From Bergdorf Olías to the Cerro de la Corona dolmen
Tranquillity instead of the hustle and bustle of the big city Anyone driving along the winding road to Olías can only wonder: This mountain village is supposed to be part of Malaga city? Indeed it is. The village of 800 people in the Montes de Málaga, which we are visiting today, has been considered a district of the Andalusian harbour city since the 1940's. The approach via El Palo offers sweeping views over the Bay of Malaga and the surrounding mountain ranges. At 420 metres above sea level, we arrive in Olías and notice that the pace is different here than in the Andalusian port city: There is a different pace here than in bustling Malaga - relaxing tranquillity, no cars. There would hardly be room for them in the narrow streets. On our first tour of tranquil Olías, we meet a few elderly villagers and at least as many dogs running around freely. You can hear roosters crowing, a horse snorting and then the dogs barking and talking. Some of the houses have been renovated, others are dilapidated or unfinished and are for sale.
The church of San Vicente FerrerJust as we are standing in front of the unassuming church, the gate opens from the inside. "Buenos días, would you like to come in and have a look around?" The church was built in 1505 and only the façade remains in its original state; the other parts of the building have been remodelled several times. Inside we see a richly decorated and gleaming golden Virgen (Virgin Mary) and a statue of San Vicente Ferrer, after whom the church is named. The Dominican friar from Valencia, who preached in Spain, France and Italy in the 14th/15th century, is credited with numerous miracles. The tiles on the left-hand side of the church façade bear witness to this, and at the end of July every year the village celebrates the village patron saint San Vicente Ferrer with a feria.
Of people and plants in Olias
What Maria tells us seems exemplary for Olias: her husband works in Marbella and commutes 80 kilometres there and back every day, as there are no jobs up here. Their daughter studies in Malaga. Maria herself is at home caring for her mother. Isn't the journey to Malaga difficult, with all the hairpin bends? "But no," she says, "my husband drives the 10 kilometres to El Palo in 15 minutes" - 5 minutes faster than Google Maps shows. We ask Maria if there are any foreigners here in Olías. Yes, a handful of English and Moroccans and one Italian. Most of the locals work in Malaga and come back to Olías in the evening, so there are no sights or museums to visit. Instead, there are metre-high plants that are known in northern Europe as potted plants during Advent: poinsettias. The trees grow a good 3-4 metres high and bring colour to the white village in winter with their red leaves. Only when the nights last longer than 12 hours from November onwards do the bracts turn red and attract insects for pollination.
A look into Pilar's kitchen, where the stews are simmering
The Antigua Taberna de Juan Antonio is located directly on the road. A simple inn that offers down-to-earth cuisine. There is no menu, but chef Pilar lists what she has cooked today. We opt for "spoon dishes" (platos de cuchara), which are soups or stews. Traditionally served in brown ceramic crockery, Pilar brings us a bean stew with meat (fabada) and a stew with seafood (sopa de mariscos). We enjoy our lunch on the sunny terrace. As we pay, Pilar asks if we enjoyed it and if we'll be back. Yes, we will. Maybe we'll have albóndigas en salsa dealmendras (meatballs in almond sauce) again on our next visit - we definitely want to try them. Please note: only cash is accepted in the taberna.
For the way back, we take the other route, which leads to Rincon de la Victoria. The route is not as picturesque as the approach via El Palo, but we want to take a look at the Cerro de la Corona dolmen. The sat nav reliably guides us to the burial site, which is just before the turn-off to Totalan. We cover the last 200 metres on foot. There's not really much to see, just a small demarcated piece of earth. When we read that the dolmen was built 3,000-4,000 BC, we are somehow impressed. How did people live here 5,000-6,000 years ago? Pottery shards and over 4,000 pieces of bone from at least 10 people were found in the burial site. Most of them were probably children aged 3-4 years. What might have happened here? We enjoy the view and the warming winter sun. We reflect a little on the transience of life. After a 10-minute drive, we are back in the 21st century, at the Rincon de la Victoria shopping centre.
Route: El Palo - Olias - Dolmen - Rincon de la Victoria
The tour is also easy to cycle on an e-bike.
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