YourAndalucia

Sometimes it may seem that Spain is just a country of one season - summer. When you think of Spain, it is certainly true that Spanish sunshine and beaches come to mind. It’s a hot country, right?

Well, as with any country, Spain of course has four distinct seasons, and when you have lived in an area for years, you can tell the differences. Right now, it is definitely spring in Almeria, although daytime temperatures may get as high as the late 20s (ºC).

Winters can actually be very cold in Spain. Not cold like in England or North America, but when you move slightly inland from the coast of Almeria, winter is actually cold in Almeria. Sometimes down to 0 degrees Celsius. Now that might not sound cold, but you have to remember that houses in the south of Spain are built to be cool in the Summer, not warm in the winter! Our own home does not have central heating, we cope with a wonderful log burner, a gas heater and some electric panel heaters.

But now it is Spring. Almeria is as green as it gets (ok - it’s not actually GREEN, just a kind of dusty green colour). Fields are in bloom with grasses and beautiful poppies, and even the local cactus are in flower. It is the time of year that the swallows are nesting in the eaves of village houses, almonds are growing on trees, fig trees are in leaf, grape vines are green and getting ready to blossom, and the “campo” (rural area) is full of life.

During the winter, snow builds up on the higher mountains, including the Sierra Nevada. Now that Spring has arrived, this melts and begins to fill the dried up river beds - turning them back into rivers. This is added to by the April rains, and sometimes the river beds are actually too deep to cross.

At night, Spring in Spain is actually still cold - down to around 6 degrees if you are not in a coastal area. Many Spanish people are still using their log burners and fires at night, though if you visit on holiday from the UK, you would probably find Almeria hot. During the day the temperatures can be up to 28 degrees, so it is a wonderful time of year to enjoy the natural beauty of inland Almeria.

Spring is quite short, however. Soon, the nights will begin to warm up, and daily temperatures will be well into the 30’s. Whereas at the moment, the Spanish are still wearing jumpers and coats, this does not last for long as the really long, hot summer is just around the corner.

If you are able to visit Spain in April or early May, do make the effort to go inland, to see the amazingly beautiful wildlife and nature. If you get a chance, drive up into the mountains to enjoy the stunning sunsets and the wind blowing through the grass covered fields. It does not last for long before the plants dry out again and summer is here!

One thing I love about living in my mountain village in Andalucia is the real community we have here. Everyone says “Buenos Dias”, everyone knows each other, people in our village are always willing to help and our village fiestas are fantastic fun.

One fiesta that’s really a community event is our annual San Marcos fiesta, held on 25th April every year. We all get together in our village amphitheatre to enjoy a huge paella, homemade wine, free beer and soft drinks, and English desserts. The Spaniards cook the paella and our small English community make gateaux, victoria sponge cakes and other such English delights for the Spaniards to sample. We love their paella and they love our cakes - you’ve never seen a victoria sponge disappear so quickly! There’s usually a few men with their homemade wine in coke bottles going round topping up your glasses and people sharing produce from their land.

After the meal and desserts, comes my children’s favourite part. Everyone is given a special cake which has a hardboiled egg on top. You eat the cake and then smash the hardboiled egg over someone’s head to give them luck! Now can you see why the kids enjoy it so much?!

I’m not really sure what the eggs on the cake have to do with St Mark, I’ll have to ask my Spanish neighbour about the origins of the fiesta, but it’s another great fiesta that we enjoy in our village every year.

Seville’s Semana Santa, or Holy Week, celebrations are famous the world over. Every year, Seville celebrates Holy Week with a week of processions which run from Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) and end on Easter Sunday (Domingo de Resurrección).

The processions, which draw visitors from all around the world, consist of:-

• The Brotherhoods - The Cofradías, or Brotherhoods, process through Seville’s narrow streets from their own church to the city’s cathedral as an act of penance. There are 57 of these brotherhoods who process throughout the week in their traditional vestments and pointed hoods, which have been likened to the costume of the Ku Klux Klan!
• The Pasos - The pasos are floats which are carried by the Brotherhoods. A total of 116 pasos are carried throughout the week and are so heavy that they need 24-54 men to carry them!
  On these floats are wooden statues of Christ, representing different parts of the story of “The Passion”, or of the Virgin Mary weeping. Most Brother hoods carry two floats - one with Christ and one with the Virgin under a canopy - some even carry three. The floats are amazing because the statues are life-size and are gilded (Christ) or silver-plated (the Virgin), and the platforms are decorated with flowers, candles and rich fabrics.
• Music - The accompanying music depends on the Brotherhood. Some processions have brass bands, drums or wind quartets, other have capella choirs and some are actually silent.
• Emotion - It is impossible not to be touched by the beauty and religious nature of these processions and it is common for impromptu songs, or saetas, to be sung by members of the crowd as prayer.

