Travel Related

The Wisdom and Wonder of Waterfalls

/ ginnyburges / Leave a comment
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” ~ JawaHarlal Nehru

It feels like an age since our summer holiday. Inevitably the days are drawing slowly shorter as autumn’s early whispers bring cooler temperatures.

My children are back at school (my youngest has her 11+ exam on Thursday), I’ve nearly finished painting my office cabin, and I finally have some quiet time to reflect on and share the incredible two week family road trip we took this summer; a touring holiday that took us to three countries.

Our adventure began in Iceland, with awestruck admiration for its volcanic, Hawaii-esque scenery, a spectacular waterfall around almost every corner, before jetting off to the urban jungle and iconic skyline that is New York, to spend some time with the American branch of our family.

Together we made an epic drive through the stunning landscape of New York State, (via Letchworth State Park) to Buffalo, and a hotly anticipated meal for my son at the original ‘home’ of Buffalo Wings.

The canyon that runs through Letchworth State park

From the shores of Lake Erie we entered into Canada and spent two amazing days at the horseshoe falls in Niagara. To say Niagara Falls is breath-taking doesn’t do it justice. I thought I might feel a bit jaded after the many magnificent waterfalls we had seen in Iceland, but Niagara was the crowning glory.

I saw more waterfalls on this trip than I had previously seen in a lifetime!

My photo of the horseshoe falls from Table Rock

There is something magical, ephemeral and transcendent about waterfalls that invigorates the mind, body and soul.

It was hot the day we arrived – and a national holiday in Canada so it was also heaving, but to walk along the promenade and feel the spritz of the water was refreshing.  We loved our little excursion into the spray filled cauldron on the Hornblower, a totally different and more immersive perspective from water level.

Depending on where the measurement is taken, the horseshoe falls are 54 – 58 metres high, and 675 metres across from Table Rock to Goat Island on the American side. Around a million gallons of water per minute cascades down, producing its own roaring symphony, (we could even hear it from high up in our hotel room).

The next morning we ventured into the tunnels that go down and behind the falls. There are two openings, the Cataract Portal and the Great Falls Portal, the latter being 200 metres along the falls, almost one third of the width of the falls.

Behind the falls at the Great Falls Portal

On 24th October 1901 Annie Edson Taylor was the very first person to ‘go over’ the falls in a barrel and survive. She was a widow and school teacher. Amazingly she sustained only cuts and bruises. Annie was certainly courageous. Many others weren’t so lucky…

The word ‘Niagara’ is thought to originate from the Onguiaahra tribe of the Haudenosaunee society around 3000 years ago. The first European reported to have discovered Niagara was Etienne Brule, a crew member of Samuel de Champlain, but the first actual, (and in my opinion quite eloquent) eye-witness account of the falls was written by Father Louis Hennepin who visited Niagara in 1678:

“…four leagues from Lake Frontenac there is an incredible Cataract of water-fall which has no equal… Betwixt the Lake Ontario and Erie, there is a vast and prodigious cadence of water which falls down after a surprising and astonishing manner, insomuch that the Universe does not afford its parallel. “

Lake Superior and Lake Michigan feed into Lake Huron which (via the Detroit River) joins Lake Erie, and flows into Lake Niagara. The water from Niagara Falls drains into Lake Ontario. The great lakes of North America contain one fifth of the world’s fresh water supply.

After Niagara we drove through the flat vineyard lands surrounding the southern tip of Lake Ontario, along the north-west shore for a fleeting meeting with Toronto, mostly viewed from the CN Tower.

Further up the lake we took an overnight pit-stop at Trenton. Poor weather prevented us from exploring Prince Edward Island, so we wound our way up into Quebec and Montreal. I can recommend Tommy’s for a fab brunch and the children persuaded me to do my first urban zip wire over the old port as we explored the city and its French origins.

From Montreal we drove south back into the US and through the Adirondack Mountains into Vermont, to the secluded old-world resort of Basin Harbor, nestled quietly since 1886 on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Basin Harbor on Lake Champlain

Some of the highlights included water-skiing, tubing, biking, hiking and water trampolines. After three nights in one place I was beginning to get settled, but then we needed to return to Connecticut. It’s probably just as well, as the American Plan (basically everything you can possibly eat in a buffet in one go three times a day) was taking its toll on our waistlines and our finances were already depleted. Plus the mosquitoes were feasting on us…

We had one last day in New York to take in some culture at the Met Museum and do some sightseeing in Central Park before flying back to the UK via Iceland.

View from Bow Bridge of the Manhattan skyline

We did A LOT of driving, but felt like explorers nonetheless. The kids were mostly well behaved, considering such long stints in close proximity. I don’t think I heard one “are we there yet?” from the back seat!

Iceland

None of us had been to Iceland before, immortalised and popularised on TV by Game of Thrones, and we weren’t disappointed. Located in the middle of the North Atlantic, just four degrees outside the Arctic Circle, we landed at 10.30 pm and the sun was a bright ball on the horizon. It never really got pitch black, even after the sun disappeared shortly after 11 pm.

These long, light days lent themselves to touring, and we duly hired a car from Reykjavik Airport and based ourselves in a delightful Airbnb apartment in Grindavik.

Iceland is essentially one big, moss and mountain covered lava flow, an island of multiple geothermal hotspots – home to around 130 volcanoes – many of which are active. The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull caused massive disruption to flights to and from Europe. We saw a glimpse of its shrouded slopes from a viewing point en-route to Gulfoss.

The volcano has erupted four times since the island was settled, with 2010 being the last eruption.

Iceland is the land of fire and ice, boasting mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls, lakes, black sand beaches and verdant fields with an abundance of grazing horses.

Its dramatic, untamed and pristine landscape has a primordial power, you feel like you have gone back in time in some respects. You can drive for hours and only see handful of homes or farms, and I loved that they built tiny, American style churches in these remote communities.

Church at Thingvellir

Their language is Germanic based, but unlike the languages of Europe it has not evolved or been altered from outside influences and is essentially the same language as it was 10,000 years ago.

It felt significantly colder than the UK, especially only days after one of our hottest days on record. The weather was cool, cloudy and rainy for the most part, except on the last day when we visited the geothermal springs at the Blue Lagoon, when the sun eventually came out.

The Blue Lagoon

I would have liked to experience the relaxing heat of the Blue Lagoon in the snow…

We soon got used to the faint smell of rotten egg, but I wouldn’t recommend doing it on the day you fly as the warmth of the water puts you into a kind of soporific state, and we sort of lost track of time. That, coupled with slow service in the restaurant, (although delicious food) meant we only just caught our flight to New York.

Surprisingly Iceland is the largest producer of bananas in Europe. We saw a massive distribution centre sized glass house, which lit up the night sky running on geothermal power.

