Ermita de Navazo

Just a short distance north of Olvera is the village of Pruna.

Driving through the village and then taking the road to Algamitas for approximately 4kms brings you to the the Ermita de Navazo, in a prominent position overlooking Pruna and the landscape beyond.

The Ermita was built in 1968 and is the focus of the "Pilgrimage of the Pure and Clean Conception" on the first Sunday of May each year, when hundreds of the inhabitants of Pruna dressed in traditional spanish costumes and carrying a Holy Image, sing and dance in a procession to the site.

The inside of the Ermita from the front door, which unfortunately was closed and locked.

The views from the Ermita are fantastic. The picture right looks toward Olvera with Pruna castle in the foreground.

Looking down upon Pruna.

Pruna castle again with Olvera in the background, taken from the road leading down from the Ermita.

Linked posts:

Pruna market
Pruna

Pruna spring

Lets go walkabout

A pleasant 10 or 11° C today so after breakfast at the Pensioner's Centre we strolled down town and sat for a while in the Plaza de la Concordia.

So just a few pics of the Plaza. Pictured right is the new library and culture building being built as an attachment to the Centro de Adultos, where we have our spanish language lessons.

Looking up Calle Calvario from the Plaza.













Avenida Julián Besteiro, which leads off the Plaza.........

........and further up the same street, looking back towards the castle from outside the medical centre.

The view down Calle Azorin in the direction of Pruna, a village north of Olvera.












An interested onlooker.

Calle Algodonales leading down to the Avenida Manuel de Falla, pictured below.

Avenida Manuel de Falla, where the town's outdoor football pitch and swimming pool are located. Must get to a match one day!.

Calle Calvario, looking towards the castle.

Calle Llana.

Save water, share a bath with a friend!

Back into the groove after a brief visit to the UK, this morning we drove the short distance to the natural spring just outside Olvera to fill up our water bottles.

The weather today was overcast but not too cold. Looking across the campo from where "Nellie", our trusty car was parked.

Arriving at the farm just as these two ducks were waddling in for a bath.

The view of the farm with the old ruined castle standing over it. One day I'll ask the farmer if I can walk up and explore it.

Anne filling the first of our water bottles from a very cold spring.

My mate Andy

My apologies for not posting for a week or so but I made a surprise and unplanned visit back to where we lived in our previous life to attend the retirement party of my great friend Andy.

I know it is not an Olvera related post but Andy and his wife Lin look in occasionally so here are just a few pics of a great night at the Vine Tree in Randwick, Gloucestershire, one of our old drinking holes.

Best wishes for your retirement Andy and we look forward to seeing you here in Olvera sometime this summer.

Normal service on the blog will be resumed shortly.

On a personal rant and rave. If by some chance any of the security staff at Bristol airport are looking in, I hope that you don't choke on the two sealed jars of Branston pickle that you confiscated from me......nay, not from me but from my lovely Anne, on the pretext of national security and anti-terrorism legislation. I appreciate that there may be a severe threat of attack by pickle against airport and airline staff but none the less, despite your assurances that they would be suitably disposed of (yeah, I bet), enjoy it!!!. I've heard of "death by chocolate" but "death by Branston"...c'mon!!. Oh, and just in case I camouflaged my face during the attack, my brown shoe polish was taken as well.

Thats it, off my chest. Thank god I'm back in a sane place.

El Hundidero

On the road to Montejaque we had passed a park area called El Hundidero so on our return journey we took a slight detour and stopped off for a look.









We parked the car just off the road and proceeded on foot down a track into the valley.

The park is the site of an abandoned dam project which as a result now has a cave complex stretching 5kms.

Click here for a lot more information.

The track was lined with these lovely plants.













In days past, the occupiers of this ruin would have had a place of perfect peace and tranquility.

The track gave way to a path which wound it's way further down into the gorge to the entrance of the cave complex. We could see and hear quite a few intrepid walkers way down below us but decided to stop at this point and just admire the view.

One of the old abandoned dam buildings.

Linked posts:
Montejaque

Montejaque

On a lovely, sunny Andalucian day we drove south for thirty minutes or so on the A-374 towards Ronda, turning off to the village of Montejaque.

The scenery along the route was spectacular.

Although it was past ten thirty, the mist still shrouded the bottom of the valley.





























The village of Montejaque clings to the side of the mountain.

We parked the car on the outskirts of the village and walked towards the centre. We came across this tiled plaque in the appropriately named "Plazoleta Voluntarios de la Libertad", just behind the Church, dedicated to the various "Resistance" fighters who since 1500 had fought in the village and surrounding area against political and social injustice.

Just around the corner from the plaque, we came into the Plaza de la Constitucion. This is the Ayuntamiento.
An unusual statue outside the Church.


A view of the Plaza de la Constitucion with the Iglesia de Santiago El Mayor on the left.








We left the square and started to wander upward through the the narrow streets toward the top of the village.




































Winding our way upwards, we came across many beautiful, brightly painted houses, unusually many with tiled plaques with names rather than numbers, such as " Casa Abuelo" (grandfather's house) and "Casa del Rosa".






Many a donkey has passed this way in the past.






































Looking down over the village in it's spectacular location.
Anne relaxing after the climb.

We were really impressed with Montejaque. A very pretty, clean and well kept village in a lovely location. Well worth a visit.

Click here for more detailed information.

Linked posts:

El Hundidero