Monday, May 1: Camino Mozárabe begins
We had planned to head out early to begin our camino, but we were advised that some of the prettiest walking is on the way into Granada from the east rather than along the way out. We’ve decided to extend our time in Granada and stroll by the river and surrounding neighborhoods. You’ll have to check out the video to walk along with us, but I’ll continue to load historical, cultural and food content (if compelling) here.
We made it to Atarfe, our destination for the evening. Atarfe is small, only 18,000 people, so I didn’t have high expectations for meals. I had forgotten we are in the garden of Spain! When the owner heard we were vegetarians, he whipped up an incredible salad of green leaf lettuce, arugula, avocado, beets, carrots, banana slices (I took these out), almonds, and walnuts, topped with a wheel of Spanish goat cheese and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Overly enthusiastic? Yes! Thoughtful and delicious? You bet! Just what hungry pilgrims needed.
Tuesday, May 2
This was a tough day. Fourteen miles (Dave’s new iphone says almost 18). Most of it spent on two-lane asphalt roads, sometimes with cars whizzing by at 60-80 mph. I think we avoided disaster because 90-95% of Spanish drivers move over to give pedestrians room and peace of mind. The middle part was pleasant, dirt paths, olive groves, distant views, mild ascents and descents.
We were making good time until we left the town of Olivares. Despite being forewarned (see the elevation view below – red line on the left) we were unprepared for the steepness of the climb, its length, and the complete lack of shade or rest areas. The entire hike took seven hours, the last two miles took 1 ¾ hours, and then we had a steep ascent on the aptly named Street of Bitterness to reach our BnB.
When I began to experience heat stroke symptoms, Dave donned his hero cape and relieved me of my backpack. I honestly don’t think I would have made it otherwise. Takeaway? I cannot in good faith recommend this hike to anyone but the most fit, stalwart, and sun-tolerant people.
Above the village looms the Castillo de Moclín, worth a visit if you feel you can climb even further. We did not! Built in the mid-13th century to defend the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, its Arabic name is Aka Hins Al-Muqlin means “fortress of the two pupils”. Continuously besieged during the Iberian-Moorish cohabitation of Spain, it fell to Catholic Kings in 1486.
Ibiza in Moclín
The everything changed. Arriving at our lodging, Casa Higueras, we were warmly greeted by our hosts, Ian and Andrew. In 2016, they chucked their England abode and purchased and renovated a historic home on a gracious double lot in Moclín, with outstanding views of the Sierra Nevada and the valleys and olive groves below, and turned it into an exclusive BnB, where they also reside. The house is a gem, with whitewashed walls and beams, touches of Ibiza blue in the furniture and other details, modern baths, and comfortable, elegant bedding.
They had prepared lunch for us on the terrace, and it blew us away!
Ian and Andrew split chef responsibilities, with Ian preparing the cooked plates, and Andrew preparing the fresh salads. On the left above, a salad of fresh Granada tomatoes, with a hint of sugar and cinnamon, topped with almonds, and garnished with oregano. In the center, a fluffy yet creamy quiche of zucchini and asparagus and a delicate layer of parmesan on top, perfectly browned. To the right, a salad of petite hearts of romaine, with a yogurt, garlic, and mint dressing, garnished with chives and cashews. Mind you, all this was prepared just for us!
Next time, we’ll skip the hike and come straight to Casa Higueras to spend at least three nights!
Wednesday, May 3
Fabulous breakfast at Casa Higueras, and Ian and Andrew even packed us some leftover quiche to take along on our journey. Thank goodness because none of the cafés listed in the guidebook were open! The guide was published in 2022, but the data would have been gathered prior to that. Covid must have caused many closures because the information is just wrong.
Distances were off, too, and today was another exhausting 16-18 miler (Dave’s iphone 14 and my iphone 10 differ). Happy to say that we landed at a wonderful BnB, hosted by Angela, in Alcalá la Reál. This one even has a pool!
Breakfast at Casa Higueras in Moclín
The Rothko Room at Atelier 88
Dave: happy but freezing in the saltwater pool
The terrace areas at Atelier 88
Thursday, May 4
Lovely chat with Angela as we enjoyed a country breakfast of toasted french bread, eggs, fresh tomatoes, Manchego, and olive oil. Angela and her husband moved here five years ago and are enjoying the ex-pat turned BnB-owner life. They’ve made a big effort to become integrated into the local community and find that much more appealing than embracing an ex-pat community.
Today we walked to Baena. Along the way we briefly met two German pilgrims, Sabine and Susanna. In Baena, we stayed at Jazmines Mozárabes, a two-suite home in the casco histórico owned by a French Professor. We did some grocery shopping and had our dinner on the covered patio.
Okay, here’s the skinny: we’re passing though olive groves, olive groves, olive groves. It’s getting hard to add any commentary, both on Dave’s video and my blog! So, let’s do a deep dive on olive oil production together!
The Olive Oil Production Process
Turns out Spain is the #1 producer of olives in the world, followed by Italy and Greece. Olive trees produce three products: the olive itself, the oil pressed from the fruit, and the wood used for sculpture and furniture.