The glacier topped volcano of Snæfellsjökull, 120 kilometers north-west of Reykjavik inspired Jules Verne in his 1864 novel ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’, but sadly that glacier (and others), are now rapidly melting. With lava formed slopes and volcanic caves this dormant volcano provided the perfect fictional entrance to the passage leading into the Earth’s core! We didn’t have time to visit it, but maybe if we can ever afford another visit we’ll do a trip to its summit, 1448 metres above sea-level.

Pretty much everything, but especially food, is eye-wateringly expensive in Iceland, so save your pennies! I took my gut-friendly pea protein shakes and plenty of nuts, which sorted breakfast.

Elements of Iceland:

Gulfoss

“No waterall in Europe can match Gulfoss. In Wildness and fury it outdoes the Niagara Falls of the United States. Thousands of unharnessed horsepower flow continuously into the gorge, year in and year out.” ~ Taken from a travel book by two Danes in the retinue of King Frederick VII after a visit to Gulfoss in 1907.

The first thing I remember about Gulfoss was seeing a rainbow. As you walk closer you see the mist and hear the water.

It flows down a rocky incline before descending into a steep gorge, pummelling the earth with incredible force and sheer radiance.

Luckily for us, Gulfoss and the surrounding area were made a nature reserve in 1979 to give people the best opportunity to experience this natural phenomenon.

Geysir

We saw two of the world’s largest geysers at Geysir, where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge cuts Iceland into two parts. These two plates are drifting away from each other at a rate of 2 cm per year.

Scenery at Geysir

The high temperatures of Icleand’s geothermal areas are located in the volcanic zone, and Geysir has a base temperature of around 250 degrees celsius.

Thingvellir National Park

We spent several hours in Thingvellir National Park, the geographic location of Iceland’s culture, history and national identity. We did quite a bit of walking here, but I hasten to add we didn’t dive or snorkel where the American continental plate is drifting apart from the Eurasian continental plate.

We walked along the scenic path by the side of the steep escarpment of the American plate.

One of the more macabre facts we learnt about Thingvellir National Park (the site of Iceland’s first government), was that they used certain areas for executions. Seventy-two people were put to death between 1602 and 1750: 30 men were beheaded, 15 hanged, and 9 burned at the stake. Eighteen women were drowned at Drekkingarhylur.

The Drowning Pool (Drekkingarylur).

Skogafoss

Skogafoss is another impressive and beautiful waterfall. High and majestic, falling over ancient coastal cliffs, like Gulfoss, its source is glacial.

We ventured close to the foot of the 62 metre high and 15 metre wide Skogafoss, and boy was it powerful! We spent the drive back wishing we had bought head to toe waterproof gear…

Afterwards we pushed on further along the coast to the black beach at Reynisfjara – a bleak but stunning vista, yet another location where filming for GoT took place.

5 Observations of the wisdom and wonder of waterfalls:

Water – that simple chemical composition of H2O, so vital to our health and well-being and that of our planet – yet not all sources are equal, depending on where in the world you are. It’s contradictions matter: abundant or scarce, pure or polluted, the ultimate elixir of life, maybe even a kind of spiritual life-blood…

It’s hard to put into words how being near a waterfall affects you.

  1. To respect the raw, untamed power of nature and enjoy its beauty.
  2. ‘Flow’ is everything…
  3. Energy can be harnessed from waterfalls, both physically (hydro-electric power) and spiritually. Waterfalls make you feel alive and connected to a higher power.
  4. The natural circulation of water helps to oxygenate and irrigate the surrounding plant life.
  5. They emit negative ions, which are beneficial to humans.

Only Victoria Falls and Iguazu Falls to cross off my bucket list now!

“A waterfall cannot be silent, just as the wisdom! When they speak, the voice of power speaks!” ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

Talk about post-holiday blues – I think I spent two weeks continuously doing laundry, and other ongoing distressing challenges arose the moment we landed.

I have finally downloaded the gazillion photos I took on the trip. I’ll share some photographic highlights in the galleries below. Please contact me if you wish to use any of these images.

Iceland Gallery

USA Gallery

Canada Gallery

Escaping to the Beautiful Dales and Coastal Delights of Dorset

/ ginnyburges / Leave a comment
“Let me enjoy the earth no less because the all-enacting light that fashioned forth its loveliness had other aims than my delight.” ~ Thomas Hardy

The weather over last weekend’s May bank holiday in the UK was something of a miracle! It was the hottest early May bank holiday weekend on record. They are traditionally damp and dreary affairs, spent doing household chores or various indoor pursuits…

The Burges household decided we needed a change of scenery, and wanted to make the most of this unusual glimpse of summer, so took ourselves off to one of England’s quintessential counties: Dorset.

Rolling green fields near Whitchurch Canonicorum

Cornwall has long been our favourite, with the Lake District a close second, but Dorset has similar scenery for three hours of driving instead of four to five, so we settled for two nights in a quiet and unspoilt hamlet called Whitchurch Canonicorum. The small development of holiday cottages (formed from an old farm around a courtyard), was charming and rustic, with the added benefit of a modern indoor pool to keep the kids happy.

The nearby paddock with the alpacas was also a big hit with my girls, who noticed a striking resemblance between their brother and Buttercup!

We arrived late Saturday night, and all was quiet; no traffic, no light pollution, just a glittering sky littered with sparkling stars. It reminded me of the stunning southern hemisphere night sky I became enamoured of in Queensland, Australia many years ago.

“Did you say the stars were worlds, Tess?”
“Yes.”
“All like ours?”
“I don’t know, but I think so. They sometimes seem to be like the apples on our stubbard-tree. Most of them splendid and sound – a few blighted.”
“Which do we live on – a splendid one or a blighted one?”
“A blighted one.”
~ Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D’Urbervilles

Sunday morning was a relaxed affair, me with a book supervising the kids in the pool and a cooked breakfast. We piled into the car and headed for the nearest beach at Charmouth, a ten minute drive from our base. Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is stunning. It has the sheer cliffs, topped by rolling green fields, pristine pebble beaches, and eons of history and fossils to go searching for. Fossil hunting wasn’t on our agenda this time, relaxation was.

Charmouth Beach – not so far from the madding crowd!

My youngest son decided to take a dip in the sea (he likes cold showers as well), and I was in awe at his bravery. However, despite the soaring temperatures on land, the water was not far off freezing, and poor Will struggled to get back to shore across a stony seabed. He spent a tad too long in the sea and began shivering violently when he came out. Being wrapped in towels and sat in the sun with a hot chocolate soon brought his core temperature back up.

Meanwhile, I was busy getting sunburnt as I was so focussed on making sure the family had sunscreen on, I neglected myself. A brighter shade of lobster is not a good look! Fortunately I took my Trulūm skin care with me and the Intrinsic Complex worked wonders with the sore, red skin on my shoulders and arms, bringing it down to bearable levels. Nothing like a bit of DNA repair when you’ve been overexposed!!

