After being set up by my host family with a couple other au pairs in the area on Friday night, I decided to join a few of them on a spur of the moment trip to the nearby town of Aracena! So, after waking up early the next day, I met up with my new friends — Kia, Callum, and Becky — at the bus station here in Sevilla.
Only an hour and a half later through the sun-baked countryside, we arrived in a town with a significantly cooler, yet refreshing climate than the one we left earlier in the day. Straight off the bus we began breaking down our itinerary for the day. While the town of Aracena doesn’t draw much to the eye on a map, its hidden attractions are what drew me to this impromptu vacation. Within fifteen minutes of walking distance from the town center in any direction, we had the opportunity to visit the incredible cave complex of the Gruta de las Maravillas, the Castillo de Aracena upon the overlooking hill, and the quirky Iberian ham museum named Museo del Jamón.
The station where our bus from Sevilla dropped us off happened to be on the opposite side of the castle on the hill, so while asking for directions inside a nearby pharmacy, a local woman offered to give us a ride to avoid the uphill trek. We were all surprised by her kindness and enjoyed the happy conversation on the way. Having began our day with a welcome streak of good will, we knew it would be one for the books!
Not wanting to miss the top attraction, we headed straight to the entrance of the Gruta to join the next tour. Situated beneath the town’s castle hill, we were led through the winding tunnels and open caverns with our jaws consistently hitting the floor. Our guide took us through twelve different chambers which skirted along six incredible underground lakes. The wonderfully weird rock formations had us wanting to stay behind yet at the same time eager to keep pushing forward for more.
After our tour of the cave came to an end — which I think we could all agree was a bit too early — we decided to hike to the hilltop ruins of the Castillo de Aracena above. The current remains of the Castle were built by the joint efforts of the Kingdoms of Portugal and Castilla in the 12th century. However, people had been inhabiting the area much before then. The ruins of the castle you can see today were additionally built atop of a much earlier Islamic settlement as well! There, we took also took a guided tour of the inner walls, but agreed the view was worth the entry cost.
After a long morning on our feet, we all decided it was time to get some rest and a few tapas to quench our appetites. A couple rounds of tinto de verano and a local selection of jamón iberico later, it was time to make our way to possibly one of the most unusual museums I have had the chance to visit — The Ham Museum. Now I have to say, Spain’s fame of their cured cuts of Iberian pig most defiantly deserves a museum to its own. Inside we learned about the intricate process of raising these pigs and their specific acorn-only diets which gives them their famed savory taste.
Having dodged a couple rainstorms throughout the day and seen all there was to see in this humble, yet surprising town, it was time to find our way back to the heat of Sevilla. We were all very tired after a long day of exploring, but this was not a trip to be missed. So now, with new friends made and an unexpected adventure under my belt, it just goes to show how rewarding a spontaneous decision can be!
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