Olivia and family in Montrondo, a bear in the village, what to do if you come across a brown bear, coffee with our Chinese friends, home alone, we're off again and other stories of the week

 Sunday, 20th August, 2023

With our Chinese friends having coffee at Alverán on Monday

Dear all. 

I am writing on the morning of our departure for what I am calling our "Tour de France". We are off to a wedding and a cousinade - the first since 2019 - which is on 25th August but I have turned it into a 11 day road trip which starts today. But let me wind back to last Sunday to tell you about our week which has been very quiet really and most of it spent "home alone"; allowing us to do whatever we wanted. 

Last Sunday, Oli and family were heading to Montrondo - their second time this summer - to spend about 10 days there with the children. It's the perfect place to take them and it's where we always took our girls every summer when they were small and not so small. It seems my grandchildren are carrying on the tradition. They have the house to themselves which we left in pristine condition. We shall be returning there from France at the end of August to spend 3 nights and get it ready for our next stays there. 

Oli sent me this lovely photo of my grandchildren on the staircase to the top floor which is where their quarters are. They were both delighted to be back.

Elliot and Juliet in our house in Montrondo where they went last Sunday

They have plans to make a day trip to Asturias to go on the "Senda del Oso" - the so-called route of the bear. Well, later when Oli sent me an amazing photo of a bear in Murias - just next to Montrondo, I told her they had no need to go and find bears in Asturias, hahaha. This is the photo captured by a camera in Murias. It seems the bear is walking along the road we always walk on, the only one there is which goes from Montrondo to Murias and is just under 2km long.

The bear as captured by a camera in Murias on 11th August last

It is a known fact there are bears in the area called Omaña but they do not usually venture onto roads. They are brown bears,  referred to as the Cantabrian bear in Spain and more commonly known as an "oso pardo".  This one looks black to me, but who knows.   Miguel said he is more frightened of bears than he is of sharks!!!! Eladio told Oli not to go for a walk at night which is easy enough to say but it's the only walk there is and many villagers go on it after dinner. He also said that where there is one bear, there are more. That had me looking up what to do if you come across a bear. The advice is a bit conflicting. Basically though, if you don't have bear spray which I doubt anyone has in Spain, you have to talk to it gently, say "hello bear", "where are you going", keep eye contact and slowly walk backwards. Honest to God, I read that on Internet, as if the poor bear would understand. If the worst comes to the worst and the bear attacks, you must go into a fetal position. Lovely. Other advice is to wave your hands and make noise but no shouting or screaming which I suppose is the first thing I would do if I saw one. The other advice is not to stop to take pictures or a selfie, hahahaha. I hope Olivia and co do not have to take any of this advice. It is sort of funny but no joke if you come across one. 

When we have been up the mountains in the snow in the winter we have seen bear paw marks but for me the photo of this bear was news indeed. Gosh! On Tuesday we heard from Olivia that another bear, or the same one, was spotted in Montrondo in the morning around 10 a.m. between the farmer, Manolo's house and the bridge where the village ends and the mountain path begins. So, we have a bear or bears in Montrondo too. I thought the bear population mostly resided in Asturias but that has changed. According to the latest information there are 370 bears in Spain, 200 of them are in León and of these 200, the largest population of bears in the whole of Spain is in Laciana with 108 brown bears. Laciana is very near Montrondo so that now figures. 

Meanwhile, far away from bear populated Laciana and Montrondo, we spent a hot and quite day at home. We were alone until our next set of guests arrived. The last ones were  Russian speakers from Lithuania.but live in Alicante, in Gran Alacant, practically next door to our apartment there. They came in a huge big car and were a group of six plus one baby. Of the six, two were small children who I knew would cause chaos in the house and lounge. I had to be pretty strict, politely asking them not to strew all their belongings all over the lounges and kitchen which fell pretty much on deaf ears. Being Russian they wanted to leave their shoes outside which doesn't work in this house as there are at least 5 entrances to this house. They were only staying two nights so peace was restored on Tuesday when they left. From then till yesterday morning we were amazingly guest free. So, it was lovely to have the house to ourselves for a few days before our departure. August is known as the low season in Madrid as most madrileños head to the coast. Any tourist visiting the city in the afternoon at this time of year is pretty mad to do so as it is far, far, too hot. So it was good to have some peace for 4 days. We spent the time at home and wouldn't have considered going "downtown". The heatwave was supposedly over by Monday but I don't agree. We have gone from a maximum of 39 to 34 degrees and 34 for me is still far too hot. Thank the Lord for air conditioning and the pool. 

On Monday we had a social engagement which is unusual for us. We were meeting our ex Airbnb Chinese guests, Amanda and George - not their real names. They came here in January having upped and left China to make a new life here without knowing the language or understanding the culture. They are very brave. Amanda was a teacher of English in China and George works in the travel industry. We had seen each other occasionally in the street and at Mercadona and had agreed to meet for coffee one day. That day was Monday. It was lovely to see them again, to see how well they are adapting to Spanish life and they are loving it. They are not, however, learning much Spanish as they rely on Gooqle Translate or similar; something I never had when I came here in the 70's. Having a morning coffee in Spain is quite a tradition, a bit like the Swedish "fika". We met, of course at Alverán - where else? Amanda later admitted she is not a coffee drinker but seemed to enjoy the café con leche with lots of foam served by dear Ragma. It was Ragma who took photos to remember the occasion and I have chosen one of them for this week's feature photo. This is another one.

Café con leche with George, Amanda and 11 year old Lucy

I asked them how they were standing the heat and was surprised to hear them say they thought it was quite cool here compared to where they live in China - somewhere near Shanghai (I think)! That is a first I must say as everyone complains about the heat in Madrid in the summer but not Amanda. They don't have air conditioning and nor do they have fans and Amanda says she sleeps with a duvet!!! We spoke a lot about our road trip which they had followed daily - bless them. For now they are happy to travel in Spain when George passes his driving test which he has to take as a Chinese resident in Spain even though he has a licence from China. It is proving difficult but I know he will make it. We parted at around 12.30 and agreed to meet up again in September. It was a lovely encounter.

