The end of our stay in Montrondo, home again, tragedy in Genoa, summer dinners, our French Airbnb guests and other stories.

Sunday 19th August 2018

In Murias de Paredes last Monday

Good morning everyone.

Here we are again in Madrid where we have spent a quiet week since we returned from Montrondo. A week ago today was our last full day there.

I had a productive morning that day; published my blog, made breakfast, put the washing machine on, ironed some clothes and made a "cocido" stew for lunch. I was finished by 1 pm and had an hour to myself to read outside in the garden before Miguel and Olivia were back from Gijon to join us for lunch. My book that day? "Fariña" the book that inspired the TV series  we watched recently on Netflix about drug trafficking in Galicia. 

Oli and Miguel were home by about 2.15 after a day and a night away with friends. We all had the obligatory siesta after which we lounged around.  I had a little glass of wine at lunch; something I never do and thanks to it my siesta was unusually long; 2.5 hours hahaha. That's the trick, wine generally brings on sleep. There was no walk for us that day after the huge mountain trek the day before. Literally we were too tired for one.  Oli, Miguel and I played ludo which I won by the way - I am the Queen of ludo hahaha - after which they played badminton again. I would have too except that I didn't have a partner. Eladio was not interested. He is not a man for games of any kind unfortunately. 

That night Miguel made dinner again. I have to say he is quite a chef. He made tomatoes stuffed with homemade pesto, avocados and I don't know what else; just that they tasted delicious. Here is the table ready for dinner that night.

Dinner made by Miguel on Sunday night

Later Pippa would "help" with the washing up as you can see in the photo below. There is nothing the dogs like better than having a go at the dishes in the washing up machine hahaha and Pippa is no different. 

Pippa helping with the washing up on Sunday night

Later the 4 of us watched a film on Netflix. The "Invisible Guest" ("Contratiempo" in Spanish) is a Spanish crime thriller and I highly recommend it. I also love the one of the main actors; José Coronado.

The film we watched on Sunday night in Montrondo

Monday came, the day of our return and we were to leave in the afternoon after our siesta. That morning Oli and I went on our walk alone. Miguel preferred to stay at home reading and Eladio went to see some friends. It was to be our last walk in Montrondo and we enjoyed it. Our idea was to go to Murias via the "camino valle" reached by climbing up into the hills but when we got to the makeshift gate leading us into the secret path we came across a herd of cows so had to turn back. We walked back down and onto  Murias and decided to buy bread there; 3 loaves, 2 of which Oli would take home to slice and freeze. She loves the local bread. I do too although they only make white bread and these days we generally prefer wholegrain. We stopped near the main square to drink some water from the well there. It's a pretty square and that's where Oli took the photo of me which is illustrating this week's post. We took a few selfies too, like this one.

Oli and I in Murias on Sunday 

We came home to make lunch; lentil soup I had prepared before leaving for our walk. However after popular demand I also made fried eggs and chips for everyone. Making the perfect fried egg is something of a challenge as I'm sure you all know but only one of them broke, the one I kept for myself hahaha. After a short siesta we got ready to go, clearing up, packing, throwing away the rubbish, closing all the shutters; all the things I hate to do. We left at around 5.15 and were home by 9.15, just 4 hours with one quick stop for a call of nature. It was great to be back and to see that everything was in order. Oli and Miguel, meanwhile, drove to their flat in Mirasierra where they live. Our French family greeted us and it seemed they were really enjoying their stay. The best thing about coming home is sleeping in your own bed and I slept well on Sunday night. 

On Tuesday I was up at 7.15. It was after our walk that we heard about the tragedy in Genoa, Italy, the collapse of the Morandi bridge on the A10 motorway. Built in the 60's it was undergoing repairs and at 11.30 that morning, during a torrential rain storm, a big section of it collapsed. During thunder and lightening some 30 to 35 trucks and cars fell from the bridge when it broke into two. It killed 43 people and injured many. It also affected people living near the bridge; some 630 residents have lost their homes which will now have to be destroyed. So what happened? It's not completely sure yet, although experts say there was a flaw in the design. Probably it was just old and not well maintained. It was a huge tragedy in Genoa, Italy and a big warning to similar bridges across the world. What a shock, what a tragedy. 

