One Trip EVERY Month: Canillas de Aceituno

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía, Challenges, Places

My trip this month, is just the kind that I began this challenge for – to go somewhere I’ve been meaning to go, but have never got around to it!

The white, mountain village of Canillas de Aceituno lies, like several others, in the shadow of the largest mountain in the Axarquía region – La Maroma, a bare, pointless peak reaching to a height of 2065 metres.

I chose to take the back road to Canillas de Aceituno from Cómpeta, driving past Archez, Salares and Sedella along the way. It’s a beautiful drive, with a natural landscape of hills, mountains and ravines and it was worth stopping a few times to take photographs of the open vistas towards a shimmering La Viñuela reservoir in the distance, or the towering Monte Maroma, nearby. A quicker route would be up the A356 from Vélez-Málaga and then turn right towards the village, but I had the time to linger.

On the approach to Canillas de Aceituno, I came across La Rahige, which is a wooded area with a ravine, pools and waterfalls. As it was late July, the water was only a trickle, but I’m sure it rages through here during the winter months.

As I explored the shady ravine, I looked up and caught a glimpse of a mountain goat – the first I have ever seen. He seemed to be watching my every move as he expertly perched on the edge of the cliff face.

Records show that there has been a settlement on the site of Canillas de Aceituno since the Moorish occupation in the 8th century, when the main industry was the growing of mulberry trees for silk production. Indeed, there are still two Arabic arches preserved within the village, the first on Calle Agua (which is the prettier of the arches, pictured above) and another on the narrow Calle Calleja, a little higher in the village. These arches once formed part of a wall that surrounded the settlement, and in which gates were closed at night for protection.

After parking the car, I headed towards the Town Hall in Plaza de la Constitución at the centre of the village, to the Tourist Information Office (open Monday to Friday 10am-2pm) to obtain a map. Canillas de Aceituno is not a large village, but if you visit, it would probably be wise to ask the lady in the Tourist Office to mark the position of the 1000 year old Arab Cistern, as you would probably never find it without some directions.

As you leave the Town Hall, on the diagonally opposite corner you will see the white tower of La Casa de Diezmos (the House of Tithes). Now a private residence, this is where the production of the mulberry tree leaves and the manufacture of silk were controlled and taxed.

Wandering around the village with it’s impossibly white walls reflecting the summer sun and flanked by flowerpots overflowing with blooms, I came across the plaque where the old castle used to stand, and the Church of Nuestra Señora de Rosario, constructed during the 16th century on the site of the old Arab mosque.

From the square at the side of the Town Hall, a maze of narrow streets climbs steeply up the hillside to the Mirador Blas Infante, a scenic viewpoint which offers panoramic views across the terracotta roofs of the village towards La Viñuela reservoir. There are many other white villages dotted on the hillsides in the distance.

If you are a hiker, it is from here that you can continue the 6 kilometre climb to the summit of La Maroma – but as it was a hot July afternoon, I decided to pass on that option.

In the upper part of the village, I stopped to chat with a Spanish couple who had almond shells spread out on their doorstep, ready to be cracked open to expose the nuts inside. This is a laborious, time-consuming job which I know only too well, as we have 47 almond trees on our land (though this is not something we do as we have never developed the knack of being able to extract the whole nut from it’s tough exterior with ease).

It’s difficult to explain where the old Arab cistern is, but I’ll try. Sadly there are no signs and the area is in a state of disrepair. If you have the mark from the Tourist Office on your map, you will see that you should head for Calle Placeta and as you pass the parking area, there is a row of houses on your right side. Walk past these houses and you will now be next to a patch of rough ground. As you approach the next house on your right, you will see some very rough steps going down to the side of the house, and an opening in the side wall. Here you can see into the 1000 year old cistern full of water, which is still used to irrigate the nearby terraces.

