-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Outside of Dublin and London we don’t think we love – and know – a city more: Granada. Long before lockdown, privately-made ‘strolls’ though cities – normally filmed in 4K – started appearing. Some might say they are a niche market: ‘why would I spend an hour watching a walk through the streets of Lisbon, … Continue reading
He wasn’t humming to himself or softly strumming his guitar, but Fernando – owner of a reclamation junk yard near Granada – can sure talk the hind legs off a donkey. There may even have been one tethered to his ramshackle ‘office’, complete with woodworking tools, varnishes and steel wool. A few elderly men whose … Continue reading
We recently noticed white ‘clouds’ in our pine trees – like blobs of candy floss abandoned high up in the branches. We discovered they were the silk nests of processionary caterpillars. Should you touch one – or a dog or cat step on one – it can be very unpleasant and even fatal to animals, … Continue reading
Junk may be a little unkind as there are some lovely items to be found among the grot. Descend into one of Granada’s rastros there’s a chance, among the cemetery of pine and chandeliers, you may never be seen again. But at least you’d have a choice of seating. in fact you could sit in a different … Continue reading
We know the exact time these watches and timepieces stopped ticking, but when? Where was Uri Geller when we needed him? Perhaps he was enjoying a bowl of salmorejo with a bent spoon in a tapas bar around the corner. While we were looking for a certain tapas bar in Málaga, we stepped back in … Continue reading
The van convention returns with more of Órgiva’s bright and beautiful vehicles. One recent favourite has been a large yellow van with, what looks like, the contents of Kew Gardens’ Palm House spread across its dashboard. Another looked like it was made of Weetabix and a smaller clapped-out thing adapted into bunk beds – ingenious. … Continue reading
[Update: sadly, the Camel Stop has closed – however we believe it is now a holiday rental.] The Lecrin valley is a 30 minute drive from Órgiva on the way to Granada and houses a collection of municipalities including El Valle, Dúrcal, Béznar and Chite. At this time of year the stunning Sierra Nevada dominates … Continue reading
We’ve spent a fair bit of time in Granada recently and today returned to the Capilla Real to gawp at the tombs of Queen Isabelle and King Ferdinand. We decided she looked a bit like a hamster and he like a member of a 90s Britpop band, possibly the Inspiral Carpets. In the city centre, shoppers were out … Continue reading
In the 1970s, a family friend posted various bits ‘n bobs to a boy (one of us) about R.M.S. Queen Mary – the ‘Quadruple-Screw Turbine Steamer’ that sailed the North Atlantic from 1934 to 1967 for the Cunard White Star Line (as it was at the time). The ship is now permanently moored at Long … Continue reading
In honour of the alternative community here in Órgiva, we’re starting a new monthly series featuring hippies – old and new. We’re both too young to remember this side of the 1960s but have owned Iron Butterfly’s ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida‘ in the past. First up is a short 1968 film from San Francisco. It’s a great snapshot … Continue reading
The helicopter’s been refuelled and a 1965 Chevrolet Impala convertible trundles down the road. Beautiful models in designer clothes snog each other and laugh about everything (maybe after hearing that joke: ‘what’s eight-foot long and smells of wee?) – yes, it’s the tourist board’s advert about visiting Andalucia. Beginning with a view of the Alhambra in Granada, there … Continue reading
Walks around the vicinity throw up all manner of things: half-alive cicadas, scorpions, decapitated mice, rogue dogs chasing our cats up trees, dung beetles, wild boar damage, 20-metre trails of black ants and the odd dead bird (not resting). So here today, gone tomorrow – we can now add a shed snake skin to the … Continue reading
Once upon a time, David Seaman – Arsenal FC’s legendary goalkeeper – was locked away in a cage for smiling too much. Even in his copper prison, every day he would smile at the birds, insects and cats who passed by. Then, for no reason, he was released, maybe for good behaviour. Free, he was … Continue reading
At times, Órgiva resembles a van convention – pristine German giants, cute Scooby-Doo VWs – with whole families/dogs spilling out of them – and, more often, beaten-up types laden with work stuff. OK, ‘van’ maybe be used here a bit loosely but we like looking at them, so here are some photos which include curtains. … Continue reading
A sherry-drinking mouse up a ladder; a pale blue Austin whizzing around Andalucia; beautiful Spanish women – and it’s all from 1967, courtesy of British Pathé, which recently put 85,000 clips on YouTube. In this film there’s barely a a word of commentary that isn’t interesting or entertaining. Watch until the end – it’s fabulous; … Continue reading
con jamón spain 