Olives, Olive Groves and More

Olive and Olive Oil Quiz

Let’s see what you know about olives and olive oil

1 / 5

What is the average life span of an olive tree.

300-600

100-200

700-900

1000 or more

The average is 300-600 years old however they have been known to live longer. One museum has one over 1000 years old.

Good job!

2 / 5

What percentage of the world’s olive oil is produced in Jaén province?

10%

30%

20%

40%

Good effort! It is 20%. Also, Italy imports Spanish olive oil and bottles it as their own. Italy doesn’t have enough to keep up with their own demand.

Way to go!  Also, Italy imports Spanish olive oil and bottles it as their own. Italy doesn’t have enough to keep up with their own demand.

3 / 5

How many kilograms of olives are required to make 1 litre of olive oil?

4 kg

8 kg

10 kg

3 kg

Good effort!

Way to go!

4 / 5

How many MILLIONS of olive trees are there in Jaén province.

15

20

60

90

Good effort!  I couldn’t believe how many trees there were. As far as the eye can see, and you can smell them in the air. Additionally 80% of fertile land in Jaén province has olive trees.

Way to go! I couldn’t believe how many trees there were. As far as the eye can see, and you can smell them in the air. Additionally 80% of fertile land in Jaén province has olive trees.

5 / 5

How many different varieties of Spanish olives are there?

400

300

200

100

Good effort!

Somebody is hooked on olives!

Your score is

The average score is 51%

0%

Restart quiz

As the hours unfold, I am learning more about the other tour participants. Everyone has led such interesting lives. Most of them live here for all or part of the year. It is easier when you are a resident of the European Union. For me, a Canadian, I can only stay for 90 days in a 180 day period, otherwise I must apply for a visa. I am trying to leave some leeway in case I do another trip in the fall.

We board the bus at 9:30 am after a nice continental breakfast. I slept so well, and not surprised after all the walking we are doing. The cobblestones chew up your energy and my feet scream at me at the end of the day. I find myself a little tentative at times. I don’t wish to fall. I am grateful we have splendid weather.

Úbeda

Arriving 30 minutes later at the town of Úbeda, we are greeted with an awesome view of olive groves with a stone wall protecting us from the height.

We enter a square with huge limestone buildings surrounding us, and when we turn around we are presented with this beautiful building. Cipri asks us to guess what it represents. After multiple guesses, he reveals it is a funerary chapel for the prominent Los Cobos family built between 1536 and 1559. It, along with many of the Renaissance style buildings in town were built and designed by stonemason, Andrés de Vandelvira. He worked with a French sculptor Esteban Jamete, who carved skulls into the facade to represent that it was a funerary chapel. A little dark, but effective, right?!

Next to the chapel is another building converted into a Parador hotel. The exterior is being restored, but I manage to get a photo of a “senora” gazing out to the square. After a group shot, we continue on the guided tour.

This is a beautiful town and the Vázquez de la Molina Palace in the square of the same name, has an awesome representation of Renaissance architecture.

Everywhere we walk, I gawk at the incredible beauty. There is a raised patio section full of orange trees. I had to document this moment for Olivia and Colm. It was perfect, and for me also!

I may have mixed up the order of the tour, but there was a walk down a street that had what looked like some good shopping, or at least I recall Olivia’s neck quickly craning left to right at the storefronts. If you know me, I’m not a shopper. We joyfully chatted and enjoyed the walk.

We enter a ceramic store and studio where we witness the famous Úbeda artist “Tito” working at his craft. He was named best craftsman in Spain in 2006. That’s quite the recognition!

Usually, I purchase hand-painted ceramic tiles as my personal souvenir of my travels, but the timing wasn’t right. I would have had to carry it with me for the rest of the day. I didn’t want to take a chance of dropping it.

Cipri points out a building to us that had once been a hospital (Centro Cultural Hospital de Santiago), another building built by Andrés de Vandelvira. It was designed as a hospital for the poor, a church, a pantheon and a palace. It is now more of an exhibition place.

We enter a beautiful courtyard surrounded by stone walls and arches.

Off to the right, we enter and climb a stone staircase currently being swept by some ladies. I couldn’t help but gasp at the details in the ceiling. Incredible that this had been a hospital. The walls are covered in frescoes.

It is now time for a coffee break. Most of us want to visit an ancient synagogue, so we sit and enjoy a beverage until it is time to go.

Sinagoga del Agua (Synagogue of Water)

It was by accident that this synagogue was discovered. Originally, it was a hairdressing shop. The building was being transformed into apartments and while the renovation was being conducted, what a surprise it was to discover this hidden treasure that dates back to the 14th century.

Our guide explains the details of each room in Spanish, while Cipri translates into English and German.

⛔️ : If you have accessibility issues, this site is not easy. There are narrow stairs to climb up and down, no ramps. There were handrails though.

It was totally worth the 6€ admission.

The guide explained that the excavation had to be conducted by hand. We visited what was a Mikvah (purification bathing room), a storehouse and kitchen for the rabbi. The Women’s Gallery was upstairs and separated.

Click link for more information on the Sinagoga del Agua

Almuerzo a Navarro Restaurante

After the tour, we head out to grab some lunch (almuerzo). I meet up with Olivia and Colm where we enjoy the Menu del Dia at Navarro Mesón Restaurante for 16.90€. We sit outside enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.

I had the morcilla (blood pudding/sausage) and egg, then a plate of fish and a piece of whiskey cake for dessert. Olivia and I giggle as we thought the chef might have passed the whiskey bottle over the cake, because we didn’t taste any whiskey. Regardless, it is delicious.

We see a beautiful war memorial in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and a fountain before heading back to meet the others.

Sabiote

Cipriano surprised us with an additional tour of the town and of Sabiote just 15 minutes down the road. Not only did we get to walk around this historic village, he organized a visit to a local olive oil production facility.

Honestly, my feet are dog-tired, but when I hear olive oil tasting, they suddenly find some energy. There is one lovely German fella with a walker who always has a smile on his face, so who am I to whine.

Ricardo drops us off by the wall which has a view of, what else, olive trees planted in straight rows. We explore the town, and are given permission to enter the Iglesia de San Pedro. It is beautiful with its gilded altar, three naves, , vaulted ceiling and gothic arches. It took many years to build it due to a lack of financial resources, but was finally finished in 1680. It has undergone many facelifts over the years, and what is left today is spectacular.

Vandelvira was also involved in the building of this church, although he enlisted others to assist. There is a statue dedicated to him in Sabiote.

We walked around, take a group shot in front of a fountain and head to the olive oil factory through this amazing arch.

It is approximately a 15 minute walk down and up a road. Along the way, we are greeted by a German Shepherd dog who immediately takes a liking to Cipriano. He grabs giant rocks in his jaws and drops them in front of Cipri. His eyes are begging Cipri to toss it, which he did. It is a very sweet moment.

Arriving at the doors of San Gines Y San Isidro Cooperative, we tour the facility starting with how the olives arrive and get weighed, then the removal of stems and leaves, to washing, crushing and bottling. I make it sound so simple, but in reality, it is quite a complex process with multiple crushings, centrifuges to separate the oil from waste material and then what remains becomes bio-fuel. Very cool and innovative process!

You can see the pride in the eyes of the gentleman conducting the tour. Olive oil is his life and the result is liquid gold. I found the tour interesting. We learned that most of the olive oil produced at this facility is exported.

Time for tasting. We tried an oil from young olives and one from mature olives. They were both lovely. Smooth, peppery and delicious! I came home with two bottles. I would have bought more, but I would have had to carry them on my back from the bus station because I didn’t realize hand luggage could have been a wheelie carry-on. Now I know!

Back on the bus, we head back to Baeza for the final evening. Most of us met up for tapas at 8:30 pm at El Torreón. Lots of laughs as our server worked hard taking our orders but also convinced us “err, strong-armed us” to buy a bottle of olive oil. Guess what, I have a 3rd bottle now. Can’t say no to the locals.

I limp to my bed to listen to the Real Madrid/Manchester City game. Cipri is a Real Madrid fan, and said his mood tomorrow would be based on the result. lol We will see!

Tomorrow is trip to Jaén.