A visit to our favourite potter

Tinajas Moreno León is a pottery in Torrejoncillo North of Caceres, about 1 hour 20 minutes from Finca al-manzil.
http://tinajasmorenoleon.com/en/
 It is well worth a visit, one of the few potteries, alfarerias, still making the huge clay storage pots called tinajas. For hundreds of years the same family have been digging the clay at Torrejoncillos and making these wonderful vessels. Most days of the week one can visit and see the whole process from lumps of clay to the finished articles towering over the busy potters.
Not only do they make traditional tinajas but all manner of pots for home and garden at surprisingly reasonable prices. 

Although they do not make small domestic kitchen articles they have a fine stock bought in from other potters in Spain and Portugal. Some very pleasing shapes, sturdy terracotta caseroles, baking trays, jugs, platters and bowls. I have bought many of my kitchen pieces there, always in constant use, they seem to improve with age, gaining a lovely patina after many a succulent dish has been slowly baked and enjoyed straight from the pot, they are perfect for the hearty rustic dishes of Extremadura.
Here are some freshly made clay ovens drying before being fired in the massive kilns.

Here is a poster advertising the pottery, they have used an image from one of Fernando Gallego's  stunning retablos, this one can be seen at Ciudad Rodrigo. The miracle at the wedding feast of Cana, water into wine, just look at those tinajas, obviously made in Extremadura since Roman times and here portrayed at the end of the 15th century.

 I like this image of tinaja transport in the 1930s, in this manner these huge pots were taken to the nearest rail transport and then on to bodegas all over Extremadura

The visit to the pottery can be combined with a visit to the monastery of Palancar which is on the way, see my post about the monastery http://finca-al-manzil.blogspot.com.es/2009/12/short-trip-to-very-small-monastery.html

Also just a few kms further on from the pottery is the interesting old town of Coria with some lovely walks along the Alagon river http://www.spainisculture.com/en/destinos/coria.html

A HAUNTED PLACE IN PORTUGAL- FADAGOSA THERMAL BATHS

Last Saturday we dropped Lucy and Ivani off at Evora train station and continued further North to one of our favourite places, Marvao.  Unfortunately it was the annual Feria de Castaños, the chestnut fair which seemed to be attended by the whole of the Alentejo and beyond, there was even a bus from Zafra. We decided not to get involved with the crowds as the whole point of Marvao is the slow pace of life, almost from another age. Still good to see that a few times a year it gets busy, very well organized with private cars banned, the only way up to the village is by walking or taking a designated bus which parks outside the walls.

We decided to re-visit somewhere that we had discovered years and years ago on one of our rambles whilst living in the Alentejo.  The old thermal baths of Fadagosa established at the beginning of the XIX century, popular with Portuguese and Spanish people afflicted with rheumatism, skin diseases and gout. The baths flourished until a steady decline in the 1930s until they fell into disuse and ruin by the end of the 1950s.

Today the ruin is complete with fallen roofs, shattered floors and splintered doors. Only the strong cobalt blue of the remaining woodwork retains some colour amidst the decay.

 

 

Because of the strong spring which still gushes from the ground the whole area is inundated causing prodigious growth of sumac and brambles, some evidence of an orchard still remain with a few straggly orange trees.

The atmosphere is haunting, what stories of hope, cure and death might echo through the long corridors and waft around the still remaining marble baths. A little piece of Portuguese social history in this remote corner of the Alentejo.

A WALK IN THE RUINS

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.

MANFRED RIDES AGAIN!

All very exciting as Manfred has decided to join the 2 day pilgrimage into Guadalupe on October 12, the last one he went on was 6 years ago. He has to start training the chosen horse, Fat Boy,  now in order to get him into good condition.  Fat Boy is now installed in a stable in Montanchez where it is easier to get hold of him every morning instead of hoping he will be within sight rather than munching acorns way up on the nearest peaks of the finca. Here are some photos of him leaving the finca, I am afraid I jumped on just for a pose, necklace and all! But must say it felt great and I may join in for the last bit into Guadalupe. Notice the awesome Italian saddle, it's a monster and I had a bit of difficulty swinging my leg across the very high back part, felt marvellously comfy though.

There is also a rather long video of the pilgrimage last year, if you like you can cut to 18.55 minutes into the video, this is the dramatic part, the entrance into the plaza after 2 days of trekking from Montanchez and many other villages in Extremadura. I will be there to record Manfred's triumphal entrance
https://www.youtube.com/embed/zz-Voaddmu0?rel=0

A VISIT TO LA VERA

Last week we had an invitation for dinner and a stay in La Vera. Very welcome as we can rarely get away from the finca in the Summer when we have all our lovely guests staying but we thought we could risk one night away, I am so happy we went, it was most delightful.
 A fast journey through Trujillo, up the motorway and then branching off through lush tobacco fields on the lower slopes of the Gredos with the impressive silhouette of the highest peak, Pico Almanzor looming in the distance. How many villages are there with La Vera in their name? Very many but finally we came to Villanueva de la Vera our meeting point with Cristóbal at his Baraka Café, a local Muslim community project, not only running the café and restaurant but also hosting film and musical events  with  occasional conferences  and  lectures, also a regular Sunday morning farmers' market on the patio.    http://www.barakadelavera.com/
It was very hot despite being in the mountains but there is water everywhere edged with verdant ferns and undergrowth. We followed a dusty camino along the side one of the many river gargantas (gorges)  of the sierra, deep into the mountains. Thankfully we knew there was going to be a lovely cool swim in a natural swimming pool worn out of the rocks by the mountain stream.
First we dropped our things off at the stone house where we would be staying, how charming it looked set in its GREEN lawn, everything was GREEN, a wonder for us coming from our golden Summer landscape further South.