We came home to a quiet house. Our Russian/Lithuanian guests were out and they were out nearly all day. The highlight of my afternoon was a skype call with Amanda and then a trip to air conditioned Ikea. We needed to get a desk and chair for a Peruvian Airbnb girl student who is coming in September, supposedly for the academic year and she will need one. Of course once in Ikea we got more things than were on our list including their salmon and meat balls. We had the salmon for dinner and then went to bed to watch the tail end of the news. I didn't even hear our guests come home.

They left on Tuesday morning. Tuesday 15th August was the Assumption, a national holiday in Spain. But I didn't notice as being retired, every day is a holiday. We had a good start to the day as we resumed our morning walks. It has been just too hot until now when the temperatures have descended  slightly.  Here is proof - a photo of Eladio and Pippa on our walk that day

Eladio and Pippa on our morning walk on Wednesday

We left at 8 am when it was just 19ºc and when we came back at 9 am it was 22ºc so very pleasant. We would go again every day this week after that. 

I was home on time to say goodbye to our Russian guests who were very pleasant people. Tana then set about cleaning the rooms. If I had to that I couldn't run our little business, so bless her. We didn't have any other guests coming until Saturday; another French family but we didn't see much of them as we ourselves are off to France today. 

I only left the house that day to get some food from Carrefour as we had run out of gazpacho and avocados - staple food for us in the summer. Eladio was busy assembling the desk and chair for "Suzy's room".  That's something I couldn't do for the life of me but my husband is good with his hands. I am better with my head for practical things but he is definitely the handy man. Here he is at the job.

Eladio assembling the Ikea desk 

On Wednesday I did go out and it was to do something luxurious - have my nails painted with semi permanent varnish.  I haven't done that for a long time as I once overdid it and my nails suffered and took years to grow strong again. I wanted to have nice nails for our trip and especially the wedding. Eladio, meanwhile, went to Leroy Merlin to get bits and bobs to connect the old Santa Pola TV in Suzy's room and other small things needed to set up a proper desk which our guests can work happily from. I came out with perfect nails and hands. Lili from Lilinails in Boadilla, had done a great job. She is a young and enterprising Bolivian woman married to a Spaniard  with 3 children. As she did my nails she told me her life story. I will be going back.

Once outside I sat and had a coffee and admired my nails - I could never do them as well. 

Beautiful nails for my trip to France

There I waited for Eladio to pick me up. We were home on time for me to put the finishing touches to our lunch - bacalhau à brás. There was also time to set up the TV in Suzy's room. Initially we had put it at the end of the bed with the TV facing the bed but it looked weird and took up the whole room. I had a stroke of genius when I suggested we move the dresser to the other side of the room and put the table and TV  facing the main window. So we tried it and it worked. 

The new table and chair with our old Santa Pola TV now set up for guests in Suzy's old room.

A huge plus was that the TV and electricity sockets are on that wall. Now it looks great and all we needed to do was to somehow hide the cables sticking out underneath. I was the one to set up the TV, sync the channels and connect it to an Amazon fire stick (turns a normal flat screen telly into a smart TV) and I did it successfully. I felt very "chuffed" with myself as they say in Yorkshire as I thought my technological abilities were limited to mobile phones and to some extent computers but not TVs.  Eladio looked on in awe as I set it all up as I looked on in awe as he assembled the Ikea table. My mother always told me that for love to work you have to admire the person you love and I certainly admire my husband and I think he admires me, with all my faults, too, bless him. 

 Later Eladio took Tana to Oli's house to clean it for her. We gave her free time until Saturday as she won't be able to go out while we are away. That meant we had the whole house to our ourselves for 2 days and 3 nights. It felt like "home alone". That meant I hogged the pool for myself and Pippa in the afternoons as I whiled away the time. The heatwave was officially over but it was still 34ºc that afternoon which I suppose is more bearable than 39ºc. 

Meanwhile in Santa Pola and in El Cuetu guests were leaving and new guests were arriving. I was happy that day to get two good scores on Booking for both properties, 9 out of 10 for El Cuetu and 10 out of 10 for Santa Pola. Both came from non Spaniards. I have come to the conclusion that Spaniards only bother to leave a review if they are not happy but non Spaniards nearly always leave a review and it is usually a good one. That made me pleased.

That day Oli and family continued their holiday in cooler Montrondo. There was no more news about the bear or bears but we did get some lovely pictures of the children playing at the back of the house - here are a couple.

I love the back of our house in Montrondo

Juliet and Elliot in Montrondo

They told me they had tortilla for dinner. We had the other half of the Ikea salmon - the best in the world - which I put together in a salad with these ingredients: salmon, lettuce, avocado, boiled egg, dill and a little creme fraiche. It was delicious.

That night we finished a series on Netflix which I have come to love - The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem which spans the period from 1919 to 1942.  If you like period or political drama and family sagas and are interested in anything to do with Israel, then this maybe is for you. I have now binge watched the whole of it - 2 seasons and 36 episodes - and will miss the characters. I may well watch it from the beginning again, hahaha.

Thursday came and we were home alone again. It was strange not to come across Tana in the kitchen but a sort of relief to have the house completely to ourselves. Again I took the opportunity after our early morning walk to skinny bathe in the pool and them shower in the open air. That's such a lovely feeling. It was great to have the pool to ourselves too and also to see the maintenance people coming to clean it that day. I had to have a photo afterwards taken from one of the lounge French windows.

We had the swimming pool to ourselves for part of this week. Love it. 

We went out again on Thursday, to Leroy Merlin, to exchange some of the bits and bobs Eladio had bought to cover up the cables. On our way home we had coffee at Manolo Bakes, for a change. This was how it was served - spectacular!