We spent the early evening wandering around Lyme Regis and consuming the best fish and chips in Dorset. I haven’t been there since I was Emily’s age on a school geography field trip. It’s still magical.

Monday morning we did a short coastal walk, it was too hot to exert ourselves beyond a leisurely stroll. We chatted with a lady who had been on an organised National Trust ‘orchid walk’ by the cliff.

I really wanted to visit Thomas Hardy’s birthplace and home (Max Gate), but my family don’t have the same literary interests, so I was outnumbered! I will have to wait for another visit. Classics like Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the d’Ubervilles, Jude the Obscure and his other novels are set in Dorset and the surrounding counties. Hardy’s fictional town of Casterbridge was based on Dorchester.

Thomas Hardy’s birthplace at Higher Brockhampton, Dorset where Under the Greenwood Tree and Far From the Madding Crowd were written.

Many may think of Thomas Hardy as a purely literary author; he was awarded the Order of Merit in 1910 and had been frequently nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature. But he was a trailblazer as well!

Hardy is credited with being the source and inspiration for the term ‘cliffhanger’.

Cliffhanger: A story or situation that is exciting because its ending or result is uncertain until it happens.  (Cambridge Dictionary)

As I tell W.I. members on my fiction talks, there is a suspenseful scene in his third novel A Pair of Blue Eyes, where a male character (Henry Knight), is literally hanging by his fingertips to a cliff face, unable to climb back up to safety. The object of his affection, Elfride has gone to seek assistance.

Suspense is from the Latin word ‘to hang’ (suspendo). Because I think it’s a brilliant piece of writing and the Victorian precursor to the modern suspense genre, I have included the excerpt, which also ties in with the scenery of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast:

“At first, when death appeared improbable because it had never visited him before, Knight could think of no future, nor of anything connected with his past. He could only look sternly at Nature’s treacherous attempt to put an end to him, and strive to thwart her.
From the fact that the cliff formed the inner face of the segment of a hollow cylinder, having the sky for a top and the sea for a bottom, which enclosed the bay to the extent of nearly a semicircle, he could see the vertical face carving round on each side of him. He looked far down the façade and realised more thoroughly how it threatened him. Grimness was in every feature, and to its very bowels the inimical shape was desolation.
By one of those familiar conjunctions of things wherewith the inanimate world baits the mind of man when he pauses in moments of suspense, opposite Knight’s eyes was an imbedded fossil, standing forth in low relief from the rock. It was a creature with eyes. The eyes, dead and turned to stone, were even now regarding him. It was one of those early crustaceans called Trilobites. Separated by millions of years in their lives, Knight and this underling seemed to have met in their place of death. It was a single instance within reach of his vision of anything that had ever been alive and had had a body to save, as he himself had now.”
~ Thomas Hardy (A Pair of Blue Eyes, 1873)

Hardy has kept the focus on Knight and we are probably convinced like he is; that he’s going to die. It’s great to find that the dramatic, ancient landscape is fundamental to the story, acting as another character, as well as the obvious contemporary influence of Charles Darwin on him. Hardy met the composer Sir Edward Elgar late in his life and they discussed the possibility of him writing an opera based on the novel, but sadly Hardy’s death put an end to the project.

Spectacular Corfe Castle

In the afternoon we drove across to the east side of Dorset to the Purbeck region to explore Corfe Castle. If you’ve read my post on Gwellian ferch Gruffydd, you may have gathered that we absolutely love castles!

Approaching what’s left of the Keep

Corfe is a magnificent ruin now, but you can’t beat the romantic setting it commands. It has a turbulent and colourful thousand year history, and for five centuries was one of the most important castles in England.

Lovely light behind the ruins.

Corfe’s history came vividly to life for us as a group of Saxon and Viking enthusiasts had been camping out in the grounds all weekend participating in various events. They were regaled in fabulous period costumes, brandishing weapons and displaying handicrafts from their era. It all added to the jubilant atmosphere.

Will was especially interested, talking to a ‘viking’ who had travelled down from York for the events, and was thrilled when he let him borrow his gear and told him about how it would have been used. His sisters were very keen to murder or maim their big brother!

We all enjoyed exploring the ruins, and because the sky was so clear and blue, at the top, you could see right across to the Studland Peninsula and Poole in the distance.

View towards the Studland Peninsula, Sandbanks and Poole.

I’ve included some more of my photos in the gallery and epic drone videos I found. We couldn’t have picked a better day to visit.

Corfe Castle Timeline

  • 978 – It is thought that King Edward the Martyr was murdered by his (very wicked) stepmother Aelfreda at the site of the Old Hall. She wanted her own son, Ethelred, to be King of England. It is said that Aelfreda offered Edward a goblet of poisoned wine and then had him stabbed in the back while he drank it.
  • 1086 – Corfe Castle was one of a number of castles built by William the Conqueror soon after his arrival on English shores in 1066. He exchanged a church at Gillingham for the mound and other land at Corfe, which was owned by the Abbess of Shaftesbury. Built on a natural mound, the castle was a guard to the gateway of Purbeck. It was good hunting country and nearby Wareham was an important port linking England and France. Much of Purbeck was a Royal Forest and the killing of game without royal permission was punishable by death. The castle was built with Purbeck limestone quarried about two miles away and brought by horse and cart to Corfe. A simple pulley system was used to haul the stone to the tops of the walls.
  • 1106 – By now Corfe was one of the best fortified castles in England. Henry 1 (son of William the Conqueror), ordered the building of the Keep as a prison for his brother Robert of Normandy, who was threatening to take the English throne. The Keep was painted white, a symbol of the King’s power and wealth.  At 23 metres tall, sitting on the top of a 55 metre hill it would have been the equivalent of a 12th century skyscraper!It was one of the first Norman keeps to be built from stone instead of timber. The sturdy construction would have kept the king safe from archers and trebuchet attacks, as well as housing his treasure and hosting lavish royal banquets. The village grew up around the castle as it was being built. This was a small community of skilled stone workers and tradesmen who provided services to the castle. Many farmers working small plots of land supplied the castle with provisions when the king visited.
  • 1138 – While Stephen was King, his cousin the Empress Matilda raised an army against him, thinking she should have the throne of England. Stephen besieged one of her saupporters, Baldwin de Redevers.
  • 1202 – King John (1199 – 1216) had a new royal residence built next to the Keep, called the Gloriette. He imprisoned his French neice, Princess Eleanor of Brittany at Corfe Castle. She survived, but 22 of her knights were not so lucky.
  • 1220 – 1294 – Edward I (1272 – 1307) improved the defences of both the Outer and Southwest Gatehouses. Henry VII (1485 – 1509) made many home improvements hoping his mother would spend time at the castle.
  • 1572 – Queen Elizabeth I, the castle’s last royal owner, sold it to her Lord Chancellor, Sir Christopher Hatton and Corfe became a stately home.
  • 1635 – Corfe Castle was bought by the Chief Justice to King Charles I, Sir John Bankes and his wife, Mary.  He and his family stayed true to the king during the civil war, while almost all of Dorset was under the control of Cromwell’s Parliamentary forces.
  • 1643-46 – Under the command of brave Dame Mary Bankes Corfe Castle twice held off sieges during the English Civil War, but was finally captured because of treachery within its walls.

