Hotel Los Castaños, Cartajima, Andalucia, Spain

Moving House

2010-11-05T11:25:00.000+01:00

For all my devoted fans and avid readers, please note that all blog entries from now on will only be on the following link:

Los Castanos Official Blog

Hope to see you there!

Going out with Peter Jones (or Peter and his birds)

2010-11-04T16:20:00.008+01:00

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about with Peter Jones.

A day in the company of this (in)famous research biologist is entertaining and informative. If you are just a dabbler with birds, you will learn a lot. If you are a card-carrying twitcher, he can still teach you something. No interest at all? You are guaranteed a fantastic day full of laughter and fun, fascinating insights into Andalucian culture, flora, fauna, geology, and, there's always Good Food.

All this hype may lead you to suspect I am somehow in his pay but no, I am just an ardent fan and very grateful to him for giving so much joy to so many of my guests at Los Castanos.

Spanish White with new born

Andalucian Red

Peter took us to a secret valley where Andalucian Reds grazed, Spanish Whites and their newborns mooched, and frogs lurked in a pond. (I stole this picture from you, Peter. Hope you don't mind!)

The first bird of the day was easy to spot and recognise - an ostrich.

After that warm-up session, we needed Peter's eagle eye to tell us where to look and what to see. Even the griffon vultures, largest bird in Europe, were hard for us amateurs to see even when Peter told us where to look.

Up there, says Peter. Where? we follow his pointing finger desperate not to disappoint him.

Up there!!

And then we saw them through the lens of his powerful telescope. Four griffons and another lurking shyly behind. Such a thrill to see them so clearly.


Griffons Vultures perching

Many birds followed - from the enchanting Meadow Pipit to the Black Redstart, Firecrests and Flycatchers. Little birds, hard to see without guidance. Here, you try!

This is why we need Peter!

There it is - lurking in the undergrowth.

THANK YOU, PETER, FOR A FANTASTIC DAY!

For more information on this fantastic and generous and funny man, go to his site Spanish Nature
And, for his newly formed and vibrant Andalucia Bird Society, click here.

Sin semillas! Por fin!

2010-10-12T09:46:00.002+02:00

At last, "sin semillas" have arrived in Ronda!

This may seem of little importance to those of you living in California or England where you have had seedless grapes for years. (how do they propagate?)

But, here in Spain, where it is of the utmost importance, they have only recently appeared.

Why important?

Because the luck of the 46 million citizens of Spain depends upon being able to consume twelve grapes, "las uvas de suerte", in twelve seconds at midnight on New Year's Eve to the chimes on the bell in Puerta del Sol in Madrid. If you can't do it, you've had it. Might as well hibernate for a year.

And, up until the recent addition to supermarket shelves, it has been almost impossible except for those with very large mouths and/or an exceptionally weak gag reflex!

Just try eating twelve thick-skinned, large-pipped, outsize grapes in twelve seconds and see how you do!

At Los Castanos, I confess that we cheat on behalf of our New Year's Eve guests. Uncertain whether the distribution of luck applies only to the Spanish, we think it wise to provide our guests with cans containing twelve tiny, peeled, pipped grapes so when the luck is being given out, they stand a good chance of gettting some.

But, when Los Castanos welcomes 2011, our guests will perform the ritual according to tradition thus assuring a great year for all!

I long for a real comment!

2010-09-12T13:21:00.005+02:00

I must get at least twenty comments every day on my blog posts but they are all hilariously inapt.

Somebody said "ha are you really serious about this?" in response to my video about how to make a Spanish Tortilla,

A walk in the Sierra de las Nieves prompted this: "Hi there, I identified your webpage via Google although looking for very first aid for any heart attack and your publish looks very useful for me." Ha!

My erudite analysis of why Spanish windows have iron bars on them elicited "a great way to make tons of money online writing blog"

My tongue-in-cheek posting about Shopping and Sightseeing in Cartajima, prompted this incredible response: "Thank you for share very good info. Your website is goodI am impressed by the information that you have on this blog. It shows how well you understand this subject. (Cheek!) Bookmarked this page, will come back for more. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched everywhere and just couldn’t find. What a perfect site. Like this website your website is one of my new favs.I like this info shown and it has given me some sort of commitment to succeed for some reason, so thanks."

I love this one. My article on the Balinese Feast in the Andalucian Mountains prompted the hilarious comment "Another tragedy in the making. I guess we won’t stop unless we have destroyed everything."

I would really love to believe all the nice things this person said about the Rocky Road to Ronda: "Thanks a bunch for this guidance fabulous write-up; this is the sort of component that keeps me though out the day.I’ve long been wanting around on your web site soon after I over heard about them from a close friend and was thrilled when I was capable of unearth it immediately after looking for some time. Being a serious blogger, I’m delighted to determine other people taking gumption and giving towards the neighborhood. I just desired to review to exhibit my gratitude for your personal post as it’s incredibly inviting, and many freelancers will not get the credit score they deserve. I’m confident I’ll be back again and can deliver some of my good friends."

These pseudo comments come from people with websites promoting contraceptive methods,
penis enlargement, sites with "information" about different medical conditions.but mostly how to get rich quick by posting to other people's blogs.

A peddler of diet pills commented on the Sierra de las Nieves walk, "I can’t say that I believe the entire post in general. Could you please show me what study material you have used when writing this blog post (magazines, textbooks, articles etc.)?"

Live sex chat said "Thank you." That was nice.

"Considerably, the post is actually the greatest on this precious topic. I concur with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your future updates. Saying thanks will not just be sufficient, for the extraordinary lucidity in your writing. I will immediately grab your rss feed to stay privy of any updates." I love such enthusiasm about my walk in the Sierra de las Nieves! Unfortunately I got exactly the same comment from several others. I was downcast.

