Full of stars and not words and signifying something

 Sometimes you need to just step back.  There is something both unkempt and ordered and beautiful about the Spanish uplands in October - where we get our photos from. There is something in the golden leaves and the saturating sun.  I also rather like May for its freshness. To be honest, I love Spain.

We are not going to have much in the way of pueblos, but we do get a few other things for the specialist interest.

In a string of houses along the hillside road we come to Arquitectura & Ingenieria Topografia. It is open from 8am to 4pm everyday of the week, except Fridays, when they knock off at 2pm.  A year ago Jorge said of them ‘Super friendly and competent guy. Affordable price and excellent work. He did both the ITE (Electrical Inspection) and the energy efficiency certificate for my house. Highly recommended.’

As we turn off the road and cross the terrain once more we pass what is labeled  the Puerto del Barco.  It has 10 reviews. It gets 4.8 stars.  Google says it is an Educational Institution.  None of the reviews add to this. The mode average is 7 years ago.  Two years ago the most worded, by Diego, says ‘Beautiful views of the city of Villanueva de la Concepcion’    Trying to hunt down stuff there is a facebook page that may be relevant but was last updated in 201 and involves cows and honey. https://www.facebook.com/PuertoDelBarcoAntequera/   Time to move on.

By the Puerto is the  Pista Polideportiva Puerto del Barco.    Anne summed it up nine years ago as ‘Basic village sport area’.   They sometimes have community things with paella there.  No review is newer than six years.  Angel Angel left 5 shiny stars eight years ago and these mystic words ‘The Pinball Pimps.’

 Across the hills we go.  Near the end of the day we will pass the Ancient town of Aratispi, whose stone walls remind me of Grainthorpe, in that the remnant walls mark out the settlement still.

Jomer, six months ago, gave it three stars.  I’m not sure what he wanted but he is rather fulsome in description.

‘I don't value the historical importance of the site itself, but rather its visual appeal and accessibility, which is ultimately what visitors will find upon arrival. You can easily reach a small farm by road. Right there, you're at the site, which encompasses not only the hilltop but also part of the hillside. It's breathtaking to walk on fragments of tile and pottery from all periods. I visited in the summer and saw practically nothing due to the dense vegetation. It was a moderately sized Roman city, built upon an Iberian settlement. There's an area where you can see part of the ancient wall and a fragment of a square tower, constructed with ashlars from two different periods: some more regular, from the Roman era, and others less so, from the Iberian period. Because of the vegetation, I couldn't see the remains of the kilns, taverns, oil mill, or the floors. Although the city dates from the Republican era, it reached its peak around the 2nd century and was abandoned in the 3rd century, partly due to the invasions of barbarian tribes.

The city, although from the Republican period, reached its peak around the 2nd century and was abandoned in the 3rd century, due in part to the invasions of the barbarian tribes. The small village of Villanueva del Cauche is well worth a visit. There is a plaque on the church wall that mentions the town, and it must be one of the few written records about the place.’

Well, that's it.  We will wiggle along the A-45 and see what tomorrow brings.