1 year since the Hamas attack on Israel, autumn is here, a trip to Vitoria to see wooden cabins and a burst tyre on the way, Rafa Nadal to retire from tennis, National Day of Spain in Madrid with Geraldine and other stories of the week.

Madrid, Sunday, 13th October, 2024.

In the Retiro Park yesterday with my school friend Geraldine

Hello again everyone.

It's been quite a week with ups and downs. Recently someone posted a meme I thought was very fitting of what my life is like and I suppose most people's lives. I used to think I was a very lucky person and I am in many ways but I have had a lot of downs in the last few years. So I wanted to share it with you.

So true

It is courtesy of my cousin Andrei's wife, Debby who lives in Florida so imagine her week enduring Hurriane Milton. My friend Sandra who I often refer to in this blog says this is life but it's not always like this. 

Last Sunday at least was a quiet day. Suzy had spent most of the weekend with Olivia and the kids and their friend Laura and her baby. She had enjoyed it but I think it was all a bit too much for her. After all she has been living like a hermit and too much socialising had taken its toll. 

Some things pass and others don't, such as the situation in the Middle East. Ever since I was a child I have been aware of tensions in Israel and Palestine. It has been in the news during all my lifetime and even more so when one year ago on Monday, 7th October, Hamas attacked Israel and murdered and kidnapped many, some of whom were returned, some died and others are still being held hostage. Israel retaliated and we all know how Gaza has suffered but then their allies, Iran and Hezbollah in the Lebanon got involved and the war is expanding regionally. Israel boasts it has killed many of the leaders but where one dies, another emerges. I do not see an end to this war or even a solution. So no, it never f***ing ends does it?

Our lives continued quietly. We went on our walk and enjoyed Suzy's company for lunch. 

Tuesday was busier. I had lots to do; fill the tank of my Mini, get a prescription for more sleeping tablets and then a trip to my hairdresser, Conchi, who does my hair for a paltry 18 euros. Suzy and I had lunch alone as Eladio had invited his friends Roberto and Juanjo to a belated 80th birthday lunch. I spent time with
Amanda during our Monday afternoon skype call which I always look forward to. New guests were coming from Ecuador and Suzy had to move to our Annexe which we had spruced up but none of us slept well. Thankfully the guests had preferred to use one room instead of two so after that Suzy had her own space.

She would have had it anyway as on Wednesday we had decided to drive to Vitoria which is about 4h north of Madrid on the A1 towards Bilbao, San Sebastian and France. We weren't going for the weather as it was foul. Autumn really came this week with lots of rain and wind but nothing compared to Hurricane Milton. But it does mean our Indian summer is officially over. We were going to see a showroom of wooden cabin homes imported from Holland by a company called Hobycasa. They seem to have the biggest range of log cabins on offer. The only thing is they don't' offer them turnkey which means we need a contractor for all the rest (electricity, plumbing, etc) but I have found two. If we really were going to buy a log cabin we had to see them for real rather than just on internet. I booked a night at the Parador de Argomaniz, about 11km from the centre of Vitoria. I had been years ago during some cycling race with my dear friend Fátima and was keen to go again. 

We left home at 9.15, aiming to arrive at the Parador for lunch at around 14.00, so plenty of time I thought. However, some other thing came to pass to thwart our plans. One of the back tyres of the Volvo literally burst on the AI, about 85km from the Parador. It was raining and foggy so I think we never saw what caused it but it was possibly gravel.  Luckily, there was a service station just off the hard shoulder so we could stop somewhere safe rather than on the hard shoulder on the motorway. This is what the tyre looked like; ravaged.

The burst tyre on our way to Vitoria on Wednesday

We immediately rang our insurance company who promised to send someone within 45 minutes. The man actually came 1.5h later. Here he is changing the tyre in infernal weather by the way.  I don't remember what time he finished but  it was late and we had missed our lunch. 

Changing the tyre on the way to Vitoria

We were starving too. We could only drive at a maximum speed of 80kmh with the spare tyre and arrived tired and hungry at the Parador. They had no food for us either as the kitchen was closed and the cafeteria didn't even have sandwiches. Thus we had to drive to the nearest supermarket to get food to make a sandwich which we had in our hotel room at 5.30 pm, nearly English tea time, hahaha. The village we headed for was called "Alegria" (happiness) but the drive was not happy as there was a huge rain shower and I got soaked going into the Eroski supermarket. We later ate sandwiches in our room. 

But we were safe and nothing major had happened, just sh** that happens and you have to deal with until the next thing comes. We then had to postpone our visit to the showroom and also find a garage to get a new tyre. There was no rest for the wicked that day.

But we had our reward that night by having dinner at the Parador, not that we were particularly hungry btw. I noticed many of the guests resembled ourselves, retired couples, and many from outside Spain. I think the Paradors in Spain are very popular with people like us. We certainly like them. 

