Belen (Nativity Scenes) in Chocolate

It is traditional in Spain to make elaborate Nativity Scenes in town centres, shops and homes. They are called 'Belen', literally; Bethlehem. A couple of hours from here, in the small town of Ruta there is a chocolate factory, with an enormous Belen made entirely of chocolate. Photography is difficult as more light would create heat, which would melt the chocolate! Everything is chocolate - the houses and people, the palm trees and the sheep under them!




It is fascinating! Apart from the stable tableau that one would expect to find, the activities of the whole town town are shown in great detail. Paving is made with thin slabs of dark chocolate. The figures are in white chocolate. The vegetable plot has cabbages and carrot tops! Among the market stalls you can find the butcher with his selection of meats, and the cloth merchant with his bolts of colourful materials.

The Ruta chocolate factory has a shop where replicas of many Belen items can be bought, as well as other Spanish Christmas sweets and specialities. Watch out for the liquer cherries; potent and delicious!

What happens to the Belen in the end? It is divided up among local children.

Endangered Vultures

Recently, this handsome young vulture was found on a nearby Urbanisation. It appeared to be exhausted and 'adopted' my friend Steve Carter for a few days; allowing him to come close up to it. As it didn't eat or try to fly away, Steve called the environmental people, (Medio Ambiente). They care for wild creatures, and release them when they are able to cope.

Vultures are endangered. Apparently the EEC had decreed that domestic livestock animals that died naturally in the country, must be removed and not allowed to get into the food chain. This had a detrimenal effect on vultures and other carrion bird populations. So a chain of vulture 'restaurants' were set up in the mountains across Andalucia. When there are carcases of horses or cows to be disposed of they are taken to these feeding stations. I have walked, the steep climb to the one on 'our' Los Reales mountain. I understand there is another near Tarifa, and one near Ronda.

Castillo de la Duquesa

This 18th century castle (only a few minutes from my place) was built as a barracks for the military of the day. When I first visited it, forty years ago, it housed 13 families. Several families would share a living space, just separated from their neighbours by a simple curtain.

All around the site there was was an important Roman settlement and bath house. The industry was fishing, and making the popular fish paste - Garrum. The jar below is said to be a Garrum jar. The site is in the process of being excavated. In the castle there is a Museum of Archaology to house many of the 'finds'; pottery, glass, jewelery, fishhooks, etc. Now the Castle is used for cultural events; lectures, concerts, and as a wedding venue.

The Castillo also has a Museum of Fencing, which it is defined as swordmanship in general. With this broad definition, it is possible to include the weapons used in cave paintings - and certainly King Arthur's sword Excaliber.

Collecting salt off the rocks

The beach next to Bahia Dorada is crowned with a powerful square tower; the Torre de la Sal. Literally, it means the Salt Tower. Sea spray collects in crevaces and hollows. When dry, small amounts of pure salt can be scooped up. I'm doing it (rather inelegantly) in this photo!


The beach has pebbles of many interesting shapes and colours. Its impossible to walk along the shore without picking up a few curiosities! There are not many shells; a few little green sea urchins and some battered oyster shells. Just occasionally I find a gorgeous ormer! This is a type of abalone, with seven holes down one side, and a pearly iridescent lining. The question is; why do bi-valves have such showy linings? When the creature is alive the lining would never be seen, so what is their survival value?

Land Boundaries

My eldest daughter, Nikki, came out to Spain for a visit to clarify the boundaries of some land that the family owns. Recently the local authorities have taken aerial photos of the whole province, and drawn in an approximation of owners boundaries! So it is necessary for everyone to check their survey maps, and agree boundaries with their neighbours. We found that our registered documents were expressed not only in Hectares but also in archaic measurement forms! Instead of square meters, we have Fanegas, Celemin, Aranzada, Areas and Centiareas. We had no idea what their equivilances were. Thanks Goodness for Google!

The Fanega was originally an Arabic measure. It was both a dry measure of grain, like a Bushell, and also meant the area of land that can be sown with grain in a day. A Fanega of land can be about 644o square meters. I say CAN be as each province of Spain had a different amount called a Fanega ! The table we found defined an Arranzada as 4472 square meters. A Celemin as 5 Areas, 36 centiareas, 66 Decimeters. Confused enough? No wonder everyone is struggling to work out exactly what land they have!

Fire often sweep over the country. When our land was burned some years ago, the timbers of the cottage were burned and the roof fell in; leaving it a romantic ruin. Fruit trees and vineyards disappeared. Now it is all overgrown and gone back to wild nature!

Vintage Cars

In Spain a car-boot-sale-cum-street-market is called a Rastro , and is often held on Sundays. This morning I went to the Rastro in the woods near Benahavis, about half an hour from where I live. It was a surprise to find a rally of magnificent vintage cars was also being held there! I don't know what the models are, but I was charmed by their glamour!

