The Road from Santiago

On the road again, paying my back taxes road again…..  In the words of Loudon Wainwright III.  Well, we are heading off to Malaga and to get there we need to turn around and head down some alley ways and steep steps.  We will pass the Ermita de la Virgen - Puerta de Málaga.  Two months ago Daniel did most of our work for us.  ‘The Hermitage of Our Lady of Hope, also known as the Gate of Malaga, is a beautiful religious monument dating back to the 17th century. This small church has a special charm due to its traditional architecture and its strategic location at one of the old city gates. The building preserves original elements that reflect the popular devotion of Antequera throughout the centuries. It is an ideal place for those seeking to learn about the religious and cultural history of the area, as well as offering a space for reflection and tranquility. The hermitage is very well maintained and represents an important part of the local heritage.’   Ju...

  We are going to have a day in Antequera.  We had one. We turned up with no expectations and left in the Neolithic.  Actually, we seemed to have missed most of the shopping area as I remember not many shops.  We went to the market, which was fairly standard, the museum, where Martin did some drawing, a small restaurant for Menu del dia and then discovered the tombs. Well, the municipality has almost 42,000 people living in it.    I’m going to quote wiki here ‘ The nearby natural reserve of El Torcal , famous for its unstable limestone rocks, forms one of the most important karst landscapes in Europe.’  I have visions of limestone that is easily depressed by events. Anyway, apart from chaps with stone and bronze, various Iberians, Phoenicians and Greeks turned up abd the Carthaginians, Romans and Visigoths followed.  The Castillians besieged the place in 1410 and when they took it 2500 locals left and northerners were brought in to replace them. ...

  We are heading towards Antequera. To be honest the reason we are going there is all at the end of the day. We will have to do some padding first so here goes. We went not knowing what we would discover. It was a day out from Malaga.  It meant crossing the somewhat austere peaks which lie to the north of Spain’s 6th largest metropolitan area.  We arrived in a small but functional bus station, wandered around the market and a bit of the town.  We then discovered the Neolithic burial site. To get there we need to pass the Pena de los Enamorados.   You know when local legend says ‘you can see a face in the cliff and you squint and gurn and really see nothing.  That is not a thing here.  From Antequera this lump of geography looks like a head.  I mean, it really looks like a head.  And a couple of Stone Age tombs face towards it. Of course there is a romantic legend. Boy falls for girl. They are from rival towns. The girl’s father and his henchm...

  We are out amid the olives and the occasional farm house.  We will go near Huertas del Rio - but not enough for us to be concerned with it. While not in the thriving central metropole of the above locale [here is its entire Wiki reference ‘ Huertas del Río es una localidad española del municipio de Archidona , en la provincia de Málaga , Andalucía . Está situada en la zona suroeste del término municipal , cerca de la desembocadura del arroyo Marín en el río Guadalhorce y de la A-92 . Se trata de una zona agrícola fértil con huertas de regadío. En 2024 tenía una población de 208 habitantes. [1] ​’  we will be near a collection of buildings, which feel a bit like a satellite hamlet. This place has the Boulevard Huertas del Rio, and the Calle Rio Genil. The Calle Arroyo Marin and the Calle 19 de Abril.   We are passing the Casa de usos multiples.  You have to admit this is a functional name.  This community centre has 8 reviews and 4.6 stars.  Three ...