Casa del Cuetu, Asturias, Sunday, 29th August, 2021
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| In Nájera on our last day |
Good morning again my friends. It is now the end of August and it was to be the last of our travels this summer except that on Friday we decided to go to our house in Asturias after the final set of guests left. Last Sunday I was writing from La Rioja and today I am writing from El Cuetu.
How has your week been? Ours has been exciting; meeting Nellie again as well as Rania, a lovely Lebanese lady who was my guest in 2018 and with whom, like Nellie and Joanne, I became friends with. While we were in La Rioja last Sunday she arrived at our house. We would see her upon our return and we would meet her daughter Karelle (lovely name) too.
As to the news it's the same topics, Covid and Afghanistan. Last week I reported a total number of infections and mortality of 212.165.567 and 4.436.957. Today the figures are 216.766.751 and 4.508.171. In Spain finally we are seeing the numbers go down but slowly. What Spain is doing well at is ramping up vaccinations. It is one of the countries with the highest percentage of vaccines administered, even higher than the UK. This is the latest chart I stole from The Times who got it from Our World in Data.
So, yes Covid is still there but it was the last thing on our mind in La Rioja although we did try to be careful. As to Afghanistan, if you have been following the news you will be familiar with the dramatic scenes of refugees desperately trying to flee the country and of the expected backlashes by the Taliban who are imposing their rule; a rule that dashes the hopes of a country, like none other in the world. You will know too that time has almost run out to bring home those who collaborated with international forces and organisations.
This time last Sunday saw us move from Briñas to the town of Nájera where we had booked 2 nights in an Airbnb. It was the be part two of our anniversary trip. We were going to be self catering so had to go in search of food; no easy task in the provinces where most shops are closed on Sundays. We were told by the hotel staff that there was a local market in a large village called Anguciana and a supermarket open in nearby Labastida which is actually not in La Rioja but in Alava in the Basque Country.
As we drove to Anguciana after leaving our lovely hotel, we both commented how everything is very near in La Rioja. That's because in the peninsula, at least, it is the smallest "comunidad autónoma". Spain is divided into 17 of them as well as two cities in Africa, Ceuta and Mellila. These autonomous communities can be compared to the German lands or US federal states. These regions in Spain are not federal states but have just as much devolved power or more. In the map below you can see all the different regions and find La Rioja in the north, the smallest of them in the peninsula. There you have it, a little lesson in geography this week.
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| Spain - divided into autonomous regions - see La Rioja in the north. It is the smallest in the peninsula. |
The Balearic islands (not on the map) and the Canary islands are also autonomous regions. Each region is very different, has a rich cultural identity and a marked difference often in landscape but nearly always in gastronomy. Spain may be known for paella outside the country but I can assure you it comes only really from the Valencia region. Most tourists flock to the "costas" for sun and sea. That's fine but there is so much more to see and experience in Spain. So if you are coming again, venture further from the costas and try the north of the country, where, my friends, the food is the best to be had in the country; especially in the Basque country.
On the topic of food, we needed some and arrived promptly in Anguciana only to find there was no fruit and veg at the market. Ah but there were other things; mostly clothes and I had to have a look didn't I? Here I am at the first clothes stall I saw and where I bought two more summer dresses.
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| At the village market in Anguciana last Sunday |
We spied people carrying eggs and bread and got directions to a tiny shop where we got some provisions. Bread was to be found at Bar Palomas where we also bought "pinchos"- tapas on top of bread which we ate for lunch. From Anguciana we drove to Labastida and arrived just before 1 when the little supermarket was about to close. We were there just on time and got the rest of the provisions we needed for our stay in Nájera.
We finally headed for Nájera which was a 30 minute drive; so again not far. Nájera, although it has a rich history is not one of the more interesting places to visit in La Rioja. However, I couldn't find the type of Airbnb house I wanted for these dates anywhere else. The place we were staying at seemed perfect and ticked all my boxes; place of our own, self contained, a garden and a river across the road for good walks. You can see the listing here.
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| Our Airbnb house. It's divided into 3 independent apartment. Ours is at the top with a terrace |
It is owned by two sisters, Julieta and Chavela in their 70's and it was their family home which they turned into three independent apartments. There were other guests there with whom we would only share the garden but there was no sign of them on our first day. In the end we only saw two of them. We loved the place. It was perfect for relaxing, reading, eating good meals, reading and going for walks. We had had our fill of visiting places in La Rioja so the second part of our anniversary trip would be spent there without leaving the town.
