, close to Ronda.
Although in the past Parauta survived thanks to esparto grass handicrafts, nowadays the main source of income for the village are the chestnuts, whose cultivation has always been organic and which includes a type of chestnut, the Pilonga, which is considered to be of the most delicious.
A healthy way of life in sync with the environment in places which offer us attractive rural accommodation so we can enjoy the area over several days.

TOURIST TAXIS IN MÁLAGA
From this month of May the taxis in Málaga are offering routes round the monuments and most typical areas of the city. There are two circuits . One of them covers the historic city centre, the Gibralfaro castle, Picasso’s birthplace and the Cathedral. The other circuit consists of a visit to La Concepción botanical garden. Some 50 Málaga taxi drivers will take part in the scheme to start with - these drivers have already taken tourist guide courses - but its hoped that more taxi drivers will take part later.
To this end the knowledge of languages - especially English and German - is being expanded by the drivers.
The taxis which can follow these routes will have a sticker on the door and also contain tourist information inside the cab.
A good way to move round the city of Málaga, with guides who know the city well.

THE ANDALUCIAN HEMIPODE
Despite its surprising similarity to the Quail, the Andalucian Hemipode is quite different.
This bird, declared to be in danger of extinction, both in Spain and across Europe, is a close relation to the Cranes and Bustards.
Now an attempt to avoid its disappearance is underway with a project at the Doñana biological station in Huelva, supported by the Superior council for Scientific Investigation, the Town Hall of Almonte and several collaborating businesses.
The general appearance of the Andalucian Hemipode, both in size and shape, is like a Quail, although it only has 3 toes on each foot, its flanks are largely mottled black and the chest is an iron orange in colour. Timid and shy, it’s easy to track down.
In decades past it was common on the peninsular, more exactly in Doñana and around Jerez as well as on the Moroccan Atlantic coastline.

AGENDA May 8 - 15 2001
Fifteen companies from eight countries are taking part in the 21st edition of the International Puppet Fair which runs in Seville from Friday 11 - 21 of this month.

The Alhambra Theatre in Granada holds the 12th edition of the Contemporary Music Days on Tuesday 8 with the performance of the Greenwich String Quartet. In addition the Maghreb African cycle brings Zen Ziula on Friday 11 and Positive Black Soul on Saturday 12.

The Spring Fair and the Sherry Wine Fiesta in the Cádiz town of Puerto de Santa María starts on Thursday 10 and ends Monday 14. Four days of a grand fiesta with 80 ‘casetas’ designed as local monuments or typically Andalucian buildings.

The Paris Orchestral Symphonic Ensemble, conducted by John Nelson, performs in the Santiago Hospital in Úbeda on Friday 11 as part of the Jaen town’s Festival of Music and Dance. The next day the Akademie Für Alte Musik from Berlin are on the same stage.

The local council of Punta Umbría in Huelva has announced the 8th edition of the ‘City of Punta Umbría’ Iberian Sculpture Competition. Artists resident in Spain and Portugal can present their work until June 21.

The coastal town of Estepona is home to the Europavisión music festival from Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 in the Exhibition and Congress hall of the town.

The Second Jaen Theatre Workshop starts on Thursday 10 in the Darymelia Theatre in the city with ‘La Mujer de Negro’ starring Emilio Gutiérrez Caba who - on the same day - will take part in a discussion with the public.

The Generation of 27 Cultural Centre of Málaga has announced the third Emilio Prados poetry prize for writers under 35 years. Entries for the million pesetas prize can be sent until May 30. More information on phone 95 213 39 71.

Wednesday 9th of this month sees the start of the Armilla trade fair ‘The research and development and new technologies forum’ It’s the most prestigious meeting in Andalucía on the future of society.

The Málaga City Orchestra, conducted by Álvaro Cassuto, will give the annual Unicef benefit concert in aid of anti slavery programmes in African children. It’s on Saturday 12 at 7pm in the Cervantes Theatre in Málaga.

The local council in Purchena, Almería, has announced the 9th City of Purchena Literary prize. Poetry and Narration will each be prized with 100,000 pesetas and publication. Closing date for admissions in June 15. More information on phone 950 42 30 09.

The Digo Sigo Theatre company from Seville performs the comedy ‘En la boca del lobo’ on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 May at the Cánovas Theatre in Málaga.