    Corfe Castle in 1643

  • 1646-1663 – After partial demolition by order of the government, which took around six months, Lady Bankes’s son, Ralph, tried to recover what he could. He later built a new mansion at Kingston Lacy.
  • 1982 – After three and a half centuries of ownership by the Bankes family, the castle (part of the Kingston Lacy and Corfe Castle Estate), was bequeathed to the National Trust by Ralph Bankes, a direct descendent of Sir John Bankes.

Corfe Castle 3D historical reconstruction:

We drove back to Buckinghamshire through the scenic Studland Peninsula and across the two minute Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry as the sun was setting over the placid water. It was really quite lovely.

I can see why the Studland Bay area and Sandbanks is one of the most prime property locations in the country after London!

“In making even horizontal and clear inspections we colour and mould according to the wants within us whatever our eyes bring in.” ~ Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd

Photo gallery:

#TravelTuesday – The Road to Ronda: Reverie and Snapshots of Southern Spain

/ ginnyburges / Leave a comment
“I have sought everywhere the city of my dreams, and I have finally found it in Ronda. Nothing is more startling in Spain than this wild and mountainous city.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?

My brain is still in Spain… Not literally of course, my body is firmly back in Buckinghamshire; but I find my thoughts often drift back to the vast and passionate land of sangria and siestas that was our base for two weeks this summer.

View towards Gibraltar at sunset.

It was a special time to soak up some much need rest and relaxation, not to mention sunshine, and spend some quality time with my children. Happy childhood memories are so precious, and I’m grateful we had such a fabulous holiday after what has been a pretty gruelling year to-date.

Travel opens you up to new sights, different cultures, history, peoples and foods, so that the places you visit somehow embed themselves into your psyche, either positively or negatively – depending on your experiences.

So it makes sense to write about the land that has a piece of my head and my heart while I’m still on the periphery of my holiday Zen twilight zone.

I feel a strong affinity with Andalusia: it rejuvenated my mind, body and spirit.

I miss the shrill strumming of the cicadas, the dry, sweet scent of pine infused mountain air, majestic mountain ranges stretching beyond the horizon inland, and the breezy Mediterranean Sea with its vivid palette of blues on the other side.

I long for the stout Spanish lemons that dwarf your hand (compared to the puny ones in the UK), and the blazing sunsets that illuminate the sky and warm your retina.

Sunset over Bolonia Beach and sand dune. We walked briskly in the fading light.

Sun-kissed beaches soak up innumerable sandy footprints and picturesque white villages nestle into steep clefts in the surrounding sierras, as the dramatic landscape bakes under a relentless oven-like heat in the summer months.

We saw a few water laden helicopters flying overhead on some days, as forest fires hit the area in soaring temperatures. We drove past this one in Euro Weekly News on the AP7 heading to Malaga Airport.

On the days we weren’t having fun in the pool we did get out from our base near Estepona and visited some amazing places; in particular I thought I would share Ronda with you.

Ronda

The first sightseeing trip we did was a 4-wheel drive adventure to the famed city of Ronda. Oh my, that day will stay with me forever…

We travelled in style: in an open top four-wheel drive, with our driver, Danny, a friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide who let us stand up in the jeep on the small roads and really made our day special.

We headed off down the A7 towards Marbella and then turned left into the Red mountain range (past a new Russian enclave of luxury homes and golf courses said to be the most expensive place to live in Europe), up into the Sierra Ronda, geologically formed from a mixture of marble, clay and limestone.

With the wind in our hair we drove round precipitous mountain bends as we climbed in altitude, stopping to buy melon and wave at a gathering of errant mountain goats running amok; bells tinkling as they made their bid for freedom.

Danny showed us some of the local flora and fauna enroute, as we stopped to pick fresh wild thyme, lavender and fennel flowers. We rubbed the yellow leaves between our hands and sniffed the pleasant, natural odour they left behind.

Bright flowers grew along the roadside, which I was informed was Oleander – a lovely plant to look at but poisonous to ingest.

We came to our first stop, a quaint mountain village with a natural pool of spring water formed after filtration through the mountains. It was a pure and peaceful spot, at least until we arrived!

Jumping for joy at the mountain spring.

Danny was chatting to an elderly local and he kept glancing up to the sky, where mist was forming into low cloud. It hadn’t rained there for three months and they were praying for a shower.

We continued on to Juzcar, famous for its blue buildings that were painted for its role in a Smurf movie. The town quite liked their new look and decided to keep it.

After a traditional lunch we set out on the road to Ronda…having fun and anticipating the views that would greet us in Ronda. They did not disappoint.

The wall of rock on the Southern approach to Ronda.

As you drive down into the valley with the old Moorish city walls and the Church of the Espiritu Santo on your right, the ochre rocky escarpment is what first grabs your attention.

Ronda is a breathtaking and unique city sitting high on a mountain shelf, crowning geological sediments and layers of civilisation and cultures: Celts, Visigoths, Romans, Arab and Christian, fused together by centuries of human habitation.

A virtually sheer face of rock, over 200 meters high towers above the surrounding agricultural fields, and then you see the tall, arched Puente Nuevo, joining both sides of a deep chasm that appears to have been wielded by none less than the mighty hand of God; cleaving the city in two.

From beneath the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), at the end of the Tajo gorge, the new city (El Mercadillo) is on the left, the ancient Moorish (La Ciudad) on the right.

Danny regaled us with some local Spanish history: the Moors conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD, but the Catholic Spanish monarchs didn’t win back Ronda city from its Muslim inhabitants for another 700 years.

When you see the geography of the area around Ronda, the remote prized jewel of its eponymous Serrania, it’s easy to see how it would have been impregnable to sieges. The re-conquest was eventually achieved by cutting off the water supply to the Medina quarter. The city came back under Christian control on 24th May 1485.

My brood, posing with our guide, Danny from Monte Aventura.

Located in the province of Malaga, Ronda now has a population in the region of 40,000 people spread over the three districts: El Mercadillo, La Ciudad and San Francisco.

Writers such as George Eliot (Daniel Deronda), Rainer Maria Rilke, (who kept a permanent room at the Hotel Reina Victoria), Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway were visitors, incorporating Ronda’s influence and inspiration in their writings.

