All EOS blogs All Spain blogs  Start your own blog Start your own blog 

Our Andalucian paradise

My husband and I had lived in Mexico City, LA, Paris, Guadalajara, Oslo, Montreal and Vancouver. On a rainy November night we moved to a small town an hour inland from Malaga. 'Our Andalusian paradise' is about the historical town of Ronda, the mountains that surrounds it, the white villages dotted amongst them, of hikes, donkey trails and excursions around Andalucía and journeys further afield.

Day trip to magical Zahara de la Sierra and a few notes on rural travel with octogenarians
Thursday, February 21, 2019

Zahara town and Santa María de la Mesa church. Zahara with church. Photo © snobb.net

The advantage of calling Andalucía home is that we live a short distance from some of the world’s most amazing cities, such as Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla. With Ronda as our chosen base, we also have the added bonus of near proximity to Andalucía’s famous White Villages or Pueblos Blancos. Picturesque, peaceful and quite pristine, they are often favoured by day-trippers from the Costa del Sol. But are these rustic mountain towns suitable for elderly travellers? Planning the forthcoming visit of my mother, we decided to preview the village of Zahara to ensure that we could conquer it with a sprightly Norwegian 88-year-old in tow.

Zahara from the road. Photo © snobb.net

Not to be confused with the coastal fishing town of Zahara de los Atunes, or the Sahara desert (which admittedly is inching its way further north), Zahara de la Sierra is located in the northernmost corner of Cádiz province. The town appears like an apparition, perched on a rocky knoll on the Ronda to Sevilla road. The hilltop town has the jagged peaks of the UNESCO Biosphere Sierra de Grazalema as a dramatic backdrop, while facing a more tranquil valley and the turquoise water of the Embalse de Zahara-el Gastor reservoir. As far as mind-blowing settings go, there is hardly a more stunning sight in all of Andalucía.

Zahara view. Photo © snobb.net

Travelling with octogenarians and nonagenarians in rural southern Spain, there are things one ought to be aware of. The village streets are mostly cobbled and tend to be quite uneven. There might not be sidewalks, or if there are, walker and wheelchair users might find that ramps are lacking. This said, one can almost always count on a friendly local willing to help a stranded traveller. Thankfully, my mother only needs her trusted collapsible walking poles to move about, and of course a bench now and then. She is happy to sit down in the shade with a cappuccino (she won’t order Café con leche, even if that is what she will be served…) while writing postcards to all her widow friends back home in the fjords.

From restaurant. Photo © snobb.net

Since we were on a scouting expedition, we parked where the farm fields ended and the white houses began, and continued on foot. Zahara does have vehicle access into the village centre, but the few potential parking spots tend to be taken long before one gets there. If double-parking by a fire hydrant is the only option, the alternative is to leave one’s globetrotting granny at a café in the main square and rid oneself of ones vehicle farther away from the centre.

Zahara de la Sierra. Photo © snobb.net

Choosing the narrowest calles and most charming alleys, we proceeded upwards at a steady incline, meeting some of the local Zahareños en route. Zahara is after all a living pueblo with approximately 1500 inhabitants. Like many other White Villages, the main industry is tourism, though the local population still run small businesses, contribute to the cork trade, produce olive oil, wine or Payoyo cheese or sell locally made baked goods.

Zahara shop. Photo © snobb.net

Speaking of Zahara, there is some dispute as to the origin of its name. Those in the know agree that it is derived from Arabic, but the consensus ends there. Some suggest it comes from the woman’s name Zahra, possibly referring to the wife of an Emir back in the day. Others say it has something to do with the Azar, the orange blossom, which are abundant in town, or that the name refers to the huge rock upon which the town sits. I however, vote for the forth theory (there are more…) where Zahara means beautiful, bright, shining or brilliant, all of which aptly describe this magical little town.

Azar. Photo © snobb.net

Ronda is also considered a Pueblo Blanco, but Zahara’s houses are whiter than white, certainly on a spring day when the sky is brilliant blue and when the deep green leaves of the orange trees that line the streets are loaded with fruit. I can see why the Andalucian flag is white and green. But why are these villages called Pueblos Blancos, other than the obvious fact that the houses are all painted white? The reason for the white is the locally available limestone traditionally used to whitewash the homes.

Zahara house built into the rock. Photo © snobb.net

We only detected two exceptions from the all-white theme – a stone castle and a pink church. Like many settlements in the sierra, Zahara is crowned by an impressive defensive tower dating from the time the Moors ruled Spain. The 13th century Nasarid castle was built on top of an earlier 8th century watchtower. Due to Zahara’s strategic position, many battles were fought here, until the Christian forces under Rodrigo Ponce de León finally conquered the village in 1483.

