Jaén at Night

Ruta Bancos Gigantes or Huge Bench Route in Andalucia

A new rage is slowly spreading across Andalucia with its beginnings in the province of Malaga and that is huge benches are being installed in beauty spots across the region. The Huge Bench Route or Ruta Bancos Gigantes #rutabancosgigantes can be found on Instagram where they are more active with updates on the new installations of these enormous benches and they have a Facebook page too. Map of the Ruta Bancos Gigantes The initiative started by Forest Green an agrobroker company that supplies and works with treated wood to large construction and environmental companies in Spain. The huge bench route is steadily growing, with constant new installations spreading across Andalucia. The enormous handmade wooden benches are 4 metre long and 2.3 metre high, with the seat being 1.3 metres above ground and needing steps to get onto them, appearing in natural beauty spots hopes to encourage people out into and enjoy the views and of course take photos to be ...

A visit to Jaén last night with hub and two sons, meant an obligatory (rare) Carrefour visit followed by another attempt to find the 1888 bar open. It wasn´t. I´m now presuming now that it´s closed for good which would be very sad after so many years and more so ´cos I didn´t get there in time.

Back of Jaén Cathedral

After popping in a renovated characterless Mesón for a beer and tapas and getting a not very inspiring anchovy and cream cheese on a slice of bread, rather boring (although hub and I had to have two as the kids just looked at them,) to the castle we went.

Jaén Cathedral & City at Night

Up the Santa Catalina hill to see Jaén come alive with twinkling lights as darkness falls is pretty magical. It was rather breezy up there in strangely hot bursts, which didn´t help my photography session.

Jaén Parador from the Walkway

Santa Catalina has a 4* Parador, castle with Visitor Centre and a huge white monumental cross at one end of the hill, said to be on the site that Ferdinand lll his sword or a cross into the ground after re-taking the city from the Moors in 1246.

Jaén´s Monumental Cross Overseeing the City

Jaén´s Monumental Cross From the Walkway

Stunning views, day or night make this a special spot and an advisable start on a visit to the city. A stroll to the cross deserves a visit to the only bar, so with deep pockets to the Parador bar it was. I got outvoted and had to take an easy chair under the 20m high vaulted ceiling in the drawing room instead of one of the pretty patios with city light views.