Blogs from Alhaurin el Grande, Andalusia, Spain, Europe

Spain – Spring 2024 4th Jan – 8th Feb & 21st Feb – 13thMar It was like having two Christmas’!! We came back to Spain earlier than usual ( After a month of rain in the uk!!) on the 4th January so that we could see the Three Kings Parade on the 5th January!! They hadn’t had any rain in Spain and I think we must have brought some weather back with us , as we got caught in a horrific thunderstorm and got soaked!!, As Paul said to us - ‘ God works in Mysterious Ways!!’ Mercadona was very busy the next day ( I suppose its like their Christmas Eve!!) and we bought a Roscon de Reyes filled with cream – everyone was buying them!! Ita a festive, brioche ring, shaped like a large ... read more

Our trips to Spain are getting shorter!! This trip was only Sunday 5th Jan – Friday 31stJan and we had planned to re-paint the whole house as the weather isn’t usually that warm and there is more cloud in January!! We also hoped to catch the Three Kings Fiesta on the 6th Day but arrived late on the Sunday evening to catch the last of the Processions and to learn that the fiesta is 4th and 5th with the 6th Being a National Holiday! This caused us a few problems as there were no food shops open on the Monday, after we arrived!! However, despite the weather being warm and sunny, with blue skies, we made a good start on the painting, painting in the mornings with well earnt lunches or siestas in the afternoon, as ... read more

We flew to Spain on the 11th Sept! Boy it was hot!! Hot and humid and unlike I had ever known in Spain! Lots of thunderstorms, for the first week or so, occasionally rumbling around in the mountains - one night we had heavy rain and an amazing overhead storm about midnight - that put paid to any sleep until about 1.30am!! But it was good to see everyone again from our various walking groups, and the walking started off relatively simple and easy because of the heat,. Although when we did a 9km undulating walk, it just about finished us off!!! Had a few walks, eventually finding the waterfall made famous by the 1985 Timotei Shampoo advert, and also a good walk at Refugio and the Torremolinos ... read more

We arrived in Spain on Friday 16thJanuary to wonderfully warm, sunny weather – that lasted until the Sunday when it rained all day and the temperature dropped down to 10c through the days and 4c at night! Cold!!! The rain also brought snow to a lot of Spain and when the good weather returned on the following Wednesday we were treated to beautiful clear views of the valley, ringed with the snow topped mountains! Lots of good walks planned and Chris did a 17km walk up to Pico Alcaparain @ (1293 metres (approx. 4,000’). Plenty of scary, vertigo moments on the walk apparently, so glad I didn’t do it!! There was also a walk (in the misty rain!!) at the Montes de Malaga so unfortunately there weren’t many views but a fantastic meal afterwards at the ... read more

Tues 18th March - It was lovely to, at last, catch up with Bjorg who we had met in 2011 in China, and nearly got together with in Norway last year on our cruise! We could only give her a taste of Andalucia in the four days she had here, but we really enjoyed showing her around and had a lot of fun together! I hope she enjoyed sharing Chris’ 55% Anis that he bought in Rute last year – it was certainly an evening to be remembered!! We have lost our English Sky TV programmes, as we knew we would, as Sky has ‘so said’ turned the transmitter off! We still have some odd English channels we are able to watch, including Sky news, but after buying a new digital ariel and a new digital ... read more