Wildlife in the Bay of Biscay

Just a short postscript to say that anyone travelling with Britanny Ferries or P&O from Plymouth, Portsmouth, Poole etc to Bilbao or Santander will most likely be able to watch dolphins and whales during their sail.

I was reading my Kindle when out of the corner of my eye I detected movement.   I thought "Those birds are a long way from land!" and suddenly saw that dolphins were surfacing near the ship.   About 10 minutes later I spotted the spouting of whales too.   I would have needed binoculars to see the whales but their water spouts were happening all over the sea on the port side and it was clear what they were.   Britanny Ferries did not charge extra for the wildlife experience!

We set off for home via Toledo

Well, the car behaved itself with a lot of TLC from me when driving up hills.   It will be reported to the garage very soon!

Going back to the beginning of our adventures in Spain - at the hotel where we stayed in Santander were a group of Russian cyclists.   They were professional cyclists who formed a well kitted out team indeed.   They had support vehicles with untold tons of equipment to keep the cycles in perfect order.   On the Thursday as we left the hotel we had to make a detour round all their equipment which was in the hotel car park.   We got to the car and then crossed the street to fill up with fuel.   As I dealt with this I noticed someone cleaning an ambulance which was also part of the team's support.   Today I looked them up and discovered that they were about to tackle a mountain stage of the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) on the day we saw them.

When we stayed a second time at this hotel the night before sailing home we found there was a huge contingent of football supporters in the hotel bar and a table for two was impossible.   We did, however, manage a pizza each through the good offices of the waiter, Manuel (who else!).

We left Finca Manolo at 9.20am on Friday 23rd September, loaded with more than we had taken there.   We found room for sets of pottery, a case and a half of wine as well as Spanish spices, salami, beer etc.   Our driving experience in Spain was surprising because almost every driver was keeping close to the speed limit.   Additionally, I have to say that driving on a Spanish Motorway from north to south and vice versa is much easier than at home.   The fact is that there is a huge network of motorways that are mainly two lanes wide.   One does not see anything remotely like the number of vehicles using British motorways.   Spain is a very large country and therefore its roads are necessary but cheaper to maintain because in comparison they are under-used.

I must confess to being a little nervous about entering the city of Toledo where we were to saty for two days.   Foreign cities and satnav are usually a challenge.   I needn't have worried becae almost as soon as we turned off the motorway we saw a sign for the hotel.   We had booked in at Hotel Martin using the web but found we were to stay next door at the Duque de Lerma.   The two hotels were adjoining so there was no problem.   We had the most friendly and helpful receptionist I have ever encountered.   She helped us enjoy our visit there.

Having showered and changed we took a taxi to Plaza de Zocodover ( a name ensuing from a time when the Spanish were occupied by the Moors and did not understand their language).   Sitting there in the early evening we watched the population of residents and visitors passing through the square.   The sparrows were very loud as they went through the process of finding roosts for the night.   There were many local buses passing through the whole time.   Most of them were new and powered by natural gas.

Later that evening we returned to find a restaurant and ended up in the forecourt of an old convent.   The young waitress there was brilliant and worked at an amazing speed whilst still able to look as if it was very easy.   We over faced ourselves with tapas foods, but they were very tasty.

The next morning we left the hotel by taxi for Plaza de Zocodover.   At 11.00am we knew the Zocotren  would start, so I queued to buy two tickets.   The ride in this road train was 45 minutes long and involved seeing just about every view of Toledo.   Sadly, we found it almost impossible to take photos because a young Chinese couple in front kept on blocking our view.   But I can say that we now consider Toledo the most beautiful city we have visited.   Its cathedral is incredible in size and we were able to see the most beautiful objects as we visited the Chapter House and the Treasury.   I have never seen so many paintings by the masters.   We saw Goya, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and, of course, the local boy - El Greco.   El Greco paintings were everywhere but quite a number were copies as the originals were elsewhere in the city.   There was even a wedding being celebrated in a chapel of the cathedral.   At one point a soprano was singing Maccabeus by G F Handel.   Having said all this, whilst the huge expense created by what you find in great churches was a burden on the poor of the day, the creative prowess of the designers was quite amazing.

