The Road from Santiago

  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...

  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...

  In some ways we are quintessing Spanish town streets to start with. The tiny space, with houses being the walls to this narrow corridor.  We haven’t had a kebab in a while. Let us nip in to the Doner Kebab Pakistani.  Reiki gave three stars and said ‘It's not bad in a pinch’.  Is this really two and a half stars?   Juan was five stars ‘Eating a kebab from this place is an explosion of flavors. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. They prepare the durum to your liking. Every visit is the closest thing to heaven. They even call me "friend" as I leave.’ We are passing a fishmongers. Let us see someone monger fish.  The Pescaderia Manolito gets 4.7 stars from 15 reviews. Antonio reckoned, nine months ago, that ‘Lifelong professional with a product of the day (fresh)’ We have fish and a kebab. Let us go to get a camper van, just to see what life could be if we weren’t walking. Arisan Camper Van dealer gets a solid 5 from 38 people.  Javi is the...

   Today we are doing old and new Spain, a combination of narrow streets, partly modified and long stretches of the new suburban houses which grace the villages near urban centres.  We are going into Purchil and onto Belicena. They, with nearby Ambroz, were formed into a single municipality called Vegas del Genil.  Purchill is the regal capital.  Like so much of rural Spain, the population rose up till the 1950s [ober 1600 in this case], fell dramatically till the 2000s [about 900] and has since grown to over 2200 as people have moved out of the city. Where we turn west we pass the 16th century church of San Jose. It has some Early Modern sculptures, one of Our Lady of Soorws from the 16th century and two by Pedro de Mena, a Virgin and Child and Our Lady of Bethlehem from the 17th century. The church has 13 reviews and 4.8 stars.  Last September ‘La abuela aventurera’ noted ‘Sunday, September 21, 2025, a significant day to mark in the town of Purchil. The n...