The December edition of the Seaside Gazette paper edition launched our new Nordic feature, which will also appear online in each month.

I moved to Almuñecar with my husband after the pandemic and we settled in during 2021. Although Swedish citizens, we had not engaged with many Nordic friends as we worked in other countries and continents all our professional lives.

It was a surprise to meet so many Swedish and Scandinavian people at Costa Tropical! I started to play padel with a group and soon enough was invited to join the Asociación Hispano-Nórdico-Club Nórdicos (AHN-CN), in short Los Nórdicos.

Since I am both a year-long resident and fully Spanish-speaking citizen of the world I was asked if I wanted to become new president. So, I agreed to give it a try, and was elected for the period 2022-2023.

I have stayed on since and find this group of more than 500 members (mostly Swedes, but also Norwegians, Danes, Finns and at least one Icelander…) a very friendly and enjoyable bunch of people. Middle-aged and seniors almost everyone, the purpose is to promote mutual interest and knowledge about our cultures between the local Spanish population and the Nordics, as well as to support each other.

Most members stay in Almuñecar, or surroundings, only during the winter half year. Approximately 10% are full-time residents here. We have weekly Wednesday club-nights from October until the end of April.

We have groups who arrange boulle (petanca) every week, with several tournaments during the year, play golf at Los Morsicos in Motril, have wine-bingos every Tuesday, and a knitting club where we buy the special yarn for blankets and other things that are donated to the neo-natal department of the Santa Ana hospital in Motril.

We also support our members who take Spanish classes with TCL. One group organises weekly mountain walks, another painting classes, and yet others set up wine-knowledge evenings. We have a more philosophical group that discusses existential topics in a Speculatorium. And so on. The members set the agenda.

We do social activities, and we participate in activities organized by or with the Ayuntamiento of Almuñecar, like the markets with associations during May of June in the Majuelo Park, or Christmas markets. The surplus of our activities is donated to the local group for Alone Mothers – la Asociación de Mujeres en Solidaridad con Madres Solas – and we do a few activities with them during the year.

We participate in coordination efforts like TAC-TIC, and many members enjoy being part of beach and river clean-ups and other activities with the local community.

If you speak Swedish or another Scandinavian language, please join us! See more: www.losnordicos.com

Helena Molin Valdés

President, AHN-CN Los Nordicos, Almuñecar, Costa Tropical

(Features: Nordic Association)

Keywords: Asociación Hispano-Nórdico-Club Nórdicos, Norwegians, Danes, Finns, Swedes, Icelander, Costa Tropical

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