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Level 9

[RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

We  (my superb LG friend @SandraCarlou and our kids) had our meet-up at Isla Cristina Marshes, a Natural Park and also a Special Protection Area for Birds.

Is a lovely town located in the South of Spain, in the Coast of Light, near the Border with Portugal.

We visited a Sustainable Traditional Activity and learned about how to collect Salt from the Marshes.

 

The Salt is obtained by the evaporation of the sea water, so we need the sun.

That´s why the main production is in summer.

 

There are two ways of collecting, we have both in the area:

Industrial way: is collected by machines and in the clean proccess many oligoelements are lost. This salt is cheaper 

Artisan way: salt has all its natural components and is more healthy.

 

The sea water is conducted to rafts with little depth. In the bottom there is mud.

This rafts are separated from each other by land.

There are some rafts destined to store water from the sea that is transferred to heating rafts where the wind and sun evaporate the water. After that, is collected in traditional way.

 

 

We can find three types of salt:

Flower of Salt: is on the top; has less sodium chloride and more mineral.It's spongy. Has a strong taste at the beginning but then disappear in the mouth. It is has to be added after cooking. Perfect for salads, toats with olive oil…

Salt flakes: is down the Flower of salt. Is similar than Flower of Salt but more crystallized forming small blocks. Perfect for meets, fishes…

Virgen Salt: is the lower one. Has more flavor and it´s perfect for cooking.

 

Just with salt they can´t earn enough money for living, that´s why the woman ahead (the owner) has being creative and started to create tours (like the one we made), and now they are having a lot of success with the magnesium pools during the summer. We will go next summer!!! Some of my friends are telling me how fantastic is for the skin. You can have a mud bath too.

 

I asked about reduced mobility and some parts can be use like the pools but other facilities are not adapted, for example the toilets. It´s difficult to move a wheelchair on the earth, a person using it must need some help if decided to visit this beautiful place.

 

I haven´t seen any recycling container...

 

It´s perfect to go with kids because they are in the open air and learn many interesting concepts like: how the plants in the area taste (they are salty), we saw some birds like flamingos…

 

After the tour, we bought some  products in the shop they have.

 

 We were hungry so went to have lunch and added more photos to Google Maps and more friends joined us.

 

  The restaurant and the café with games for kids are adapted for people with reduced mobility.

 

We had a nice day discovering Isla Cristina Hidden Gems as part of the World Wide Geo Walk Season II coordinated by @OSAMA

Thank you very much for taking your time reading this post :)))

Here is the Share Album

Good Evening from the South of Spain,

Alejandra.

Flor de Sal Salinas de Isla Cristina, Isla Cristina, España
30 comments
Connect Moderator

Re: [RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

@AlejandraMaria What a big discovery  

I like your story wich is full of sharpness about this matter and this is Salt! I learnt some new from this post...

Thank you too for informed us about wheelchair  accessibility of these plalces.

Keep exploring.. .

Happy Guiding!

Level 9

Re: [RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

what a great hidden gems in Isla Cristina @AlejandraMaria ,

first of them is " @SandraCarlou" i like all the post from all the salt & All the food 😄

and thank you very much for the great lesson about the salt

and the three types , i like the flower of salt 

you are one of the best local guides ever Alejandra ,

Keep it up & happy Guiding

Level 8

Re: [RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

Wow! Great family and friends. Now i know how salt are collected. Thank  you @AlejandraMaria for sharing. 

Connect Moderator

Re: [RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

Thanks for sharing this informative recap post @AlejandraMaria

About me | Guiding Star 2020 | Guiding Star 2020 |  | Follow me on Instagram & Follow me on Maps |   | Happy to Help


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Connect Moderator

Re: [RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

Fantastic @AlejandraMaria

I thought that this salt, they only collect in this way in France...,

very nice and informative recap...

 

loooking forward to have some together with you not only virtually 😉

https://goo.gl/maps/6ascMbAtC6r
Connect Moderator

Re: [RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

Thank you for sharing this nice recap @AlejandraMaria!

This is a very interesting article as a reading material 🙂

Level 9

Re: [RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

With your this post now I know there's several type of salts. So far I was only aware about one category.
@AlejandraMaria you all looks good 🙂
Thanks for sharing this beautiful post with us

Level 10

Re: [RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

Amazing post @AlejandraMaria.

Isla Cristina Marshes seems to be a Wonderful Hidden Gems in Ayamonte. 

 

Thanks for all the information about varities of salts, in Mumbai india We have the same procedure to produce the salt from sea water, next time when I will visit coastal areas, will try to obtain flower of salt from there....

 

Thanks for sharing an amazing recap. 

Level 9

Re: [RECAP] Isla Cristina Hidden Gems

Hello motivated Local Guides,

All of you are very very kind :))) I am going to add a bit more information :)))

 

Thank you very much @ShafiulB, we agree that is very important to mention the accessibility of the places in our Recaps :)))

 

Thank you very much @OSAMA for your nice words; for me the best is the Flower of Salt too :)))

 

Thank you very much @RupendraNeupane; I am glad you know much better how salt is collected :)))

 

Thank you very much @NareshDarji; I am happy you have seen this post informative :)))

 

Thank you very much @TorM; yes, in Spain and many sea countries we collect the salt this way. And  there is an interesting story behind the salinas (salt marshes)... The salt has many uses... I am going to add a bit more of information because you are german 😉

 

75 years ago, Biomaris (a cosmetic german brand) started to produce their own salt in this marshes because the salt was and is  their high quality ingredient. And not just this, there is a history of spies related to the Second World War in the background. This salt exploitation was a cover...

This place is known like "The salt marshes of the German" in Spanish "Las salinas del alemán", and now they are going to change it name to this one. You can see in the photo

 

 

Thank you very much @HiroyukiTakisawa, I am very happy that you had enjoyed reading about our salt :)))

 

Thank you very much @Haseeb; yes there are many types of salt, I have highlighted the main ones. In front of the place we visited there is an industrial way of extraction, with excavators (as you can see in the photo).

A greater quantity is collected but of lower quality.

Also note in the price, industrial salt is less than half a euro per kilo, salt collected by hand from 1.5 euros per kilo. And I paid 6 euros for 400 grams of salt flower.

 

 

Thank you very much @NandKK; Isla Cristina is a town next to Ayamonte. I have to go to work there one day a week and I love to cross over the mashes and see the incredible views. Isla Cristina is an small island that appeared after the Lisbon´s earthquake in 1755, around 8,5 in Rischter´s Scale. That earthquake changed our coastline. Yes, I live in an area of earthquakes... and we are starting to get ready to the next big seaquake or earthquake ...

 

Good Evening to all of you from the South of Spain,

Alejandra.