March 4-5, 2022
“Wow, oh wow!”
-Colleen Dobbs - watching the countryside as we drove through Andalucia.
In order to gain some understanding of the unique Spanish culture, it is important to remember that this is a land that has endured a parade of occupiers . The Iberian peninsula has endured a long history of invasions and religious wars..
The original ‘Iberians’ crossed the Pyrenees around 800BC. The Phoenicians established the coastal city of Cadiz around 1100 BC and the Carthaginians settled around 250BC.
What followed was the Romans, The Moors, The Reconquista, The Christians, and finally the “Golden Age” of Spain where the disparate regions were eventually united to form what we think of Spain today.
We see bits and pieces of all of this as you tour the countryside. One of the strange things we have seen is pieces of columns of old Roman villas being placed in corners of more modern buildings to provide reinforcement for the structure.
After we left Granada we thought we would drive across Andalucia to tour the so called “Little White Towns” that populate this frontier, hence the name many of them have, “de la frontera” or ‘of the Frontier’. They are not painted white just to be scenic. against the deep green fields they are built. The white paint served a purpose. Similar to India where the heat can soar into the 100’s in the summer, the white color serves to reflect the sun and cool the inhabitants.
As we drove across the area, it was easy to see what this land was so desired by its conquerers. It is a fertile bread basket. Everything can grow here in this Mediterranean climate. Olive groves mingle with sheep pastures giving the whole area a biblical feel. Pastures are everywhere with diverse crops. We are so used to the monoculture crops of soy and corn back home it is a wonder to see where the rest of the produce comes from at the store.
The scenery was stunning and almost everywhere you would look it felt like a renaissance painting. I thought through photos, video, and some explanation I would take you along the journey with us.
The pictures were too beautiful not to share.
Almost all of them have the same story. They started as a Roman or Moorish outpost. Then, when the Christians razed the towns they mosques were destroyed and churches built over them. Today they survive off local agriculture and tourism.
Ronda
I discussed Ronda briefly in an earlier posting.
It can be found here.
Grazalema
We left Ronda and climbed into the Sierra Nevada foothills to head for Grazalema. It settles in almost heart shaped between two mountains overlooking a fertile valley. Groves of Cork trees dot the landscape.
With limestone cliffs overlooking the small town square, it was one of the loveliest places we ever had lunch
It can be found here.
Zahara de la Sierra
Zahara was a gateway town to Granada. It guarded a pass to the Alhambra. it was notable for its Moorish tower shown below in the drone footage.
The nearby reservoir was noticeably low. It of course was not there in Moorish times and only a stream coursed through the valley.
It can be found here
Tarifa
We left the mountains and the winding switchback roads and made our way to the coast. Tarifa is the Southern most point in continental Europe. The spit of land going to the South tip is boarded on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and the other by the Mediterranean.
You could really see the difference as you walked along the spit. The Atlantic was rough and full of waves and the Mediterranean was, by contrast , relatively smooth.
Surfer bums and hippies flock to this area for the windsurfing. There are camps all over the place servicing this community.
Tarifa is located here.
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez is the largest town in the area with a population of around 200,000. It was here that we ran into the biggest challenge of the drive. Jerez is known for its horse shows and Sherry bodegas.
On the way, by happenstance, we came across this horse competition. These are show jumping horses. They were beautiful. So were the people riding them. it was clear that this is a sport of the rich. The high dollar cars and trailers in the lot testified to this observation. Still, it was a welcome break from the drive.
In Jerez, despite being a Friday afternoon, none of the Bodegas we stopped at were open to visit. Not even the obligatory gift shops. Furthermore, the streets were very narrow in the old city and there was no place to park. It made driving in the enclosed area very stressful.
We did manage at last to find a spot and walked around. Here again was another Moorish fortress but this one had been preserved.
Here is where is Jerez is located.
Arcos de la Frontera
Our last stop on the “White Village Tour” was Arcos. This is where we are today as I write this post. Arcos has few tour sites to offer, It is relatively small sitting atop its hill top overlooking a lush valley. The video shows Arcos at day break.
What it lacks in attractions it more than makes up for in being a photographer’s paradise. Narrow lanes twist through the city to scenic viewpoints that are simply stunning. Two old churches compete for sovereignty in the town as the official Basilica sanctioned by Rome. Both are Gothis in design with Baroque features in their chapels that have been built out over the centuries.
They are festooned with over the top gold altar pieces and statues that are paraded through the town on Holy weeks. One contains the remains of St Felix the Incorruptible. We was a third century martyr that reportedly would never decay after his death.
He was first offered to Rome, and this is true, they offered him back to the city after they began to notice a smell with the incorruptible saint.
He is encased in a beautiful glass tomb and despite attempts to clothe him, you can clearly see the skeletal remains beneath the fine garments.
Here are some kids celebrating Carnival
Here is where Arcos is located.
This ends the first half of our trip. Tomorrow morning we drive to Sevilla to start the last half of this episode.
Comentarios