Area Guide for Garrucha, AlmeriaIntroduction:Garrucha is an attractive seaside town in southeastern Spain. With a population of 7,000, the town is bigger than other rural Spanish towns, yet not huge. In the past five years, however, the town’s population has grown by almost 2,000 people. In 2005, the population increased by 44%. Continue to watch Garrucha’s population rapidly expand. Hopefully, businesses will also enter this town and bring additional job opportunities to the area.History:5,000 years ago, Garrucha was a main port for armies. Structures were harmed during pirate raids, but for the most part, the town has always been a successful trade port. The Moors realised the importance of this town and built a strong fortress to protect their harbour.
As decades passed, the area locals realised that the surrounding hillsides were rich in silver, lead, and other important minerals. They were able to mine these deposits and use them for trade and later for sale to other areas. Mining still plays a small part in the area’s economy.
In the twentieth century, tourism increased. Garrucha responded by increasing the number of hotels and restaurants. A casino was added and the town came to life. Today, tourism is an important part of the area’s economy, but the majority still comes from seafood. Many popular seafood treasures are found off the shores of Garrucha.
Site Seeing:The seventeenth century castle overlooks the bay. This structure needs repairs, but it is still worthy of a little time.
For two days in June, the Bonfires of San Juan are held on the town beaches. These huge bonfires bring townspeople together for two nights of outdoor fun.
Most town offices are now located in the old salt granary. The building features impressive architectural details.
In July, a celebration in honour of the local fishermen is held. A parade winds through the town streets. Be sure to visit the honorary statue that tributes these hard working men!
You can always head to the port for daily seafood auctions. You may find yourself gaining a few bargains that can be served up for the afternoon and evening meals.
The Parochial Church of San Joaquin and the Hermitage de la Virgen del Carmen are the town’s two popular churches. They are certainly worthy of a half an hour or so. If you happen to be in town on a Sunday, attend a church service.
The beaches are lined by an attractive promenade that allows visitors and locals to get out and exercise while viewing the area gardens, sea views, and palm trees.
Five kilometers from Garrucha is the small town of Turre. If you can time it correctly, head to Turre for their huge open air market. The market is held Friday morning and early afternoon.
The Vera Aquatico Park is also five kilometers away. This water park will delight both the young and old. More than ten huge water slides are available to both children and adults.
Industry:Garrucha is a key mining district. The harbour is sheltered and can accommodate large ships. Silver, lead, copper, and iron are mined locally and then sold to outlying districts and countries. Fruits and esparto grass are harvested within the town. Esparto grass is a course sea grass that can be processed into fibre pulp that is suitable for making paper, especially the paper used inside books. The pulp is sold throughout Europe, but it can be expensive. The pulp is rarely used in the United States due to the expense of shipping the material.
Smaller businesses like hotels, inns, and restaurants play an important part in the tourism industry. Garrucha does host a number of tourists every year.
Garrucha’s largest industry is seafood. The waters off Garrucha’s shoreline are rich with red prawns. Harvesting and selling these prawns brings in half of Garrucha’s yearly revenue. Unfortunately, the quantities are rapidly diminishing. While fishermen pulled in 150,000 or more kilos of prawns a decade ago, last year netted only 35,000 kilos. Severe limitations will need to be enforced if the prawns are going to be able to increase their populations. Alternately, it may be time to start farming these creatures to ensure they are not deleted from existence.
If the red prawns vanish completely, Garrucha could be in trouble. With such a high percentage of the economy relying on red prawns, the reduced revenue is going to cause troublesome issues soon.
Gastronomy:Seafood is the most important component to Garrucha’s cuisine. Red prawns and a variety of rockfish are served often. Most seafood is sautéed in a mixture of olive oil and garlic and then splashed before serving with a nice dose of white wine.
Marine stew combines fresh fish with garlic, olive oil, wine, almonds and fried cubes of bread. This dish is inexpensive and filling.
Traditional tapas include fried sardines that are tossed with roasted red peppers and chunks of bacon. Snails that have been cooked in wine and plenty of garlic are also common.
If you do not enjoy seafood, you will enjoy a stewed dish of rabbit or poultry, tomatoes, garlic, red or green peppers, and chickpeas. Dishes are often served with bowls of steaming rice or seasoned vermicelli.
Nightlife:With a respectable amount of fresh seafood available, tapas bars are an experience you should not miss. There are a number of tapas bars within Garrucha. For a small fee, you can order a delicious snack to enjoy with a cold beer or glass of wine.
A number of bars and taverns are situated throughout the area. You can start your evening with a leisurely meal at one of the area’s romantic restaurants and then party at one or more of the area’s outstanding bars.
Summary:Garrucha is a town to watch and admire. Providing town councils can keep the population from growing too rapidly, Garrucha will be a big name in tourism in the future.
With some careful planning for business and residential growth, you can be sure that Garrucha will be everyone’s dream destination for both travel and relocation.
Useful Business Links for Garrucha:Do you offer a service in this area? If so, why not put a link here directly to your website. Contact Ask Olive today. |
