Border Arches
If we season all this with a past full of legends and comics of those that we like so much, we reach a conclusion: Arcos de la Frontera does not lack “a parsley”!
So we put our spinning classes to the test and the firmness of our buttocks to go , inch by inch, this beautiful white town of Cadiz . Uphill and downhill.
Yes, we are aware that we also have to rest, but we already know that in this world... Everything has a price.
The white of its streets... Arcos de la Frontera
Like the girl everyone looked up to and pretended to, bows , due to its strategic location on top of a hill – called La Peña -, was always in the crosshairs of all the civilizations that passed through Cádiz. Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths … Who wouldn't be infatuated with her?
But it was the Muslims who, after conquering it in the 8th century, turned it into a Taifa kingdom and endowed it with the essence of what it continues to be today. But let's go step by step…
There can be no better way of waking up in Arcos than the one experienced **watching the sunrise, from room number 14 of the Parador **, the accommodation chosen in our case. When the first rays of sun are already warning of his appearance, it will be time to put on a good sweater -which at that time is still cool- and go out on the balcony. Sustained over the void, with nothingness below us and the incredible panoramic view of the river valley and the old town of Arcos, we will live the best start to the day that can be expected.
Terrace of the Arcos de la Frontera Parador
We enjoyed the succulent Breakfast buffet -what is missing is going to make us- and we take a look at the halls and patios of the Parador, located in the Old House of the Corregidor , before staying with Luisa, guide of the infotour company and our cicerone.
Because Arcos is a town that must be understood going hand in hand with its history . And right in front of our accommodation, it begins to take shape. Let us situate ourselves: we find ourselves in the Town Hall Square , and right in front of us rises the Ducal Castle , a former military fortress during Muslim rule, which opens its doors to be visited on a few occasions a year.
As it will be rare for us to be so lucky, we limit ourselves to learning about his past from the outside. Thanks to Luisa we learned that, according to legend, it was due to an oversight by Zoraida "the Moorish queen" , that she went down one full moon night to bathe in the river, so the Christian troops hidden under the rock discovered the secret passageways that she used to access the castle. They then assaulted the Muslims by surprise, thus regaining power over Arcos.
Ducal Castle of Arcos de la Frontera
There is another story that tells that, also from that time, there is a dragon that sleeps inside La Peña . Neighbors say that there are days when, in the silence of the night, you can hear him growling through the cracks...
Leaving mysteries aside, we peek into the Balcony of the New Rock , located in the same square, to once again admire the incredible views. there's the Guadalete , bordering us 200 meters below and bathing the extensive landscape.
Without moving from the square -wow, it is well used!- we approach the immense Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Assumption , a church built on the remains of an Arab mosque. In the 18th century it was named Major Parish, Oldest, Distinguished and Principal of Arcos” , provoking the jealousy of the neighbor St. Peter's Church , oldest and with which there has always been a competition on deck of "well, me more".
View from the Balcony of the Peña Nueva in Arcos de la Frontera
That one acquires an important heirloom? The other is done with two. That one has an impressive organ inside? The other finds one even more dazzling.
And so they liven up the religious history of the town giving us what to write about in this article . Either way, both deserve a visit for what each one means for Arcos , that is unquestionable.
Church of Santa María de la Asunción in Arcos de la Frontera
We walk through the cobbled alleys of the historic center of Arcense, declared Historic-Artistic Monument . We tiptoed into some of the interior courtyards of the stately homes. The neighbors strive to decorate them with flowers and pots of all sizes and colors, turning the town into an even more beautiful place. And that is precisely the essence of Arcos de la Frontera : his painstaking care for simple things.
When walking through the town they attract attention your doors and windows . Luisa lets us know: the size of the first ones, huge in reference to that of a person, is like that because many years ago the streets were about a meter higher . The slopes were then much steeper, so she resorted to "smoothing" them as a method to make life easier for the people of Arcenses, who today need several steps to access the interior.
Its white walls, dotted with flower pots, are a hallmark of Arcos de la Frontera
On windows, another peculiarity: his earmuffs . What is it about? well of a wide gap between the fence and the wall . A hole wide enough to practice the art of gossiping between neighbors without being seen. But there was another quite frequent use that we like even more: the one given to it by couples in love who through it “they peeled the turkey” And when nobody saw them They took the opportunity to drop the occasional kiss.
A technical stop in The jail , a popular bar in the dean espinosa street where to nibble a bit of Payoyo cheese and stew croquettes . Before continuing, we cross the street towards another classic: the Young Flamingos Tavern . A cap of mojama -we must remember that we are in Cadiz and that the coast is not so far away- and a Salmorejo will be enough to satisfy us.
The architecture of whitewashed and windows with their earmuffs in Arcos de la Frontera
With a satiated appetite, more walks: in the Pharmacy Square , for him Convent of the Mercedarias, the Saint John of God Hospital or the Mayorazgo Palace . And so, without expecting it, we ran into the Abades viewpoint and its views of the Arcos Reservoir , one of those places that do not get the fame they deserve but that make you fall in love.
Seen the center of Arcos, we set course for another jewel. In the Km4 of the regional road 6105, in an idyllic setting presided over by a beautiful french chateau , are the warehouses of Albala orchard , the home of the two red wines –something unusual in Cádiz, land of white grape- most popular in the whole province: Bluebeard and Taberner.
It is essential to take a guided tour of its entrails discovering its 75 hectares of vineyard to then go on to visit the wineries. The smells, the French oak barrels, the love they put into every detail... All this is transformed into the special flavor of their wines, which, of course, you have to taste.
And, to round off the day, it's time to stop at the Arches Reservoir . There you will have to choose between enjoying the surroundings by practicing one of the activities proposed Active Tourism Arcos -from canoes or bicycle touring to windsurfing-, or sit down to rest on the terrace of ** El Sombrero de Tres Picos ,** a charming restaurant with views of the reservoir where, with a glass of Bluebeard on the table , we will witness the sunset that this trip deserved, without a doubt.
Getting lost in the streets of Arcos de la Frontera is simply beautiful