Coffee at Manolo Bakes on Thursday

Eladio came home to do 3 jobs; cover the cables under the new desk, set up a replacement parasol which Amazon kindly sent us that day, and finally replace some of the irrigation pipes. I was pleased with how the desk looked with no cables hanging about. 

The desk with the hidden cables. 

It was good to see a working parasol again and I hope this one lasts more than 2 months which is what the last one did.

The new parasol

I love that back patio where I often have my coffee in the mornings.

For lunch, Eladio was in luck as I made "spagbol". I also prepared our dinner which I would just have to put in the oven for 20 minutes. It was baked salmon with leek, peas, dill and a spoonful of creme fraiche - a lovely combination.

I spent most of the afternoon under the shade at the end of the pool reading on and off a book that interests me but is not that well written. It is A train near Magdeburg - the Holocaust, the survivors and the soldiers who saved them. It is an extraordinary story about a large group of Jews being taken on a death train. The US soldiers saved them in their final hour. A teacher called Matthew Rozell, in his efforts to teach his students about the Holocaust, somehow got caught up in this story and has now made it famous. 

The evening of course, like every evening this week, was spent alone at home; quite a pleasure. 

Friday came and I woke up at the unearthly hour of 5.45. I had until 8 pm to myself until we went for our newly resumed morning walk. The excuse until now had been the heat but at 8 am these days it's only about 20ºc which is very refreshing. I did the food shopping alone that morning and bought more than usual so as to leave enough provisions for Tana who was back the next day. I was not accompanied by Eladio who went to have coffee with his one friend, Roberto. For sure they must have spoken about politics and the semi deadlock situation in Spain after the general elections which is boring me stiff. Thus I had my coffee at Alverán on my own.

Saturday came and again I was up at 5.45 again would you believe? It was another hot day with the temperatures on the rise again, reaching 36ºc that day. After our walk I spent time packing. Eladio spent time with his South American gardeners repairing more leaks in the irrigation system. I did most of our packing yesterday so that we can leave early.

Our French guests arrived just after lunch. They had driven all the way from somewhere near Paris. But it turns out they are actually 2nd generation Portuguese. That had me in a language fluster; mixing English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. In the end we kept to French as any attempt to speak Portuguese interfered with my brain which was so annoying. They loved the place and soon hogged the pool. Thus I kept to our air conditioned quarters. It was the end of our wonderful home alone status this week.  

Meanwhile Oli and family were enjoying a birthday party for one of their aunts, Eladio's sister. She sent me some great photos including this group photo and one of little Juliet. I can tell my grandchildren are having the time of their life in unassuming, remote and rural Montrondo where they have also escaped the heat. 

Fun in Montrondo with all the cousins and aunts and uncles celebrating a birthday party

Juliet in her element in Montrondo.

I did not sleep well last night, owing to reisefeber, that wonderful German word which translates badly into travel fever. As I fell asleep so late I woke up later than normal, at 7.30 this morning to a very quiet house. It was only Tana and I in the kitchen.

And here I am writing on the day we leave for France. We have a 500km drive to beautiful St. Jean de Luz where our French holiday begins. Finally the day of our trip has come. It coincides too with our 40th wedding anniversary which we shall celebrate in beautiful St. Jean de Luz where we are spending the first two nights of our trip. We have only ever passed by and last year when we had a picnic there on the beach, I swore we would come back and stay a night or two. I was true to my word. We are staying at Grand Hotel de la Poste - the only place I could find a room when I booked months ago. It looks lovely. From there we shall drive to my cousin's house in La Teillée near Saint-Sauvant not so far from Poitiers. There are many towns with the same names in France so you have to be careful to put in the right place on your sat nav. From La Teillée we shall then drive to Mareuil  for the wedding where the bride's family live. The actual ceremony takes place in Talmont-sur-Gironde at a Catholic church (Ste Radegonde) which permits a Russian orthodox ceremony. Then it will be back to Mareuil for the party and after wedding brunch. The next day we will return to La Teilée for a couple of days until we drive to beautiful Ars-en-Ré where we are staying at Le Parasol Hotel for a couple of nights. Our last night in France will be on our way back to Spain and we shall be staying at a superb looking Airbnb house near Hossegor. I think we are going to have a wonderful two weeks. 

So, yes, today, is Sunday, the start of our trip to France. It is also the day of the final of the Women's football world cup taking place in Australia. Normally that wouldn't interest me at all, except that England and Spain are playing in the final.  Many people have asked me which side I want to win as I am a Brit but also an adopted Spaniard who has lived in Spain for longer than in England. That's a difficult question. Suffice it say I will be happy with whatever the outcome. As British fair play dictates, I could add "may the best team win". So let's see who does lift that cup today. But much more interesting for me is a tennis match final to be played tonight between Alcaraz and Djokovic in the Cincinnati Masters Final. This is a repeat of the Wimbledon final which "Carlitos" won. This time my heart is not divided but I don't have high hopes for the Spaniard as Novak will put out all the stops, plus he has won all the knockout stages more easily than the 20 year old Spaniard. This time I am not saying may the best man win but I do hope that the best man is Alcaraz.

But now my thoughts are on our road trip - yes on the road again and I have to do some last minute packing before we set off.

Cheers then my friends until next Sunday when I shall be writing from La belle France. Vive la France!

À bientôt, Masha

Last days in Montrondo, a perfect Sunday, home again, another heatwave; escaping it in the pool with Elliot and Juliet and other stories.

 Sunday, 13th August, 2023

High up in the mountains in Montrondo - view of the Tambarón peak in the distance

Good morning friends and readers.

We are now home after a wonderful 2 weeks in Montrondo. We came back to another heat wave in Madrid where the temperature is at least 15 degrees higher. It was a huge shock coming home and when I stepped out of the car it felt as if I was in an outdoor sauna. Honestly, we wanted to stay to avoid the heat wave but had to come back for a number of reasons.

