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Plaza Coso Viejo

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    • Weltreise-4 Füße und 4 Pfoten
      Day 139

      Von Torre del Mar in Richtung Portugal

      January 30, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

      Heute geht es los, von Torre del Mar in Richtung Portugal.
      Die Nacht hatten wir in unserem Bimobil wieder auf einer großen Freifläche vor dem Strand mit direktem Zugang zum Meer verbracht. Es ist schon etwas besonderes mit Meeresrauschen aufzuwachen und mit Blick auf das Meer sein Frühstück zu genießen.

      Um in das Ferienhaus zu gelangen müssen wir ca. 400km in westliche Richtung durch die andalusischen Berge fahren. Auf unserem Weg dorthin bietet sich ein Zwischenstopp in Antequera an.      Read more

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    • LadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
      22
      Day 38

      Tapas, Wine and a Fun Night

      February 9 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      We had great fun last night with Frank and Lissette, originally from Montreal, eating tasty tapas, drinking Spanish wine/beer, sharing travel stories and laughing. Laughing a lot! The four of us clicked and we definitely enjoyed our noisy night out at the Taberna El Rincón de Lola. Great little place with a grumpy-looking owner. Lol.

      Tapas include any appetizer that can be served in a bar with a beer or wine. They can be peanuts, chips, olives or small servings of seafood, sandwiches, or different hot and cold appetizers. At Lola’s they cost between 2 and 3 euros. Pretty good price.

      Small "tapas" are often part of the price of the drink, as we saw in Grenada. A typical hobby of Spaniards is going from bar to bar, drinking beer or wine and having different tapas.      Read more

    • TravelerInter-me rail
      Day 10

      A day in Antequera

      August 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

      Scoraggiata dal caldo torrido, giovedì ho scelto di riposarmi e quindi sono rimasta al fresco in ostello fino ad ora di pranzo quando, per necessità, sono dovuta scendere e ho dovuto affrontare il caldo soffocante che c'era per strada. Mi sono recata in un locale nei pressi del centro dove ho potuto finalmente assaggiare delle ottime tapas, delle strane lumache e una buona birra rinfrescante. Dopo pranzo sono tornata in ostello a rilassarmi fino alla sera, unico orario in cui era possibile uscire. Così sono tornata nel locale con il mio cameriere italiano preferito (anche l'unico 😅) e poi sono andata a visitare alcuni monumenti della città come l'Arco de Los Gigantes, la Real Collegiata e l'Alcazaba. Devo ammettere che lo scenario notturno e relativamente fresco meritava davvero!Read more

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    • Überwintern in Spanien 🌞🚐
      Day 39

      Citytour in Antequera 🌞

      January 21 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      Wir machen uns auf den Weg in die City, zumindest einen Teil davon. Gefühlte 1000 Stufen geht's hinab in die Stadt. Der Höhenunterschied beträgt ca. 600m, für Flachlandtiroler schon sehr bergig 🙈.
      Antequera ist eine wunderschöne Stadt. Die Häuser gepflegt und mit schweren Holztüren verziert. Die Türen stehen am Tag offen...Überall.
      Am Nachmittag gönnen wir uns zum ersten Mal auf dieser Reise ein leckeres 😋 Abendessen...das war sehr gut und mega frisch.
      Anschließend geht's die gefühlten 1000 Stufen zum Womo zurück. Ein herrlicher Tag 👍🏻      Read more

    • LadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
      Day 30–45

      And on to Antequera…

      February 1 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      It’s February 1st and we are almost halfway through our Andalusia trip and what a trip it has been so far. We are going to ‘rest’ for a bit by staying in one spot and do day trips for 2 weeks. Should be fun!

      Only a 1 hour drive away from Granada, through miles and miles of olive groves, and we are now out of the tourist milieu of Spain and into the old city of Antequera (5,000 years old!) where we will recharge our batteries (maybe) during a 2 week stay.

      Our first sighting of Antequera in the distance was that of a typical medieval town, with the spires and bell towers of several Gothic churches and the walls and towers of the great Moorish fortress high on a hill. Spread out in the valley below lie rich farmlands irrigated by the Guadalhorce River. For centuries this has been one of Andalucía's most fertile areas, and is currently a leading producer of asparagus, cereals and olives. In summer, we have read, its fields turn brilliant yellow with sunflowers.

