Last weekend (23 May), whilst having breakfast in the cool shade of our terrace, a Hoopoe came to say hello!
It sat on the railings about a metre from where we were sat, for about 10 seconds, raised its crest in greeting (or fright? 🤔) before flying off again… What a fantastic bird to see up close! We felt very lucky indeed.
The 23rd May was also our friend Billy’s 70th birthday – so another Happy Birthday wish to him! From what I’ve seen on FB, I gather you celebrated in style for a change 🍷🍷🍷🤣🤣🤣.
We know that the UK has been having something of a heatwave for the past week (although I think we heard that it was now over?) and it’s been mighty hot here in Spain too. It, maybe unsurprisingly, makes everything a bit more tiring when it’s in the 30s every day to the point where we haven’t really been for many walks (I don’t get out of bed early enough to make the most of the cooler mornings and it dosn’t really start cooling down in the evenings until about 8pm when we are usually just about to have our dinner! Well, that’s my excuse!)… I have been trying to maintain my daily exercises though but these may not have been so much daily as possibly every other or other other day!
Despite this, last Sunday (24th May) we did manage a bit of a walk and it was very, very hot… unfortunately, most of the paths around us seem to offer a “there and back” kind of walks, where we usually prefer a round robin walk. I keep finding paths on google maps that look like they go around in a circle only to find, about half way through the walk, that a landowner has blocked off the path which is a bit annoying… then again, it’s far too hot to stay annoyed for long!
Last Sunday was one of these walks… unfortunately, we had walked down a very steep bit of hill thinking that the path would level out at the bottom and lead us back to our abode on a more or less level track but alas, that was not to be… we had to turn around and climb the very steep hill to get back 🤬. It was a nice walk though and we even got to see an Owl which we would not have done had we not ventured out that way!
A short walk with a few steeper hilly bits than we might have expected!
Top Left = Pete spotted this Little Owl;
Plant-wise Right T / M / B = Villous Deadly Carrot / Hairy Melic / Field Holly; Bottom M = Greater Quaking Grass
By the time we got back to our house, there was quite a lot of cloud cover which cooled everything down a bit even if the temperature stuck around the 30 degree mark… the breeze you get when sitting overlooking the valley on the terrace at the back of the property, is very welcomed!
One thing the hot weather has led to is a discussion with our hosts over the use of the BBQ at the property. Initially, they asked us to be very careful as the hot weather means crop fires are a real concern and could, if one occurred near us, put the house (& other people’s houses) at risk. Of course, we immediately offered to forego any more BBQs as who would want to be responsible for starting any fire in a dry country? Our hosts were very grateful and have provided us with a plug-in plancha so we can still do a bit of outside cooking if we wish to, but without the risk of any sparks! We haven’t used it yet but am sure Pete is planning to soon…
On Monday (25 May), we went on our planned day out in Córdoba where it was even hotter than where we are staying being about 60km south of Villanueva del Rey.
Despite the 37 degree heat, Pete has said it’s one of the nicest cities he’s visited which is saying something for a bloke who does not very much like any cities!
We chose Monday to visit as online it says, as a number of the main attractions are closed, it’s a less busy day for tourists. Even so, it was pretty busy as we walked into town from where we had parked (not far from the centre of the City – am getting braver with driving in unfamiliar cities on the wrong side of the road! 🤣).
After finding a loo in a department store, we headed to a nice park that provided some much needed shade and led the way towards the Puerta de Almodóva – the West Gate into the old town – heading in the general direction of the Cathedral.
Stopping off for refreshments in a small cafe in the old town, we both chose a local delicacy to go with our coffee – Pastel Cordobes – a cake which consists of two layers of flaky puff pastry and a filling made from threaded squash jam, also known as Cabell d’ángel or angel’s hair. The filling is traditionally made from Figleaf gourd… fortunately, we ordered one of these and a chocolate filled one too which was just as well as we didn’t like the squash jam at all! It was quite a weird taste which was made weirder as we initially thought it was going to be apple!