Considering the appalling English used by all commenters, I was a bit miffed by one saying "You’re polishing yor skill as a writer. Carry on!"

But I long for a proper comment. Please somebody, say something!

Update on the Green Rocks of Ronda story

2010-09-04T18:30:00.004+02:00

New insights into the rocks of Ronda Serrania!

Not only are they aesthetically pleasing being of a delightful greenish hue which blends charmingly with the pine trees as one drives up from the coast (see Previous blog for details) but recent research reveals that they could play an important role in reducing climate change.

Peridotite lines the road from San Pedro de Alcantara to Ronda

Dr Peter Kelemen of Columbia University and others have discovered that enormous quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can be stored cheaply and permanently and completely safely in this rare rock formation.

Peridotite outcrops appear in just a few places on Earth where the rock has squeezed through the seventy-odd kilometres of the Earth's mantle to ooze out onto the surface.

The Serrania de Ronda is just such a place and it is comforting to realise that, vast as our global problems seem, there are still solutions being found. This particular one is still in research phase but with great potential.

If you Google "peridotite and carbon dioxide" you will find scholarly articles on the subject.

Shopping and Sighseeing in Cartajima

2010-08-26T12:13:00.003+02:00

With a population of just over a hundred, Cartajima is a fraction of the town it was a hundred years ago when there were about 1000 residents. Young people leave now for lucrative jobs in tourism or construction on the Costa del Sol and return only for festivals when the population swells to probably 300.

There used to be several bars and shops but just two bars and a couple of little shops remain.

In the square below the hotel on the left of the yellow postbox, is an “estanco” run by Marie Carmen whose husband, Juan, is the clerk in the Town Hall, the large building opposite the church. Maria Carmen sells candy and tobacco and bits of stationery and stamps.

Next door (the house with the postbox) is Catalina's. She is the mother of Juan the postman and you will never meet a friendlier person. She loves having visits and welcomes visitors warmly. If you need to post something, push the door open and ask Catalina or her daughter Joaquina. Juan the Post lives in Ronda buts comes every morning to distribute the mail.

Descend the steep road on the right of the postbox, turn left at the bottom and you will find a little shop. Until recently it was a bakery with a wood-fired oven but it became too much for the elderly couple running it and the son did not want to take it on. They close for siesta from about 2 – 6 and are open in the evenings. They welcome visitors. This is run by Juan the Town Hall’s parents.

On Calle Ancha – the wide street lined with orange trees with the school at the end – about half way down on the right hand side is a “cien pesetas” or “veinte duros” (the equivalent of one hundred pesetas). These cheap stores are to be found in every Spanish town and village and they sell a remarkable array of just about everything. If they don’t have what you want, they will go to Ronda to get it for you!

And that’s it for commercial enterprises apart from the two bars of which more on another occasion - except for the famous Hotel Los Castaños of course! Not one of the businesses mentioned above has a sign outside so you have to push doors open and ask.

As for sightseeing, the church is our only monument. The original foundation was built in 1505 shortly after the “reconquest” of this area from the Islamic people who lived here since 711. It is uncertain whether there was ever a mosque here or not but the church would certainly have been built on top of it. Severe damage was inflicted on the church during the Civil War and it was rebuilt in the 1950’s and restored in 2009. If you would like to see inside and it is locked, just ask me and I can take you to get the key from Asunción who looks after the church.

Michelle Obama will be within six kilometres of Cartajima today!!

2010-08-07T10:25:00.002+02:00

Michelle Obama will come within six kilometres of Cartajima today on her way to visit Ronda. But she will never know we are here! The map certainly wouldn't reveal the secret.

Who would be idiotic enough to open a hotel in a village that is not on most maps! Many people, including bank managers, agreed that I was nuts when I decided to do just that. But for me it was one of main appeals of Cartajima.

Perhaps because it is undiscovered, it is a little paradise of a village. Surrounded by a vast landscape of chestnut forests and craggy peaks, it is a quaint place. Villagers cling to their traditions but take quick trips into the twenty-first century before retreating once more to the ancient and familiar. These flirtations with modernity are often surprising – a baby born out of wedlock no longer carries a stigma, few widows lleva el luto for the rest of their lives, every house has a large television which is on most of the day.

But they still stare when foreigners appear in the village. They don't understand why they come; the concept of a vacation is alien. They are even more puzzled when they realise that the strangers are clearly intending to walk to the next village just for fun.

When I opened my little hotel right in the middle of the village in 2004, they agreed with my bank manager that it was an odd thing to do. After completing the construction and all the finishing touches, I invited them to an Open House so all the villagers could come and poke about. But the concept is still hard to grasp – to go to another place to pay to go to sleep? Why would you do that?

Similarly, the locals would never pay to go out to eat and yet Cartajima has the best for miles around. Spaniards from the cities and foreignors who come to stay comment on the excellence of the food at the local bar where Baltasar and Amalia serve traditional Andalucian fare: simple salads lightly dressed, delicious fried fish, aubergine chips, and, Amalia's finest hour, divine green peppers fried in olive oil and drenched with sea salt. The vegetables come out of Baltasar's garden and on many occasions he sends my guests off with a basket to pick their own peppers.

Cartajima is a taste of traditional old Spain, authentic Andalucia: the simple food, the incredible vistas, the eagles overhead, the quiet trails between villages, the sheer beauty of the place. See for yourself - if you can find us! Michelle didn't!

Andalucian Breakfast at Los Castaños

2010-08-05T14:53:00.001+02:00

Some of the ladies from Cartajima's women's association came for breakfast at Los Castaños this morning. Flowery dresses amid the blossoms of the patio!