Despite a beautifully comfortable bed I didn't sleep well - I have had a horrible spate of sleepless nights and I am exhausted. Hopefully, that will pass too. But I perked up at breakfast on Thursday morning at the Parador. It was magnificent with anything you could imagine you might like for breakfast and to suit all tastes. I especially liked the churros. 

By 9.30 we had checked out and were on our way to Vitoria to get the tyre changed at Neumáticos Arriaga. 

Leaving the Parador

We left the car there to pick it up later and then took a taxi to Hobycasa. We had left the car in very good hands. In the end, as you probably know, when you need to change one tyre, you have to change the other one too:(. There we were met by Nuria, an expert in wooden houses. They had many on show but not all of their 300 or so models. But we got the feel of the place, got to meet the company who imports the flat packed wooden houses from Holland and it felt good. We have searched long and wide and I think Hobycasa is where we are going to buy our little house. We chose the Cádiz model which is much bigger than what we initially wanted - 35m2 with a lounge and kitchen area, a bathroom and two small bedrooms. Here are some photos.

And this is the layout inside.

And below is a glimpse of what it looks like inside. 

We would have placed an order there and then but first have to meet the contractor who will do everything else - plumbing, electricity, installation of the kitchen, bathroom, etc. He is coming here on Tuesday to discuss all we have to do. Then, of course there is the furniture and decoration; so quite a big project. But it is a project which, hopefully, will bring us a lot of joy and income too which is the main purpose. A friend said it could be our retirement place when we get too old to climb stairs. Well, who knows?

We left at 12.30 and were about to take a taxi to explore the centre of Vitoria, known as Spain's greenest city, but we got a call from the garage to say the car was ready so headed there instead.

Soon we were on the road home, the A1 and just one hour away from Burgos. Thus, the obvious choice for lunch was the Hotel Landa where we stayed recently to celebrate Eladio's birthday.  Once again we could not resist the roast suckling lamb.

We were home by 6.30 due to heavy commuter traffic but we were home and glad to be. We were greeted by Suzy, Tana and Pippa. Before even unpacking, we went outside to the back patio where we will eventually build the wooden house, to measure it. The house measures 7 metres long and 5 metres wide so takes up a lot of the patio which is already very big. But that is its place.

The big news that day was the announcement from legend Rafa Nadal that he is retiring from Tennis after the Davis Cup finals next month. What to say? He is 38 and has been plagued with injury and pain most of his more than 20 years of professional tennis but no one wants to see him go. He won 22 grand slams, just two short of Djokovic. Who knows how many more he would have won though if he didn't suffer from the rare degenerative condition called Mueller-Weiss syndrome. In 2004 he was told he had to quit tennis because of the syndrome. But he is a warrior and continued despite the chronic pain that affected the bones in his feet, He has given us so much joy, along with Federer and Djokovic. He has also been Spain's best ambassador ever. In France he is a legend too for winning 14 Roland Garros. Here is his video in Spanish but with English subtitles. I loved it. 

Sad announcement from Spain's Rafael Nadal this week

It was good to be home but once again I slept badly. My Kindle which usually helps me to sleep had frozen but thankfully I was able to reboot it on Friday after googling how to. What would we have done without Google in the past?

Friday was obviously shopping day as the cupboards were rather bare. It took us most of the morning. Once again we ate alone while Suzy went to have lunch with Oli - I love that they are having quality sister time.

I managed an hour's sleep after lunch which had me in better spirits and then I was out again, this time to my nail bar or salon. I don't like going to the hairdresser but I enjoy having my nails done. I had what they call a Russian manicure which uses a drill to get rid of all hard skin. That was my hour of indulgence this week.

And then Saturday was here and I had a great day and a break from routine. My school friend Geraldine from St. Josephs' College Bradford, who I have known since we were 11, was stopping over in Madrid for two nights on her way from Washington to her house near Marbella. It was a wonderful chance to see her and for her to see a bit of Madrid as, although she has travelled extensively, she had never been to Madrid. 

We met in Plaza España on one of the worst days ever to visit Madrid. It was raining heavily for most of the morning and it was Spain's National Day which is a holiday to celebrate Christopher Colombus' discovery of America in 1492. It is also the Armed Forces Day with a huge parade attended by the Royal family which also means traffic chaos. But I took the metro and Geraldine walked from Atocha. We headed to the rooftop bar of Hotel Rui  but it was not the best day to see the great views from the top owing to the heavy rain. 

