Prickly pear cactus, Yellow blossoms in the wild. Beauty, shelter, food.

    A particularly wonderful example near Finca al-manzil, must be several decades old

A SPRING WALK IN THE CHESTNUT WOODS OF MONTANCHEZ

Lucy and I went on the magical walk 'Donde Nace'  8 kms walk through the woods and pastures of the sierra at their most magical now that we are at the peak of the wild spring flowers.
On the way there are fabulous views from the highest part of the sierra.
We see happy little pigs,contented sheep and the cascade that give the walk its name, donde nace means "where it is born" meaning the source of the water which then runs down the deep gorge to Arroyomolinos.
Finally back over the sierra to a splendid view of Montanchez and its Moorish castle with vineyards in the foreground just coming into leaf.
One of my favourite walks, mostly easy with a few steeper climbs, firm footpath and well signed with the blue arrows. At this time of the year the entire walk is accompanied by the fabulous trilling of nightingales.

CHRISTMAS PICNIC AT THE OLIVE GROVE

We are having the most heavenly weather, blue,blue skies and perfect weather for walking so on Christmas morning we hiked up to La Preciosa our remote olive grove, well equipped with delicious picnic and champagne, yes, the real stuff instead of cava for once.
 Lovely views from up there and a special stillness, no sound from the outside world, just bird song. Started to get chilly at about 4ish so headed back to finca for on- going backgammon contest and settling in for yet more food, ah the joys of Christmas, no family this year, just us, we seem to be surviving!

A WALK IN THE BLUEBELL WOODS OF THE SIERRA DE MONTANCHEZ

GREEN!

A wonderful new element in our lives is the new enterprise started by a couple from the Netherlands who have re-located to Alcuescar a nearby village. They have started a small market garden business, growing 100% ecologically cultivated vegetables and herbs.

The selection this week- broccoli, a smaller variety of swiss chard, bok choy, leeks, spring onions, parsley, chinese cabbage.
Now with the weather warming up and spring here the selection will increase every week.

For any one staying at Finca al-manzil in the cortijo, barn or Casa Alfarera this year you will have the opportunity to order a basket of vegetables picked in the morning and delivered to the door by Jantien. Highly recommended!

DISCOVERY - A NEW WALK!

Amazingly enough we found a new walk today, after 9 years in the area!  Occasionally we would take a short cut from Albala onto the old road to Caceres, a beautiful route through pristine bucolic scenery, there was always a lake shimmering in the near distance but we never really worked out how to get there, always came up against dead ends and impenetrable fences.  Today was the day to find the way, after 4 days of steady rain and rather gloomy weather, the last day of September has been gorgeous. I opened the shutters this morning to bright sparkling sunlight reflecting off all the puddles and the emerald green mossy rocks, the Summer dust has gone and tiny new shoots are emerging everywhere, simply magical. 
Manfred is still training Fatboy for the Guadalupe ride, a 2 hour ride this morning but the moment he was back we were off to the Aldea de Cano lake.
 To make it even more special it is a ZEPA area ;  Zonas de Especial Protección para las Aves,  a protected area for birdlife.
http://www.extremambiente.es/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1120&Itemid=461

A wonderful walk around the lake in bright sunshine, besides the beauty and peaceful solitude of the situation there were the ruins of a medieval hermita on the nearby Ruta de la Plata and an ancient fortified tower in the distance, both off limits but interesting to see.

RECOLECCÍON DE LA ACEITUNA- THE OLIVE HARVEST

We are in the second month of the olive harvest. In the olive groves all around the finca we see groups of men shaking the olive trees vigourously with long poles. They don't just bash the trees, it's a more precise movement, inserting the pole firmly amongst the branches and agitating firmly. Olives rain down onto either the bare earth or nets, thankfully nets are coming back into fashion after years of cheap chemicals used to kill every blade of plant life in the olive grove, supposedly making collection easier.........dust covered olives?

 

Olive trees are alway beautiful but much more so in a green meadow rather than a field of dust where systematic poisoning has killed off all the natural flowers and plants.

We are trying to interest the local farmers in going totally biological and only using organic methods for pest control, this is difficult and made more so by the lack of co-operation from the local lagars, olive mills. They don't seem to be interested in building up a reputation for high quality organic oil. In some ways one can see their point, they get tons of very mixed quality olives and produce a reasonable olive oil for an economical price. Why change?

In frustration there are a few olive grove owners who have resorted to buying their own mobile olive mill, small, neat and made in Italy. It works for those who wish to have their own guaranteed organic oil; grown, harvested and bottled on their own property.

The reward of all those chilly early morning harvests  in December and January is the sight of the first gush of gorgeous deep green oil flowing from the first pressing, one's very own  extra virgin olive oil, hundreds of litres of it.

Cook with it, bake with it, drop it into the bath, make soap and lotions from it and most of all dip freshly made bread into a pool of oil, a little salt..........and why not some local jamon....heaven!