The olive tree is an evergreen. It grows 10-40 feet tall and is shaped like an oak tree. The abundant leaves are silvery green, spear shaped, and leathery. The early May trees boast clusters of small white flowers, and many of their branches are shorn. Turns out seedlings grow best when grafted onto existing trees, and that’s why successful trees suffer disfiguring amputations. Trees must mature 15-20 years before producing world-class olives. The trees continue producing for about 80 years.
If you visit Spain, you will see early-harvest green table olives presented with your apertif. They are delicious: fresh and a little tart. You will also see more mature olives in canned products. Caveat: all olives need to be processed – they are not edible off the tree!
The olives are harvested from the trees by shaking the trunks or branches. A machine extends large calipers, grabbing the trunk and then shaking it. Some artisanal growers eschew the mechanical help and actually beat the branches with sticks. The olives must not touch the ground as this accelerates the maturation process, so nets are placed around the trees (like Christmas tree skirts) to collect the olives before they touch the ground.
At the production plant, air is blown over the olives to clear them of leaves, twigs and dust, again limiting contact between the olives and anything that might accelerate the maturation process. The olives are then macerated into a paste resembling green tapenade. The paste goes into a centrifuge to separate out the oil, water, and pulp/skins/seeds.
The oil is then run through cellulose filters to remove any remaining impurities. Finally, it is professionally graded by scent and flavor. The testers use opaque glasses to hide the color of the olive oil, which is considered irrelevant to quality, but that nonetheless influences even the most objective testers. Smelling the oil first from chest, then chin, then nose level, and finally tasting it, the testers grade it as extra virgin (perfect), virgin (some flavor “mistakes”), and “lamp oil” (yuck).
We’ll learn about this grading and tasting process at our olive oil tasting in Córdoba.
Friday, May 4
Baena to Alcaudete. The entrance to the town of Alcaudete is quite pretty, passing first by a park with a delightful fountain, and then through a property formerly owned by a convent and recently donated to the town, which is investing significant sums to install a large public park. Plans call for several fountains, lots of green space, a children’s park, community gardens, and a bandstand. Should be nice!
We had lunch at a little outdoor café called El Kiosko, and as usual, the staff was happy to satisfy our vegetarian cravings. We had fresh salads and mushroom risotto. As we finished our lunch, Sabine and Susanna wandered in, hot, tired, and hungry, only to be informed that the kitchen had closed. We bought them a couple of drinks, wheedled the waiter into conjuring up some tapas, and shared some of our own snack stash, all of which made them quite happy. They told us they had met another German pilgrim named Pietr. So, there were at least three other pilgrims on the route with us. So different from the Camino Francés!
We stayed at Casa del Peregrino – Torre de la Muralla. This is a 5-story, sensitively renovated tower in the ancient town wall, about 15 feet square. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
The street and front door
The entry hall with the original well
A niche off the metal spiral staircase .
The principal bedroom, with hand-embroidered coverlet, header, pillows, and drapes
The 4th floor living room, kitchenette, and spiral staircase, complete with a gate to keep you from falling down the stairs after too much wine!
The 5th floor roof terrace and view. This place was so cool!!!!
Saturday, May 6
Alcaudete to Castro del Río. More olive groves. No shade. None. Walked with Sabine and Susanna for a while. We will not see them after today because they are skipping the next stop and walking directly to Córdoba, 24 miles away. On the way into town, we met Pietr, the other German pilgrim, who is also going direct to Córdoba. What’s with those Germans??? Anyway, Pietr has walked the Vía Podiense/Chemin de Puy, which we will begin soon, and says it’s his favorite camino.
Sunday, May 7
Castro del Río to Santa Cruz. Endless olive groves, little shade, and no services. And the heat is beginning to build. Apparently, Andalucía is about to suffer its second heat wave of the year. In May!!! April was the hottest April on record.
Santa Cruz is a town whose population has plummeted over the past decade or two. The only industry is olive production, and young people who don’t want cultivate olives are leaving in droves. The population is currently 700 people. With nothing to see (and no guilt over not even trying to see anything), we had a long lunch, a nap, and an even longer dinner. Once again, the cooks prepared savory vegetables: a menestra (sautéed vegetables) for lunch and a parrillada (grilled vegetables) for dinner. We’ve also been enjoying salmorejo whenever we can. I think I’m beginning to smell like garlic maybe?????
Monday, May 8
Our last day on the Camino Mozárabe! We walked 13-15 miles to Córdoba (we still haven’t figured out the mileage issue) passing Espejo, a gem of a town. We actually hoped to bypass it since it is completely vertical – straight up into town and straight down on the way out – but the camino runs right through it so up and down we trudged.
The landscape has changed somewhat with almond groves, sunflower fields, malt fields, and wild fennel and artichoke replacing the olive groves. This was a welcome change.
We arrived in Córdoba tired, dirty, and sore yet triumphant. We’ve done another camino! Despite our disreputable state, we treated ourselves to salmorejo, beer, and verdejo in an elegant indoor patio. We felt bad for our fellow diners and hoped our road dust and sweaty condition didn’t cause anyone to rush out.
Next, off to the hotel to wash up, hit the pool (the temps had reached 95° F), and then head out for an olive oil tasting. Bliss.
Mari Carmen, Antonio, and Antonio, Jr.
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