When we were in Extremadura a few years ago we visited the neighbouring town of Trujillo, famous for its history of conquistadors who brought back riches from the New World. The larger town of Caceres also became wealthy for the same reason and the many buildings and mansions built on that wealth still stand, with nothing having changed to the exteriors. It also has a lot more history than that of course, going back to the Romans who founded it, then Visigoths, Arabs and later, Christians.
It's quite a stunning town with amazing architecture wherever you walk. The town is full of towers, castles, mansions, palaces, churches... We only wandered around the old town for an hour or so and I have collaged my photos in order to take up less room, but you can click on the images and see the individual photos much larger.
I am going to skip looking up the names of each building to save me a lot of time! If you are interested, this website has some interesting information. Also, the town appeared in Game of Thrones like nearby Los Barruecos did (which I wrote about here)
El Rocio, Andalucia
El Rocio is one of the closest towns to the Donana wetland area which is well known as the largest and probably most important wetland area in southern Spain, although that is arguable now that it has dried out so much in recent years due to natural drought and strawberry farmers illegally pumping the groundwater. However, even if you have no interest in birds or wetlands, El Rocio is a special place that is well worth a visit!
We were very happy to see water in the shallow lagoon at El Rocio as it had been bone dry in Oct 2023.
This church, Santuario Nuestra Señora del Rocío, dominates the main square of the town and is stunning against the backdrop of a deep blue sky. What's different about El Rocio is that it is a 'wild west' town, with sand in place of tarmac and you will often see horses about. In a way it is similar to Saintes Maries de la Mer in the Camargue, also a wetland area with 'cowboys' sometimes seen on horseback in the town.
There are some tourist shops, mostly selling religious tat, and a few cafes and restaurants, but that's about it really. It was much busier than when we were there in October, with mules and carts waiting to take tourists for rides, plus pony rides for the kids.
A festival called Saca de las Yeguas takes place every year, where the wild mares and foals are rounded up from the marshlands and brought to El Rocio for a blessing before being taken to the nearby town of Almonte, for a horse fair where they will be checked over by vets, have their manes and tails trimmed, be microchipped and some will be auctioned off. It sounds very similar to what happens to the wild ponies in the New Forest in southern England.
Our Lady of El Rocio inside the church which is the site of an annual pilgrimage known as the Romería de El Rocío, where people come from far and wide to pay homage to the Madonna and have a fiesta with lots of flamenco music and dancing.
A Jacaranda tree (Jacaranda mimosifolia) - gorgeous blue blooms!
The following are photos I took in Oct 2023 as we walked down more attractive side streets that time. (I never got as far as sharing my photos from Andalucia in 23).
The sad dry lagoon in October 2023.
Just adding this Wall Lizard that I saw back then - I think it is the Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri).
El Rocio is well worth a visit, but it's hard work at times walking around in the sand and it's best not to wear sandals unless you don't care about getting sandy feet!
We stayed at La Aldea campsite just outside of the village, which was within walking distance, giving K a day off from driving and we need days occasionally where we have a free morning or afternoon to get our laundry done.
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