ALPACAS EL SOL, CORDOBA

Our dear friends Lorna and Alan

As most of our friends and BLOG followers will know, Lin and I so rarely get to go away together because of the commitment to our animals, so whilst Ed was staying with us we decided to take the opportunity of visiting our dear friends and fellow alpaca breeders Lorna and Alan who live just outside of Cordoba.

We set off on the Friday morning with the intention of a leisurely drive up to their reformed olive mill situated in the countryside close to the town of Montoro. 

Having stopped off for breakfast, we left the motorway and headed cross country whereupon we came across the town of Castro del Rio, where we stopped for a while to explore.   

A square in Castro del Rio

Within the remains of the old castle in Castro del Rio, we saw a bird of prey feeding its young in the nest that had been built in one of the crevices in the castle wall!

Sadly, this was the best photograph I could take, because once she was aware of our presence, she became very concerned and anxious, so we left her in peace.

The highlight of the day, was when this elderly Spanish man with no teeth, who clearly fancied Lin, stopped his car in the middle of the road and tried his repertoire of English chat-up lines, which sadly for him came to no avail...

Had he had a few teeth....who knows!!!

Storks nesting on the church tower!

We arrived at Lorna and Alan's early evening and after a swim and a change of clothes we went to Montoro for dinner, after watching England's match against Sweden in the Euro 2012 Championships.

We stayed at Lorna and Alan's delightful Casita, which is incredibly spacious and decorated to a very high standard and includes a huge feature bath. It also has a private terrace that leads directly to the pool area. As part of their self-catering business, this Casita is available to rent from June through to September at very competitive rates. For more information you will be able to find 'Alpacas el Sol' on Facebook or alternatively you could visit their website at www.cordobarestrelaxation.co.uk

SUPER ED!

God Bless You Mate...

Our dear and very special friend Ed came over in May for his annual six week sabbatical.....

He never ceases to amaze us, he starts work the moment he arrives and doesn't stop until the day he is leaving.

Projects completed during this visit include a rustic pergola (which you can see in the background of the top photograph) a set of steps, a huerto (vegetable garden) a garden trough, completion of our irrigation system plus much, much more....

The vegetable garden....

the Spanish steps....

the garden trough!

Ed, who (I'm sure won't mind me saying) will be 70 years of age later this month, is not only a 'Master Craftsman' but also super human!

One morning, when the temperatures were in the high thirties, we had to move and stack over two hundred bales of hay!  Our close neighbours Sarah and Jim (who we affectionately know as Rosie & Jim) very kindly allowed us the use of their stable for the storage of same.  I should point out that I had the easiest task of just transporting the hay to the stable, whereupon Ed had to stack it, to height of probably 12-15 feet.

Well, by the time we had finished I had managed to get through 3 shirts, all of which were sodden with sweat and I was absolutely exhausted, whereas Ed, who had no change of clothing, looked like he had just walked off a photo-shoot session at Vogue magazine!

The infamous 200 plus bales of hay!!

EURO 2012 CHAMPIONS!

Spain 4  Italy 0   Doesn't it make you proud to be Spanish! In fairness, we have been residents of Spain for the past 5 years, so I think we're allowed to adopt their National Football team now!  It's most definately a lot more fun than following England!!

On the night of the final, a group of 14 of us, including our special friend June, met up in the centre of Ronda to watch the match on a wide-screen television in one of the many bars/restaurants!  June, was our old neighbour from the UK, who was staying with us for the week.

The atmosphere in Ronda was electric!  The Spanish certainly know how to enjoy themselves and celebrate special occasions, such as this.

Within minutes of the final whistle, there was a cavalcade of cars, sporting the Spanish flag and horns blaring, circling the town centre and whilst clearly a fair amount of alcohol had been consumed, there was no trouble, but there never is. The local police play there part in this; you can feel their presence, but they are always in the background and are very low key!

Viva Espana!!

