Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Driving through the olive groves we stumbled upon Zuheros ...

I had the absolute pleasure yesterday of driving my nephew and his charming new wife back to Córdoba train station for their night train to Barcelona.

I don't normally look forward to the drive so very much as it is mostly motorway, but we decided to leave in plenty of time and take in a few of the local villages "off the beaten track".

We drove through Cabra without stopping ... Cabra means Goat in Spanish, and this particular town is one where I have determined to spend more time - the architecture is lovely - there are big open parks with pergolas under which you'll often find outdoor performances going on - and the road that winds down to it competes with a ski resort's access ....

But we went to have sangria and tapas in one of my fairytale destinations here - Zuheros.

About 40 minutes' easy drive away from our Guest House, skirting around the western side of the Sierra Subbética mountains, and absolutely accessible in a small car without wheel insurance (!), this village is a treasure. It is perched in a plunging ravine which splits through the Sierra and would have originally been the basis of inhabitation - an obvious water supply.

The swallows were swooping and chittering, and the crows (my personal favourites), cruising around chattering as the sun made it's way to the horizon and the castle lights came on, throwing everything into the most romantic lighting relief imaginable.

It has views stretching up to the Sierra Norte north of Cordoba with Baena in the middle ground, and the sunset from the castle is out of a fairy story, especially when enjoyed with a jug of freshly made sangria and local cured ham.


After wowing our socks off and taking lots of photos, we left shortly after 8.30pm to take the back road into Cordoba itself and the AVE / Renfe station which took us through several gorgeous villages - but the one that really stunned us was Espejo - Spanish for Mirror - because the light had become that late evening rich royal blue with smatterings of the darkest red as we rounded a corner to find the crescent moon hovering just to the right of a beautifully lit up castle, with a carpet of white houses spreading out at the castle's feet. It was, to quote my nephew's gorgeous Australian wife, "totally awesome".

The train station in Cordoba was a dream to find and had me driving through the "new" area - something I haven't done before and something I am determined to do again - wonderful wide open spaces and some of the most striking fountains I have seen in rural Spain ....

For another time I think.....

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

My favourite Bodega in Malaga ...


Yesterday, having some time on our hands, we explored Malaga in ways I have never done before. We found a truly spit and sawdust sherry bodega - in fact the owner's contempt at the very suggestion that it was "Sherry" made me feel like I'd frozen over ... MALAGA WINES he bellowed at us, causing us to shrink back in fear.

Row upon row of vast wooden kegs lined the rear wall, each with a name chalked or taped onto the front of the keg.

As you bought, so your bill price was chalked onto the ancient wooden bar in front of you - scrubbed out with a gnarled hand each time the clientelle changed.

The atmosphere is magical, surreal - the Malaga wines warm, rich, evocative of Christmas while being completely in place in the warmth of a Spanish Summer.

We supplemented our large schooners, priced at a mighty 1€ per glass, with a plate of the freshest prawns - whose shells, heads, legs and tails were traditionally discarded roughly into the bins that appear along the length of the bar.

An absolutely unforgettable experience and a total must for all guests from now on - and I haven't mentioned the gorgeous tapas or our grilled sardines on the beach yet .....