We spent most of this day on a tour of southern Spain. We meandered through the countryside, passing through several small towns. We stopped to admire the view from a "mirador," that is, a scenic overlook:
A vegetation covered plain stretching off to mountains in the distance. Approximately in the center of the picture what appears to be a small farm, with a single building and a patch of cultivated ground, with plants growing in neat rows.
A similar view to the previous picture, except that in this picture, we see a small village, and a lake in the distance.
...and to look at Presa de Rules, a large concrete dam:
The dam as seen from the lake side.
A view of the lake.
The dam as seen from the other side.
We spent some time in the little town of Frigiliana:
A view of the town, taken from just outside the garage where we parked the car. The town is built up the side of a hill, and all the buildings are bright white.
Looking back the other way; the parking garage entrance is visible at the left, and the Mediterranean Sea can be glimpsed in the distance.
Terry and Salvi parked themselves at a cafe, while Juan Carlos and I went walking up the street. And I do mean "up" - the town is built on the side of a hill, and it was uphill all the way. Here are some pictures I took along the way - note the intricate patterning of the cobblestones in the street:
Steps leading up to the front door of a house.
Heading up the street. Houses and shops line the street on both sides. A little ways ahead, the street forks, and the right hand fork is steep enough to require steps. Pedestrians and shoppers are walking up and down.
Looking up a narrow side street. This street also has steps, and potted plants lining the walls on both sides.
A close up view of the intricate geometric patterning of the cobblestones, in shades of gray and white.
At the highest point, we came to this church:
The church is made of light red brick. On the right side is a bell tower with a clock at the top.
The church had an impressive altar:
The altar is made of dark wood trimmed in gold. In the center is a large crucifix, and on either side are niches with statues. On the left is the Virgin Mary, But I can't tell who the one on the right is supposed to be. Above are three paintings, left, right and center, but I can't tell what they're of.
...and in one of the side alcoves, this statue of Jesus carrying the cross on the way to Calvary, and below that, the heads of the twelve apostles.
Jesus carries the cross on his left shoulder. He's wearing the crown of thorns, and an elaborate purple robe trimmed in gold and silver. Below him is a glass case containing the twelve heads.
(Actually, I doubt that Jesus was wearing that royal purple robe when He carried the cross. Oh well, call it artistic license.)
I was also impressed by the church doors:
They're massive doors, more than twice the average human height, made of dark wood. There's an inscription in gold lettering across the top.
Notice the inscription above the doors - here's a closeup:
The inscription reads "Lo hizo Bartolome de la Cruz, Año 1859."
"Made by Bartolome de la Cruz in the year 1859." I like a man who signs his work.
We walked back down to meet up with Salvi and Terry, and I stopped along the way to buy some local honey rum - that's right, rum with honey - as gifts for friends back home.
In my trip log of our trip to Spain in 2012, I commented about the number of expat Brits who live in the south of Spain, and I was reminded of that here in Frigiliana. Walking the streets, I heard as many British accents as I did Spanish ones.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the shores of the Mediterranean:
Terry, Salvi and Juan Carlos sitting at a table on an outdoor patio, looking out to sea.
One of the things we ate was a plateful of roasted sardines, and as we walked through the parking lot going back to the car, I took this picture:
Sardines roasting on an open fire
In the afternoon, after we drove back to Dúrcal, I went out for another walk, and stopped into a grocery store for a soda. When the young man at the cash register realized I was an American, he got all excited and started peppering me with questions - where was I from, where was I staying, when was I going back, etc. He appeared to be delighted to have a chance to practice his English.
That evening, we went to visit Jorge and Mercedes, friends of Salvi and Juan Carlos:
A picture of everybody sitting around the table on the patio
Jorge is a luthier - that is, he makes guitars. We visited his workshop, and then sat down to food and socializing. They have a brick oven in the back yard:
It's actually two ovens, one above, facing forward, and another one below, facing right.
The Spanish people seem to have a national obsession with ham. Not the kind you get at your local deli; Spanish ham is heavily cured, sliced paper thin, and has a chewy texture. At Spanish restaurants and tapas bars, you'll often see an entire pork leg - hoof and all - mounted on a rack, and they'll cut off slices and hand them to you. I saw examples of this on our 2012 trip. But I never knew until now that some people have these same mounting racks in their homes:
Jorge cutting a slice of ham off a pork leg mounted on a rack.
My apologies to any vegetarians in my audience.
After dinner, they asked me to play some of Jorge's guitars, and I played about half a dozen songs, on two or three different guitars. I was rather embarrassed when they asked me (with Terry interpreting, of course) which guitar I liked best, and I had to admit that they all seemed about the same to me.