Later that night we went back to have dinner at a recommended establishment.   It was the first time I had eaten partridge - very nice!   Being very tired that night we hit the sack and I did not sleep all that well as I anticipated our final drive back to Santander.   I need not have worried as we enjoyed the changes in scenery as we approached the northern coast. 

The following day we decided to drive around and visit some beaches.   We had already visited the one at Comillas the previous day.   We turned down a track where the sign said playa and found an enchanting view of rocks and beach below us at the foot of some cliffs.   As we drove away through the small town I pointed out a pinnacle roof to Pauline and made a derisory comment about the boring architecture of the parish church.   A few miles later we found another beach and had 20 minutes there.   We then started to make our way back to Santander (pronounced Santandairrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) and saw another beach sign.   As we drove through the town i said, "Not another boring looking church!"   Then I noticed a nearby pinnacle roof.   We were back at the beach we first visited that morning!   We found it entertaining and finished off with two small beers before heading off for the ferry to Portsmouth.

Our experience on the Britanny Ferries ship, MV Pont Aven, was excellent.   On the way out we booked a table in the posh restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the quality food we had.   So we did the same, coming home, and had another wonderful meal.   When it came to paying, the waiter noticed me looking puzzled at the bill which was for incorrect food.   He had known something was wrong and realised he had presented the couple on the next table with our bill and they had paid it.   The meal they should paid for was £4 cheaper than ours!   The waiter suggested we should pay the wrong bill and call it a draw!   The weather at Portsmouth was lovely as we sailed in and remained so for the whole of our drive back to Anglesey.   It was a lovely sunset last night!

Once more we can report on an excellent holiday in Spain and thoroughly recommend Toledo as a city worth visiting.   Viva Espana!

Final day at Finca Manolo

Today has been beautiful in the Montes de Malaga.   We have lazed around the pool, swimming whenever we felt too hot.   I can think of no better way to unwind and summon up strength for a long drive to Northern Spain.

Whilst lying on the sunlounger I was joined by Yodo the ginger cat.   What a lazy pair we were!   Pauline and I ate the remaining Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese with the last vestidges of salad left in the fridge.   This was lunch, of course!   Then we repeated what we had been doing all morning.   It seemed the appropriate activity somehow.

We have now reached the point where we have decided to start packing our cases and loading the car for an early departure tomorrow.   We shall return with more than we brought.   There is a case and a half of good Spanish wine to see us through the coming days as we acclimatise to UK autumn weather.   In addition we are also bringing back a supply of traditional Spanish dishes that we promised ourselves and others before we came out here.

The itinerary is as follows:   Tomorrow we head for Toledo and Hotel Martin.   The following day we hope to see some of the city of Toledo which Pauline has always wanted to do.   After a second night in Toledo we drive the remaining distance to Santander and Hotel Chateau de Roca.   Did you know that Roca is a leading maker of sanitary ware?   Every loo I have visited in Spain during our holiday has firmly embedded this knowledge in my head.   Even the equipment here at Finca Manolo has the same logo!   On Monday at 3.00pm (2.00pm in the UK) we sail for Portsmouth.   On Tuesday we expect to arrive in Portsmouth at 2.00pm and within 30 minutes set off for home.   I reckon we shall be back in Anglesey at about 9.00pm.

Watch this space for details of any adventures along the way.   These will be posted after we get home.   For now this is the final Andalucia Report.

Nerja and Frigiliana

Yesterday evening we decided to pay a visit to Comares, the mountain top village we see every day from Finca Manolo.   It was quite a difficult journey because of the time of day.   The road is very much a twister going down to the bottom of the valley and then climbing up the other side.   We persevered with the car pointing skywards so often - right into the evening sun.   The problem is not just the bends but the sheer drops at the roadside.   Driving blind occasionally on this road was not very good I thought.   Well we reached journey's end and found a village with lots of pedestrian only very narrow streets - suitable for only people and donkeys/mules.

We then had the problem of getting back to our base here in El Romo.   It isn't listed on the satnav so I keyed in Colmenar instead, thinking we would be directed via our hamlet.   Outside the village the sign to the right said Colmenar and satnav said "turn right".   Satnav was wrong in that we were taken about 20 miles or so when the actual distance to El Romo was about 4/5 miles on a twisty road.   By the time we passed through Colmenar we were driving on dipped headlights with 12 more minutes along the valley side!   We visited several valleys among the Montes de Malaga, I can tell you!

