Tues 27th
After a very interesting chat with a
Belgian motorhomer who was a retired FIM senior official at lots of Moto GP and
World Superbikes, we headed north up the excellent N2 towards Mertola. The
final section on the N267 was in complete contrast – absolutely appalling
! 21 miles of shake, rattle and roll.
Mertola is described in the guide as a medieval town that time forgot, with
many Islamic remains amongst the buildings. We headed for the
13th century castelo built on Moorish foundations with
Islamic excavations nearby. The Antiga Mesquita church was below the castelo,
this was formerly a mosque which was converted into a church in the 13th
century.
cobbled streets
view down to river
church
The castle was open to wander around, so we
had a very enjoyable time looking at all of it on our own. Great views from the
walls of the river and town below us. The church was quite small but had a
beautiful arched ceiling.
The streets were very quiet as it was
lunchtime but very relaxing to walk about in. a very nice town with some real
history that you can see.
remains of castle ramparts
castle - main tower
interior of church
islamic arch
Nice spot, and nice to see a church interior that's not dripping with gold.
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