The collapsed Morandi bridge in Genoa 

Around the same time in Westminster, London, a lone terrorist attacked pedestrians and cyclists as he deliberately drove a van into the the Houses of Parliament. Thankfully no one died and the culprit is now in custody. We are not safe from this new type of terrorism and the Mayor of London is calling for turning Westminster into a pedestrian precinct. I think that is a good idea. 

Tuesday was all about settling in again and one of the main tasks was to replenish the food cupboards. Oli and Miguel would be joining us for lunch. We had time together by the pool in the afternoon while our French Airbnb family were visiting Avila, that lovely medieval walled city about 1.5h north of Madrid. I did more food shopping in the afternoon with Oli and Miguel or rather I accompanied them to do theirs. We later had a super dinner on the kitchen patio table talking until late into the night. Miguel was the chef again and this time made fresh pasta from Lidl with homemade pesto sauce; the basil coming from our garden. As Eladio is not very keen on pasta, we made him a plate of "pulpo" (octopus), Galician style with sliced boiled potatoes, olive oil and paprika.  My French guests were very interested to see how we made it and Marianne, their little girl, was thrilled to see the tentacles. You see she adores animals and has told us several times she will be a vet when she grows up.  I do not doubt it. 

Our French family were making their dinner too and we interacted with them in the kitchen  with lots of banter. They are from Caen in Normandy and have even invited us there. Well you know I wouldn't mind taking them up on that as we really like them too. We use Spanish, English and French to communicate.  Jerome says his English has improved since he got here although he wanted to practice his Spanish, something he does with Lucy who is from Paraguay. The little girl, Marianne, aged just 8 has stolen our hearts and as she is a non stop chatterer, I must say my French has improved in leaps and bounds. There is no stopping her talking to me all the time in French and mostly about the dogs, Norah and Elsa who she adores. Pippa, unfortunately has to be hidden from her. She loves our company and even helped Miguel make the pesto. She also likes feeding the dogs their evening treats and asks me to let her do it every night. That night we went to bed well past midnight, after seeing Olivia and Miguel off, although we would see them again often this week. 

Wednesday 15th August was a holiday in Spain, "La Asunción" (The Assumption). I remember finding this out the hard way during our holiday years in Callosa de Ensarria. We had no idea it was a holiday until we found all the shops were closed. Our French family stayed at home that day as did we. It was a lazy day spent by the pool, reading. I was happy to get a new reservation on Airbnb for September which is slowly filling up. The reservation was for a woman from Belgium but with an Arab name, and her son who will be going to the local University (Universidad Europea de Madrid). 

That night Real Madrid played Atlético de Madrid in the European Super Cup, a trophy played between the winners of the Champions League and Europa Cup. It took place in Tallinn of all places and we could not watch it as it was only available on pay per view TV. Atlético beat RM 4-2 and the absence of both Ronaldo and Zidane was sorely missed. In a way I was pleased for them; after all they are another Madrid team and usually the underdogs, but certainly not that night. 

On Thursday after our walk I went to the hairdresser for a long needed cut and dying of my roots. Once there and after advice from one of our Airbnb guests, a young girl called Claudia, I decided to get my eyelashes tinted. They were going completely blonde and you could hardly see them. I was a bit worried the process might irritate my eyes but thankfully it didn't. The beautician offered to do my eyebrows too and after some hesitation I agreed; not sure of the outcome. She did both eyebrows and eyelashes in brown, rather than black and when I saw the result I think the eyebrows should have been tinted with a lighter brown. But that's for next time. This, by the way, is the result in a not very good selfie I'm afraid.  I'm not sure about the eyebrows but I'm happy with the lashes. Would you believe the total cost was just 3 euros!!

New tinted eyebrows and lashes, a first for me. 

Meanwhile our French Airbnb family went off to visit the Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen), Franco's monument to the Civil War and where he is buried. They later visited the palace of Philip II in nearby El Escorial where most of the Spanish Kings and Queens are buried. The family were surprised to see flowers on Franco's grave and people going up to pay their respects. I am not and guess they were probably older people. The new Spanish government wants to remove Franco's remains from the Valley but the task is not easy as the family is against it as is the Prior of the Valley. I am no Franco fan but whether you like it or not he is part of Spanish history and if every vestige of his existence is removed it's like removing history. Let's see what happens.

