A hot, sticky......

.....and very muggy day can perhaps best describe the weather today. The temperature on our stroll this afternoon was about 30°C with a very strong wind blowing from the south.

Looking west and below the steep,steep road leading up to the Plaza de la Iglesia.

 The view over Olvera.

 A very quiet Calle Calzada leads down to Calle Llana with a deserted Calle Maestro Amado below.

Ruta de los Molinos

A trip out this morning with friend Dan to walk one of the routes in the excellent "300 Walks in Cadiz" guide, a link to which can be found in the right hand column of our blog.

 We chose the "Ruta de los Molinos" (Route of the Mills) near to the pueblo of Setenil de las Bodegas primarily because on paper it looked reasonably flat and also the distance wasn't too great for a couple of old codgers. Here, looking down upon the old olive oil mill at the start of the walk. 

The Alcalá stream, a tributary of the Guadalporcum river, is a constant companion along the route. 

A cave house typical of this area.

 Wild figs....not quite ripe yet.

 

It was lovely just to stroll along with only the birdsong and the rhythm of the stream breaking the silence, even lovelier to come across fields of gorgeous poppies.

 We think this was one of the old cereal mills along the route, now being converted into a home.

 One of several waterfalls along the route.

 Several frogs were taking advantage of the warm weather on a sandbank in the middle of the stream. The walk had been as described on the website, flat, picturesque and very pleasant for a leisurely stroll. What at the start though had been a warm day was getting very much warmer as we returned to the car and headed into nearby Setenil for a cool drink. 

 Looking back at Setenil.

Street art

An unusual but very pleasant sight on the streets of Olvera is seeing someone with paint and easel capturing in this case the view looking down Calle Pico on its corner with Llana.

Tim, the artist, is the son of Melissa Hefferlin and Daud Akhriev, also artists who live here in Olvera.

  

 Tim lives in America, He has travelled and studied in Europe and it was pleasant to pass a few minutes talking and watching him work. Clearly, talent runs in the family.

Iznájar

 We drove this morning to the village of Iznájar, a "pueblo blanco" in a beautiful location overlooking the largest reservoir in Andalucia. After a drive of about 90 minutes (route here), we arrived and parked quite easily at the bottom of the village.

 We walked a short distance and came upon this beautifully decorated plaza.

 Continuing onwards and upwards, we passed by the Ayuntamiento. 

The 18th century "Casa de las Columnas".

We had unknowingly arrived during the "Festival of the Balconies" which was presumably the reason why so many houses and businesses were so beautifully decorated with flowers.

 Every turn we took delighted us with yet another display. 

 After stopping off at the tourist office for a town guide, we continued to the top of town, the location of the old Moorish castle and the 16th century Parish Church of Santiago.

 Wow. Just around the corner from the Church is the Patio de las Comedias and what a fantastic feast for the eyes. Pot upon pot, all blue, of beautiful blooms so no apologies for the number of pictures. 

  The patio is formerly the area where plays, dramas and comedies were enacted in past times, hence the name but apparently, despite the floral festival taking place, it always looks like this and is cared for by the residents.

Just stunning.

Steps lead from the patio to a pleasant seating area with views over the village.

There are various viewpoints throughout the village but a guide is useful for finding them.

 The Plaza Nueva is one such place.

  In a pleasant 30°C, we headed back to the car enjoying more surprises along the way. 

 Definitely a surprise....a street with barely a flower in sight!.

 What a fabulous village. Even without the floral festival, Iznájar is a beautiful pueblo with a lot to see and it's location on a hill overlooking the reservoir is fantastic.