Aracena with caves and Distillery visit

A small update, all over Spain we gather on our balconies and clap to support all necessary workers especially the medical community doing their very best. It happens every night at 8 pm and I am participating with gusto! 

An update on the coronavirus or COVID-19 from me. Spain is now in lockdown until April 12th, four weeks total. I am doing fine, grateful for what I have, but missing my walks and interaction with friends. Oh how innocent we were when we went on this trip, or how the situation changed so rapidly, we went on a Tuesday, Saturday they announced the lockdown. 

Our next visit on another road trip is to Aracena about an hour and half drive from Sevilla. On the way is a distillery called Destilerias Martes Santo with a museum to showcase their history from 1870.  

Exterior of the factory

I found it really interesting seeing the previous processes showcased in the museum. 

Now they only do one process in house, the other ones are done in a nearby large factory. 

Lots of products using creams, fruits and even coffee!

In Sevilla I was walking past a relatively new cafe and shop named Viandas Romero, the following day to find them selling the whole offering of Martes Santo, checking prices, about 2 Euros more.

At Aracena we bought tickets for the caves, the castle and the Jamon museum (which we didn’t go to but I have been to one with Ivan). 
http://bevbrucelexi.blogspot.com/2015/12/jamon-museum-and-monastery-in-monesterio.html 

We booked our tour through the caves named Gruta de las Maravillas open to tourists in 1914. http://www.aracena.es/es/

We had a few minutes for a beer with fantastic large olives at La Serrana, a family run restaurant which was obvious with Mom at the helm and her daughter and son as wait staff. 

The caves = WOW = but physically challenging for me and others. No cameras were allowed which we didn’t know and got chastised by the guide. Here are the couple Ryan and Angela took.

That was one of the things we weren’t told before going in, the other was the length and diverse levels of the caves themselves, many people on our tour had trouble with the multitudes of stairs going through, there were hand rails along much of it. Terrain was rough in places so for me the experience was both fascinating and scary at a couple of points, I got through a couple of them with Angela or Ryan's steady hand. The caves were extraordinary, all the splendour of hundreds of years of developed nature of simply minerals and water. It was well lit but the lights were motion sensitive so as the group left, the lights went out, more protection for the stalactites (hanging from the wall or ceilings) and stalagmites (pointing up from the floor). 

Went back to La Serrano for lunch which was excellent! 
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g616234-d984543-Reviews-Restaurante_La_Serrana-Aracena_Sierra_de_Aracena_and_Picos_de_Aroche_Natural_Park_.html

The squares in Aracena have statues, here are two depicting activities of the town.

Then drove through the narrow windy streets up to the castle which was built by Portuguese located on top of the town with sweeping views of the countryside below.
https://www.andalucia.org/en/aracena-cultural-tourism-castillo-de-aracena

We didn’t stay long, just enough to get pictures, it was coffee time, so back downtown to a restaurant with children’s playground in the middle of the square.

Very large, ornate casino next to the square with playground.

That was our trip to Aracena, sadly it will be our last day trip for at least a couple of weeks due to the lockdown in all of Spain.

My hope for other trips in the future!

Cheers, Bev and Lexi Cat. Thanks to Ryan and Angela for the photos, especially the purloined ones in the caves! and...

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!