Bedrock

Archive for the ‘spain’ Category

Another cracking night out with friends last night in Orce – though I can’t say the food was the best I’ve ever had.

Six of us went to La Mimbrera restaurant in Orce – just off the main square and enjoyed Abadia Del Roble and Finca Besaya Rioja in somewhat large quantities.

Meanwhile outside, the town square was full of people of all ages having a great time in the rather warm late-evening weather.

I think we all thought the place was rather pleasant but the food average which could account for the somewhat empty main restaurant area (below)

I had a plate of Iberica ham and some other meats and it was just that – absolutely nothing else and no imagination put into it.

Thankfully I received a contribution of roasted green peppers from others. 

A fine night, lots of laughs… and plenty of other places to try in Orce.  Today a short trip to the airport as Maureen is off home to look after property over in the UK and to visit friends and relatives.

Meanwhile my first job is to find out why the power went off last night and why my screwdriver glows when I touch the equipment on my desk!!!

Yesterday we went off to Castril for the morning with our friends Aidan and Helen. As it happens it was a really beautiful day with temperatures up to 38c. We spent the morning down by the gorge and had lunch there before returning to Galera mid-afternoon.

Aidan and I spent the evening working on some home automation code and this morning they are heading back to the UK. We’re pondering a trip to the Sunday market on what looks set to be yet another fine day.

Last year we starting mid-afternoon (as I recall) visiting various wine production facilities in and around Galera, tasting the wines and learning about wine production in the area – a very ancient tradition.

This year started somewhat later. On Thursday June 16, 2016 we started off at 5pm in the middle of the village – stopping at 2 facilities in the village before heading off out of town and then coming back on to our final stop as we learned all about local produce.

When I say “we” – seven of us walked down to the village together and met up with others, some of whom we’d not spent time with before, in the town square –  maybe 20 or more people in total – a very friendly bunch.

The atmosphere throughout the night was good and for the most part, the wine was good – though I’m not a great RED drinker.  The award-winning sparkling white wine, of course, was excellent.  I should stress this is LOCAL stuff made in and around the village and some of it is world class.

We started off in the local museum as we learned how wine has most likely been in production in the area for up to 4,000 years before moving on to actual wine production facilities. In the basements we saw both ancient and modern wine production equipment – as you can imagine much of it is made in stainless tanks today at surprisingly cool temperatures.

On the way we tasted red, white, rose and sparkling wines from the area as well as a decent set of tapas – all for 18 euros a head.

At the end of all of this, some of us ended up in the local bar (La Posa) until the early hours of the morning and so yesterday was a very quiet day…

Suitably added to the June 2016 Flickr album.

This weekend, Maureen and I went on a mini-adventure down to the coast, starting in Galera and heading west towards Puerto Lumbreras before dropping down through Huercal-Overa, Vera and eventually down to the coast. Throughout the trip the temperature rarely dropped below 26c and was excellent with clear blue skies.

We stopped overnight and for dinner in Nijar, specifically at Casa Rural Cortijo La Alberca way up outside of the north end of town. Nijar is great – lots of decent shops and a great atmosphere.

The hotel itself we could hardly fault, from the friendly service to fantastic views and a marvellous pool. We made a point of getting a good look at the coast down there including Aqua Amarga, Las Negras, La Isleta Del Moro and other places on Saturday.

On Sunday we headed off to San Jose, calling in at San Miquel de Cabo de Gata and other small areas before heading off to Almeria before starting the trip home up the far less eventful A92 toward Guadix an then onto Baza and home.

On the way back we say the largest solar installation of it’s kind just outside of Guadix, providing power to up to 200,000 people.  The Andasol Solar Power Installation – https://www.rwe.com/web/cms/mediablob/en/1115150/data/0/1/Further-information-about-Andasol.pdf

Click on any photo for larger versions.

Here is the complete photo album – https://www.flickr.com/photos/scargill/sets/72157669397549575

And a very nice way to end the day – with one exception…

I spent the morning doing a spot of Raspberry Pi programming as well as getting some goodies in the post from China – but yesterday was just about the warmest day we’ve had so far, topping 30c so off we went to the lake for a dip. The road to this section of the lake is a mess, full of potholes – really, it’s just a service road and it is very long – hence – once again we had the whole place to ourselves – wonderful. We took our new glorified inner tubes to float in and had a marvellous time. The house on the right is just one we spotted out in the wilds while travelling. Brand spanking new by the look of it with silver trim on the roof – an absolute masterpiece.

We popped into Lidl for shopping and as I was happily chewing on a very soft cheese pastry – a rear lower filling just dropped off – I could have sworn it was something in the food – but no – so that’s a job for Monday – fortunately the local dentist apparently speaks English!

In the evening we popped over to a friend’s house for a BBQ and had a great time. Maureen has done something to her foot and it is painful so we didn’t stay too late.

Today (Sunday) I’ve been working on updating some control software on a Raspberry Pi3 as well as printing out my proxy forms for the EU elections – and this evening – a quiet Pizza somewhere.

Castrol is a small town somewhat west of Galera – but due to available roads the route is a little convoluted. Non-the-less it only takes maybe 40-45 minutes to get there and it is worth the trip.

At its peak the town is around 3,00ft about sea level with a population of maybe 2,500. The river Castrol canyon is amazing with a path running along a wooden footbridge over the Rio Castril, including a suspension bridge and a tunnel.

And so today, with temperatures in the upper twenties, six of us headed off to Castril and surrounding areas, stopping in a parking area just outside of town and doing the footbridge walk.

Along the way we came across yet another friendly bunch of schoolkids who were dying to say things in English. 

The walk took up much of the morning and then we headed off in search of lunch, unsuccessfully at first but eventually ended up at Asador Romero and had a very pleasant 3-course + drinks at 10 Euros a head . Good value.

Amazing how a simple walk and lunch can take up almost the entire day! But what a day!

Here then are a few photos of the trip – the rest are on the May 2016 album in Flickr. It is getting warmer now and today we hit over 30c. At this rate, a day lazing around in San Clemente surely cannot be far off.