In the cool of the morning, they enjoyed their Andalucian breakfast of toast, olive oil, and tomato sprinkled with salt.

Those of you who have visited Los Castaños will recognise Silvia, second from left, who is presidente of the Associacion de Mujers, my faithful friend and colleague, deputy mayor of the village, mother of three, Labrador breeder, and a million other things. She is a powerhouse! Thank you, Silvia, for your help this morning. As always, a tower of strength.

Summer Break in Andalucia

2010-07-31T12:05:00.000+02:00

I have just put up on the website a great four-day break (well, I think it's great!) with so much included that you don't have to be any of the work: we will pick you up, drop you off, feed you, take you to Ronda, and much more! So check it out and come and relax in Andalucia, where the sun is hot, the beer is cold and the tapas are always delicious!

Here's the link: 4-day Break in Andalucia

PS Feel free to add or subtract. We are known for our flexibility!

Historic site of bitter battle en route from Malaga Airport to Los Castanos

2010-07-29T18:49:00.001+02:00

After arriving at Malaga airport, you have a choice of two routes to the Alto Genal valley - and the jewel in its crown, Los Castanos! One goes along the Costa del Sol freeway (toll road) and then up a spectacularly scenic mountain road.

The alternative is gentler on the nerves as the ascent is more gradual and is my personal preference mostly because my romantic soul loves to see the lonely, evocative, hilltop fort of Teba where a fierce battle was fought in 1330.

hilltop fort of Teba

The story goes that in 1330 during crusading times, a knight called Sir James Douglas was on his way to the Holy Land with the heart of Robert the Bruce in a silver casket hung around his neck. He was fulfilling the Bruce's last wish to have his heart in Jerusalem.

He, Black Douglas, strayed into Spain to lend a hand with another crusade, the reconquest of Spain from the Moorish invaders of 711. He arrived in Teba just in time for a battle against the Sultan of Granada.

Things were not going too well for the Christians, so, hurling the silver casket into the fray, he yelled to the faltering troops: "Follow me, men!" They did and they all died that day.

The heart was recovered and returned to Scotland as were the remains of the knights.

The Douglas family put up a memorial plaque in honour of their illustrious kinsman.

John Barbour, a contemporary poet, described this valiant knight:

When happy, loveable was he,

And meek and sweet in company,

But those with him in battle saw

Another countenance he wore!

So, as you drive by Teba, enjoying the sunflowers turning their sweet faces to the sun, spare a thought for the bitter bloody battles that were fought on this lonely hillside.

Simply put bars on the window!

2010-07-21T14:54:00.082+02:00

Different cultures have dreamed up imaginative ways to limit women's mobility, to control and oppress them. Now then, chaps, don't stop reading! This won't be hard and you know it's true!

Outside in to a Cartajima window

Islam throws a black shroud over their women; the Chinese broke women's feet so they couldn't run away; female genital mutilation is all about control. All despicable ways to achieve the same goal. But can you imagine the gentle, fun-loving Spaniards covering up their beautiful daughters? or doing them harm in any way? It is inconceivable. But, they had the same problem of wanting to keep tabs on what their daughters were doing. In happy-go-lucky Spain the problem was resolved more humanely. Just put bars on the windows.

When visiting Andalucia, you might be forgiven for assuming that crime rates are high given the fact that every accessible window is protected by more or less ornate, sturdy, wrought iron bars. But crime - at least up here in the mountain villages, I can't speak for the big cities - is non-existent. The sun is warm, the beer is cold, why bother?

No, the bars are not to keep robbers out but the women in! The simple bars prevent any physical contact except the stroking of fingers through the bars which create a few centimetres of No Man's land between the public and the private spaces. Under these circumstances, courting has to be carried out verbally. What a good idea! Appeal to my intellect!

Inside out from the snug at Los Castanos

While the veiling, the foot-binding, the circumcision do not represent any advantage for the girl, bars on the window certainly do. They would have allowed her to check out her suitors both physically and intellectually while retaining a protective barrier behind which she could hide should she not like the way a young swain smelt, or spoke or seemed.

This is all in the past now. Young Spanish women come and go as they please as in most of the enlightened world. But the bars have become a feature of the architecture of the south and no window looks complete without them. When designing and building Los Castaños, I considered rejas de rigueur and they are convenient for framing another form of beauty.

PS When writing this little piece, I became interested in whether the women of Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain 711-1492) were veiled and discovered that there is no concrete evidence one way or the other as the invading Christian armies destroyed records and books of the conquered culture. I found one poetic reference to "...their faces beautiful as moons, behind veils of gold cloth" and other inferences that veiling was for the upper echelons of society. Even so, the veils were not black - but GOLD! Go, Spain!!

PPS an interesting site I found is Islamic Spain - a fount of knowledge of the period.

A cooking lesson! Tortilla de Patatas.

2010-07-11T12:28:00.014+02:00

Tortilla de Patatas aka Spanish Omelette is a dish with many virtues: cheap, easy, nutritious and, most importantly, delicious especially when partnered with alioli (garlic mayonnaise). Hope you enjoy the video - the first one I have made so not very slick but hopefully it will inspire you to experiment with this simple Spanish treat. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you need help!

A walk with rocks in the Sierra de las Nieves

2010-07-09T18:26:00.001+02:00

With the help of Google Earth, we cobbled together a stunning hike in the nearby Parque Natural Sierra de las Nieves. It is a walk with much to offer from a griffon vulture perching place (clap your hands just after the sun is up and out they flap) to chilling reminders of the bitterly fought Spanish Civil War, from perfect picnic places to views of distant cultures like Marbella! The walk wanders through pine forests and along easy trails.