The rooftop bar in the rain

Despite the rain it was great to be together. I hadn't seen Geraldine since she held a garden party for us in her home in Yorkshire when we were there in May 2022 for my father's funeral. We had a good catch up over a capuccino and tried to decide what to do escape the rain. I very stupidly looked for tickets to see the Royal Palace but of course it was closed for the King's reception after the parades. There were no tickets available for the Prado either but we did find tickets to see a lesser known but magnificent palace, The Palacio de Liria which belongs to the house of the Duke of Alba, Spain's most noble family.

When there was a slight in the rain, we ventured out and walked up the Gran Via teeming with people, towards Callao and along Spain's most commercial street, Preciados, until we got to the very heart of the city the Puerta del Sol. As Madrid is in the very centre of the country, roads are measured from this square and people queue up to take a photo of the exact spot called "Kilómetro 0" We did too.

Kilometre Zero with Geraldine yesterday

Being the local, I guided my friend to the Plaza Mayor and took her to its most famous entrance, "Cuchilleros" and showed her Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world, the building of which was started in around 1590. It was a pity we couldn't get a table there but you have to book weeks in advance. I had found it difficult to get a table for us but finally found one at El Paraguas (the umbrella!). It's in Madrid's chic district of Salamanca so we took the metro from Opera to the Retiro park and then found our way there. It was so lovely to be somewhere so civilised and where you know anything you order will be of excellent quality. For the record we had battered prawns, artichokes and croquettes. Here we are sitting down and about to enjoy a lovely Spanish meal at a chic restaurant, a far cry from going to the Kashmir in Bradford for lunch when we were at school hahaha. 

Lunch with Geraldine at El Paraguas yesterday

I then took my friend to another favourite place in Madrid, the beautiful Balbisiana cafe where she had Earl Grey and I had a decaf. We also tired one of their delicious homemade truffles.

Our tickets for the Liria Palace were for 15.45, so at about 3pm we got a taxi and were dropped off by the Royal Palace so my friend could see it. There were crowds outside waiting to see government figures and the King but we were not for waiting. We had to rush to the other palace, got there a little late but on time to see it. I had always heard this palace was stunning. It is owned by the Albas, who count among their descendants Mary Queen of Scots, the House of FitzJames and the first Duke of Berwick. Their lineage is rather complicated but did you know that the former Duchess of Alba had more titles than the Queen of England and that they were friends? The Liria Palace is their Madrid residence and is full of paintings by famous painters  - what a collection. This is it from outside

El Palacio de Liria, the Madrid residence of the House of Alba

My friend Fátima used to know the Duchess of Alba's children when she went horse riding at the Club de Campo in her teens. The elder son, Cayetano told her that to see his mother he had to go through her secretary. She also told me the kids were generally left to their own devices while at the Club. Funny eh?

Our day in Madrid did not end there. It had stopped raining after lunch so we decided to walk from the Palace to the Retiro park - quite a walk. We stopped at the Cibeles square where the Correos building and the town hall are. It is one of Madrid's most iconic buildings. 

Our last picture of the day was by the lake and it is the one I have chosen for this week's post. We then walked to the end and sat and had a aperol spritz sitting by the lake and chatting until it got late. We parted ways after a wet but wonderful day together, at the end of which we had walked more than 20 thousand steps! When I got home my legs were aching. I joined Eladio for a quick bite for supper and soon we were in bed. He watched Spain beat Denmark in a football match while I turned on my iPad to watch more of The Resident on Netflix which I am quite addicted to.

I was up today, Sunday, at around 6.50 after having slept 7.15 hours which is a lot for me. Today will be a sunny day and the temperature will reach 25ºc. If only it had been like that yesterday then my friend would have seen Madrid in a better light. Even so, we had a great day together. It was fun and a super break from routine for me. 

Now my friends I have come to the end of the tales of this week. Let me wish you a happy Sunday and say thanks to you for reading my blog. 

Cheers till next week,

Masha

Suzy is home and she is back, the family reunited again, time with Elliot and Juliet, 25 years since my mother died, Airbnb super host again and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday, 6th October, 2024.

Suzy and Olivia melt into each other's arms when they were reunited on Tuesday. That's the photo of the year and it made me so happy.

Good morning all. In contrast to most of the last year or more, I have had a very good week and it's all because Suzy came to stay and of her own volition. That is progress and I'm still pinching myself as if I can't believe she is better and she is here with us. As Oli said when I posted photos of her, "Suzy is back". That is huge progress.

Last Sunday we were still waiting for her after she missed the bus on Saturday. That day  was quiet but busy. A Canadian couple, Karla and Jim, came to stay and would be here till Thursday. We were there to welcome them and answer all their questions. I took Jim to do some food shopping and it was funny to see him adapting to a Spanish supermarket compared I imagine to one in Ottawa. I later helped them hire a car. I was only free in the afternoon when we had a social engagement. We were going to Elliot's umpteenth birthday party; the one with his school friends we hadn't let him have at home because of the chaos of 20 or 30 kids and a similar number of parents. Instead they held it at the social club where they live. We arrived after it had started and the noise was the first thing that hit me. Elliot and Juliet were in their element with all the things going on. We stepped outside to talk to some of Oli's  friends and after a couple of hours, made a quiet exit.

