Nov 8, dawned bright, clear and warm, so we decided to take a drive north along the coast to Nerja.
We had read that there was a cave system there, Cuevas de Nerja, which are a series of huge caverns stretching for almost five kilometres and home to the world’s largest stalagmite, a 32 metre high column measuring 13 metres by 7 metres at its base.
The site is steeped in both geological and archaeological interest; cave paintings depict images of goats, horses, deer, seals and birds, drawn using red and black pigments. The images have been dated between at 25,000 and 3,600 B.C. The Nerja caves were used by many different tribes including: hunters, fishermen and harvesters, from the Neolithic to Paleolithic period, and the Bronze Age.
On 12 January 1959, five local boys (Francisco Navas Montesinos, Miguel Muñoz Zorrilla, Manuel Muñoz Zorrilla, José Luis Barbero de Miguel and José Torres Cárdenas) from the nearby village of Maro, decided to go hunting for bats in a pothole known as ‘La Mina'. They spent the night there watching the bats swooping in and out of holes in the rocks. Curious, the boys decided to return the next day with tools to dislodge stalactites blocking another entrance in the pothole, allowing them to climb through. They were then able to descend into a huge cavern where they uncovered human remains and ceramic pottery.
We arrived just before 3PM, only to discover that admission to the caves was closed for the day. Unfortunately, the written info that we had about hours of operation was out of date! GRRRRR!!!
On the way I managed to snap a picture of this - it is apparently an aqueduct. Luckily I had my camera already out and on, because we flew past it and I wasn't even sure if I captured it. When I was able to get on reliable internet, this is what I found out about this structure. It is called Acueducto del Águila (Eagle Aqueduct). It was built in the about 1880 and has been used continuously since - today the local community uses it to irrigate farmland.
The aqueduct is four stories high; each tier is constructed from a series of brick, horseshoe shaped archways, of which there are 37 in total. These are topped with a mudejar-style spire, on top of which is a weather vane in the shape of a double-headed eagle, from which the aqueduct takes its name. The origin of the eagle symbol is not known for certain, but it is rumoured that during the time of construction eagles were seen nesting in the hills of Maro (it is located between Maro and Nerja)
For centuries, lookout posts have been used along the coast of Andalucia, this is one near Moro, but we saw many of the same style all along the coast. The watchtowers offered an early warning system against pirates and other dangers, to the areas along the coast they protected, by sending smoke signals during the day and by lighting fires at night. The signals would be relayed along the coast from tower to tower at the first sign of danger.
Access to the 11 metre high stone lookout tower was by ladder through the elevated front door, situated about 6 metres from the ground. In times of danger the ladder would be retracted and the tower defended from above. There are no windows and only one tiny spy hole.
The southern coast of Andalucia has been an area fought over for centuries; when the Romans settled here they built lookout towers, and this system of relaying messages and warnings was improved by the Muslims in the 8th Century. Using their towers in North Africa, they were able to pass a message in one night from Alexandria in Egypt to Ceuta (now in Spanish Morocco). When the Muslims arrived in Southern Spain in the 8th and 9th centuries, they established a chain of lookout towers along the coast of their newly conquered lands. However, most of the existing towers to be found along the coast of Andalucia date from the 16th century and were built by the Christians.
More houseplants on steroids - it is always amazing to come across these plants that we know only as house plants, growing vigorously and with abandon outside.
This tree was massive - as compared with the diminutive model in front
who of us hasn't grown this as a houseplant at one time or another
Waterfront at Torox - Mirador (Lookout of) di Torrox
Under the suspended platform are the remains of a roman villa, a fish salting plant and an area for the preparation of garum. Garum was the equivalent of our ketchup or soy sauce. Garum was made from fish intestines, with salt, fermented in the sun, creating a liquor, the garum, and a sediment named hallex. It would have been rich in protein, amino acids, minerals and B vitamins. Later, at various times, the area/building was used as a necropolis, an oven and some bathhouses. It is one of the few examples of Roman maritime villa or villa mare found in Spain.
there are also ruins of the Roman Villa under and around the lighthouse adjacent to the Mirador
Our first sighting of the famous black bull signs of Spain. These large signs placed around the country on hilltops, were originally advertising signs for the Osborne Sherry company
The Osborne sherry company, founded in 1772, erected large images of bulls starting in 1956 to advertise their Brandy de Jerez. The images were black (with the brand "Veterano" in red on it) advertising boards located near major roads throughout Spain. The original image was smaller and slightly different in design. The current larger image was created to comply with a law that prohibited advertising within 150 metres of a road.
In 1994 the EU passed a law that prohibited all roadside advertising of alcoholic beverages, and the bulls were therefore to be removed. By this time the signs were nationally renowned, so although some campaigners wished them completely removed to fully comply with the intent of the law, public response resulted in the signs being retained, but completely blacked out to remove all reference to the original advertisers. The Court eventually allowed these signs to remain on the grounds that they have become a part of the landscape and have "aesthetic or cultural significance", thus turning the bulls into public domain images.