But back to where I left off. Last Sunday was the perfect Sunday with all the right ingredients. That day we took the "Camino Valle" walk again. I was making a Sunday roast from a very large leg of lamb I found in the deep freeze. Instead of cooking all morning, I par roasted it so I would have enough time to cook it to perfection when I got back from our walk.

Pippa was eager to join us as she loves our walks in Montrondo. Here she is perched on the small rock on the steps leading to the back garden. That's her favourite place. Mine is the stone bench outside the kitchen called a "poyo" but pronounced the same as chicken (pollo). "Poyos are very common in Northern Spain and are often a hub for villagers. In Montrondo the name for informal village gatherings is "calecho" which has no translation. It's a bit like that Danish word "hygge". 

Pippa perched on the rock on the steps leading to the back garden - her favourite place. 

It was warm but not enough to be uncomfortable. The walk along Camino Valle takes you up a mountain path to a hidden gateway which only Eladio knows how to open. There are no sign posts anywhere and gates on the path and fields are very shoddy; nothing like the countryside signs in the UK where you see things like "lambing season" go over proper turnstiles or those lovely "kissing gates". If you don't know the area you just get stuck but my husband knows it like the back of his hand. Here he is opening the makeshift gate.

The gateway to the Camino Valle walk

The path takes you to the top of the hill which runs parallel to the village below. Murias de Paredes although bigger than Montrondo with about 80 permanent inhabitants vs 10 or 11,  is still very small. Here is the view from the path.

Murias de Paredes as seen from the Camino Valle path

We were home on time for me to take care of the Sunday roast. And what a feast we had. The leg was so big it lasted us two days!

Last week's Sunday roast. 

It's not often I make a Sunday roast which made last Sunday the perfect day after a fantastic walk in complete harmony with nature and not a soul on the way. The wonderful thing about Montrondo is that it is well and truly off the tourist map so you more or less have all the paths and walkways to yourself. Also missing is litter, such a nuisance elsewhere in Spain. 

Once again the afternoon was spent lazily reading on the sun beds outside and playing Ludo with Dolores. 

Monday came and our walk that day would take us up the mountains. I know I told you last week I don't like walking uphill, but that day was different. I think the mountains were calling me. I suggested we walk up to the "Abedular" (birch tree forest). It's where my father always loved to  walk to when he used to join us in Montrondo. It was his favourite tree which figures because of his love of Russia and especially the Nordic Countries where it is perhaps the most common tree. The "Abedular," I have heard is the biggest birch tree forest in Spain. As we walked up, Eladio pointed out several fields that belong to his family. Here is just one. 

Eladio pointing out one of the family fields

He told me he had cut the grass there and on other family plots many, many times. As a child, his task was to walk up the very steep path (La Bedulina) to take his father his lunch while he was cutting the grass. Grass was cut manually with a scythe; such very hard work.

I love reaching the destination of "El Abedular" and thinking my father loved it too. No doubt Eladio's father and his fellow workers didn't take in its beauty as they had such hard work to do. But I love it. This is just a part of it that my camera could catch with its lense. 

The Abedular - birch tree forest

A little further on you can spy the highest mountain in the area; El Tambarón, which stands at just over 2100 metres high. Facebook reminded me this week that I have been up it twice, 6 and 7 years ago in 2016 and 2017.  It's quite an achievement.  Here is a picture of me on 10th August 2016 at the  summit. My fitbit that day recorded 24km and the mountain itself is the equivalent of 7000 feet, which is three times higher than Snowden.

7 years ago this week I climbed the Tambarón mountain for the first time. It is 2100 metres/7000 feet high; 3 times more than Snowden. 

However, I don't think I will ever do it again as it is a very hard walk and climb. Eladio took a photo of me with the Tambarón peak in the background  to record the moment and for me to have a feature photo for this blog. 

Going up the mountain path is hard whereas coming down is easier except for the stones so you have to watch your feet. We all came down very dusty. I had to change my clothes and bathe little Pippa who so valiantly follows us everywhere.

Lunch was leftover roast lamb which was delicious. As I sat outside the kitchen which has two exits, I took a photo to show you. Of all our houses it has my favourite kitchen; the only one we designed ourselves - with a little help from Ikea of course.

Our lovely kitchen in Montrondo

It was just lunch for 2 at our house but at my sister-in-law's house it was lunch for 17!! My in-laws had visitors and also invited their builders. Only late in the afternoon were they able to join us, Eladio's brother on one of the sunbeds in the back garden and Dolores to play ludo with me - our favourite past time when we are in Montrondo. Here are two photos to capture that lovely lazy part of our last afternoon in the village. 

Elado and his brother on the sunbeds on Monday afternoon 

Dolores and I playing Ludo on the terrace at the back of the house - the coolest place

She beat me but I think we are about equal. Ludo in Spain is very popular and is not only for children. It's quite a complicated game with lots of rules. I looked up the English rules which, funnily enough, are rather different.

Our last supper was probably eggs - I can't remember now. If I look back I realise we didn't have one dinner outside on the terrace as it simply was never warm enough in Montrondo. When the sun goes down the temperature descends so you need to sleep with a duvet on. I saw a piece of news this week where the newsreader described how Spaniards go north on holiday so they can have the luxury of sleeping under blankets. Now that I am home where the temperature has reached 40ºc, I can totally equate to that.

On Tuesday morning we set about getting ready to go and to close the house- But we left all the furniture outside as Oli and family are going there today for 2 weeks. They will escape the heat and the kids will have a blast with their cousins and roam much more freely than they can at home.

We stopped for coffee with churros at La Magdalena and then continued our over 400km drive home. We stopped again for lunch about 100km from home and had a decent roadside cafe lunch. The place was full of Italians who were coming back from the youth event with the Pope in Lisbon. He didn't look too well and I saw him being pushed on a wheel chair. He is only 86 but not looking too healthy. I wonder whether he too will resign like Ratzinger. 

