Smurf village for a day

No, don't adjust your screen, it really is a "pueblo azul" (blue village) in the Genal Valley, just south of Ronda.

Júzcar has been transformed and chosen by the electronics giant Sony to host tomorrow's world premiere of the new Smurf film "The Smurfs in 3D".

I heard of the transformation when I bumped into friends Eric and Tony in Olvera, who had been walking in the area, and also from other friends who had seen it on Olvera TV.

So at just after 8.15 this morning, we drove through beautiful scenery to the village, arriving at just after 10am.

The pueblo is quite small with approximately 220 inhabitants and is one of many that cling to the hillsides in the valley. All of the others though are white.
It was quite easy to find a parking place although tomorrow may be quite different. Talking to a local resident, she said that lots of TV crews and visitors were expected, with many activities planned throughout the day.

Wandering around though, it felt really strange as every building had been painted blue.

However, it seems that many of the villagers quite like the transformation and would be pleased for it to remain after mid-September, when it is due to revert back to its normal white colour.
The publicity created has brought economic and employment benefits to the inhabitants and it's considered that as a tourist attraction, Júzcar
is quite unique and could benefit for quite a while after the world premiere.
It's certainly different.






We sat for a while on a beautiful day in the very pleasant Bar Torricheli trying to take it all in.








A couple of painters, still working to ensure all is ready for the big day.

This stone plaque of the village coat of arms (escudo) was on a house near to the Casa Consistorial (Council House) below.

Old or new, its got to be blue!













The Iglesia de Santa Catalina was originally built in the 16th century but has in recent times undergone several improvements.

Not as ornate as many Churches we have visited, it was however refreshingly simple in its decor and obviously well cared for.

Even without its unique colour, Júzcar would be well worth a visit as it's a very pleasant, clean and friendly village.

If you're thinking of attending the world premiere tomorrow, I suggest you arrive early as it looks like it's going to be a fun day.

A Sunday stroll

A lovely morning with a temperature of 27°C, so I walked down to the Plaza del Emigrante, near to the petrol station.

The monument in the plaza is dedicated to all those Olvereños who, due to economic hardship in the post civil war years, were forced to seek work in other parts of Spain or throughout Europe.

The plaza in front of the Colegio José de Calasanz.

The view down Avenida Julián Besteiro.










Calle Fuente Nueva.

The Plaza de la Concordia.









The plaques at the bottom of Calle Calvario highlighting the phrase that has come to be associated with Olvera.......a street, a castle and a church but of course it's much more than that.

The Dragonfly returns

A lovely day again, 30°C and clear blue skies and our "pet" Black-tailed Skimmer dragonfly has returned, this time settling on Anne's geraniums hanging from our upstairs window.
See the previous post here.

She's beautifully coloured and was quite happy to pose for a few pics before moving on.
We're starting to get a little "cabin fever" after our kitchen alterations, so hopefully sometime next week we'll get back to normal and jump in the car for a trip out somewhere, possibly the pueblo of Juzcar, which is undergoing an interesting and colourful transformation at the moment.

From a distance

Just a couple of pics taken this morning looking across to Olvera from the freshwater spring at Pruna on a lovely, warm 25°C day.

To enhance your view of the lovely place in which we live, just click on the picture to enlarge.

Light and dark

As I write this, rain is falling outside and thunder is rumbling overhead.

These few pictures taken from our terrace at about 4.30 this afternoon after returning from our walk.

Here, the brighter skies looking to the east......

.....and looking to the west at the thunderclouds passing over the Sierra de Lijar.

Although temperatures are regularly in the mid twenties centigrade, we're still not seeing the consistent sunshine that we've come to expect at this time of year.

Waiting for the storm to pass.






On our walk down a deserted Calle Llana.

Thanks to our friend Brenda for reminding me of the name of this beautiful Jacaranda tree blossoming in the Plaza de la Concordia.

An ornately tiled balcony in Calle Llana.

Peñon del Sagrado Corazón

On a beautiful 26°C day and after a visit to a busy Saturday market, we stopped off at the Plaza de Andalucia.

Anne sat in the shade with Calcetines while I walked up through the park to the top of the peñon to take some pictures of the familiar but always stunning scenery.

The vista looking east over Olvera.

The Monumento al Sagrado Corazón at the top of the peñon.

Looking down upon the rooftops with Calle Garduñera in the centre of the picture.

Through the bars of the viewpoint.

The pueblo of El Gastor, centre of picture in the far distance.

Castillo Árabe de Olvera.

The Plaza de Andalucia.

Downpours and Dragonflies

Just as I was about to take Calcetines for a walk at three this afternoon, the heavens opened and we were delayed indoors for about an hour until the rain cleared.

Good for the plants though.

By the time we were nearing home, the sun was back out and drying the streets.

Right outside our front door, I spotted this beautiful dragonfly, which from information provided by our good friend Dan, is a female Black-tailed Skimmer.

It had obviously been caught in the rain and was drying its wings in the sun.





It had colourful markings and amazing patterns on its delicate wings below.

It stayed by the door for about fifteen minutes before being dry enough to continue on its journey.