Cordoba

 We left after breakfast for our trip into Cordoba. The landscape changed to rolling hills of olive, almond, and apple orchards.  Olives are king in this region both for eating and especially for its oil.  Spain is the largest olive oil producer in the world.

Our main destination today is the olive oil producer Nuñez de Prado.  Our photography leader, Ira Block, shot a National Geographic story at this facility decades ago and he was anxious to return. 

A family run operation, it was converted to all organic many years ago to both improve their oil and become more sustainable.  They still use old methods of production, using the old stone grinders and a gravity press to extract the oil.  After the first press, the olive past is smeared onto round mats which are stacked onto each other and then pressed to extract more oil.  No heat is used here which makes for a very high quality oil.  They export to the US and is sold both on Amazon and in Whole Foods.

After a tour of the facility we were treated to a lovely lunch featuring some dishes made using their oil. What a treat!

Our next stop was on a narrow road above Zuheros to take photos of the white village and countryside below.  It is a very peaceful spot.

Tonight wews stayed in the village of Preigo Cordoba.  We had a couple of hours to rest and to go through our photos before a sunset stroll through the village.  Borrow alleyways spread through the Jewish quarter which featured walls decorated with hanging flower pots filled with colorful flowers.  At one particularly beautiful house a gentleman came out to share a photo of his mother with her flowers.  It was a very sweet moment and we were happy he shared it with us.

Dinner was in the hotel tonight.  The Spanish are definitely late diners and do not rush through their meals.  It’s definitely a change of pace for us Americans.

Tomorrow: A day of travel