Fundación Marjal

CME visited the caves in Busot /Canelobre, discovered by the Arabs in 740 AD, and which have been formed over 7 million years by the action of water on limestone. The original mouth of the cave entrance is located at 630 meters above sea level.

During the Spanish Civil War it was a place of refuge and was used as an aircraft factory and arsenal which was opened by another entry a few feet below. This is currently used by visitors to access the caves. During the tour of the caves we could admire the various forms that the rocks have taken: candelabras, animals and many spectacular shapes.

The centre piece of the room can be visited (the others are for caving) in a space of 80,000 m². Its dimensions, 45m high, 45m other to the opposite wall and 35m wide produce a sense of grandeur and, in fact, the space is now used for concerts. The tour allows us to observe large stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites whose shapes resemble candelabras (Canelobre in Valencian) and have given the name to the Cave. In the middle of the room stands the stalagmite called "The Canelobre" (candelabra in Valencian) that is more than 100,000 years old.

Canelobre Cave has a 85% humidity and 17 ° C throughout the year, its stalagmites and stalactites are composed of mineral calcite and limestone. Every stalactite begins to be created with a single drop of mineral water. When the drop falls, it leaves behind a thin trail of calcite. The same drop of water falling from the tip of a stalactite deposit more calcite on the floor, resulting finally a stalagmite. If you were to join the two, it would form a column. Knowing that every stalactite grows 1 cm per 100 years, we get an idea of the importance of this cave and its beauty.

After visiting the Cave of Canelobre, we headed to the town of Jijona to visit the "Museum of Turron of Jijona " specializing in “turrón” and sweets. Jijona is the city that brings together the most important companies of turrón, sweets and marzipan, which is what is explained; the history of turrón and the manufacturing of this delicious object. The Turrón Museum is situated within the Almond and Honey Company, Inc. whose history dates back to 1725. Brands, such as 1880 or El Lobo are some of the companies engaged in the manufacture of sweets, possibley the oldest and most traditional in Europe.

The museum is divided into 3 floors, classified in Raw Materials, Processing and Marketing. First we are explained with a video projection of the history and origin of turron and the manufacturing system of turron "El Lobo" and "1880". The turron is made with almonds, honey and sugar invented in Jijona in the twelfth century when Muslims cultivated honey. Now part of Spanish culinary culture and history. We then toured the facilities of the factory where we saw the equipment and machinery used. Then we visited two large rooms showcasing machinery and equipment used in times past and its evolution over time. At the end of the visit, we conducted a tasting of two of the candies made by "El Lobo" and "1880".

After the visits we went to eat at a local restaurant where we were served a dish of “pericana” made with cod, seasonal dry peppers, garlic and a good amount of olive oil. For the main course we tried the Gazpacho Manchego. A dish that is cooked in inland of Alicante, usually in Winter and Autumn that contains mountain rabbit, chicken and curtail cakes (pasta squares).

CME would like to thank you for your participation and we encourage you to share with us the photos of the day sent by email to club@marjal.com.

We are at your disposal for any questions and happy help in anything you require. We will endeavour to keep you informed of new activities and events that will take place in the near future.