Sparkling Prose

 It is another day where we will wander through the countryside and, other than a place to eat, we will have little to review. I thought about looking up some rabbit hole - Spaniards who have played international cricket [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain_national_cricket_team ] or Spanish relationships with San Marino [https://bilateralnavigator.com/SanMarino-Spain ] but I think we will keep them for another day. Time to get reflective.

So, this all began in August 2023 with the radical idea of going somewhere by walking from your front door. The facts we have now got over 900 posts - this one was written in March 26, shows my inability to let go of a project when started and a need to plan ahead. The first one was mildly disappointing in that we hardly got beyond the village.

The thing with all of this is, like most things, you remember the first and the most recent of any series but struggle to pinpoint the intermediate. I think it is the obscure discoveries that I have really enjoyed. We visited the 18th century plinth that cars rush by on the A5 - put up to mark the centre of Roman Britain - and subsequently hit by lightning.  We found ghost roads and the first Candlemas Bun and arrived in Portsmouth.

France surprised me. It is the land undiscovered - well, I have hardly been there. Having read and reread about Normandy ‘44 - but without maps - I was surprised to stumble on Pegasus Bridge.  Having just looked at a map again I have discovered Essay is a place in France. Please feel free to observe, it is only an essay if it comes from the Orne Region - otherwise it is just sparkling prose. 

Ok, you now want to know about Essay.  About 500 people live there.  François Robichon de La Guérinière, who wrote big on the art of dressage, was born there and Le Circuit des Ducs was built there in 1975 to hold stages of the French rallycross championship.

The travel down France revealed a landscape that had been denuded of people. You do get a bit of this in England in the barley fields - where the roads between towns are busy but the spaces lack people.  I have finally stopped following some of the bakeries and cafes were met along the way.

I think the Basque region was wonderfully full of crowded valleys and open uplands. I really would like to visit them properly. The thing about Spain is that you suddenly come across a lump of geography with a town, a castle, and a history of being really important six hundred years ago.

Time for a meal.  The Venta Correro looks like the sort of place that used to serve the busy motorists and when this road was more important. It opens between 6am and 8pm, 10 on Mondays - which is odd. Four days ago Manuel wrote ‘A fantastic experience. We booked breakfast and lunch for a group of 55 people from Cádiz. The service was quick and everything was excellent. The set menu was spectacular for €18. Very friendly staff. Well organized. Highly recommended.’  A week ago Albita felt ‘The food was amazing, the staff attentive and fast, and great value for money. We'll definitely be back 😊’

I did this place down. Just off the road is the Museo las Cupulas - Manuel Manez.  http://desdebenalup.blogspot.com/2009/04/la-casa-museo-las-cupulas-de-manez.html  The art is interesting.  It doesn’t have many reviews. Three years ago Carla wrote ‘A delightful experience thanks to the artist's wife. From the moment you enter until the end of the tour, every figure, every story, and every photograph of renowned celebrities leaves you captivated. Mañez portrays human nature unfiltered, the beauty of the body uncensored. All in wood. It could be described as a forest of bodies, sensuality, and raw humanity—highly recommended ✨’

Well, that it is it.  I’m out of profound thoughts. Time for a nap.