Monday came, the day Suzy was coming. In the morning I had a coffee date with my friend and neighbour, Elena, who seems to spend most of her life on a cruise ship going round the world with her husband. That's why we hadn't seen each other for more than a year. It was good to catch up. I walked to the cafe with Pippa and walked back with her. Meanwhile, Eladio had gone to see his eye specialist and came home with dates for his cataract operations; 14th and 21st October. 

Just as we were watching the news after lunch - the dire situation in the Middle East - we heard from Suzy that she was safely on the bus. Only then was I able to relax and I laid down to watch The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (the 1969 film adaptation of Muriel Spark's book). It stars a young Maggie Smith who puts on a very good  upper class Edinburgh accent. I mentioned the film last week and a friend, 
Veronica, sent me the link on You Tube where you can watch it for free. This is the link if you are interested. 

Suzy's arrival was approaching so I started on our dinner which would include smoked salmon that she adores. By 8.30 pm she was with us and looking good. She melted into my arms. Oh how happy I was to see her. It was her first time back in about a year. I asked her at dinner why she had come and it was because she was home sick. She told us she will be spending a month here. Poor lamb she will be moved from room to room because of all the room bookings but she didn't seem to mind. She tells us she is taking her meds but got her psychiatrist to remove one of them. Her stay here means she will miss her appointments but I suppose being home, if that is what she wants, will be therapy in itself. Later she joined Mohammad and I for a fag on the terrace. She didn't seem to mind all my guests; the Canadians, Jen from the Philippines, Bea from Mexico and others. Before she used to hide from them all. Now it seems Suzy is back to her old self, although still very fragile. I am taking day by day and whatever happens will happen. For the moment all is well and I can hardly believe it.

I should have been able to sleep that night but I couldn't. I think I was too nervous. But I got through the night somehow and was greeted by Suzy early in the morning on Tuesday.  I was having my first coffee and she was about to go for a walk or a jog. We would meet later for lunch

That morning Eladio and I went to LM to see the people about  the  garden cabin we want to build in the garden. We wanted to go over the proposal and estimate which I was not too pleased with. I told the guy it did not seduce me, for want of a better word. We came away leaving him with work to do. We are also in touch with other companies so this project could take some time. We talked about it over coffee at Starbucks which is outrageously expensive, don't you think? Oh, but it's so good.

We were home for lunch and Oli was coming too so it would be just the four of us which is quite an event as it doesn't happen often. Oli was home shortly after 2pm and looking stunning with her makeup, outfit and hat. The girls melted into each other's arms and that is the photo I have chosen for this week's feature photo. For me it's the photo of the year as it says so much; that the girls are sisters who, despite all, love each other and that Suzy is better and on the road to recovery. How long that journey will take we don't know but we shall be there for her every step of the way. 

My beautiful girls together. 

Lunch was peaceful and enjoyable. How lovely to have both girls with us and in harmony. Later we all went to have a rest until Oli had to pick up the kids and bring them here while she went off to her French lessons. 

Juliet and Elliot were happy to see their Aunt who they either call "Susi" or "Aunty Bonny" (long story about the origin of Suzy being called Bonny). Here are some pics of our time with them; feeding them, pushing them on the swings and even bathing them.

Time with Elliot and Juliet on Tuesday afternoon and with Suzy who helped us. 

When Olil came to pick them up at around 8.15, she was very happy we had bathed them as that would be one chore less for her that night before putting them to bed. A good time had been had by all. 

Only then could we have our own dinner; not quite as elaborate as the first night Suzy came, but very pleasurable too. That night we learned that Iran had bombed Israel in retaliation  for the killing of the Hezbollah leader. But their nearly 200 missiles were mostly thwarted by Israel's famous anti missile dome. They managed to kill one person, ironically a Palestinian from Jerico. We are all now waiting to see how Israel will retaliate.

I had a slightly better night and woke up feeling slightly more refreshed on Wednesday morning. It was 2nd October. That day an old pupil of my mother's, Vladimir, a teacher of English at the University of Sofia, wrote "Yesterday was the 25 years passing away of your mother and my good friend, Elena Llooyd (née Princess Lieven. May her soul rest in peace and eternal memory". I realised I had completely forgotten. This year was the first time I ever forgot. How could I forget? Maybe because I was so wrapped up in Suzy being back and on recovering. I felt so bad and Suzy told me I shouldn't. Born in Rome on 7th June 1920, just after the Russian revolution,  she died of cancer in Bradford, Yorkshire, on 1st October 1999 aged 79. She left us all bereft. She was such a remarkable woman. I have written about her many times here but have not written her book. Will I ever I wonder? But to remember her I posted some old photos of her over the years; not that I have very many. Those I do I treasure and here are some of them.