We were home by just after 4 pm, the hottest part of the day. Thankfully Tana had put the air con on in our room. As soon as I had unpacked, I was off again. Oli was waiting for me with my grandchildren as Miguel was working this week. It was lovely to see them again. Their flat has air con but the obvious place to be was their communal pool which is where we headed.

And a grand time was had by all. Elliot can now swim - or rather keep afloat. Juliet armed with a sun hat, high factor sun screen and arm bands, loves jumping in too. But she also likes the kids' pool where she insisted I join her. Here is the little mite playing with some other children's toys which later caused friction, hahahahah. 

Juliet happily playing with other children's toys in the toddlers' pool at Oli's place

I had to leave at 7.30 to go home and cook our dinner but neither Elliot nor Juliet wanted me to leave. It was quite a battle to go but I made it. Once home and with Tana's help, I soon rustled up a delicious dinner - hake and ratatouille, followed by melon and raspberries. We then went up to our air conditioned room. It was rather a paradox (heat versus extreme cold) to watch a film, recommended by Olivia, called "Against the Ice". Filmed in Iceland and Greenland it tells of a polar expedition to work out the right map of Greenland which would show none of it belonged to the USA. 

I slept so so compared to Montrondo and  on Wednesday morning woke up at 7.30 to realise we had had the air con on all night which is quite a record. At around 9 am that morning it was already 25º and would reach 39ºc. Oh, if only we had been able to stay longer in the north of Spain. It's funny how most international tourists head for the baking hot Med coast. Only a few of them have discovered Spain's green coast - the stretch of coast that goes from Galicia to the Basque Country and includes Asturias and Cantabria. If they knew how much cooler it is there, maybe they would flock there. One of my father's pupils sent me an article from The Times about Asturias - mostly for "foodies" but it interested me as it talks about just the area where our house is located. This is it, if you can get past the paywall. One thing they got right is that it is really an "untapped corner" of Spain for foreigners as is Montrondo for both Spaniards and foreigners - a place I reckon I am the only Brit in the area. 

We had lots and lots to do that morning. First thing first, we went to pick up the Volvo. You may remember it broke down on our way to Montrondo and we had to go in the Mini. The Volvo was taken that day to the garage where the mechanics couldn't find anything wrong. After picking it up we took it for its annual MOT test which it amazingly passed with flying colours. Next on the agenda was coffee at Alverán, that little luxury I love about living where we do. Then to the bloody bank to pay an enormous sun for Inland Revenue tax arrears - damn it and then to the health centre to pick up a prescription for my sleeping tablets. The final task of the day was double, filling the tank of the Mini and washing it at the garage. We were home for a quiet lunch in our air conditioned dining room. That is when we met our French guests who came on 29th July but whom we hadn't met until that day. They were a charming couple, both called Olivier, from Aix.d'Angillon (somewhere in central France). We hardly saw them again. They later gave me a great review, bless them. 

After a very short siesta it was grandparent duty so off we went to Oli's house to help her with the kids. The only place to be, once again, was at their lovely pool. This is a photo for you to see.

The pool at Oli's place

Having access to a pool is not a luxury in Spain. It is a necessity, so many new apartment blocks include them, like Oli and Miguel's.  That is the only way to escape heatwaves momentarily and it was a pleasure to do so with our grandchildren. We had brought food for dinner and then Miguel turned up so it was all the family together for once.  Miguel is a great swimmer and is able to manage both kids even in the deep end. 

Dinner was a quietened down version of a mad hatter's tea party with lots of lovely dishes. Of course we all had an ice cream afterwards - both Elliot and Juliet. We left at around 9.30 and came back to a quiet house. Entertainment was a random documentary about WW2 -   right up our street, of course. 

Thursday came. At 7 in the morning it was already 25ºc! Thus I had breakfast outside. I then sat down and did my rental work homework, sending off house information packs to the last of our guests for Santa Pola and El Cuetu. I think Thursday was the hottest day of the year and we didn't leave the house. There is no question of going for a walk here unless you do so at 6 am. Meanwhile in Hawaii, fires are burning the islands, fires are running wild in Canada of all places and climate change is basically causing havoc all over the world. 

In the afternoon I spent time by the pool. I must have gone in about 8 times but after 5 minutes outside the water I felt baked again. There was nothing for it but to go upstairs to my air conditioned bedroom, have a proper shower, a change of clothes and lie on my bed watching a series. I have been watching, on and off, a BBC series called "World on Fire". No, it's not about heatwaves or climate change but about, yes, you guessed it, WW2 and is set mainly in Poland, Berlin, Manchester, Paris and Egypt.  I am loving it.

Friday was shopping day. We also met up with Oli and Juliet for a coffee at Alverán which spiced up our morning. This is the wonderful coffee Ragma, the waitress served me. She knows just how I like it - strong but with lots of foam.

The perfect cup of coffee at Alverán on Friday

We then parted ways to carry on shopping which Juliet was not happy about. Here she is with her "gampa" or "booboo". I love to see them together.

Mid morning encounter with Juliet on Friday morning

Elliot was at a summer workshop so he wasn't there but although we didn't know it then, we would meet later in the evening.

I had a hairdresser appointment at 18h - a dreadful time to go in this heat. I asked Conchi, my hairdresser, not to bother blow drying my hair as the heat was unbearable. It was then that I had to go and help Oli with the kids as Miguel was at work and wouldn't be home till 10pm. He was covering the story of "operación salida" - the so called August traffic exodus - for the main news that night. Thus I had the joy of seeing both children again. They were in high spirits and you have to be on the lookout the whole time. Oli invited us out to dinner which was very kind of her and of course "Booboo" came along too which delighted the children. Here he is with both of them. He is such a strong man, considering he is nearly 80 years old. That I can hardly believe.

