Cadiz/Jerez/Arcos de la Frontera

[Pattiw]

Hello. We have had an amazing trip so far. Flew into Malaga on 16 Dec. Headed for Ronda, then Antequera and onwards to Nerja for a couple of weeks over Xmas and NY. From Nerja we spent a couple of days in Granada and we are now in Cadiz. We are planning to leave here on Friday or Saturday if we can get an extra night where we are staying. We are now looking at options which will allow us to work our way to Cordoba and then on to Madrid, where we need to be for the 19th Jan. We probably won't go to Seville this time as we have been there a couple of times before. So we are thinking from here on to Jerez and then we would like to go to Arcos de la Frontera before we head for Cordoba. We are using public transport and are finding it difficult to get information about buses from Jerez or Cadiz to Arcos. Would be very grateful if anyone can let us have any information about that. We have absolutely loved every minute of this trip and can understand why you lucky people have chosen to live in Andalucia. We have met nothing but friendliness and generosity and apart from the very cold temperatures in Granada a few days ago, have been very lucky with the weather too. Thanks in advance.

[frank]

Sounds good, sounds like my sort of trip! Not mad on Antequera, but like all the other places. Arcos is nice, although quite small, and Córdoba is one of my favourites. Again not huge, pretty much everything is within walking distance. Enjoy the rest of your trip, give us an update.

[chrissiehope]

....Not mad on Antequera, ...

Frank, I'm hurt - we live near there, and we like it a lot

[frank]

....Not mad on Antequera, ...

Frank, I'm hurt - we live near there, and we like it a lot

O no! We used to stay Alora way many years ago, and I must confess to not spending much time there, but for me, the others are the jewels in Andalucia's crown. I love Sevilla, but no way would I want to live there, far too hot in summer, sofocante. Probably ditto Córdoba, as I'm not a city person, but they are all great to visit. I'll come and see you next time, you can sort me out!

[chrissiehope]

Alora?????? Did you mean Antequera ?

[frank]

Alora?????? Did you mean Antequera ?

We stayed at Alora but visited Antequera from there. The usual things, Torcal etc.

[campocaro1]

Look for buses that go to Ronda-see here : http://www.tgcomes.es/horarios_16.htm and here: http://www.losamarillos.es/venta/busqueda.jsp On the Amarillos site go to 'comprar billetes' and you can put in start and destination to see what is available.

Have a good trip!

[Pattiw]

Frank, thanks for the timetable. Chrissie, we stayed an extra night in Antequera, largely because the little hotel was such good value and the cafe next door was very very good. It's obviously not as pretty as Ronda but we had far better food and liked it. We had originally booked two nights with the thought that we'd stay somewhere on the way to Nerja for a night as we didn't need to get to Nerja til 22nd. But when we looked at the option of staying, say at Torre del Mar (doesn't look very nice) for a night just for the sake of it, we stayed put. I don't think we've been anywhere yet that we wouldn't return to. Thanks for all your help

[Pattiw]

Chrissie, we stayed at Coso Viejo in Antequera and the food in the attached cafe/restaurant was very good.

[frank]

Chrissie, we stayed at Coso Viejo in Antequera and the food in the attached cafe/restaurant was very good.

I'm always amazed at the reviews of places on sites like tripadvisor etc, how the opinions vary so much. Perhaps people have different expectations, different experiences, some are moaners, some more tolerant???
I don't know that hotel, so looked it up and the different sites scored it 2/5, another 3/5 and a third 4.5/5, an excellent. I'll probably upset someone else now, but the Torre del Mar/Torrox Costa strip is not for me, but Málaga itself would have been an option, we often had a couple of days there. There's enough there to see to fill a few days.

[RichardCoeurdeLion]

if you like historical novels there's a good one which is set in Arcos and the surrounding area (as well as southern ireland) called......

"Summer of the Spanish Woman" by Catherine Gaskin


http://www.fictiondb.com/author/catheri ... 5456~b.htm

[Pattiw]

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't think even that could induce me to read Catherine Gaskin.

We have had to leave Arcos de la Frontera for another trip. I was interested to read that Arcos was one of the towns where union members took food from the supermarket for the unemployed.

We are in Cordoba and it has completely lived up to expectations. Leaving for Madrid on Friday. Been a fantastic trip and we will definitely be back. Thanks to everyone for your help, advice and suggestions.

[flan_taster]

We have had to leave Arcos de la Frontera for another trip. I was interested to read that Arcos was one of the towns where union members took food from the supermarket for the unemployed.

There was an isolated 'assault' on a supermarket in Arcos organised by SAT or Sindicato Andaluz de Trabajadores and its leader Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo. This article makes interesting reading.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/au ... z-gordillo

Rather than a full frontal assault by activists seeking publicity, the scheme run by local charities in Arcos has a regular collection at Carrefour. The members wait near the check out counters to receive (without any coercion) donations of basic foodstuffs. After the day is over the supermarket provides like for like and supplements the collection. Sensible procedure that has existed for many years and is well supported by those who have the means to donate.

[frank]

Rather than a full frontal assault by activists seeking publicity, the scheme run by local charities in Arcos has a regular collection at Carrefour. The members wait near the check out counters to receive (without any coercion) donations of basic foodstuffs. After the day is over the supermarket provides like for like and supplements the collection. Sensible procedure that has existed for many years and is well supported by those who have the means to donate.

You can see the same happening here, 10.38mins into the video. Surprising the amount of stuff donated.
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/coma ... s/1626423/

[frank]

We are in Cordoba and it has completely lived up to expectations. Leaving for Madrid on Friday. Been a fantastic trip and we will definitely be back. Thanks to everyone for your help, advice and suggestions.

Yes, not bad, is it? Glad you enjoyed it, making me want to go back now!

[flan_taster]

Frank. Yes that is it. The organisation is called La Federación Europea de Bancos de Alimentos and they do a great job. I always donate if I see them in the supermarket. This is the web site. http://www.fesbal.org/

[Pattiw]

Thanks for all that info. I had read some already. Fascinating stuff. We could learn a lot. XX