Watch this You Tube video of just one of the Semana Santa processions to get an idea of the beauty of the event.

It may be too late for you to book a hotel in Seville for Semana Santa this year, as the crowd alone can be made up of up to 1 million people, but you could always catch the celebrations next year. In 2010, Semana Santa is 28th March-4th April. However, you may catch a last minute deal this year if you’re lucky - click here to browse 124 hotels in Seville (Sevilla) or use our Cheap Hotels page to try and find a bargain.

Today we celebrate the Hymn of Andalucia…

The Andalucian Hymn, “Himno de Andalucia”, by Blas Infante, is sung at many public events. In this region of Spain, the Andalucian Hymn is treated with the reverence of a national anthem. The anthem is taught in school from an early age, and almost everyone knows the words. At a recent event I went to, everyone stood for the hymn to sing loudly, as you can see in the video below…

Please note that this is an amateur video of an amateur local Spanish choir… they enjoy themselves more than anything! Mucho gusto!

Andalucians are a very proud people and they celebrate in style. Each town and village has local saints’ days and there are many national and regional festivals, including Andalucia day on February 28th. In fact, the people in Andalucia will have a fiesta for almost any reason! In our own mountain village, we have fiestas or celebrations for Three Kings on Epiphany, San Sebastián and Santa Inés in January, Andalucia Day in February, San Marcos in April, Semana Santa (Holy Week), San Juan in June, a 4 day village fiesta in August… we celebrate a lot!!

Today, 28th February, is Andalucia Day which is a public holiday in the whole of the Andalucia region.

Andalucia Day is not a religious fiesta but a civil one, and it commemorates the forming of Andalucia as an autonomous government in 1980. However, the day also honours Blas Infante Perez de Vargas who is known as the “Father of Andalucia”. Blas Infante was a politician, historian and composer who was executed by Franco during the Civil War. He was responsible for forming an assembly in Ronda in 1918 which agreed on the symbols of Andalucia - the flag and coat of arms - and he also wrote the region’s anthem.

Andalucia Day celebrates all things Andaluz and in our village today we will be celebrating in the following ways:-

Comida Popular

The whole village enjoys a meal provided by the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall). It consists of traditional Andaluz food including:-

• Jamon (cured ham) and other tapas
• Migas - This is a dish made from left over bread soaked in garlic, pepper and olive olive oil, and then mixed with chorizo, liver and other meat.
• Paella - The traditional Spanish rice dish. In our inland village it is usually a rabbit paella, rather than a seafood one.
• Drink - There is also plenty of drink, including lots of homemade wine and coffees mixed with anis or brandy.

Dancing

Our local group of dancers do a flamenco performance, dressed in colourful traditional costume - the dresses are stunning.

Singing

The village choir and orchestra perform traditional Andaluz songs, including Blas Infante’s Andalucian anthem (El Himno de Andalucia).

This is a fantastic community get-together which we enjoy every year on 28th February. It is just one of the “fiestas” that our village, and the whole of Andalucia, celebrate.

Spain is well known for its olives. But did you know that Andalucia produces what is possibly the best olive oil in the world? Read on…

Throughout Andalucia, the olive tree, or “olivo”, is very common. Olive trees are seen in groves and fields throughout the region, and to the Spanish they represent the “tierra” - the land.

Olive trees produce an abundant crop of olives, or “aceitunas”, and these contain a magical secret - olive oil.

Olive Harvesting

In the autumn, the olives are ready for collection, and this is often done by hand. Large nets are set down underneath each tree in turn, and using long sticks, the branches are beaten to make the olives simply fall off the tree. This is great fun, so, if you’re ever lucky enough to be asked to help by a Spanish neighbour or friend, you should seize the opportunity!