Hemingway was said to have based a scene in For Whom the Bell Tolls where Nationalist sympathisers are thrown from a cliff during the Spanish Civil War, on real historical events that took place in Ronda from the cliffs of El Tajo.

Other famous inhabitants include Don Pedro Romero, one of Spain’s best loved bullfighters, born in Ronda in 1754. Romero was credited with elevating bullfighting from a sport to an art, and was immortalised in the paintings of Goya.

Portrait of bullfighter Pedro Romero by Francisco de Goya

It is a magical place – almost mythical…

Ronda’s Bridges

Ronda actually has three bridges: The Moorish Bridge, (built with a single arch on top of the Roman bridge at the low opening of the gorge, close to the Moorish Baths), then further along is the Puente Viejo, (old bridge), built in 1616 and the impressive new bridge, Puente Nuevo.

They call it new, but it has been successfully spanning the gorge for 224 years!

I have a fascination for bridges, so this was a real visual treat. You can only marvel at the feat of engineering they achieved in constructing the Puente Nuevo: built between 1751 and 1793 to link La Ciudad district with the expanding Mercadillo Barrio.

The bridge was designed by José Martín de Aldehuela who was supported in the project by Diaz Machuca of Ronda. Fifty workers were killed during its 42 year construction.

The Puente Nuevo is strong and solid in construction as well as graceful and classical in appearance. Its stone arches are reminiscent of an aqueduct.

The chamber above the central arch was used for a variety of purposes, including as a prison. What a canny place to keep criminals – escape must have been a very un-appealing option!

A long way down!

During the 1936-1939 civil war both sides allegedly used the prison as a torture chamber for captured opponents, killing some by throwing them from the windows to the rocks at the bottom of the El Tajo gorge.

The chamber is entered through a square building that was once the guard-house. It now contains an exhibition describing the bridge’s history and construction.

Looking into the gorge from the top of the bridge almost gave me vertigo, and I’m usually fine with heights. The floor of the canyon sits some 120 meters below, where the Guadalevin River still flows beneath the city.

My munchkins on the seat at the top of Puente Nuevo in Ronda

From the bridge there are stunning views of the hanging houses that overlook the gorge (El Tajo) and across the Guadalevin Valley.

Danny dropped us off at the bridge on the Mercadillo side, where we bought a few souvenirs.

We didn’t have time to see the famed bullring. The Plaza del Toros de la Real Maestranza is one of the oldest and probably the most famous bull ring in Spain and the world, with classical architectural features and the largest diameter.

We walked across the bridge into La Ciudad (the old Moorish city), and crossed the road of Puente Nuevo to see the other side of the gorge and the older, smaller bridges further down.

View towards the Old Bridge, Puente Viejo

We then took a stroll through the cobbled, labyrinth like streets of La Ciudad, past the façade of the beautiful Palacio Mondragon (now the municipal museum), and came out alongside the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria la Mayor at one end of the Plaza de la Duquesa de Parcent.

Collegiate Church of St. Mary Ronda

The church was built on the site of the city’s main mosque, constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries. After the Catholic monarchs took back control of Ronda it was consecrated as a Christian Church devoted to Saint Mary of the Incarnation.

The plaza’s garden like square has stunning views out over the valley, and a bust of its most revered historical denizen, Vicente Espinel; poet, novelist, soldier, priest and musician.

Plaza de la Duquesa de Parcent

Born in Ronda in 1550, he was an authority on the Spanish language and is considered a key figure of the Siglo de Oro (Spanish Golden Age). He was also credited with adding the 5th string to the classical guitar, boosting its popularity.

View towards El Mercadillo from La Alameda on the Plaza de la Duquesa de Parcent

Panning across the valley

La Ciudad contains many Moorish features, as well as monuments from later periods, such as Renaissance and Gothic.

The heat was immense, and the girls were running out of steam, so we passed under the arches of the Puerta de Almocábar, which separates San Francisco district from La Ciudad.

Originally built in the 13th century, it has now been restored and consists of two semi-circular turrets flanking three horseshoe arches. Its name is derived from the Arab al-magabir, meaning cemetery. Just outside the gate is another small square, built over an ancient cemetery.

I was told the larger outer arch was the original Moorish construction, the slightly smaller middle arch the Christian one, and the smallest inner arch was French built from Napoleon’s era.

One day I will return and spend the whole day in Ronda to thoroughly explore this amazing city, incorporating the Paleolithic and Neolithic remains of the Cueva de la Pileta, some 23 km from the city, discovered in 1905, and the ruins of the nearby Roman city of Acinipo.

Gibraltar

We were lucky to have an interesting tour of the Rock of Gibraltar, replete with man-made and natural history. On the steep drive up we saw the large, wrought iron chain links hammered into the rock every hundred yards. They were driven into the rock to give support to the long chains that the British Military used to haul up their canons so that they could be secured at any point on the arduous ascent.

Gibraltar – view towards North Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar

Ruby was particularly excited to see the wild monkeys, who have grown used to the tourists and have a reputation for making a nuisance of themselves.  But when we are on their turf we must respect their habitat. Our guide gave us strict instructions about not interacting with them.

A huge alpha male walked up behind Max, my eldest, and seeing some colourful paper poking out of his shorts pocket nimbly whipped the sweet packet out, opened it, and threw it to the ground, evidently disgusted to find that it was empty.

They seemed to make a beeline for my sons, with two leaping onto William’s back after he crouched to get a photo.

William proved popular with the locals!

Max admiring St. Michael’s Cave – Gibraltar. Discovered by the Romans with impressive stalactites, due to a million years of dripping water.

Another day we drove along the coast past Tarifa to Punta Paloma and Bolonia beach, famous for their unspoilt, white sand and abundant dunes. We spent a windswept day at Bolonia, which reminded me a little of Cornish beaches: long stretches of pristine sand, clear water and decent waves for body surfing, only 20 times hotter!

Sadly the site of the museum and Roman ruins (Baelo Claudia) adjacent to Bolonia beach was closed for the day, so I had to be content with this video:

The kids and I walked along the beach and up to the top of the sand dune at sunset. Now I know how Laurence of Arabia must have felt!

They were equally enthusiastic about a giant water park in Algeciras, with runs like Niagara and Kamikaze.

My sons left Spain a few days earlier as my youngest had an adventure trip in the Alps, climbing the second highest peak, Monterosa, over two days with a mountain guide.

We managed to explore beautiful Casares and also Castellar de la Frontera, home to a wonderful animal rescue zoo and the only inhabited medieval fortress in Andalusia.

The fortress at Casares in twilight.