Eladio with both of his grandchildren on Friday evening

We had dinner at Ginos - a quaisi Italian restaurant. It was a total Mad Hatters' Tea Party - honestly. But the best point for me was when Elliot wrote his name for me on a napkin. I had no idea he knew how to write his name and he promises no one taught him. He is not even 4 yet bless him. This is his first effort and I am keeping it. 

I was pretty impressed to see that Elliot knows how to write his name. 

We were relieved of grandparent duty when Miguel arrived just after 10 pm. Would you believe the temperature was 32ºc at that time?  So we called it a day but would be seeing the family the next day for a barbecue at home.

We arrived home just as our French family did. They had been out to Madrid for one last time. We spent time chatting - yes, in French - and they told me they had enjoyed their stay very much. We spoke about the cost of living in Spain vs France. They said that on the whole France is more expensive but it all works out pretty much the same as they earn a bit more but they surprised me when they said food is more expensive in Spain. I have been going to France for many summers now and I think I actually agree with them. Olivier, Olivier and Adam would leave the next day for a "toute suite" 11 hour journey home with only stop on the way! I told the lady that our trips are different with lots of stops on the way hahaha. I can't wait now for our trip to France which I have just now increased by one more day, hahahaha. 

On Saturday morning when I got up at 7 am, they had gone. Tana got going on preparing the rooms for our next guests - a group coming today with Russian sounding names but I think they are Lithuanian. It's quite a coincidence they live in Gran Alacant (Santa Pola) where we also have an apartment. Oli came with the kids at around 11 am and we all convened by the pool which we had to ourselves yesterday. It was so hot; too hot to make a barbecue outside so I used an electric grill I have to grill loads of sausages and lamb chops. The kids hardly ate anything so there are lots of leftovers for today hahahahaha. 

After our siesta Oli and co left and we won't see them again until the beginning of September. I wish them a great stay in Montrondo and in Santa Pola where they will be joining Suzy who is now living next door with our neighbour Lucy.

I sent Tana off for a 2 day break which meant that yesterday afternoon and last night, it was just Eladio, Pippa and me! It felt strange but good. Of course we skinny dipped in complete privacy. When we moved into this house in 2006 the house next to ours was completely visible. 17 years later the vegetation has grown so much you can hardly see it. It feels like our pool is in the middle of a forest, it really does. We both agreed that it is the focal point of the house; it's key feature and that there are very few houses with a pool adjoined to the house itself. They are normally at the bottom of gardens. I love ours.

Our very private pool practically adjoined to the house

It was bliss to have it to ourselves yesterday. After dinner we adjoined there too as it was the coolest place to be. We had missed the news but had not missed much and later Eladio watched the film, Troy, with Brad Pitt while I continued watching World on Fire.

Today is Sunday and I'm excited to think that this time next week we will be starting our trip to France.  The excuse is a cousinade wedding which,. as you know, I have turned into a 11 days trip with stays in St. Jean de Luz and beautiful Île de Ré. 

This week we shall have to continue to suffer the heatwave until we leave for cooler St. Jean de Luz. 

Now it's time to sign off. Wherever you are, I wish you well. 

Cheers till next Sunday,
Masha

A quiet week in Montrondo, photos from Eladio's past and present, Oli and family leave, coffee in Villablino with Tere, the "Camino Valle" walk, my favourite places in the world and other stories of the week.

Montrondo, Sunday, 6th August, 2023.

On our walk yesterday via the "Camino Valle"

Good morning to you all from our refuge from the heatwave here in Montrondo, high in the mountains of the province of León in North West Spain. You all know this is the village where my husband was born (more about that later). 

We have now been here since 24th July, 2 whole weeks which is quite a record for us. For the first week we were joined by Oli, Miguel and our grandchildren, Elliot (nearly 4) and Juliet (nearly 2). They were on holiday and now that we are retired we are nearly always on holiday. We are lucky but we have worked for more than 40 years to enjoy our retirement. Thus it hasn't really felt like a holiday; more a change of scenery. We have certainly escaped the heat of Madrid as it is much cooler up here. Montrondo stands at over 1000 metres which is one of the reasons why. More and more people are realising it is better to take a holiday in the north of Spain which is why places like Asturias where we have a modest little house, are so popular. 

Last Sunday was the day after the village fiesta in honour of Santa Marta. Many people would have been out all night dancing and drinking but we did not go to the dance as it didn't start until 11.30 at night!!!! By then we were in bed.

Monday came and was Oli and co's last day in Montrondo. We spent a quiet day together or as quiet as it can be with two toddlers, hahaha - bless them. They had a grand time playing with their little cousins and having meals with us which were a bit like the Mad Hatter's tea party but every day! They both adore ice creams, just like my father did and I do and were allowed two a day. Here are the little mites with their ice creams. Later I found finger marks on many windows and mirrors, hahahaa.

Elliot and Juliet enjoying an ice cream in Montrondo. 

I may be retired but I still work as I have to run the renting of our houses. That day we had to deal with a difficult guest at the apartment in Santa Pola. They had broken the washing machine which I got someone to repair and then they told me they were not happy with the pillow cases, of all things. I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing when the guest told me they were winter pillow cases which they are not. They are normal white cotton cases. The picky guest had me buying some new ones on Amazon after refusing all the alternative ones my neighbour, Lucy, showed him. Lucy who looks after quite a few rental places for clients told me that guests are getting savvier and savvier at complaining so as to get a discount. She is right. Honestly, this year, I have come across the strangest of complaints, but the pillow case complaint had me stumped. Of course now I am expecting a revenge review. These are the downsides of renting accommodation on Airbnb and Booking. Someone suggested it would be more profitable to invest in financial products but that is something I would never contemplate. Thankfully, most guests are great and happy with their accommodation.