Please go to our cooking holiday blog for a few delicious recipes using olive oil.

http://cooking-extremadura.blogspot.com/   

HAUNT OF THE ANCIENTS

There is a wonderful walk from Finca al-manzil on winding lane across olive groves and through cork oak forests. After an hour one arrives at one of the most intriguing places in Extremadura, a unique place with an evocative atmosphere: nature spirits and legends; esoteric rites and rituals; five different cultures; centuries of ruin; a place of sanctuary, decimation, celebration, joy, awe and woe. Nowadays the place is known as Santa Lucia del Trampal. It is a rare place that can trace a continuous history of worship to various deities; a Celtic Iberic Lusitanian temple,  then a Roman temple, a Visigoth basilica and convent and finally a Catholic church which was sacked by Napoleonic troops in 1810 during the Peninsular war.

The building one sees today has been extensively renovated since the 1980s when it was rediscovered, almost obliterated by centuries of neglect and the rampant brambles which grow profusely fed by the strong spring further up the hill. The renovation has followed the lines of existing walls from the Visigoth period using fallen masonry to rebuild. It is among this masonry that many clues to the ancient past of the site come to light. There are Roman inscriptions and much evidence of a pre-Roman Celtic Iberic sanctuary dedicated to the cult of the goddess Ataegina who is associated with the areas around the Guadiana river both in Portugal and Extremadura. The name Ataegina is thought to be derived from a Celtic source with two roots atte and geno, meaning "Reborn". Ataegina was not only a mother goddess of regeneration but also of death, the underworld, hell; the full circle of birth, death, rebirth and return to life. She was worshipped by the Lusitanians for her healing powers and endowment of fertility manifested through natural springs and streams, a protective deity, nymph of water, dispenser of health and fertility. Lusitanians lived in small quadrangular houses (round in the north) with a single floor made of stones. Clothes were of woven wool or goat skin. Gold jewelry, necklaces and bracelets, were made by beating or filigree method. Wine was only used in festivities, they usually drank water, goats milk and beer. They practiced monogamy. Cleansing was by vapors that rose from heated stones, bathing in cold water and anointing. Gymnastic exercises such as boxing and racing were part of their culture. Religious rituals made sacrifices of goats, horses, and human prisoners to a variety of dieties including Cariocecus, god of war and Ataegina . In battles with the Romans, Lusitanians gained a reputation as fierce fighters. They used weapons such as the dagger, the iron javelin, and the brass spear. Boats made of leather, or from harvested lumber were in use on rivers and lakes.
Extremadura is a region with extensive Celtic influences, there are several places where the relationship between Ataegina and the healing powers of spring water have been established and this reputation still clings to many places today. The strong spring at Santa Lucia de Trampal is still visited by locals who come to collect their supply of drinking water, an echo from the ancient past.

At least 15 dedications to Ataegina were found in and around the basilica with the Roman inscription DEA DOMINA SANCTA TURIBRIGENSE ATAECINA, Turibriga was a town in Celtic Betaria where the cult had its origins. The inscriptions are often set into a plaque which include the image of a goat, an animal which was obviously an important element in the cult.

On one of the cornerstones of the basilica there is a large block with four deep indentations which has been re-used from a much earlier building, it is a representation of the four hoof prints of a goat, possibly for supporting a statue of a goat similar to the ones found in Malpartida de Caceres which are made of bronze with extensions to the feet for fixing to a stone plinth.

 The cult was a lunar in nature, it is not difficult to imagine this place on a night of a full moon with a goat blood spilt on the altar. Ataecina also had powers to protect from thieves and decide their suitable punishment, many votive inscriptions ask for this protection and also help in finding lost objects.
As the Romans took more control of Iberia, Ataecina gradually became assimilated into Proserpina the Roman goddess derived from the Greek, Persephone. It was she who was abducted by Pluto and taken to the underworld. In revenge her mother Ceres/Demeter goddess of fertility, stopped the growth of fruits and vegetables on earth. Jupiter sent Mercury the brother of Pluto to demand that Proserpina should be sent back from the underworld so fruitfulness could return to earth. Pluto complied but before releasing Proserpina he made her eat 4 pomegranate seeds so that she could only return to earth for 8 months, the other 4 she would have to return to the underworld…. food eaten in hell would mean a return no matter what. When Proserpina was released Spring and fertility came to the earth followed by fruitfulness in Summer, in Autumn a slow change in nature until it dwindled and died off in Winter when Proserpina returned to the underworld.
The association of Ataegina/Proserpina with life, death, rebirth and the underworld/hell continued well into the 3rd century A.D. when the Roman empire began to fall and the Visigoths started to settle in this part of Iberica from 455. It was a gradual process. Many Roman aras continued to be used as Visigoth altars.
It is interesting to note that the Visigoths at this time were actually Arian. Arianism was declared heresy at the Council of Nicea in 325. This breakaway heretic branch of Catholicism did not believe that God was embodied within the trinity but that God the father, God the son and God the holy spirit were separate but equal entities. This was clearly reflected in the architecture of Arian basilicas, a unique element is the presence of three apses, three separate divisions and altars as at Santa Lucia. The Visigoths were Arians almost by accident because this had been the dominant theology in the eastern empire when they were converted to Christianity in the fourth century. In Iberia Arianism helped to reinforce their sense of distinctiveness from the majority Hispano-Roman population, which was almost entirely Catholic by the end of the 5th century. By 560 Goths were converting to Catholicism but the existence of the two religious communities meant that most major towns, such as Merida, had parallel Arian and Catholic churches and clergy. Unfortunately, very little is known of the practicalities of Arianism in the Visigothic kingdoms.

