Antequera!

I signed us up for an excursion to El Torcal de Antequera to hike among the Ammonites. We had to catch a 6:35 bus outside our door to get to the city to connect with a regional bus to Antequera. 

We never like 5 am wake-up calls. But we did it.  

I had forgotten that an ammonite was a creature shaped much like a nautilus but was from the Jurassic period over 200 million years ago. Some were quite large. Now extinct, most of them died along with dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous Period, 60 million years ago. All this info is from the Internet . . . quite obviously, but also from our hiking guide. 

Some adventurous people explore Las Torcas independently but it is not advised. The area is vast, and like being turned-round in a dense forest, the unique land formations can look very much alike. It is easy for a person to get lost or injured plus navigating the hike is very rough. We started out at a fast pace, up a rocky, rutted narrow path. Our eyes were glued on the path deciding which rocks to use as steps to avoid a fall. Until we reached the flatlands of the reserve, the hike was treacherous and tedious, but the view was spectacular. 

El Torcal de Antequera is a large nature reserve known for its unusual landforms. Millions of years ago, this place was under the sea. Layers upon layers of limestone sediments grew over time until a flat-topped mountain formed and finally emerged from the sea. Millions of years later as the sea receded, wind and water erosion took over. Soft materials gave way leaving peculiar shapes that are known as a prime examples of a karst landscape. What is seen is stacks of large hard rocks, some like stacks of pancakes, while others seem to teeter, in a precarious balancing act. There are plentiful sinkholes and caves below. One of the most interesting aspects of the reserve is the fossils and impressions of fossils that have been exposed. Golly-gee! It was fantastic. This place made us think of the unusual land formations in Cappadocia, Turkey. While also from the sea, those tall, strangely shaped formations were soft and malleable, while these at Las Torcas were very hard. I hope our photos give life to this description. 

El Torcal was green on our visit due to recent downpours. Our guide said unless weather patterns change drastically this year, the beautiful green is short-lived. The reserve was so dry last year that there was no water for the feral cows, wild white goats, foxes, and other animals that make their home there. Although the government prevents tampering with wildlife in any way, guides brought water to the animals that otherwise might have perished last year. 

Lucky for us, the recent rains also brought out the flowers. There were wild irises and peonies, and although we did not find any, orchids grow there this time of year as well. 

Our guide pointed out that some plants have evolved to survive. The gall oak now has thorns on its lower branches to prevent being eaten by hungry goats. The upper branches have no thorns. Mosses and small plants have rooted themselves not in soil but in crevices of limestone rocks because they can draw moisture from the porous stone. 

There were only 5 of us plus the guide on our hike. Stan connected with a man from the Netherlands who spoke English. Like finding an oasis, Stan had someone besides me to talk with. And he carried on telling him our lives’ story. The guy caught on to Stan’s humor right away and would throw out comments like “you have a friend?” when Stan started a story saying, “I have a friend who . . . .” 

It was fun for me to just walk along and smile. 

This hike wore us out but after a late lunch in Antequera, we still had a couple of free hours before our bus back to Malaga. What did we do? Take a walk, of course. A famous sight in Antequera is the Arcos de Los Gigantes on a hill overlooking the town. Las Torcas can also be seen in the distance. The giant arch was built in 1585 as a demonstration of power and to reflect the city’s interest in Renaissance style. Fancy! 

By the time we opened the door to our apartment at 8:30 pm, we were completely done in . . . but as we always say to each other, “It was another great day.” 

Next stop: Amsterdam