The Coripe Trip
This was one of the trips organized by the Spanish classes.
On the other side of Lijar from Olvera is the tiny pueblo of Coripe. It is a quiet village and would be a sleepy corner of Andalucia were it not for the Via Verde. The Via Verde is a very famous track (camino) that runs close to Coripe. Deep in a valley close to the pueblo, lies a railway track that never was. The tunnels are there to take the tracks, but no iron rails were ever laid. Civil war and national bankruptcy destroyed the dream of a southern line which would have linked the outlying and backward parts to a bigger marketplace and culture. It’s demise held back this part of Andalucia until the A382 and the network of excellent roads was built 1997 linking the white pueblos to the rest of Spain. This part of Andalucia became a gentle by-water in the cultural revolution of the 60’s and 70’s that changed the outside world. The Spanish had to wait until the early 70's, when Franco died for the freedom to change their country. Even now Olvera is outside the main bus routes that Algodonales enjoys. The bus companies will not invest in a connection to Olvera. The 15 km between the two pueblos is like a cultural and economic blockade.
As always there are two sides to this story. Anybody who lives in a tourist town will testify that the influx of tourists brings misery. Nowhere to park, crowds in the streets, escalating prices and the inevitable two tier pricing for outsiders and locals. The result is that Olvera is still an unsullied example of the original Andalucian culture, along with other outlying pueblos blancos.
The via verde was conceived in 1994 and over the intervening years has been promoted as a tourist and sport attraction to bring money into an otherwise static economy.
The natural countryside around the valley of the Estación de Coripe remained unaltered by Civil and World war. It is still as beautiful and peaceful as it was before the tunnels were dug. The river here is full of native Terrapins, who sun themselves on the rocks by the side of the river. The estación itself is now a restaurant run by Juan Ramon who, with his mother became good friends of mine. From personal experience I can testify they serve some of the best Andalucian food cooked to perfection. You can hire cycles here and set off in either direction. Towards Puerto Serrano 14.5 km or to Olvera 22km There is a restaurant at either end to eat or just have a coffee.
From Coripe the tunnel to Puerto Serrano is quite an experience either walking or cycling. It is nearly a kilometre long, but it curves. This means that if you are in the middle you can't see either end. There is a lighting system in the tunnel, but it is on a timer and if the timer switches off the lights when you are in the middle you are plunged into absolute darkness. This is fine if you are a walker, but bad news if you are a cyclist galloping along at 30 km hr. You need only wait until your eyes have adjusted to the darkness and in a while you will see the tiny green lights that tell you where the light switches are. Then you are off again.
One of the attractions in Coripe, apart from the Via Verde, is the recreation area off to the left of the tunnel entrance going to Puerto Serrano. There is a camino (track) that leaves the main route just before the bridge over the river and leads you to an open recreation area dominated by the a huge tree in it’s centre. This is where the Spanish class came to have a picnic.
It is a Spanish Oak or Encima (Quercus ilex). This is an old version of the young Oaks on Lijar. Fire destroyed the old Oaks on Lijar, otherwise it would be covered in trees like this.
As you can see from the photos four or five people have to join hands to encircle its girth.
It is over 700 years old and was declared a National Monument in 2001.
This kind of tree is much valued as a fuel in the winter. It's cuttings give off a lot of heat when burned in a wood-burning stove.
The olive oil or acetuna, is probably the biggest industry in Andalucia. By crushing the olive they obtain the oil that is known all around the Mediterranean. A second process crushes the nut or hueso, (Bone.) to release an oil that is turned into soap. Finally, the remains of the nut are burned as fuel.
The olive oil factory
The embutido factory was more interesting because you could buy their products direct from the maker. The sausage is not like English sausage, but more gristly. The same sausage sold in England would be unpalatable. But cook their sausage in red wine and you have something so tasty it’s hard not to like. The only drawback is that it’s very fattening. Every once in a while I pig out on this particular dish.