After our refreshment break and a quick whiz around one of the many tourist tat shops where we bought new mugs (the ones in the house are massive and chipped – we have become mug snobs!) and a fridge magnet to update our collection at home, we headed towards the Mezquita Catedral de Córdoba (Mosque-Cathedral) – so called to reflect the overlapping eras of Al-Andalusia and Christian Spain. It was originally built as a mosque in 785, allegedly on top of a Roman Temple which was then replaced by a Christian Visigothic Basilica. Finally, after being expanded a few times, it was consecrated as a Catholic cathedral in 1236.
According to Wikipedia, when the Moors conquered Córdoba in 711 CE, the building was temporarily divided and shared by both Muslims and Christians. Wouldn’t it be great if that could happen today? Am sure it still does in some places?
Images of the walls surrounding the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba
Although we didn’t go in this time around (we didn’t realise you had to book and there was quite a queue for tickets – we just felt a bit unprepared for this and too hot!) we have said we will go back before we leave this area. That said, we have several places we would really like to visit in the City so we might have to pick and choose a bit depending on how hot it remains or even visit the place a couple of times whilst we are still here. At the moment, whilst Pete is still in recovery, we are not quite able to do as much as we once did. If we overdo it, like we did during this visit as we ended up walking far too far in the intense city heat(!), it takes a few days for us to recover!
Images taken from around the the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba
After a stroll around the grounds of the Cathedral, we had a bit of a sit down overlooking the Puente Romana (the Roman Bridge) watching the horse drawn taxis trotting up and down before crossing the bridge and then slowly making our way back, a good couple of miles, to where we had parked. We were knackered when we got back to the car and very thankful for the air conditioning!
Images of the Puente de Romano
Top Left = Torre de la Calahorra;
Right = The Guadalquivir river – Spain’s only major navigable rivers
which runs 408 miles in total and eventually empties
into the Atlantic in the Gulf of Cádiz.
Bottom – Molina de la Albolafia
The photo, top Left above, is of the Torre de la Calahorra which stands at the southern end of the Puente Romano. It is an ancient defensive fortress which is mentioned in a number of Arab sources as well as in historical records ever since the Christian conquest of Córdoba.
The Molina de la Albolafia (Albolafia Mill) was built by Abd al-Rahman II to raise water from the river to the palace of the emirs, but was dismantled by Queen Isabel La Católica because she thought it was to noisy!
Middle Bottom (Ooer!) = The West Gate into the Old City
Sights from our stroll around Córdoba
During our visit to Córdoba, we saw a lot of ladies dressed in full flamenco outfits which seemed a bit OTT for a Monday (hahaha) – Pete thought they must have all been off to a wedding but we later realised it’s some kind of festival during May!
Lots of Ladies dressed in their finest Flamenco garb!
According to the internet, women in Córdoba dress in traditional flamenco outfits (trajes de flamenca) because the city is celebrating the grand Córdoba Fair (Feria de Nuestra Señora de la Salud), which runs from May 22 to May 30.
Apparently, the traditional ruffled dresses, flowers in the hair, and shawls are universally worn by locals during the time of this fair and it’s a tradition deeply rooted in Andalusian Culture. The flamenco dress is considered the only regional costume in Spain that evolves with contemporary fashion trends and is seen as the ultimate expression of femininity and pride – they are certainly figure hugging!
We really liked Córdoba despite the heat… it was interesting, had a lot to see, a beautiful “old town”, plenty of cafes, plus all the modern shops you could want if that’s your thing. We will definitely visit again!!
Last Wednesday (27 May) we set off on a 220 mile journey to see our friends Jane & Kev down in Serón, Almeria. We left around 10.30am and wound our way down the country, past Córdoba and on towards Granada. We were again amazed by the constant changing of scenery from mountains and forest to plains and crop fields – walnuts, fruit, vines &, of course, plenty of olive groves! Although I never got a photo, the Mountains near Granada (Sierra Nevada?) still had plenty of snow which gleamed at us as we drove past!
