Day 16. Sunday 23 March.

Some relief this morning at having our next destination sorted, but we are aware parking will be a constant issue. But on reflection, if we had booked ahead, we would not have been aware of the issues with a car that we need to take into account, such as the very narrow streets, tight turns, limited public parking, not necessarily appropriate private parking etc. We have also found that some of the smaller towns that we might choose don’t have (quite reasonably) frequent bus services or any rail connection. So we’ll try this model: live in a small place, drive to desired destination, park (!) and walk.

Today the target was to visit Baeza and Ubeda. The historic centres and landmarks of these two towns have been declared by UNESCO as world Heritage sites. But on the way we decided to drop in to the Museo de la Cultura del Olive, as we had often wondered what the process for picking (surely not with staves, as D remembered from his boyhood), extracting and refining now was. And we are in the ‘olive kingdom’ (66 million trees in Andalucia).

We discovered that there was a huge variety of olive trees, some useful for eating olives, others for oil. We couldn’t tell the difference. It was fascinating to see the regrowth of ancient trees: chopped down to ground level, and sprouting new limbs. It seemed that three new trunks was the norm.

We encountered another delightful and helpful attendant. She sent us off with audio guides, and we were able to wander easily: we were the only visitors apart from another couple, who we didn’t encounter until the end. We discovered that the olives are now harvested mechanically – and processed similarly, with lots of quality control. Interestingly, the way the mechanical devices operate is very similar to the manual processes of the past. Basically it is pick and squeeze, a bit like courtship.

We drove into Baeza, around the expected narrow windy streets, but opted to confine the visit to a mobile tour. So on to Ubeda. Again, a lot of driving around looking for a free parking spot – harder than winning the lottery. We had thought we’d had a win, pulling into a free spot, but then saw the sign ‘vado permanente’ which we learned, is a special permit that allows a property owner to reserve the area in front of their driveway or garage, meaning that parking is prohibited. A bit further on we did have a win, so we were now on foot to try to get to the historic centre, following a sign that pointed us in that general direction, but didn’t have any follow up. T went into a swanky hotel (Michelin signage) to ask where to go and we were pointed in the right direction – ten minutes. Stopped for lunch at a little cafe, having passed several cafes/restaurants that were full of locals. Once again, staff were accommodating and friendly.

Recommenced our walk but not really sure where we were headed, T noticed some very up-market shop windows (all closed) and by now the rain, though not heavy was persistent,and the air very, very cold, so we opted for a return to ‘home’ – good decision, as the rain become heavier as we drove. 

We were faced with a shortage of some essential supplies, but Google maps identified a couple of small grocery stores nearby and one was open, so we were able to resupply most of what we needed.

Dinner. Pork and aubergine casserole (tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, red wine,) with steamed potato and broccoli.

After dinner, T was still puzzled by the crowds we’d seen queuing to go into the church – they were there again, all ages, this afternoon, in the rain.It’s 3 weeks till Easter, so what is this scene about? So off we went to check it out – it was just a few minutes away. We were in fact the last ones to be let in. We entered into the main church (first pictures) and followed others into the side Chapel. We couldn’t see exactly what was happening, but some appeared to lean down to kiss behind the figure, and one women passed behind the whole time on her knees. Each person picked up a ribbon or wrist band from an attendant before passing behind the figure. We weren’t brash enough to do the whole ritual, and not sure of the niceties, so opted to slide out of the exit doorway. So we still don’t know exactly what it is about – perhaps we’ll follow up tomorrow.