MAGICAL AFTERNOON

After the procession had finished we worked our way back along the narrow cobbled streets to the Albayzin, where we came across an alleyway called 'San Juan des los Reyes' It had the feel of a Moroccan street market; bazaar after bazaar selling Eastern arts and crafts items.

At the top of the alley it opened into a small square and we found a bar/restaurant called 'Los Cuevas' that served dishes with a North African flavour.  I had a lamb tajin with almond nuts and prunes and Lin had a chicken dish with raisins served on couscous. Both of which were absolutely delicious.

Whilst we ate we were entertained by a young man playing, what can only be described, as an upside down wok. We have since discovered that the instrument is called a 'hang' which is similar to a steel drum, but the sound is much softer.  Whilst he was obviously busking, you could see that he wasn't totally motivated by money and clearly enjoyed playing for pleasure. He probably played for the best part of an hour before moving on.


Soon after a group of three musicians turned up to continue with the afternoons entertainment, along with a little lad that obviously was the son of two of them. 

  Whew!  It's hot in Granada

Being a University City there are a large number of young people living in Granada and from we saw there is also a flourishing hippie community there.  Having spent the afternoon in their company we were very tempted to join their commune.....

Far out man......  

Peace to all of our blog following brothers and sisters!! 

CORPUS CHRISTI (GRANADA)

The local city band lead the procession

Our second day in Granada was even better than the first. We had a leisurely breakfast before joining the huge crowds to watch the Corpus Christi procession that signals the beginning of the Granada Feria.

It was the longest procession we have ever seen and was attended by all of the Catholic Churches within the city of Granada and all of the local authorities, dignitaries and military personnel. 

The highly decorated 'trono' is carried by over 40 men, who are hidden within it, on a circular route through the city centre starting and ending at the Cathedral. To add to the spectacle the streets were carpeted in camomile and poppies.

On the final corner there was a lady on a balcony throwing bag after bag of rose petals onto the trono and each one was greeted with cheers of 'O lay'

The carriers of the trono can be seen through the windows

Rose Petals float down from the balcony above

Not everyones interested of course...

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Last Wednesday the 6th June was our 14th Wedding Anniversary.  Ed very kindly agreed to attend to the animals for a couple of days, so we took the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Granada! We found a nice hotel on the internet, which was ideally located in the Albayzin, Granada's old Muslim quarter, which we have always wanted to explore.

We caught the early train from Ronda and arrived in Granada around lunchtime. It was only when we arrived that we discovered it was the start of the Corpus Christi, which is always held on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday.


We had a really fantastic time just wandering round the narrow cobbled streets, taking in the wonderful architecture and finishing off with a visit to the magnificent cathedral, which was built on the site of a former mosque and took 180 years to complete!

The view of the Alhambra from the Albayzin

Our hotel room...

with our own private courtyard!!

Snow still on the Sierra Nevada in June!!

Typical Square of Granada

Stunning door....

The Old Hospital Real built in 1511 

Steep twisting streets with a medieval feel

   

JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

Although we now live in Spain we really wanted to play a small part in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations to mark the 60 year reign of our Queen, so we and a group of our British friends reserved a table for lunch at the Hotel del Santo located at Benaojan Estacion.

This hotel was originally a mill for the grinding of olives and corn, which had been in operation for over 150 years up until the 1950's. It is set in the most idyllic surroundings and is appropriately owned by an English couple Andy Chappell and Pauline Elkin, who bought it in 1986. We tried to create a very English setting with traditional bunting and a fitting table centrepiece featuring flowers and Union Jack flags.... 

As you can see we had a truly wonderful time; everything was absolutely perfect. We enjoyed an exceptionally delicious meal, had a Royal trivia quiz and sang a selection of patriotic songs. I'm not sure what the Spanish guests of the hotel made of it all and perhaps it's best that we don't know!!

My beautiful wife...

Master of Ceremonies...

Quiz Winners Lin and Mark receive their prize!!

All in a truly idyllic setting