Our hostesses were very accommodating and showed us around. They had left us some home made "vegan" biscuits, home grown tomatoes and some tomato jam - not too keen on the latter. We moved in as soon as they left and were very soon settled in. The apartment is one big room with two beds, a kitchen area and a dining area with an ensuite bathroom. It is not particularly well decorated being simple but very comfortable. I particularly liked the outside terrace and of course the huge garden full of fruit trees. Julieta and Chavela said we could help ourselves to the fruit and we did.
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| Our Airbnb in Nájera |
The Airbnb was extremely cheap at only 50 euros a night but our stay was free as I had used my yearly superhost coupon to book it.
As soon as we were settled in we made a simple lunch with the provisions we had bought, including the delicious "pinchos" from the bar in Anguciana. I later spent the whole afternoon in the garden reading and working. Eladio joined me and we had the garden to ourselves. What a wonderful place.
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| Time in the garden |
We also inspected the fruit trees. There were quite a few but the only ripe fruit were apples and greengages. We helped ourselves to as many of the latter as we wanted.
We only ventured out that day to go on a walk by the river named Najerilla and to explore what there was to see of the old part of town. In medieval times and before the unification of Spain in 1492, Nájera was once the capital of the Kingdom of Navarra but that seems long, long ago. Today it is in decline and there wasn't much to see of any interest apart from the imposing Monastery of Santa María. There was a free piano concert being held in the cloisters inside but it was full and we couldn't go in. So we took photos outside, including some funny ones where you put your head in a sort of wooden statue - of the kings of the area from its past, like the one below.
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| The Monastery in Nájera |
Perhaps the best thing Nájera has to offer is the river and river bank which divides the town into two.We walked some of it but would walk along the river again before we left.
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| The River Oja in Nájera |
Dinner was another simple affair: gazpacho, ham and bread which we had with some of the wine we had bought on our first day in La Rioja. If only the owners had provided proper wine glasses. It's not the same drinking good Rioja from a tumbler glass.
The TV didn't work so I watched a series from my iPad while Eladio was on his PC. We were asleep by about 11.30 and in very comfortable beds.
I woke up on our last full day in La Rioja at 06.40 but I had slept well that night. On Monday, we decided just to see a bit of Nájera and to rest in the garden at our lovely little Airbnb. Again we walked along the river bed to the bridge that takes you to the old town. From the bridge we spied a red rock formation with caves.
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| The red rocks above the river in Nájera |
It reminded us of Petra on a smaller scale of course. It was from these rocks that King García Sánchez III of Navarra built the foundations of the amazing Monastery in Nájera, Santa María el Real. It is believed that while out hunting he lost his falcon which flew into the cave. He went after it and came across a wooden Madonna. He took it as a sign from God and built a chapel for the virgin. He later built a church and then the monastery. There is not much left of the original building and the monastery is a complete mixture of architecture; Gothic and Plateresque and even Rococo. Its main treasures are the altarpiece and choir stalls. The original Madonna is still there in her cave and beside her are buried kings and noblemen from medieval times.
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| The original Madonna in the cave |
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| One side of the Monastery |
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| Eladio outside the Kings' gate |
There was not much else to see in Nájera so we went in search of fruit for our meals which we found. we also came across a local pottery shop and bought a salad bowl. You may or may not know that Eladio and I have a collection of salad bowls from many of our trips. We love to use them and remember our travels.
We spent the rest of the day at our Airbnb. Silly me, I lay on a sunbed in the garden for a while and woke up with a splitting headache. It made me very sleepy and I slept for 2 hours after lunch and woke up to find the headache hadn't gone. This was not good as we were having guests around for drinks. Nelle and her sister Shar were in town believe it or not and I was dying to see Nellie again and to meet her sister too. They had come to stay in Nájera too and arrived promptly at 7 pm. We sat under hazelnut trees drinking Rioja wine and eating pistachios. I showed our guests around the garden and discovered even more fruit trees, including a kiwi and damsel tree. Unfortunately the kiwis and figs were not ripe but the greengages were.