Bulgaria probably in about 1940

Feldkirch, Austria after the war and working for the French Control Commission helping displaced people. 1945

The photo she used for her refugee documents during and after the war

With her pupils at the so-called "Spy School" in Cambridge, early 50's.

Cambridge. Engaged and about to be married, probably in 1953

With her fully formed family in Cambridge in 1957, the year I was born

Cycling with George in Cambridge in around 1956

Mummy in the late 50's in Cambridge

In Ruskington (Lincolnshire) where we moved in 1960. Mummy with her children and her pigs. 

With George and me in the late 70's at the Norwich Russian courses

On my wedding day, the four of us with Eladio - August 1983. She was 63 then

Recently retired with my father in the mid 80's at the Norwich Russian courses again

On her first visit to Bulgaria after the Iron Curtain fell. With her three sisters (left to right) Masha, Olga and Dara. They had parted in Sofia as young girls and met again as old women to quote my dear Mother. 

Many people wrote how I look like my Mother and Suzy too. Funny but we don't see it. So there you have it, some photos from significant moments in her life and what a life she had. Thank you Vladimir for reminding me that this week was the 25th anniversary of her passing away. Again, how could I have forgotten?

Apart from that lapse, Wednesday was a quiet and good day. We went for our walk and had our meals with Suzy. Of note I also helped Mohammad find free Spanish lessons for foreign nationals. He is now on a mission to learn Spanish and we shall help him. 

The news that most pleased me that day was Carlos Alcaraz beating Janik Sinner in the China Open. He is back with a vengeance I hope. What great players they are. 

Thursday came. Our lovely Canadian guests left< off to Nerja and then to explore Andalusia. We, meanwhile, had to get ready for new guests and Suzy had to move rooms. She is going to have to spend several nights in the annex of our room. Apart from clearing it out and making it look homely, we had to deal with some mould caused by condensation we are told. Leroy Merlin (LM) had the products and this week saw Eladio removing it and painting the room which now looks quite attractive.

We did the shopping in the morning including coffee at Manacor and had a pleasant lunch with Suzy who generally does her own thing but is a lot more sociable than before. New guests arrived in the afternoon, a German lady and her Spanish husband from the Canary Islands. They soon settled in and I didn't see them again that day. 

Oli brought the kids again that afternoon while she went to her Thursday French lessons. We spent some time with them by the pool w hen I got Eladio to string conkers for Elliot. For both of them this was something new. Later I wished we hadn't as his first target was poor Juliet. We had promised to take them out to dinner to a place called VIPs, a rather good and established fast food restaurant. Their behaviour could have been better as it felt like feeding time at the zoo (hahahaha). They only really wanted a dessert and both adored the pancakes and Suzy's chocolate pudding. Elliot ate very little while Juliet wolfed down anything she saw on her plate, mine or Suzy's. 

Juliet and Suzy enjoying a chocolate dessert at VIPs this week

I had a club sandwich which I shared with her as well as a pancake with maple syrup (delicious).  Later I regretted eating such heavy food for dinner.  Oli picked them up shortly after 8 pm and the three of us returned home and went straight to bed. It had been fun but quite exhausting. 

Friday came. That day Airbnb  recognised all my efforts for this last year and declared me Super Host once again with a whole year of  consecutive 5 star reviews. I was rather happy about that.

Airbnb super host again with top marks in each category. 

It's not easy to get 5 stars for all stays in one year but I did it. 

The house was full of guests that day and at one stage I found myself cooking with Jen from the Philippines who cooks for her son every day. We were joined by Bea from Mexico who was translating Mohammad's CV into Spanish. At one stage my new German lady guest popped her head into the kitchen, to add to the nationalities of women in this house this week, including Tana from Paraguay. Jen was making a dish called Pancit Bihon and left some for us and for Suzy to take to Oli's. The main base is rice noodles (the glass kind) and I thought it was delicious. 

We went on our walk, I cooked and made Elliot's favourite, meat balls some of which Suzy took to him for dinner and apparently he wolfed down 8 of them I shall be making more. 

Saturday was quiet too. Oli had a friend from the girls' scouting days, Laura and her 1 year old baby staying. I was so happy that Suzy wanted to join them as she has been such a recluse. Late she told me she had had a good time - music to my ears. We went for our walk and later had coffee at Manacor where our main topic of conversation was the garden house. We are not there yet but will be, I hope.

And today is Sunday and it threatens to rain. I think the Indian Summer is nearly over unfortunately. We shan't do much today but I shall be counting my blessings. I'm so glad to have such good news this week as I'm sure you can imagine. Let's hope and pray it continues.

