Viajando por Andalucía: Alhama de Granada y Antequera

By now, you all know how much I love to travel, especially through my beloved southern Spain. Well, during the past two weeks I've had the opportunity to travel to two places in Andalusia where I'd never been before. The first place I visited was Alhama de Granada, a small town surrounded by rolling hills and fields of olive trees that's located just under an hour outside of Granada. The second, Antequera, is a small city situated about two hours away from Granada.

Alhama de Granada

On Saturday, April 16th, my friend Sussu and I traveled to the town of Alhama de Granada with one of her classmates, Alberto, and one of his friends (whose name I unfortunately can't remember! Oops!). Sussu and Alberto were helping his friend with a project that he was working on for his job. So, long story short, Sussu invited me along for the day and the four of us headed out to the town of Alhama de Granada. The small and quiet town, home to only 6,000 residents, was important to both the ancient Romans and the Moors, and it contains architectural influences and remains from both periods in history. In addition, the town looks out over some truly spectacular scenery. Alhama de Granada is perched along the edge of a deep limestone gorge known as Los Tajos (literally, the gorges) and at the bottom of the gorge the Río Alhama flows. We enjoyed great weather and Sussua and I had an absolutely wonderful time walking through the town's many small squares and narrow streets. However, what I liked most about the town were the views from Los Tajos. I can't even begin to imagine living in one of the many homes facing the gorge and looking out my window every day at such a lovely sight. Without a doubt, Alhama de Granada is one of the prettiest places that I have seen so far in Spain... just have a look for yourselves!

The "covered way" connecting the Iglesia Mayor de la Encarnación to the vestry. The church dates back to the 16th century.

Roses on the fountain :)

One of the homes that flanks the Plaza de los Presos.

The House of the Inquisition.

My lovely friend, Sussu.

Just some of the rolling hills and olive trees that surround the town on all sides.

Quiet, peaceful streets.

I'm in front of the tajo (gorge) that Alhama de Granada is famous for. The views were absolutely incredible!

Sussu and me.

Approaching the Iglesia del Carmen.

Pila de la Carrera, the fountain next to the Iglesia del Carmen.

The church (Iglesia del Carmen).

The square in front of the Castillo de Alhama.

The Castillo de Alhama (Alhama's Castle).

Isn't Alhama de Granada lovely? It was so quaint and peaceful- the perfect place for a relaxing and unhurried afternoon stroll!

Antequera and El Torcal

Last Monday as I was sitting in the teachers' lounge in between my classes, I overheard two of my coworkers, Gracia and Jose Antonio, discussing a field trip that they would be taking later on that week with some of their students. As I listened, I realized that I didn't know anything about the area about which they were talking. After they finished their conversation, I approached Gracia and asked her just what she and Jose Antonio were going to do on the excursion. She was more than happy to tell me about the city of Antequera and the surrounding area, even calling Jose Antonio back over so that he could join our conversation. Ten minutes later, I not only had learned a great deal about Antequera, but I also had an invitation to join the group on their trip! Both Gracia and Jose Antonio agreed that I should come along and see for myself! So, on the morning of Wednesday, April 27th, I headed to Alba Longa an hour earlier than normal to catch our bus to Antequera, a city located in the province of Málaga.