      The town also is one of the richest archaeological areas in Andalucia, with Bronze Age and Roman ruins ranking among the most important in Spain. Then there is also El Torcal park, the flamingo-filled Pink Lagoon and three megalithic Dolmans. making it the perfect spot for us - both history and nature.

      We rented a good-sized, two bedroom apartment ($73/day) in the city, called the Vera Apartment. It is very typically Andalucian, in a white-washed building. It is set up for Spanish tourists more than it is for foreigners. The owners have provided us with everything and more - a bottle of red wine, chocolates, bread, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, coffee, tea, sugar, soap and shampoo. Amazing. The configuration of the apartment is odd by the way we set things up at home but after being here for a day or two, we understand the reasoning behind its shape.

      The living room, dining area, 2 bedrooms and bathroom are on the sunny side of the building. A long corridor with a door joins this area to the back where the front entrance, kitchen and an indoor porch with a washing machine live. Summers are hot here (32C +) and many places don’t have air conditioning. Makes sense to have the kitchen and laundry away from the main living areas.

      Surprisingly, our TV has several English channels with some great shows. We watched Oceans Thirteen last night.

      We have pink bathroom fixtures and a bidet. The floors are cold tile floors so we are happy that we brought our slippers. The bedrooms have very cozy duvets as it gets cold once the sun sets. Every room at the front has a heater that we can and will use.

      From our balcony we can see and hear daily life as it happens, as well as a view of the fortress. Across the street is a school and a church that rings its bells hourly.

      The grocery store and market are a 5 minute walk away with a little park in between. The grocery store has been built to fit the space. It is on two levels with flat ramp-like escalator (for shopping carts) that goes to the second floor. The first floor has meats, fruits, vegetables and wine. The second floor has mainly packaged foods and a bakery.

      A real bonus is having free parking for the two weeks and a very short walk away, past a bakery with amazingly good-looking pastries.

      Today’s dinner will be a lovely-smelling, crispy and juicy roast chicken that Chris bought in a take out chicken place. Can hardly wait.

      We think we are going to have fun exploring this interesting town!      Read more

    • LadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
      Day 38

      “Spanish Farmers Join Wave of Protests”

      February 9 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

      We have been hearing about the farmers’ protests in Barcelona and Malaga but today, in quiet Antequera, the protests were In action. Mind you, a lot of honking but not for long and very organized.

      A parade of tractors came down our street in the pouring rain and it was awesome to see. There were about 80 clean tractors coming from both directions and it was actually pretty exciting. The school kids across the street were sticking their heads out of the windows and cheering. Lol. Quickly, the windows closed and it was obvious that teachers had something to do with that.

      Here’s an abridged article that I read about the protests.

      Spanish Farmers Join Waves of Protest

      By Guy Hedgecoe abridged
      BBC News, Aranda de Duero

      Farmers in Spain have joined their European counterparts in staging protests across the country.

      Like farmers elsewhere, they demand more flexibility from the European Union, tighter controls on the produce of non-EU countries and more help from their government.

      On Tuesday, farmers took to the streets of agricultural areas in Spain's northern interior, driving tractors in convoys, beeping horns, waving Spanish flags and brandishing placards.

      Spain's farmers have similar grievances to their counterparts in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and other countries that have been protesting recently.
      They say that regulations which form part of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), along with high fuel and energy costs, make it difficult for them to make a profit.

      The costs, when it comes to producing wheat and barley, are very high," said Esteban, a cereal farmer who preferred not to give his surname who was protesting in Aranda de Duero. "You've got to pay for fertiliser, pesticides, fuel - it's killing us. We have to pay very high prices and yet we sell at low prices."

      “We just want a future for farming and right now, we don't see it."

      The plight of Spanish farmers has been compounded by drought. Many areas of the country have not seen normal levels of rain in recent months which is affecting harvests. Spain is the world's biggest olive oil producer, but prices have been pushed up by low production. Last week, Catalonia declared a state of emergency due to a three-year drought, the longest on record.      Read more

    • LadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
      Day 41

      The Textile Industry in Antequera

      February 12 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      It’s raining off and on again today. Happy Farmers! We are only here for another 3 days and still so much to explore. Antequera is not a big city with 42,000 people but it has such a big history and is located at the confluence of 4 rivers and in a valley. Perfect for farming.

      Looking at our city map, we realized that we could visit a few of the 32 very old churches as we haven’t seen any yet or visit one of the 11 monasteries or convents or check out the textile museum that is on the other side of the fortress. We are a little tired of the churches so we decided to walk with umbrellas to the textile museum.

      For centuries flour and olive oil mills had been situated on the rivers, along with water wheels, dyeing troughs and small forges. During the 15th Century, the textile industry took off in Antequera.

      The quality of the fabrics was so good that King Charles III of Spain designated the factory as a Royal Factory in 1765. In the mid-19th century, the factory was modernized and became the centre of the cotton, linen and wool textile industry.

      In the 20th century, isolated towns, ineffective trade and strong competition in other national markets, created a crisis. The textile industry came to its end in Antequera in the 1970s.

      Anyways, we interrupted a man who was eating his breakfast to ask if we could see the museum. He kindly unlocked the door and told us to check out the displays at our leisure.

      The permanent exhibit downstairs explained how the textiles were made in Antequera with examples of the old machinery, tools and materials and also photographs and other graphic documents. When we were stuck with understanding the Spanish technical words, we used Google translate. It was great!

      We noticed a little map on the table and realized that there was a 3 km road/trail that ran beside the river with all the old Textile factories on it. It looked interesting so we opened up our umbrellas again and went for a walk.

      The small Villa River supplies water to the town of Antequera. What remains of the old factories are the irrigation channels, aqueducts, bridges and chimneys, Some buildings have been renovated by their owners, while others remain in ruins or have been neglected. The machines have all disappeared. One man who owned one of the big buildings was wondering if we wanted to buy it with a bunch of our friends!

      The walk was peaceful and quite beautiful. It didn’t rain the whole time and we got our exercise for the day in, almost 7 km.      Read more

    • LadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
      3
      Day 46

      The ‘Tapas Tour That Never Was’ in Jerez

      February 17 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      It’s Chris’ birthday today and we were looking forward to a lunchtime tapas tour. The Get Your Guide ad wrote, “With your guide and small group limited to 15, you’ll visit traditional Spanish tapas joints to sample three local dishes accompanied by three drinks.”

      It sounded like a fun activity with a small group of English-speaking people but it didn’t happen …

       Chris and I went to the designated meeting spot at 12 p.m. and due to the Carnaval activities the whole area was full of groups of people. And I mean full! Hundreds of people milling around with small groups that were dancing and singing and acting. Where could our guide be? No one had a colourful umbrella or funny hat or a stick with a flower on it. So we missed the tour…but…

      I remember reading a review that had mentioned Tio Pepe’s famous winery so we headed there and hoped that the group was there. On the way, we met a couple of Canadians who travel a lot, Jenny and Bruce, from Victoria who were looking for their tour too but they were on a Sherry tour.

      We asked if the tapas tour was here, and the lady at the counter said that we could join the English Sherry Tour that was starting in a few minutes. Sounded like a good alternative!

      Here’s their little write up - “Imagine travelling by train through Tio Pepe’s vineyards and gardens, strolling among ancient wine cellars with more than 180 years of history, and discovering the incredible flavours and aromas of the best sherry wines.” That tour was followed up by a Sherry tasting and tapas.

      Chris was very happy with the tour. He especially enjoyed checking out the signatures and messages of famous people written on the big barrels. They have a lovely tradition there, encouraging important visitors to sign the barrels which are painted a chalkboard-like black to highlight any leaks. We saw the signatures of celebrities like Lana Turner, Steven Spielberg and Orson Welles. Artists including Picasso – the only one to sign in colour. Political figures like Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill and Chelsea Clinton. And musicians like Cole Porter.

      We joined Jenny and Bruce in the tasting room and enjoyed sharing travel stories while sampling the sherry, or was it wine? They are very interesting and interested people.

      Three hours later, we walked the short distance home at the height of Carnaval activities. Actually we stopped for a drink and more tapas, and people watched. There was so much fun stuff to see! Funny costumes, bands and lots of little dogs. There are a lot of dachshunds and Maltese terriers in Spain. Lol.

      When we got home, I contacted the Get Your Guide people, they contacted the tour people who contacted me with what had happened and said that they are sending us a refund. All in all a good ending to a rough start. And the Sherry Tour was free!

      Happy Birthday dear Chris! (And to his twin sister, Hilary, too!).      Read more

    • LadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
      Day 30

      The Incredible Granada Cathedral

      February 1 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

      I have run out of adjectives to use for all the ‘Wow’ places we have visited. The word ‘incredible’ just doesn’t cut it when describing this cathedral. Chris and I have seen many beautiful cathedrals but we both feel that this one is one of the most beautiful.

      Queen Isabella ordered the construction of the Cathedral of Granada in 1505, shortly after the capture of the city in 1492. The first stone of the Cathedral was laid in 1523 and its construction lasted 181 years. It was finished in 1704.

      We were given a code to use with our phones and we followed numbered posts, getting a self-guided tour this way and at our pace.

      It was an incredible place!

      Now onto the Royal Chapel.      Read more

    • LadyandtrampAndalucia, Spain
      Day 33

      The Museo Municipal

      February 4 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      It’s a warm Sunday afternoon and we just got back from a delightful walk.

      There were a lot of people sitting in the numerous squares, eating their lunches, drinking wine and beer and socializing. It was nice to see, but we were headed to the municipal museum. We would stop for a beer in the sun afterwards.

      The museum opened officially in 1972, after a group of local citizens discovered a bronze sculpture named 'The Ephebe of Antequera' (ephebe is an young man in ancient Greece who has just reached manhood or citizen status), measuring 1.54 metres, tall and thought to date back to the first century AD.

      The Madrid museum wanted the statue as Antequera didn’t have a proper and secure museum for such a treasure, but the people in town didn’t want to give it up. It was great motivation for the townspeople to find a building and create a museum. And that’s what they did.

      The Palace which houses the museum is a beautiful building, dating from the 18th century with a cut-brick tower, cloistered patio and elaborate staircase - Andalusian Baroque architecture. There is no entry fee to see the exhibits.

      The museum is on four levels. The lowest level took us through the pre-history of the area, including information about the Dolmens of Antequera that we are planning to visit soon. Someone had done a great job with all the paintings in the exhibits that showed the artifacts in use.

      The next level looks at the Romans and Visigoths. The Roman era brought great prosperity to Antequera (named "the Ancient City", or Antikaria, by them). The boy statue is on that floor as well as other well-preserved artefacts and mosaics that were found in the remains of a Roman villa in 1998.

      The third level has some impressive glass and pottery exhibits from the Moorish period and fine silverware from the 15th – 18th centuries.

      A fine arts section houses baroque paintings and sculptures, as well as paintings by Antonio Mohedano (1561-1625), who lived in Antequera. as well as 17 paintings by local contemporary painter Cristóbal Toral (1940).

      We loved Toral’s paintings and all of them had a message. He painted people with piles and piles of suitcases. We read that to mean that as we travel through life we accumulate too much stuff. It could also mean that in life we are surrounded by things, or people, and we really don’t know what their contents or history are. Not sure what his message was but we did like his work.

      The lady told us a little bit more about Toral. Seventy years ago, a group of hunters went into a small remote hut in the countryside and asked the owner for a drink of water. Inside they saw some pictures painted by his son, and told the dad that the boy ought to be sent to the Arts and Crafts school in the village. That man was a charcoal seller, whose wife had left him, and he didn’t have any way to get the boy to Antequera. The hunters chipped in together to buy the boy a bike so he could start the course. And that was the start to his career as a painter.

      We felt that the museum did an excellent job in describing the varied and interesting history of Antequera. The pieces that they had were in great shape and the art gallery on the top floor was wonderful.

      We left the museum, sat in the square in front of it and had our beers in the sun.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Plaza Coso Viejo

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