And that's it my friends from me until next Sunday.

Have a good day.  Cheers Masha

Eladio's big birthday, a family lunch at La Espiga, a trip to Burgos and living the good life at Hotel Landa, RIP Grainne, home again and other stories of the week.

Madrid, Sunday, 29th September, 2024.

My now 80 year old husband living the good life at Hotel Landa near Burgos this week to celebrate his big birthday

Good morning again from Madrid. How has your week been? If last week I was living the life in London, this week I continued to do so but in Spain. This week  has been one of celebrations for Eladio's "big birthday" (to quote my friend Sandra). Is he honestly 80? He doesn't look old at all even from a biased point of view. I met him in the year 1980 when he was 35 which means we have now been together for 45 years. He was gorgeous looking in his 30's and it's amazing but he is still gorgeous today. 

His actual birthday was on Monday 23rd but the family celebration was last Sunday when we all went out for a special birthday lunch to the Finca La Espiga restaurant near Brunete.  We love the place as all the tables are in a beautiful garden. Thankfully the weather held. For the occasion we were joined by Eladio's second brother down, José Antonio and his wife, Dolores. They had to be there for his "big birthday". With us were Olivia, Juliet and Elliot but not Miguel who was away filming for TVE at the San Sebastián film festival. He was living the good life too as he stayed at the famous  Hotel María Cristina. 

Elliot was delighted to see his aunt and uncle and made a beeline for José Antonio  and Dolores who, of course, he associates with holidays in Montrondo. I had brought along huge balloons which unfortunately burst, but also a birthday garland, funny glasses and our favourite  cake from Alverán made with white chocolate, sponge cake, whipped cream and raspberries. 

We got the waiter to take a photo of us all to remember the special day. This is it.

The family lunch last Sunday to celebrate Eladio's birthday

And here are Eladio and his brother that day. 

The two brothers at lunch last Sunday at La Espiga

Finally here is a photo of the cake moment which everyone always loves. I had brought along special firework like candles which Elliot and Juliet found a lot of fun.

The cake

We all then gave Eladio his presents which Elliot (5) had already tried to open before. He got an M+S jumper from me, Hugo Boss EDT from his brother and sister-in-law and a new dressing gown from Oli. 

I then asked for a short speech from Eladio. He began by saying when you get to 80 but was interrupted by Elliot who added "and then you die" which had us all in stitches. It was a wonderful out of the mouths of babes moment. Oh Elliot, you are hilarious. 

We were there until nearly 6.30 pm and when we got home we had no appetite for dinner. What a lovely family occasion. Once home, I got Eladio to try on his new jumper and it was the right size and suits him. He is also wearing some white leather sneakers I also got at the Marble Arch store. He is quite the advert for my favourite shop, Marks and Spencer.

Eladio wearing his new M+S jumper and white leather sneakers

I slept well that night and had something to look forward to on Monday. I was treating Eladio to two nights at the legendary Hotel Landa just outside Burgos. We have stopped countless times over the years for lunch, dinner, coffee, whatever but had never stayed at the hotel itself. And it's really something. It has a 14th century tower and a gothic swimming pool and every room is different. Ours was on the ground floor overlooking the huge lawns and pools. 

The indoor and outdoor pool which we could access from our room on the ground floor of Hotel Landa

Built in 1959 by the Landa family and still family owned, this complex with bar, restaurant and hotel is popular with travellers who know about it as it's a bit hidden from the A1 road. I read it was popular with the former King of Spain Juan Carlos 1 and also with Audrey Hepburn. 

It's just a 2.5h drive from home to the Landa which in turn is about 3km from the city of Burgos, famous for its cathedral but I'll come to that.  We arrived on time for lunch in their beautiful and very Castilian dining room which I always admire with its red and white checkered table cloths and black and white La Cartuja tableware. I have the same at home which was a wedding present but I never knew it was originally a British design.

Lunch on our first day at the Landa restuarant

We had their signature dish, roast suckling lamb  they roast in a baker's oven. Dessert was a small chocolate cake with a candle for Eladio. 

Once properly sated, we checked into the hotel which we had never seen inside. I would have liked to stay in one of the rooms of the 14th century tower but they don't have a terrace. Ours was number 3 right opposite the pools and was a very large suite. We loved it but had huge problems with the lighting from beginning to end on the first day. There was no current in the switches by our beds and the worst thing was you could only watch the TV with the room light on. If you switched it off, the TV switched off too. We had maintenance people coming and going all afternoon and night and they only fixed it the next day by using three huge long adapters. It felt very Fawlty Towers and should not happen at a 5 star hotel. We tried to ignore the issue but couldn't sleep a siesta with all the interruptions. Finally we donned our bath robes and walked the few steps from our terrace to the swimming pools. 

