Arcos de la Frontera

Sam and I packed our bags and left our Airbnb in Seville to pick up our car from the Seville Airport. We caught the EA Airport bus and reported to the Enterprise Car Hire booth. We were allocated a Citroen which had only done 42 km - it was a brand new car.

We drove to Arcos de la Frontera, our first stop for the day. This town is one of many white hilltop towns in Andalusia. This area was the frontier for many years in the war to expel the Muslims from Spain. The towns were fortified on hilltops and the characteristic white stucco finish on the buildings makes them shine white in the sunlight.

Arcos is situated on a cliff above the river that formed the natural frontier. Sam and I climbed to the top of the town and overlooked the terrain for miles. It was a beautiful location and vista. We tried to get into the castle at the very top of the town, but it was closed for no apparent reason. We were able to get spectacular views from right near the big church nearby.

There was a man and woman who had set up a very unusual and captivating exhibition at the top of the cliff. They had about fifteen birds of prey (in Spanish, raptors) including owls, kestrels, hawks, eagles and falcons. They were very majestic. People could wear a leather glove and hold them for a donation. We paid five euros and Same had a hold of an eagle and a kestrel. I held a huge Spanish owl. The owners of these birds have 90 in their aviary. They have two Mexican eagles they have trained to fly away and return to the glove. This takes a lot of training from when the birds are just chicks. Being so close to these majestic creatures was very special.Read more