With my daughters at Castellar Zoo

Beautiful Ocelot cub at Castellar Zoo

Ruby getting acquainted with one of the young lemurs

This photo doesn’t do justice to the huge wingspan of the adult fruit bat. When it stretched it wings out they were massive, and looked like they were made of thin, shiny, rubbery material.

Hotel Castellar, previously the castle of the medieval fortress at Castellar de la Frontera.

Ruby doing her best to out stare the resident hawk at Castellar de la Frontera.

Also on my Spanish bucket list for next time is the Alhambra Palace in Granada, which was fully booked so we couldn’t get in; as well as Cadiz, Seville and (not for the faint-hearted), Caminito del Rey.

This hair-raising video (with swearing) by Brave Dave, shows just how scary Caminito del Rey was for hikers before it was re-vamped for non-climbing tourists. It was dubbed as the most dangerous walk in the world:

Stunning drone footage:

There are plenty of reasons to return, and hopefully find myself back on the road to Ronda…

Since we got back I’ve tried (with limited success) to maintain a less frenetic pace of life, but had the rush of kitting out the kids for school and tackling the chaos that children (especially mine), invariably create when they have long periods at home.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your summer and are feeling ready to face the autumn with gusto!

Hasta luego amigos!

#TravelTuesday – A Bird’s Eye view of the Stunning Amalfi Coast (Guest Blog by PJ van Zetten)

/ ginnyburges / Leave a comment

Through my networking endeavours I recently met a new colleague and friend, PJ van Zetten. I found PJ to be a warm, humorous, experienced and well-travelled business woman, and I wouldn’t hesitate to put my future travel plans in her expert hands!

PJ van Zetten is a bit of a League of Nations – born in Germany, of British parents, educated in the UK, France and Germany and married a Dutchman. PJ considers herself a second generation travel agent, as her mother opened a branch of a well-known agency on the Isle of Wight. PJ worked there during the holidays for no wages, as to pay her would have been ‘nepotism’, according to her mother.
PJ went into business travel and loved the decisiveness of people who had to be in a certain place at a certain time.  She became involved with leisure travel when her clients wanted to fit in a holiday, with their family or loved ones, in between the business elements.
PJ found she loved this even more as it opened up a whole new area of creativity. And then came redundancy. Via a couple of short term jobs, she landed in a book shop, to learn the business with the aim of starting her own bookshop café.
PJ found she was talking to customers about travel and giving them hints and tips and the benefit of her 30+ years in the business.  Shortly thereafter, someone asked her if she had ever heard of Travel Counsellors.  She drove up to Bolton for an interview and came away with an offer. It was the best 400 mile drive of her life.  As PJ goes into her eleventh year; having built a business from scratch, with an upward curve to the graph, year on year, she cannot imagine doing anything else with her life.
The best feeling in the world is phoning a client, who has just returned from holiday, to hear the words ‘That was the best holiday ever’, followed by ‘Let’s talk about the next one’.
PJ’s clients stay with her for years, because they know she tailors their holiday to their needs, wants and desires – PJ is not an order taker, she is a dream maker!

As my clients set off, in less than a month, for their 10 day holiday in Sorrento, I feel a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement.

Last year I decided to go to Italy for my early autumn holiday. I had not decided which region to visit, when a networking client gave me a referral for his 2017 holiday… To Italy!

The family wanted to go to an area I knew only by reputation and other people’s holidays.

Why not, says I to myself, go there? ‘Two birds, one stone!’

So off I went, flew to Naples, hired a car and drove to Sorrento.

Sorrento

Named after the ancient Greek word for ‘Siren’, Sorrento would surely have provided a beguiling coastal allure to Ulysses on his Odyssey! The town was colonised by the ancient Greeks and their town plan still survives: East to West for the sunlight, and North to South for the prevailing winds.

Note to the wise – if your nerves are not in first class working order, I would not suggest you drive the Amalfi Coast. Narrow, windy roads, stunning drops, assertive Italian drivers and large oncoming coaches can test the strongest of nerves.

Sorrento is a great place both to enjoy for itself and to use as a base to explore the area.

Let the local buses take the strain! The SITA local bus service will take you from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi, both visually pretty and attractive towns. For anyone with mobility issues, Sorrento is a bit flatter – the upper town and the marina.

These coastal towns get pretty crowded in high summer, so going, as I did in September, worked really well. Enough people to make it interesting but nowhere was too full, and I could always get a table at my favourite people-watching restaurant, right in the central square of Sorrento, Fauno Bar.

Across the main square, Piazza Tasso, is the little Dotto train that trundles around Sorrento.

Ravello

Also well worth a visit is Ravello, inland and high up, served by a one track road, controlled by traffic lights. When the lights turned green, I went …. only to meet a truck coming down…gulp!

Fortunately he knew the driveway to squeeze into so I could pass. As I drove past he yelled, “Signora bella e folle!” at the top of his voice. When I asked at a shop in Ravello what this meant, the owner laughed and said, “Oh you met Giovanni. He says that to all the women drivers…it means beautiful, crazy lady.” There is a bus from Amalfi up to Ravello, if you prefer not to be ‘crazy’.

The views from Ravello are stunning and it has an interesting history, dating back to the Romans. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site. It has had many famous visitors including Humphrey Bogart, who was filming Beat the Devil. He and John Huston, the director, and others drank and played cards there so often, they named the room after him.

If you want a week away from everything, maybe with that special man, the Hotel Rufolo is the ideal romantic getaway, superb views, a pool overlooking the bay and scrumptious food – the menu is posted at the gate if you fancy a lunch there. It is not cheap, about €100 for two but worth it for the views and the ambience.

Pompeii and Herculaneum

I spent one heavenly week exploring the area – delightful locals, delicious food, stunning views round every bend, the amazing Herculaneum for my historical and cultural fix (if wanting to visit Pompeii as well, always do this before Herculaneum – doing it the other way can lead to disappointment).

If you are not taking a private tour of the ancient sites, the next best way is to take the Circumvesuviana Train, the Sorrento-Napoli line. Not the most elegant of trains – think London Underground in the 70’s – it is cheap, convenient and it stops at Pompeii and Herculaneum – you can get off, do Pompeii, and get back on again for Herculaneum. Also you can visit Naples, the opposite end of the line from Sorrento.

Another word to the wise – pickpockets are rampant on the trains, especially out of Naples. Only take exactly what you need and keep it close!

I found Herculaneum one of the most moving places I have ever been. I took the audio guide and walking round, listening to the commentary, I could get a real sense of what it must have been like for the inhabitants, literally having nowhere to go and waiting for the end of the world. A humbling experience that made me very grateful for all my blessings.

Capri

On the day before my departure, I planned my trip to the magical island of Capri, as the cherry on my Amalfi cake. It is certainly beautiful and the scenery is breath taking. It is billed as one of the most romantic places in Europe … You can decide.

