Post by OnlyMark on Sept 19, 2022 15:47:18 GMT 2
We had a friend of our daughter come to stay with us in Spain and on her last day she had a quite late flight from Malaga. We decided to have a few hours somewhere so as the day wasn’t wasted. One of our favourite places is a town called Antequera.
This is because of its proximity to a number of other places like the lakes/reservoirs (you can swim in which is unusual for reservoirs in Spain) of El Chorro, the stone landscape of El Torcal, the town itself because of the big castle and nearby, the ancient Dolmens (a UNESCO World Heritage site).
Again, it is a place few tourists visit and those you do see tend to be the Spanish holidaying on the coast who want a day out.
The town was called ‘the crossroads of Andalusia’, as it is more or less central point between Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Malaga.
Antequera was conquered around 716 by the Arabs and fell to the Christians in 1410 after a prolonged four month siege.
There are over 30 churches and convents resulting in more per head of population than anywhere in Spain and several palaces built during the 16th to 18th Centuries.
We though tend to like to have a walk around the Alcazabar, the castle, built by the Moors on the site of a Roman fortress and then added to after the Christian reconquest.
Worth having an audio guide if you go for a wander round.
In Andalucía it is known for its comprehensive Tapas Route (Ruta) which happens for a couple of weeks in February whereby virtually all the bars and restaurants make their own home made tapa and with a small glass of beer you attempt to visit them all. Each place you visit stamps your card to prove you’ve been there. There is no prize, just bragging rights.
Across the river, the Guadalhorce is Peña de los Enamorados, ("The Lovers' Rock"), named after the legend of two young Moorish lovers from rival clans who threw themselves from the rock while being pursued by the girl's father and his men. This romantic legend was adapted by an English poet (Robert Southey) where it was a Muslim girl and a Christian slave.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%C3%B1a_de_los_Enamorados
We parked not too far from the castle, called in there then had a wander down into the town before leaving -
A few more photos later.
This is because of its proximity to a number of other places like the lakes/reservoirs (you can swim in which is unusual for reservoirs in Spain) of El Chorro, the stone landscape of El Torcal, the town itself because of the big castle and nearby, the ancient Dolmens (a UNESCO World Heritage site).
Again, it is a place few tourists visit and those you do see tend to be the Spanish holidaying on the coast who want a day out.
The town was called ‘the crossroads of Andalusia’, as it is more or less central point between Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Malaga.
Antequera was conquered around 716 by the Arabs and fell to the Christians in 1410 after a prolonged four month siege.
There are over 30 churches and convents resulting in more per head of population than anywhere in Spain and several palaces built during the 16th to 18th Centuries.
We though tend to like to have a walk around the Alcazabar, the castle, built by the Moors on the site of a Roman fortress and then added to after the Christian reconquest.
Worth having an audio guide if you go for a wander round.
In Andalucía it is known for its comprehensive Tapas Route (Ruta) which happens for a couple of weeks in February whereby virtually all the bars and restaurants make their own home made tapa and with a small glass of beer you attempt to visit them all. Each place you visit stamps your card to prove you’ve been there. There is no prize, just bragging rights.
Across the river, the Guadalhorce is Peña de los Enamorados, ("The Lovers' Rock"), named after the legend of two young Moorish lovers from rival clans who threw themselves from the rock while being pursued by the girl's father and his men. This romantic legend was adapted by an English poet (Robert Southey) where it was a Muslim girl and a Christian slave.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%C3%B1a_de_los_Enamorados
We parked not too far from the castle, called in there then had a wander down into the town before leaving -
A few more photos later.