Nasrid castle above Zahara. Photo © snobb.ne

Even for those who do not care one iota about history, the view from the top of the tower is well worth the climb. When the time comes, my mother will probably let us ‘youngsters’ ascend while she will enjoy watching village life from below. She is wiser than I will be at her age, as I will surely head to the top only to get stuck in a crack and need to be winched down or picked up by a helicopter, my legs flailing about in the air-born harness. That is if I am still around at such a ripe old age...

Sierra de Grazalema from castle. Photo © snobb.ne

Zahara’s second coloured edifice is the 17th century Santa María de la Mesa Church. With its pink façade and marble Baroque portal, it stands out against the dark cliff and the surrounding white houses. Upon entering, there is a painting of the Christian re-conquest of the town more than 500 years ago, when soldiers climbed the cliffs, which nowadays have comfortable walking paths. Santa María is lovely example of rural Andalucian churches, with a hand carved pulpit and choir. As it is located in the main square right across from the town hall, any visitor can easily stop by and light a candle here.

Painting in church. Photo © snobb.net

One does not have to visit battlements and churches to enjoy Zahara, which was declared a Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO in 1977. There is a true charm in wandering around the handful of streets in the village centre, peaking into windows, admiring the abundant flowers in pots on walls and terraces, and stopping to try some specialties of the region. One might not get the latest haute cuisine, but you can always find a hearty, heaping comida casera (home-cooked meal), whether you want a lake or a sierra view. You probably will have to share the lovely vista with other tourists, otherwise such villages would not survive, but you can still find a quiet street where you can observe the Zahareños hanging off their balcony sharing local gossip.

Village gossip. Photo © snobb.net



Like 4        Published at 4:48 PM   Comments (1)


Happy New Year, again - Meet the Muddy Pig
Tuesday, February 5, 2019

First spring wildflowers. Photo © snobb.net

 

Not all of us manage to get things right the first time. Take me for instance, who has been married three times…

Many of us have probably already broken our New Year resolutions and abandoned the carefully designed life improvement plans we made on December 31. If this is the case for you, do not despair. There are second chances in spite of what some people say. These might not present themselves exactly when, where, or how you might expect them, but you can have another kick at the can. Furthermore, you do not have to wait another eleven months to be able to do so.

Almond blossom. Photo © snobb.net

 

On February 5th, starts the 15-day Asian Spring festival called Chunjie (春节), better known as the Chinese New Year. The specific date varies each year depending on the lunar calendar, landing anywhere between January 21st and February 20th. This time we enter into the Year of the Pig, the last animal in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle, maybe because pigs like to take their jolly good time. 

Winter laundry line. Photo © snobb.net

 

When it comes to further details about this Pig year, it gets a bit complicated for us who aren’t astrologers. Some sources say it is the year of the Earth Pig, while others claim it is the year of the Brown Pig. The elements of earth and water have something to do with this, which leads others again to say that it is the year of the Muddy Pig. I’ll stick with this last option, which seems the most jovial.   

Plant. Photo © snobb.net

 

As for the general outlook for the Year of the Muddy Pig, even for us non-pigs, zodiac-ly speaking, there are both sun and clouds on the horizon. Though we might not be as happy as pigs in shit this coming year, the animal symbolizes prosperity in the Chinese culture, a thing we all might welcome more of in our lives. One also hears mention of luck and a focus on hedonistic pleasures, as pigs seem to be lovers of the good life. I would not suggest for anyone to count on any such fortune yet, but the year of the Muddy Pig sounds infinitely brighter than for instance the year of the Water Snake.

Road with morning mist. Photo © snobb.net

 

I see the introduction to the Year of the Muddy Pig as both auspicious and serendipitous, as it coincides with the US release of my book Casita 26. Living in Andalucía, I have become fond of pigs. Iberian pigs, of course. These animals are very different from your great, fat, pink, run of the mill industrial pig. The Iberian version is usually small, lean and bluish black. Most are free roaming and live a happy, carefree life - until they get converted to Jamón Ibérico, of course…

Iberian pigs. Photo ©  freepic.es

 

If the Chinese New Year doesn’t give you enough time to get your ducks in a row, do not give up. Our modern Julian calendar, celebrating New Year on January 1st is a relatively new phenomenon. Long before we began to kick-start the year in the dead of winter, the Mesopotamians celebrated the coming of a new year in mid-March, around the time of the spring equinox. Likewise, the early Roman calendar designated the first of March, or Martius as they called it, as the beginning of their ten-month year. A spring start makes all the sense in the world, as it is the time of rebirth and new beginnings. Though Julius Caesar introduced his more accurate solar-based calendar in year 46 BC, moving the New Year to its present date, this shouldn’t prevent us from embracing new beginnings and turning a new leaf with the Chinese, the Mesopotamians or the ancient Romans.

Flying high. Photo © snobb.net

 

So, have a Happy New Year. May we all be as content as pigs in mud.   

Happy pig. Photo © snobb.net

 

 



Like 3        Published at 8:23 AM   Comments (1)


Spam post or Abuse? Please let us know




This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse you are agreeing to our use of cookies. More information here. x