Today we went to Nerja, which is a town and resort quite a few miles west of Malaga.   When we arrived we drove into the centre and looked for parking.   This we achieved in the municipal multi-storey car park.   Driving around level -2 in thr semi darkness I was surprised to hear the driver of the car behind me give a long blast on his horn.   I had stopped because a driver was reversing out of a parking space and the way forward was temporarily blocked.   However, I let the other driver go and went down the line to find a suitable place.   What had got into the guy behind me I shall never know.   He drove on and parked up somewhere unknown to me.

Using the lift to get back to the ground level, we found ourselves in a deserted square.   We walked through it and soon came to an avenue of trees that led to a popular view point by the sea.   Pauline took my photo with the guy you see encapsulated in bronze in the above photo.   He was a former King of Spain.   I cannot put our particular photo on this posting because I need another device which takes the Olympus cards.   Then we walked across to a posh hotel and ordered coffee.   After a drink and a rest we set off to find a shop selling fridge magnets.   We made our purchase and collected the car from the car park.

Pauline keyed Frigiliana into the satnav and off we went to have lunch there.   I dropped Pauline off at the restaurant and drove off in search of a parking space.   It was a 12 minutes walk back from the car.   We had a nice lunch.   Pauline ordered Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese for her starter.   We really can recommend these foods from Spain.   My starter was Gaspacho, the chilled soup.   It was good but not as good as the one I made on return from Spain  last year!   The main course was a platter of fried fish and we immediately recognised it as having been what we ordered at the same establishment in 2010!   We tried hard but still could not empty the platter!

After this I left Pauline in charge of my wallet and therefore able to pay the bill whilst I walked back to the car which I brought back to Pauline.   Soon we were homeward bound and keen for a swim after a hot day out.   Tomorrow is our final day here so we shall stay put and get our strength up for the journey home starting Friday morning.   We shall be driving to Toledo where El Greco did most of his painting, staying for two nights and then setting off for Santander and the cruise home on the Pont Aven on Monday.

Olive Oil by the million litres

The top photo, taken a few days ago, shows Mount Maroma beyond Lake Vinuela.   It is a little over 6,000 feet above sea level.   Yesterday, driving from Alhama, we found we were much closer than at any time before.   It has quite a lot of trees on its lower slopes which are incredibly steep.   There is a very noticable scar on the mountain and to the left, as you look, a village.   With this closer view there was a very strong impression of Mount Maroma threatening to collapse and bury that poor village.   It really did appear to pose a threat from our angle view.   This morning saw a mist obliterating the mountain except for its peak.   This was because a few clouds had appeared there and were fairly low in altitude.

Earlier than this we had visited Zuheros which is situated in a very important olive growing area.   The second photo shows this very clearly.   Bear in mind, of course, that this is a tiny fraction of the entire olive producing area.   In turn this is a tiny fraction of the olive oil capacity of Spain.   Since arriving here, this year, we have seen an amazing number of olive trees.   I was reading today the third book of a trilogy by Chris Stewart, The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society.   Chris mentions his personal involvement in the production of oil.   He tells how he went into an olive grove and picked a single olive straight from a tree.   His reaction to the taste was not good because as a fresh fruit they are very bitter.   Some are grown to be bottled whole or stuffed with anchovies and the like whilst others are destined for pressing into oil.   Each version goes through quite a process, so don't think it is just a matter of picking and pressing them!

The original way to harvest olives after the October rain has swelled the fruit was to take a long stick of wood, fashioned from a long straight branch and start knocking the olives out of the tree where they land on nets spread on the ground below.   Modern times changed the sort of stick to a long dayglo coloured stick made of fibreglass.   The advantage here is that the colour helps you find a stick dropped in the undergrowth.   But the most modern way is to dispense with sticks and use a mobile generator with a vibrating attachment.   You grip a tree and the vibration gets every olive from the tree.

Our abiding memory of our two holidays in Spain will be its beauty.   This is a country with a breath-taking landscape which changes dramatically as you drive from the north to the south.   It was an expensive way to come this year, but having driven all through the land we got the experience we sought.   Some of the hills and mountains are quite the usual expected shape but many are very surprising indeed.   Some appear to be more like a single rock weighing thousands of tons.   They are every imaginable shape and keep on surprising you as you round a bend in the road.   If you love landscape then this country needs to be visited.

