Granada to Úbeda

Pretty agricultural land all the way from Granada to Úbeda, our next backroads town. Cork oaks and olive trees as far as the eye can see...

Interesting church facade, grabbed on the fly from the bus

Úbeda, a town of 36,000 in the province of Jaen, goes back before Roman times and has variously been occupied by Roman, Visigoths, and the Moors, of course. In the early 16th century, a number of Renaissance-style palaces and churches were built and preserved here. Our 16th-century parador, formerly the home of a major church official, faced out on a large plaza anchored by a chapel and a major church.

The Chapel of the Savior or Capilla del Salvador houses the tombs of local nobility.

Across the Plaza is Santa Maria de los Real Alcazar

The church is a major focus of the town's annual Corpus Christi celebration, with the plaza being covered in religious emblems and the streets festooned with palm branches and garlands