Loff, a recent guest of Hotel Los Castanos, walked this trail and surprised us with his geological insights which I have his permission to share with you. Whilst I was watching the birds, looking out for processional caterpillars, and savouring the prospect of my boiled egg sandwich that I would enjoy when we got to the top, Loff was rock-spotting. And he kindly supplied photographs of each rock that he spotted so you too can recognise them when you walk the Sierras. Thus spake Loff:

This walk is the best one for seeing the main rock types of the area. Not only can you see peridotite (see previous blog for more info on that) but also the rocks that it had to penetrate as it rose, plus some of the metamorphic rocks that were created by its heat.

Peridotite
This rock will appear different colours depending on how much weathering it has experienced. Freshly broken peridotite looks dark in colour, often a deep green with a metallic lustre. If, however, it has been well weathered it will resemble a rusty coloured sandstone, often with a heavily pitted surface. This is due to oxidation of the iron contained within the peridotite. There is a lot of peridotite just lying on the track in many places around the walk.

3 types of Limestone
If it's light grey, it’s probably limestone. You might be lucky enough to find up to 3 types of limestone on this walk.

The first is called sparite, light grey and, when freshly broken, reveals clear or opaque shiny crystals. This rock can also display banding which is the appearance of tiny layers or stripes caused by slight changes in the environment during deposition.

The second is micrite which can be a slightly darker grey, or even blue, with a dull or matt texture on freshly broken surfaces. The crystals in this are so small they cannot be seen with the naked eye.
The third is dolomite which is usually a light brown and can have the texture of either of the above limestones. This is a limestone that has had its calcium replaced by magnesium. ( Note to Di: I didn’t find any of this but I believe it exists in the area – further research required!)

Marble
This can be found if you visit the gun emplacement as you will pass a working marble quarry. The marble has been formed by the metamorphosis of the limestone due to the heat generated when the peridotite intruded the crust. The brownish colour that can be seen in some of the quarry faces is the discolouration of the marble due to impurities like quartz in the original limestone.

Magnetite
Keep an eye open on the tracks you are walking for stones that are black and have a compact granular texture. The acid test for this rock, of course, is to see if it will deflect a compass needle. It’s fairly common in the area but not in vast quantities like the limestone. Its presence is down to the magmatic action of the rising peridotite.

Hornfels might be in the area
This is a metamorphic rock created by contact metamorphism when molten rock ( like the peridotite) comes into contact with something like a mudstone. The mudstone is completely re-crystalised into a rock which has crystals all roughly the same size, but their colours vary depending on the type of mineral, so the rock looks more like a mosaic.

And finally, it should be noted that granite has been found in splits in the rock in this area.

My thanks to you, Loff, for your painstaking recording of your finds and to Karen for transcribing the text. It is a great addition to the information we can offer our guests.

The Rocky Road to Ronda

2010-07-01T16:04:00.002+02:00

When next you drive the spectacular mountain road from San Pedro de Alcántara to Ronda, check out the rocks on the right hand side of the road. Best to have a designated driver for this investigation so as to avoid the precipitous drop on the other side. In the "old days" this route was fraught with dangers not least of which was the real possibility of ending up down the precipitous drop. Other dangers included bandits, fog and the lack of English speakers. The fog remains.

The old road to Ronda - barely one-car width

A recent sharp-eyed guest of Los Castaños and avid geologist told me something about the rocks that I had never noticed in all the years of driving past them. They are unique and they are GREEN! And, something extraordinary happened in the Serrania de Ronda to produce them.

Hairnets keep stray rocks from falling to the road

Loff told us that we are living in the world’s largest outcrop of a greenish rock called PERIDOTITE. I drove immediately to examine the rockface and sure enough it's GREEN!

I have never been a great fan of rocks and indeed, when my elder daughter began a geology degree, I thought she was nuts. However, when you have the biggest, the best, the greenest rocks in the world in your backyard, it makes even dry old rocks interesting.

What follows is a brief account of the geology of the Serrania de Ronda as told by Loff. You may say, as I Peridotitedid, that you are not interested but I assure you, it is worth reading. And then come and see for yourself!

"The geology of this area holds a very special fascination for anyone seriously interested in rocks as it contains the world’s largest outcrop of a rock called PERIDOTITE.

This rock normally forms part of the Earth’s upper mantle which lies beneath the Earth’s crust and is around 400km in thickness. For this type of rock to appear at the Earth’s surface is very rare as it has such a long way to travel. In this area it had about 70km of crust to penetrate, and achieved this because it was molten and therefore less dense than the surrounding crust. It was thus able to ‘float’ to the surface as a ‘plume’, a huge mass of rising molten rock.

In order for it to have appeared in this area at all and in such a large volume, huge forces were necessary. These forces were supplied by the collision of Africa with Europe which began around 100 million years ago during a period of time called the Cretaceous. Africa is still gradually moving north today, creating the Alps and closing the Mediterranean Sea as it goes!

It is estimated that the molten plume began rising around 25 million years ago and finally cooled in its current position by around 4 million years ago. It would initially have been at 1100-1200 degrees centigrade and would have risen at more than one metre a year but slowing as it cooled. As this molten plume penetrated the crust pre-existing rock was metamorphosed due to the intense heat. This caused the limestone at or near the contact to become the marble which is now quarried in the area. As the plume rose, it thinned the crust above it causing it to rift. This is how the Alboran Sea was formed.

Picture from Wikipedia

The peridotite in the Serrania de Ronda has become partly metamorphosed into a rock called SERPENTINITE* due to very hot fluids percolating through it which were hot enough to partially alter its mineral composition."

Thank you, Loff, very much and, thank you, Karen, for transcribing Loff's handwritten notes.

A Balinese feast in the Andalucian mountains!

