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Pueblos Blancos - The White Hills of Spain
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Arcos - Old Town Europe
Leaving from Sevilla was the start of the driving phase of our trip. I was immediately introduced to Spanish driving etiquette as I was cut off by a speeding car shortly after leaving the rental car agency. Welcome to the Spanish Grand Prix!
The scenic driving route was lined by numerous olive groves containing thousands of rows of olive trees. It is easy to see how Spain is the world's largest olive and olive oil producer. In spite of this, the harvesting of olives is still largely manual and involves placing a large tarpaulin under the olive tree followed by whacking the tree with a stick so the olives fall on the tarp for collection.
At the end of our drive, we arrived at a small town called Arcos de la Fontera. If you can envision old town Europe, then Arcos would fit the bill.
Arcos is a small town perched on a mountain top with narrow cobblestone streets, pristine white stone houses and the town church at its highest point. The locals stroll the streets carrying their daily groceries from the produce, butcher and bakery shops. The calm is only ever broken by the occasional moped buzzing by or the animated discussions between neighbours. Kids play football in the streets, older men sit around talking and the few tourists sit in the outdoor cafes soaking up the tranquility and calm. Life seems simple and uncomplicated here.
However, old European towns do present challenges with modern transportation. Upon entering the lower and more modern part of town, the streets were definitely narrow but navigable, so upwards and onwards we continued. The road continued until the midway point of the ascent when we encountered an extreme 'narrowing' of the road as it passed through a narrow archway. After stopping for a minute to size up the situation, we inched into the narrow entrance with barely a foot to spare on each side. Upon reaching the top, we eased the car into the last narrow parking spot and left the car there for the duration of our visit to Arcos.
Our hotel, an old convent, was perched on the side of the mountain. After checking in, one of the true delights of our trip was revealed. Walking out onto our hotel room terrace revealed a wide valley stretching out below with the surrounding hills and mountains as a backdrop. The view was breathtaking - and all from our hotel room.
Our day in Arcos mainly consisted of walking the streets, ducking in doorways to avoid the traffic, purchasing fruit and sweets from the small stores. There was no hustle and bustle of the big city, the pace was relaxing and calm - a nice reward after the interesting drive up the hillside.
Our day came to a wonderful end as we sat on our private terrace under stars of the clear night with a bottle of fine Spanish wine. Life couldn't get much better than this!
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| 4. | Pueblos Blancos - The White Hills of Spain - Arcos, Spain May 23, 2007 (  9 ) |
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