This was one of the trips organized by the Spanish classes.
On the other side of Lijar from Olvera is the tiny pueblo of Coripe. It is a quiet village and would be a sleepy corner of Andalucia were it not for the Via Verde. The Via Verde is a very famous track (camino) that runs close to Coripe. Deep in a valley close to the pueblo, lies a railway track that never was. The tunnels are there to take the tracks, but no iron rails were ever laid. Civil war and national bankruptcy destroyed the dream of a southern line which would have linked the outlying and backward parts to a bigger marketplace and culture. It’s demise held back this part of Andalucia until the A382 and the network of excellent roads was built 1997 linking the white pueblos to the rest of Spain. This part of Andalucia became a gentle by-water in the cultural revolution of the 60’s and 70’s that changed the outside world. The Spanish had to wait until the early 70's, when Franco died for the freedom to change their country. Even now Olvera is outside the main bus routes that Algodonales enjoys. The bus companies will not invest in a connection to Olvera. The 15 km between the two pueblos is like a cultural and economic blockade.
As always there are two sides to this story. Anybody who lives in a tourist town will testify that the influx of tourists brings misery. Nowhere to park, crowds in the streets, escalating prices and the inevitable two tier pricing for outsiders and locals. The result is that Olvera is still an unsullied example of the original Andalucian culture, along with other outlying pueblos blancos.
The via verde was conceived in 1994 and over the intervening years has been promoted as a tourist and sport attraction to bring money into an otherwise static economy.
The natural countryside around the valley of the Estación de Coripe remained unaltered by Civil and World war. It is still as beautiful and peaceful as it was before the tunnels were dug. The river here is full of native Terrapins, who sun themselves on the rocks by the side of the river. The estación itself is now a restaurant run by Juan Ramon who, with his mother became good friends of mine. From personal experience I can testify they serve some of the best Andalucian food cooked to perfection. You can hire cycles here and set off in either direction. Towards Puerto Serrano 14.5 km or to Olvera 22km There is a restaurant at either end to eat or just have a coffee.
From Coripe the tunnel to Puerto Serrano is quite an experience either walking or cycling. It is nearly a kilometre long, but it curves. This means that if you are in the middle you can't see either end. There is a lighting system in the tunnel, but it is on a timer and if the timer switches off the lights when you are in the middle you are plunged into absolute darkness. This is fine if you are a walker, but bad news if you are a cyclist galloping along at 30 km hr. You need only wait until your eyes have adjusted to the darkness and in a while you will see the tiny green lights that tell you where the light switches are. Then you are off again.
One of the attractions in Coripe, apart from the Via Verde, is the recreation area off to the left of the tunnel entrance going to Puerto Serrano. There is a camino (track) that leaves the main route just before the bridge over the river and leads you to an open recreation area dominated by the a huge tree in it’s centre. This is where the Spanish class came to have a picnic.
It is a Spanish Oak or Encima (Quercus ilex). This is an old version of the young Oaks on Lijar. Fire destroyed the old Oaks on Lijar, otherwise it would be covered in trees like this.
As you can see from the photos four or five people have to join hands to encircle its girth.
It is over 700 years old and was declared a National Monument in 2001.
This kind of tree is much valued as a fuel in the winter. It's cuttings give off a lot of heat when burned in a wood-burning stove.
The olive oil or acetuna, is probably the biggest industry in Andalucia. By crushing the olive they obtain the oil that is known all around the Mediterranean. A second process crushes the nut or hueso, (Bone.) to release an oil that is turned into soap. Finally, the remains of the nut are burned as fuel.
The embutido factory was more interesting because you could buy their products direct from the maker. The sausage is not like English sausage, but more gristly. The same sausage sold in England would be unpalatable. But cook their sausage in red wine and you have something so tasty it’s hard not to like. The only drawback is that it’s very fattening. Every once in a while I pig out on this particular dish.
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