Meanwhile at home, we had the place to ourselves. Prompted by an article I read somewhere, I came across a book called "The greatest escape" although it also goes under the name of "A good place to hide", by Peter Grose. It tells the tale of an isolated French community in the mountains of the Loire Valley near Chambon-sur-Lignon, a hidden away area in south central France well known for being the refuge of the Protestant Huguenots. The area was to play an important role in hiding and rescuing Jews, Spaniards and other people fleeing the  Nazis in WW2 (mostly young French men who had been called up to work in German factories). 

This week's riveting book

It is the relatively unknown story of how the French community in that area got together and offered refuge and shelter to 3.500 Jews and other people fleeing the Nazis and also how they helped many of them escape to Switzerland. It is also the story of the Vichy Government and De Gaulle's secret army and the French resistance. So many unsung heroes who no doubt deserve their title of "righteous among nations". 

In between reading, I prepared dinner. It was to be a special summer dinner for Oli and Miguel, another one we would enjoy together this week on our kitchen patio these balmy nights. I made potato salad, the way it has always been made on my Mother's side of the family from a Swiss recipe that belonged to her Father. It is made with potatoes, hard boiled eggs, spring onion, carrots, peas, prawns and homemade mayonnaise and I love it. I only make it for special occasions. This is the result, decorated with red peppers and fresh parsley from the garden. 

Potato salad made for dinner on Thursday

I also made a green salad with green leaves of different origin, slices of duck, avocado, cashew nuts and melon. It's a recipe that comes from a dish we used to enjoy at the Alpargateria restaurant which shut down years ago. We have made it off and on ever since. 

Marianne was excited to see Olivia whose French is also improving thanks to her. When my daughter and her boyfriend arrived, she went running up the path to greet them. Who could resist her? Here she is with Oli chatting in French probably about our dogs which she adores. I asked her which was her favourite, Norah or Elsa and she replied "J'adore les deux pareil". 

Marianne, the little French girl who has captivated our hearts. 

She chatters nonstop telling me all about her family. The other night she told me she had been rude to her brother Clement in the morning. Instead of asking him politely for a piece of toast, she had said I want a piece of toast and had been told off. The little sweetie told me she wanted to make up for her "bad behaviour" by creating a surprise for him and laying the table for dinner before he came down and please would I not tell him. I hardly think she had behaved badly but then again French parents are known for being very strict with their children. Her parents, Peggy and Jerome worry she is a bother to us but I keep reassuring them she is not; quite the opposite as she brings light into our lives and joy into the house.  I gave her an ice lolly one day this week and said: let's go to the pool (we were in the kitchen) and she asked if it was ok to go through the house to the pool with an ice lolly! I told her that of course it was.  She particularly loves the many magnets I have on our fridge and that night with Oli, her Mother and Miguel we had to tell her where each one came from! She said she was now going to collect fridge magnets too! When she goes to bed she gives long goodnight kisses to both Elsa and Norah, practically getting into their beds with them hahaha. She is a bundle of fun and we love her. Together with 7 year old Brody, she is my favourite guest so far.  

After we saw Olivia and Miguel off, we retired to our room with Pippa. That night we watched a documentary on North Korea and for once it was on terrestrial TV. North Korea fascinates us both. 

Friday 17th August was the first anniversary of the Barcelona terror attacks in the famous Ramblas and in Cambrils where 16 people from many nations were killed. The victims had asked society not to make a political occasion of their suffering and this was largely met. It was touch and go though as the King of Spain would preside the ceremony side by side with the President of the Autonomous Community, La Generalitat, Quim Torra, as well as the new Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez and other leaders. 

The 1st anniversary of the Barcelona terror attacks was marked with a special ceremony on Friday

That morning I had my much awaited eye specialist appointment after the corrective laser operation on 23rd July. I had relatively good news. The astigmatism in my left eye had gone down from 1.50 to 0.75 after the operation and could still improve. My right eye has 0.25 presbyopia despite the cataract surgery but that's as good as it will get. The conclusion is I have good long distance eye sight but need glasses for reading small print. I was advised to buy chemist glasses (2 strength) for reading. My next appointment is in October.  The news did not surprise me as I had suspected I'd need glasses for reading but all in all I am happy because my sight is now much better than before. I went straight from the hospital to the chemist shop and bought some over the counter glasses which I am now wearing as I write this post. They will help when trying to read restaurant menus or magazines at the hairdresser, not to mention the newspaper, El País which I haven't been able to read for years, even with my prescription glasses. But I won't need them for my phone, tablet or kindle as of course I enlarge the text size on all of them. 

