Get with the beet

 After weeks of poor pickings, scrabbling over the occasional tyre changing outlet or a single review of a layby but now we have a town and many things to amuse our attentive gaze.  The most importance of all the discoveries is that we appear to be not on some sullen rural track but the old main road from the north.  At one point we actually can see the stark difference between the old and the new road, which by-passes the town.




We will switch from old to new road just as we reach the foothill  Here are a typical handful of the sort of agricultural out buildings which are slowly degrading into idleness and ruin.  We then nop over to the N-420 and pass the remains of the old and abandoned railway station.  https://territoriomontegaudio.es/alfambra/viaducto-y-estacion-de-ferrocarril/



Alfambra is one of those hill top places settled since days of yore.  In this case the yore age is the one of Bronze and I now want a gag about acting ‘Yore Age.’The place seems to have grown dramatically after 1842 and bumped around 1500 people in the mid Twentieth century and then sunk down to around 500 people again in the 2020s.  A castle was built here in the 11th century.  In 1169 Alfonso II seized it from its Moorish garrison. It was given to the Templars, then to the Order of St John.  During the Civil War Republican troops seized the place during the attempt to surround Teruel.  A month later Franco threw 14 divisions at the Republican XIII Corps and drove them out of the town.



Forward to the Museo de la Remolacha Azucarera - a museum dedicated to sugar beets.  The beet industry was established in 1911 and the factory wherein is now the museum, was in business for 60 years. The museum was opened in 2002.It gets 4.5 stars   The reviews tend to have very few words.  Basically they can be summed up as ‘its good’ and ‘its quiet.’



On the way out we need a drink and so we will go to the Bar Piscinas de Alfambra.  Generally people love it or hate it.  It is a nice day, lets report Lourdes ‘We loved celebrating our birthday there, Arantaxa and company made us feel at home, good food accompanied by good drinks and better company, thank you’ 

Time to move on.

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