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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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Kebabs, fish and a better quality of English

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  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...
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War! What is good for? Making a new town.

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   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...
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Into the summer

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  We are looking for a way out of town and under the GR-30, but first, a park.  We walked passed Parque de las Alquerias yesterday and we are still by it so, why not pop in.  1106 people have given it 4.3 stars. It appears to be at its busiest between 9 and 10pm.  Top words are ‘dogs’, ‘strolling’, ‘lawn’, kitchen garden’ and ‘swings.’  A week ago Pedro said ‘ Beautiful park with views of Sierra Nevada, good location and parking’.   Generally people don’t say why they like it.  Lack of loos seems to have been an issue.  Loli summed it all up ‘A very large park with lots of grass, swings for children, and also for exercise. There's also another dog park inside. It's super cozy on the grass. They also have vegetable gardens inside the park.’ We have never been to a chess club and now is the moment to end that lack. The Club de Ajedrez Puerta Elvira gets a solid 5 from 38 people. Jose said ‘ In addition to an excellent club where you can learn to pla...
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The one about the relatively three wolves

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  We are doing peak central Spanish city today. Created before the motor car and coming to an uneasy cohabitation with them, we are going to do narrow streets, crammed with shops and occasionally breaking into squares of beauty, like the Plaza de la Trinidad.  We will even get a neat Candlemas Bun when we enter the Plaza de los Lobos, which will go from its green and child friendly June 25 self, back, to a harsher 2016 winter.  We will even rush through the Plaza Albert Einstein. First we plunge into the backstreets, by the Capilla Real.  We will pass another Flamenco Show - https://www.flamencoshowgranada.com/   It has three, unworded reviews. One is five star, one four and one, one.  I like a good reply and Anne, who wrote five months ago, got one. have we not had any reviews with your name in recent months, but we're also closed this month, so you must have made a mistake when leaving your review. I ask that you please correct it, as it negatively affect...
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