(It was certainly a great experience to wake up the following day with early morning sunlight filtering through the trees, enjoying breakfast on the beautiful balcony, all the ironwork is designed and made by Cristóbal using a laser cutting technique.)

We continued further up the track to Alicia and  Cristóbal's house set in more greenery with stupendous views of rolling hills and up to dramatic mountain scenery, a lovely family home that has grown from an original stone farmhouse.

After greeting Alicia and some other guests we almost ran down the winding steep slope to the river below and the enticing clear cool water. What bliss! I swam in one place against the strong current, delicious, but Manfred couldn't resist the natural stone chute which propelled him rather swiftly from one pool to the next.

More people arrived and there was much conviviality, good food and wine under pristine stars of the sierra. Much later, back to the comfort of our little house in the woods and a good sleep.

Before getting back to our Summer duties at Finca al-manzil we went up to say goodbye and see the wonders of the stone circle, sculpture garden and of course Cristóbal's studio .
Cristóbal is a sculptor, mainly using the lost wax technique for bronze sculptures but also works in stone, wood and iron, his studio is a treasure house of stunning objects arranged in seemingly haphazard groups which exude an exotically precious aura.

 Nature is an obvious inspiration; goats, dogs, lions, toads, whales,chameleons, armadillos and dragonflies are scattered in profusion as well as simple organic shapes. My favourite piece was a group of three beautiful objects vaguely like giant sharks teeth, all bronze but with different treatments giving three different textures and tones but all the same shape. Bronze books open to pages of Adam and Eve; Arabic calligraphy and geometric designs are a favourite theme. You can see more here www.cristobalsculpt.com

Just before we departed we walked a little way up the hill, past the sculpture garden, past the stables and the small meadow set up for archery practise on horseback, a little further and we came to a plateau with an extensive stone circle, the stones were not very massive but had apparently been placed with due ceremony and appropriate chantings by a Hopi Indian on a visit from America, according to him the place had a very strong spiritual force. This is not uncommon in the mountains where ancient people made their refuges.
  Time to say goodbye to this magic place with promises to get together again in the Autumn.

On our way home we stopped at the Monastery of Yuste which is very close.
http://www.spain.info/en/conoce/monumentos/caceres/monasterio_de_yuste.html
 Once again I was impressed by the wonderfully peaceful situation, buried in deepest woods. In the 16th century a remote and inaccessible place chosen by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V  to retire from his vast empire, the most powerful ruler on earth lived his last years in relative simplicity still plagued by chronic gout.

 The special chair for supporting his gouty foot is on exhibition as well as the incredibly small bed positioned so he could hear mass through a door looking on to the high altar, this room is hung with deepest black velvet curtains, the originals described by a visitor before the Emperor's death in 1558.
We arrived home to the finca to find that all was well, everyone happy........so we look forward to our next quick little getaway.
In the meantime here is an extract from one of Federico García Lorca's most beautiful collection of  ballads,  Romancero Gitano, it reminds me of La Vera, green and mysterious.
This is a fragment from the ballad Romance Sonámbulo   http://usuaris.tinet.cat/picl/libros/glorca/gl002500.htm#04

Verde que te quiero verde.
Verde viento. Verdes ramas.
El barco sobre la mar
y el caballo en la montaña.
Con la sombra en la cintura
ella sueña en su baranda
verde carne, pelo verde,
con ojos de fría plata.
Verde que te quiero verde.
Bajo la luna gitana,
las cosas la están mirando
y ella no puede mirarlas.

Verde que te quiero verde.
Grandes estrellas de escarcha,
vienen con el pez de sombra
que abre el camino del alba.
La higuera frota su viento
con la lija de sus ramas,
y el monte, gato garduño,
eriza sus pitas agrias.
¿Pero quién vendrá? ¿Y por dónde...?
Ella sigue en su baranda,
verde carne, pelo verde,
soñando en la mar amarga.

A BAROQUE EVENING IN TRUJILLO

Two reasons I booked tickets for this concert; first I love baroque music and second I could finally get inside the palacio San Carlos in Trujillo. So many times I have gazed up at it's dusty exterior wondering what lay hidden behind the monumental walls.
 All dressed up complete with the essential concert goers accessories in Spain, a fan and a man, I entered the massive door into a candlelit lobby which led into the open courtyard of the palacio where the concert would take place.

 An impressive space which easily held the 300 people audience. The architecture held no surprises except in the scale which was vast and the extent of recent renovations which for once were sympathetic, leaving the austerely classical bones of the 16th century building exposed, all was lit dramatically and I was very happy gazing around whilst waiting for the start of the concert.

The London Soloists are a group of 14 musicians; 8 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, a double bass and a harpsicord and they make very sweet music. Lots of old favourites, Pachebel's canon, some Bach, some Handel and as the grande finale Vivaldi's four seasons (again). I still love the whole thing, brings back memories throughout my life in so many different situations

There was a long interval before the 4Ss which took place in the huge walled area at the back of the palacio. The music festival had been sponsored by Habla, a local bodega in Trujillo producing some very upmarket wine,  I was happy to see tables loaded with the distinctive Habla bottles and very generous supplies freely flowing as well as some nice tapas. The views up to the floodlit castle were beautiful. Unfortunately photos are not too good, only had my phone with me, the one of me in the garden is terribly blurred, maybe just as well but you can still see a fairly inane grin, I think I was enjoying the evening!

Trip to Marvao and Castelo de Vide in Portugal

Size Matters?
The Menhir da Meada is the tallest in Iberia standing at over 7m. Wow!

clustered around the imosing hills are over 50 megalithic remains

 including dolmens, menhirs and cycloliths, making this one of the megalithic hot-spots of Portugal.

Extremadura with Five Senses- Gives a good impression of the wonderful nature