That day our French family went to visit the mountain area outside Madrid called "La Sierra de Guadarrama". You might not know that Madrid is the highest capital in Europe with a skiing resort on its doorstep in the winter and mountains just under 2.500 m high.  They also visited La Granja de Segovia, the winter palace used and restored by Philip V of Spain (aka Duke of Anjou) the grandson of Luis XIV and the first Bourbon to rule as King. It is known as the Spanish Versailles and is well worth visiting as are its magnificent gardens. 

They took a picnic which is what we suggested. I had lunch with my men; Eladio and my Father. It was just after lunch that I got a new Airbnb reservation; that's 2 in 2 days! I then spent nearly an hour getting our internet restored 45 minutes of which were waiting on the phone to talk to someone from Movistar, our provider. It was actually really easy to fix; the router had got blocked and all I had to do was to pull out a plug and put it back in again. If only I had tried that myself rather than waiting so long on the phone. Well, I shall know for next time. We just can't be without internet here, especially because of my Airbnb guests. 

That curtailed my siesta and I didn't get to see the news either. Later Eladio and I spent time by the pool together  alone and guess what? Yep, we actually swam in our pool to cool off as Friday was quite hot. I think that was perhaps Eladio's 2nd or 3rd bathe of the summer.  Normally we would have gone out for dinner that night, it being Friday but opted to stay at home and have some of the potato salad. We will be going out a lot to dinner next week when we go to Santa Pola and celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary on 21st August. Fancy! 35 years! Our friends, Kathy and Phil will be coming to spend the week and I have booked a table at La Finca, a 1 Michelin star restaurant in Elche to celebrate.  It is much famed and we went there once with the girls many years ago. We loved it and I've always wanted to go back and there is no better place  in the area than there to celebrate our 35th anniversary in my mind.  Of course, you will hear all about it next week.  

Saturday came and will be remembered for the day Kofi Annan, the former and first black head of the United Nations and Nobel peace prize winner died aged 80. RIP. 

Kofi Annan aged 80 died yesterday

Reading the news of his death after a sudden illness, his diplomatic life was not free of scandal but on the whole I think he meant good although it must not have been easy to be the head of the United Nations. He once said that the initials of his post: "SG" (secretary general) stood for scapegoat. I can believe that. 

Yesterday morning was cool and for the first time in more than a month and a half I needed a cardigan although I took it off half way through our walk. Later I did more shopping to make sure my Father and Lucy have enough provisions while we are away. My French Airnbn family had gone to the flea market in Majadahonda. I would have liked to go to but had things to do. I do, however, look forward to going to the Gran Alacant market next Thursday with our friends to buy fruit and veg. 

My homemade and healthy version of spaghetti bolognese was on the menu for lunch yesterday which my Father loves. After our siesta we spent time in our study, hiding Pippa from Marianne, reading and writing this blog post so as to have it ready to publish this morning.  Later I would finish my book on my kindle sitting under the trees in the shadiest area by the pool while my French family bathed and enjoyed the sun 

Dinner was a simple affair; good "ibérico" ham, the remains of my potato salad and sliced tomato, one I had bought in Oviedo bathed in olive oil. Dessert for a change was fresh green figs and greengages. It's the season for them. 

Our film on Netflix last night was one about spies during the Second World War a genre we are always fascinated with. Called "Allied" it stars Brad Pitt as a Canadian spy and Marion Cotillard as a French Resistance fighter. They fall in love while posing as a married couple on a mission in Casablanca. I highly recommend it. Brad Pitt is not my favourite actor but the script was excellent and had us glued to the TV until it finished. 

The film we watched last night

Today is Sunday and I have come to the end of the tales of this week; nothing exciting, just a nice quiet week at home in August. Tomorrow we shall be off to our modest apartment in Gran Alacant near both Santa Pola and Alicante and we look forward to quality time there with our friends Phil and Kathy from Yorkshire who will be arriving on Tuesday night. You will hear all about our time there next Sunday.

So that's it for the moment folks. Hope you enjoyed reading this week's post.

Cheers till next Sunday when I shall be writing from our apartment up on the cliffs overlooking the bay of Alicante and the Arenales beach.

Masha