Self catering holiday rental accommodation in the Alpujarras, Andalucia, southern Spain

I live here at Cortijo Opazo, a self catering and guided walking holiday destination in the region of the Alpujarras, Granada, Spain. I sometimes take the guests for a walk but generally I just see they are all OK and give them random bits of advice. I have to maintain the high standards of the business.

July 30th 2010

Summer of culture

Today feels a little like 'the quiet before the storm'. I may have mentioned before that it is hot, well, today that goes without saying, but I've acclimatised myself and as long as it doesn't get any hotter, then this dachshund is cool with the heat - does that make sense? But everywhere seems so quiet. Little by little the villages are filling up with the 'Veraneantes', or the summer holiday folk, but the fiesta season does not get into gear until August, which starts this coming Sunday. Pórtugos launches the summer activities with its rather sophisticated 'Semana Cultural', or cultural week. During the day activities are organised for the youngsters of the village, activities such as making a monster out of a papier maché covered balloon, of perhaps drama workshops. All run for the children by the adults of the village. Then, in the early evening there are some talent contests followed by 10.00pm when the main programme of the village opens on the big stage erected on the school playground. Six nights of varied entertainment ensues, from full length classical plays by Goldini to musical recitals and dance shows. All presented by members of this normally small village with a population of under 500. This is finished off by a demonstration on the last day of one of the most cultural activities of all, The Parva, a demonstration of how wheat used to be separated from the chaff using a stone threshing circle, or era, a mule, a man and a wooden board riddled with nails. This is watched by a very swollen village whilst queueing for the ever popular communal dish of Gabanzos, or chick peas. Never mind that it looks grey and has suspicious lumps of white fat floating in it, it's delicious and will do you good!

This year Cortijo Opazo has entered into the spirit of the Semana Cultural by proposing a 'paseo' to Jardín de la Alpujarra on the evening of Tuesday 3rd of August. At 7.30pm we will open our doors to the promenading public of Pórtugos. They have not hitherto shown a great interest in our activities at Cortijo Opazo so it remains to be seen whether we will be overwhelmed or underestimated.

On the subject of opening our doors, we are continuing to open the garden to the public on Fridays. We have been pleased with some very positive responses and have met some delightful people. Ella has to be kept in on these days since she is just too excitable, but I am permitted to meet and greet, as is my task here. And to refresh our vistors we offer them the chance to enjoy homemade lemonade and carrot cake seated under a shady canopy - follow this link to find out the very simple recipe for lemonade http://bit.ly/9fqgA0.

Early days, but we are hoping that Jardín de la Alpujarra, as we have called the horticultural side of our enterprise, will soon become a popular stopping off place on Fridays. Have a look at the new website, Jardín de la Alpujarra.

Wherever you are for the holiday season we hope you have a good one. If you are in the Alpujarras, don't forget our garden concert on the evening of August 12th.

Yours, with tuxedo at the cleaners,

Fergus

By way of a paw note, earlier in the year we were the subject of a TV programme, well the director has sent us some interesting aerial shots which you can see below.

Click here to see past blogs:

Blog from 2010

June

May

April

March

February

January

Blogs from 2009

Pórtugos fiesta activities

Cortijo Opazo and 'Jardín de la Alpujarra' from the air

July 18th 2010

Summer time, and the living is easy - for some!

I should have had a lot to write about in recent weeks, goodness knows there’s been a lot of ‘events’ for those of us living in Spain, what with Nadal winning Wimbledon and a certain Spanish national team winning the world cup, but whilst the spirit has been willing the paws have been weak. My excuse, the heat. I can manage the morning walk provided I am taken out before 7.00am and returned not more than 40 minutes later. I can then bring myself to endure the breakfast treats as long as they are tossed in my general direction, and I can even amount to a low bark at 5.00pm when my daily meal is due, but more than this is beyond me. On the cool tiles in the shady area under the dinning table is my preferred location but I will move to the doorstep once the sun has moved away and it finds itself in shade. So, sitting in front of a hot computer screen is not something I do with ease, but I feel as though my blog followers have been neglected so please accept this posting as a half hearted effort to rectify this.

Summer has arrived with a sudden impact this year in July after a false start in early June. People assume August is the hottest month but my money is on July. For some workers, it is a month to endure; final plantings have to take place on the land and crops have to be watered as much as possible to get them through the hot weeks ahead. Humans too, need to prepare themselves for the weeks that are to come, for summer is a serious business in Spain, and nowhere more so than in Andalucia. Soon, the major cities of the country will be emptying and those left to hold the fort will be doing so from inside highly air conditioned offices. The Spanish dream is to stop working for the summer and to take a house in which to spend the 4 to 6 weeks holiday season. The house may be on one of the many coasts, or in the mountains, or if you are lucky and very well organised, then in both situations. There will be much visiting of family and friends, people will return to remote villages to revisit the place of their birth and to contribute lavishly and ostentatiously to the local fiesta. Bedouin tents comprised of a forest of beach parasols will be assembled on the beaches under which families will consume mountains of tortilla and drink litres of homemade gazpacho.

And so where, I hear you ask, is this dachshund being taken for his summer vacation. Please, ask the question a little more forcefully for indeed it has yet to be answered. My human companions have recently enjoyed a few days away on the Atlantic coast of Spain, staying at the small coastal resort of Bolonia, then at Tarifa. They have sent home pictures of long golden sandy beaches and sparkling blue sea and have come back fully refreshed from a joyous mini break whilst Ella and I have been left holding the fort. Once more the apartments here at Cortijo Opazo are fully occupied and the human hosts have girded themselves for an Andalucian summer but I must protest that Ella and I also are in need of respite from our daily responsibilities. Well, on reflection, Ella seems to be taking everything in her rather manic stride, so perhaps it is just I who needs the weekend away. Offers anyone? But please, make it quick, before the fiesta season arrives here in the Alpujarras.

Yours, with overnight bag already packed,

Fergus.

Bolonia beach, Cadiz, Sapin's Atlantic coast

Summer means courgettes, with everything

Hemerocalis and echinacea, two of the many plants that are looking good in the garden this month.