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| Drinks in the garden with our new Aussie friends, Shar (left) and Nellie. |
When we had parted the day before we left for La Rioja I had not expected to meet Nellie again or meet her sister. We had plans of maybe, maybe, meeting on our trip to the Caucasus next year, possibly in Georgia, so I was delighted that we met again so soon. After the sisters left Madrid last weekend they hired a car and upon my recommendation headed north, visiting La Rioja first. They they went on to explore the north coast of Spain, known as the "Green Coast".
We had booked a table at a sort of tapas bar - tapas here are known as "pinchos" - called Las Ocas. Julieta had recommended it to me. When the time came we walked across the street to the river bed and crossed the same bridge again. Here we took photos. Dear Shar took one of Eladio and I which I have chosen for this week's feature photo.
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| Eladio with our new Australian friends - Nellie and Shar in Nájera on our last night in La Rioja |
Las Ocas was just a modest little bar but served divine pinchos. We ordered a lot for a small amount of money and enjoyed a dinner for kings. Everything was delicious.
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| Dinner at Bar Las Ocas on our last night in Nájera |
It was getting quite cold - about 19ºc - we were all tired so said our goodbyes at about 9.30 or 10. We vowed to meet again, hopefully in Georgia. As you will have read last week we want to go on a road trip next year to Iran but it seems to be difficult to enter as an independent traveler and can be dangerous for a UK citizen like me. Thus, as recommended by an ex pupil of my father, Johnathan S, our final destinations will most probably be Georgia and Armenia. It was Nellie who inspired me when she mentioned Georgia as part of her trip with her sister which has been ongoing since the beginning of the pandemic. So hopefully we shall meet again and in the not too distant future.
I slept well on our last night in La Rioja and was up early on Tuesday morning, the day of our return home. We had had a great time on this romantic anniversary trip but all good things come to an end and it was time to go home.
We had until to noon to check out but decided to leave as soon as we were ready. So, at about 10.30 we set off having left the apartment tidy and clean just as I would like all my guests to leave our houses (not all of them do unfortunately). Our apartment was at the top of the house and has an extremely steep staircase to reach it. My dear husband lugged all our stuff down in in a few trips. The apartment was perfect except for this staircase. But at only 50 euros a night for 2 people I was not complaining.
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| The steep staircase to our apartment in Nájera |
As usual the satnav played tricks with us and to leave Nájera we found ourselves on a dirt track on the verge of a canal. It took some manoeuvring to get back onto a road that would lead us out of the town. Our drive home was quite short, just under 4 hours so we decided to have lunch at home. We stopped just once for a coffee at a roadside café about 100km from Madrid and noticed how much warmer it was than in La Rioja.
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| Eladio is my waiter - bringing me coffee at a roadside café on our way back from La Rioja on Tuesday |
We were home by 13.45 and lunch was ready - thank you Lucy. Pippa was the first to greet us - she always is and it was wonderful to be reunited with her. It was also great to see my father again with whom we had lunch as soon as we arrived.
Our house seemed so spacious compared to the places we had stayed. After lunch we were soon in our huge suite of rooms ready to unpack - I do the unpacking - but needed the air con desperately as they had been closed in our absence. We watched the tail end of the news with dire stories of the desperate flee of people from the airport in Kabul. On Tuesday there were warnings from the Taliban that there could be no planes taking Afghans away as from 31st August. The situation must be terrible and it is.
I live a life of luxury compared. I couldn't sleep so by about 4 was having a cup of tea and printing my last blog for my father. Suzy returned about then from looking after her friend, Marta's house, plants and cat. It was good to see her. I spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool with her and we had it to ourselves. I had to take a dip as it was very warm.
I was looking forward too to being reunited with Rania who was out flat seeking for her son who studies dentistry at the University nearby. We first made friends when she came with him in his first year in September 2018. We saw each other twice more but, owing to Covid, not since 2019. My Airbnb adventure has allowed me to meet and make friends with people from all over the world. Of all of my guests 3 stand out, 3 who have become close friends. They are dear Rania of course who is a Lebanese Christian who lives in Brussels, Joanna, my English friend who is a teacher of Spanish in Lancashire and more recently wonderful Nellie from Australia. Oh why do all my girlfriends live abroad? I don't have any proper girlfriends here since my dear best friend Fátima passed away in December 2018. Rania had brought me presents as she always does; chocolates from Belgium and biscuits from Lebanon.