Each year, on the last Sunday in April, the village of Canillas de Aceituno hosts the the fiesta of El Día de la Morcilla (the Day of the Black Pudding) when the speciality black-pudding stuffed with onion, and for which the village is famous, is celebrated and available for all to try.

If you don’t fancy the black pudding, I can certainly recommend Asador La Maroma for lunch, where not only are the food and surroundings very pleasant, but we were treated like old friends by Paco, the owner and his family.

OH and by the way, don’t forget your camera when you visit Canillas de Aceituno!

This post is my contribution to the One Trip EVERY Month Challenge. If you’d like to join me, here’s how:

Each month, visit somewhere and then write about your trip or describe it using photographs – whichever suits you best.
Don´t forget to title and tag your entry ’One Trip EVERY Month Challenge’, and link back to this page.
Display the Challenge logo on your post or in your sidebar.
HAVE FUN!

Are you ready to join me by taking ONE TRIP EVERY MONTH? What are you waiting for? GO!

Black pudding Image credit: Town Hall of Canillas de Aceituno

One Trip Every Month: La Fortaleza, Vélez-Málaga

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía, Challenges, Places

My trip this month is a local one – to La Fortaleza, the medieval fortress and Alcazaba in Vélez-Málaga, capital of the Axarquía region. Of course, as with many other places, I see the fortress towering above the town every time I pass by, but somehow never got around to visiting before now.

La Fortaleza was in a bad state of repair for many years and, as a result, was not open to the general public – but that has now changed. Located on the highest point of the town, about 80 meters above sea level, the Alcazaba or Fortress was built during the 10th century under Moorish rule, but achieved its greatest prominence during the 14th and 15th centuries, as one of the most important strongholds of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. It’s worth remembering that the River Vélez was once much deeper and wider than it is now, and that the valley formed part of a trade route through the Zafarraya Pass from Granada to Málaga, making the town strategically significant.

Vélez-Málaga may not have been a very large town, but it was well fortified and defended by a solid set of walls, some of which can still be seen.

Gorgeous view from the Mirador at La Fortaleza, across Vélez-Málaga

View towards La Maroma from the top of the Tower of La Fortaleza, Velez-Malaga

View from La Fortaleza, Velez-Malaga, towards Torre del Mar

View towards the Mediterranean Sea and Torre del Mar - along Avenida de Vivar Téllez

As with many Spanish monuments, the directional signage to La Fortaleza leaves a lot to be desired, but if you head for the Fernando Hierro Sports Stadium in Vélez-Málaga and take the Arenas road, following signs for La Iglesia de Santa Maria/Museo de la Santa Semana, you will find the Alcazaba (La Fortaleza) just before the church.

The restored Tower of the Alcazaba (the fortress La Fortaleza) is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10am – 1pm and offers spectacular views over the town and the surrounding Axarquía countryside. Admission is FREE.

Don’t forget your camera! This post is my contribution to the One Trip EVERY Month Challenge. If you’d like to join me, here’s how:

Each month, visit somewhere and then write about your trip or describe it using photographs – whichever suits you best.
Don´t forget to title and tag your entry ’One Trip EVERY Month Challenge’, and link back to this page.
Display the Challenge logo on your post or in your sidebar.
HAVE FUN!

Are you ready to join me by taking ONE TRIP EVERY MONTH? What are you waiting for? GO!

One trip EVERY month: The Dolmens of Antequera

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía, Challenges, Places

The city of Antequera is known as “the heart of Andalucía” (el corazón de Andalucía) due to its central location between the major cities of Seville, Córdoba, Granada and, of course, Málaga, which lies only 45 kms to the south.

Because of the sedimentary basin forming extensive plains that begin where the mountains of Málaga dramatically end, Antequera is a bustling, agricultural centre where farmers from the surrounding fertile land in the Guadalhorce Valley, go to stock up on everything from seeds to tractor tyres.

The city owes its main origins to the Romans, who named it Antikaria, meaning “the Ancient City”, because they recognised several pre-historic sites located in the town, which indicated that the area had been previously inhabited.

