Breaking Away From Torre Del Mar

It is time to venture away from Torre Del Mar for a while, to explore other parts of Andalusia. Today, I am heading to the Province of Jaén in the northeast for 3 days to visit Baeza, Úbeda, and the city of Jaén.

Arriving at 7:40 am at the Estación de Autobuses for an 8:00 am pick up, I meet another passenger, Christophe. We discover we are both travel writers. His blog is focused on Andalusia. It was a terrific icebreaker.

It is my observation that those who speak their native language and have learned English, have an easier time picking up another language.

Christophe is from Paris, speaks English and is fluent in Spanish. Add an Italian wife and he is well down the multi linguistic path. I can barely get out my drink order at times, but I’m not giving up!

I am excited for this trip and to reconnect with Cipriano, owner of Oletrips, the excursion company we booked with. He is an expert on Andalusia and provides top notch excursions. Again, another multi linguistic person. I have been on a few trips with him and have never been disappointed.

Boarding the bus we take the coastal road with beautiful views and pick up Cipriano and the other passengers. 17 in all. Germán, Swedish, French and English.

Mist is on the sea, and fishing boats are bobbing in the distance but the sun is peeking through announcing a nice day ahead.

Cipriano (Cipri for short), explains the overall program, first in English and then in German. The bus is energized for what’s ahead of us. It turns out all of us are repeat customers for Cipri. It is nice to know we have all contributed to him and Maria’s success.

Ricardo, our driver, masterfully navigates the bus up the highway. We pass by the city of Granada and then drive past the Sierra Nevada mountain range as we head north into Jaén Province, snow is dusting some of the peaks. I learn that Granada has the only ski resort in the country.

Olive Groves as far as the eye can see!

Entering Jaén province, you cannot avoid the olive groves. This province produces 20% of the world’s olive oil. Needless to say, this girlie is going to be coming home with some litres.

From the University of Jaén site this document says that the province has 60 million olive trees, it is a World Heritage site and the only man-made forest in the world. Olive groves as far as the eye can see. It’s very cool!

We arrived in the town of Baeza, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site around 1:00 pm. Our boutique hotel is part of the YIT hotel chain, La Casona Del Arco. It is quaint and positioned just inside the old city walls, accented with cobblestone, arches and limestone walls. The service is impeccable. From arrival to being in my room, was under 20 minutes.

The property and my room was exquisite. My bed was so comfortable!

After a quick unpack, we all head to El Pajaro for a delicious lunch. I learn that the bright green olive oil is because the olives were young when harvested.

Baeza

The town of Baeza and its neighbour Úbeda received a designation of a UNESCO World Heritage site back in July 2003 due to its architecture. Walking through the narrow streets and over cobblestones is like being transported back to the 16th century. You can see reminders of Renaissance, Muslim and Roman architecture.

Cipri gave us a guided tour of the town. It is lovely. Unfortunately, the main square is under construction, but I can only imagine how stunning it will be once completed. There are many monuments and dedications to the poet Antonio Machado.

We visited the Jabalquinto Palace and the university classroom where Antonio Machado taught. Here are some my shots of the beautiful architecture.

At the end of the walk, Cipri takes us to where the old wall was which has been converted into a walking, running and biking pathway. The views are spectacular.

The evening was happily stamped with tapas and drinks at El Torreón at 8:30 pm. The tapas were plentiful and were included with each drink.

I sat with Lena and Bjorn, a couple from Sweden. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about them.

We navigated the cobblestones safely back to the hotel and headed off to bed.

Tomorrow we will be visiting Úbeda not far from here.