Olvera - King of the Pueblos Blancos

Olvera is a "pueblo blanco" situated in the most north-easterly corner of the Cadiz province in the heart of Andalucía in the south of Spain. Within a few kilometers of the town center there are the county boundaries of Seville to the north and Malaga to the east.

Olvera stands just beyond the enormous Guadalquivir valley, nestling in the Sierras of Lijar, Tablón, Molina and las Cumbres which create stunning vistas in almost any direction. The most outstanding feature of the town is the 12th. century castle crowning the hilltop while within the castle walls is a cathedral and a large open square.

The "casco antigüo ", La Villa Vieja is arranged around the church with typically narrow Moorish streets and stairways which often present views of the surrounding countryside that are breathtaking.

Surrounding Towns

Pruna is a smaller town than Olvera, nestled at the base of the mountain pass, with a watchtower fort signaling its ancient heritage as part of the chain of frontier towns. Pruna, like Olvera its focused upon the Olives in the area, with two well known factories, and in December the air is heavily scented with olive oil.
Torre-Alháquime is five minutes south-east of Olvera, with an easy-going feel, this village is ideal for anyone looking for a quiet retreat. Further down the same road is Setenil de las Bodegas, famous for its cave houses and cool cellars.
El Gastor cannot avoid being called quaint. Visible from Olvera, to the south-west, the pueblo is folded into the mountains and the local inhabitants keep it immaculately, as is Zahara de la Sierra, a mountain top town like Olvera, that looks down over the spectacular blue of the Zahara lake. From Olvera it takes about twenty minutes to be at a lakeside beach, ready for a picnic and with a rod and line your barbeque could include freshly caught fish to be eaten after canoeing across the water.
Just off the main road to Arcos, fifteen minutes west, is the pretty town of Algodonales. The plants in this area often look greener in summer because of the abundance of water in the substrata. Then later in the year, as the houses face south into the valley, taking advantage of all the winter sun, the town almost always is surrounded by flowers.

These then are the towns immediately around Olvera - each and every one is worth while visiting,exploring and revisiting.

The Via Verde

Zahara Lake

The Lake (Embalse) at Zahra de la Sierra, is some 20 km. South-West of Olvera and has many landing stages around it, from which one can picnic, swim, canoe and sail.
Nearby at La Muela, above the pueblo blanco of Algodonales, one can also para glide and microlite - the leisure industry in this region is just beginning and there is an infrastructure able to cope with the growth that the area is going to experience.

November 22 2008 - Bar Zepelin

Pete and Brian (aka "MANTIS" - Music And No Testosterone In Sight) put up a great fight against outstanding numbers at the Zeppelin this Saturday night. In the tight confines of the bar the "audience" danced into the small hours of Sunday morning to the sounds of this "Cover Song Duo". This was not their first time playing in the bar and certainly not their last as the pair played even better than their debut performance and enticed their audience into a frenzy of dance.

They will perform again at the Copacabana in the near future (no dancing please as the space won't permit it) and we all look forward to the feria when we can all "let lose" again.

All credit too, to the staff behind the bar at the Zeppelin who managed to provide drinks in a smooth succession that would do credit to any London discotheque (think London Palladium) while barely breaking a sweat.

November 22nd 2008 - Flamenco at Al Largo

Here are some photos of the extravaganza at Al Largo, Zahara, last Saturday.

It was a fantastic event in the restaurant that was completely booked out. There were many nationalities represented amongst the guests: Spanish, English, Dutch, German and French (and probably more besides!) and including local Zahara folk. Our evening started out in the tapas bar with a group of 11 people who enjoyed a leisurely drink while looking out to the lake view. As the bar became fuller our group moved into the restaurant to be seated and served the first of a series of tapas which included “moule gratinada”, smoked salmon & caviar on toast and “patatas bravas”. Then came some of the most fresh and dynamic Flamenco singing, playing and dancing I have ever had the pleasure to witness.

This young group from Olvera were outstanding in their style and flair. Each of the five people had a section: exquisite singing, brilliant guitar playing, an exciting percussion demonstration and of course the dancing. The main course of “pulpo en su tinto”, shrimp parcels, “secreto” on toast, and lamb cakes were to die for and gave us time to discuss and fully appreciate our luck. The second section of the Flamenco was, if possible, better than the first part as the troupe got into its stride and the audience began to participate more vigorously.

There was a dance duet that was brilliant as the two distinct styles being executed in parallel was a singular production. One wondered which woman to watch as each produced an extraordinarily clean Flamenco form. And I have to admit that the singer’s version of “No me quites la botella que me quiero emborrachar”, brought me to tears of delight.

The atmosphere was at times electric and the food had Stephan's trademark "Andalucia-cum-New York" mix of tastes that are mouth watering. I hope to see this Olvera group again and I certainly wish each and every one of them the fantastic future that they deserve. I also hope that Mona and Stephan and the Al Largo staff put on more of this kind of event as it was such good value at 25 Euros per head.