Village of MIJAS in ANDALUCIA , SPAIN
ah there's the sun keeping Pace with us the whole time and the beautiful Mediterranean [Music] this is Andalusia in southern Spain and Midway up the mountain is the village of mihas look at all of the white buildings it seems that the walls of the buildings were whitewashed in order to fend off the powerful rays of the Sun a traditional Andalusian white Village [Music] oh look at those people climbing up the stairway good morning I doubt that they can hear me well I guess I'm ready to begin my tour of the town [Music] what this appears to be a church why would they be throwing stones at a church excuse me hello you're throwing stones at the church see should you be doing that make him wishes any type of boyfriend it works for men too oh why is that oh I see so he's the saint of romantic fulfillment but it must be painful for him to be hit with stones all the time with him is he a prominent saint case he promotes matchmaking much so his Blessing is powerful so all the women living in this town do this well mornings and mihas are very Lively [Music] it's now 8 50 in the morning a moment to look at the map I began here at the Eastern edge of the old city it seems the center is just up ahead so it's quite close there is not a cloud in the sky it's over 30 degrees Celsius already yet it doesn't feel too hot the air is dry and pleasant what's going on Ah that's a narrow staircase it is extremely inviting huh this Cafe looks great too good morning [Music] good morning how's it going hey good morning they're all waving at me the shop isn't open yet [Music] a great day isn't it walking around the town is such a great feeling where to next hey Kitty ah he ran away no he's waiting for me oh this leads to an upper level [Music] foreign steps and white walls and the planted pots are all green great [Music] I wonder what's up here [Music] huh a dead end thanks for showing me the way how about this way [Music] more potted plants these pots are all sky blue they look nice against the White Walls teeth [Music] huh is this a residential area [Music] oh what is that sound [Music] it's a donkey a donkey this is the first time I've ever heard a donkey Bray wow look at what it's wearing but where did it come from another one do you two live around here excuse me uh good morning are the donkeys housed in this area their home I thought this was a residential area for people good morning couldn't tell that from the outside it looks like a regular house huh you live here with them oh I see what a Donkey Taxi oh how long have you been doing this kind of work so you've been living with donkeys for 40 years also eight donkeys but aren't they a bit noisy sometimes [Laughter] they are outfitted so beautifully I see numerals I see um pardon me for holding you up have a good day work hard donkeys wow I didn't know that there were people who lived IES under this roof I remember that Saint the girls were throwing stones at they told me he's a patron saint of animals those look like stores this must be a shopping Street look she brought her chair out to the sidewalk I wonder what she's doing is she knitting something good morning what are you making bangs oh the donkeys the donkey taxis I just saw them over there this is oh so that was your husband whatever so you create different things for them to wear for each season you were very good to them I see their ornamentation is very fanciful and colorful yes please oh she's taking me to the store across the street head where for those donkeys it's all handmade a Donkey Taxi was that your husband hmm [Music] does your husband also pass by here I went over here [Laughter] that's important thank you for your time have a good day she said they treat the donkeys like they would their own children parasols and sky blue pots it's so picturesque hi there a late breakfast maybe brunch okay I think I'll head down this way oh this place is bustling [Music] a lot of potted plants oh this is a flower shop [Music] good morning it's a nice day today oh yeah you're looking fit birthday [Applause] you mean spinach [Music] [Applause] [Laughter] what a lively bunch do you live near here it's a beautiful town yes the flowers rows of flower pots on White Walls do you grow them yourselves the colors of the pots are nice [Music] the city does that that's amazing [Music] the town does look beautiful do the town councils and other towns provide flower pots as well I mean yes it's a great town thank you adios [Music] hello how are you welcome to mihas I'm Jose Maria and I'm going to tell you the history of our town first a quiz for the viewers what is this structure behind me that looks out of place on a beach okay you have three seconds [Music] two seconds one [Applause] [Music] the answer is this is a watchtower built in the 18th century in order to defend the town against Pirates since ancient times this area facing the Mediterranean in southern Spain was repeatedly invaded by African Pirates [Music] so the people here built watchtowers along the coast several kilometers apart that is how they protected themselves from attacking Pirates [Music] and they also built their towns Inland in the Hills about five kilometers from the coast that area contains something that