2010-06-17T11:24:00.001+02:00

Balinese food in Spain! How unlikely!

We were fortunate to have Gani from Bali staying with us for a few days of working holiday via the Workaway site. Like all our Workaway experiences, it was a fascinating exchange of culture and ideas. Gani began his working life at a very young age gathering seashells on the beaches of Bali for his mother's shop. After a few lucky breaks and a great deal of personality and grit, he is now a waiter on a cruise ship. One can only wonder what comes next in his life!

As an experienced waiter on cruise ships for some years, he was able to teach me many different ways to fold napkins and, most important, a few simple Balinese dishes which I have his permission to share with you. Gani explained that these were simple basic dishes but they were nevertheless clean-tasting and delicious in their simplicity. This is a plate he prepared with a little of the five dishes he prepared.

Gani cut chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, marinated them in soy sauce, and then cooked them quickly on a griddle. Tender and delicious!

He had an unfamiliar (to me!) way to cook the rice. He soaked it in cold water for an hour. He steamed it for ten minutes in my vegetable steamer (I couldn't understand how he hadn't lost it all through the holes of the steamer but, as he pointed out, the grains had swollen in the soaking process). He poured the water from the bottom part of the steamer over the rice. Left it to sit for 15 minutes and steamed it again for 15 minutes. It was perfect!

He sauteed garlic, onion, cabbage, and bean sprouts and added the rice along with some purchased Nasi Goreng spices to make the fried rice.

He steamed chopped aubergine, courgettes and broccoli under still crunchy. Tossed them with a little olive oil and sprinkled with salt. So easy, so good!

Gani had found in an Asian food store on the Costa del Sol something that he called watercress although it bore little resemblance to either British or Spanish watercress. To cook it, he sauteed crushed garlic, sliced onion, sliced red pepper and then tossed the greens until just wilted.

The sate sauce that accompanied these dishes was out of a jar as he couldn't get all the ingredients here. But to make it fresher tasting, he added some garlic and onion.

Some sliced tomatoes and cucumber completed the delicious feast with which I am going to experiment at the first opportunity. I hope you will try it too!

Local Boy Makes Good - Food!

2010-05-15T16:22:00.001+02:00

A 15-year old Andalucian boy growing up in the remote pueblo blanco of Cartajima, with no access to fine restaurants, decides to be a chef. Fourteen years later he has climbed to the lofty heights of this competitive and demanding profession and is on his way to being a star in the gastronomic world.

Young Baltasar grew up with his Cartajimeña mother's simple, good cooking but without access to fancy food, "stack and splatter", snail ice cream and so on. In the family's bar in Cartajima, his mother still serves up traditional Andalucian fare: simple salads lightly dressed, delicious fried fish, aubergine chips, and, her finest hour, divine green peppers fried in olive oil and drenched with sea salt. Lovely, but a far cry from the Blumenthals and Ferran Adriàs from a more sophisticated world.

Guests of Los Castaños enjoying a night out in Cartajima at the bar of Baltasar Snr and Amalia

How does somebody have a dream without knowing what they are dreaming of? How did he know there was a different world of food out there beyond the mountains? At just 15 he persuaded his parents to send him to cooking school. He rose through the ranks rapidly and, now, only 29 years old, he heads up Martin Berasategui's new restaurant in Sevilla, Santo by Martín Berasategui. Martin is one of the world's top chefs and a household name in Spain. Here is a link to his blog and an article with photo of his young Cartajimeño disciple, Baltasar. Martin's blog and a photo of Baltasar

The young Baltasar got married just before opening the new restaurant this February and Cartajima was host to a lavish wedding with VIPS, including Martin. The Great Man stayed at Los Castaños and the locals were in awe of his visit to their tiny town; they urged me to take my photograph with him. But that's not my style - or I suspect his. For a Great Man, a celebrity chef, he was unassuming, modest, and appreciative. One could not help but like him.

When you come to visit us, make time for a trip to Sevilla to taste the fare produced by a simple Andalucian boy born into a simple culinary family but a man who is going to be a Great Man in the future! And then sample his roots at the Cartajima bar.

It's an Old Chestnut!!

2010-05-04T12:08:00.000+02:00

But Spring Has Finally Sprung!!

The Alto Genal Valley suddenly changed colour a few days ago - from winter browns to the greens of Spring. The sweet chestnuts, basis of the local economy, burst into resplendent leaf. The transformation is dramatic and one has to ask whether Cartajima's traditional Spring appeal to the gods brought about this miracle!

Paella: fine dining or just a picnic in the park

2010-04-30T22:43:00.001+02:00

A recent guest of Los Castaños set off for Ronda one evening in search specifically of a paella for dinner. Startled by their choice, I really wanted to advise them that this was not a good idea. At best they would find a mass-produced, frozen facsimile at an unexciting pizza cafe. I would rather have shared with them my list of selected restaurants where they would experience the best of Spain, not the worst.

The problem is that paella abroad is perceived as Spain´s national dish and, along with bullfighting, flamenco and tapas, defines the nation. But for the Andalucians, paella is a dish for outside: a picnic, a street fair, a family garden party. The only sort of restaurant where any self-respecting Spaniard would order paella would be at a venta on a Sunday lunchtime Traditional ventas are rough and ready sort of eating establishments located outside a town and, it is said, traditionally run by gypsies who prefered to stay separate and were encouraged by non-gypsies to do so.

In their homes Andalucian ladies cook ärroz¨which may or may not contain some meat such as chicken. Rice is an everyday, almost nursery sort of dish. To illustrate, when Los Castanos was under construction and Christmas came around, I wanted to treat the ten or so builders to a Christmas meal. Under the same misconception as my recent guest, I suggested to our local hostelry that he make a big paella for them thinking it would be a special treat.