In larger-scale farms, a mechanical vibrator is used to shake the tree more vigorously - less fun but much faster.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is made by squeezing the olives - the oil obtained is a completely natural, healthy and delicious product. The oil is produced without any chemical treatment, and the oil is used in it natural form. It is a major part of the healthy Mediterranean diet and Spaniards use it daily, drizzling it on bread, in place of butter or margarine, flavouring salads and cooking with it.

Extra virgin olive oil has many health benefits. It is not just delicious but is good for you too! Olive oil is good for the heart and also helps in the growth of bones and the absorption of calcium. Of course, the Spanish people also say that it prevents ageing - certainly they live a long time here.

Olive Varieties

From Jaen, there is a special variety called “Picual”, which has a slight bitterness. From Cordoba and Malaga there is the Hojiblanca which is a very balanced oil. Other varieties of olive are the “Picuda” from Cordoba, the “Lechin” from Seville, the “Verdial” from Cadiz and Huelva, the “Lucio” and “Nevadillo” from Granada and the “Arbequina” which has a very smooth taste.

Eating Olives

Of course, while in Spain, you should also eat whole olives. These are served in bars as an aperitif, and are simply delicious. Generally they are served on the stone - you leave the stone and eat the flesh. Spaniards have a wonderful way of putting a whole olive in their mouth, and magically spitting out the stone, but I think it must take years of practice!

Wherever you are, look out for the “A” marked on packets of olives and olive-oil. The “Calidad Certificada de la Junta de Andalucia” is a mark of quality, and the oil from Andalucia tastes like no other.

Enjoy olives from Andalucia in Spain!

A visitor to YourAndalucia.com has just asked me about the network of tunnels underneath Almeria City, so I thought I would share this information with all of you.

Almeria is an amazing city with many historical and cultural attractions, but many visitors miss out on visiting the wonderful Civil War tunnels, bunkers and shelters that stretch for 4km underneath the city. So extensive and well-used were these tunnels that they even included recreation areas, hospital facilities and kitchens, and were designed to hold around 40,000 people! Richer citizens of Almeria city even had their own tunnel entrance and shelter.

Much work has been done to renovate these tunnels and shelters from the 1930s, to make them safe and to allow visitors to enjoy these historic remains. A special exhibition is running to allow visitors to see the tunnels designed by the municipal architect, Guillermo Langle. The show includes a visit to the tunnels, kitchen and Langle’s own shelter, and also audiovisual presentations, artefacts and photographs.

Booking is essential and you need to telephone +34 950 280 207. Opening hours are:-
Winter - Tuesday to Sunday 10am-2pm and 4pm-7pm
Summer - Tuesday to Sunday 10am-2pm and 5pm-8pm

Prices are €5 per adult and €3 per child.

Refugios de Almería Shelters Almería
Plaza Manuel Pérez García, s/n
Tel: 950 28 02 07
www.aytoalmeria.es - The Almeria Town Hall website with an article on the tunnels (in Spanish).

The entrance to the tunnels can be found at the top end of the Paseo de Almeria.

If you’re interested in Spanish history, I would recommend three superb books. The first two are non-fiction - Spain: A History and The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction

The third is a fictional account of a woman’s holiday to the historic city of Granada, where she learns about the horrors of Spain’s Civil War, where brother was against brother - The Return

I hope you had a great Christmas and an enjoyable New Year. Here in Andalucia, the Christmas period is only just over because, here in Spain, we celebrate Epiphany or Kings’ Day (Dia de los Reyes).

Epiphany is a Christian celebration and is celebrated on the 6th of January. For those of you who don’t know, Epiphany celebrates the visit of the Kings, or magi, to the infant Jesus. The Bible does not go into much detail about this visit, just telling us that the “magi” or “wise men” from the East were guided by a star and that they presented Jesus with gold, myrrh and frankincense. They were also asked by Herod to report the location of the baby king when they found him, which they did not do.

According to myths and legends, these three men were actually powerful kings called Caspar (King of Tarsus), Melchior (King of Arabia) and Balthasar (King of Saba). Legend also has it that the three gifts they gave were symbolic - gold for a king, incense (frankincense) to point to Jesus’ divinity and myrrh (used in embalming) to point ahead to Christ’s suffering and death. Legend also tells of how the kings’ eyes were opened when they saw the infant. They realised that not only was he a king, he was actually King of all Heaven and Earth. No wonder this story is so important to Christians.