they had to protect from the Pirates at all costs mineral resources [Music] ever since the BC era the mountains around mihas had been a precious source of over 20 kinds of stones including marble and quartz [Music] thank you but during the 1950s the mineral output dropped sharply impoverishing the town's economy [Music] in the 1960s the people of mihas and their Town authorities took coordinated action they decided to utilize the town's walls painted white with lime to protect them from sunlight and disease to attract tourists [Music] since then the whole town has continued various activities to highlight the beauty of the White Walls such as cleaning them daily and growing colorful flowers thanks to those efforts mihas is now visited by tourists from around the world seeking to see the adolesian white Village please now go back to enjoying the white townscape of mihas adios it's just before lunchtime this street goes all the way up straight up the hill get your ass [Music] they seem to be neighbors [Music] let me check my map I walked Westward through the old town where I met the owners of the donkey taxis and then talked with the Lively lady at the flower shop and now I'm here I think I'll keep heading up this street hmm that man carrying baskets I wonder what's in them hello excuse me sir excuse me he's walking so fast hello he finally heard me would you wait for just a moment can you battle oh you're delivering bread are you a delivery person why do you do that that's so generous of you your bread looks so delicious family Rico it's quite an assortment OS 200 years that's incredible thank you what a nice person the incline is a bit steep so I bet the elderly really appreciate having their bread delivered you've been buying his bread for a long time a neighbor it seems you seem to really enjoy it is oh sir sir what about the payments ah you collect the money later hmm it's based on Mutual Trust me [Music] the green and the blue sky seem so close looks so beautiful I agree thank you for everything bye [Music] homemade bread that people love to eat maybe I should have bought one hello well I might as well keep going up this alley joggers have they jogged all the way up here that must be tough oh another one [Music] look at all of those flower pots at a restaurant I think I'll take a look [Music] wow that's a whole lot of pots and they're all red and white the flowers are red too amazing oh the pots along the steps are all red and white too [Music] here too [Music] whoa there are more than I can count are they geraniums oh someone's over there hello [Music] excuse me may I have a minute to talk with you ah hello pardon the sudden intrusion hello is this a restaurant it's a resonance your flower pots really stand out somebody yeah how many are there 2 000. on Valentine's Day what about these flower pots foreign uh wow you have a big family 2 000 seems about right [Music] that's wonderful and from this Terrace full of family love what will I see [Music] wow [Music] the blue sky and the Mediterranean are blended into one The View has a purifying effect thank you for your time bye [Music] I'm sure those geranium pots will just keep increasing [Music] foreign [Music] I'm a flamenco dancer and I'm Raquel we're going to introduce you to some mihas Cuisine that you can enjoy when you are really hungry and some typical Flamenco dancing marmos [Music] in third place is stewed Iberian pork cheek meat it's a traditional dish from the mountains of mihas a 60 kilogram Iberian Pig yields only about 140 grams of cheek meat so it's very precious the meat is mixed with vegetables stir-fried with olive oil and garlic then it's stewed well in white wine Worcester sauce and tomato sauce [Music] this packs the flavors of all the ingredients in the Iberian pork cheek meat foreign [Music] [Applause] in second place is a rather unique combination [Music] brown sugar sauce [Music] first the eggplant is soaked in milk to remove its bitterness then it's deep fried quickly at a high heat of 300 degrees Celsius next brown sugar is lightly charred by the way sugar cane is said to have been introduced to the West Indies by Christopher Columbus during the Age of Exploration [Music] the brown sugar sauce is poured Over The Salted and fried eggplant and it's done [Music] tastes so good yes it's really really good now the final dish the first place dish is a blessing from the sea [Music] Lobster risotto Spanish style plenty of squid clam and muscle are steeped in tomato sauce then rice is added the main ingredient is fresh Mediterranean Lobster after lightly stir frying it's stewed for 30 minutes [Music] the cooked risotto glistens golden paprika and white wine are added for depth of flavor [Music] it looks so delicious it's so satisfying and oh I feel so great so let's dance adios [Music] the time has past 5 30 pm and the Sun is still Shining ah a Donkey Taxi hey that looks like the man I met this morning so true are you having a busy day hello [Music] oh by the way I met your wife too I wonder if she told him to make lots of money [Laughter] mass is quite a compact town time to check the map again well I accompanied the bread delivery guy for a bit then met the couple who love red flower pots then saw the Donkey Taxi man