FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS
JUNE 11, 2004

We knew the weekend was rapidly approaching because on Thursday night people began to arrive at the condo complex.  During the week only 3 or 4 units are occupied and it is very quiet, but on Thursday people started arriving and the kids were in the pool and lights on at many of the units.  It looks as if it will be another busy, noisy weekend in La Antilla, so we decided to take off for the weekend.

For the first leg of our trip we traveled north to the scenic area of the Arenas Mountains.  This area is very pretty, with oak and cork trees.  Here is the all purpose description of each town we visited:  quaint village, nestled in the heart of the sierras, narrow streets with whitewashed houses rising in tiers up the mountainside, colorful flowers, mosque, cathedral, famous for black pigs and cured hams.

The scenery has a subdued hue, with the gray-green olive trees, and the silvery leaves of the eucalyptus, dusky green of the pines, and brown-gold of the dried grass in the fields.  There is a haziness in the air.  It is interesting scenery along the road with a feel of the hills east of San Luis Obispo.

We navigated the narrow streets of Alajar, and stopped to see the view at Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion and the Convento de los Jeronimos.  Then we arrived in Aracena and luckily found the obscure turnoff to Carreta de Carboneras in search of the Finca Valbono.  We were hoping this recommended hotel would be another Villa Turistico.

The setting for the Finca Valbono is wonderful—out in the countryside, remote, quiet, shady oak trees.  The accommodations, however, left much to be desired.  However, we checked into our little cottage and kept cool for the afternoon.  The swimming pool was not yet open for customers, so we stayed in the shade and drank iced tea.

Later in the afternoon we went into town to visit the Gruta de las Maravillas.  This is truly a magnificent cave, with dramatic stalagmites and stalactites, which have been forming for eons, interesting formations, large grottoes, and presented very well.  We took the tour, in Spanish, and it was quite interesting and worth the trip.  We also visited the town of Almonaster La Real, see generic description above, which also sported a small bull ring and an interesting mosque.

We had dinner at the Finca Valbono restaurant and it was quite good, and we had a very peaceful and quiet night out in the countryside.