¨Rice¨, shrieked Baltasar. ¨They have rice every day. It is NOT a special treat.¨

When travelling in Spain, save the paella (pronounced pah-eh-ya and never pie-ella which is as uncouth as calling San Francisco Frisco!) for back home. Unless you are lucky enough to get invited to an Andalucian picnic or come across a paella being cooked at a feria such as Cartajima´s August feria when it features on the menu of one of the street lunches provided by the town hall.

Ronda Today comes to Los Castanos, Cartajima

2010-04-24T16:21:00.000+02:00

Los Castanos, Cartajima, near Ronda

I attach a link to an article about Los Castaños, Cartajima, written by Andy de Ronda, aka Señor Ronda!

Ronda Today's Stay at Los Castanos, Cartajima

Hope you enjoy his account of a brief stay in this lovely valley village.

Easter in Cartajima. Good Friday and all is quiet. So far!

2010-04-03T18:18:00.006+02:00

ll is peaceful on Good Friday. Quiet and normal. But by midnight, Catholicism takes a back seat while Paganism takes over.

Easter Saturday. There is a seemingly endless supply of dynamite that the men send scudding down the streets and into the air. They go down to the forests and, amid drinking and conch-blowing, haul back foliage to line the streets in preparation for the big event on Sunday. For real life effect, turn up your volume!!

Easter Sunday morning. All the guests have just fallen asleep when the band comes around with the express purpose of waking everybody up.

At noon, the climax of Easter. The men from the night before are shaved and in their best suits. Women in new outfits. The virgin is taken from the church and down to the main celebration street - Calle Ancha - and meets up with her son in an unusual ceremony called "Las Cortesias."

And then, the final bang! The judas doll is set alight. It is dangerously full of dynamite and doused with petrol. The mayor and other key village players keep the curious and foolhardy as far away as possible while the doll bangs and splutters. Sorry this is sideways but you get the idea!

Cartajima Pit

2010-03-28T19:50:00.001+02:00

On the road to Cartajima from Parauta, just at the side of the road, is a circular pit about four metres diameter and about the same depth although it is hard to tell how deep it could have been due to rockfall etc.

As you can see from the photos, it is built into the rockside with no apparent entrance. Around the top are holes suitable for posts - perhaps for a roof?

I have an idea of its potential use but would be interested in other opinions before expressing my own.

Have a look please and let me know what you think.

A Sad iPod Story with a Happy Ending

2010-03-25T11:58:00.006+01:00

Knowing it would please me, John secretly bought an iPod for my birthday in October. Fearing I might rummage through his Inbox and find reference to it, he deleted all details of the purchase. (Just for the record, I am not in the habit of spying on other people's mail except under extreme and morally justifiable circumstances)

On a shopping day in Ronda, we bought a rather expensive pair of hiking boots to replace my ancient disintegrating ones. That was my b'day present. And I was extremely happy to be again comfortably shod.

So, he squirreled the iPod away until Christmas Day when he proudly presented me with it. It made my Day! But reality slowly dawned on the assembled company around the roaring fire. Faces fell. Embarrassed smiles were exchanged. The iPod was a dud. A fake iPod. Many suggestions were made upon how to transform it into a real iPod but nothing worked because it didn't know it was an iPod. And it wasn't.

Unfortunately, it was too late to make any claim from the Ebay seller as all records had been deleted and Ebay did not respond to his plea for help.

Just recently, when John received an unexpected windfall, he bought me another to go with the rowing machine (what rowing machine, you ask! coming soon! watch this space for another exciting episode of Life in Cartajima!)

My iPod is wonderful. I love the podcasts from Radio Four. I was singing along with the Beatles as I cooked my Beef and Prunes Tagine last night. Happiness is a genuine iPod.

Here they are, side by side.

One real. One fake. What a pity.

Is there a moral in this tale

Or is it just an excuse for a rhyming ditty.

Walking in the Alto Genal

2010-03-16T14:10:00.005+01:00

The walking season in the Alto Genal is off to a fabulous start this week as Los Castaños filled up with people looking forward to a week of "senderismo" as it is called in Spanish. They have been so lucky with the weather. The rains, which I believe the rest of the world reported as "torrential" and "catastrophic", have stopped! Por fin! The sun has been shining since the first guests arrived last Saturday. And the weather is glorious. The scenery sharp and spectacular in the Spring sun ... alliteration uncalculated!

But, the accurately reported rains have left destruction in their wake. Some hotels in Ronda situated by riversides have suffered terrible flooding and loss of business and we feel for them. We are perched high on the mountaintop and were lucky - the river rose but not that high!

Our worst problem has been the rearrangement of the rivers and crossing points as walkers go from village to village. What was formerly a dry river bed and/or a babbling brook, is now a raging torrent.

Some civil engineering was necessary to bridge the gap. John and Andy, aka "the crazy American", augmented the initial efforts of an unknown hiker who used a tree-trunk that the storms had conveniently plopped across the river. They rigged up a most romantic Indiana Jones-type bridge with logs and withies and a rope making a safe but interesting bridge.

We have amended the walking routes that we provide to Los Castanos guests to safely lead them across the river. We haven't lost anybody yet!

Where is Ronda?

2010-03-05T21:03:00.002+01:00

My Internet spooks inform me that "Where is Ronda?" is a question frequently asked of Google. I can answer this question definitively and extensively, thus crowning myself with fame and glory.

Ronda is located on latitude: 36° 43' 60 N and longitude: 5° 10' 0 W. How´s that! No GPS to hand? Here's another way of finding this scenic and splendid Spanish town, just 17 km from Los Castanos.

