Posts

Like God with Adam, we will take the ribs

Image
  Yesterday I did an unforgivable thing.  I mentioned ‘Forest of Books’ and did not pursue this. I know you. Well, I know some of you.  And the you I know will have spent a night in torment wondering what is this. I have images of great buildings full of books. Possibly concrete structures in town squares with ready tomes and papery ecstasy available wherever you turn. I think that would be nice.  Naming streets after Sherlock Holmes is  a step forward. The promised theatrical performances and workshops sound promising so lets hope. We are off on the A-330. It is one of those Spanish roads which have been bypassed by a motorway but has been straightened, cut and made fit for purpose.  We are going along, through the scrub, our way marked by suddenly groupings of industry. For example, Fran Electronic will repair vehicles.  A year ago Milagros said ‘Good service, kindness, professionalism and excellent work.’ Nearby is Jolotrae.  They repair vehicl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Devotion, tradition and gunpowder

Image
  We are heading to Cullar.  Most of the day we will be in February 2025 - but we will have a Candlemas Bun and nip in 2009.   The road starts alongside the motorway and, from the air, it seems almost like the view of some reconstituted wood panels - as the olive trees march in ordered ranks over the landscape. Cullar is patronised by Our Lady of Sorrows and you have to ask if this was by way of preparing for the way ahead. Almost 4000 people choose to live here. I have headed for wiki in Spanish and run it through Google Translate.  Sorry if this is ‘rompiendo la cuarta pared’ but my Spanish isn’t up to it.  The subtitles include ‘Cultural Heritage Assets’ and ‘Forest of Books’ - which I’m rather looking forward to. Wiki goes big on the Andalucian past.  I quote ‘ Moors and Christians Festival in honor of the Blessed Virgin of the Head, in Cúllar, on the last weekend of April. Declared of Andalusian Tourist Interest.’  It further adds ‘ The Moor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Noise and the vandal menace

Image
  Another day and across the motorway and on to the Restaurante Venta Quemada. It has 14648 reviews - better than many a cathedral.   http://www.restauranteventaquemada.es/   The top words are ember, embutido, autovia. Peak hours, fly, agneau, personal foul and rabbit meat.   55 minutes ago chiqui gave four stars, said they had lunch with no wait and they experienced ‘moderate noise.’  The devil is in the detail.  Are we talking British moderate noise or Spanish moderate noise.  Maybe Cristy will qualify this.  Five hours ago Cristy gave five stars and said ‘The food was excellent. The atmosphere was a bit noisy, but that's normal. The service was very fast.’ Well here we go.  Nothing else reviewed to look at so its time we talked about…. the origins of the name Andalusia.  Well, why not. You will not be surprised that the origin of the name is somewhat debated - come on, you know academics, of course it is.  It appears it was ...
Post a Comment
Read more

I don't know where we're going, but when we get there I'll be glad

Image
  Today went terribly wrong. I sometimes do the googleplonk and plan the next few weeks ahead to get a sense of where I’m going. I think drink had been taken as I appear to be doing an awful lot of kilometres today and it doesn’t all quite match up.  I will need to walk a lot today, ensure I keep the phone with me to add the odd metres when stumbling round the house and bank some in the days ahead. We are walking along the road in either April 2011 or March 2025, basically following the farmers road alongside the motorway.    We won’t be turning off, down to El Contador, which is a shame as they have one of these old, communal washing areas, the Lavadero Publico. It is a true three stars. Good in itself, worth seeing but not worth going to see.  Darwader sums it up ‘ Small covered enclosure with two rows of adjacent pillars. Traditional construction. Currently closed to prevent vandalism.’ Along we go to Las Vertientes. Again, we are approaching peak rural Spain...
Post a Comment
Read more