Many locations in Sorrento offer a day tour to Capri. Well worth booking of one these, as a boat trip around Capri is also included. They take you to the Blue Grotto, where swimming is banned. If you hire your own boat, the choice is yours.

As a lone female traveller, I never felt uncomfortable or threatened. The locals are friendly and have a good sense of fun. They are delighted to talk to you, and of course sell you something if they can, and learning a few words of Italian will go a very long way towards aiding communication.

A bird’s eye view (by drone) of the stunning Amalfi Coast:

I took dozens of photographs and could recommend, with personal digital backup, a great place to stay which ticked all of their boxes. I suggested things they could do, told them of some nice restaurants I had tried and where were the best places to take a day trip, when they wanted more than to lounge round the pool, soaking up the sun.

They loved this and I left their home, with a booking tucked into my iPad.

If you would like to know your Amalfi from your Zabaglioni, I would love to talk with you. PJ’s website.

A half hour complimentary chat, by phone, Skype or at a local coffee shop could save you hours of time, effort and possibly money.

Photo Gallery:

The Lake District Revisited (Fresh on my Mind!)

/ ginnyburges / Leave a comment

“A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable.” ~ William Wordsworth

After a few years away I’m reminded of how utterly peaceful and wild the Lake District is. I’m not sure if you can call an activity filled week a relaxing holiday, but a change of scenery does recharge flat batteries; and the scenery doesn’t get much better than in the Lake District.

Boats on Crummock Water

Boats on Crummock Water

The only downside is surviving a long, cramped road trip with excited and irritable children…

I could feel my mood lifting with each new adventure, and it reminded me of how Beethoven felt when he arrived in the countryside outside Vienna. His ‘pleasant feelings’ were enough to inspire his gorgeous 6th Symphony in F Major, affectionately known as the ‘Pastoral’:

We’ve been swimming, kayaking, boating, walking, climbing, carting, riding, waterfall-chasing, sightseeing and exploring. Oops, I nearly forgot eating. Noshing is a favourite pastime of my continually ravenous offspring!

Ruby on Bruno at Rookin House

Ruby on Bruno at Rookin House

With precious little time to unpack, get the kids ready for the start of a new school year, scribble some thoughts and generally catch-up before a really busy week ahead, I’m in the mood to recapture the essence of this timeless landscape and bottle some of that elusive holiday elixir before it inevitably evaporates into the ether of everyday life…

Having a walk on one of the short trails at Grizedale Forest.

Having a walk on one of the short trails at Grizedale Forest.

Speaking of which, the cyclists in the Tour of Britain 2016 (stage 2) are taking on the Lake District today!

Panoramic view of the Kirkstone Pass towards Windermere

Panoramic view of the Kirkstone Pass towards Windermere

I thought I’d share a few verses inspired by the Lake District (the adventure capital of the UK):

Lakeland Odyssey

Primordial power forged an ancient, rugged landscape,

Charming, green meadows bask in vast, watery valleys,

Craggy peaks beckon climbers with breathtaking escape,

Steep, narrow gorges unto rocky waterfalls marries,

Misty fells echo with blustery wind and frothy streams

Brooding clouds sit on mountains; shade beams.

Borrowdale

Borrowdale

Sheep roam free on verdant, mossy hill,

Around every bend a panorama is ready-made,

Urban ears tune-in to the sounds of nature’s will,

Pray for pristine, eternal beauty to never fade,

Sweet scent of pine is heady, lakes intoxicate;

Beguiling trails, swathed in ferns, raise heart-rate.

On the shore at Derwentwater

On the shore at Derwentwater

Epic views nourish weary souls of lacklustre beings,

Technology depleted cells absorb primal energy,

Erosion has carved and sculpted sights for seeing,

Forests, hills and wild tarns imprint on memory,

Immortal land of glinting lakes and majestic mountains,

Time has no meaning, no anxious hours of doubting…

Tarn Hows Panorma

Tarn Hows Panorma

Empty minds follow active bodies and forceful feet,

Expanded lungs breathe in splendour, exhale worry,

Thoughts drift to distant skies, for you to meet,

Your lighter load; clear of junk, free of hurry,

Eyes soak up shades of purple, brown, grey and green

Reflective, blue depths ripple with opaque sheen.

Low-flying cloud over Derwentwater!

Low-flying cloud over Derwentwater!

Droplets of rain saturate air of altitude,

To moisten and glisten on tingling skin,

Experience the elements; feel alive, renewed,

Ebullient weather to embrace, even revel in!

Excitement courses through throbbing veins,

Glorious, arduous exploration always remains…

Climbing tree at Tarn Hows

Happy hikers traverse rock, heather, grass and slate,

Well-trodden paths lead to abundant treasure,

Custodians of Earth, seek life beyond the gate.

Cherish every panorama of pigment-rich pleasure,

Such untamed beauty, it’s hard not to be fulsome,

Hallelujah! Cradled am I, in nature’s primeval bosom.

Part of the inner Castlerigg Stone Circle

Part of the inner Castlerigg Stone Circle

Yonder peaks stretch as far as the eye can see,

Yachts and steamers traverse deep, silent lakes,

Be you walking, climbing or sailing: feel the glee,

Imbued with prehistoric strength – or aches!

Summer is ebbing into the tides of history,

A brief Lakeland odyssey is part of my story…

Approach to Aira Force near Ullswater

Approach to Aira Force at Ullswater

I took my own video at the magnificent Aira Force waterfall near Ullswater, but I found a really good one already uploaded on youtube to leave you with. It really does roar!

Memories of Spain – Sun, Sea and the Sierra de las Nieves

/ ginnyburges / Leave a comment

Andalucia has many distinctive attributes in summer. First, there’s the heat; unrelenting, oven-like and intense.  Then there’s the sweet, dry scent; that wonderful evocative smell, carried on the breeze, a mingling of salty ocean droplets, lemon groves, pines and dusty mountain air. It’s fuller and headier at night. The Cicadas contribute a constant roar, as millions of wings rub instantaneously providing nature’s soundtrack to accompany the rugged mountain and coastal scenery of the Costa del Sol.

Forest HillsForest Hills, our home for the week, nestled into the foot of the Sierra de las Nieves at Estepona, and resembled a small Moorish Citadel clinging to the hillside. Our spacious apartment had a lovely large terrace that overlooked the coast on one side, and the mountains on the other. Most days the heat haze obscured the Rock of Gibraltar, but on our last day the wind freshened and changed direction, and we could clearly see the British enclave and the mountains of Morocco across the narrow stretch of the Mediterranean Sea.

view of Gibraltar and Morocco from our balcony

The Spanish coast along the The Strait of Gibraltar often gets a battering from strong winds, and the day we visited Cristo Beach a hot dry wind from the Sahara whipped up the sand in our faces.  The two types of winds we experienced are known locally as the easterly Levante and its westerly counterpart, the Poniente.

