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 | Arcos de la Frontera - The White Pearl of Andalucia |
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Arcos de la Frontera, the most famous of the so called “Pueblos Blancos” (White Villages) is located on top of a ridge. An extraordinary narrow road leads in serpentines uphill which can be very adventurous, especially when cars or even motorbikes come from the opposite side. But when finally reaching the top of the mountain you find a charming small town in which all the houses are indeed whitewashed, so that they didn’t heat up inside. The main street leads the way through the “White Village” up to the “Plaza de Cabildo” where the city hall and the church “Santa Maria” with a pretty façade and nice mural paintings in the inside, are located.
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From the balcony opposite the church you have an amazing view over the Clough of Guadalete. A picture of the dark green of cactuses and stone pines as well as the white of surrounding white villages shape the landscape. Behind the city hall the “Castillo” is situated, which is unfortunately not accessible. It is surrounded by numerous old nobility mansions and palaces for example from “Pedro Gamazo” and “Marqués de Terresoto”. But in comparison to other Andalusian places, where the mansions are used as museums, the mansions in Arcos look empty and deserted.
Small and narrow roads lead the way through the box-shaped white houses that are beautifully decorated by blooming flower pots and blue ceramic tiles which are also used for street signs and housing entrances. Amongst these living houses thrones the “Iglesia San Pedro”, a church in an impressive fortress like style and a neoclassic bell tower.
Between 2 and 5 pm the streets are completely empty apart from some children playing and some cars forcing their way through the roads that give hardly space to walk freely. Nice odour of food fills the air at this time and nearly makes your mouth water. And water is exactly what you need when strolling through the burning heat, a mistake that only tourists make who are not used to the Siesta time of the Spanish natives. In conclusion, Arcos de la Frontera, the capital of the “Pueblos Blancos” is worth visiting but after an hour or two it will be time to move downhill again, maybe to the next “White Village”.
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