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Published: April 28th 2015
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Woolly says – having spent a few days pacing friend Dale took pity on me and agreed to act as chauffeur. What about Jo I hear you cry, well we all know she can drive (especially me around the bend) but I think Graham was a little sceptical about her driving his sports machine and having discussed her need to circumnavigate a roundabout at least four times before deciding which exit to attack not to mention her complete lack of directional skills we were in total agreement that Dale should drive. I’m not that bad, the real reason that my small travel companion fails to mention is that I’m not insured for the vehicle and while we sort that out we were very grateful that Dale seemed to enjoy his new found role. Woolly says – with the roof down and Jo being blown away in the back I eagerly pressed my trunk into the windscreen and admired the lovely coastline we zoomed down. Very like my home of Alanya we were able to feast our eyes on the mountains while turning our heads to see the craggy coast, so pretty and as we pulled up outside a restaurant I looked forward to a snack break.
With no intention of feeding the constant eating machine we had stopped to make a short walk to one of the many watchtowers that link the Costa shoreline. Woolly says – I did try sulking but as everyone else set off without me I admitted defeat and jogged along behind. A short walk for the humans and a hundred mile trek for me led me to the top of the Sierra de las Nieves Nature Park. The views were incredible and as I left Jo snapping away I inspected the tower in more detail. Built in the sixteenth century it is known in Yunquera as “El Castillo” (The Castle). Shaped as a truncated cone, virtually a cylinder, and covered by a roof in the shape of a partial sphere, it’s not the highest tower I have visited but impressive none the less and the openings in its masonry walls show flared windows for firing from. I started to consider my ascent to the top before I was rudely interrupted and found myself having to make a decision, do I climb up and take in the stunning scenery or go towards the promised snack.
You don’t have to wonder at his decision and a few minutes car journey bought us into the pretty Mariana De Estata. Woolly says - As I sat and watched the boats bobbing around at their moorings my tummy enjoyed the most delicious tortilla served with some very garlicky tomatoes, as I was licking my lips and trying to hide the grease stains on my fur from Jo crisp battered whitebait appeared, well it would be rude not to! Having scrubbed his fur and tried to tidy him up I left him drying out as we cruised back along the sea roads with the wind whipping our hair and fur in the afternoon breeze. Woolly says – having a few days of wandering again I jumped at the chance of another outing with friend Dale to investigate the local Honey Festival, as Jo sighed and packed more wet wipes into the car I sat back and enjoyed the ride into the mountain town of Frigiliana. Climbing the steep roads gave us better and better views across the local scenery with plenty of mature terraced planting to admire.
Woolly says – Parking was proving a problem but being the sharp eyed mammoth that I am I spied an underground carpark and directed Dale in. Frigiliana sat above us with its white-washed houses. I scampered on ahead and was delighted to find myself in a maze of narrow cobbled streets. Each turn showed another narrow lane lined with flower pots and signposted with beautiful tiles instead of the usual boring street signs. As we climbed higher and higher areas to sit and admire the view presented themselves, I paused to look out across the valley and the different roofs ranged below me. Three hundred metres above sea level and built on the side of a mountain the old historical centre of Frigiliana has a distinctively Moorish feel and keeping a careful eye on the small furry one was a necessity in case he got lost in the labyrinth of narrow, winding streets and alleyways. Woolly says – finding a small square I paused to look up at the rather plain building with a high bell tower. The whitewashed church is set in the heart of Frigiliana's oldest quarter, it is thought by some historians that there may have been an earlier chapel on the site and by others that the church is built on the site of Frigiliana's mosque. This building was erected in 1676 when the town came under Christianity. With a nod from Jo I raced up the stairs and stood admiring the beautifully carved wooden ceiling, and the gold adorned alter with the figure of Christ on the cross, very simple in so many ways but intricate in its glittering decoration. Having sat quietly for a few moments – yes it does happen – I followed Jo back to the others and the opportunity to race once more around the maze of streets.
As we walked along the winding thoroughfares I called Woolly’s attention to the ceramic mosaics that I kept seeing. Woolly says - These mosaics were designed by Pilar Garcia Millan and narrate the story of the Moorish uprising in the area. There are 12 ceramic plaques in total telling the story, in Spanish, of the 'Battle of the Rock' in 1569, when the local Moorish inhabitants sought safety in the fortress of Frigiliana. Many of the residents (including the elderly, women and children) were eventually slaughtered with great brutality when the Christian forces finally battled their way into the settlement.
Having had our fill of the oldest parts of the quaint town we transcended the small lanes towards the celebrations of the Honey Festival. Woolly says - This beautiful Moorish village was once central to sugar cane in the areaand having watched the cropping of some of the raw cane I was eager to get back to theold town and start celebrating its second ‘Dia de la Miel de Cana’ (Day of the Sugar Cane Honey/Molasses). The sugar cane factory located in Plaza del Ingenio is the only producer of molasses in Europe and last year was the first ever time it has opened its doors to the public with live flamenco dancers and a bowl of popcorn covered in the wonderfully sticky molasses I couldn’t have enjoyed myself more, not sure how you get this mess off me though!
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Tara Cloud
Love these hill towns!
Great old Moorish architecture and amazing stone mosaics. What a charmer!