Jabugo, a town with a population of 2,250 located inside the Natural Park of the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche (Huelva, Andalusia in Spain), is famous for its Iberian ham. It is home to Cinco Jotas, founded in 1879, renowned worldwide for its Acorn-fed 100% Ibérico Ham. In August, I had the opportunity […]
Semana Santa
Spain is famous for its Semana Santa (Holy Week) traditions, starting on the Sunday before Easter and lasting until Easter Sunday itself. During this week the Spanish Catholic religious brotherhoods (cofradía) perform penance processions on the streets. In smaller villages, the processions are mainly on Thursday and Friday; however, larger towns and cities have weeklong […]
Semana Santa – Alcaudete
Alcaudete is located on a hillside in the province of Jaén, southern Spain, approximately 40 minutes from Jaen, one hour from Granada and two hours from Sevilla. The town centre is of medieval origin and the town is most famous buildings are the Church of Santa María la Mayor and the Calatravo Castle. Semana Santa […]
The Spanish Belén (nativity scene)
The main events in Spain at Christmas are the birth of Christ on Christmas Eve (the night of December 24th) and the arrival of the three Kings (6th January). Although gaining in popularity, Christmas trees are still not that common in Spain. The main thing is the Nacimiento or Nativity scene, commonly known as a […]
Christmas lights in Andalucia
Spanish Christmas lights are getting better and more elaborate every year! Generally, Christmas lights are turned on at the beginning of December (or last weekend in November) and stay on until the Three Kings on 6th January. Colourful lights and decorations adorn streets, buildings and plazas. Every city, town and (I think its true to […]
Martos olive festival
The town of Martos, in the province of Jaen, is known as the “cradle of the olive tree orchard”. It is referred to by some as the “First olive oil producer world-wide”. The Olive Festival in Martos takes place in early December to commemorate the olive harvest. The main event is on the 8th of […]
Malaga Christmas Lights
Malaga Christmas lights The famous Malaga Christmas lights were switched on at 7pm on Friday 30 November. The main lights are in Calle Larios; last year, more than 30,000 people gathered for the switching on ceremony. This year, it was so packed, everyone couldn’t get in. The theme of the 2018 lights is a cathedral, […]
What’s my address this week?
Now here’s something you couldn’t make up. Street names in our village of Las Casillas. Streets had names and there were street signs; granted, these were somewhat sparse in a few areas, but things were sort of OK. Google maps for our village are not brilliant. Some streets were shown incorrectly (bits missing or added […]
Toxic Processionary Caterpillars in Spain
According to information from locals and what we have read, the Pine Processionary Caterpillar (Thaumetopoea Pityocampa) is a nasty piece of work. The hairs on the caterpillar have tiny barbed hairs containing a protein called thaumetopoein, which is highly irritating to the skin. Contact with the hairs of the caterpillar can cause severe rashes and […]
Rain, rain and more rain in Andalucia, Spain
This is the wettest winter in Andalucía since 1939. It’s also the coldest and longest. This is not based on official statistics, but what the local people are saying. We have had a lot of rain lately! It has rained for the best part of three weeks with only the odd dry day.
Cross Pantano del Víboras 2018
The Cross Pantano del Víboras is an annual race, organised by Department of Sports of the City of Martos and the Athletics Club Correcaminos, which runs along the perimeter of the Viboras reservoir. It is a circular circuit, starting and finishing in the Plaza de la Constitución in our village, Las Casillas. The total length […]
Misty Andalucían sunrise
The early February mornings here in Andalucía can be stunning. With the Viboras lake at Las Casillas against a backdrop of the mountains, sunrises are often beautiful, particularly on misty mornings when there is some cloud cover. The sun lights up the clouds, often with reds and oranges, which are mirrored in the lake. story […]