Antequera, my stay

Visiting a lively, nice town inbetween Cordoba and Malaga

2024-05-05

Antequera is a nice town, and the biggest town inbetween Cordoba and Malaga. But as with so many towns it does not have a centre, which is due to the geographical situation. Because of the hills and mountains surrounding it there simply is no space for a centre and no alternative way to bypass the town for nowadays local traffic. However it is sure worth visiting, and the plus is that that aspect makes you explore a larger part of the town.

I visited the Iglesia Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor which is located next to the Alcazaba. I had a 🉐 50% discount on the entrancefee when I explained I am a senior. Problem is I don't have to show proof for that 🙃 ...

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And I visited the Alcazaba, the (remains of the) castle. Where I once more had a 🉐 50% discount on the entrancefee when I expained I am (even more) a senior.

Large discounts and little money ...

I read in a newspaper that Andalusia has large discounts for all kind of people when it comes to entrancefees. They seem to cover only down to some 12% of the total costs it really concerns.

Another aspect are the pensions anyway. They are as high as in i.e. the Netherlands (in an absolute €-way) but the spanish get a 14th (extra, second) monthpayment (in december). But a small beer costs some € 3,50 in the Netherlands and only € 1,50 in Spain. And a package of cigarettes costs € 4,50 in Spain and € 11 in the Netherlands.

Btw : don't call the Netherlands Holland and don't call Holland the Netherlands. The difference(s) between these could hardly be bigger ... Even this customsofficer at the Congo-border knows all about that. 🖱️

The spanish also pay a ridiculous small amount of money for healthcare and for medicins. Just for your idea. A regular healthcare-insurance In the Netherlands costs € 146 per month per Adult and children are free. Which means single persons pay for other persons childrens, but anyway. Where non-singles never pay for singles ... The healthcare actually costs about € 7000 per year (per Every person) and that missing extra money is covered by general taxes. In these prices many medical subjects are still not insured. And there is more (less), like i.e. income- and cartaxes. Spain pays that bill by keeping on loaning, nobody cares, nobody corrects and nobody punishes.

This all together means that the spanish pensionistas actually are double as 💰 wealthy as i.e. the dutch. Where they believe they are more poor ...

 

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Nice views in town. That chapel is the lowest point and that curch is the highest point of Antequera.

I wildcamped close to the town at the lowest point and to get to the (non-) centre I had to 💦 push up some 60vms in 2.6kms where only the second part I could cycle ... As usual ... Advantage is that on my way back I can freewheel down, with the heavy groceries I bought.

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And nice views over the town (from the Alcazaba).

 

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As usual I visited the library quite often to do digital jobs. This one has the best openinghours I ever experienced : from 8h30to 21h30 on weekdays and from 9h00 to 14h00 saturdays. Unlike these pictures suggest it is bomb-full with students every hour of all 5 and a half days of the week, except for in the 🥕 siesta-hours. And during the schoolholidays that last a whopping 3 months ...

That library is opposite of the Mercadona supermarket where they have a nice place to have a cheap and fast(er) lunch 🖱️. The soups and meals are of 😋 excellent quality and I especially like the soups. There are also lockers, but in this mercado almost all locks of them were 👎 defect. In the second Mercadona here in town is also a Ready-to-eat "corner" but without 👎 tables and chairs ... Only the kitchen-block is there since there is not enough space but what is then the use of that ?

I also discovered Casa Maria (Plaza de Fernandez Viagas 11, close to the library) where they serve 👌 excellent tapas. For € 1,20 you can have a tapa and so eat several different very tastefull snacks, and there is lot's of choice. I Love 😋 Tapas !

By the way : tapas are very important since the traditional spanish raciones-system is unsuitable for single persons. Raciones are simply to much food, even if you order half a portion, and you then still have only one ingredient, and always without vegetables (or always the unavoidable berenjenas con miel).

However, some time later I had to pay "servicio de mesa" of € 1,50. This is the "cost" of being served at your table. It is a way of cheating, and I assume especially of foreigners who are supposed not to know about this. Then it is illegal if this is not announced on forhand, so at the menucard or somehow else (in good sight). I did notice this cost but was not in the mood to discuss that. I was in the mood to Never Return Here, and so I did.

At first instance I could not find the chinese restaurants here in town, so I visited the takeaway wokrestaurant. Where I ordered the menu del dia and ate the entrada right 💨 (not-) away.

But then I did find them. I chose the one outside the centre to celebrate my 6th YesTrip.nl anniversary and had a very nice and expensive pato-menu (duck). The one in the middle of town was my favorite to have nice menu del dias. On weekdays they cost only €9,50, including a drink. And they even have Maggi there ! However I can only eat half of any menu, and chinese menus are easy to takeaway. I took my takeaway-box with me everytime and saved quite some throw-away-plastic. And so I "more" or less always eat twice for that friendly price.

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I also visited the museum, and had a 🉐 free entrance (for unknown reason, which saved me € 5, the regular 50% price for a 65+ person). I by accident did not see the sign that it is forbidden to take pictures there. And managed to avoid a securityguard that was watching me for a long time. I do not understand why so many people find me so interesting.

Antequera is a nice town, and the biggest town inbetween Cordoba and Malaga. It is lively almost all moments all days (but not during the siesta-hours ...), however it has no centre (as many spanish towns don't have).

Next are the beautiful views I enjoyed.

◀️ ▶️ Route 🖱️ ⏫