With our bathrobes on and about to use the pool

It was sunny but not warm at 19c so we chose the indoor pool, a huge Gothic construction which felt like a cathedral or church. It even had a Cyprus tree and palm tree and lots of shrubs inside.  Here is Eladio going into the warmish water.

Eladio enjoying the indoor pool

Of course we didn't have dinner that night after such a sumptuous lunch. We slept well on the amazingly comfortable beds. 

We had breakfast in the bar on Tuesday morning - me in my nightie with a cardigan on and Eladio all dressed for the day. It was scrumptious but  not included in the price and not cheap either. The pastries are divine and are made by their French pastry chef, Pierre, who I read will be retiring soon. 

By about 11 we were ready to go out and visit Burgos, a beautiful city in the north of Spain famous for its cathedral, churches and monasteries. But first for a photo of my dashing husband outside the tower of the Hotel Landa which is the main reception area.

Outside the tower of the Hotel Landa

Burgos is also the birthplace of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as  "Mio Cid" (My Lord) by the Moors against whom he fought in the 11th century. I remember reading the famous poem "El cantar de mio Cid" when I was at University. I only remember the bit at the end, when he had died but still rode his horse Babieca to frighten the Moors who were terrified of him and no one wanted them to know he had died. 

We parked in the underground car park under the proverbial Plaza Mayor and then made our way to the magnificent 13th century Gothic cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos. That is where El Cid is buried by the way.  We took photos before we went in to remember our visit.

The magnificent cathedral of Burgos - and this is only a partial view

Once inside, we did a self guided tour via an app on our phones - much better than those horrible audio guides. The cathedral is huge but the central nave is tiny. It is surrounded by countless chapels, each with a history of its own. Once in the upper cloister we came upon a small room where men were handling huge books made of parchment, hand painted by monks in the middle ages.  They were taking photographs of each page; all in Latin and Greek. They were made big so as to be seen by a large audience

Ancient parchment books at Burgos Cathedral

I was impressed to see books made from animal skin and written or painted by scribes, well before printing started in 1440.

From the Cathedral we walked towards another famous monument, the Gate or Arch of Saint Mary - oh how the Spanish Catholics loved or love the Virgin Mary. I thought it was beautiful.

The Arch of Saint Mary in Burgos

That led us to the Bridge of Saint Mary where we took more photos. 

The Bridge and Arch of Saint Mary

From there we walked along the famous walkway called Paseo del Espolón by the River Arlanzón. Espolón means spur in English. It  seems to have a natural roof from the "plátano" trees. They are called Plane trees and have nothing to do with bananas (a plátano is a type of  banana from the Canary Islands). Here let me show you:

Walking along the Paseo del Espolón

At the end we came to the Mio Cid square and took pictures. He is quite an important person in Spanish folklore and military history.

The statue of Mio Cid in Burgos

We then walked all the way back and followed the river until we came to a huge park but by then we were hungry. Lunch was at the hotel as we could not think of a better place to eat in Burgos. I wasn't very hungry but managed some gazpacho, mini peppers stuffed with oxtail  followed by ice cream. I then had a long siesta. 

We went to the pool again where there were quite a few Brits. I would have loved to talk to them but didn't quite see a reason how. I wondered how they had come across the Hotel Landa. The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly  in our enormous and comfortable suite now with all the lighting working, despite cables all over the floor hahaha. We were really living the good life at the Hotel Landa and it was a great choice to go there to celebrate Eladio's 80th birthday. Wow!

On Wednesday we were leaving after breakfast. At checkout I complained about the light issues and requested a reimbursement for the first night. They actually agreed so I went away feeling quite pleased. 

That morning we had booked a tour of the Atapuerca archaeological site which is quite famous. A Unesco World Heritage site, some 20km from Burgos, the paleontological site of Atapuerca is apparently one of the most important in Europe where there there are remains and proof of the way of life of "hominids" from over a million years ago. Neither of us are really into archaeology but being so near to Atapuerca decided to visit it. We were disappointed to say the least. It was a cold and wet day and all you can see are three open caves with nothing inside them and listen to  a boring long explanation of what was discovered there. However, you don't get to see anything apart from rock basically. Here is Eladio about to start the tour.

Visiting Atapuerca on Wednesday

It didn't help that it was rather cold and raining and we were glad when it was over. Just as it was finishing I got a text from my old school friend Brenda. She gave me shocking news. Her sister Grainne with whom I was very close; more than with Brenda who was in my class, had died last Saturday. She had been diagnosed only 5 days before with Leukemia but according to her sister, was absolutely fine when they were together on Grainne's 71st birthday on 11th September. What a huge shock. 

