Today we spontaneously decided to eat in a random town of the province Málaga, and driving the wind took us to Fuente de Piedra. This town is known worldwide for the observatories and sightings of thousands of pink flamingos that migrate each year to its lagoon between the months march-may.
Before grabbing some food we want to see the flamingos, so we went to the José Antonio Valverde interpretation center. Once arrived we find a huge empty parking lot, unfortunately because of the Covid-19 the center is temporarily closed.
In the distance we see many white and pink dots together… that can only be one thing in Fuente de Piedra … PINK FLAMINGOS! But we were unlucky that the trail to get to the viewpoints is only open at the same time as the interpretation center. We could have been mischievous and traspassed to the path, but we must always respect the rules of the place. But we will be back for sure in March 2021!
We park next to the Church of Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes and very hungry we enter the town towards the Plaza de Constitución where we see a Tapas Bar Panymá open. Once sitting down they serve us very quickly and the girl explains us the menu and the dishes of the day that are not on the menu. We ordered a few portions of Carillada, Potatoes with bacon, Croquetas de Cocido and Berenjenas stuffed with cheese and honey.
The food took a short time to be served, but we see immediately that we had ordered too much food. The portions are large and very reasonably priced between 4 and 7 euros. I want to highlight the tenderness of the carrilada, the berenjenas (aubergines) were the best that we have eaten so far in villages, and the size of the croquettes were enourmous. The bill with 3 drinks was around 23 euros if i remember correctly. With a full stomach we continue our little tour.
At the same square called Plaza de la Constitución you can find the Fountain that gives the town its name. The fountain itself is not an astonishing structure, but it creates a sense of peace knowing that this fountain has supplied the population of the area for thousands of years with water and that it was rebuilt with stones and bricks from ancient sources once buried. When we are taking som photos, I can see and understand the importance of the fountain for the population, when I see an older man approaching with a cloth to the water to get it soaked and then put it on his head to cool off.
Next to the Plaza is the tourist office where there is a map with a tourist route through the town with the most emblematic points of interest. Next to it is a square with the town hall where heraldry stands out on the ground with a mosaic of stones where a pink flamingo obviously stands out.
During the walk through the town we observed several very stately buildings highlighting the Casa-Palacio Conde del Castillo del Tajo which is the oldest civil monument in the town.
So far our getaway and spontaneous food in Fuente de Piedra, but we lacked the flamingos and the refuge of the burrito that we left for spring 2021.
For more information about Fuente de Piedra Pueblo: visit the City Council page