Jaén

Jaen has monuments, museums and curious details to explore. A beautiful Cathedral (built between the 16th and 18th century) is in Renaissance style, located in the center of the city. Now converted into a beautiful Parador Hotel, the Moorish Castle of Santa Catalina is sits on top of Mount Catalina. A good way to take beautiful photos of Jaén is to climb a nearby hill that is home to a a large, graceful cross, as pictured above.

To the west is Andújar, one of the largest olive oil producers in Andalucia. The Church of Saint Mary possesses intricate wrought iron railings, Plateresque entrance, a Moorish style bell tower and a chapel with one of El Greco´s paintings showing in it. In the Natural Park of Andujar, there is an indescribable route to arrive at La Virgen de la Cabeza, a 13th century hermitage which is often frequented by travelers on a pilgrimage to this holy place in April.

In the corner of the province of Jaen, between Granada and Cordoba, is the historic town of Alcala la Real. During medieval times, this town was strategically located and played an important part in leading battles in the 14th century You'll find many shops full of traditional hand-made leather goods, embroidery and pottery.

Almost every month there is some celebration in the province. One celebration worth seeing is on August 15th with over 11,000 heart-warming lit candles paying devotion to the Virgen de los Mercedes.

Tasty herring or cod is a specialty dish but spinach Jaen style are appetizing, too. Ajilimojili , a lot harder to pronounce than to eat, is cooked potatoes with red peppers, olive oil and vinegar or vegetable stew made with ripe yellow squash, onions and eggplant.