The museum curator was very patient

 We are dropping down 250m - but will pop in to Tarbena.



Tarbena is one of those ‘stuck on to the hill’ sort of places, with narrow roads, cafes improbably clinging onto roadsides and a route which follows ways which you feel would be interesting for the novice motorist.



Tarbena has the usual Neolithics and beyond populace.  The Cid seems to have popped in.   Wiki adds ‘In April 1245, the Arab leader al-Azraq and Prince Alfonso of Aragon signed the "Pact of Pouet" by which the Arab declared himself a vassal of King James I, immediately handing over the castles of Pop and Tárbena to him, while retaining the remaining castles for a specified period: Margalida, Cariola, Castell de Castells, Gallinera, Alcalá and Perpuxent. Tárbena actively participated in the al-Azraq revolt (1248-58). Once the rebellion was suppressed, James I handed over the castle, valley, fortifications and villages of Tárbena to the Mudejar Mohamed 'Amr ibn Isahq. The support given by ibn Isahq to the rebels of Murcia, led to his expulsion from the Kingdom of Valencia in 1268. He then donated Tárbena (1268) to his concubine, Berenguela Alfonso de Molina, who died without issue. Later in 1274, he returned to donate Tárbe’na to his new mistress, Sibila de Saga.’



The populace has declined in numbers - from above 1800 [in 1877] to about 660 today.  A third of these people were foreign born.



We are near the Museu Ethnologic de Tarbena.  It appears to be one of those wonderful collections of agricultural things. |It is open from 12 till 1.30 on Sundays. https://sites.google.com/view/ethnological-museum-of-tarbena/main-page   Daniel said ‘Excellent collection of tools, clothes and other things that bring to life the history of the area: in particular the agriculture and local government. I don't speak very good spanish but the museum curator was very patient and friendly and explained various items in detail that I could mostly understand. I would recommend that some of the signs and labels be translated to english as well to better accommodate visitors from outside Spain.’



We need at bit of a sit and a drink. Can Pinet. It has a facebook page, last updated in 2020.  https://www.facebook.com/CanPinet   Two weeks ago Nacho wrote ‘It's a place with a very short menu, but what could be better? They're brilliant at what they do. If you go, don't miss Jaume's paella—fantastic cold cuts and a special atmosphere. Highly recommended and very reasonably priced.’



Echoshirt added ‘Excellent place to grab a bite to eat on a hot day. We were served very kindly. Everything we ordered was delicious, even the coffee. We also bought a couple of jars of flower honey, which, of course, was also spectacular. Thank you for your attention. We'll see you again soon.’



We can pop into Saint Barbra’s.  Antoni gives us a thorough account ‘Declared an Asset of Local Relevance by the Generalitat Valenciana. It is a church of Catholic worship dedicated to Saint Barbara, patron saint of the municipality. It began to be built in 1721 so it belongs to the late Baroque, with the characteristics and architectural peculiarities of the area. It stands out for its monumentality, standing out from the rest of the buildings in the municipality for its bell tower. Its exterior structure is sober, simple with some simple decorative elements and a spectacular interior that fills the senses. A building with a rectangular floor plan that was intended to accommodate the largest number of faithful and a Latin cross floor plan to accommodate the different chapels on its sides. Its main altar is decorated by an altarpiece carved in real cedar wood carved by Los Hermanos Caballero de Sevilla between 2000-2002.’



Out we go and down we go and on towards the sea.




























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