[This event is now over.] Following our previous post about Venta Maria reopening, we continue the food theme but this time a post with an ‘eat by’ date – IV Ruta de la Tapa 2018. Running until next Sunday (2 December), it’s a chance to savour different tapas offered up by the bars and restaurants … Continue reading
There’s been an American in Paris, an Englishman in New York, and now; an Italian in Órgiva – a bar, that is. The much-missed Venta Maria bar closed down a couple of years ago only to be reopened by the World’s most miserable owners who would greet you, arms folded, as if you’d shot their … Continue reading
[Note: this event has ended.] Judging by the preparations, Órgiva’s annual knees-up, which starts this Thursday 27 September, is the biggest for quite a while. The top of town – from the municipal car park near Baraka to the Plaza Cultural – is full of play rides, performance stages, bunting and more. So, what’s in … Continue reading
Head for Capileira – one of the ‘pueblos blancos‘ of the region – and a restaurant awaits offering something more spicy than traditional Spanish food – and in a place you’d least expect. El Jardin de los Sabores (‘Garden of Flavours’) is a lovely spot with spectacular valley views. You can wile away a leisurely … Continue reading
La Alpujarra is simply beautiful as anyone who lives here – or has visited – will testify. It’s not the first time we’ve stumbled upon a TV programme about the area and here’s another. It’s basically a long, but lovely, advert focusing on the food typical of the region. In short, a chef – ‘Atleta … Continue reading
NEW: Órgiva: Feria y Fiestas 2018 – September 27-30 September The great thing about Órgiva is that the town is near lots of stuff: mountains, rivers, beaches and Granada. And if you’re here with kids, there’s plenty to do locally and further afield. There’s a selected events list at the bottom of this page. Enjoy … Continue reading
We’ve been here a while and our Spanish has only improved slightly. It’s been a bit like hanging around a restaurant’s kitchen for ages and learning only how to peel potatoes. It’s surely now time to make a tortilla. We do our best watching the breakfast news about floods, drug seizures off the coast and … Continue reading
We pulled off the motorway to Granada, stepped out of the car and were ankle deep in a sea of yellow oxalis. Spring’s unusual weather continued as splats of rain reminded us that summer hadn’t quite yet arrived. Dwarfed by dead palm trees we walked up a short incline. We were at Tablate in the municipality of … Continue reading
While perusing a local shop aimed at healthy people – hikers, trekkers, climbers etc – we came across a cute book all about our local mountain range – mainland Spain’s highest, second only to the Alps in western Europe: the Sierra Nevada. We never cease to marvel at its beauty as we drive to Granada, … Continue reading
Poco a poco, Órgiva is changing; but not in any big way. This relentless rain reminds us of those Japanese TV endurance games where contestants have pepper dusted into their eyeballs – only, in our case (and much of Spain), it is to: ‘endure a never-ending rain shower and all that this entails.’ This includes: bored … Continue reading
A few weeks into the new year and Órgiva’s town hall have finally returned from the local café, and – with the input of the Andalucía tourist board – have produced…er…something: Sencillamente Órgiva – Simply Órgiva. (Whenever we see the word ‘simply’ we always think of the fine sausage company from years ago in London, but enough of … Continue reading
1971, it was a very good year…for films: Fiddler on the Roof, Play Misty for Me, Diamonds Are Forever and, of course, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But like any year, there were flops including The Last Run (you’ve never heard of it, right?). We have to come clean and say we hadn’t either. However, … Continue reading
The sleepy and genteel town of Lanjarón is peppered with both fountains and bars, several of which we visit regularly. A favourite over the last year is Restaurante Asador Parque on the road out of town, in the direction of Granada. We watched its construction and thought ‘not another restaurant – how can they all compete?’ but … Continue reading
An idea to remove the five metre high cross in Órgiva’s Plaza de la Alpujarra has gathered pace. Erected in the late 1950s and known as `The Cross of the Fallen’ it commemorates victims of the Spanish Civil War – but those who were on Franco’s side. At a recent town hall meeting a majority of councillors … Continue reading
Like the other tourism films on this blog, we didn’t lift a finger in producing it because, this time, we’ve been busy cleaning Saharan sand off every surface in sight. It came courtesy of last week’s rain which painted the Sierra Nevada orange like some awful 1970s dessert. The tango plume has gone and the … Continue reading