I am getting thicker skin and now worrying less about complaints or issues that occur. They are part of the job and I refuse to lose my sleep over them. So I have slept pretty well while we have been here. On Tuesday morning I was going to Villablino with Dolores to do some food shopping and I couldn't believe that I woke up at 9.15 am. That had me in a hurry to get ready to be in town early. I wasn't cooking that day. I had gone on strike or rather I had no more meals I could make with what I had at home so I booked a table for us all in Senra at the grumpy man's bar. He told me there were no tables until 3 pm - too late for us and then relented and said 13.45. We arrived later to an empty dining room so why did he tell me there were no bookings until 3? 

Anyway, back to Villablino - that old mining town which used to be quite thriving until the mines closed a few years ago. It is, though, a hub, for all the surrounding villages for shopping purposes and simple services. It was while we were having coffee that Eladio sent me a photo from the past. This is it. 

Eladio (in the middle at the back) with his parents and 4 of his siblings in Montrondo in 1959. 

The photo was taken, obviously, in Montrondo and is of of his parents and 4 siblings. As you can see they are numbered from the oldest to the youngest, Eladio being number 1. He has 5 but the youngest wasn't born till 2 years later.  His parents were as young or younger than Miguel and Olivia - in their 30's probably. We know the photo was taken in 1959 because the youngest child (the baby) was born that year. That makes Eladio just 15 in that photo although he looks younger. He told me it was taken to send to his mother's family members who had emigrated to Argentina as did many country folk after the Spanish Civil War. His mother was Ernestina and his father, Antonio. They ran a farm with cows, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens and all children were supposed to lend a hand. Eladio was a strong boy and being the eldest was expected to work the hardest. He can openly admit to having been a proper shepherd boy from about the age of 7. At the age of 12 he was sent to the Seminary in León to become a priest but had to work hard in the holidays.  Thus he was saved a life of being a shepherd or farmer, toiling the land or growing potatoes. That was the alternative in those days in villages like Montrondo, that or the mines.  

In 1959 I was only 2. I was born in Cambridge in the UK, a University town in much more prosperous England than what rural Spain was like then. When Eladio was a boy, there was no electricity at home, nor was there running water. It seems a miracle we met and have been happily married for 40 years. Life in Montrondo in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70's was not easy. It was remote, isolated and backward.  Yet those who lived here then, remember it fondly despite the hard work and lack of progress.  How life in Spain has changed since then. That same day I took a photo of what was the original entrance to the home stead or farm - with the main house and barns, etc. I wanted to compare it to what it looked like in the 50's. Here is a photo of then and here is a photo of now. What a difference. I'm actually not sure it looks better now. And I hate the fact that the old entrance no longer exists as there is a little modern house in its place. But then I am a nostalgic.

The family farm in the 50's. The house with smoke coming from the chimney is what is ours now although we totally shelled it. 

The same view but taken this week. What a difference from the 50's. 

Dolores and I poured over the photo while having our coffee in Villablino but we didn't have too much time as she had many shops to shop at and I had to be at the restaurant in Senra by 1.45. I do love going shopping with her. What I don't like is the rush back, unloading everything and then having to cook. No, I'm not on holiday here as I have to cook and wash the clothes. I have become accustomed to someone else doing that for me; Tana now and Lucy before here - so it will be a break to go home, believe it or not.

But on Tuesday I didn't have to cook. We enjoyed our last meal together in Senra and then Oli and family had to leave. We drove back to find a very empty house.

But I had fun in the afternoon when Dolores took me to a neighbour's house to order a cake. We spoke to several village ladies on our way back - many from Eladio's era. We also had fun playing ludo - my sister in law beat me - and enjoyed a cup of decaf tea and a biscuit together. 

I didn't cook dinner either as I had bought a delicious meat pie at Gadis - the supermarket in Villablino - which people fight for and I only wish they made more, hahahaha. 

That evening we watched a documentary about Oppenheimer, the mind behind the first atomic bomb. I haven't seen the film yet but the documentary was good. That man could not live with his conscience after Hiroshima. Of course he couldn't. But if it hadn't been him, it would have been another scientist.

We were in bed early, after falling asleep watching the documentary - they tend to make me fall asleep - and I woke up at 7.15 on Wednesday morning. 

We woke up to cooler weather and even a bit of rain. I did some washing but still did not dare go up to the top floor to tidy it up and change the beds after Oli's stay. We left it for later, hahahah. Dolores came with Toño, Eladio's next brother down, for coffee, after which I made our lunch. We had the easiest and most delicious of meals - spaghetti bolognese. 

I slept a short siesta after falling asleep watching the news - frankly Trump's legal problems leave me a bit cold and I am already fed up of the Spanish political wheeling and dealing to make a government after the hung parliament result of the general elections. The sun was out by then so I went outside to read under the shade of the apple trees. Eladio joined me later. 

Reading under the shade of the apple trees behind our house

Dolores came shortly after to play another game of ludo which we had to leave until the next day as it was getting late for dinner. That night I made an effort and put together a very Spanish dish called "patatas revolconas" - impossible to translate. "Revolcón" means tumbled or similar.  Here is a photo.

A very simple and delicious Spanish dish called "patatas revolconas"

Basically it is  semi mashed potatoes seasoned with paprika and garlic and accompanied by pork cracklings - that's the tough part, getting them to be crispy. We ate nearly all of it. It's a dish we both love and I don't often make as pork cracklings is not the healthiest food to eat I suppose. 

Suddenly it was Thursday - how time flies here - and saw me cooking and cleaning. Eladio hoovered the house which is always his job. I did the bathrooms which I hate doing but loved making our lunch; cocido (chick pea based dish). It was too cold to lie outside that afternoon as a cold spell had hit some parts of Spain - mostly the  north, so that afternoon Dolores and I played Ludo indoors. I'm going to miss that. 

Entertainment that night was a film called Septembers of Shiraz with Adrien Brody and Salma Hayek. Based on true events, it is the story of a Jewish family whose lives are destroyed when the Iranian Revolution takes place in 1979 shortly after the downfall of the Shah. We had seen it before years  ago but didn't remember much of it. It was right up our street. 