Yet another answer to this vexing question is that Ronda, as I discovered last week, is surprisingly close to Marrakech!

Many of my guests, seeing the Rif mountains of Morocco towering into the horizon from the vantage point of our Andalucian mountains, yearn to go there. Africa appears close and yet unattainable. With the new flight from Sevilla, however, Marrakech is very attainable.

A two-continent vacation is easy to do. We drove to Sevilla airport (1 hr 30 mins), caught a flight to Marrakech (1 hr 20 mins), were met by a driver sent by the hotel and were ensconced on their delightful patio with a breakfast of mint tea and beghirs. We stayed two nights at Dar Tasmine and another two at Dar Ouaata They were both delightful in their different ways: clean, hospitable, charming.

Ahh. But supposing these truthseekers search a metaphysical rather than a physical explanation of the whereabouts of Ronda. Are they wondering about the soul of the place - is it of Africa, as many have posited, or is it of Europe.

My recent trip to Marrakech left no doubt in my mind. Spain in general, and Andalucia in particular, is now of Europe, not Africa. It is modern, orderly after a European mindset, and without poverty. The same cannot be said of Morocco. And in that divide lies the fascination for the traveller entering another century, another philosophy with other priorities.

Los Castaños is still here despite the silence!

2010-02-27T14:41:00.000+01:00

Sorry, sorry! I entice you to read my blog and then abandon you for weeks on end. But, Los Castaños is still here and I am bursting with tales to tell, so please give me a few days to get myself organised.

We have been to Marrakech for a four-day break - it was fantastic as Morocco always is. So accessible too that we wonder why we don't pop over for a reality check more often. We flew from Sevilla via Ryanair which, as it was only just over an hour in the air, was bearable.

Hang in there, I'll be back once we recover from Dia de Andalucia tomorrow. Big party in Cartajima, singing and dancing and eating and drinking which of course we have been deprived of on our travels.

I'll be back!

Andy, The Crazy American, leaves Cartajima

2010-02-16T19:33:00.000+01:00

First, let me hasten to say that he called himself "the crazy American"! I don't think he is crazy at all but remarkably sane. Too few people take the chance that he took when he insisted upon coming to Los Castaños as the jumping off point for an extended European cycling adventure. Just him, his bike and a trailer called Bob.

He came to Cartajima via Workaway, a site dedicated to pairing people needing a helping hand with people who have one to spare. Their philosphy is "a few hours honest work per day in exchange for food and accommodation with friendly hosts in varying situations and surroundings."

I needed somebody who would like to come to this beautiful part of Andalucia for a couple of weeks and help us with some gardening. He responded to my posting. I liked his attitude but told him he was crazy to come from New York just for a bit of digging. He told me to back off - it was his life. So I did and he came and he had, I hope, a great time with us, as we did getting to know him. He washed an incredible number of dishes, which was not part of the deal, and he finished the digging.

I felt motherly concern as he rode off into the mists on his bike but he promised to keep in touch. He has.

Thanks, Andy and Good Luck!

Lunch and a Cata

2010-02-12T11:09:00.002+01:00

The wine cellar at Los Castaños being rather ravaged by recent festivities and, with the season of thirsty walkers fast approaching, we visited our local Ronda vineyard, Joaquin Fernandez, to restock. This delightful experience usually involves a chat and a tapa but today we were treated to lunch and a cata (tasting).

A unique feature of this most pleasant of grape gardens is that the wines are 100% ecological. No chemicals are used of any sort. Aromatic plants grow with the vines to encourage the good insects like ladybirds, and discourage the bad ones. A tour of the bodega explains the whole process that converts the grape, freshly harvested from the vines growing around the bodega, to rich and wonderful wine. Sitting in the bodega by the open fire after the tour, one could not help but feel relaxed and happy in this delightfully dusty and casually rustic environment.

Lunch was being prepared on a simple gas ring in the open air. Cunningly engaging the cook in conversation, I covertly studied his methods, seeking fresh inspiration for my own kitchen. I need not have stooped to skulduggery, however, as he was more than eager to share his secrets. It looks like paella, he said, but it ´s Arroz Campero, or country-style rice.

Curious about where he fitted into the vineyard picture, I asked if he owned a restaurant in Ronda. He chuckled. “I am the owner of the vineyard.” The eponymous Joaquin proudly told me that everything we were going to eat, except the rice, was out of his own garden and ecologically produced, including the chicken. Such a philosophy is rare in Spain where the organic movement is only just beginning.

But before lunch was the wine tasting. As you might imagine, we are intimate with the bodega´s four wines: a rosado, a young red, and two mature reds. But a fifth glass twinkled mysteriously in the line-up.

The surprise addition was a white red. A white wine made with red, merlot grapes. This process, “blanc de noir”, is used in Champagne but unheard of in Spain. Yolanda, the enologist explained that she had wanted to experiment and Joaquin gave his blessing, prepared to sacrifice a few grapes to innovation. The wine was delicious and intriguing. Fruity and refreshing. Our enthusiastic if amateurish approval was echoed by the more sophisticated palates around the table.

Lunch was simply delicious. Traditional cheese and meats, the aforementioned organic-grown salad. Rice and chicken. Finally, we were treated to home-made membrillo (quince jelly) and fresh white sheep's cheese, Queso de Burgos.

When you come to Ronda and Los Castaños, I hope you will visit Joaquin Fernandez for a tour. You may not get lunch but you will certainly have a unique experience. I give below Joaquin's “method”, for the rice which was delicious. Note, this is not a recipe! While chatting to the cook, I did not have the nerve to measure everything he added!