again and now I'm here turning right up there will take me back to the flower shop guess I'll go straight this time [Music] ah another Donkey Taxi hello [Music] returning after taking passengers somewhere foreign [Music] after all this time seeing just White Walls this is a refreshing sight [Music] huh what are they doing [Music] rock climbing [Music] wow that's great he's hanging upside down hello are you finished with work today you can do that right near the town is why is there a cliff like this so close to town CC and what's the distance to the top of the cliffs which way is that yes thank you for your help ciao the mijas crack what a name [Music] wow wow the cliff seemed to be closing in on me oh there's a climber he's just a kid you're very good is that his coach father Maybe are you family yeah I thought so hello so isn't it scary climbing a cliff foreign [Music] these stone quarries that fortified mihas during the Middle Ages are now training sites for rock climbers head back towards the town center now foreign wow the wow the sun is still so strong Ah that's a church it reminds me of those girls throwing stones at a church this morning I wonder if they've already found nice boyfriends there's a group of women hello hola may I join you there in the shade ah thank you very much the heat is much easier to take in the shade what are you doing here you're cooling down see I saw some girls throwing stones at a saint statue this morning ah so you know huh okay tell me about it is really foreign so the blessing is true thank you for your time so those ladies threw Stones too making noise I'm sure when they were young oh hi Dougie are you cooling down [Music] and now for a change of pace let's take a little side trip walking in the sun feels nice but I'm now heading for a limestone cave spreading Underground my destination is the cave of nerja from mihas I could either take a bus or a taxi I think I'll take a taxi hello oh look at that um can you take me to the cave of nerja hey clado thank you okay from mihas it's a one and a half hour ride East to the town of nerha both towns are within the province of Malaga the drive along the coast feels so good this stretch is called Costa Del Sol the coast of the Sun the Mediterranean Sea is so blue [Music] here we are wow what a big crowd hmm is this aligned by admission tickets according to my guidebook the cave of near Hall was discovered in 1959. pardon me the discovery was made by five local young men [Music] one day the men Came Upon a pit from where a swarm of bats were flying out when I entered the pit with their flashlights [Music] they found a huge expanse of space Underground hmm that must have created a lot of excitement among the locals at the time [Applause] this must be those five young men let me say you were quite Brave I can either explore the caves on my own or ask for a guide I guess I'll ask for a guide excuse me buenos dias are you a guide yes thank you approximately oh so research is still ongoing the space is opening up a little [Music] space is here [Music] to keep those stalactites appear to be falling toward the floor is [Music] hmm what could it be [Music] um I give up please tell me [Music] is [Music] now that's an oversized boot it's 15 meters high she says [Music] foreign [Music] so those are baby stalactites [Music] and it takes a hundred years for them to grow one centimeter [Music] a hmm spectacular creation what could it be I wonder largest in the world wow [Music] foreign [Music] wow [Music] this pillar is 32 meters tall and 18 meters wide the time of its birth is still debated but it's estimated to have started growing about 200 000 years ago that's a long long time ago [Music] I got it I can feel the eternity of time in this underground World in andelucia this is such a fulfilling experience it's 8 p.m and it's still so light out where am I now I'm at a rock climbing family at a former stone quarry talked to some ladies cooling down beside a church and I've come here oh hello go up these steps I think I'll go this way [Music] hmm that lady is knitting on her doorstep hello [Music] I wonder what she's knitting something for a donkey wow wow so many potted plants along this alley too [Music] I'll take a look there's so many different kinds I guess the residents are vying to display their best oh they're painting the wall wow everyone is helping [Music] is this their own house [Music] good evening [Music] you're hard at work is this your own house oh then you are I see it's a lot of work so all the neighbors are helping out I'm impressed by this neighborly assistance Community collaboration tradition huh oh good evening what did you do to her but you look happy together 50 years [Music] he's gone let's go anyway this wall looks really clean from corner to corner so meticulous oh he's back yes please yeah oh this is you again so cute so you two have been together since your younger days for me you were destined for each other [Music] [Music] now [Music] a town full of Happiness thanks for talking to me no no [Music] no so bright [Music] mihas a traditional Andalusian white Village it's not only the buildings that appear pure but also the hearts and minds of the people who live here thank you [Music]
2023-06-20 11:52