It’s a shame that this day is no longer celebrated in the UK and that the Christmas period ends with Boxing Day or New Year. It’s over so quickly!

In Spain, Epiphany is a big celebration. In our village on the eve of Epiphany (5th,) we are visited by the Kings. They arrive on the back of a truck (not on camels!) in full costume and proceed to drive slowly through our narrow cobbled streets, throwing handfuls (well, boxfuls!) of sweets behind them. Villages, particularly the children, are equipped with carrier bags to collect the sweets and we spend our time bending down or on our hands and knees trying to pick up as many sweets as possible. What a scrum! The Three Kings then make their way to the “Salon Cultural” (village theatre) where they call out names and hand out presents. It’s a magical and exciting time and the children love it, apart from getting their faces black from Balthasar’s face paint when they kiss him!

The next day, Epiphany, is a Bank Holiday and is spent playing with presents, seeing family and of course feasting and celebrating. A special cake, a roscon, is served on this day. The Roscon de Reyes is a kind of ring-shaped sweet bread which is decorated with glacé fruits and filled with cream. In the cream, various small objects are hidden. So far, we have found the bean (the person who finds this has to pay for the cake), a king (find this and you get crowned the king with the paper crown that comes with the cake) and a parrot! in previous years, we have found Baby Jesus, a ring and little figures of people or cartoon characters. It’s always fun eating it and looking for a gift.

If you like the Roscon idea, you can click here to get a recipe to make your very own Roscon. In Spain, you can order them from your local panadería or buy one in your local supermarket. Mercadona had filled ones for around €7 and unfilled (for you to fill with cream and figures) for around €3 this year.

So, happy belated Kings’ Day and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this wonderful celebration.

Yourandalucia.com is a very new website and is a result of my passion for my new home, Andalucia. Obviously, you can see that it’s not quite finished and I do apologise for that.

Over the next couple of months, I intend to complete the pages on the other provinces, to write free reports on the provinces and their attractions, to give more tips to holidaymakers and those thinking of moving to Andalucia, and to write an e-book on moving to Spain.

Thank you to all those who have downloaded the free reports on Almeria and the Alhambra. I hope that they have been useful to you, and thanks also to those who have contacted me with comments and questions. I live in Andalucia (in Almeria province), so if there’s anything that you want to know about the region or life in Spain, please contact me and I will be happy to help or to point you in the right direction.

Happy New Year to you all! Or should I say Feliz Año Nuevo!

Today, I had to visit Huercal Overa to collect my European Health Card (Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea) for a planned visit back to the UK.

It was my first visit to Huercal Overa, and I was very much surprised and pleased by what I found there. Huercal is a bustling town, with many shops in its centre and on the roads leading towards the it. There is also a good range of cafes and bars.

My overall impression of Huercal Overa was that it is very clean indeed - a lot of care was being taken of the tree lined roads and paths. In fact, while I was there, I saw teams of workers tidying and repairing flower beds… a real treat.

As part of the visit, I happened to wander a little to the north of the centre, near to the secondary school, and I found myself walking through a little park - the Huercal Overa Municipal Park. It was simply amazing. The park itself was a closely wooded area, which during the summer months would be a welcome respite from the sun, but the amazing thing was that this park had lots of birds in it, and not just any birds!

Walking past the clean children’s play area, I was taken aback to see not just one, but probably ten, peacocks walking freely about the park. These were beautiful birds, and not at all what you would expect to see in a free municipal park! Right in the centre of the park there was a huge bird aviary, containing many different birds, and all of the birds looked well cared for and happy.

As I continued wondering around the Huercal Overa park, I found pens with stunning hens and cocks - unlike any that I had seen before. These were fenced in, but were free range. It was great.
The beauty of the park didn’t stop there it continued… there were deer at Huercal! They were (thankfully!) not free to roam around, but, like the birds, looked happy and cared for.

Finally, just before leaving the park, I saw a large area with clean looking picnic tables, just perfect for a family picnic or a romantic picnic.

Huercal Overa is the perfect “off-the-beaten-track” place to visit for families. With shops, cafes, a cinema showing the latest films in Spanish, and the Municipal park… you could not ask for more.

Simply put… Huercal Overa is wonderful!

Written by Tim Ridgway