On the northern outskirts of the city there are two Bronze Age burial mounds (barrows or dolmens), the Dólmen de Menga and the Dólmen de Viera, dating from the 3rd millennium BC. They are the largest such structures in Europe. The larger one, Dólmen de Menga, is twenty-five meters in diameter and four meters high, and was built with thirty-two megaliths (huge stones), the largest weighing about 180 tons. After completion of the chamber (which probably served as a grave for the ruling families) and the path leading into the center, the stone structure was covered with earth and built up into the hill that can be seen today (Wikipedia: Antequera).

When we arrived at the visitor centre last Thursday, there were two coach loads of Spanish school children outside, waiting to see the 10 minute animated film showing how the dolmens were probably constructed. We nipped in ahead of them to watch the film being shown in French, which was easy to follow, but it can also shown in English on request.

We then followed the newly-laid path from the Visitor Centre to the Dólmen de Menga.

The entrance to the grandest of these megalithic monuments, the Dólmen de Menga, faces the prominent rock formation known as Peña de los Enamorados, (“The Lovers’ Rock”), which you might remember I wrote about last year.

It is clearly no accident that if you stand just inside the entrance to the Menga dolmen you can see the head of the Sleeping Giant perfectly framed in the portal, suggesting that the rock may have had some cultural, ritual or religious significance.

Indeed, during the summer solstice, as the sun rises behind the mountain, it penetrates right into the mouth of the burial chamber.

The Dólmen de Viera is a corridor tomb with better-cut stones, consisting of a long narrow passage, barely two metres in height, leading to a smaller burial chamber. The Viera dolmen is not as impressive as the Menga dolmen, but still well-worth a look.

We had to jump back into the car and drive a further three kilometres to the third megalithic sepulchre, the Tholos of El Romeral, built five hundred years later than the other two dolmens. In many ways, this was my favourite tomb and bears a striking resemblance to the tholos tombs built by the Minoans in Crete, also during the Bronze Age.

A large number of smaller stones were used in the construction of El Romeral dolmen which, unusually for this type of monument, faces west.

As with many Spanish monuments, the directional signage to the Dolmens sometimes leaves a little to be desired, but if you’re persistent you’ll find them once you’ve turned off the A45 from Málaga.

Entrance is free, with opening times being Tuesday-Saturday 9am – 6pm and Sunday 9.30am – 2.30pm. Closed Monday.

This post is my contribution to the One Trip EVERY Month Challenge.

If you’d like to join me, here’s how:

Each month, visit somewhere and then write about your trip or describe it using photographs – whichever suits you best.
Don´t forget to title and tag your entry ’One Trip EVERY Month Challenge’, and link back to this page.
Display the Challenge logo on your post or in your sidebar.
HAVE FUN!

Are you ready to join me by taking ONE TRIP EVERY MONTH? What are you waiting for?

GO!

CBBH Photo Challenge: Looking forward, looking back.

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía, CBBH Photo Challenge, Photo challenges, Photographs I love

White rabbits! Conejos blancos! Yes, it’s that time of the month again ….. soon comes round, doesn’t it?

I got lots of comments about my snow photographs in the CBBH Photo Challenge for April: FULL CIRCLE – but there was the grand total of one entry, apart from mine. Thanks Le Drake Noir – even though something did get lost in translation!

What was it you didn’t like, I wonder? Did the challenge involve taking too many photos – or couldn’t you find the right place to spin around?

Well …. I had fun, anyway – in fact, I enjoyed it so much, I have a similar challenge for this month, except that this time only two photos are involved.

This month’s CBBH Photo Challenge is LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK. All you have to do is take a photograph and then turn round and take another of what is behind you.

Not too difficult, is it?

This is the gorgeous natural beach area of Playa de Los Lances, near to the town of Tarifa on the Costa de la Luz. At exactly 36 degrees latitude, this is the southernmost point of the European continent, situated even further south than both of the African capital cities of Tunis and Algiers.

