Media maratón in Cádiar - April 5th 2009

The half marathon that will take place the 5th of April 2009 and that starts and ends in Cádiar, is the first one that is organised in the Alpujarras. The run will be along country tracks and paths with a small section on tarmac roads. You can run or walk it, inscribe indivually or as a group (maximum of four people). Adults pay 15€ and children 10€. A part of the revenues will be donated to the Red Cross in Granada. More information can be found on the website on the media maraton.

The first snowfall

Quite a lof of snow fell on many parts of Spain last week. In Sierra Nevada there is now such an amount that they are talking about opening the Granada ski station the 22nd of November. On this picture taken today you can see how close the snow is to the village of Bérchules. The snow line is close to 2,000 metres. In the meantime the weather has stabilized and when you look at the forecast, you can see that it will be perfect for hiking, horse riding or mountain biking the whole coming week. The maximum temperatures mentioned, around 13 degrees, are as measured in the shade. In the sun the temperatures easily reach 10 degrees more. On television the proverb “año de nieves, año de bienes”, was repeated quite a few times the last couple of days. Let´s hope that this saying “year of snows, year of riches” holds true. It´s already quite a joy to see that there´s now more water flowing from the fountains in the village since the first precipitations.

related keywords: el tiempo, het weer, le temps, das wetter

Fa Re tetería in Ferreirola

A visit of La Taha valley with its pretty villages we quite often recommend to people, because there are many fantastic hiking possibilities. In this area it is easy to ´devise´ your own route with copies out of one of our books. As Ferreirola is in the centre of this valley, it´s likely that you pass through this village. If you do, we can highly recommend having a break at Fa Re Tetería-Cafetería. Fátima and Rebecca, the two ladies that opened their Morrocan style tetería at the end of July, gave the place a lot of character. Apart from a wide choice of teas with lovely home-made pies, a good glass of wine with some cheese can also be enjoyed at Fa Re. When the weather is good it´s possible to sit outside and enjoy the views down into the valley. You can find this coffee and tea house at the bottom of the village in Calle Soledad, and it is open from Thursday to Sunday from 10.00 to 23.00 hours. (FaRe)

Lactarius deliciosus

Guests that recently walked the GR-7 from Juviles to Trevélez had told us about people collecting wild mushrooms in the pine woods. From local people we heard that they were looking for ´níscalos´ or ´robellones´. These saffron milk caps are apparently a type of fungi that finds its way to shops and restaurants in different parts of Spain. Today we went out mushrooming ourselves in the pines above Juviles. We soon found out that this red pine mushroom is completly covered with earth and needles so you need to look for small heaps and just try your luck. The forest had obviously been cleared quite thoroughly by other people, but nevertheless we did find enough to make a nice risotto. After some rain these saffron milk caps can grow overnight, so this might not be the end of the wild mushroom season yet.
 

Chestnut anniversary

Five years ago we were busy with the last preparations for the opening on the 1st of November. Friends from Holland that came over drove up in the mist and had at that moment no idea what the views could be like. Luckily the sun broke through the morning of the inauguration and we were able to roast chestnusts outside as we had planned a ´castañada´. Today the views are as good as ever, like the day of the opening. From the terrace we can see the sea clearly and the first snow on the mountains in the distance. A perfect day to cherish special memories and collect chestnuts.