Estepona marinaQuieter and less touristy than neighbouring Marbella, Estepona is a pretty coastal town that boasts a beautiful long beach with an immaculate esplanade and a smart marina with plenty of eateries. On the morning we went sailing it was cool and cloudy (much to our amazement), and as our yacht for the trip, Intrepido, left the harbour (the sails were up but we needed power as the sea was like a millpond), we embarked on our two hour mini-cruise in search of Flipper as we headed towards the hazy horizon.

After a bit of moaning about the cold air and lack of sightings my girls perked up as we were soon visited by a small pod. Imagine our delight as a mother and young one surfaced near the bow. The sound of their exhalations was exhilarating! We were soon joined by about three more inquisitive visitors. The sea was clear and still, we could see them darting under the front of the yacht, the light reflecting off their silvery skin just beneath the surface of the water.

Dolphins at the bow

I took hundreds of pictures, but they were so fast (even when jumping out of the water), that by the time my camera had clicked there was just a ruffled patch of water showing on my screen. Luckily I had two decent pictures to show for my efforts. Throughout the encounter Emily and Ruby were ecstatic. It was a very special environment in which to see these playful and lithe creatures. The skipper let the girls have a go at steering too, it was so sweet to see them showing him their right from left, but they didn’t quite progress onto port and starboard…

Langostine saland at La PintorescaAfterwards we had lunch at La Pintoresca. Located at Pantalan 5 on the Marina, just behind the Real Club Nautico building, it’s a delightful tapas restaurant run by the friendly and welcoming Jacob. Nothing was too much trouble, and he served us fresh, mouth-watering delights that made for a memorable meal. The small swallows in the palm tree by the balcony watched us intently and the occasional boat left the harbour. If you are ever in the area I can thoroughly recommend his establishment. Even my daughter Emily who has been known to be a tad fussy was raving about the food we ate!

Some days are special. Friday 1st August was one such day for us. We are normally game for an adventure, and Monte Aventura certainly made sure we had one in the stunning limestone mountain range of the Sierra de las Nieves. I wanted the girls to see the real Spain, and an ecotour seemed the best way to do it.

La Concha MarbellaWe were collected (along with another family also staying at the same complex) by 4×4 Land Rover driven by our eager and enthusiastic guide, Hugo. He established an instant rapport with the girls and his English was superb. He was very personable, and what he didn’t know about the ecology of the area wasn’t worth knowing. We drove to Marbella, and on our way into the mountains we passed the UAE Royal Family’s Spanish summer residence. Bougainvillea adorned walls and we looked up to the peak of La Concha above us.

view of the coast from the Sierra de Las Nieves biosphere

Once off-road we were able to stand and hold onto the roll bars whilst Hugo encouraged us all to push! As we entered the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of the Sierra de Las Nieves Hugo pulled out some local fauna for us to inspect and we discussed the attributes of these native plants. Fresh fennel, thyme, rosemary, mint, and other plants were examined and Hugo explained about the local grass, esparto. Think Espadrills! It has many uses and is known for its toughness and durability. Hugo showed us the esparto made slings that local shepherds used to herd their goats in the area, and we each had a go at flinging stones into a disused quarry. It was great fun; and once the technique is mastered the stones can travel for miles it seems. It was the only time I have let Emily and Ruby anywhere near such apparatus!

view of La Concepion reservoirWe looked down towards the Presa de la Concepcion, a 7km long dam and reservoir built in 1971.  Due to a drier than normal winter last year Hugo explained that it was only fifty percent full and thus causing concern for the remainder of their hot dry summer.  After a group photo we left the coast behind us and tackled the hairpin roads of the Nature Park. Hugo told us about the varied fauna of the area, we saw olive groves, pines, almond trees, cactus leaves and flowers, and the African originating carob Trees. Planted by the Arabs many centuries ago they have thrived, their fruit being a popular source of food for local animals and people alike. The Arabs developed a measurement system using the seeds, now known today as the same weight system for evaluating gems – the carat.

Soon we approached the medieval fortress of Istan (meaning high place). The ‘White Village’ was built by the Moors in the 15th Century due to its natural spring, and their original aqueduct is still in use to this day. Hugo parked the Land Rover at the source of the spring for us all to have a drink and cool off, and proceeded to show my girls giant tadpoles, butterflies and even dragonflies that were buzzing around us.

Emily Ruby and mum along the aqueductWe walked down by the concrete gullies (built around the ancient irrigation system) picking blackberries as we went. We saw oranges, avocados and pomegranates growing in the hill beside the path. Our first panoramic view of Istan greeted us along this pathway. We then met Juan, a 91 year old local resident (and quite a character), who greeted us with fresh tomatoes marinated in olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt, fresh bread and oranges and a mixture of local wines which we drank from the pouch in the appropriate manner: held at arm’s length squirting into ones mouth! He showed us his workmanship with esparto and then came with us to the town square fronted by the ancient mosque turned church, where we had a delicious lunch.

Istan (featuring Juan):

Afterwards we headed further into the mountains and through the indigenous Cork Tree forest, where mature trees (50 years plus) are harvested for their special bark. Hugo showed us a cross section of a sample, with the lines indicating the age of that piece of natural cork. The trees regenerate after about a year, but are not then harvested for at least another ten years. Cork has a porous quality that makes it perfect for letting wines breathe, and the many other uses that man has found for it in bathrooms and kitchens. We learnt that the Cork Tree is impervious to fire, and is well suited to the dry and arid summer landscape where frequent bush fires can occur. They will survive these blazes as long as they have not been recently harvested.

Sierra de las Nieves overview:

Twenty minutes of dusty off-road driving later, and we were rewarded with our final destination of the day: a fresh water pool replete with waterfall which was home to turtles and other small fish. For mum, me and the girls this was the highlight of our trip. We all clambered over the smooth rocks that lead to the pool listening to the sound of the water tumbling from the rocks high above. Our dip was totally refreshing and magical. The girls stayed in the shallows with mum as I swam down the deeper, narrow gorge to the waterfall, and leant against the rock behind its pristine effluent stream.  I’ll never forget the sensation of the droplets hitting my sun parched face.  We spent about twenty minutes enjoying the cooling effect of its clean, clear water and then climbed back out and into our Land Rover ready to travel back.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Ruby was just about old enough to enjoy the trip we did, but it wouldn’t be suitable for kids under 5 years. Hugo has a passion for his country and the local ecology that really shines through. He often told us interesting facts about the wildlife of the mountains, especially the goats and wild boar; and was very adept at spotting eagles soaring and diving around us. He really made the day enjoyable for all of us, and I’m certain the family we were with had a great time also.

All in all a fabulous day and a fabulous holiday!

Small photo gallery: