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

MORE IMAGES FROM RE-ENACTMENT

The owl and the pussycat...........

Ice from the sky

The storm on the morning of September 17th was quite amazing. The finca was battered by huge hail stones for at least 15 minutes. Then a stupendous thunder storm with torrential rain. Soon there were rivers flowing down the mountain carrying earth and fallen leaves down to our bottom wall. The drainage holes had become blocked up over the last year so the mud accumulated rapidly, it gradually seeped away but the debris left covered half the wall. The hailstone stayed on the ground looking pristinely beautiful for several hours. Quite bizarre considering we were sweltering last week. The sierra now looks very washed, wonderful to see the dark earth and mossy rocks after months of parched dusty earth. Unfortunately the swimming pool was inundated with muddy water, swimming weather is nearly over now but we will have to drain the pool, clean out the mud and refill, this has never happened before, a bit of a bore but almost worth the trouble to have experienced all the drama of the storm and the refreshing of the earth, hopefully there will be grass shoots coming up very soon and we shall once again have a green glow over the finca.

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CAMPO DEL MORO ... A SPECIAL CAMPING EXPERIENCE IN EXTREMADURA FROM MAY 2012

 

Birthday picnic at Salvaterra do Extremo - Portugal

For a long time we have wanted to return to Salvaterra do Extremo to walk through the gorges on the River Erge. It seemed a good day to go on my birthday so we were on the road early(ish) It took the usual 2 hours and we crossed over the ford into Portugal when it was still not too hot. We dumped our picnic under a huge shady tree on the river bank and set off along the track. Passed an old water mill with a tunnel design to withstand the winter torrents, there was debris caught up in the trees 3 metres higher than the present water level. As we walked along the castle of Pennefial on the Spanish side was constantly in our view. The walk is named Rota de Abutros,

the Vulture route and there were certainly plenty circling around the castle towers.
The track became quite steep as it meandered along the river bank. Finally we approached the first gorge which was quite atmospheric, quite narrow with several cascades.
We soon realized that it would not be possible to continue on to the further gorges as the track disappeared and it would mean a scramble on the slippery long grass or an attempt through the water, we will come better equipped next time, I can hardly wait to return to discover the further more inaccessible gorges.

Roxy was in heaven splashing around in the shallow parts of the river, we saw several kingfishers, lots of herons and what seemed to be a black stork but they are rare so could have been wishful thinking.

We reached our tree feeling ready for a small feast and some cool wine. What bliss sitting on a river rock, toes in the water balancing precariously yummy Torta de Casar cheese, cherries from La Vera, cold pizza, paté and small black wrinkly olives plus a glass of wine which was still quite

chilled. 

                                                                                                                  

We only left the ecologically sound footprint before heading back to car and a coffee in the village, the village that seems to draw us back quite magnetically.

On the way home we visited a castle which we had seen on the way, Marmionda. There was not much left but the outer walls but a beautiful Mudejar double arch was still surviving, just.

We arrived home looking forward to a swim and a quiet dinner with the total eclipse of the moon to observe at around 11ish.  Suzanna and Helmut were on holiday at their place just along the lane and they visited after dinner with yet another celebratory bottle which was perfect for the moon toast and a lovely end to the day.

     

Extremadura, moving on..........

Thieving Magpie with azure wings

The azure winged magpies come to steal the cat food every morning from the bowl on the back terrace of the cortijo. How privileged I feel to see these beautiful creatures that only exists here in the Iberic peninsular and far  away in parts of China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia. They seem to be very prolific on the finca this year, it's a wonderful sight to see large flocks flying past in a flash of electric blue.

TRUJILLO en fiesta...the V century anniversary of Francisco de Orellana.

Last weekend there were 3 days of fiesta in Trujillo to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Francisco de Orellana the conquistador mainly concerned with the exploration of the Amazon, the palace that he built is still an impressive reminder of the riches that arrived back in Trujillo from the New World.

The  plaza was transformed into a colourful market with plenty of animated performances of a suitable 16th century theme.

There were plenty of food stalls selling hefty portions of migas and comida del pobre.

 Lovely spices, herbs and incense , hand made boots, pottery and a Moroccan stall selling sticky honey and nut cakes and mint tea.

The whole plaza was decorated with banners and flags and naturally crowded with hundreds of people and lots of niños enjoying the pony rides and carrousels. It was a good atmosphere and we stayed until quite late before taking the windy road back home.

CARNIVAL IN MONTANCHEZ

Carnival is quite late this year but it was still chilly in the plaza mayor as hundreds of people came to watch the parade of floats on Sunday. There were several different themes but my favourite was the fishing boat made of newspaper floating on a blue polythene sea, fishermen casting their nets over the lovely, plump and shiny gambas, wonderful costumes with incredible detail.  There were all the usual suspects, cowboys and indians, the victorious Spanish football team, Noah's ark, shepherd, sheep and wolves, a tribe of fat black savages with enormous objects swinging out of their grass skirts.........ah the joys of carnival.  It was a good atmosphere with lots of happy, rampaging niños and smiling faces everywhere.

CANNIBALS !

BAWDY CARNIVAL SPIRIT.............

NEW VENTURE!! - CONQUISTADOR TRAIL HOLIDAY

THE CONQUISTADOR TRAIL- CULTURE, COOKING AND WALKING IN EXTREMADURA


A journey of discovery through historical towns, beautiful countryside and delicious food.

Trujillo, view from the castle

Walking towards Trujillo

One of the magnificent conquistador palaces of Trujillo

Imagine staying in one of the most precious towns of Spain, beautifully preserved with a glowing atmosphere; a Moorish castle, medieval streets and amazing conquistador palaces………this is Trujillo in Extremadura. Our base is one of the most beautiful buildings on the Plaza Mayor, Palacio de Piedras Albas, a perfect 16th century palacio with a stunning portico overlooking the vibrant plaza.

The holiday is designed to explore Extremadura through culture, nature and gastronomy.

We visit some of the most historically interesting towns of Extremadura many with strong conquistador connections; Trujillo, Caceres, Guadalupe, Montanchez and Merida

We explore the superb nature and countryside of Extremadura, each day will include a guided cultural walk in a town as well as a walk in nature, many are on historical routes such as the medieval pilgrimage walk to the monastery of Guadalupe, the Via de la Plata Roman route through Merida and the Moorish mountain paths of Montanchez.

Food is an interesting element of our holiday, we include two mornings of cooking at the palacio, full participation welcome! Besides the creative cooking on these mornings Pippa will create a wonderful dinner every evening based on traditional Extremeno cuisine and also gorgeous recipes from Latin America. Extremeno food is full of surprises and wonderful ingredients such as the famous Iberic jamon and pork, wild asparagus, local cheese, wines and sumptuous fruit. The more exotic recipes use the ingredients brought back from the New World by the conquistadors; chocolate, peppers, tomatoes and maize. What could be more appropriate than to use these foods in Extremadura where they were first introduced to the Old World and particularly Trujillo where many of the most famous conquistadors were raised and then returned from the New World with fabulous wealth to build a perfect renaissance town.

THE EXCURSIONS

Barruecas, Caceres

Caceres - A fascinating world heritage town with a medieval centre and renaissance palaces of the conquistador era. A walk around the nearby Barruecos, an amazing area of huge granite boulders home to a huge stork colony. This area fascinated the Fluxus artist Wolf Vostell, we will visit the wonderful 18th century wool washing complex where he made his home and studio, it is now an enthralling permanent collection of his work and other famous Fluxus artists.



Monastery of Guadalupe



Guadalupe -A world heritage town with an astounding monastery dedicated to the famed black madonna, inspiration for all the Guadalupes of Latin America. A guided tour of the monastery by one of the monks.There are Zurbarans lurking in the cloisters. The original village of Guadalupe huddles around the monastery with its picturesque wooden balconies, full of flowers and bunches of drying red peppers.

Lunch in a local bodega. A walk in the beautiful Sierra de Villuercas.

Roman Theatre Merida

Merida - We explore the largest collection of Roman ruins besides Rome. Walk over the 2000 year old Roman bridge into the town where we will visit the impressive theatre and superb museum of Roman art.

Plaza Mayor, Merida

Time for some shopping or a break in the attractive plaza.

One of the spectacular mosaics at the museum of roman art in Merida

Vistit to the traditional covered market for fresh produce.

Lunch in a traditional bodega with great collection of bull fighting memorabilia from the last 100 years.

On the way back to Trujillo we stop off at the Natural Park of Cornalvo and walk around the lake which is in fact a Roman reservoir, a haven for birdlife.

Montanchez

Walking in the Sierra de Montanchez

A trip to the Sierra de Montanchez and the mountain village famous for jamon iberico de bellota. Surrounded by olive and fig groves, this charming village is known as the balcony of Extremadura due to vast views from the Moorish castle. From the village we walk into the countryside on one of the original Moorish paths, no doubt meeting a few donkeys along the way taking their owners to outlying olive groves. Our route will take us through chestnut woods, olive groves and spectacular views to the watermill gorge of Arroyomolinos where we can see many water mills descending though the gorge, some are said to be of Roman origin. The countryside is glorious with wild herbs and flowers and birds of prey wheeling above.

Lunch in a local bodega to sample the wonderful jamon and local Pitarra wine.

Accommodation at Palacio de Piedras Albas
The Palacio is in the heart of Trujillo, right on the main plaza but behind the impressive entrance is the tranquil atmosphere of a traditional family house with inner courtyard and a wide staircase leading to the first floor reception rooms and bedrooms. The stunning Florentine portico leads off the main salon, it is the perfect place to relax and watch life down on the beautiful plaza, if you need less distraction and more tranquillity there is a spacious garden filled with flowers and a lovely swimming pool in a sheltered corner.

Pippa will take you on a first guided tour of Trujillo, an introduction to your own wanderings through the atmospheric lanes and enjoyment of the vast panoramas from the castle walls. A simple but wonderful pleasure is to enjoy a drink at one of the open air terraces on the plaza, as the sun goes down the ancient building glow in a golden light.

PRICES
The holiday is for a minimum of 6 people and maximum of 8 @ €150 per person per day. Prices based on a shared twin. Single person supplement for private room is €50 per day

DISCOUNTS ARE AVAILABLE IF YOU ARE ABLE TO ARRANGE YOUR OWN GROUP OF 6 FRIENDS.

WHEN DO WE OPERATE?
The holidays are run in late April depending on Easter, May, June, late September and early October.

Spring is from February – May, the most beautiful season with millions of wild flowers, lovely sunny warm weather and some rain showers. June is starting to get hot but better to enjoy the pool and a taste of summer without the intense heat.

Autumn starts in late September - October usually delightfully warm and sunny with some rainy days but never continuous.
DATES
Our holidays are designed on a weekly basis.
The dates for 2011 are as follows

MAY 07 -14

JUNE 11 -18

SEPT 17 -24

OCT. 01 -08

WHAT DOES THE HOLIDAY INCLUDE?
Accommodation and breakfast at Palacio de Piedras Albas for 7 nights, 2 mornings of cooking and eating the preparations for lunch and dinner, 4 days of alternative activities and excursions with dinner at the palacio.

All ingredients, equipment and travel included. (Excluding arrival and departure travel to and from Trujillo)

Food and beverages and entrance fees whilst on excursions are not included.

BOOKING POLICY
A deposit of 30% of the total price for all persons to be paid to secure the reservation .
The remaining balance to be paid 8 weeks before the date of arrival.
We accept payment by bank transfer OR through paypal http://www.paypal.com/
A reliable and safe method of international payment.

A TYPICAL HOLIDAY WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING PROGRAME

1st DAY
ARRIVAL AT Palacio de Piedras Albas

Time to get to know your surroundings, meet the other guests and relax after your journey.
Dinner prepared by Pippa

2nd DAY
1st COOKING MORNING – INTRODUCTION TO CONQUISTADOR INSPIRED CUISINE
Breakfast
10.30 – 14.00 Preparation and cooking of a selection of Latin American dishes using typical ingredients and spices, e.g. quails in rose petal sauce and chicken with chocolate mole sauce.
Lunch at the palacio will be part of our morning’s preparation, usually we eat lunch in the garden.
Time to relax, a siesta, a swim, some reading or photography perhaps.

17.00 – 18.30 A guided walk around Trujillo with Pippa, through atmospheric lanes lined with secret gardens, jasmine and orange trees glimpsed over high stone walls, conquistador palacios with exquisite facades and beautiful interiors, sublime churches endowed with impressive works of art.

The walk starts in the magnificent Plaza Mayor, an almost theatrical space surrounded by a collection of interesting buildings, each with a story in the long history of Trujillo.

Time for another swim or preparation for the evening, we believe in making a special atmosphere every evening, the table will be looking very pretty and the food is going to be stupendous.
We are on Spanish time so tapas and drinks at 20.30 and dinner at 21ish.
Now the rest of the evening is up to you, you have had an interesting, active day so relax, enjoy and converse.

3rd DAY -CACERES
A guided walk within the Moorish walls, through the medieval town visiting the museum and Moorish algibe. Lunch in typical bodega.

A walk around the Barruecas lake and park with a visit to the Wolf Vostell museum.

Back to the palacio.

Dinner prepared by Pippa.

4th DAY MERIDA
Breakfast.
A cultural tour of this amazing Roman city.

Time for some shopping or a break in the attractive plaza.

Vistit to the traditional covered market for fresh produce.

Lunch in a traditional bodega with great collection of bull fighting memorabilia from the last 100 years.

On the way back we visit

Cornalvo Natural Park, a protected area of woodland near Merida, we walk around the lake which is in fact an original Roman reservoir, a haven for birdlife.

Back to the palacio for relaxing afternoon.

Dinner prepared by Pippa.

5th DAY 2ND COOKING DAY – Typical Extremeno ingredients and cuisine

Breakfast

10.30 -14.00 As day 2 using some of the ingredients that we bought yesterday for preparation of dishes for lunch and dinner.

Free afternoon

Dinner with prepared dishes.

6th DAY GUADALUPE
Breakfast.

A lovely ride through beautiful countryside to the Sierra deVillurcas where the town of Guadalupe clusters around the ancient monastery which was built in honour of the Virgin de Guadalupe one of Spains’ famous black madonnas. Walk in the Sierra de Guadalupe.

Return to Trujillo.

Dinner prepared by Pippa.

7th DAY MONTANCHEZ

Breakfast.

Visit to the mountain village of Montanchez famous for jamon production, walk up to the Moorish castle.

Walk to the water mill gorge of Arroyomolinos

Lunch in a bodega to sample the jamon, local cheese and wine

Back to the Trujillo.

Afternoon as day 2.

Dinner is prepared by Pippa

DAY 8

DEPARTURE

Some of the wonderful old towns you can visit from Finca al-manzil

 

A Trip to the Moon / Le Voyage dans la lune - 1902

From total lunar eclipse in 2010 to a trip to the moon........re-wind to 1902.

It's quite a brain shaker, mixing time and space and cultural perspectives. For the first time in nearly 400 years the lunar eclipse coincides with the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. In addition, both sun and eclipsed moon will briefly be visible above the horizon – cloud cover permitting – in an unusual event called a selenehelion.......just imagine........and see how the moon was perceived in 1902.
A Trip to the Moon,  Le Voyage dans la lune is a 1902 French black and white silent science fiction film. It is loosely based on two popular novels of the time: From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne and The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells
The film was written and directed by Georges Méliès, assisted by his brother Gaston. The film runs 14 minutes if projected at 16 frames per second, which was the standard frame rate at the time the film was produced. It was extremely popular at the time of its release and is the best-known of the hundreds of fantasy films made by Méliès. A Trip to the Moon is the first science fiction film, and utilizes innovative animation and special effects, including the iconic shot of the rocketship landing in the moon's eye. It's a window into a more naif age, clumsy and whimsical but quite, quite incredible, this was 108 years ago, most of the people appearing in the film were born between 130 - 180 years ago.

Autumn Oaks on Finca al-manzil

Changing colours on the finca where we have three different species of oak trees. 

Quercus Robur is the "English" oak which creates the dramatic golden splashes at this time of the year as the leaves become golden. 

Quercus Suber ,Cork oak and Quercus Ilex the Holm oak stay green all year. All the members of the Quercus family produce acorns but some are not fit for consumption by man or beast especially Quercus Robur which can be fatal for horses, it gives them terrible colic. Fortunately our finca is covered with Holm and Cork oak which produce huge quantities of edible acorns much appreciated by our horses and donkeys. Not so long ago the acorns were gathered for human consumption too. We have tried them, very similar to chestnuts when roasted and go very well with jamon which is not surprising as the wonderful jamon of Montanchez is produced from Iberic pigs exclusively fattened with acorns in the vast dehesas of our area.