Even without the vintage cars, a Rastro is a fun place to meet friends, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, browse the stalls, and discover extraordinary objects!

Visiting an Aloe Vera Plantation

Hurray! I'm back! My computer needed a major upgrade. My computer guru is a genuis, and consiquently, is much in demand! I had to be patient and wait in the queue for his services! My life used to function perfectly well without a computer, but now I have much basic information stored on it, like addresses and family birthdays; so I'm lost without it!

Since my last post, our local Gardening Club arranged a visit to the nearby Aloe Vera plantation. The thick fleshy outer leaves were being harvested. The 'baby' plants around the base are collected and planted for the next crop.

For reasons of hygene, the girls working on the aloe leaves worked in a glassed off area, and wore overalls, plastic aprons, caps, gloves and rubber boots. We were able to watch each step of the preparation process. The leaves were scrubbed individually. Then both ends were sliced off before being passed to the next cubicle. There, the side spines are trimmed off.

Next, the girls used VERY sharp knives to 'fillet' the leaves, to remove the inner jelly from the tough outer skins on either side. The knife was used towards the left hand, so I was glad the girls wore a protective metal chain-link glove to protect it! The aloe jelly is put into a plastic box ready to be sent to Germany, for processing into medicinal and beauty products. The trimmings of the leaves are not wasted! They are chopped up, and are returned as an organic mulch to fertilise the growing aloe plants!

We were invited to taste the aloe gel cut into cubes. I had heard of aloes being very bitter, so I expected it to be quite unpalatable! I was surprised! It was quite bland, more or less tasteless. However is not put on the market in this form. Many products are made with it. We were invited to taste the delightful fruit drinks that have excellent anti-oxydent effects. We could also buy the skin care products, and the leaves or plants. Visitors are welcome, and the website of the SantaVerde company is http://www.santaverde.es/

Red Palm Tree Beetle

(Apologies for the long delay since I last put up a new Post! I had a computer glitch, repeatedly sending the same Email from Outlook Express. My computer was in 'shop' for nearly a week being fixed!)

In the last few years many of the Canary Palm trees of the coast have been destroyed by the dreaded Red Palm Tree Beetle. It attacks the growing part at the crown of the tree. Healthy palms can be killed in a couple of weeks! The effect can be seen in an old avenue of palms now leading to a new development.

Bahia Dorada palms have not escaped. The photo on the left shows one that is now a mere stump. Infected palm can be saved if treated in time with sprays. It is vital to do it, as infested trees soon infect healthy ones around it.

A Tree Surgeon recently gave a talk to our local Gardening Group. He told us that trimming palm trees is partly responsible for the spread of Palm Tree beetle infection. Pheramones are released when the palm is cut, which attract the Red Beetles. It might be less tidy to leave old fronds hanging down. But that's better than having trouble with the Red Palm Tree Beetle!

Art Matters! NADFAS

I look forward to the NADFAS monthly lectures from October to May! They are held at eleven am on the third Tuesday of the month at the San Roque Golf Club.

Tomorrow, 20th Oct 2009, is the start of the new season! The speaker will be Colin Williamson on; "200 years of Plastics in Art and Design from Victoriana to Lalique and Lycra".

On 17th Nov 2009 the subject will be "Brancusi and the Perfection of Form" presented by Eric Shanes

On 15th Dec 2009, we will have Gijs van Hensbergen BA (Hons) on "Antoni Gaudi - Sinner or Saint?

Members prepay for the season at a reduced rate. Visitors are welcome, and pay 12€ a lecture.

There are about 200 members of this branch. It is a delight to meet other people who think Art Matters!

Prickly Pears! (Chumbas)

The Prickly Pear is a formidable thorny cactus that makes a useful hedge. The fruits on the edge of the lobes are delicious. But beware! The fine hairs on them are painful and difficult to remove! I have an ancient pair of 'chumba' tongs for picking them.









Take care when skinning the 'chumbas' too! Cut off the two ends; slice top to bottom, and open them.
However the easy way to enjoy them, is to buy them from a street vendor! He'll skin them for you.

Prickly pears are perfect at this time of year! The fruit tastes sweet and juicy, but it does have hard seeds embedded in them. So mouth it gently - rather than chew!

Spectacular flowering trees and shrubs

One of the things I love about living in Spain is the exotic profusion of beautiful trees and flowers!

The mass of blossom that looks like pink orchids, may be a variety of Bauhinia. (One of my readers says it may actually be a Bombax.) The tree I photographed in Estepona seems to be in bloom for much of the year! Surprisingly, the trunk of the tree is studded with hard thorns!