If you look carefully at the first photo, you can see the mountains of Africa on the horizon – while the photo below shows the much closer Spanish mountains.

I love these kind of walkways – especially with the shadows of the rails forming such a distinct pattern.

So, now it’s YOUR turn.

Don’t forget that the CBBH Photo Challenge is a little different from some other challenges, in two ways. First, it’s only once a month – giving you lots of time to consider your entry before the end of the calendar month. Second, and most important, this is a BLOG HOP (after all, it is the CBBH – Conejo Blanco Blog Hop, conejo blanco means white rabbit in Spanish), so DON’T FORGET that in your post you need to add links to two blogs that you have visited and commented on during the past month.

That way, when we visit each other, we can HOP OVER to your links, connect with others and share a little blog love around!

My Featured Blog Links for this month:

*** Have you ever thought about walking the Camino de Santiago? Maggie, the Trepidatious Traveller, only lives a hop, skip and a jump from me in La Axarquía, and yesterday she flew to Lisbon in Portugal to begin the Camino Portuguese. Last year, Maggie walked the 950 kms of Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port to Finisterre with her daughter over five week period, so at least she knows what she’s letting herself in for. You can follow Maggie’s daily posts (she sets off from Lisbon on May 2nd) or donate to the two charities she is raising money for (Cudeca, which is the Spanish cancer charity or Action for Animals). Buen camino Maggie!

*** Writer, Patricia Sands, says that everyone has a story and her’s involves Antibes in the south of France. Through her blog you can join The Bridge Club – Patricia’s acclaimed debut novel, or simply become immersed in her love of writing and escape to her beloved France. If you love writing, you’ll find lots of information about writing here, as well as having the chance of winning prizes that are regularly offered.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Please HOP over and say HELLO to both of my featured links, and tell them Marianne sent you!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for May, everyone.

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look.

Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month’s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite!

I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

One Trip EVERY month: Riding on Mr Henderson’s Railway

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Marianne under Challenges, Photo challenges, Places

Remember back to the end of January, when I asked if you would vote for my photograph to win a contest on Facebook?

And, so many of you voted that I WON?!

You might recall that the prize (offered by Toma Tours) was a day trip (with lunch), to one of the most picturesque parts of Andalucía, along a scenic train line known as Mr Henderson’s Railway – a British-built Victorian train line from Algeciras to Ronda.

I promised that if I won I would invite along two local bloggers to share my prize – and take lots of photographs, so I could tell you all about it ….. so here we go!

First stop of the day in Algeciras, with the Rock of Gibraltar in the background.

So, I would like to introduce you to the two lovely ladies who came along with me last Saturday – Ali Meehan, founder of Costa Women, a Social and Business Networking Community for Women living in Spain (of which I am a proud member) and the Queen of Sherry, Annie B, who took a well-earned day off from her Spanish Kitchen (and who supplied the superb cream-sherry to accompany my home-made fudge on our train journey).

Who’s the gorgeous guy next to me, I hear you ask?! NO – it’s not George Clooney, that’s Manni, founder of Toma Tours, and our highly knowledgeable guide for the day.

After meeting up with Manni in Marbella, we continued along the southern coast of Andalucía, past Gibraltar, to our first stop near to Playa de Getares in Algiceras, where we had glorious views from the lighthouse at Punta Carnero across the protected bay-within-a-bay, to Africa.

We were obviously set for perfect weather for our special day.

The route of Mr Henderson’s Railway cuts through breath-taking scenery from Algeciras to Ronda, taking in boutique hotels, trackside restaurants, trains, architecture, wildlife and history, as well as wonderful food and wine and is one of the most popular day trips run by Toma Tours. You can read more about the history of the railway HERE and HERE.