She was home just as we were having dinner but wasn't hungry as she had had lunch at 5.30 that afternoon. It was so great to see her again. We sat and spoke until at least 10.30 and the next day we would have lunch together.
Wednesday came and Eladio and I absolutely had to do the shopping as there were no supplies left in the house. But first we went for an early morning walk at 8 am to avoid the sun. The dogs were so pleased to get a walk. On the path we ran into a couple with a dog with shoes on believe it or not. I had only ever seen that in New York. The couple explained its paws had got infected from thorns on the walk. I shall have to inspect our dogs' paws now. I can hardly imagine them with shoes on, can you?
We did the shopping in record time and I was back on time to put stuff away and then I was off again, this time to pick up Rania who had been apartment seeking in Madrid. We went to have lunch nearby at El Tinglado, a lovely bar restaurant near us which serves divine food. We went for three starters that we shared; salmorejo (a variation on gazpacho from Córdoba), artichokes and dessert foie (minced frozen foie which when served looks like sand!).
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| Lunch with Rania - pure pleasure - on Wednesday |
It was so good to have lunch with a girl friend and to catch up with Rania. She had so much to tell me, especially about her home country, The Lebanon, where her mother and a sister still live. We only hear about Afghanistan at the moment but The Lebanon is in a dire situation with shortages, banks closed, no fuel, not much electricity and people not having enough food to live. I had no idea. She told me it was similar to Venezuela and is doing whatever she can to bring her mother out. How sad for such a beautiful but war torn country. Thankfully Rania lives comfortably in Brussels but of course she is worried about her family.
We came home for a siesta and believe it or not at about 4 or 5 pm the clouds suddenly opened and we had a surprise and quite a strong rainfall. That was good for the garden and cleared the air making it so much fresher. I even put on a cardigan when we went out again, this time to look at two apartments near the University for her son.
Once home, Suzy was in the throes of making our dinner as we were to be joined by Oli, Miguel and Elliot whom we hadn't seen since we left for La Rioja. Oli is very heavily pregnant with less than two weeks to her due date (4th September). Juliet already weighs 3.2kg and, like Elliot, her head is big. I do hope the birth will be easier than last time.
We all had dinner together and it was the highlight of the week for me, at least. Elliot behaved perfectly. He sat next to me and ate everything put in front of him.
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| Family dinner with Rania on Wednesday night |
We all had to speak English, including Miguel and Eladio who are always a bit hesitant but who both speak it quite well. Elliot has no problem with either Spanish or English but still doesn't talk properly. He seems to have his own language, only one he understands and he babbles at us and we don't understand except for a few words. But oh how he wants to express himself. He is a very communicative little boy and often has us in stitches.
All good things come to an end as did our lovely family dinner that night. Oli and family left at around 10 pm and soon Eladio and I were in bed. We started a new series on Netflix that night called "Sweet Girl". I fell asleep quite soon and the next thing I knew it was 6.45 and I got up.
Thursday was another day in August which is nearly at an end. That morning while I was at the hairdresser and then at Spain's flag ship store, El Corte Inglés to pick up my new Samsung S20 phone, something terrible was happening in Kabul.
We all know that thousands of Afghans are racing against time to get out of the country now led by the Taliban. The deadline is the day after tomorrow for foreign forces to leave and take with them as many locals who have collaborated with them as they can. Well, Isis came on the scene as if there wasn't already enough chaos. Two suicide bombs went off at the airport and at the Baron Hotel, an HQ nearby for registering those leaving. The bombs killed over 100 locals and 13 US military citizens. It was carnage in Kabul as seen before but deadlier than ever with the current situation.
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| A scene from Kabul airport suicide bomb attacks on Thursday |
And there I was at the hairdresser and buying a luxury phone. I wonder if people like me realise just how lucky we are to have been born where we were born, in safe and relatively rich countries. That was on my mind as I set up my new phone and transferred all the data from my old one. It took me until the night. Lucky me though. You won't be surprised to know that my old phone will be for my husband Eladio. Times have changed for us all. When I worked in the mobile phone industry I had access to all the latest models and never had to buy one. I suppose I never realised just how expensive they are and took them for granted. I don't today.