On Friday I went with Dolores to Villablino to do the shopping again. I didn't need much but my sister-in-law who has to feed 10 did. On Tuesday I had bumped into Teresa, the mother of our friend Ludy who is married to the cyclist Pedro Delgado. It's such a coincidence that both Eladio and Ludy hail from the same area. We agreed to meet "Tere" who lives in Villablino, for coffee on Friday. It was a lovely encounter and I got a friend of hers, a passerby, to take photos for me to send to Ludy and to share with you. 

Dolores and me with Tere having coffee in Villablino on Friday. Tere is on my left wearing a white top

There was lots to catch up on and great to meet Tere again on her home ground. Later I walked with her to the local market which was nearly mission impossible as she seems to know the whole town. The population is around 8000 which is big for this area. Tere wanted to know where Eladio was.  Well, my husband is not keen on shopping in Villablino and that morning went for a long walk up the mountains with little Pippa. He sent me loads of scenic photos and I asked for a selfie. This is what I got. 

Eladio high up in the mountains that surround Montrondo on Friday morning

He didn't get back until half an hour after I did which gave me time to unload my shopping and make our lunch.

While my husband had his siesta and I chilled out under the apple trees, back home in Madrid, Oli and Miguel took the children to the funfair. I think it was their first time and they had a blast.

Oli and co at the funfair in Madrid on Friday

I love my afternoons here, chilling out under the apple trees, accompanied by Pippa and then a game of Ludo with Dolores. 

It was just after our game that I looked out over the balcony to find Eladio's siblings getting prepared to have a photo taken together. It is not often the  6 of them are together. I decided I would be the photographer. This is one of the photos I took of them lined up in order of age, from Eladio and José Antonio to the youngest, the one missing from the photo taken in 1959. I later remarked to my husband that when the photo was taken in 1959, his parents, especially his father, could never imagine what life would be like 64 years later. 

The 6 siblings

I don't think he could have envisaged the relaxed life we lead here. Life in the 50's was hard and work was non stop except perhaps for the Santa Marta and Corpus Christi fiestas. It's such a pity he can't see the houses his offspring built. He would be amazed, especially at ours which was the original family home. 

My father never saw our "new" house in Montrondo which we finished in October 2015 as he was too old by then, nor my mother of course. It's funny how our parents are always in my thoughts; in mine at least.

Mine would have related to the film we watched that night, once again starring Adrien Brody. It was Roman Polanski's The Pianist which we had seen many years ago. I later read it is based on a true story, the story of a Polish Jewish musician, Wladyslaw Szpilman, who, incredibly, survived the Holocaust while hiding in a flat in Warsaw right next to the main Nazi official offices. Of course I had to look up his book and I have now downloaded it on my kindle. It's a harrowing but incredible story of survival. 

Saturday came and I decided to stop being lazy and go for a long walk. I don't really like going up the mountains as I don't like walking upwards, preferring the flat. Thus I suggested we did the "Camino Valle" walk - which is about 11000 steps there and back. It is, in my opinion, the most beautiful walk in the area. We set off at about 10.30 before it got too hot. "Too hot" is not the right description really as the maximum temperature yesterday was only 24ºc. We had the walk practically to ourselves, only bumping into my brother-in-law and the local farmer, my friend Manolo. We took the old path to Murias to get to the Camino Valle which means literally Valley path. It was beautiful and I had to have photos. Here is one of Eladio by the stream we walked alongside. 

Eladio on the old path to Murias by the stream

That old path leads you to the main road between Montrondo and Murias. From there you go right at the next turning which leads you to the Valley Path. In the field at the crossing I saw the horse and pony which seem to be spending their summer there. It was then that I noticed the horse - a large one - is a mare as it was being suckled at by its foal which I hadn't seen before. Again I had to have a picture. I am addicted to horses and most animals in general as you probably know. 

The mare and its foal on our walk yesterday

But I had to turn my back on them to continue on the walk. That's when I got Eladio to take a couple of photos of me for this week's post. I thought I would look awful but I actually like the photos. One of them I chose for the feature photo - me happy on our lovely sunny walk with my husband and of course with Pippa. 

On the Camino Valle walk yesterday

As we walked on the flat and then upwards along a path that runs parallel high above Murias, I reflected just how much I love the place. There are parts that are like a thick wood which Eladio always says reminds him of the scene in Dr. Zhivago when he is caught by Strelnikov. That had me thinking which is my favourite place in the world. I asked Eladio what his was and he was stumped. I kept on thinking and top of the list has to be Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire; a place I went to a lot as a child and where I took Eladio when we first fell in love. Other places in my top ten are not Paris, Rome, London or Istanbul as you may expect, but Playa de Poo in Asturias, the lighthouse in Santa Pola, Ilkley or Harrogate - again in Yorkshire - Venice (of course) and now Dubrovnik. Other places that come to mind are all in England, The Cotswolds, Bath and York. I'm sure I am forgetting places. For a place to come in my top ten, it has to be somewhere I feel happy and I felt happy on our walk yesterday along the Camino Valle so am now including it as one of my favourite places in the world. What are your favourite places in the world and why? 

We came back to have a lunch of leftovers and spent another lazy afternoon, mostly lying outside reading under the shade of the apple trees. We were then invited to tea by Toño and Dolores as they had visitors; a Spanish family that lives in Utrecht, Holland. I was especially interested to meet the wife who is a  microbiologist and doctor specialising in infectious diseases who told us her experiences of Covid and reassured us to believe in the anti Covid vaccines. Any people out there who think the pandemic and the vaccines were a conspiracy should talk to her.

And today is Sunday, our last but one day here. We shall probably be returning on Wednesday - to 42ºc in Madrid - how awful. I have put the roast on and left it half cooked so we can go on the Camino Valle walk again which I loved so much yesterday.

I hope you are all having a great Sunday wherever you are. Maybe some of you are in your favourite places in the world. I hope so. 

Cheers now until next Sunday,

All the best,

Masha