Julius Caesar’s Liver / Hígado de Julio César

La versión en españoles está después de la versión en inglés.

I HAD TO MAKE AN apppointment to visit the Cuevas del Tesoro (treasure caves of Málaga) and there were no appointments available yesterday. So we instead drove an hour in the other direction to the Pueblo Blanco (white village) of Casares.

Once we arrived, we stopped for lunch — exceptional. I’ll share those photos probably tomorrow. I’m stealing them from niece-in-law Lindy. She got great shots. No sense in reinventing the wheel.

It was a feast and San Geraldo needed a siesta after. So he headed back down the hill a bit to the car while Matt, Lindy, and I headed up the mountain to take in more of the town, the 14th-century Arab fort at the top among the ruins, and the spectacular views.

Casares was already famous during Roman Times when the sulfur hot springs (at the spa of la Hedionda) supposedly cured Julius Caesar of a liver complaint. As a result, Casares even got to mint its own coins. Casares was also the birthplace in 1885 of Blas Infante [Pérez de Vargas] who is known as the father of Andalusian nationalism. He was executed by Franco’s forces in 1936 at the start of the Spanish Civil War.

My photos are mostly of the views because the light was perfect for our climb. It’s an easy drive along the coast, made easier by the toll road further up that parallels the coast. However, the last 20 minutes or so take place on a long, steep, and incessantly winding road. San Geraldo, Matt, and Lindy were all happy to escape the car after that last bit.

Nutrition and Fitness Report
Stretching: Twice Wednesday and Thursday. Once so far today.
Walking: Up and around and down the mountain Wednesday. I never got winded. I even jogged a bit — with no sciatic pain!
Gym: Will be there in an hour for arms and shoulders.
Notes: One Oreo Wednesday.

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TENÍA QUE HACER CITA PARA visitar las Cuevas del Tesoro y ayer no había citas disponibles. Así que en su lugar condujimos una hora en la otra dirección al Pueblo Blanco de Casares.

Una vez que llegamos, paramos para almorzar. Excepcional. Probablemente compartiré esas fotos mañana. Se los estoy robando a la sobrina Lindy. Ella consiguió excelentes fotos. No tiene sentido reinventar la rueda.

Era una fiesta y San Geraldo necesitaba una siesta después. Así que bajó la colina hacia el automóvil mientras Matt, Lindy, y yo nos dirigimos hacia la montaña para ver más de la ciudad, el fuerte árabe del siglo XIV en la cima entre las ruinas, y las espectaculares vistas.

Casares ya era famoso durante la época romana cuando las aguas termales de azufre (en el balneario de la Hedionda) supuestamente curaron a Julio César de una enfermedad hepática. Como resultado, Casares incluso llegó a acuñar sus propias monedas. Casares también fue el lugar de nacimiento en 1885 de Blas Infante [Pérez de Vargas], conocido como el padre del nacionalismo andaluz. Fue ejecutado por las fuerzas de Franco en 1936 al comienzo de la Guerra Civil Española.

Mis fotos son en su mayoría de las vistas porque la luz era perfecta para nuestra escalada. Es un viaje fácil a lo largo de la costa, facilitado por la carretera de peaje más arriba que corre paralela a la costa. Sin embargo, los últimos 20 minutos más o menos tienen lugar en un camino largo, empinado e incesantemente sinuoso. San Geraldo, Matt y Lindy estaban felices de escapar del auto después de ese último tramo.

Informe de Nutrición y Estado Físico
Estiramiento: Dos veces el miercoles y el jueves. Una vez hasta ahora hoy.

Caminando: El miércoles, subió, rodeó, y bajó la montaña. Nunca me quedé sin aliento. Incluso corrí un poco, ¡sin dolor ciático!
Gimnasio: Estará allí en una hora para brazos y hombros.
Notas: Un Oreo el miércoles.

• Notice the two white cars near lower right. That’s the entrance to the parking garage and the start of our climb. I hadn’t yet reached the top when I took this photo.
• Observe los dos autos blancos cerca de la parte inferior derecha. Esa es la entrada al estacionamiento y el comienzo de nuestro ascenso. Todavía no había llegado a la cima cuando tomé esta foto.
• Griffin vultures (aka Eurasian vultures) soaring on the wind currents. An Old World vulture with a wingspan of 2.3–2.8 m (7.5–9.2 ft).
• Buitres leonados (también conocidos como buitres euroasiáticos) volando sobre las corrientes de viento. Un buitre del Viejo Mundo con una envergadura de 2,3 a 2,8 m (7,5 a 9,2 pies).
Matt
• No road trip with San Geraldo is complete without OREO cookies. This is the only one I had.
• Ningún viaje por carretera con San Geraldo está completo sin las galletas OREO. Este es el único que tenía.

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• Traditional(?) music and dance of Southern Spain (and a bust of Blas Infante) to get us in the mood to climb the mountain.
• Música y danza tradicional(?) del sur de España (y un busto de Blas Infante) para animarnos a escalar la montaña.

Author: Moving with Mitchell

From Brooklyn, New York; to North Massapequa; back to Brooklyn; Brockport, New York; back to Brooklyn... To Boston, Massachusetts, where I met Jerry... To Marina del Rey, California; Washington, DC; New Haven and Guilford, Connecticut; San Diego, San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Santa Barbara, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Irvine, California; Sevilla, Spain. And Fuengirola, Málaga..

22 thoughts on “Julius Caesar’s Liver / Hígado de Julio César”

    1. Debra:
      All I noticed was the loud music. Lindy immediately noticed Disco Guy. I wish I had been closer for better video… and longer. He liked being the center of attention.

    1. wickedhamster:
      I wonder if damage was done during the Spanish civil war. I was stunned to learn how much was destroyed all over the country.

  1. What a wonderful place, that climb would take me a while, I need to work on that. You are being so good, you will live to be 100. The sky in a couple of those shots is epic.

    1. David:
      Last time there, I was winded and my muscles were sore. This time, it was a breeze. I was running up and down hills to re-explore things. Never winded. Never achy. It was surprising and fun.

    1. Wilma:
      I don’t know that I’ve ever eaten just one Oreo either. And I didn’t even want a second.

    1. Walt the Fourth:
      We’ve got Roman, Phoenecian, and Arab ruins right here in town. But nothing like Casares.

  2. Beautiful scenery! What incredible views! I had never heard of this place but it looks well worth a visit. I hadn’t thought about the relationship of the name Casares to Caesar. Didn’t Madonna have a pal named Ingrid Casares back in the day?

    1. Oops — hit publish too soon, before I could correct my name! For some reason the WordPress template always autopopulates with my full name and leaves out my website, no matter how many times I correct it and click “save (info) for the next time I comment.” Hmmmm…

      1. Steve:
        I can’t figure out WordPress and Blogger and all their commenting quirks and inconsistencies. I’m glad you were at least able to comment. I can USUALLY not comment on either from my iPad. Lately, I’ve had no problems on my iMac, but it’s only a matter of time.

    2. Steve:
      I never kept up with Madonna’s pals. We ran in different circles. Casares is so worth a visit. One of the most beautiful white village… among many beautiful white villages.

    1. Urspo:
      Oh, yeah. There seems to be a multitude of flavors now, including Double STUFF. I go for the originals.

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