Its fun to walk around Bahia Dorada with a digital camera and take pictures of the many gorgeous trees and shrubs in the gardens. The plant with the big yellow bells is Datura. They can also be white or pink.

The usual Bouganvilla colour is deep purple, but it can be in shades of red, pink or orange!







They make a showy contrast to the misty blue of plumbago! The gardeners like to be tidy and formal, and trim the shrubs like a hedge. But when they do that, there are no flowers as the flower buds grow from the tips of each shoot! I like the wild natural shapes - with flowers!

"Carmen" Filmed in Andalucia

I love the version of "Carmen" by the Director Francisco Rosi, which was filmed entirely in Andalucia. There are scenes in the streets and on the bridge at Ronda, and in the tobacco factory episodes, where Carmen traditionally rolls a cigar on her thigh. The Ronda bullring is used for the final part of the drama. Julia Migenes is a captivating, fiery Carmen, with Placido Domingo as her lover, Don Jose. There are a number of clips from the film on YouTube. (Sometimes they download, and sometimes they don't!)

The factory fight scene is on http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=kPa4-UMohL8

The sexy dance is on http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=LjwNsuy72PY

'Habanera' is on http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=uV9iGv4sKNI

Final Act 4 scenes on http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=mcGZMk4CCKs

There are more! Enjoy!

4th Oct World Animal Day

The 4th of October is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi; an appropriate date for World Animal Day and suitable for the flag day for animal charities. Every year ADANA, Estepona's Animal Rescue Society, asks volunteers to collect from public places all week! As usual I was asked to station myself outside our local Carrefour supermarket with my collecting can. By the end of the four hour stint, my can was gratifyingly heavy!

Standing there with this label around my neck and my can in my hand, its interesting to note people's reactions! Few people ignore us! Most people around here know what ADANA is all about! "Ah yes! You do good work!" Some grin as they put in a few coins, saying; "I've put money in your tins several times already this week!" Some say; "I haven't got any change now, but I'll give you something when I come out." And they mostly do!

Apart from ADANA there are two other major charities in Estepona. CUDECA offers home care, family support and a hospice for terminally ill cancer patients. AGE CONCERN gives support to the older generation. They're all vital services! Each has their own charity shop with volunteer staff. They need items to sell, and appreciate donations of good clothes, books and bric-a-brac.

The Cave - of Cueva De La Pileta

This cave is near Benaojan, about 70 kilometers from Bahia Dorada - through wonderfully wild mountain scenery. I've wanted to explore it for years. This week I did so for the first time! There are many steep steps up to the cave entrance, and inside the cave, so people with heart or agility problems are advised not to attempt to visit it. Once inside, Tilly lamps are lit and the group follows a guide who speaks in Spanish and English.

The Cave is most famous for a large depiction of a fish - which is most unusual in cave paintings.

The cave has Paleolithic and Neolithic paintings of animal and human forms, and many abstract lines and patterns, whose meaning is still open to interpretation. Carbon dating was possible as animal fat was used in making the 'paints'. There are two small lakes, with water that was once fresh enough to drink. (Now, coins dropped into them has spoiled its purity.) Many pottery shards can also be seen in the cave.

The postcard on the left distinctly shows the 'Pregnant mare' and a goat. Some people think the lines like a comb may be some sort of moon calendar. What of those circles with dots inside?

Moorish Watch Towers

It is disputed as to exactly when the Watch Towers were set up as a protection against piracy along the Mediteranean coast. Each tower was visible to two others in either direction, and each had a chimney to produce smoke to raise the alarm if enemy ships were seen.

This tower, on Bahia Dorada, was in existance before 1492! It is 13 meters high, with a flat roof to view the sea and surrounding area. Its entrance is 7.5 meters high off the ground! There is no other way in! There is an account of its history in the 1997 local telephone directory! It was manned by two guards. One kept perminant watch, while the other came every afternoon and left at dawn. A rope ladder could be let down for the relief man to climb up. "The watchmen could defend themselves by throwing stones, fire or bullets of molton lead"!

Melons and Water melons

In summer there used to be one of these melon and watermelon stalls under a shady tree just a few hundred meters from Bahia Dorada. But that disappeared years ago, and the site was used for an upmarket complex of apartments. But stalls like it still exist! This summer I saw this one on the road to the coast, coming down the mountain from Ronda.

Experts give a water melon a hearty slap, and listen for the right sort of 'thump' to be sure its ripe! I do the ritual slap. Although I don't know the right sound, it's always delicious anyway!

Messing About in Boats!

These photogenic boats are in Estepona Port. You would have to know their owners if you wanted to go for a sail. However there are boats for hire.

And you can go fishing!