The survival of a number of inscriptions shows that the 7th century was an era church construction, mostly rural buildings including Santa Lucia and there is another small Visigoth basilica at the nearby village of Ibahernando.

The basilica of Santa Lucia is an unusual building, its floor plan in the shape of the Greek letter "tau". Although it was unified into a single space in Gothic times, it was originally made up of three naves, the central one being the larger and longer one, and the side ones being narrower, almost passageways. Three independent apses open up to a transept with curious access doors that lead directly to the side apses. The apses give the sanctuary a fork-like appearance. All three have beautiful horseshoe triumphal arches.

A large part of the original stone vaults are preserved, which alternate with three magnificent domes over the space to access the apses, they are supported by six transversal horseshoe arches. It is estimated that the basilica dates from the middle of the 7th century and was probably built in one go as a cohesive design.

The Moorish looking horseshoe arches should not be confused with construction during Moorish times. The arches are typical of many Visigoth constructions, the horseshoe extending 1/3 of the total radius and the use of a double keystone to support the arch There are certainly similarities to a Moorish style but the architecture of the Umayyad conquerors was not quintessentially Islamic, it belonged more to a Byzantine tradition following the Arab conquest of the eastern provinces in the mid 7th century which included Syria. Thus it is not surprising to see the similarities between Umayyad buildings in Syria and Spanish buildings classified as being Visigothic. This is because both styles spring from a common Byzantine root, the later Visigoths had imperial outposts at Ceuta in Morocco and no doubt were influenced by the architecture seen there. The horseshoe arches of Santa Lucia are thus explained, a melting of styles and cultures during the 7th and 8th centuries.

The basilica no doubt fell into ruin during the long centuries of Moorish rule, there is no evidence that it was used for Islamic worship or for any other purpose. At some time after the reconquista, in this area, 1230, it was consecrated as the church of Santa Lucia del Trampal and no doubt continued a useful existence through the centuries as it was quite near the Via de la Plata pilgrimage route and of course the healthful spring was still an attraction.

The next time there is any definite mention of the basilica was during the peninsular wars or the Spanish war of Independence. It was used by French troops for a while and subsequently sacked and burnt. After the wars there was no money to restore the building and it again fell into ruin. In 1835 under the law instigated by Menizabal it was confiscated from the church and fell into private hands, it was used as a mere shelter for animals. Oblivion and neglect followed for over 150 years until the 1980s when it was finally rediscovered as part of the unique architectural heritage of Extremadura.

Today it is possible to visit the reconstructed basilica. There is a discrete interpretation centre situated a little way from the site, with a friendly guide. There has been some polemic about parts of the renovation, especially the gleaming white marble slabs that have been inserted in the apses giving them a somewhat sanitary, not to say urinal appearance. But besides this the basilica is a very special place; stay very still and feel those vibrations from the ancient past, maybe even drink from the sacred spring, try to ignore the municipal pump house!

BATTLE OF ARROYOMOLINOS - 200 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

The battle of Arroyomolinos was fought on October 28th 1811 on a stormy morning with torrential rain lashing the battlefield. The scene on the 200 year anniversary could not be more different, the Sierra de Montanchez was basking in warm sunshine and the re-enactment turned into a great fiesta with the bars spilling out onto the street, great fun to mingle with the local people transformed in their uniforms and costumes, some of great imagination. The day started at 11.00 in the main plaza, everyone assembled and then it was off to the battlefield just ourside the village. The numbers involved were of course just token, the actual battle involved more than 8,000 troops and 1,500 horses.. However, it was a very good effort and most effectively organized.

Assembly of the cast in the plaza before the battle

A guerilla converses with French troops....rather than slitting their throats



Guerillas

The "actors" were all local people with just as many women as men involved, some rather voluptuous troops indeed. The civilian population were well represented with some really imaginative costumes. The guerilla element hardly had to dress up as their costume is very similar to the present day fiesta garb worn at horse riding competitions in our area. It seemed the cast of Carmen had suddenly taken over the village, very colourful.  The cannons were only too real with deafening reports and lots of smoke.  My favourites were the hussars who looked incredibly dashing  with really show-off plumes in their shakos galloping at full tilt, not exactly a cavalry charge but still looked pretty good. Well done Arroyomolinos, I think they should do it every year and if they do I might be tempted to contrive a suitable costume, a somewhat ageing camp follower perhaps.

French troops