We had time to enjoy coffee at the Hotel Reina Cristina, a rather grand British colonial-style hotel, with connections to the railway, and where many famous people including Winston Churchill, Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles de Gaulle have visited before us.

Then it was off to the railway station at Algeciras where we boarded the air-conditioned RENFE train (which has now replaced the original steam engines) for the one hour 45 minute journey to Arriate, near Ronda.

Manni gave us a map of the route, a book all about Mr Henderson to enjoy with our sherry and fudge, and strict instructions to make sure that the train’s conductor knew we wanted to get off at Arriate (which is a request stop only) before waving us off at the station. His task was to set off in his vehicle to meet us at the other end, while ours was to sit back and enjoy the fudge and sherry (much to the amusement of our fellow passengers) along with the stunning scenery and delightful stations along the route.

mena de la Frontera railway station, Spain

Although the trains themselves have changed over the years, the scenery, 20 bridges, 16 tunnels and almost 750 metres elevation that the railway has to contend with remain as they have from the beginning. We skirted the cork oak forest of the Alcornocales Natural Park, negotiated mountains, rivers, scenic white villages, orange and olive groves and even sighted storks circling their huge nests.

Just after 1.30pm we arrived at our destination, where we were met by Manni the Station Master who was waiting for us with glasses of cava (Spanish champagne)! So many passengers on the packed train were taking photographs of our memorable welcome and it’s certainly one I will never forget! WOW!

Our lunch stop was at the delightful trackside restaurant of El Muelle de Arriate – but there was no need to worry about the noise of passing trains with only two arrivals each day! We feasted on huge “sharing plates” of goat’s cheese salad with mixed nuts and balsamic dressing; “Frank’s birthday cake” (named in honour of the friendly owner, Dutchman Frank) containing tender sliced potato, smoked salmon and mayo; tropical fruit salad and a platter of various pork cuts, followed by a selection of delicious desserts.

What was particularly memorable for me was Frank’s personal introduction to each of the dishes whereby he came over and explained the ingredients and asked for our thoughts. A very nice touch, indeed 🙂

After lunch, we continued our journey into Ronda with a visit to the Hotel Reina Victoria (sister hotel of the Hotel Reina Cristina at the other end of the railway line) for coffee, with spectacular views across Ronda’s famous gorge and landscape.

Manni continued guiding us around Ronda with a walking tour, introducing us to the history of bull-fighting, the Plaza de Toros and the bullfighters’ Walk of Fame.

Ronda is one of the most famous and oldest Moorish towns of Andalucía. Prehistoric remains show that the first inhabitants were here 25,000 years before Christ. Whilst the Romans built the first settlements, it was after the Moorish conquest in 711AD that it flourished.

The town has an altitude of 739m and can be found 60 kilometres up a winding mountain road from Marbella on the western Costa del Sol, in the mountain range known as the Serranía de Ronda.

Ronda sits astride a deep gorge, known as El Tajo, with a stone bridge linking the two sides. Built in 1793, it is called El Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), because there are also two older bridges spanning the gorge.

So, after our amazing day, all that was left was for us to drive back down to the coast – but we hadn’t counted on one final surprise that Manni had in store for us. Sadly for you, he’s sworn me to secrecy, so you’ll have to book the trip to find out what it was. All I can say is that it certainly was a “moving experience”!

WE HAD A FANTASTIC DAY RIDING ON MR HENDERSON’S RAILWAY WITH TOMA TOURS, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THEIR TRIPS TO ANYONE. Thanks again, Manni!

This post is my contribution to the One Trip EVERY Month Challenge.

If you’d like to join me, here’s how:

Each month, visit somewhere and then write about your trip or describe it using photographs – whichever suits you best.
Don´t forget to title and tag your entry ’One Trip EVERY Month Challenge’, and link back to this page.
Display the Challenge logo on your post or in your sidebar.
HAVE FUN!

Are you ready to join me by taking ONE TRIP EVERY MONTH? What are you waiting for?

GO!