Órgiva: oldest parts of town

Isn’t that opening photo priceless? While we were wandering up and down Calles Libertad, Cristo de la Expiración, and Barrio Alto today, many kind people asked us if they could help us find something. When we explained that we were looking for old houses that had existed in the past in Órgiva, most of them shook their heads and said that many of the old houses were gone. But one woman told us there was a wonderful large poster on the side of one of the buildings down the street that showed what Calle Libertad looked like almost 100 years ago. Marie spotted it, and we stood in front of it in awe, looking at all those women seated by their baskets selling food grown in their huertas. The way the street is lined with them makes me think there was no such thing as a grocery store in those days in Órgiva.

We did find one of the old houses we were looking for; it used to be a courthouse. But the other five we sought seem to have been torn down. We have photos of what they looked like in 2001, but 25 years later in the same spots, there are only vacant lots. So we have to be satisfied with the six we found on our last visit.

One unusual find today was a humilladero. These crosses were often found at the entrances and exits of villages in the past.

We had better luck with our shopping, finding some staples like powdered milk and instant oatmeal that will come in very handy in villages that don’t have grocery stores. Anticipating warmer weather, Ned also found a pair of shorts in an Asian bazaar.

The second night of the fiesta outside our windows ran from 2 PM to 2 AM last night, and we were hoping that might be the end of it. But when we got back from our walk today, the loudspeakers were blasting out music again. We aren’t on either of the main plazas, so we are a bit mystified as to why our street is the center of the festivities.Read more