A decent day for a white wedding

 It is a bit of a long day - longer than intended. I better go for a long walk to make up the metres. Well end the day with some eating options but first, the road.

The Hacienda Timoteo is by our path. It is a 9-2, 5-8 sort of place on week days only.  Google calls it a function room. The web link is broken.  Five days ago Alicia said ‘Excellent venue for a celebration. The place is truly beautiful, and the food and service are superb. Highly recommended.’ Emilio, five months ago, was well pleased. ‘We got married on July 12th of this year and we want to thank this amazing team a thousand times over! From the first to the last person, they were so friendly and welcoming to our guests, especially the older ones. The food was absolutely fantastic! Everyone telling us how delicious everything was is a testament to their hard work! Without a doubt, they were the best! ♥️♥️’

Fuente Palmera is ahead of us and we will divert into it.  10,000 people live here, and why not. I tried the web link but was told ‘The request could not be satisfied.’  We are HOT Spain.  August will be hotter by a smidgeon but the average is 29.1 oC this month, with a high average of 37.4 and a record of 46.4.

Google translate has much to tell us about the town of Palm Tree Fountain.  Bell-shaped beakers were found in the early 1950s, just to make us feel at home. Others lived here but things got going in 1768 when the current village was established as a watering place on the developing livestock trail between Cordoba and Seville.  Three hundred settlers were bought in, in an attempt to do a little Enlightenment community  model building.

In 1845, Madoz’s Dictionary said this of the place. ‘In 1845, Fuente Palmera had 314 houses, 182 of which were built with branches, and the rest with tile roofs. It also had a granary, a jail, a primary school with 41 students, whose teacher received an annual salary of 1,400 reales, and another school for girls with 30 students, whose teacher received a salary of 730 reales.

The parish church of Our Lady of the Conception is served by a parish priest, a curate, a sacristan, an organist, and an acolyte..  Within the municipality there are 10 springs of good water, which supply the neighborhood for domestic consumption, and also serve as a watering place for livestock...Mail is received from La Carlota by a driver paid by the City Council, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and departs on the same days.

Production: Olives, acorns, barley, wheat, broad beans and legumes; Cattle, mares, donkeys, goats and pigs; and game: rabbits and partridges; Industry: agriculture: two white soap factories and an oil mill…  Population: 386 residents, 1,550 souls... the municipal budget amounts to 13,285 reales…

The Enlightenment never really took root.  Boss Politics led to a cycle of conflict, including major strikes in 1882-83, 1905 and 1918-20. 

During the Francoist period many people migrated.  Between 1966-69 256 people left, including 30 to France, 19 to Switzerland and 207 to Germany.  1390 exited during the period 1961-80.  The population recovered there after.

Economically the town does olives and cereals.  Apparently it is known as the ‘town of brides’ and has several shops specialising in wedding dresses.  In 2006 a Cheese Factory was established. It has won awards for its goat fermented curds. 

Shall we go to a Bridal Shop? Lets!  Aguilar Novias gets 4.7 stars from 359 reviews. https://www.aguilarnovias.com/   Four days ago Maria overcame her inadequate supply of words to give five stars. ‘I have no words to express my gratitude for the excellent service I received at Aguilar Novias. I chose the most spectacular dress they had, and they altered it for me with such care and attention right up until my wedding day.  Thank you for being a part of my special day. I will always recommend you 100%. 

Well, that was town and we will wind down the narrow streets to get out of it.

We are going to do some eating. The A-440, like similar highways, has its share of eateries.  These two have had brand new shiny CESPA petrol stations put in front of them. The first has the looks of a small wayside hotel, with a tower in one corner but appears not to be on closer contact.  It only gets 3.7 stars from 10 reviews.  JMG liked it.  Three months ago they said ‘The breakfast is very good. Good prices.’   Juan was less happy. ‘The waitress gave us a dirty look as soon as we arrived. The toast was very good, but the service was terrible. ‘

Across the road and up a little is the Meson el Sastre.  It boasts Menu del dia and gets 4.4 stars from 55 people.  Rafael is a happy soul. ‘We had grilled Iberian pork shoulder, which was delicious with potatoes, and some equally exquisite fried pork belly with peppers and potatoes... For dessert, a pionono cake that was to die for... The staff were very friendly and attentive... Thank you for everything... We'll be back soon. P.S. I forgot to take photos; I realized too late, so I only took a picture of the dessert.’

We are bypassing La Ventilla. Almost 600 people live here. It has a bar, a farmacia and a supermarket, but not us.  We will pass it and the smattering of light industry and so we will advance on tomorrow.