Mis fotos

      Today I would like to share with you an interesting excursion: "Los Baños de la Hedionda" ("The Swims of the Hedionda").

      Los Baños de la Hedionda are located near the village of Casares, in the Sierra de la Utrera, in Manilva (Malaga).

The village of Casares

Casares close up​​​​​​​

      The curious name of Hedionda comes from the strong smell of the waters of this unique place. They give off a bad smell, but they are very healthy waters, for our body. The year 61 before Christ, the legions of Julio Cesar camped at the foot of the Canuto de la Utrera, ready to attack the troops of Pompeyo. Everything was ready for battle, but the scabies diminished the attention of the Roman soldiers. Apparently there was no possible relief. The discomfort was increasing and the camp was settled by a river of turquoise or aquamarine waters that gave off an unpleasant smell of rotten eggs on which the warriors sat. Surprisingly, they saw how their itching diminished after washing in them.

 Canuto de la Utrera on the right side   ​​​​​​​

      According to the story, this is how the healing properties of the sulphurous waters of these swims were discovered. A place located in the valley of the stream of the Albarrán or Manilva River in which, according to other versions, was the emperor himself who ordered to build a hot springs after being cured of a herpetic disease, after being treated with the waters of this wonderful place.

Manilva river​​​​​​​

      The passage of time has not been able to erase this legend. Every day, there are more visitors, both national and foreign, who come to this unique place to enjoy the many beneficial properties for the skin that the Romans left us.

      Fatima, Mark and Pedro mistakenly visit this natural spa for the first time, since the first objective was to go to the Baños del Duque spring (also known as Baños de la Fuensanta, Swims of the Fuensanta), also belonging to the municipality of Casares, which is still pending. visit it, on another occasion. «The sensation is difficult to explain; the strong smell that these waters give off in principle, it misses you, but only by staying here for a few minutes you feel more relaxed and you feel the softest skin", said Fatima.

      If you leave your car at Casares, you can go down, along a path, towards the Manilva River, until you find the "Baños de la Hedionda".

      The Swims are located on the right bank of the Albarrá stream, at the foot of the Sierra de la Utrera, and very close to the limit with the municipality of Manilva. At present, the waters of the Swims are still for public use.

      Through the next picture, you can see a group of people applying greenish mud on the banks of the Manilva river:

      But, how can you make the most of the properties of this natural spa? The locals know each other "at their fingertips" the little ritual to follow. They recommend swim, either inside the hot springs or in the riverbed, and then apply a layer of greenish mud on the bank over the entire body, and even by the hair. When applying this clay-clay, we should rub gently on our skin, so that it also has an exfoliating effect; eliminating dead skin cells.

A family applying the greenish mud on the Manilva River​​​​​​​

      The sulfurous waters smell of rotten eggs, they are clear, soft and unctuous to the touch, of salty taste; its temperature is cold or hot, from 21 ° to 75 ° C., but usually hot, and its mineralizing principles are hydrogen sulfide, hydrosulphates, sulfides, etc.

      When they emerge, the sulphurous waters have a temperature of about 39.5 degrees Celsius, and are concentrated in a water tank or deep pool of thermal water. With sulfur you can avoid and control any type of disease or contamination, since it works in a similar way to chlorine, which prevents the transmissions of any microbe.

      When you walk to the “Swims of the Hedionda”, you can find a deep pool named “La Paloma”.

The deep pool of La Paloma​​​​​​​

      Following the river, you can find another deep pool named "Dee pool of the Devil".

Deep pool of the Devil​​​​​​​

Deep pool of the Devil close up​​​​​​​

A group of people swimming in the Deep pool of the Devil​​​​​​​

A man enjoying in the Deep pool of the Devil​​​​​​​

A small waterfall fell into the deep pool of the Devil​​​​​​​

      But, following your road to the Swims of the Hedionda, you can find another small deep pool.

      And another cascade.

       You can find another nice corner to swim in the river.

      Here you can see a very small cascade running on some stones:

      Another curious feature, which caught our attention was the beautiful colour of the vegetation that is next to the river; the same is intense turquoise going green velvety ... This is due to its sulfur content ...

      You can find another nice place to swim in the river:

      When you arrive at Baños de la Hedionda, you can see this place:

      This is the construction of Los Baños de la Hedionda outside:

      Inside that dome, you can find these places:

The main vault​​​​​​​

      But outside of the vault, you can see this upstairs, with a small swimming pool:

      Well, I hope that you will like this article and hope that you can go there sometime.

      Until my next post, kind regards,

Luis.

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      I feel sorry, because, in recent months, Algeciras (my city) has been famous, in the Media, because of the drug traffickers. It is very unfair, because, in Algeciras and in the rest of Campo de Gibraltar, there are many honest and hardworking people and all those people do not deserve this bad reputation.

