Day Trippin', Zahara Edition; or Olive Oil, Crazy Cats, and Smashing Good Sights

When you travel through Andalucia, people will tell you to not miss the white villages. These are small towns nestled into steep hillsides, stacked with whitewashed houses with red clay roofs. Many structures were built bythe Berbers and Moors, who immigrated to this area from N. Africa between 711-1492. Most white villages are a challenge to navigate in a car, with switchbacks and hairpin curves, so I was more than happy to let someone else take the wheel.

And no, his name wasn't Jesus.
(All apologies to Carrie Underwood fans and anyone else I just offended. . . )

For my maiden voyage on an MWR trip, I chose to go to an olive oil plant and visit the white village of Zahara de la Sierra. MWR is Morale, Welfare, & Recreation, and here they sponsor several day trips (and a few overnight) in the area for very reasonable prices. I like the idea of having someone else navigate/drive---no livestock this time around!---and I also appreciate learning about an area from an expert. In going on trips like this, I also figure out new places to take guests.

Our first stop was to the Oleum Viride Olive Oil Plant, which is at the base of Zahara.

Why olives/olive oil? Because olive oil is the base of 99% of the food you eat in Spain. When you sit down for a meal, you are usually brought a small bowl of olives as an appetizer (tapas) before the main course (or if you order a drink, you're brought some, too). Olives are a part of Spanish culture.

There is an olive grove on the grounds of the Oleum Viride olive oil plant. We first went through the groves to see how the various types of olives grow, as well as how they are pruned. Some of the olive trees were over 100 years old, with twisted, snarled trunks and hundreds of olives splaying out in all directions. I had no idea until this trip that the only difference between green and black olives are green olives are just that, green. In other words, they aren't mature yet. There are different varieties based on the breed of plant, and many things, such as the age and how they are grown make a difference in taste. On this farm, the olives are all hand picked.

In Zahara, the olives grow up the steep hills and grow in direct sunlight, unlike in France, where they get shade for part of the day. Again, its the little differences in how olives are grown that account for the taste differences.

I know this may not sound interesting to some, but for the granddaughter of a farmer, all I could think it my granddad would have LOVED walking through the olive groves and asking the farmer questions. I have a great love for anyone who takes pride in producing food, and I can listen to them talk about their work all day long.

We then saw the machinery that sorts, cleans, mashes, and finally sends olives from outdoors into the factory, where they are cold pressed into oil. The first pressing makes Extra Virgin oil, which is what is the most desired for food. I love the fact that this plant take the stems and leaves and gives them in bunches to local farmers to feed their goats and livestock, and they take all the pits and have them pressed together to create pellets for pellet heaters. Everything is recycled---no waste!

Local farmers can bring their own olives to have processed at this plant, too, which I found interesting---you are producing a product, but yet you share your equipment with other people who may be taking away from your business.

We did an oil tasting and got to eat breakfast there, and then took a bus up the windy road to the village of Zahara.

I loved this really old door---it says "Al-Zahara" on it and I wonder how old it is. . . 

And I also loved the dozens of beautiful vistas from the top of the hill. Every time you think you've seen the best view, you turn another corner! 

Zahara has been around since the first millennium and was really put on the map from the Moors, who ruled there until the early 1400s. The Moors built a fortress here and chose Zahara because of its strategic location between Sevilla and Ronda. There are remains of a 13th century castle on top and white houses are everywhere, even clinging to the sides of the hill. The cobblestone streets, many one way, wind to the top, where there are several lookout posts, two churches, several gift shops, a few hotels, and various cafés and restaurants. There are 1500 people living here full time. I imagine in the summer, more guests come to stay and enjoy the scenery, especially the views of a huge man-made lake below and the Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. 

One of my favorite moments of the day was when my travel pal Rebecca, who we were lucky enough to meet at ICR class, and I were first walking around Zahara when a large, grey, feral cat MISSING AN EAR jumped out at us and she declared, "Oh my god, it's Pet Sematary!" I belly laughed until my stomach hurt. And yes, this was BEFORE the wine at lunch. 

But yeah. . . those feral cats. . .

We stopped at another little village, Algodonales, for a very large, several course Spanish lunch.  Tapas galore (olives, breads, cheeses, jamón, etc), lots of wine, a main course, and dessert (flan for me)---I could barely wobble back to the bus. It was amazing and a wonderful way to end the day.

I will definitely come back to Zahara, although the prospect of driving the hill climb is a little intimidating. The views are amazing and the town itself is very charming. I asked a local what people do there for a living because Rebecca and I were trying to figure out how we can drop out of society and hang out in Zahara indefinitely. He told us people there farm their own food, including livestock, and that's how they get by. Well. . . I don't see that happening. However, if the olive farmers in the area are looking for someone to hang out, pick olives, or even taste test, I may be game to stay for a while.