Ubeda: Exploring

We thought getting an early start this morning would guarantee us quiet, deserted streets for admiring the Renaissance buildings on the second half of our Wikiloc route around the city. But we ended up in a (delightful) traffic jam as a result of being in front of a large school at 8:50 with school starting at 9:00. There wasn’t an unoccupied inch of road or sidewalk. Brothers with backpacks; sisters with wheeled packs; dads hopping out of cars parked in front of fire hydrants to grab the hands of children before dodging across the street; moms pushing buggies while urging along stragglers; teens whistling to friends…we just backed up and stood still, taking it all in and missing our own teaching days quite a bit!

After a morning of architectural enjoyment, we headed to the Centro de Interpretación del Olivar y el Aceite. What a gem! We never knew there were 260 different varieties of olive trees! The displays, videos, and samplings were a real treat after walking in sight of olive groves for over two months. Spain is the olive capital of the world, and the province of Jaén is the olive capital of Spain.

Thanks to Bazar Fen, our replacement hiking poles are riding home in a duffel, not a mailing tube. Let’s hope the airlines have an easier time dealing with that common shape and don’t lose this set!

Today’s Wikiloc track:
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/ubeda-loo…Read more