We had two reasons for visiting Antequera: first, to see the dolmens found just outside of the city's limits. Around 11:00am, we arrived at los dólmanes de Antequera (dolmens). Dolmens are prehistoric burial chambers that date back thousands of years. Prehistoric people from the Copper and Bronze Ages transported dozens of huge slaps of rock (that they had to cut and chisel out from nearby hills) to construct their large and impressive burial chambers. This was no easy task without the aid of modern technology as the rock slabs weigh hundreds of tons and each dolmen contains more than 25! While the frames are made entirely of rock, the entire dolmen was covered with earth to form a "mound" shape. The engineering implications for constructing such enormous burial chambers some 4,500 years ago are just amazing! Antequera is home to three dolmens- the Viera dolmen, the Menga dolmen and the dolmen de Romeral- and we saw all three. The first dolmen that we saw was the Viera dolmen. It's a corridor tomb consisting of a long, straight passage that is divided into two sections. At the end of the passage is the burial chamber. The second dolmen that we visited was the Menga dolmen. The Menga dolmen is larger than the Viera and is comprised of 32 enormous stone slabs, the largest of which weighs 180 tons! Both the Viera dolmen and the Menga dolmen date back to 2,500 B.C. The last dolmen that we visited was the dolmen de Romeral. This dolmen is located slightly further outside of the city than the previous two dolmens and it is slightly more modern, having been constructed around 1,800 B.C. Another important difference is that unlike both the Viera and the Menga, the Romeral was constructed with thousands of small rocks as opposed to giant stone slabs.

The second reason for visiting Antequera was to explore its nearby Paraje Natural Torcal de Antequera. This natural reserve is famous for its truly weird, yet wonderful, rock formations. About 160 million years ago, the entire area of El Torcal was underwater. As the water slowly dried up and flowed to other areas, the limestone was eroded by exposure to the elements, leaving behind the rock formations visible today. Nowadays, El Torcal contains several marked hiking trails and look-out points that all offer incredible views of the reserve and surrounding area. After arriving at El Torcal, we gathered in a conference room in the information center to watch a brief video describing the landscape of the area and the many types of animals and plants that can be found along the trails. Then it was time for an afternoon hike, my favorite part of the day! Jose Antonio and Gracia led me and the students along the ruta amarilla, a path that winds through the park and makes for about a two-hour hike. The trail was muddy and slippery but I had a great time taking in the sites and observing all the strange rock formations. El Torcal was unlike anything I'd ever seen before! Halfway through our hike, we stopped for a quick picnic lunch and at 5:00pm we returned to the information center where our bus was parked and waiting to take us back to Armilla. It was a long day (and of course I ended up with a slight sunburn! I swear, Spain's sun is stronger than ours back home!) but I had a wonderful time with my coworkers on the field trip! And now, photos!

The Alcazaba de Antequera, a fortress dating back to the 14th century.

Antequera, one of Andalusia's "pueblos blancos."

To the right of this photo is the "Peña de los Enamorados" (Rock of the Lovers). It's famous because if you look at it closely, it resembles the face of a sleeping woman. Not surprisingly, there are many legends surrounding the Peña in the history of Antequera.

The first dolmen that we visited, the Viera Dolmen.

Jose Antonio explains the historical and archeological significance of the dolmens.

The entrance to the Viera Dolmen.

The second dolmen that we saw, the Menga Dolmen.

Inside the Menga Dolmen.

Evidence of spring as we make our way to the third and last dolmen we would see that day.

The Dolmen del Romeral.

Our second stop of the day, the Paraje Natural Torcal de Antequera.

Can you spot the fox?

The landscape in El Torcal truly "other-worldly"!

Some of Alba Longa's students during our two-hour hike along the ruta amarilla.

Which way?

Breathtaking scenery.

Never forget to look up :)

Stopping for a picnic lunch in the shade of a large tree.

Wildflowers along the path.

Finishing up the last leg of our hike.

The result of millions of years of erosion.

Making our way to one of El Torcal's many look-out points.

El mirador.

Looking out over the town of Villanova de la Concepción. To the far right, under the skyline, the city of Málaga is just barely visible.

One last photo of the bizarre yet fascinating rock formations that make up El Torcal.

Both of my day-trips were unexpected and unplanned, but I had a wonderful time exploring these two beautiful and unique locations in southern Spain! I have seen so much over the course of these past eight months and the more I see of southern Spain, the more I realize that I still have yet to discover! I'm not sure what other pueblos I'll find myself exploring in the two months that I have left abroad, but I'm excited at all the possibilities!