Arroz Campero
1. Gently sauté cut up chicken in plenty of olive oil. Once golden brown, add a couple of glasses of white wine and reduce. Remove chicken and keep warm.
2. Roughly chop onion, green peppers, garlic and add to the pan with some whizzed up tomatoes. Leave to cook gently, stirring frequently, until tender. Then blend this mixture. (Joaquin does this so that children must, against their wishes, eat vegetables. He therefore blends this “sofrito” as it is called in Spanish so the picky eyes of the young cannot discern their arch enemies.
3. Put the chicken back in the sauce, add green beans, large butter beans, saffron, water and bring to the simmer.
4. 25 minutes before serving, add the rice., a few dried red peppers and sprigs of rosemary. Cook slowly till the rice is tender and has absorbed all the flavours.

BREAD ...

2010-01-31T16:50:00.002+01:00

When I opened Los Castanos nearly six years ago, one of the several special things I wanted to give my guests was home-made brown bread for their breakfast. I come from a long line of brown breadmakers and longed to continue the tradition. My guests loved it. Commented on it. Praised me for it. "What beautiful bread! Did you make it yourself?" I would beam with self-satisfaction.

Then a couple of years ago it was suggested that it would be much easier if I were to use a breadmaker. The idea was appealing for several reasons:

The programability meant I could bung in the ingredients the night before and set it to be ready just before breakfast so the hotel filled with that most delicious of all smells - new yeasty bread.

The other problem that a machine would solve was caused by my inability to stay in one place very long. On many occasions I would prepare the dough, leave it to rise, and walk away only to return too late to find it had risen and then plopped over the sides of the tin making a horrible gooey mess. If I didn´t miss the rising, I mistimed the cooking. Beautifully risen, I would pop the tins into the oven then walk away and forget it. When the smells reminded me, I would dash into the kitchen to find the bread more than "nicely browned".

Weighing the advantages, I bought a breadmaker. It performed as promised, wafting heavenly smells through the building and into the nostrils of awakening guests sending them hurrying down to breakfast. But the compliments stopped. I received not one word of praise for my machine-made bread. I would solicit them anxiously: "So, what do you think of the bread?" "Lovely" they would politely say with weak smiles. I was not fooled.

Fortunately for my ego, said breadmaker started playing up after a short time. The bread stopped rising and produced flat, solid, inedible doorstops. Bigger and bigger holes, formed by the rotation of the paddle, gaped in the centre of the loaf. We sought help on the internet and discovered these were common problems. We sent it back. They returned it having done nothing. It sat disconsolately on the kitchen counter until just the other day when John took it to the "punto limpio" for recycling.

My daughter had generously bought me a new Kenwood for Christmas with a massive bread hook so we are back to my own bread. And, when I remember to get it into and out of the oven on time, my heart sings again to the praises: "Oh, what beautiful bread! Did you make it yourself?"

To make the bread, combine 1 kg brown flour with the appropriate amount of yeast. I use two sachets of dried yeast. Add water until the mixture is kneadable. Knead by hand or machine for a few minutes. Put in a greased tin and leave to rise for about thirty minutes depending upon the ambient room temperature. Pop into a hot oven, 200 fan, for half an hour until brown and, knocking on the bottom, it sounds hollow. That´s it.

Glorious Day in the Serrania de Ronda

2010-01-29T09:56:00.001+01:00

Yesterday was a most gorgeous day here in the Serrania de Ronda. It had snowed the night before and covered the distant peaks of the appropriately named Sierra de las Nieves. The sun shone brilliantly in our valley. A perfect almost-Spring day!

Islamic Hermit ensures constant water for Cartajima

2010-01-27T14:49:00.001+01:00

Water, as we all know, is the new gold. Cartajima is thus very fortunate to have abundant amounts of the clear stuff. And, we can thank a Moorish hermit who lived up in Los Riscos (the craggy mountains that form the backdrop to this little white village).

They tell the story in the village of the hermit who had two girlfriends, like you do!, one in Cartajima and the other in Parauta. He also knew the source of the water that perculates up through the limestone mountains.

The hermit would change the flow of water from village to village according to how each girl treated him. If they were good, their village got the water. The story does not tell how frequently the water was changed!

After the reconquest of the Serrania de Ronda was completed in 1492, Jews and Moslems were banished from Spain - the country that had been their home since 711.

It is fortunate that the girl from Cartajima was the last to be generous to the hermit before he was ejected from his mountain hermitage. The water therefore has been running constantly to Cartajima ever since watering the sweet chestnuts and gardens in the valley.

Bad menu translations: funny, fun, or just bad?

2010-01-26T12:39:00.000+01:00

I know you aren´t interested in what I had for lunch yesterday. Neither am I. However, you would surely be as intrigued as I was to be offered Creaking Goat Cheese followed by Hake Supreme with Gluttony and Prawns. These were both on offer at one of our favourite lunchtime places which is tucked in by the gas station and the electrical people at Voltasur in Ronda.

In a previous life in San Francisco, I tried to persuade several very good restaurants with extremely bad English translations that their professionalism was tarnished by their often ludicrous English menues. It is fun to giggle over a menu but mostly it is embarrasing. But they didn´t believe me. Or didn´t care. If it is not your language, you cannot imagine how funny "greenness" is where you meant "greens". Or "disturbed" for "scrambled" eggs.

I therefore propose to leave people alone and not try to change their menues. Who cares about a few grammatical errors.

The Creaking goat cheese was Crujiente in Spanish which means crunchy.
The hake was "con gulas" or with tiny little eels.

Los Castanos and Di Beach enter the world of social networking.

2010-01-24T12:13:00.002+01:00

At my daughter's insistence (www.bashstreet.co.uk) I have decided to enter this strange new world. I shall attempt to be interesting, amusing and thought-provoking. I hope you will stay with me long enough for me to get over the inevitable teething problems!