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In the land of the festive asparagus

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  We are zig-zagging amid towns.  First to Venta Nueva. Nueva is the right word. It began in the 19th century when the road from Granada to Malaga was built.  885 people live here today - up on the 591 of 2003.  Wiki - which is available in Spanish and Cebuano, because someone thought people in Central Visayas in the Philippines needed to know this, said: ‘ Originally, economic activity was linked to the passage of the N-342 national highway , but currently, given its proximity to the town of Huétor Tájar, its economic activity is assimilated to that of the municipal capital, leaving the hamlet very integrated into the main town.’ Up the road to Huétor Tájar, well, the edge of it.  https://huetortajar.org/   It has almost 11000 people here.  We are in the land of asparagus.  So much so that the stuff is protected by a designation of origin but it was not always thus. People have lived here since people were invented but in 1483 the growth of the h...
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Mulberry springs for ever

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  We begin a long a road that Streetview went along in May 2013.  Looking to the left we note the base of a new road.  Let us switch to that position and discover the A-402, before switching back and off to the left, where streetview will leave us. Moraleda de Zafayona is ahead of us and by George it was a splendid name.  About 1750 people live here, some in those ‘not made for cars’ back streets.  Apparently the town means ‘place rich in mulberry trees.’ Some people disagree and think it's to do with springs.  Currently the PSOE have five councillors. The United Left were second, and also have five councillors.   14% voted PP and are represented by a single person.  The current mayor is PSOE Virginia Pantigas Ruiz. We are going to pass Bar Kuwait, so lets look in.  I’ll put the menu in.  The top five words in reviews are ‘tapas’, ‘prices’, ‘pizza’, ‘roasted chicken’ and ‘meal.’  A week ago Karla said ‘ Excellent atmosphere’ We are ...
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Andres is special but Jesus disapproves

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  On we go, camino de servico all the way.  Motorway to the left of us, olive trees to the right, here we are, enjoying the view and the weather. The average temperature for today is 9oC. This week is oddly low on the averages, in that the first two weeks hang a round at 10 or 11 and next week it goes to 13oC.  The average high is 15oC, the average low 4oC. While a little chilly, it is probably going to be sunny. 50% of days are in March.  About a quarter of days are wet, but with 47mm of rain a month, let's hope today is dry. We are heading towards Fuensanta, which, I appreciate this may be cruel, looks to be a motorway service station with a hamlet attached.  This is not entirely unfair. It was created by the National Institute of Colonization in the 1960s. The Institute was set up in 1939 to attempt to revitalise the Agricultural Sector as part of Franco’s autarky plans.  The place has some wonderful street names.  Pluto Street, Neptune Street, Uran...
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The wicked Roderick and the reason for the Conquest - with intermittent fevers.

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  We are now heading through Cijuela and Lachar, both of which are bounded by the A-92. Greater Cijuela has about 4000 people in it and the nearby pueblos.  Going back to the Middle Ages a couple of towers were built. The first was destroyed by the troops of Don Alvaro de Luna in 1431 and all traces of it have gone. The second has remains but I am not sure who did for it. In 1760 only forty people lived here. In 1776 flax and hemp arrived and things pushed up.  In 1850 Pascual Madoz’s work on ‘Spain and its Overseas Possessions’ said - in an edited form: ‘ ... situated on a plain in the Granada valley, not very healthy due to the tides of the Genil River, which is 400 to 500 varas to the north, suffering from intermittent fevers. It has 101 houses, including the town hall in poor condition, a primary school endowed with 2 reales daily, which is attended by 17 to 20 children, a modern hermitage, belonging to the Duke of Abrantes, lord of the town, which serves as the paris...
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