Grazalema and the "Pueblos Blancos"

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Saturday started with a lie-in til about 10am, which wasn't enough after the late night before!! I was staggering into the walls slightly as I left the house. We decided to go away for the weekend to escape the start of the Carnaval madness, when hundreds of people from all over Spain descend onto the streets of Cadiz for drinking and debauchery. This being a 10 day festival, we were sure we'd see plenty more of the same!

The trip started with a series of hilarious minor disasters! Danni, Steve and I met Jennifer on the train to Jerez, and it was at this point that we realised that the train was only going to the town, not the airport where we were picking up our rental car!! Cue an hour in sunny Jerez getting our tickets validated for a trip to the airport (mistake due to faulty information provided by customer services) and an early lunch of crisps and bread. Around this time we also discovered that while I printed off the booking confirmation for our hotel, I did not think to print off a map of the area where our hotel would be. Luckily I had an address and a phone number!! By the time we got to the airport, Steve had realised that he hadn't printed off or written down the booking confirmation for the hire car, nor could he remember the rental company's name. So by the time we found the rental company, signed everything and were sitting in the car, it was after 13:30 and we were a wee bit later setting off than planned!!

We followed signs for Arcos and then El Bosque. The scenery was spectacular, the rising mountains were very striking against the usual flatness. The curving mountain roads offered us fleeting glimpses of white villages - the "pueblos blancs" - in the valleys and up the slopes. We stopped in a picturesque village called El Bosque for lunch. Every house was whitewashed with red tiled roofs, and lemon, orange and palm trees lined the streets. Blue skies and a hot beaming sun, we had truly left the trials of the morning behind. We made our way to a small plaza between two tapas bars where it seemed like half the village population had gathered. I had a serranito, an Andulucian specialty apparantly, which consists of a fried thin pork fillet, a slice of serrano ham, and a fried green pepper in a doughy bread roll. Tasty. We went for a wander around the streets before getting back into the car on the road to Grazalema.

We stopped a couple of times en route to admire the view. There seemed to be a misty blue haze hanging over the landscape giving it an etheral glow. Grazalema is beautiful, it had a perfect backdrop of the mountain range with a steep valley below. We strolled around the town in search of a coffee. The main plaza was very interesting, it looked like it had survived a fire. The old church facade was blackened and the trees around the plaza were grey and bare. We stopped into a leather workshop which had beautiful and unique bags made out of the softest leather, before sunning ourselves in a smaller plaza with our coffees.

We found our way to the hotel without making too many wrong turns!! Who needs a map??! We all were under the impression that it would be a hostel/farmhouse, but it turned out to be a rustic 3 star hotel spread out around different buildings. Steve and Danni were put up in a seperate row of cottages, whie Jennifer and myself were in the main part of the hotel. It was beautiful; tiled floors, wood beamed ceilings, and a massive stone fireplace in the foyer with a barrel vaulted ceiling. We stayed in the hotel for dinner - swordfish mmnnnn- and sat up for drinks in the foyer swapping stories in front of the roaring fire.

Sunday was a relaxed start at 9am, with a buffet breakfast which also provided us with lunch material! We picked up a map and started on our hike at the top of the town. The sun was shining and it really was a beautiful day. The views were great almost as soon as we started out!! We saw some interesting sights such as an incredibly long chain of hairy mollys creeping down a tree and out onto the trail. There was a lot of up on the trek but it was worth it for the views. Admittedly, I do prefer a lot more green!! We started to lose the trail as we were aiming for a particular viewpoint, and turned back early. Just as well as it was heading well into the afternoon and lunch was calling!! We were back down by 3/4pm and straight to a restaurant. Felt quite tired and it was a quiet journey back to Jerez.

We got the train back to Cadiz again, and when we arrived at 9pm, Carnaval weekend was in full swing!! I could hardly get off the train with the wall of people surging on. There was a crush of people at the ticket barriers being held back by beefy security men, and when we finally got out of the station, Cadiz was swarming with people in fancy dress leaving a trail of party debris in their wake! The small of urine was overwhelming!! Roll on the rest of Carnaval!!

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Comments

[Peadar Mc Kenna]

Making me green with envy
Orla. Great to hear that you are enjoying yourself in one of the most beautful parts of Spain. We have visited this area many times. Reading about your trips to eat all that seafood!!!!!! yum yum. When you go to Jerez do try and visit a sherry Bodeaga,it is the best value for money drink on the market. Try the Fino or visit Sanlucar de Barrameda for the Manzanilla the dryest and most glorious of all the sherries. As you see Aoife and myself are real sherry fans. One restaurant you must visit in Cadiz and that is El Faro probably the finest seafood restaurant in all of Andalucia. Do also try to get to Cordoba to visit the La mesquita if you can. The AVE train runs directly from Seveille to Cordoba we used it once. We spent a week at the Seville Expo in 19992 ,what a time that was, i laughed at how cold you found it and time we have been there it was at least 30C and in Sept 1991 it was over 40C!!!. Must go will talk again soon.