We had a really good nights sleep and had plans to do the walk around the campsite before heading off. The weather dictated otherwise, however, as it was tipping it down with rain. We decided to visit an olive oil factory Picualia for a tour en route to Jaén (world olive oil capital) as the website said there was an English speaking tour at 10:30. When we got there, however , there were no tours on. We nipped into the shop and got some decent olive oil, olive crackers and partridge pate which seems to be a regional speciality. Further into our journey, we could see the outline of the castle on the hill where we would be staying as we approached the city of Jaén. It was too early to check in though, so Dave found a nice parking spot on park4night for a picnic lunch.
We had a really good nights sleep and had plans to do the walk around the campsite before heading off. The weather dictated otherwise, however, as it was tipping it down with rain. We decided to visit an olive oil factory Picualia for a tour en route to Jaén (world olive oil capital) as the website said there was an English speaking tour at 10:30. When we got there, however , there were no tours on. We nipped into the shop and got some decent olive oil, olive crackers and partridge pate which seems to be a regional speciality. Further into our journey, we could see the outline of the castle on the hill where we would be staying as we approached the city of Jaén. It was too early to check in though, so Dave found a nice parking spot on park4night for a picnic lunch.
We then checked into the Parador de Jaén at 2 ready for two nights of luxury. The room and views were gorgeous. The last time we stayed in a parador was 10 years ago in Ronda. Paradores in Spain are a chain of hotels located in historic buildings like castles, palaces, monasteries, and other significant historical sites. They are owned by the Spanish State and managed by a subsidiary company, Paradores de Turismo de España. Their goal is to preserve and promote Spain’s cultural and artistic heritage while offering a unique lodging experience.
The Parador de Jaén – in their own words!:
“At the top of the hill of Santa Catalina, next to the castle of the same name, stands the Parador de Jaén, crowning the city and offering visitors a spectacular view of the mountains of the Sierra Morena and Sierra Mágina.
A starting point and destination for discovering all the charms of the Andalusian Renaissance, the Parador de Jaén stands out for its façade of huge stone walls and impressive interior vaults. There you’ll find a traditional look that combines sober defensive architecture with regional craftsmanship that will take you to another age.”
We decided to have a very slobby afternoon and leave it until tomorrow to discover the ‘charms of the Andalusian renaissance.’🤣 The howling gale and grey skies were not conducive to a visit to the town. We planned out the next two days of our trip and booked into an olive factory tour for Tuesday. We had a lovely drink in the bar and settled in for the evening – looking forward to our meal in the parador dining room later that night.
The meal lived up to expectations and the setting was beautiful. We almost chose the local cheeses for starter but then thought we should branch out and have something that we would not make at home, even though it sounded a bit weird!! Our shared starter was a very generous helping of partridge pâté with pistachio crumbs, red fruit jus and chocolate. It was actually really delicious and the chocolate cut through the pâté really nicely. Dave then had beef cooked rare with potatoes and pepper sauce and I couldn’t resist another portion of beef cheek (carrillada)with potato. It was all delicious and filling, so no dessert was needed and we ambled off to bed. By this time it was about a 10:45 and we were pleased that we had finally had dinner at the same time as the Spaniards. 🤣
