After stopping for a sumptuous breakfast at La Magdalena, a convent converted into a hotel and golf resort, we on drove into Antequera – a ancient town at the crossroads between Málaga, Granada, Córdoba and Seville. We visited the Dolmen de Menga, ancient burial chambers made of huge stones and then covered in earth. The mounds were rediscovered and excavated in the 19th century. As you stand at the door of the Dolmen you could see a huge rock formation that resembled a sleeping giant. We also visited the bull ring and museum and had a tour of the city in an electric buggy.
We drove a short distance on to El Torcal Nature Reserve where we camped overnight and met Billy, a little fox, who lived near the car park and would take morsels of food from your hand. She looked in good condition and well fed. We had a guide who took us on a two hour walk that evening, more of a climb really – we reached 4000 feet and the view was stunning. On a clear day you could see Africa. At one point we saw we were being watched by a couple of ibex, silhouetted on rocks high above us.
There was an observatory at the Centre and when it began to get dark, Carlos, their astronomer set up his telescopes and we were able to see Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The moon was almost full that evening and very bright which made star spotting more difficult but Carlos showed us the various constellations as they appeared. We now knew how to navigate in the northern hemisphere!