I have known Brenda and Grainne since I was at school at St. Joseph's College Bradford, Brenda being my friend and dear Grainner her older sister. I loved her as everyone did. She later moved to Spain like me but lived in Badalona near Barcelona. I used to visit her many, many times when I went there on business trips and we became very close.  In fact I made a point of seeing her on every visit. The very first time I saw her in Spain was the day she lost custody of her 6 year old boy. I'll never forget that night. But Grainne was a fighter and got him back. Grainne was so many things; beautiful, generous, caring, lots of fun, charismatic, dare devilish, anything but a snob and a good friend to her friends. The last time I saw her was on my last business trip there when I had lost my job at Yoigo in 2017 and I stayed at her house. Here we are together, two very similar people in character I like to think. 

With Grainne in 2017

I just can't believe she has gone but I am grateful for the memories. God Grainne I'm heartbroken for you and your family and friends. RIP beautiful woman. You were unique. I couldn't stop crying. It was like I was in shock. The world has lost a very special person and I know that for sure.  She was all I could think about as we drove home from Burgos, only stopping for a very late lunch at the pretty village of Buitrago del Lozoya. We had had a great stay away but, as always, it was wonderful to be home. It was warmer in Madrid, as it always is which I appreciated. Burgos is not far north but is famous for its cold weather.

I slept ok that night and woke up in my own bed on Thursday morning. On that day another remarkable woman died. Maggie Smith of Harry Potter and Downton Abbey died aged 89. She was a magnificent British actress who I first saw in that fabulous film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie based on the book by Muriel Spark. Did you ever watch it? I would love to see it again. 

That morning and after a whole week and not the 72 h the US immigration authorities promised, I finally got my ESTA application  to visit the US approved. It was worrying me a lot and I thought I might have to apply for a proper visa which would include a face to face interview at the US Embassy in Madrid. As you can imagine, seeing those words "approved" was a huge relief. If you've ever applied for an ESTA you will know just how many questions are asked. Well, imagine a face to face interview to get a tourist visa even with a UK passport. I have visited the States countless times on business or for tourism and have always hated going through passport control. I honestly thought it wasn't going to be approved and even suspected it was because I had a Russian mother. But now I've got it and it's one less thing to worry about.

We didn't do much that day; just went for our walk and then chilled at home. I got a surprise message that morning when Suzy sent me an audio to say she was coming home for 2 weeks. That is a first in a long time as she never wants to come. With all the rooms fully booked I had to turn the big glass annex next to our own bedroom into a decent sleeping place for her. She told me she didn't mind so we made it look as nice as possible. It had become a bit of a place to dump junk so this was the occasion to spruce it up and it looked lovely when we had finished.  Sadly she didn't come as she said the bus never came. I checked with the  bus company and told me it had but Suzy never saw it. That made me very sad.  I got two new guests that morning, Maria a teacher at the local Uni who is from Segovia and Yang,  a young Chinese girl, from Paris who is here to visit the city and surrounding towns on her own. The house may be full of guests but never feels crowded.  I got lots of new guests this week but it was Suzy I wanted to see.

Friday was quiet. Eladio went to have a much needed haircut and I went to El Corte Inglés to get a laptop carrier with wheels as I am fed up of carrying it everywhere without them. My laptop bag is very heavy as it has to fit my PC, iPad, kindle, related cables, ear phones and my enormous multi plug adapter which I call my "control tower". I didn't find anything suitable  - only boring black ones - so bought one from Amazon. I then looked at suitcases as ours are old and even though they are Samsonite, some of them are worse for wear. I took one look at the prices and drove to Carrefour to get a nice and cheap one which will stand me in good stead for our upcoming trip to New York. 

Saturday came, the night after Israel bombed Beirut and killed the leader of Hezbollah. Mohammad, our guest from Iraq was very worried as his sister lives in the centre where she works as a doctor. He is worried stiff and so he should be. I asked him if she was going to evacuate but she won't as she is a doctor. What an awful place to be a doctor. I also worry for my friend Rania, also from the Lebanon whose family live there too. 

We did the shopping and bought all the food Suzy likes except she didn't come. Unfortunately she missed the bus, an Alsa bus. Later she realised there was a big dark bus without any branding which must have been it. Poor sweetie, she had to trudge all the way home. Thankfully she is coming tomorrow and she didn't get too stressed.  We arrived home to find Mohammad, Bea and Jen from Mexico and the Philippines  having breakfast together. It's good to see they have become fast friends. We had lunch on our own as Tana was away for the weekend. 

There is not much else to say about this week. It was a lovely to celebrate Eladio's "big birthday" but it was very sad to hear about Grainne and a little upsetting that Suzy didn't catch the bus. Life is never easy is it?

Cheers then my friends, this Sunday 29th September. 

Masha