Christmas pursuits 2019

What a gorgeous Christmas day in the Sierra de Montanchez!
After several days of storms, strong winds and torrential rain we have arrived at a tranquil haven with the benefit of lush green meadows and flowing fuentes, something magical after a year of meagre rainfall almost to the point of desperation towards the end of last summer.
After a sumptuous brunch we started our walk to Manfred's olive grove high up in the sierra overlooking the village of Arroyomolinos, we love this walk because on reaching the olive grove there is the most marvellous sense of peace and isolation, the camino goes no further and the grove hangs over the precipitous gorge with vast vistas beyond.

The hike was certainly enough to work up a good appetite, we were happy to get home to the finca for yet more food and drink, in this case gravlax tapas with dill cucumber, dates wrapped in jamon and some excellent cava, that was enough until dinner.

Oh yes, this is a Christmas food fest even though it's just me and Manfred this year.
Dinner…..duck breasts roasted with clementines, sesame seed, soya sauce and garlic with asparagus, roast potatoes and parsnips….and we still haven't reached the red berry pudding with cream and nuts.
In the meantime we are messing around with the new "smart" t.v. and streaming possibilities, ooohoo! For us this is an amazing technical advance, we will see if it will change our daily rhythms, it's seductive but quite limited in what could be of interest so perhaps back to books and music....here's one of my most wonderful Christmas presents, endlessly stimulating, a great resource for art projects.

Well Christmas day is drawing to a close but looking forward to tomorrow, we will be visting our favourite bar in Salvatierra de Santiago and going for another walk. Love this peaceful time of the year before the start of the renting season with new acquaintances and lots of fun.

Battle of Arroyomolinos re-enactment: the French retreat

Every year on or around October 28 our nearest village of Arroyomolinos re-enact different aspects of the battle fought in the village in 1811. The British, Spanish and Portuguese troops made a surprise attack on the French who were occupying Arroyomolinos on the morning of October 28 during a torrential thunder storm. Several thousand troops and cavalry were involved, the French were soundly defeated, nearly all captured but a small contingent escaped over the mountain to Trujillo, their base at the time. The re-enactment this year portrayed the efforts of the allied forced to cut off the retreat across the rugged terrain of the mountain side. 
As usual the local population of Arroyomolinos made a wonderful effort with convincing costumes and very loud canon fire. 

 After the battle…...

An echo from the past- abandoned village in sierra setting

About half way in between Caceres and Plasencia is the busy village of Cañaveral, the edges of the village soon segue into countryside and a winding camino climbs high into the sierra, with each bend the views get more and more extensive and very contrasting. At one point there is a birds eye view of the new AVE train track sweeping across the land, another few bends and there is a far view of the Alcantara lakes.

Finally the track runs out at the entrance to the ancient settlement of Villa del Arco with a backdrop of the dramatic crags of the Sierra del Arco.
There are no constant inhabitants of the village, they all moved out around 20 years ago to seek more profitable employment than the traditional agricultural work of sheep and goat herding, cheese making etc. However, the houses are well preserved and maintained, the owners and family coming back sometimes throughout the year, especially for the summer fiestas which revolve around the charming church of  La virgen de la Asunción.

The most wonderful aspect of the village is the gushing water, fuentes are fed from the abundant springs of the mountain. There are large ponds built to collect the water and channel it into the village where it runs in channels through the cobbled streets, the delightful aroma of mint explodes at every step as it grows exuberantly between the cobbles. Walled gardens are luxuriant with pomegranates, lemons and oranges spilling into the streets.  There is a small plaza with the remains of an ancient mighty elm tree, now a phantasmagorical collection of writhing limbs and grotesque excavations but there are plenty of thriving trees shading the village creating a cool and pleasant atmosphere.

There is no café or bar or shop, just peace and the sound of the wind, stunning views and Griffon vultures soaring above the peaks.

 A glimpse of the past but not the reality. It must have been a bustling little community once,with a school, a communal bread oven, animals in the fields and the corrals of the village, births and deaths and the lives lived in between. Now it's a really special sanctuary, charming and a little melancholy.