Where's Bertie? He's still at the roadside in Aracena.
Weather: Surprisingly, given a forecast of overcast conditions, we've only seen a few whispy high clouds all day. High teens.
After weeks of not doing an awful lot, we seem to have packed it all in today.
When we arrived in town yesterday, I checked out the situation with getting tickets for the main attraction: the cave system (Gruta de las Maravillas). There was plenty of availability online, for both yesterday and today, and grave warnings that if we didn't buy in advance then there may not be tickets available on the door. With the uncertainty as to whether Mick would be well enough to go today, we didn't want to buy in advance, and a walk past the entrance yesterday showed it to be so quiet that we didn't think an on-the-day purchase would be a problem.
This morning the ticket website showed availability only at 5pm, which was no good to us. We set out to the ticket office with optimism low, so it was a pleasant surprise to have no problem securing entrance for a tour starting in half an hour's time.
One of the rules of entry into the caves is that no photography is allowed, due to the (alleged) damage that it causes to the natural environment. I can understand the 'no flash photography' rule, as applies in many museums and galleries. I cannot understand how a non-flash photo can possibly cause damage*. Even so, a rule is a rule, and thus Mick was vexed when people at the back of our group were clearly taking snaps of everything.
Mick relaxed his view, and didn't tut at me, when I grabbed this quick shot, after the part of the tour where they listed a few of the many commercial films that had been shot inside of the cave system.
The tour lasted just short of an hour, involved about 1km of underground paths, and was well worthwhile**. Even the photos that can be seen online don't start to do it justice.
It was just before noon by the time we emerged, so back to Bertie we came for a quick elevenses, then we headed out to the castle (which sits atop the hill in which the cave system is located). I'd read that the castle isn't worth the €2.50 entrance fee as half of it is currently closed off for renovation. However, entry is included with the cave ticket, and we quite like a castle.
The view was worth the climb up. Bertie is in the second shot and the small peak in the middle of the shot is the one I tried to access yesterday.
The castle wouldn't have been worth the separate entrance fee, but was worth seeing...
...but peering down at the part that's undergoing restoration, it all looks far too new and pristine for an ancient ruin.
Back once again to Bertie for a late lunch, then an online errand filled far too much time, then it was time for us to watch the live stream of a funeral. It was sad indeed a few weeks ago to learn of the death of a chap who offered us so much unsolicited help and support on our Big Walks (and some smaller ones too), starting in 2008. Dotted throughout the M&G Go For A Walk blog are mentions of this chap who would set out at 4am to sit at the side of a road somewhere in Scotland, armed with every food and drink substance that he thought we might fancy, hoping that he was in the right place and on the right day to intercept us. He had a fitting send off, and we were glad to be able to observe, as a substitute for being there in person.
Of course, we couldn't attend the post-funeral gathering, so in lieu of that, we headed out for our final bit of tourism for the day: a visit to the Ham Museum. This region is the home of Jamón Ibérico, the highest standard of which is a certain breed of pig, raised in the oak orchards, and with a sole diet of acorns in the months before slaughter. I didn't have high hopes for the museum (and wouldn't have gone had entry not also been included in our Caves ticket) but it was surprisingly informative, thanks to a good-quality audiotour. It was past our usual tea time by the time we got back to Bertie.
Weather: Surprisingly, given a forecast of overcast conditions, we've only seen a few whispy high clouds all day. High teens.
After weeks of not doing an awful lot, we seem to have packed it all in today.
When we arrived in town yesterday, I checked out the situation with getting tickets for the main attraction: the cave system (Gruta de las Maravillas). There was plenty of availability online, for both yesterday and today, and grave warnings that if we didn't buy in advance then there may not be tickets available on the door. With the uncertainty as to whether Mick would be well enough to go today, we didn't want to buy in advance, and a walk past the entrance yesterday showed it to be so quiet that we didn't think an on-the-day purchase would be a problem.
This morning the ticket website showed availability only at 5pm, which was no good to us. We set out to the ticket office with optimism low, so it was a pleasant surprise to have no problem securing entrance for a tour starting in half an hour's time.
One of the rules of entry into the caves is that no photography is allowed, due to the (alleged) damage that it causes to the natural environment. I can understand the 'no flash photography' rule, as applies in many museums and galleries. I cannot understand how a non-flash photo can possibly cause damage*. Even so, a rule is a rule, and thus Mick was vexed when people at the back of our group were clearly taking snaps of everything.
The tour lasted just short of an hour, involved about 1km of underground paths, and was well worthwhile**. Even the photos that can be seen online don't start to do it justice.
It was just before noon by the time we emerged, so back to Bertie we came for a quick elevenses, then we headed out to the castle (which sits atop the hill in which the cave system is located). I'd read that the castle isn't worth the €2.50 entrance fee as half of it is currently closed off for renovation. However, entry is included with the cave ticket, and we quite like a castle.
Back once again to Bertie for a late lunch, then an online errand filled far too much time, then it was time for us to watch the live stream of a funeral. It was sad indeed a few weeks ago to learn of the death of a chap who offered us so much unsolicited help and support on our Big Walks (and some smaller ones too), starting in 2008. Dotted throughout the M&G Go For A Walk blog are mentions of this chap who would set out at 4am to sit at the side of a road somewhere in Scotland, armed with every food and drink substance that he thought we might fancy, hoping that he was in the right place and on the right day to intercept us. He had a fitting send off, and we were glad to be able to observe, as a substitute for being there in person.
Of course, we couldn't attend the post-funeral gathering, so in lieu of that, we headed out for our final bit of tourism for the day: a visit to the Ham Museum. This region is the home of Jamón Ibérico, the highest standard of which is a certain breed of pig, raised in the oak orchards, and with a sole diet of acorns in the months before slaughter. I didn't have high hopes for the museum (and wouldn't have gone had entry not also been included in our Caves ticket) but it was surprisingly informative, thanks to a good-quality audiotour. It was past our usual tea time by the time we got back to Bertie.
There's more to be done before we leave town, so it's currently up in the air as to whether we're going to be moving on tomorrow (as originally intended), or staying another night.
(*Before we went into the cave, a photo was taken of us against a green screen. When we came out, we were handed a copy of that photo, superimposed onto a background of part of the cave. They wanted €10 for it. Cynically, I think that's one key reason they don't want visitors to take their own snaps - so that they're more inclined to buy the official photo. The other reason is one of practicality: keeping the tour group moving.
**Thank you, Humphrey, for the recommendation.)
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