We stopped for some lunch at a roadside cafe / hotel & forgot how large the bocadillos could be and ordered one each… when they came, it was like having a loaf of bread each (well, a great big fat baguette anyway) with some Serrano ham & cheese in it… A little on dry side even with olive oil to dip it in (which of course was local olive oil, made apparently (as our waiter indicated) with the very olives from the trees we could see from the roadside cafe… hope they gave em a wash before pressing them!) and much too much for one person! We had to have double coffees in order to get enough down for it to not look rude! 🤣 Still, they were cheap as chips… probably actually cheaper than chips in the UK anyway!
After a short leg-stretch in Baza, we travelled the last 30 minutes of our journey & made it to Jane & Kev’s around 5pm. Ready for an evening BBQ (we were able to off load the BBQ coals we can no longer use where we are staying to Kev!), a few drinks & a nice catch up.
On Thursday (28th May) we went to the seaside! Kev drove us to the coast where we had a lovely coffee in a cafe in Garrucha followed by a walk around the promenade and shops, before heading further down the coast to Mojácar for lunch in, can you believe it, an Irish pub (to be sure!)… it was great to see the blue sea and meant, since we arrived in Spain 2.5 weeks ago, we had travelled from the Atlantic Coast in the North to the Mediterranean!
Some of the lovely plants in Jane & Kev’s garden
On Friday (29th May) we had a morning walk along the Via Verde del Valle del Almanzora – a cycle / walking path that runs on the route of the old Guadix-Almendricos railway through Almeria and passes by Jane & Kev’s place.
A walk along the Via Verde del Valle del Almanzora
Some of the plants seen during our stay with Jane & Kev.
Top – L to R = Hedgehog Cactus; Baby grapevine(!); Crimson Bottlebrush. Bottom – L to R = Onionweed & Oats
A relaxing morning at Kev & Jane’s – checking out Kev’s bar!
Following our walk and a relax in the garden / shade, we headed out to a planned lunch which had been organised by a lady that Jane and Kev know from their time living in Galera. Us four made up a group of 22 booked in for lunch at the Casa Lucia – a small hotel near Caniles about 20 minutes drive away.
It’s fair to say that Pete and I were not sure about a group lunch as it’s not an environment that Pete always feels comfortable in. However, we needn’t have worried. The Menu del Dia was absolutely amazing and it was a very pleasant few hours spent in good company!
Come Saturday morning (30th May), it was time to pack up and head home… but first we had a stop in Serón for breakfast Tostados (toasted cheese, ham & tomato!) before bidding Jane and Kev farewell and heading back to Villanueva del Rey.
We had a great journey back and even managed to pull up to take a few photos of some of the castles we passed on the way!
Some of the Castles spotted on the way back from Jane & Kev’s…
Bottom – Castillo de Alcaudete; Top Right – Castillo
After shopping in Cordoba, we got back around 5pm… a little bit knackered and quite hot (although very thankful for the air conditioning in the car). I think the few days away had tired Pete out quite a lot – he never falls asleep in the car but had whilst we were on the less windy, dual carriageway bit between Baza and Granada.
Thank you Jane & Kev for your hospitality and for all the freebies we got from you! Like we said, we would be more than happy to reciprocate if you ever visit the UK and have time to come to the Scottish Borders in between Grandma & Grumps duties! If you ever decide to open up as an Air BnB we would definitely give you both a 5-Star Review!! 🤣❤️
After a good nights sleep last night (Jane – the duvet on top of the mattress seems to have worked!) we have had a lazy day today, catching some rays when it’s not too hot (there’s been a bit of welcomed cloud today) but mostly relaxing indoors under the air-con! We are not planning on doing much of anything over the next day or so but might head back down to Córdoba sometime although it doesn’t look as if the weather is going to let up too much over the next week or so!
Wow! This was a long blog… looking back at the past week or so, we’ve definitely been busier than I thought! We have been away from home just over 3 weeks and have just over 2 weeks left in the Country – just under two weeks here in Villanueva del Rey before we head north again in time to catch our ferry back to the UK… Definitely time for some rest & relaxation I think! 😊 TTFN x
All the gubbins… 
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