      Therefore, today I would like to share with you a very important news, for Algeciras and for Spain: the case of Macarena Gil, who last year received the "Meridiana" Award, by the Andalusian Institute for Women, for being the first woman Pilot of port, in Spain and also in southern Europe. And Macarena is working in the port of Algeciras.

Macarena Gil  receiving the prize on the right side

The port of Algeciras and Gibraltar on background

Another view of the port and Africa on background

The ships which go to Ceuta (Morocco)

The containers in the port​​​​​​​

      These are several types of tugboats, which are used in Algeciras, to tow merchandise ships or also to transport large cement blocks to build a bridge --as happened a few years ago--.

A fast boat used to check the ships before working the tugboats​​​​​​​

A fast boat working​​​​​​​

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Macarena sailing on a fast boat​​​​​​​

Another image of Macarena sailing on a fast boat​​​​​​​

A type of tugboat​​​​​​​

The new tugboat VB Talisman

      Two tugboats working:

Macarena in the bridge of a fast boat​​​​​​​

      Macarena is a brave woman, because sometimes she has to climb a ship's ladder:

      In an interview, Macarena told that she was working in a ship which went to Tanger, when they offered to work as a pilot, in Algeciras. Her husband did not work, at that moment, then he stayed at home, in order to help Macarena with housework. She says that their friend think that she knows to cook, for example, but she says she does not know it at all; luckily, her husband does know.

      Macarena knows that this profession is mostly of men, and she proved it by studying Nautica's career, when out of 25 students, only 8 were girls. And of those 8, only 2 are sailing  --because, as Macarena says: most women want to be mothers; but it is very hard to have to sail 3 months, out of your home, and leave your children--.

      Well, I hope that many other women are able to study this career and can work after it.

      Until my next post, kind regards,

Luis.

Sponsored by Costaluz Lawyers.

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      On June 15, the Exhibition "Fortuny Coleccion Vida Muñoz" was inaugurated, in Tarifa (Cadiz, Costa de la Luz, Southwest of Spain). Specifically, it was inaugurated in the Guzmán El Bueno Castle Exhibition Hall.

A part of Tarifa with its Castle

The Castle Guzman El Bueno close up​​​​​​​

The main entrance of the Castle​​​​​​​

Another view of the entrance with a statue​​​​​​​

A statue of Sancho IV, who conquered Tarifa by ground in 1292.​​​​​​​

A view of the castle from above​​​​​​​

A view with cannon from the Castle​​​​​​​

A view of the port of Tarifa from the Castle​​​​​​​

The church of San Mateo from the Castle​​​​​​​

A patio inside the Castle​​​​​​​

Poster of the Fortuny Private Collection

A room with the Exhibition of Fortuny´s paintings​​​​​​​

The police force of the Casbah in Tetuan​​​​​​​

A watercolour​​​​​​​

Watercolour of a bullfighter​​​​​​​

      The Exhibition was closed this past Sunday 29 --although you could visit it until Tuesday 31-- .

      In the Inauguration, two local artists were present: José María Muñoz (Director of the Municipal School of Music, Dance and Plastic Arts) and Andrés Contreras (local guitarist), who performed several musical pieces.

      Also collaborated the journalist and writer of Algeciras, Juan José Téllez, who read several of his poems.

      They also participated, with a few words, the local authorities and, at the end, the owners of the Collection, Carmen Muñoz and Manuel Vida.

      On the next image, on the right side, you can see the owners of the private Collection, Carmen Muñoz and Manuel Vida. On the background, you can see the painting “An Arab before a tapestry”.

On the right side the owners of the private Collection​​​​​​​

      It is not usual for two doctors  --like Carmen and Manuel--  to gather a set of works such valuable as these by Fortuny. In addition, the usual thing, in collectors, is to collect works by different authors.

      Mariano Fortuny y Marsal (1838-1874) is considered the most complete Spanish painter, among Goya and Picasso. But he also suffered numerous false works, attributed to him. Another success of the Carmen and Manuel´s Collection is that they have rescued many works of Fortuny, who were abroad, and they have brought them to Spain.

      Another famous painting by Fortuny:

The outdoor seller​​​​​​​

      Fortuny was a master of the technique, the inventive capacity of a pioneer of orientalism and the figure of a good connoisseur of the Spanish tradition. Painter, watercolourist, draftsman and engraver, Mariano Fortuny cultivated all genres, from portrait and landscape, even the nude, the costumbrist painting or the still life. He was a polyhedral artist, an author of precise stroke and virtuosity in colour that caused admiration among his peers. He discovered the expressive power of light, in 1860, when he first traveled to Morocco, as a graphic chronicler of the war, that confronted Isabel II with the sultans of the African country, and he could no longer dissociate himself from it. He started his own pictorial revolution, fundamental for European Orientalism.

      Well, I hope that you will like this article and hope that you will visit the Castle of Tarifa, in case that you have never been there.

      Until my next post, kind regards,

Luis.

Sponsored by Costaluz Lawyers.

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