Our plan for this evening is to drive over to Comares, the white village on the hill across from us.   It has beckoned long enough.   Now we must go and see it close up.   It is understood to be very pretty.

Zuheros

Today we  drove for may miles.   There was no way we could avoid a trip to the village of Zuheros.   last year we had been there and were impressed by the castle and the village clinging to the hillside.   On of the features of this part of Spain is the climb up the steep village streets.   Even in Colmenar we have to drive up incredibly steep streets to get to the point where we can take the 7 kilometres scenic route to El Romo.   Zuheros is no exception.   The streets are steep and very narrow.   As we drove slowly up the  streets of Zuheros we went even slower as we followed an elderly man up a narrow street.   I think he had hearing difficulties because he seemed un aware of us driving slowly behind him as he climbed the hill in his home village.

After taking plenty of photos and the odd video we left to drive over to Alhama de Granada.   It is an old town with thermal springs which we did not see.   We drove up and down the narrowest streets I have yet encountered.   Eventually, with our stomachs rumbling at the lack of food and our bladders complaining bitterly, we arrfived in a square with two food outlets.   I fancied House of Diego.   So we orderd a couple of beers and asked for a menu.   Our order was for hake with potatoes and green beans and codfish in a prawn sauce.   The latter was for me and I was not disappointed.   We came away with full tummies and headed for Velez-Malaga near where the Eroski Hypermarket was. 

There we bought our final purchases to see us through and supply us with wine for at least October.

From there we drove back to Colmenar and then Finca Manolo.   When we arrived we discovered that we had once again been adopted by a dog.   She managed to remain here despite two cats who rule the roost.   Later, as we were preparing dinner I heard a "Hello!" from the gate and it was the dog's owner asking if I would let her out.   He was Spanish but I quickly realised he wanted his dog back.   We were glad to be rid of her.   Her name turned out mto be Bessie!   She kept on interfering as I tried to fit the key into the gate's lock in pitch darkness.   I eventually got the lock to open and then let Bessie return to her owner.

By the time we left Eroski with a full tank of petrol we had the final part of our wine which we plan to bring home.   We have made quite a few discoveries in wine so if we are lucky enough to come here again we shall know what to buy.   Tomorrow will be a day of rest by the pool!

A quiet Sunday

The two photos here are taken from our property looking south.   They were taken at 4.00pm with my zoom lens which is manual focus only.   As we look in any direction from here we see hillsides dotted with a huge number of properties.   There must be hundreds of them within sight of eye.   This particular district between Colmenar and Comares has a significant English population.   We met four of them in the local bar the other day.

This afternoon I decided to actually do something and drive the rubbish to the wheelie bins.   I had noticed a couple behind the bus shelter about 400 yards up the road so I took them there.   When I approached the bus shelter I realised that it was not a bus shelter at all.   It was the size of a bus shelter but better built with a tiled roof.   Inside where about 70 post boxes, many of which had the names and addresses of the local population.   There many English people with labels on their post boxes.   So now we know how the local postman gets the mail to the recipients.   They have to visit the post boxes to see if there is any mail.   I bet they curse when all they get is flyers!

Looking at the photos you ncan see how all the properties are spread along the hillsides.   In the case of towns and villages they seem to cling to great mountainsides.   You should see how steep the streets of Colmenar are!   To get here we drive up such streets which are also very narrow.   You have to park very considerately in these villages.   Other cars and vans need to pass up the narrow streets as well as yourself.

Today I spoke to my daughter, Sue, who passed on some sad news.   Mavis Butterworth, who was my Assistant Church Secretary when I was still living in the Rochdale/Oldham area, has died.   She was a lynch pin at our Heyside Church and the church owes a huge debt to Mavis for her leadership over the years.   I first met Mavis in 1975 when I joined the church there.   We always got on well.   She had one gift that we all loved and that was her singing voice.   She was a powerful soprano and often sang in church on special occasions.

Since travelling out here I have heard of the deaths of two people who I really valued.   It is a reminder that when we are on holiday all the many facets of life are continuing at home.