Notice – The Meeting on January 10th will be a Commemoration for our founder, Dr Dorothy Price who died on 5th June 2019. Sadly, due to the time of year, many of us were away and consequently, very few attended her funeral. More details will be sent out by email soon about how we intend to celebrate her legacy.
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On Friday 8th November, a group of us went to Cordoba, first to see Las Ermitas, where a group of hermits had previously lived independently. This entailed a bus journey through wonderful countryside, high up in the mountains of Cordoba, thankfully, although narrow, the road was in a good state.
In early 1900’s, a group of the hermits got together and built small dwellings where they co-existed, living life in a Holy way, praying and undertaking manual work. Today, there are 2 of the dwellings which can be seen. The Monks lived a very austere life with only basic facilities. Each dwelling had a garden where they grew vegetables and fruit. There is an avenue of Cypress trees, which encouraged them to look heavenwards. And nearby, there is a small cemetery where the previous hermits are now buried. The tree lined avenue leads to a pretty church with wonderful tiles, wood carvings and art work. Mass is celebrated every Sunday, open to all.
We boarded the bus again for the short journey to the former City of Madinat al Zahra (Shining City). First we took a rather hurried snack in order to watch a video about the City and how it was when constructed. We then boarded the special shuttle bus up to the archaeological site where we wandered and admired the remains. It is a vast site and although progressing, only about 1/10th has been excavated. It is so amazing to see the materials used and fine carving when considering that in those days there were no lorries to bring the goods or measuring aids or computer aided design. Once again, the views are spectacular and the geometric designed garden still looks good.
All together, a long but enjoyable day.
Christina Sinclair
Co-ordinator Nerja History Group
687 602 057
email:nerjahistorygroup@yahoo.com
http://www.nerjahistorygroup.com