Miguel was busy with paperwork for his mother who sadly became a widow just a week or so ago and went for lunch to her house. Oli and Elliot joined us for lunch and it was a marvelous meal as we were nearly all together, including my dear father and Suzy who we don't see much of these days.
Friday was a quiet day but exciting in its own way. I had no errands that morning so after our walk Eladio and I went to see Elliot - and his mother and father of course (they get less attention these days haha). Here is our darling not so little boy Elliot happy to see us again.
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| Little or not so little Elliot happy to see us again on Friday |
Despite Elliot we were able to have a siesta. I didn't take a nap but took the time to set up Eladio's "new" phone. He was delighted with it as I am with mine. Oli had to wake up her little boy who slept for 2 hours and she brought him to our bed. He woke up smiling next to us. I gazed at just how long he is and got out my trusted old tape measure, inherited from my mother. He measure about 90 to 95 cm which is probably the size of a 3 year old yet he is not even 2 until next month. We spent some quality time with him and when his parents went to do their food shopping we kept him entertained. He loves getting into our cars, playing with the toys he has here, as well as some of my bric a brac but he also loves the swings, the swings his mother and aunt got when they were just as bit older than him now.
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| Elliot on the swings. |
We were a bit late and arrived at about 8.45. I was amazed to see it was nearly midnight when we parted. Apart from eating delicious food, we just talked and talked and talked. Rania and I have so much in common and have become really good friends. Her daughter reminds me of me when I was her age. I was only one year older when I met Eladio. I looked at her when I thought that that but don't remember thinking I was particularly young at the time but I was of course. She has a whole life ahead of her and a head firmly on her shoulders. She is studying business engineering and wants to become a business woman in the luxury goods industry. It's not often someone her age has her mind set on what career she or he wants to pursue. No doubt she will do well. She has her own You Tube channel which you can find here. She is looking for more subscribers so please oblige.
It's only 1.5 h from Alar del Rey to El Cuetu so we would soon be here. We did stop though in the town of Posada on the way to get some food for our stay. That took a while as we went to the butchers, the green grocer, the bakery and the supermarket. We would have enough for 2 or 3 days. Soon we were in our village.I was delighted to see a peach tree in full bloom in the plot next to our house - oh how we would love to own that plot but it's not to be unfortunately.
It took us a while to unpack and settle in. With all the guests this summer, things in the kitchen were all over the place and I had to put them back the way I like them. There was just a short space of time left before dinner and I spent it on the terrace where Loli had left all the laundry out to dry. We greeted her and she kindly gave us half a dozen of her eggs. They are the best in the world. With her and her husband was a woman called Susana - like my daughter - who unbelievably is from the same area as Eladio in León, an area called "Omaña". Like us, she owns a house here. She even knew people from "our village", Montrondo. What a coincidence.
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| With my friend Rania and her daughter Karelle on Friday night |
We had to fight over the bill and Rania won. So thank you my dear friend. Have a great time for the rest of your stay and come back soon.
We came home to a dark house; everyone was asleep and soon were we too.
Saturday came, the day we had decided to come to Asturias. But we had a problem; a message was popping up in Eladio's old Volvo to say it needed servicing. He solved it by getting an early morning appointment at Norauto in Majadahonda and we hoped to be able to leave at around 11 am. He was back earlier than expected and I was ready with all our luggage, Pippa and some supplies including our picnic lunch.
We left soon and as always stopped for a coffee on the way - one of the pleasures of traveling by car. Our picnic lunch was had at Alar del Rey, a pretty little place in the province of Palencia we discovered a while back. We set up our table and chairs on the grass by the river and were soon tucking in.
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| Our picnic lunch yesterday on our way here |
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| The peach tree in the garden next to our house here |
We had Loli's hens' eggs for dinner with ham, followed by fresh fig and a bit of cake from the bakery. Later we started a new series on Neftlix but Eladio soon fell asleep. He was tired from driving. I joined him shortly afterwards as did Pippa who slept on my bed - she always does here.
I got up later than usual this morning, at about 7.30 and here I am now finishing off this week's blog post. Breakfast awaits me so I shall sign off now until next week. Maybe, maybe, by then Juliet will have been born and I shall be telling you all about her next Sunday.
Cheers then to all from me until the next time,
Masha
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